CNU alcohol policy re-examined

FOOTBALL WINS BIG
PAGE B5
‘Carbon Leaf’ rocks
Great Lawn
PAGE B1
Six shut- outs in a
row
PAGE B5
Review of ‘ the Heroine Diaries’
PAGE B4
THE CAPTAIN’S LOG
T H E O F F I C I A L S T U D E N T N E W S PA P E R O F C H R I S T O P H E R N E W P O R T U N I V E R S I T Y | O C T O B E R 3 , 2 0 0 7 | V O LU M E 3 9 I S S U E 5
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Guns on campus cause for concern
NEWS
SGA meeting
discusses new
committees
SAFETY ISSUES| The Va. Tech shooting raised
questions about guns on college campuses.
BY ERIN ROLL
ER I N.ROL L .0 4 @ CN U.EDU
The Sept. 24 SGA meeting was devoted to continued discussions on the ad
hoc committee for constitutional refor m and the
five proposed task forces,
as well as how to improve
communication between
the SGA and the student
body.
One portion of the meeting concerned the proposed
c om m it t e e s i n t he new
version of t he constitution. T hese com mit te es
would have SGA members
working with the faculty
and staff in the areas of
housing, dining, Auxiliary
Services, Student Life, and
academics.
Vic e P resident of t he
S en at e B en He at h su ggested that the committees
be given a one-month trial
run before they become
of f icia l. T he suggestion
was tabled until the next
meeting.
The SGA also confi rmed
Senator Andrew Carr as
president of t he ad hoc
committee set to discuss
constitutional reform since
none had been selected at
previous meetings.
Ad hoc committee meetings are expected to continue over the course of the
week, and SGA President
Andrew Lundsten stated
that the SGA was “very,
very close” to having a fi nal
version of the constitution
in hand.
Freshman Senator CeJae
Johnson gave a report on
the Dining Services task
force. Johnson said he had
given out surveys in the
dining halls but encountered problems with Direc-
BY MEG FINCH
M EG.F I NCH.0 4 @ CN U.EDU
Considering the tragedy
at Virginia Tech this spring,
gun control is a hot-button
issue for many Virginians,
especia l ly at institutions
of higher education. This
sentiment stands in sharp
contrast to the traditional
perspective in the Commonwealth, which embraces and
seeks to preser ve Second
Amendment rights.
What is being done to keep
us safe on campus? Do students now favor more stringent gun control or do they
believe in carrying fi rearms
as a mea ns of protecti ng
themselves and others?
CN U policy concer ni ng
we ap on s a nd
firearms is clear: the unauthorized possession, storage,
or control of firearms and
weapons on University property is prohibited. However,
Chief Jeffery Brown of the
University Police said that
storing a registered fi rearm in
a vehicle is legal under state
law, provided it is unloaded
and the ammunition for the
we ap on i s i n a s ep a r at e,
locked box. “Although there
would be no crime, it would
be a violation of University
policy.”
When asked to explain any
incidents regarding guns on
campus, Brown commented
on an incident where a student who worked as a security g uard wanted to keep
his weapon in his residence.
T he University Police
explained to the
individual that he
needed to find
alternative arrangements for
the storage of his fi rearm.
However, sources close to
the police department and
Residence Li fe a l lege that
a shotgun and ammunition
were found in a dorm room
after the fi re at Madison Hall
last year. One source claimed
that a student was expelled in
the 2006-2007 academic year
for possession of a firearm.
Although Brown was unable
to confirm specifics, he did
acknowledge that there was
a weapons violation and that
it was refer red judicia l ly.
“Some action was t a ken,”
Brown said.
Another CNU student, who
wishes to remain anonymous,
a d m it s t o h av i n g s t o r e d
firearms in the trunk of his
vehicle. The student, who
resides on campus, is licensed
to carry a concealed weapon.
When asked if he still stores
t he g u n s on c a mpu s, t he
s ou r c e r e sp onde d , “A f t er
the Virginia Tech incident,
I choose not to have my firearms
on or near
[t he] school
campus.”
