Florida’s Top College Paper Find the Gorilla See Page 4
Vol. 75 No. 18
ut.minaret@gmail.com
www.theminaretonline.com
February 6, 2009
Kitchen Fire Disrupts Super Bowl By Bobby Winsler Sports Editor
Idolize This ... Page 2
Students in Straz Hall were evacuated last Sunday at the end of the third quarter of the Super Bowl after a smoke detector on the fourth floor triggered the alarm. Resident Assistant Roman Dagesh left his stove on when he went on duty for approximately 30 minutes before returning to grab class materials. “I was basically boiling hotdogs,” he said. “I thought I turned the stove off, but apparently I didn’t.” Smoke was originally contained by the door, which hid the odor from neighboring rooms. There were no flames. As soon as it was released, Dagesh began acting on his RA training. “First I turned off the stove,” he said, “then the fire alarm went off about a minute later.” Krystal Schofield, Director of Reslife confirmed that this was not the first time an incident like this has happened but did not discuss the security of Dagesh’s position with anyone other than the RA. Residential policy doesn’t
Stove tops like this are what is used in dorms such as Straz Photo by John Meacham
explicitly state that students must turn off stoves before leaving the rooms, though the university’s Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) is purposely vague. “The EOP is not intended to be an all-inclusive, comprehensive set of directives but rather an organized series of guidelines that may be used in a variety of crisis management situations,” the UT website states. Some residents evacuated the building leaving their ovens and other appliances on thinking that there was no fire and the drill would end soon. However, due to Martinez Gym and the Cass Building used as Super Bowl halftime staging
locations, the fire engine and vent truck were delayed in arriving on scene. Students were advised by the RAs to finish watching the Super Bowl elsewhere. “About an hour after the fire marshals left, I went around to make sure there’s no smoke in their [the resident’s] rooms,” Dagesh said, “and that they’d be able to sleep. Everything was fine.” Despite the EOP, Schofield acknowledged that there are holes in the way it is written. “None of our policies are written specifically for these types of incidents,” she said. “This is because these types of incidents are few and far between.”
DPB Battle Ends with New Benefits The Time Has Come By Journalism I
A week after Hillsborough County commissioners shot down a similar idea and two months after Florida voters rejected gay marriage, the University of Tampa agreed Wednesday to begin offering domestic partner benefits for homosexual couples. Beginning April 1, UT will allow same-sex domestic partners to secure health insurance and other employee benefits. The offer does not apply to heterosexual domestic partnerships because those couples are allowed to marry under state law. “It’s about time,” said Matt Gould, president of the Gay Lesbian Transgender Straight Bisexual Alliance, a UT student group. “I think it’s great that UT is implementing [benefits], but I think it’s wrong that the entire county won’t.” Last week, Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner asked his colleagues to consider having the county offer domestic partner benefits. His request was rejected 5-2, and commissioners declined to even allow county staff to study the issue
further. In 2004, commissioners also declined to offer benefits to gay couples. In Dec.2007, The Minaret reported faculty dissatisfaction with the lack of benefits at UT, characterizing the quest for same-sex benefits as “a 15-year administrative shell game in which
deliberate analysis. In 2008, the university hired an independent consulting firm, Sibson Consulting, to analyze issues and assess the feasibility of offering benefits to domestic partners. The plan listed four requirements: -- Be made available to employees who are in long-term, committed relationships and cannot I think it’s marry according to Florida state great that UT is laws. implementing [ben--Offer equity with married efits], but I think employees to the extent permitted it’s wrong the entire by federal laws. country won’t. -- Be financially responsible. -- Not jeopardize the taxMatt Gould, president favored status of any of UT’s of the UT GLBTA programs. “Because of the first condition, the biggest losers are progress, Sibson’s study focused on the equal rights and the university’s potential design and implementation reputation.” of a same-sex domestic partner Faculty voted twice in four (SSDP) benefit program,” the email years to endorse the benefits but continued. claimed their requests were being “Their research and recent ignored by President Ronald L. presentation of findings helped Vaughn. us determine that offering sameUT’s new benefit plan was sex domestic partner benefits is announced Wednesday in an e-mail feasible and beneficial to the UT community. to faculty members: “The decision to offer samesex domestic partner benefits was See “DPB” [3] made after a lengthy, thorough and
“
”
Inside ...
By Derrick Austin Commentary Editor
Last week, the University of Tampa granted domestic partner benefits (DPBs) to same-sex couples, giving health insurance and other benefits extended to married faculty. It’s about time! This big example of much ado over nothing has been frustratingly drawn-out for years, a tug-of-war between faculty and UT administration. Still, we should bask in this progressive step forward while we still can because, tragically, the rest of Hillsborough County is not so fortunate as county commissioners outvoted a measure to even discuss DPBs. Last week’s legislative measures shouldn’t be looked at as minor, local victories—they’re an example of how our culture is revolutionizing yet warring with itself.
Recent Resident Mistakesw[4] Black History Month [8] DPB Reaction [6]
Stoner Athletes [15]
Soccer Returns [15] Super Bowl Entertainment [10]
Hoobastank Concert[10]
“The existence of the sea means the existence of pirates.”
After all, opinions will show that DPBs are still controversial and not without detractors. The Gay Rights movement is unsettling our nation like the Civil Rights movement, Feminist movement and every other social movement in American history. Like every other social struggle before it, the Gay Rights movement is dismantling what may be the final frontier of patriarchy. Not in the faux-feminist sense of men getting the biggest slice of the pie all the time, but in the sense that our culture is shaped from a (white, heterosexual) male perspective. Here’s something we use everyday: speech. From a male (though technically sexless) God to our rather limited vocabulary when it comes to sex (think long and hard—pardon my crude pun— about what sex sexual verbs derive from), our language is pretty much male. When people want to preserve “traditional values,” what they See “Time”
[6]
News.................[1-5] Commentary.. .[6-8] Editorial .............[6] A&E.............[10-12] Sports ..........[15-16]
[Malayan Proverb]