February 22, 2012 Online Edition

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WEDNESDAY February 22, 2012

vol. 115 no. 89 |

Marshall University’s Student Newspaper | marshallparthenon.com

Research center combines medicine, technology

BY SHANE ARRINGTON The Parthenon

For those driving down Third Avenue, it’s difficult to miss the bright green glass bridge that connects a building on Marshall University’s core campus to the newer building with its own bright green glass across the street.

Just like that bridge connects the old campus with a new building, it connects older science with new technology.

The Center for Diagnostic Nanosystems, headed by Dr. Eric Blough, is a combination of medical research and nanotechnology.

“I just think this is the next big thing,” Blough said. “I think nanotechnology is where science is going, and it’s fascinating seeing it evolve. The center is made up of a group of researchers from all over the world who are interested in nanotechnology.”

The center is designed to develop new methods to diagnose, monitor and treat chronic diseases. We chose to focus on chronic diseases because that’s where 90 percent of healthcare costs are.

We think it’s an area where nanotechnology can be particularly useful.”

For now, the center is purely a research facility, but Blough said it may eventually become home to classes.

“We’re considering classes in the future, but for now our interaction with students is when they come here for research,” said Blough. “We do have several undergraduate, graduate and Ph.D. students come here to do research for their education.

We try to have one or two undergraduate students a

BY SARAH STILES The Parthenon

Nelson, junior political science major and Kyle Adkins, junior in psychology and Spanish major.

“I hope that the student body will research the candidates running for office and

Marshall University’s IT department, along with President Stephen J. Kopp, is keeping students informed about the dangers of illegal file sharing and copyright infringement.

President Kopp sent a campus-wide email to all students this month encouraging them to take advantage of the technology on campus, but also to become aware of the university’s policy regarding Internet piracy.

“Marshall’s IT platform and Internet connectivity is a privilege that comes with an obligatory responsibility to become informed and ensure the responsible, ethical and legal use of these resources,” Kopp said.

The email included a link to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which explains how the Federal law prohibits the distribution of copyrighted material over the Internet.

Jordae Baker, senior sports management and marketing major, said he takes file sharing very seriously.

“In the past, I used to transfer files illegally, but the consequences are not worth the trouble,” Baker said. “I now purchase all of my media files through Rhapsody, which requires a subscription and a monthly payment.”

Marshall offers the MU Copyright Education website, which shows many statistics on the costs of illegally downloading and sharing files.

Jan Fox, senior vice president for IT/CIO, said the focus to get students aware of copyright education can be found on the website.

“Many areas on campus share the responsibility of getting the word out on copyright violations and the ramifications,” Fox

See SGA I Page 5

See COPYRIGHT I Page 5

SHANE ARRINGTON | THE PARTHENON

Madhukar Kolli, biomedical Ph.D. candidate at Marshall University, works on his research at the Center for Diagnostic Nanosystems on Friday.

Kolli is also a doctor of veterinarian medicine, having received his D.V.M. from ANGRA University in India. year. It really depends on the students. We’re always open to new collaborations and new ideas. It just depends on how many people contact

us, express their interest and for us to see how they will fit in here.”

There is no official paperwork involved for students

wishing to do research at the center. If approved by those in charge, the only hurdle is getting access to the building, which is locked by badge

scanners with the exception of the main lobbies of each floor.

See RESEARCH I Page 5

Filing date for SGA election pits Harrel against Nelson

BY ZACHARY MORRIS The Parthenon

The Marshall University Student Government Association conducted a meeting yesterday for students interested in the spring election.

IT department, Kopp address illegal file sharing

See photo on page 5 During the meeting, Raymond Cousins, election commissioner, went over the election rules and policies in order for students to understand the guidelines on campaigning and

had a question and answer section.

Students interested were required to fill out applications, submit a refundable deposit and select their college for which they were applying.

Two pairs of students

attended the meeting to apply for the president/ vice-president ticket. The first pair on the ticket is cur rent SGA president Ray Har rell, Jr., and Aja Smith, a junior Chemistry and Biology major while the second is Dakota

Marshall campus grounds under constant surveillance

By Allyson Warner The Parthenon

Marshall University students and staff are always visible on campus because of numerous security cameras.

The Marshall University Police Department has more than 100 security cameras on campus, including approximately 80 in the parking garage and 43 in parking lots.

Cameras are also set up in residence halls, Drinko Library, new construction areas on campus, the

football stadium and the forensic science center.

“We just had a homeland security grant last year that we put cameras outside for the first time,” said James Terry, Marshall chief of Police. “We’ve always wanted to go outside and expand.”

The parking lot cameras are located where campus police believe they get the most coverage of an area, Terry said.

A limitation to using these cameras is they have to be mounted near power to work properly so they can’t be

placed in certain locations.

Terry said the cameras are constantly running. However, there is no one specific person dedicated to sit and watch these cameras on a day-to-day basis. Police maintain certain spots constantly under surveillance so campus police don’t have time to constantly check during the day.