“ I h ave
n e v e r
been in a
situation on
campus where
the possession of
a fi rearm would
h a v e
i n c r e a s e d my f e e l i n g o f
sa fety,” he said. “Outside
of campus, in this town, I
have.” The student stated,
“There are people who should
not possess a firearm.” He
chooses to carry a firearm
incidental to his line of work
but said, “There are very few
viable reasons to possess a
gun.” The student owns three
firearms, although he owned
as many as six at one time.
A lt hough some students
do hold p er m it s to c a r r y
concealed weapons, there is
no system by which the University Police can determine
who holds these permits. The
police would have to run each
student through a statewide
database to know which ones
have applied for a concealed
handgun permit. In the Commonwealth, there is no registration process for unconcealed weapons. Only when
a person is carrying a loaded
weapon, out of sight, does it
qualify as concealed.
The Code of Virginia states
that possession of a loaded
f i rea r m i n cer t ai n public
places in Newport News is
prohibited. This does not
apply to law en forcement,
security personnel, or those
with a valid concealed handgun permit. Eighteen sworn
police officers carry guns on
campus.
Matthew Cooper, a sophomore, believes that students
should also be able to carry
guns on campus. “They need
to be able to protect themselves like they do in the rest
of society,” he said. Cooper
ow n s b ot h h a nd g u n s a nd
hunting rif les, although he
has never been hunting. He
plans on applying for a permit
to carry a concealed weapon
when he turns 21, the minimum age for licensor.
Si nc e Apr i l , Un iver sit y
police officers have completed
training to make them more
prepared for an incident similar to what happened at Virginia Tech. “We have worked
very hard to set up a comprehensive emergency notification system on campus,”
Brown said. Later this month,
the University will conduct a
test of this system.
Additiona l ly, t here i s a
proactive committee of school
officials who seek to prevent
any incidents of violence on
campus.
“Every two weeks, we meet
to discuss sit uations t hat
have come to the attention of
members of the committee
and determine the best way to
follow-up,” Brown said.
Laura Harrison, a junior,
said, “I think that guns on
campus are a disaster waiting to happen. That’s why
we have the campus police
department. That’s their job
to take care of security. We
shouldn’t have to take it upon
ou r s elve s .” Ju n ior Z ach
Hughes said, “I think people
should be able to own guns.
I think they should be able to
keep them in their vehicles on
campus.”
On CNU’s urban campus,
we may have more to fear
than fellow students. “Our
exposure to the public is significant and we do patrol to
watch these types of behaviors,” Brown said. The next
session of the Virginia General Assembly will convene in
January. Their task will be
to address the tragedy at Virginia Tech with comprehensive and proactive legislation
to protect colleges across the
Commonwealth. Given the
relaxed nature of gun control
in Virginia, it is time to question how safe we really are. ■
SEE SGA PAGE A8
INSIDE
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WORLD + NATION, A7
Professor
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A professor clears a crucial
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FOOD + HEALTH, A6
GRAPHIC BY ERIN STEUBER/THE CAPTAIN’S LOG
CNU alcohol policy re-examined
The proposed policy offers a
possible solution to alcohol-related medical
emergencies on campus.
MEDICAL AMNESTY|
BY CHRISTINE BARNHILL
CH R IST I N E.BA R N H I L L .0 4 @ CN U.EDU
INDEX
Arts and Entertainment
Campus and Local Briefs
Comics and Word Up
Event Calendar
Food + Health
Horoscopes
Opinions
Police Blotter
Sports
World + Nation
B1
A2
A4
A2
A6
A4
A5
A2
B5
A7
Students can face severe
consequences for illegal consumption of alcohol, particularly on campuses that strictly
prohibit any trace of it. A
resident of Potomac North
required medical attention
last week after an incident at
York West. Fear of repercussions for alcohol consumption
on a dry campus has some
students searching for a way
to stay safe and out of trouble.
Alcohol-related hospitalizations, however, have reignited
an ongoing discussion on alcohol policy, as several students
have required medical attention since the start of school.
