April 22, 2016

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Indiana Statesman For ISU students. About ISU students. By ISU students.

Friday, April 22, 2016

Volume 123, Issue 79

indianastatesman.com

Police report details incident between preacher, ISU visitor Marissa Schmitter Photo Editor

Students recognized the sign, “Fear God,” indicating the preachers are back on campus. On Monday, what usually are only verbal altercations turned physical. A preacher representing The Campus Ministry USA was reported grabbing a man, who is not an Indiana State University student, by the fountain after the man took the preacher’s chair and sat down in it. The report made by ISU Public Safety stated that the preacher was upset that his chair was taken. The preacher then grabbed the man by the arm, pulled him up and the preacher reclaimed his chair. The report shows that the preacher admitted to grabbing the man because the chair had been taken. The report also states that nail marks were left on the man’s arm. The man did not charge the preacher, but Public Safety Chief of Police Joe Newport said it is up to the prosecutor what happens in this case. “The prosecutor always, always, has the determination on

formal charges,” Newport said. “(The man) made a complaint to the police, the police gather the information and we present it to the prosecutor’s office to see if there is enough information to file a charge.” The call is a hard one, Newport said. “In this case, it is a really close call,” Newport said. “Because it appears that there was some provocation on the part of the people around the preacher, and the preacher reacts. Now, that doesn’t give him a pass to touch somebody in a rude way, but there are some issues here. One of the issues was that the chair was pulled away from the preacher.” A few students witnessed the incident. Gabrielle McLellan, freshman criminology major, was arguing with the preacher when the man was grabbed. “It was me and two guys and we were sitting in front of the chairs (at the fountain) and whatnot, just going back and forth with the preacher,” McLellan said. “The guy who was initially assaulted had taken the second black chair and stacked it on top of the other and sat down and was waiting for the preacher

to turn around. The preacher turned around and start yelling him ‘you stole my chair, get out of my chair.’ The preacher got up in his face. (The preacher) grabbed the gentleman’s arm — the kid had nail marks on his arm.” Freshman music education major Lynnly Schroeder was also sitting at the fountain when the man and the preacher had the disagreement. “(The preacher) is actually a really nice guy,” Schroeder said. “He was talking about the five stages of taking in people. Most of the things he says to the crowd, he doesn’t mean them. He’s just trying to get the people to know that they’re sinners, and how they respond. He wants them to realize what they’re saying to him (and the other preachers). He’s a nice guy and he just got frustrated.” Newport reminds those on campus that the preachers have a right to express their opinions. “They’re not allowed to be in buildings, and they are not allowed to block people’s paths,” Newport said. “They can’t block entrances and exits, and they can’t be so loud that it disrupts the daily function of business. Outside of that, any place that is

Spectrum hosts Drag Review Show Hazel Rodimel Copy Editor

Indiana State University students filled the seats of Dede 1 Tuesday at 7 p.m. for the Drag Review Show, hosted by Spectrum, the LGBT campus organization. Unlike the drag pageant held every fall, this event was not a contest, instead allowing kings and queens alike to showcase their talents noncompetitively. Performers for the review show included current Ms. ISU Drag Superstar Cheryle Teaseman, Mr. ISU Drag Superstar Tommy Lovegun, former Ms. Gay ISU 2013 Nikki St. Queer, James Bondage, Brittany Sapphire and surprise performer Hans Cuff. The theme for the show was Drag Roulette; around 45 preselected songs were spun on a digital wheel, and the performers had to lip-sync and dance to whichever song it landed on, whether they were familiar with it or not. The numbers included classics such as “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson and “Proud Mary” by Tina Turner, along with more contemporary songs like “The Hills” by The Weeknd and “Super Bass” by Nicki Minaj. Vice president of Spectrum Robin Tuttle, a junior political science major, is in charge of all things drag at ISU, and said planning these events can take months. “Basically, we start out with what idea for the show we want, like a theme,” Tuttle said. “We tell performers who are interested in performing the theme, so it might entice them more to come. We reach out to performers here in Terre Haute, also in Bloomington and Indianapolis. Besides that, all I really have to do is organize some volunteers to help with decorations and lighting.” Doubling as performer James Bondage, Tuttle is forced to balance her work as vice president and as drag king. “Actually, in the constitution of Spectrum, vice president is not allowed to be in any of the pageants,” Tuttle said. “I’m only allowed to do the review shows, which kind of upsets me, but it’s fine because I perform drag four nights a week.” Former Spectrum executive and senior chemistry major

Marissa Schmitter | Indiana Statesman

Brittany Sapphire (top) and Tommy Lovegun (middle) entertain the crowd. James Bondage (bottom) joins the crowd in dancing.