Terry said cameras on campus are used most for gathering evidence and helping in numerous investigations. With these cameras, officers are able to go back to view what did

Inside > NEWS, 2 |SPORTS, 3 |OPINION, 4 |LIFE!, 6

or did not happen.

“Sometimes they give you what you want, and sometimes they don’t,” Terry said.

University police have an up-to-date camera system, where everything they use is digital. An advantage to having a digital system is that police no longer have to sit and watch 24 hours worth of tape or fast forward video like they once did with VHS tapes.

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Now all police do is pull camera footage at a specific time they need to review something.

The recorded footage now goes to a hard drive and stays there until police need it, making it difficult for anyone to tamper with the cameras.

“It doesn’t matter if you destroy a camera or not, Terry said.

“It’s all recorded and going to the hard drive, unless you

can physically get to the hard drive and remove it. Vandalizing the camera doesn’t help anything.”

Terry said the cameras are a great tool, but unfortunately, they don’t see everything. Sometimes an incident happens outside the view of the camera, so all that is seen is motion and shapes.

“You hope it gets it on camera, but sometimes it doesn’t and you’re disappointed,” Terry said.

Allyson Warner can be contacted at warner65@marshall.edu.

page designed and edited by CRYSTAL MYERS myers132@marshall.edu

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WEDNESday, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

| marshallparthenon.com

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Professor presents lecture on Carter G. Woodson

BY TRAVIS EASTER THE PARTHENON

The Marshall community learned about an important person from Huntington’s history Tuesday.

Daryl Michael Scott, professor of history at Howard University, presented a lecture to Marshall students and faculty about Carter G. Woodson.

“Woodson’s claim for being the father of black history resides on the fact that he made a field of study, that he created the legitimacy that exists in black history today,” Scott said. “He did so outside the academy.”

The lecture centered on an unpublished manuscript Woodson wrote in 1921.

Scott discovered the manuscript in a storage locker, while he was trying to pursue violators of a copyright advocated by the Association for the Study of African-American Life and History on Woodson’s book “The Mis-Education of the Negro.”

Scott authenticated the manuscript, and the association published it. The book is given to those who donate at least $100 to the organization.

Woodson was a resident of Huntington, graduating from Douglass High School in Huntington. He later became principal of the school.

Woodson went on to attend Berea College and the University of Chicago where he received his master’s degree.

He graduated with a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1912, becoming only the

second African-American to do so.

Woodson spent the majority of his life in an effort to preserve African-American history. In 1926, Woodson proposed that a Negro History Week be celebrated. He is often hailed as the father of African-American history.

Woodson founded the association in 1915. Scott is the current vice-president of the organization.

“When I was an undergraduate Marquette University, I had no courses in African-American history,” Scott said. “So what I would do was read ‘The Journal of Negro History.’ When I got to the 1980’s, the volumes were published irregularly, and I promised myself I would do what I could to help that organization.”

Scott has been on the board of the association, which publishes the journal now entitled the “Journal of African American History” since 2003.

Scott grew up in Chicago during the civil rights era.

He received his Ph.D. in history from Stanford University in 2004. He has taught at Columbia University, the University of Florida Gainesville and is currently at Howard University.

The W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications, the Division of Multicultural Affairs, Information Technology Library Associates and Cabell County Public Schools presented the lecture.

Travis Easter can be reached at easter14@marshall.edu.

TRAVIS EASTER | THE PARTHENON

Daryl Michael Scott, professor of history at Howard University, presents a lecture on Carter G. Woodson on Tuesday at Marshall University. Scott said Woodson’s reason for importance as a father of black history resides on an unpublished manuscript Woodson wrote in the 1920s.

Social to kick off MU Cru takes retreat Women’s History Month to Gatlinburg, Tenn.

BY HENRY CULVYHOUSE THE PARTHENON

Women’s Histor y Month is coming early to Marshall University.

Women’s Histor y Month, celebrated internationally in March, is dedicated to recognizing women’s achievements and str uggles throughout histor y.

The Marshall University Women’s Studies Program is launching Women’s Histor y Month with the Women’s Studies Social.

Director of Women’s Studies, Greta Rensenbrink, said the program’s faculty and students currently participating or interested in the program could attend the social.

“Par t of it is a kick of f event for Women’s Histor y Month, and par t of it is wanting to increase visibility on campus

and par t of it is about building community on campus for women’s studies,” Rensenbrink said.

Rensenbrink said the event is par t of an ef for t to unite the many activities and organizations involved with women’s studies.

“We have events on campus that are ver y well-attended,” Rensenbrink said. “There’s a women’s studies student association that is ver y active and women’s studies classes. What we’re tr ying to do is create a more centralized space for all those folks.”

The Women’s Studies Social is at noon Friday in the Memorial Student Center Shawkey Dining Hall.

H e n r y C u lv y house can b e c on t ac t e d at culvy h ou s e @ m ars h all.edu.