Student Government Association P resident A nd rew
Lu nd s t en i nt r o duc e d t he
concept of medical amnesty
into his policy agenda for
2007-2008. Medical amnesty
is a program that seeks to
ensure the health and safety
of i ntoxic ated st udent s.
Rather than running the
risk of students fai ling to
r e p or t me d ic a l e me r g e n cies out of fear of judicial
c o n s e qu e nc e s , m a ny c ol leges and universities have
adopted medica l a mnesty.
Under such a policy, if a
student were to seek immediate medical attention followi ng a n a lcohol-rel ate d
incident, the school would
not pursue judicial sanctions
against the student for violation of the Alcohol Beverage
Policy. “It would place students’ lives as the number
one i mp or t a nc e. It wou ld
also ensure safety of students
which is the first priority of
the school,” said Lundsten in
regards to medical amnesty.
The school would also apply
medical amnesty standards
to those students who assist
other students in obtaining
medical attention. Medical
amnesty would only exempt
students from the reg u lar
consequences of A lcoholic
Beverage Policy violations,
so students could still be subject to repercussions of other
Code of Conduct violations.
Though sanctions would be
made for students who utilize
medical amnesty, the administration would not prevent
police and law enforcement
officers from taking action.
Undera ge d r i n ki n g i s a
widespread problem that continues to plague schools across
the country. Heavy drinking
carries consequences that can
potentially lead to fatalities.
It is estimated that around
1,700 students die each year
from college drinking while
a not he r 5 9 9 , 0 0 0 s t ud e nt s
incur injuries from the alcohol-related incidents, according to the National Institute
on Alcohol and Alcoholism.
According to the University
Police’s Crime Incident Log,
CNU has seen 11 charges of
SEE
ALCOHOL PAGE A3
W E D N E S D A Y, O C T O B E R 3 , 2 0 0 7
ALCOHOL, FROM PAGE A1
underage possession, three
c ases of d r u n k i n public,
a n d o n e c a s e o f d r iv i n g
under t he i n f luence si nce
the beginning of September.
Chief of University Police
Jeffrey Brown has expressed
concern about a policy that
b e a r s some c on f l ic t w it h
public law, “There has been no
empirical data that shows how
useful something like medical amnesty would be. It is a
fairly new concept that needs
to be studied and explored.”
In 2002, Cornell University
incorporated medical amnesty
i nt o t hei r a lc ohol p ol ic y
– one of the first schools to
do so. In the year prior to the
implementation, there were
a reported 63 alcohol-related
phone calls to emergency services. For the 2005- 06 year,
there were a total of 91 phone
ca l ls – constituti ng a significant 44 percent increase.
Medical amnesty appears to
be working well at Cornell,
as students are enabled and
encouraged to protect their
friends and fellow students
from the effects of over-consumption. Additionally, Va.
schools have tried implementing similar programs on their
c a mpu ses. T he C ol lege of
William & Mary established
the program last year in the
hopes of preventing fatalities and serious health risks
caused by heavy drinking.
The recent medical emergencies present serious quest ion s t h at m a nd at e s ol id
s olut io n s . T h e d e g r e e t o
which a program like medical
amnesty would be beneficial
is currently unknown. Brown
has not witnessed an increase
in cases of underage drinking
and alcohol possession. “The
numbers have remained generally the same. I’ve looked
at data from past years. Last
year we had 25 cases of alcohol related violations during
the first month of school and
this year we have had 18.”
The number of phone calls
made to University Police
or local emergency services
were not available, however.
“Students shou ld not be
d r i n ki n g u nder a ge but i f
a st udent does ma ke t hat
de ci sion , we c a n pr event
de at h a nd s er iou s i nju r y
with a program like medical
amnesty,” Lundsten said. ■
T H E C A P T A I N ’ S L O G | PAGE A3
Homelessness hits home for students
Social Work
Association sponsors
all-night event
detailing difficulties
and dispelling myths.
EVENT|
BY JENNIFER NEFF
J EN N IF ER.N EF F.0 5 @ CN U.EDU
Cardboard boxes are carelessly tossed about the lawn.
Some are assembled, others
are lying f lat on the ground.
