Daily Helmsman The
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Musicians Fuzed Together
Vol. 78 No. 101
Independent Student Newspaper of The University of Memphis
UM ensemble Sound Fuzion, in 15th year, creates pop harmony across the state see page 5 www.dailyhelmsman.com
FACE the charges Presidential candidate Tyler DeWitt filed the first infraction of this year’s Student Government Association election early Wednesday morning, citing the improper posting of flyers by the Finding Answers Concerning Everyone party. FACE party campaign materials were posted on doors, windows and trash cans and covered at least two yard signs, promoting the Writing on the Wall Project, which belonged to the Student Activities Council — all placements that violate University policy. SGA Election Commissioner Anthony LaRocca noticed the improperly placed signs Monday night around 10:30 p.m. He then called the FACE party’s presidential candidate and current SGA president, Hunter Lang, and ordered him to have the signs removed by 1 a.m. Strolling the campus around 1:30 a.m., LaRocca said he noticed a significant number of the signs still posted in the illegal locations, proceeded to take photos as evidence and removed posters that covered SAC’s signs.
DeWitt filed the infraction against the FACE party around 3 a.m. Wednesday. LaRocca said he scheduled court hearings for this week more than a month ago, in case a grievance were filed. The court hearing was scheduled for 4 p.m. Wednesday, but LaRocca said SGA Chief Justice Joshua Jackson told him that Dwayne Scott, associate dean of Student Judicial Affairs, “canceled the meeting because associate justice selection is more important (and is taking place Wednesday) afternoon.” “This is something I set up a month ago, and I asked for him to have the court meet Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday,” LaRocca said. “He said the court was going to meet, and four hours beforehand he told me the meeting was canceled. (The election commission is) waiting for the hearing to get rescheduled. They had a prior commitment. Hopefully we will get a hearing so the facts will come out.” LaRocca said last year’s election’s grievances could not be heard before the election ended and were ultimately dropped, since they would have no effect on the election, and he did not
want that to happen this year. Infractions were also filed against the FACE party last year for placing flyers on doors, windows and the hoods of vehicles, all against University policy. According to SGA’s election laws, the student court is responsible for scheduling a hearing within three days of receiving the charges. However, LaRocca said Jackson told him that the student court “thought it was best to wait until all grievances are filed after the election and hear them together.” When the hearing takes place, the election commission will present a statement, show the evidence and make a recommendation for punishment. Potential punishments are a reprimand, a monetary fine of $25 or $75, or disqualification from taking office. LaRocca said there likely will be no disqualification, since he has no proof who posted the signs. “I was happy that Hunter (Lang) took down most of the posters — or his party did — but by 1:30 a.m., there were still
see
SGA, page 7
Achievement
UM professor, student to receive awards at upcoming ceremony BY MELISSA WRAY News Reporter University of Memphis faculty member Vivian Gunn Morris will receive the Dr. Martin Luther King Human Rights Award on April 2 at a 2 p.m. ceremony in the University Center Theatre. Tishira Smith, senior African and AfricanAmerican Studies major, will also receive a Dr. Martin Luther King Scholarship at the ceremony, which is free and open to the public. Morris, assistant dean for faculty and staff development at the College of Education and a professor in the college, has received many awards for research in the educational advances for children of color and has published books and Morris articles on the topic.
Smith, a graduate of Ridgeway High School, is a member of Black Scholars, Positive Assertive United Sisters of Excellence and Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. She is also a volunteer at the Lester Community Center and a tutor for the Memphis Literary Corps. “I feel humbled and fortunate to be in a position as a college-educated, African-American woman to give back and to be an example to those who see me,” Smith said. “Serving the community Smith also reminds me why it is critical to continue pursing my education so that I can be an even more active advocate in the community.” Hope Smith, assistant director of interdisciplinary studies, said she hopes the ceremony “will inspire others to follow in Dr. King’s footsteps.”
Student Government Association presidential candidate Hunter Lang campaigns in the UC on Wednesday in an attempt to secure potential votes from still-undecided — or uninterested — students.
Nocturnal admissions All-night studying crucial for many students BY ERICA HORTON News Reporter As the semester’s end nears and exam week looms, some students are beginning to prepare for finals. Others, however, will pull all-nighters the day before exams, spending the final hours of the semester frantically reviewing lecture notes and flashcards. With only 23 days of school left, Dylan Hanks, sophomore history major, said for some students, “procrastinating is the key to studying.” Dylan and several other University of Memphis students said cramming many weeks’ worth of studying into just a handful of hours the night before a test is as easy as a trip to a favorite fast food restaurant or watching a movie. “Imagine you have to study for a biology test,” he said. “You use something as a reward for studying, like pausing a show
for a period of time and then fastforwarding through all the com-
see
Sleep, page 7
MCT
BY CHELSEA BOOZER News Reporter
by Brian Wilson
SGA political party accused of improper campaigning for second year in a row