BY SHAUN FRENCH The Parthenon

Gatlinburg, Tenn., has more than Dollywood or the world’s hottest hot sauce —­ it is a city surrounded by mountains and wildlife.

Mar shall Univer sity Cr u men are taking an annual retreat to Gatlinburg Friday through Sunday.

Scott McClure, sophomore social studies education major from Parkersburg, W.Va, said he travels to Gatlinburg with his family for vacations, and in 2011, he went there with Cru for its annual men’s retreat.

McClure said the retreat was a time of fellowship, mountain hiking and touring downtown Gatlinburg.

“I love being in the

mountains,” McClure said. “Being in the mountains is relaxing – getting away – isolated from the outside world.”

The g roup takes this retreat to deepen relationships, improve its ministr y and better understand the concept of biblical manhood, said Matt Button, sophomore psychology major from South Point, Ohio.

Button said biblical manhood is following God’s will with prayer and humility, speaking tr uth and having a close relationship with Christ.

Button said new people join Cru each year, and the retreat is a way to establish friendships and a sense of comfort and support.

Button said he wants men who attend this

“

It’s a beautiful place to be closer to God because you’re in natures, and you’re in the beautiful things he’s created.”

retreat to lear n biblical manhood and how it contradicts with society’s idea of a man.

Button said anyone can attend the retreat, and students can sign up by 9 p.m. Thur sday.

The cost of the retreat is $45.

Cr u women are taking their own separate retreat to Gatlinburg the same date as the men at the same cos t .

M eg h a n S a m p l e s, senior p s yc h o l og y m a j o r f r o m S c o t t D ep o t , W. Va . , s a i d i n t h e

> MEGHAN SAMPLES p a s t , t h e C r u wo m e n h ad either camped or had lock-ins. She said this year, the women are taking a retreat to Gatlinburg to focus on being women of God and their relationship with Christ. “ I t ’s a b e a u t i f u l p l a c e to be closer to God b e c a u s e yo u ’ r e i n n at u r e, a n d yo u ’ r e i n t h e b e a u t i f u l t h i n g s h e ’s created,” Samples said.

Shaun French can be contacted at french25@ marshall.edu.

Fan Fridays to return to Drinko Library Feb. 24 The Parthenon Fan Fridays are back at the John Deaver Drinko Library beginning Feb. 24.

Fan Fridays began last semester as a way to gain

attention for the library’s Facebook page and to show students they are appreciated, said Sarah Greer, marketing manager of online learning and libraries.

There was a Fan Friday

ever y Friday for a month and a half, and the giveaways were sponsored by businesses such as Starbucks, Fat Patty’s and Third and Ninth Deli.

This semester, Fan Fridays will be the last Friday

of every month.

To participate in Fan Fridays, students must be fans of the Marshall University Libraries Facebook page.

On each Friday at the end of the month, two students

page designed and edited by KATIE QUINONEZ | quinonez@marshall.edu

will be chosen and will receive prizes. This Friday, the prizes include an “I love the Drinko” T-shirt, a Starbucks gift card and a few other items such as a lanyard.

The T-shir t is a new

prize for Fan Fridays this semester.

“I think it’s nice because in the age of social media , we c a n c o n n e c t with students on a more personal level,” Greer said.

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012 |

FINISH strong

| MARSHALLPARTHENON.COM

Herd looks for success in final four-game stretch

BY JARROD CLAY THE PARTHENON

With only four games remaining in the regular season, the Marshall University men’s basketball team looks to continue its climb in the conference standings.

After picking up a win at Southern Methodist, the Thundering Herd returns home to take on another Texas team, the Houston Cougars.

“They have a lot of new faces,” said Marshall head coach Tom Herrion. “When you have a coaching change, that happens sometimes.

Coach (James) Dickey is in year two, and he’s got his handprint on this team.

They’ve got a lot of weapons –– (Jonathan) Simmons is a junior college transfer, and he’s really, really talented.”

The Cougars come into Huntington fresh off a win against Southern Miss, a win coach Herrion called one of the biggest upsets in C-USA this season.

“Their young players are really good,” Herrion said.

“I’m really impressed with their overall talent level and athleticism. They’re an outstanding offensive ball club.”

This will be the first matchup between the two sides this season.

“We have to educate our guys in terms of who the personnel are because they are new,” Herrion said.

“Our guys probably haven’t seen a lot of Houston during the course of the season so

we’ll have to educate them well in our preparation.”

While Houston sits at ninth in C-USA (12-13, 4-8), they have an explosive offense –– scoring over 70 points per game, and feature four players that average double-digit scoring.

“They have our full attention,” Herrion said. “We respect their talent level, and they are well coached and clearly we are going to have to play really well –– as we are any night for the rest of the season.”

The Thundering Herd is currently fifth in the C-USA standings at 16-10 (7-5), but have a favorable schedule to finish the season, with three of the final four games at home.