Blankets, sleeping bags, and
tarps are huddled next to the
boxes. And this unusual sight
was seen on Christopher Newport University’s own Great
Lawn.
I n a n at t emp t t o br i n g
awareness about the homelessness situation in Newport
News, the Social Work Association (SWA) of CNU hosted
the “Night of Homelessness”
on the Great Lawn last Thursday night, Sept. 27. The event
started at 7 p.m. and lasted
until 6 a.m. Friday morning.
SWA asked various people
f r om t he c om mu n it y a nd
CNU to talk to the students
to enlighten them about the
homeless situation. Among
the speakers were social workers, representatives of homeless agencies, CNU alumni,
and a current CNU student.
Dee Schwartz, supervisor of
the Homeless Services Community Service Board and
CNU alumna, provided students with statistics about the
amount of homeless people on
the Virginia Peninsula. As of
January 2007, 359 homeless
people were sheltered, 26 3
were in transitional housing,
and 257 were without shelter.
Altogether, there are approximately 879 homeless people
l iv i n g on t he P en i n s u l a .
However, that number does
not include those who were
abandoned or uncounted for
other reasons. “Many more
to count, many more to outreach,” said Schwartz.
Sophomore Leon Prather
KAREN HYMES/THE CAPTAIN’S LOG
Jessica Edney (left) sits with Victoria Busey (right) on the Great Lawn listening to a speaker at Thursday’s “Night
of Homelessness.”
told students of his experience of being homeless during
his junior year at Woodside
High School. “Six to eight
months, I was not in a home of
my own,” said Prather. Once
a school official heard about
Prather’s situation, Prather
was given a job as a theater
technician and was able to
help pay the bills. At the end
of his story, Prather reminded
students that not every homeless person fits the stereotype
of living in a cardboard box.
Rev. Isabelle Steilberg of St.
Paul’s Episcopal Church on
Warwick Blvd. described to
students the gap that exists
between the number of homeless and the funding to help
them. Outside a window in
Steilberg’s of fice, she sees
an ai rcra ft ca r rier i n t he
Northrop Grumman shipyard
that cost $8.9 billion. Outside
another window in her office,
she sees long lines of people
outside of St. Paul’s in need
of food and shelter. Steilberg
also commented on a previous
statement made that Housing and Urban Development
(HUD) gives $1 million to help
out the homeless situation in
Newport News. “There’s a big
gap,” says Steilberg.
A recent graduate of CNU,
M el i s s a F r a i s e d i s p el le d
my ths of homelessness. “I
have met plenty of well-educated individuals who are
homeless,” said Fraise. Fraise
went on to explain that not all
homeless people are unemployed. Most have jobs, but
do not make enough money
to cover their rent and other
expenses.
During her speech to
the students, Lynne Fields
from LINK, a local outreach
agency, commented on how
unaware the community is
about the homelessness situation. “I was surprised how
you have to convince people
here that people are home-
SWA and supporters of helping the homeless in the area.
“ I t h i n k t h at ac t u a l ly
sleeping on the lawn will
make a point. The students
p a r t icip at i n g w i l l get a
small taste of what it is like.
Hopefully we can make an
impact,” said Sophomore
Amanda Davis, member of
SWA.
By 6:30 a.m. Friday morning, all the cardboard boxes
were disposed of, blankets
and tarps were folded, and
sleeping bags were rolled
up. The Great Lawn looked
as if no one had slept there
the previous night. Students
w a l k i n g p a s t t h e G r e at
Lawn on their way to classes
later that day did not give
it a second look – reminiscent of how the community
pays little attention to the
homeless i n t he a rea. “I
would love to see more CNU
students go out and see the
problem,” said Erickson. ■
less,” said Fields.
T he r e a l it y t h at mo s t
people are unaware of the
homelessness in the area is
alarming. SWA’s hope is that
the event will help people
understand how much of
a need there is in the community. “The average individual won’t help, which is
unfortunate,” said Senior
Elisabeth Henifin, president
of SWA.
Speeches comprised half
of the event; the other half
consisted of sleeping out
on the Great Lawn until 6
a.m. Once the speeches concluded, people began claiming boxes as their homes for
the night.
