Daily Helmsman The
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Tigers Hoops Gains Attention Will Barton and Joe Jackson named to preseason list of top 50 college basketball players
Vol. 79 No. 23
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Independent Student Newspaper of The University of Memphis
BY CHELSEA BOOZER News Reporter New details have surfaced from a Memphis police incident report regarding the possible abduction of two women from the Richardson Towers parking lot on Sunday evening. A U of M student who was identified in the report as living in the dorm said she saw a black man walk through the hedges bordering Richardson Towers’ parking lot and approach two white women who were standing next to a small, light blue car parked on the last row of the lot that faced Patterson Avenue. The witness said the man’s mannerisms were “threatening” and the two women “appeared to be afraid.” She said she then saw the women get in the front of the car and the man get in the back as he was looking around in a “nervous manner.” As it was driven toward the exit, the car passed within a few feet of two U of M students, according to the report, and they saw that the driver was crying and the passenger “looked terrified.” Bruce Harber, Police Services director of safety, said campus police have successfully accounted for every student in Richardson Towers who fits the description of the women, except one. “The one we haven’t contacted, from what I’m told, doesn’t match the description of the two who were in the car,” he said. “We have left voice messages for her and are waiting for a call back.” He said that an emergency TigerText and an email were sent to students Sunday night in hopes that if any of those in the car were students, they might get the text and contact police. “We just don’t know. All we know is people were in the car and left the lot and we had a couple of people saying the male looked suspicious and the females had been crying or wide eyed,” Harber said. Neither Memphis Police nor campus Police Services has received any tips or leads. Another student, not mentioned in the report, told The Daily Helmsman that he saw the man’s arm laying on the armrest between the two women seated in front.
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Abduction, page 3
Campus Activities
Looking for a major? UM to host sixth annual Discover Your Major Day on Thursday
Pep band prepares to plug into student body playlist
by Chris Daniels
Police, campus stumped over alleged incident
www.dailyhelmsman.com
In an effort to appeal to more students, The University of Memphis pep band has begun accepting song requests from students to play at Tigers basketball games this season.
BY TIMBERLY MOORE News Reporter As a new basketball season begins, so does a new tradition in the stands. This year, The University of Memphis Pep Band will fill The FedEx Forum with contemporary tunes selected by the student body. Dan Kalantarian, the new pep band director, said he is opening his email as a request box to students who are interested in hearing popular music performed. Kalantarian said The University of Memphis was unable to make this change in the past because there was a waiting period to purchase converted music from publishing companies. Now, he and a group of students are able to compose the band’s set list. Because of the volume of students, Kalantarian may not be able to satisfy everyone. If students request a song frequently,
BY SHUNITRA INGRAM News Reporter The University of Memphis Undergraduate Academic Services and Academic Counseling Center is hosting the sixth annual Discover Your Major Day on Thursday, giving students an opportunity to learn more about particular fields and decide which one they’d like to pursue. Mary Brignole, academic counselor and director of Discover Your Major Day, said it’s a great opportunity for students to find out what they want to do. “It’s about doing what you are most passionate about and good at,” Brignole said. “You have to know your strengths.” Brignole said she has a 15-person com-
he will lean towards playing that song. “I don’t want to play a song that only one person knows,” Kalantarian said. According to Kalantarian, song selection mainly rests on the shoulders of the band because he wants them to enjoy the music they play. Kalantarian said the time it takes to have a request played by the band depends on the band members’ ability to learn the music after he has composed it. Samantha Sutton, junior English major and band member, said she likes playing new songs as long as the audience wants to hear them continuously. “The songs that fade in popularity really fast like “All I do is win” by T-Pain are the ones I don’t like playing,” said Sutton. Melanie Rucker, junior theatre major and pep band member,
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mittee, with representatives from a variety of departments including Residence Life and Athletics. “Almost every department on campus will be represented,” Brignole said. “Career services is our biggest participant. They will be there to offer students the tools they need to find a job or internship before, after or during college.” Courtney Fitzgerald, academic counselor, said the event is not just about finding your major, but about networking opportunities as well. “It’s not just about your major, it’s about connecting with resources available,” Fitzgerald said. “Career services will be there to offer students a variety of internship opportunities to take advan-
Pep Band, page 6 tage of.” Fitzgerald said students often find themselves changing their major several times before graduation. “Students sometimes feel pressured to choose what they will major in,” Fitzgerald said. “Coming to Discover Your Major Day will help students understand that the career path or major they choose will not dictate their life. What they choose does not determine who they are.” Fitzgerald said the event is like a door that opens a wide variety of opportunities for students. “Knowing your major is a starting point,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s about understanding who you are and the world.”