While three of those games are at home, two are against the top two teams in Conference USA –– Southern Miss and Memphis.

“It’s one-day-at-a-time for us,” Herrion said. “We just have to keep focusing on getting better in practice and let that lead into game.

We’ve had better practices, and our play has gotten a lot more consistent lately.”

With the conference tournament just around the corner, the Herd will be aiming for the fourth spot in the conference standing, which would give Marshall a first round bye in the tournament, but Herrion said the Herd can only control what happens when they are on the floor.

“We can just control what we control,” Herrion said.

See MBB I Page 5 MARCUS CONSTANTINO | THE PARTHENON

TOP: Junior forward Robert Goff hangs on the rim after a slam dunk in Marshall’s 7868 win over East Carolina on Feb. 11.

BOTTOM: Senior guard Shaquille Johnson squares up on defense against ECU guard Miguel Paul.

MBB: Around the league...

ECU 8:00 PM TULANE 8:00 PM MEMPHIS SMU Memphis picked up a 70-59 road win over the Pirates on Feb. 8. The Tigers currently sit tied for the top spot in C-USA.

Both teams sit near the bottom of the C-USA standings, but Tulane took the win in the first matchup between the two teams.

UCF RICE

9:00 PM

UCF is looking to remain in the top four in C-USA, while Rice looks to move one game above .500 in the conference.

page designed and edited by JAKE SNYDER | snyder100@marshall.edu

USM UTEP

9:00 PM

Southern Miss currently sits atop the C-USA standings, as UTEP looks to grab a marquee win at home.

Opinion

wednesday, february 22, 2012

About us

STAFF

Visit us at marshallparthenon.com to let us know what you think.

CRYSTAL MYERS

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ONLINE POLL The Parthenon, Marshall University’s student newspaper, is published by students Mondays through Fridays during the regular semesters, and weekly Thursdays during the summer.

The editorial staff is responsible for news and editorial content.

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Who is your favorite past president ? n Franklin D. Roosevelt n Abraham Lincoln n Ronald Reagan n Bill Clinton n George W. Bush n Thomas Jefferson

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

myers132@marshall.edu

WILLIAM LINEBERRY

MARCUS CONSTANTINO

lineberry2@marshall.edu

constantino2@marshall.edu

MANAGING EDITOR

KATIE QUINONEZ

NEWS EDITOR

quinonez@marshall.edu

JAKE SNYDER

SPORTS EDITOR

snyder100@marshall.edu

KELSEY THOMAS

LIFE! EDITOR

thomas336@marshall.edu

PHOTO EDITOR

TYLER KES

DIGITAL EDITOR kes@marshall.edu

ARIAN JALALI

COPY EDITOR

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ASSIGNMENT EDITOR gibb@marshall.edu

ADAM ROGERS

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR rogers11@marshall.edu

Contact US 109 Communications Bldg.

Marshall University One John Marshall Drive Huntington, West Virginia 25755 parthenon@marshall.edu

The First Amendment

The Constitution of the United States of America

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people to peaceably assemble; and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR EDITOR’S NOTE : This letter is in response to an article that was published Feb. 15. The article covered a demonstration conducted by gay rights activist who were counter demonstrated by anti-gay rights activists at City Hall.

Marriage is something that can be complex to define, but it is simple contract law. Now, where you receive that contact from by a church or by law are different things. Eleven different states like Oklahoma, Rhode Island and Iowa have common law marriages.

The states should determine what is a marriage and what it is not like in Oklahoma they determined that the “exclusive relationship, proved by cohabitation as man and wife.” There are other states .like Rhode Island and Iowa ,whose idea of marriage is under the terms that both parties agree, have a husband-wife relationship and the community sees them as married.

The end point is that here is no basis of gender on these marriages in Iowa and Rhode Island. The next thing we should look at is that each church should be considered a separate ,private company deciding on what their definition of “holy matrimony” is. The side of the homosexuals in the rally is that they want the same rights as other people in a marriage and want to be married. The concession here is that both groups can not demand everything from the other because they would be violating the other groups rights. The answer to this is simple: Let homosexuals get married in civil unions within the court system and if a church decides to

marry them, then that’s the church’s right to do so. On the other hand, any church has the right to refuse to marry anyone and there is nothing an individual or government should be able to do to make them do that if it conflicts with their religious beliefs.

The end result is simple: Both parties have rights and both need to be respected in the same light just as the Founding Fathers believed.

The other thing is both parties in the article acted irresponsibly by shouting negative comments. The Christians should understand they are representing Jesus on this earth. Jesus was a unconventional man who sat and loved sinners.

He also condemned a lot of the religious community for their traditions and beliefs. The question is that we should love everyone and try to show people the right things to do through scripture and by example.

We should not judge others, but try to help people through our example and here are some of the scriptures for that as follows: Matthew 7:1-6, Luke 15:17, Matthew 23:1-36, Luke 6:27-36.

In closing, the example we set determines who we are and we should honor all groups regardless of personal opinion because some day, that could be us.