“This makes the homeless
problem visible,” commented
Carlyn Erickson, a professor
in the Social Work Department, about the students
sleeping on the great lawn.
Most of those who stayed
the night were members of
Several students jailed for good
cause
Alpha Phi brings together a
cast of CNU ‘celebrities’ to promote awareness
of women’s cardiac health.
CARDIAC ARREST|
BY RYAN KELLY
RYA N.K EL LY.0 5 @ CN U.EDU
Mobs of sorority sisters
pat rol le d CN U l a st we ek,
arresting students and staff
who seemed remarkably content with their apprehension.
Complete with wailing sirens
and the sound of megaphones
ringing out all over campus,
Alpha Phi hosted the first
a n nu a l Ca rdi ac A r rest , a
novel fund raiser to support
wo m e n’s c a r d i a c h e a lt h .
Last Wednesday, Sept. 26,
from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., sisters
booked 30 people, including
faculty, staff, presidents of
campus organizations, student at h letes, a nd ot hers.
“We’re trying to get everyone involved,” said Jennifer
Barton, director of philant h ropy wit hi n A lpha Phi.
For 12 hours, those that
were “arrested” were taken to
a mock jail cell set up in the
David Student Union breezeway. The convicts, along with
Alpha Phi sisters, solicited
passersby to donate money
t o h e lp t h e m m a ke b a i l .
“ We a r e ve r y t h a n k f u l
to all the faculty, staff, and
students who par ticipated
as well as donated. We know
that our philanthropy event
wou ld not have been suc cessfu l without their help
and support,” said Barton.
O r i g i n a l ly, B a r ton s aid
she was hoping to be able to
collect $ 50 bail per person,
which wou ld come to a
total of $1500 if all 30 people
reached their target amount.
B y t h e e n d o f t h e d ay
t hei r or i g i n a l goa l h ad
been far surpassed. Volunteers took in $ 1,9 6 4.11 for
the Alpha Phi Foundation,
wh ic h wo rk s t o i mp r ove
c a r d i ac c a r e for wo me n .
In addition to collecting
don at ion s, t he event wa s
intended to raise awareness
about cardiac care. Heart
disease is the leading cause
of deat h among A merican
women. Alpha Phi decided
t hat for such a da ngerous and often preventable
condition, cardiac disease
d i d n o t h av e t h e p u b l i c
awareness that it deserved.
“It’s a silent killer,” said
Barton about heart disease,
which kills one in six women.
“It’s not that well-known.”
W hen asked about t he
most popular jailbird, Yasmeen Fletcher was quick to
respond, “Miss Linda,” she
NICHOLAS SCHERER/ THE CAPTAIN’S LOG
Liana Angelo, sophomore (far left), Kelly Moncure, junior (center), and Brittany Soule, sophomore ( right) were jailed
during Alpha Phi’s Cardiac Arrest.
said. “She was awesome.”
F l e t c h e r, a s e n i o r, i s
the vice president of marketing for A lpha Phi.
Barton agreed. “She was
really into it, very responsive.”
Senior Dan Wood, who represented Tau Delta Phi, spent
just over an hour in custody.
“I enjoyed the event. It was
re a l ly enter t a i ni n g b ei n g
there for the hour,” he said.
Cardiac A rrest gathered
support from all over campus.
Even organizations without
jai led members cont rib uted and per formed in the
breezeway to draw attention
to the event. WCN U set up
a booth next to the Cardiac
Arrest from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
to do a live broadcast. Altered
Xpressionz, the CN U break
d a nci n g club, p er for me d
from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., and the
Newport Pearls, a female a
cappella group, sang at 7 p.m.
“It was the best jail time
ever. People were dancing
in front of me and bringing me food,” said Wood.
Planning for this year’s
Cardiac Arrest began last
semester. It replaces t he
24-hour teeter-totter fund
raiser from years past. ■
uncover the truth. write the news.
The Captain’s Log is looking for investigative reporters.
