Daily Helmsman The
Friday, September 30, 2011
A C Wharton to Visit Campus In anticipation of upcoming election, UC to host Mayor Wharton at town hall meeting
Vol. 79 No. 21
see page 3
Independent Student Newspaper of The University of Memphis
www.dailyhelmsman.com
Surfing the sidewalks
Identity crisis
Is the mandatory dining dollars credit putting UM students at risk? BY CHELSEA BOOZER News Reporter Freshman Tyler Griggs and junior John Martin didn’t have a choice but to put $300 credit on their student ID card. The University refused to refund them when the cards were stolen and used by an identity thief. “I think it makes it evident that students shouldn’t be forced to take out $300 for Dining Dollars. There is way too much weight and too much importance placed on measly student IDs. You are talking about hundreds of dollars,” said Martin, journalism major. Every University of Memphis undergraduate considered full-time and taking courses on the main campus is mandated to participate in the Dining Dollars program. The program uses an extra $300 fee to tuition as credit on a student’s
see Identity, page 4
Prominent scholars descend on UM for annual conference BY ERICA HORTON News Reporter The 30th annual Spindel Conference at The University of Memphis started Thursday with guests from universities across the country and overseas. Hosted by the philosophy department, the conference ends Saturday, Oct. 1 and is free and open to the public. This year’s theme is “Derrida and the TheologicoPolitical,” which focuses on the ideas of French philosopher Jacques Derrida that theological and political thoughts are linked. Linda Sadler, editorial assistant for The Southern Journal of Philosophy, said the conference will feature lectures and roundtable discussions about a series of never before published papers by Derrida. She said the key note speakers of the event, Peggy Kamuf of the University of Southern California and Geoffrey Bennington of Emory University in Atlanta are the authors working on translating Derrida’s unpublished notes from French to English. “They really are prominent scholars in this area and field,” she said. The second part of the conference begins today at 10 a.m. and ends at 10 p.m. and the conference wraps up Saturday, Oct. 1 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Longboarders at The University of Memphis weave in and out of students, coasting up to 20 mph, all while balancing on a piece of wood, just to make it to class on time. Longboarding originated from surfers on the west coast of America wanting to “land surf,” and has increased in popularity in recent years. Kirby Dukes, junior music industry major, started longboarding last semester and said it was something she always wanted to do. “I was afraid of trick boards and have seen boarders breaking their legs,” Dukes said. “I researched longboards and thought, ‘Cool, I’ll do that instead.’” Since Dukes was ten, she has looked up to professional skateboarders Tony Hawk and Bucky Lasek, who inspired her to get into the sport. Dukes lives on campus and uses her board as her primary mode of transportation on campus. She said she also uses it when she goes downtown. “It’s really convenient and doesn’t take much energy to use,” she said. “I can take it in a store and don’t have to worry about locking it up. I hop on it and go.” Being a longboarder on campus isn’t all coasting down hills and feeling the breeze in one’s hair. Dukes said she almost collides with students on a daily basis. “It’s kind of annoying,” she said. “You go down that hill towards the library and the board goes faster, and everyone has headphones on and it’s hard to stop.” Dukes said the faster she goes, the more at risk she is for harming herself and others. “I literally push people out of the way. I start yelling and when push comes to shove I have to shove,” she said. A fellow student longboarder, Jamon Harvell, sophomore mechanical engineering major, has had the same problem with close collisions on campus as Dukes. “It’s usually when somebody’s not looking at me,” Harvell said. “I almost hit about two or three people a day.” Derek Myers, deputy director of public safety at police services, said whether students are biking, roller skating or skateboarding on campus, as long as you’re doing it in a safe fashion, it’s okay. Harvell said when’s he’s riding his board, he’s going to take it wherever he goes, in class, the store, the UC, anywhere. “I basically get looks like, ‘Is he serious and did he really bring that into class,’” Harvell said. “I just get awkward looks basically.” Dukes also brings her board along-
by Aaron Turner
MCT
BY CHRIS DANIELS News Reporter
Junior music industry major Kirby Dukes longboards around campus Wednesday evening after classes. side her whenever she goes into popularity in other parts of the counclasses. try and it migrated here.” “If my seat’s against the wall, I set Hale said longboards can get it there and sometimes I put it under up to 20 to 25 mph on flat ground. my feet,” she said. “It’s kinda like a Cheapskates sells their longboards backpack, and I use it all the time. It’s for $140, completely ready to roll like a part of me.” around town. Bob Barnett, director of The University Center, said people t’s really convenient are not allowed to and doesn’t take much ride roller-skates or skateboards inside energy to use. I can take it The University in a store and don’t have buildings. He also said he to worry about locking it thinks there might up. I hop on it and go.” be a policy against skateboarding on — Kirby Dukes campus, but is Music industry junior unsure and did not have documentation on hand yesterday. Hale went to The U of M in 1983 Ron Hale, the owner of and said it was necessary for him to Cheapskates, the oldest and only full- use his board to get from class to class service skate shop in Memphis, has without being late. been riding longboards for 26 years “You have to watch out for cars now and said this is the greatest year and trains. I’ve never had accidents,” he’s seen for longboarding. he said. “When you’re an accom“It’s picked up quite a bit over plished boarder you know how to the last year,” Hale said. “Because of skate around people.”
“I