–– Dustin Murphy

Marshall student

$36,797,200 is the amount of money Mitt Romney’s Super PAC (Support Our Future) has raised as of Jan. 31.

>Propublica.org

EDITORIAL

Prison overcrowding in W.Va. needs to be addressed, soon West Virginia has a problem with its prisons. There are not enough of them to house the number of inmates that are being locked up each year. For a state that has ranked consistently low — usually 39 among the 50 states –– in violent crime rates for the past decade, our prison population has quadrupled since the 1980s. How is this so? We have a small population that is not getting younger but actually getting older. We have a population that has not seen a dramatic spike. We, actually, according to United States’ census data, have had the roughly same population (1.8 million) for the past 30 years. West Virginia as a state has its fair share of issues to handle — much like many other states –– but prison overcrowding should not be one we have to deal with.

In West Virginia prisons, there is a lack of beds for inmates to sleep. If nothing illuminates the problem of overcrowding, surely this does. The current prison population is approximately 6,800, but by 2016, officials predict, the inmate population will increase by 2,000 during the year of 2016. West Virginia has the second fastest growing prison population in the country, according to an Associated Press report. With little sign of the incarceration rate

abating, changes are needed to address this problem. Some have proposed building a new prison to house the overflow of inmates. Louisiana even offered to take some of West Virginia’s prisoners to put them into their prison system.

These options might possibly assuage the process temporarily but will be useless in the long term if the legal system continues to work the way it has in the past.

Could it be sentencing is too harsh and too many paroles are not granted? This would surely lend itself to prison overcrowding. Possibly, it is the strict “zero-tolerance policies” West Virginia has prided itself taken pride in enforcing. However, there is a flicker of light that may show this problem will be dealt with sooner than later. The West Virginia Senate is currently examining a bill that would aid prisoners currently in prison and those who have just been released with drug addiction. Granted, while this does not take a giant step toward eliminating the problem, it is at least a step in the right direction. Possibly one should consider more rehabilitative measures, rather than punitive ones for nonviolent offenders. What about more programs such as community service, or work release programs for offenders rather than prison sentences?

POLITICAL CARTOON

Recent spike in Republican support for Santorum is misguided, foolish

BY KATIE QUINONEZ NEWS EDITOR

According to a recent Gallup Poll, GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum now leads his opponents, with 36 percent of the vote.

Mitt Romney has fallen behind and is now trailing frontrunner Santorum by 10 percentage points.

According to a Texas Tribune poll, the results are much more grim: Santorum leads with 45 percent of the vote with the nearest opponent, Newt Gingrich, at 18 percent. While none of the candidates could ever be considered competent to assume the role of president of the United States, how in the world is Santorum, of all candidates , is leading? What happened?

I’ve been a vocal critic of the GOP nominees since any of them emerged into the public eye, but Santorum has been of particular annoyance. One issue that has kept me awake on occasion in regard to the GOP nominees ,is that of a woman’s reproductive rights and access to healthcare. While each one of the leading male contenders flagrantly disregards women’s healthcare rights, Santorum’s views on abortion are nothing short of barbaric: Santorum supports a constitutional ban on abortion, even in cases involving rape or incest.

How can a candidate such as Santorum surge to lead the race when he completely disregards and even opposes the existence of

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rights for an approximate 50 percent of the U.S.?

Santorum spoke to the Ohio Christian Alliance of Georgetown, Ohio Saturday and criticized President Barack Obama’s policies by slamming his secular values. Santorum said the president “is now forcing people to do things he thinks they should do.”

Santorum hypocritically attacked the president because he was “forcing his values on the Catholic church,” when Santorum and every other 2012 GOP candidate has been trying to force their religious values on me as a woman.

Santorum claimed his attacks on the president and continual misguided use of the word “theology” in Saturday’s speech had

nothing to do with religion at all, but actually radical environmentalists.

How this translates to theology or how it relates to the president “forcing his moral beliefs on the Catholic church” have to do with the environment?

Saturday’s speech is an example of politicians using repetitive, unrelated phrases to draw some sort of reaction out of a misinformed group of individuals to secure their vote.

There is a plethora of reasons to oppose the stances of every presidential candidate, but voters should seriously reconsider their support for Santorum.

Katie Quinonez can be contacted at quinonez@ marshall.edu.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012 |

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MBB

Continued from Page 3 get involved in this year’s elections,” Harrell said. “I also hope the students will contact us directly to help us build our platforms as we did last year.”

Smith, one of the vicepresidential candidates, said she hopes students get involved with elections.

“I hope we have a record turn out for voters this election,” Smith said. “If would show a desire for involvement among the student body.” “I also hope that as a team, Ray and I, can represent the interests and concerns of every student.”

Cousins also addressed the upcoming debate on Monday, which will be in located in the Don Morris room of the Student Center.

Nelson, one of the presidential candidates, said he is looking forward to the election.