Contact us at: [email protected]
W E D N E S D A Y, O C T O B E R 3 , 2 0 0 7
PAGE A8 | T H E C A P T A I N ’ S L O G
MSA RAISES
AWARENESS
ABOUT JENA 6
SGA, FROM PAGE A1
BETH BECK/ THE CAPTAIN’S LOG
SGA meets at the recent board meeting on September 24th discussing the new committees
proposed in the new constitution.
tor of Dining Services Denise
Williams, who took issue with
the wording of his survey.
Senator Rebecca Graybeal
gave an update on progress
in the library and passed on
information from University
Librarian Mary Sellen.
The new library, Graybeal
said, is set to open just before
the start of classes in January, with plans for a big opening celebration. There are
plans to move furniture in
by November and to transfer
books by Christmas.
There are also plans to have
a n e -publishi ng center i n
the library with laminating
machines, color printers, and
publishing software. Sellen is
seeking student input, however, before further steps are
taken.
On the subject of parking,
several students in the gallery voiced their discontent
on a number of issues, ranging from the lack of available
spaces to the hike in fines and
decal fees.
Senator Brook ly nn Constant voiced the possibility of
another parking garage, as
well as additional freshman
housing in the future.
Senator Taylor Blu nt
reminded the SGA that the
parking garage at the Ferguson Center is open to student
parking as are the two parking lots adjoining the garage.
When the meeting shifted
to the topics of campus combs,
or polling sessions for student
opi n ion, a nd i n for m at ion
tables in the DSU, Blunt stated
that he had been interviewed
by a student who was working
on a paper about the SGA for
an English class. According
to this student, Blunt said,
there were other students who
believed that the SGA was like
either a sorority or a branch
of the administration.
T ow a r d t h e e n d o f t h e
meeting, Secretary of Media
K a rl a Feg h a l i a n nou nc e d
some proposed changes to the
f lyer posting policy. Under
the revised posting policy,
Feghali said, people wishing
to post f lyers and notices on
public bulletin boards will
receive notices from the SGA,
telling them when the flyer or
notice has to be removed.
Fegha li a nd ot hers a lso
mentioned the large number
of year-old notices still tacked
up on bulletin boards.
The meeting confirmed two
new justices, Senior Bel le
Blodgett and Junior Jessica
Turner, and Lundsten presented Junior Brittany Schott
as the nominee for ICA chair.
Lundsten also stated that he
hoped to have applications for
freshman elections available
on the SGA Web site by the
end of the week. ■
Sell ads. Get experience.
The Captain’s Log is looking
for help with business.
KAREN HYMES / THE CAPTAIN’S LOG
Secretary Jessica Proffitt (sophomore) and President Brad Campbell (senior) raised
over $500 to go towards the legal defense fund in less then two weeks and plan on
having more fund raisers in the coming months.
BY RYAN KELLY
[email protected]
Dozens of concerned students, clad in green, crowded together to
listen to one another speak out against injustice on Thursday, Sept. 20.
The Multicultural Student Association met in the Washington Room of
the David Student Union to discuss the ongoing story of the Jena 6.
Those who attended the MSA event were encouraged to wear green
in support of the six boys who are awaiting sentencing. Senior Xavier
Higgins, MSA president, briefed the group on a petition that was being
circulated among Tidewater-area schools, as well as ways to raise funds
in support of the six.
“They need legal defense,” he said. Higgins also stressed the
importance of increased awareness, saying, “The more people you
educate, the more voices you have.”
In September 2006, after a black student asked permission to sit under
a tree at which traditionally only white students congregated, three
nooses were hung from the tree in question. Three white students that
were found to be responsible were suspended for three days. After a
series of conflicts that involved escalating violence and racial tension, a
white student was injured in a fight with a group of black students. Six
black male students, from 14 to 18-years-old, were eventually charged
with attempted second-degree murder as adults. The charges were
later reduced to aggravated second-degree battery. Protests against the
events have been based in accusations of racism.
To support the Jena 6, MSA also held a party on Friday, Sept. 29 in the
Freeman Center, from which a portion of the proceeds will be donated
to the Jena 6 Legal Defense Fund. ■
Contact us at: [email protected]