Samantha Smith said approximately 165 students showed up to support their local drag. Alexis Davis, a sophomore biology major, attended the show after enjoying her experience at the fall pageant. “I was here last year for their drag competition; this is the second one I’ve been to and it’s re-

ally fun. It’s just really entertaining. It’s just a good way to relax and not focus on work all the time.” Spectrum meets Tuesdays in the Hulman Memorial Student Union. The organization is in the process of planning the fall drag pageant.

Marissa Schmitter | Indiana Statesman

Preachers hold a “Fear God” sign at the fountain Monday.

designated as a public area, they are allowed there just as you and I are. When they say things that are provocative, unfortunately, there is a level of protected speech.”

Newport also clarified that the fountain was not shut off due to the preacher’s presence. “The fountain was scheduled for routine maintenance that day,” Newport said.

Kansas State University is sued over alleged frat house rapes Mara Rose Williams

The Kansas City Star (TNS)

Two Kansas State University students are suing the university claiming it failed to investigate after the women reported being raped at campus-recognized fraternity houses. In separate lawsuits filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Kansas, the women accuse the university of violating Title IX, the federal genderdiscrimination law that protects students against sexual violence and harassment. The suits also accuse Kansas State of negligence in failing to warn and protect the women against a “foreseeably dangerous environment” at the university, and of falsely promoting Greek life on the Manhattan campus as “fun and safe.” In both cases, the students reported rapes, which allegedly occurred at different fraternity houses, to the university. But according to the suits, the students were told that the school would not investigate in either case because the fraternity houses where the alleged rapes occurred were located off campus. The suits take issue with that claim since the alleged rapes involved Kansas State students. The suit said that “under Title IX schools … have an obligation to respond to student-on-student sexual harassment that initially occurred off school grounds … if a student files a complaint with the school …” In a statement Wednesday, the university said it “does not discuss litigation matters in the media, nor do we publicly discuss individual reports of discrimination, including sexual violence.” The statement also said “the university has a strong policy prohibiting discrimination, including sexual violence, and provides a multitude of resources and assistance to students and employees.” Sara Weckhorst, of Doylestown, Pennsylvania, and Tessa Farmer, of Overland Park, Kansas, are seeking unspecified monetary damages and want the university to investigate their rape claims. “They want the university held accountable, and don’t want this to happen to other women,” said Cari Simon, the Washington, D.C., lawyer representing both women. Their suits, Simon said, “join a growing chorus of students standing up for their rights un-

der Title IX.” Campus sexual assaults — and universities’ responses — have been pushed to the forefront nationwide in recent years. The Kansas State suits are being handled by the Fierberg National Law Group in Washington, D.C., which specializes in campus-related rape cases. Simon questioned whether Kansas State has put off-campus fraternity houses off-limits when it comes to investigating reports that university students have been raped there. In Weckhorst’s suit, she alleged that as a Kansas State freshman she was raped multiple times by two university students during an April 26, 2014, fraternity event and later the same evening at a frat house. The fraternity house was not identified in the lawsuit. But Weckhorst’s lawyer said the alleged incident occurred at the Sigma Nu Fraternity house. At one point, the suit says, Weckhorst was taken by a fraternity member to what is called “the sleep room,” lined with beds, and was raped there. The suit says more than a dozen students partying at the house witnessed the alleged rape, “some taking photographs and shared on social media.” The suit says Weckhorst was intoxicated, confused and at one point blacked out. The following day, Weckhorst went to the Kansas State Health Center for treatment, and reported the assaults to the university Women’s Center, the Manhattan Rape Crisis Center and the Kansas State Affirmative Action Office. The suit says that after being told the university would not investigate, Weckhorst went to Riley County police. Arthur Hoge, a lawyer for Sigma Nu, told The New York Times that a fraternity investigation of Weckhorst’s rape claim found that “no member of Sigma Nu was the alleged assailant, and no off-campus chapter event or party occurred on the day of the event.” However, the university did sanction the fraternity for serving alcohol, the suit said. In the second lawsuit, Farmer says she was raped by an unknown Kansas State student at a fraternity house on March 6, 2015, after a night of partying with friends. Farmer became very intoxicated, the suit said. She was driven home about 2

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April 22, 2016 by Indiana Statesman - Issuu