“I am very much looking forward to bouncing the ideas I have off of students,” Nelson said. “Such as Marshall’s ability to branch out to other vital parts of the community to sites like Ritter Park, Pullman Square,and the River Front and see if these are the ideas that can spark excitement within our academic community.”

At the conclusion of the meeting, campaigning officially started for all students who filed an application for either a president/vicepresident ticket or a senator position.

Zachary Morris can be reached at morris243@marshall.edu.

ZACH MORRIS | THE PARTHENON

Marshall students listen to election commissoner Raymond Cousins during Tuesdayʼs filing day meeting.

Supreme Court to reconsider affirmative action in higher education, justices to debate

BY DAVID G. SAVAGE

TRIBUNE WASHINGTON BUREAU (MCT) WASHINGTON –– Since the retirement of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, conservatives have looked forward to the day when the Supreme Court would take up a new challenge to the use of race-based affirmative action in the nation’s colleges and universities.

That day came Tuesday, when the justices announced they would hear an appeal from a disappointed white student from Texas who seeks an end to “racial preferences” in the admission process.

Her appeal is likely to have national significance, potentially as the case that brings to an end the Supreme Court’s more than three decades of decisions allowing affirmative action in admissions.

The Supreme Court first approved affirmative action in higher education in the Bakke case in 1978.

A generation later, in 2003, O’Connor wrote the court’s decision reaffirming the practice, saying in a case involving the University of Michigan that colleges and universities could have limited racial preferences in order to achieve diversity on campus. At the time, O’Connor suggested that after another 25 years, if racial prejudice continued to wane, such preferences would no longer be defensible.

But the end may come faster. Now that O’Connor has been replaced by Samuel A. Alito Jr., five justices _ a majority _ are on record against the use of “racial balancing” by schools.

“The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating

MBB

RESEARCH

“There’s going a lot of twists and turns even in the last couple weeks of the season with conference play. You can’t get too high or low and worry too much about scoreboards. If we handle our own business, that’ll be good enough.”

The Herd and the Cougars will tip off at 7 p.m.

Wednesday at the Cam Henderson Center.

Jarrod Clay can be contacted at clay105@ marshall.edu.

Those conducting research within the center come from multiple countries and various skill levels. One biomedical Ph.D. candidate, Dr. Madhukar Kolli, already received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from ANGRA University in India before coming to Marshall to pursue his Ph.D. “This is a great facility,” Kolli said. “The research experience I’ve received here is of great value in

Continued from Page 3

COPYRIGHT

Continued from Page 1 said.

Marshall has developed and implemented a program plan to successfully prevent the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material by users on the institution’s network.

The plan incorporates that the Marshall Office of IT compiles monthly statistics on DMCA infringement complaints and currently reviews them on a quarterly basis to identify trends in these notices.

Last year, a total of 150 issues were reported and was the lowest number of issues

Continued from Page 1

since 2007.

The Marshall University Office of Information Technology reminds all students that they are required to abide by the Marshall Acceptable Use Policy when using either the Marshall University network or personally owned equipment on the campus network.

The university is required to act on DMCA infringement notices in the event misuse of copyrighted material is detected by groups targeting illegal file sharing activity.

The DMCA can send notices out to student for illegal sharing all media types including music, videos,

on the basis of race,” Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said five years ago in a decision that prohibited race-based transfer policies in elementary and high schools.

The ruling in the Texas case will have a limited effect in California. In 1996, the state’s voters outlawed “preferential treatment” by race with Proposition 209.

Because the court’s calendar is filled through the spring, the justices will not hear arguments in the case until October, weeks before the presidential election. Justice Elena Kagan said she would not participate, apparently because she worked on a Justice Department brief when the case was in a lower court.

The pending case could prod President Barack Obama to spell out his

views on race and affirmative action in the middle of the presidential campaign.

When he first ran for president in 2008, Obama gave mixed signals on the issues. He said he saw a continued need for affirmative action to make up for a histor y of discrimination, but he said it should be limited to students who truly deserve extra help. He pointed to his own daughters as “pretty advantaged,” and added, “I think we should take into account white kids who have been disadvantaged and have grown up in poverty and shown themselves to have what it takes to succeed.”

Some argue the top universities should pick up on Obama’s theme and give an edge to high school students who come up from low-income families, regardless of their

the advancement of my career as a research scientist. I’ve been here five years. I completed my master’s here, worked as a research assistant and now I’m working on my Ph.D.” The center is only 29 months old, opening its doors October 2010, so Kolli has seen the advancement of Marshall biomedical research the past two years.

“One of the things I’ve seen change with this new facility was the addition of cold facilities,” Kolli said. “When I first came

here there were no emerging facilities but they are now growing day by day.

It’s a great opportunity to work here and grow as a scientist.”

Including Kolli’s work in pulmonary arterial hypertension research, Blough said type 2 diabetes, cancer and bacterial infections are also key points of interest for the facility. He said there will be some interesting research being published soon involving the use of nanoparticles for the treatment of cardiovascular disorders.

Shane Arrington can be

e-books, images, and computer software.

Notices on Marshall’s campus are sent via email to the individual responsible for the computer.

These notices require that the file sharing be stopped and that the infringement materials be removed from the computer.

Marshall will internally handle the incidents through the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities and the Marshall Information Technology Council Procedure for Copyright Infringement Complaints.

Once the individual is informed, the Office of IT will suspend the individuals

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network until the matter is adjudicated.

Kopp said he encourages students the visit Marshall’s Copyright Education Website.

“This site contains answers to common questions about file sharing and will help you understand your rights and obligations regarding copyright in the digital millennium,” Baker said.

Eighteen issues of illegal file sharing and copyright infringement were reported on campus last month.

An update from February’s reports can be expected in early March.

Sarah Stiles can be contacted at stiles8@.marshall. edu.

race or ethnic heritage.

“These campuses pride themselves on being liberal and racially diverse, but there are huge class inequalities,” said Richard Kahlenberg, a scholar at the Century Foundation in Washington. “They should redirect their (affirmative action) efforts to focus on economically disadvantaged students of all races,” he said.

For Obama, such a policy “would fit perfectly with his message that he is on the side of working-class and middle-class Americans of all races,” he added.

Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection of the laws.

Fisher’s claim was rejected by a federal judge and the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, sending it to the Supreme Court.

While the lawsuit was

pending, Fisher enrolled at Louisiana State University; she is due to graduate this spring.

Texas university officials had urged the court to turn away the appeal, but said they would “vigorously” fight the suit.

“The university is firmly committed to a holistic admissions policy that is nar rowly tailored to achieve the educational benefits of a diverse student body,” University of Texas President Bill Powers said in a statement.

The justices could rule there is no justification for race-based af fir mative action when universities have achieved diversity through a top-10 policy.

Or they could rule more broadly and forbid colleges and universities that receive public funds to consider race in admissions.

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Mardi Gras

a celebration before Lent

BY SHAUN FRENCH THE PARTHENON

Mardi Gras originated from the Roman festival Lupercalia dedicated to excessive eating, drinking and orgies.

Part-time instructor Mary Stiles said the Roman Catholic Church reformed Lupercalia by keeping some of the original concepts and abolishing others. It became a time of celebration and enjoyment before the season of Lent, where historically Catholics abstained from meat for 40 days.

Today, cultures celebrate Mardi Gras differently by wearing masks, drinking and indulging before giving up favorite things for Lent.

Marshall French professor, Eric Migernier, said people in New Orleans party for 24 hours straight by having a parade, singing, dancing and wearing costumes in the streets.

“Latin people (in New Orleans) have this idea before you fast, before Ash Wednesday when you essentially give yourself over to God, you go

crazy,” Migernier said. “You go crazy before you cut yourself off.”

Stiles said people on floats during the parade in New Orleans throw beaded necklaces and coins of green, purple and gold to spectators. In order for the girls to receive the trinkets, they are expected to expose themselves. Stiles said each color has a significance: Green for faith, purple for justice and gold for power.

Stiles said some Mardi Gras celebrations are more civilized, such as in France where the big celebration is a parade.

To Catholics, Mardi Gras is a day when they enjoy their favorite things before giving them up for Lent, said Traci Stanley, music minister and coordinator of community outreach for the Catholic Newman Center. Stanley said it is a misconception to indulge the day before Lent begins.

“Let’s say you’re going to give up beer, so on Fat Tuesday or for a Mardi Gras party, you are going to get dog-drunk on your favorite beer,” Stanley said. “Realistically and theologically, that’s

not something Jesus would like on any day of the week.”

Stanley said some Catholics celebrate Mardi Gras by organizing parties, while others find more celebration in Ash Wednesday. She said Ash Wednesday is where Catholics attend mass to accept ashes on their foreheads in the symbol of a cross acknowledging the beginning of Lent.

Stanley said Lent symbolizes the 40 days Christ was in the desert fasting and praying before his ministry began. Stiles said it is a season that ends the night before Easter, or Holy Saturday, that is focused on almsgiving, prayer and fasting.

Jackie Solak, freshman nursing major from Lewisburg, W.Va., said instead of giving something up for Lent, she will commit more to praying.

“I think prayer would be a bigger thing to try to do to bring myself closer to God,” Solak said.

The Catholic Newman Center’s Ash Wednesday mass is at noon Wednesday.

Shaun French can be contacted at french25@ marshall.edu.

Series aims to revitalize Huntington

BY CHELSIE SCHULDIES THE PARTHENON

It is time to start picking up trash, Huntington.

Paige Muellerleile, associate professor of psychology at Marshall University, spoke at a Dine and Discover series on Broken Windows and Community Revitalization, about the effects trash and graffiti have on cities.

Jeff Kovatch, assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, organizes the Dine and Discover series.

“It was really my brain child,” Kovatch said. “This is our Dynamic Community Series. For her research as a social psychologist and her interest in community dynamics, Paige was a great choice to have speak tonight. Huntington is one of those towns suffering from dilapidated buildings and housing because

of the population decrease.

Some of Paige’s research is directly related to that.”

Kovatch said this series gives people insight to what the experts who study behavior said about things seen in the region.

“This untended disorder, stuff, litter, graffiti leads people to believe that places aren’t being watched,” Muellerleile said. “If people aren’t being attentive and the police aren’t paying attention, then they are at risk for being victimized by crime or there is an opportunity to commit more crime.”

Muellerleile said this behavior leads to a reduced involvement in the community, reduced investment in the community and ultimately, more crime and more disorder.

To demonstrate her findings, Muellerleile described

a situation in the Netherlands — where a group of men did a series of studies on how people act when cards are placed on their bikes while in environments littered with graffiti, versus areas that contain no graffiti.

“Your choice is to remove the card and take it with you, remove it and stick it on the next guy’s bike or remove it and throw it on the ground because there are no trash bins,” Muellerleile said. “They did this to not show litter but graffiti. It turns out that, when there is graffiti evident in the area, especially when there is an injunctive norm saying to not graffiti, there are a ton more people littering. In the areas with no graffiti, people were not littering.”

In an additional study, an envelope was placed sticking out of a mailbox where

a five-euro note was clearly seen. The results showed that when there was graffiti and litter around the mailbox, people were much more likely to commit theft as opposed to if the area was clean, Muellerleile said.

“You have to pick up after the litterbugs, and you have to clean up the graffiti,” Muellerleile said. “Otherwise, people will do stuff like steal more often.”

Muellerleile said Huntington has problems such as litter, graffiti and dilapidated buildings, but there are programs being enforced to clean up the city.

“One program I was involved with, at least a little bit, was the Old Main Corridor Project,” Muellerleile said. “I had my class do a survey to see what students would like to see along the Old Main Corridor. I think

“

“If people aren’t being attentive and the police aren’t paying attention, then they are at risk for being victimized by crime, or there is an opportunity to commit more crime.”

that helped a little bit to inform some of the city’s decision with what they did to the stretch of Fourth Avenue starting at Old Main.”

A project Muellerleile is involved in to improve the community is Sustainable Community Revitalization in Appalachia through Children’s Hands. SCRATCH attempts to make products from scratch.

Currently, the organization is expanding to Spring Hill Elementary. They will teach children how to garden and

> Paige Muellerleile ultimately, to develop a project they can bring to market and then develop entrepreneurship.

“What can we do? Pick up the litter and keep your area clean,” Muellerleile said. “Most of us are not the ones doing the graffiti. We need to call out the people who are doing these things. If we call those people out, presumably, these types of things will start to change.”

Chelsie Schuldies can be contacted at schuldies@ marshall.edu.

A night in Manhattan

Award-winning musical comes to Keith-Albee

BY KEYAIRA MCCAULEY THE PARTHENON

An audience was taken to Manhattan’s Washington Heights, a neighborhood in New York City at 7:30 p.m.Tuesday when the 2008 Tony Award-winning Best Musical “In the Heights” came to the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center.

According to the Marshall Artists Series website, “In the Heights” is a moving, funny and uplifting new show about a community of

hard-working immigrants seeking a better life and trying to find their place – their home – in their new country.

Demetrius Thompson, of Huntington, said the show was good and very different from plays he has been to.

“I’ve only been to a few plays, and they’ve been at Marshall in their theater so it’s nice to be at the Keith-Albee and see a professional production,” Thompson said. “A friend

‘bated’ me into coming but I enjoy the theater and it was pretty well done. I really liked the scenery, the acting was pretty good and the singing was outstanding.”

Robert Edmunds, house manager for the KeithAlbee Performing Arts Center, said there was a great turnout for the show.

“We have about 1,100 people here,” Edmunds said. “It’s a good mix of students and town people and they seemed to really enjoy the show, it really

went well.”

“In the Heights” incorporates a wide variety of musical styles and numbers that are performances.

Kurt Crowley, music director and conductor of “In the Heights,” said he thinks students probably related much more to the music for this show than a typical Broadway musical.

“I think students today are much more used to flipping between styles on their iPod than an older

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generation of theater goers and so if you hit shuffle on your iPod you’re going to go from Reggae to Samba, and that’s exactly what this show does,” Crowley said.

The show spent two weeks in Toronto before coming to Huntington, and Crowley said this was one of the better audiences they’ve had throughout their whole tour.

“This is kind of our first one-nighter, where we just performed for one night, and we kind of just rolled

into West Virginia yesterday and to get the kind of reception we did this morning from the school groups that were here and then this from the audience tonight was great,” Crowley said.

“We’re happy to be here. We really are because we go to a lot of small towns ,and this is one of the warmest.”

The performance consisted of two acts and one 15 minute intermission.

Keyaira McCauley can be contacted at mccauley12@