Students showcase talent at 24 hour play festival see A&C pg. 9
Winthrop defeats Radford in first conference game see SPORTS pg. 7
March 7, 2013
WINTHROP UNIVERSITY NEWS
Construction on and around campus see NEWS pg. 3
Student not afraid of Frances Fox Piven see OPINION pg. 6
Lacrosse team for the win see SPORTS pg. 7
Local show displays students’ art see ARTS & CULTURE pg. 8
NEWS
DREAM for immigration By Kaitlyn Schallhorn schallhornk@mytjnow.com In an effort to provide college students a platform in which to tell their stories without fear, the Dream is Now campaign has been launched with the help of national figures. The Dream is Now campaign serves “to pass the DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act and change the lives of millions of undocumented, educated youth while simultaneously promoting the positive economic and labor related benefits,” according to the campaign’s mission statement. The DREAM Act would provide permanent residency to certain undocumented people who arrived to the United States as a minor and graduated from high school. see DREAM pg. 4
ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA
NEWS
U.S. Rep WU students lobby in D.C appeases Rock Hill worries By Kaitlyn Schallhorn schallhornk@mytjnow.com U.S. Representative Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.) addressed a myriad of concerns from local citizens at a town hall meeting at Freedom Temple in downtown Rock Hill. The meeting, which was joint hosted by the Rock Hill’s chapter of the NAACP, gave the Republican representative a chance to give a short presentation on hot topics ranging from the sequester to gun before taking questions from the audience. Those in attendance asked questions mainly regarding gun control and immigration as well as voicing concerns over Charlotte’s program, which dumps sewage sludge in the Chester area. Mulvaney said that the federal government has already put restrictions on sludge. Mulvaney encouraged the audience to direct concerns to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) while also saying that DHEC follows federal regulations in the Chester sludge situation. As far as gun control, which seemed to be on the minds of many in attendance at the town hall meeting, Mulvaney stressed that it was an issue that should be dealt with at the state level. “I doubt very seriously you’ll start seeing the federal government dealing with gun control in schools,” Mulvaney said. “It’s none of the federal government’s business what goes on in schools.” According to Mulvaney, mental health is an issue that needs to be addressed on a deeper level but at the federal government level, gun control is taking all of the oxygen.
see MULVANEY pg. 3
Kyle Grassi, Phillip Reyonlds, Brandi Geurkink, Latwyla Mathias and Sarah Cohen stand with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) in the capital. Photo Courtesy of ONE Campaign By Frances Parrish parrishf@mytjnow.com Two students from Winthrop’s chapter of ONE went to lobby Congress in Washington, D.C., to ask senators to ask them to prioritize life-saving programs at the One Power Summit 2013 from Feb. 2327. The ONE members that lobbied in D.C. consisted of: Brandi Geurkink, president; Sarah Cohen, vice president; Phillip Reynolds, a congressional district leader and Latwyla Mathias, a volunteer from Columbia. The group was made up of South Carolina ONE volunteers. The students spoke to Senators Mick Mulvaney (R), Tim Scott (R), Lindsey Graham (R) and Jim Clyburn (D). “Our main focus was Tim Scott because he is new and we wanted to find out his perspectives on ONE’s campaign,” Geurkink said. Scott’s staff said that he was supportive of cutting frivolous spending. Geurkink explained that there were 150 volunteers from 34 states with 200 meetings during the days ONE lobbied at Congress. “That makes a difference,” Geurkink said. Geurkink said her group also thanked Graham for supporting ONE and their campaigns and asked Scott to send a letter to Graham say-
ing he would support ONE as well. Sequestration went into effect this past Friday, and funding for discretionary programs were cut along with many other programs. According to CNBC, sequestration is a fiscal policy plan to cut spending for government programs. The money saved is then used to pay off the deficit. Because of sequestration, some funding for programs that help AIDS victims including programs that ONE supports were cut. Geurkink explained that ONE has a campaign called AIDS Free by 2015 in which they hope that the youth population who have AIDS will decrease significantly. Geurkink said that they didn’t hit any obstacles in their trip because ONE organized meetings with senators and planned the schedule. “The biggest obstacle was talking to representatives who didn’t support ONE and getting them to understand. Some of them don’t want to hear it,” Geurkink said. According to Geurkink, ONE’s biggest success from the summit was the sheer number of volunteers and participants. The force of volunteer and their passion was impactful, Geurkink said.
SPORTS
SCIENCE & TECH
Baseball star advocates tobacco free life By Casey White whitec@mytjnow.com The Healthy South Carolina Initiative and All on Board York County teamed up to host an event that gave students a firsthand account of the dangers of tobacco use. Former baseball player, Gruen Von , came to the Winthrop Campus to tell his story about spit tobacco use. Von Behren tried tobacco for the first time at 13-years-old and by the age of seventeen his tongue split in half and he was diagnosed with cancer.
see TOBACCO pg. 5
see ONE pg. 4
Winthrop student charged with homicide By Kaitlyn Schallhorn schallhornk@mytjnow.com A Winthrop political science student was arrested Tuesday evening and charged with homicide by child abuse, according to a Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office press release. Phillip Bryan Gleason, 27, of Lancaster, is in Phillip Bryan his second semesGleason ter at Winthrop. Paramedics were called to the home that Gleason shares with his girlfriend and his girlfriend’s daughter, Soren Victoria Chilson, at around 12:40 a.m. Tuesday, according to the press release. The 5-year-old girl was found unresponsive in the bathroom at the home. She was transported to Springs Memorial Hospital where she later died. An investigation has revealed so far that Chilson died from blunt force trauma to her head, according to the press release. Gleason was the only person at the residence when the paramedics arrived, according to the press release. Judy Longshaw, a university relations spokesperson, confirmed to The Johnsonian that there is a student by the name of Phillip Bryan Gleason at Winthrop. Gleason is enrolled in the Model United Nations (PLSC 260) class at Winthrop where he represents the Philippines. Kayla Davis, a junior political science major, said that Gleason was fairly quiet in class and did not talk much. Davis said that Gleason’s quiet demeanor was not at first unusual but as the semester went on and students began talking and interacting more, Gleason remained to himself. “It’s hard to think that someone could do that to a child,” Davis said. “But then to think that you know that person. I think that we like to think that we can spot out the bad guys kind of easily.” Davis said that it was difficult for her to wrap her mind around the fact that anyone that she knew, even not on a personal level, would be involved in a homicide. Gleason is being held at the Lancaster County Detention Center where he is awaiting a bond hearing, according to the press release. The investigation into Chilson’s death is still ongoing. Homicide by child abuse carries a penalty of up to life in prison if convicted.
Winthrop athletes win distinct awards By Kaitlyn Schallhorn schallhornk@mytjnow.com
Freshman Schaquilla Nunn has been lighting up Winthrop Coliseum with inspiring defensive play in her first season in Rock Hill, but the news of picking up her first major Big South Conference award still came as a shock to the starting center. Nunn was named the conference’s Freshman of the Year by a panel of media voters and the league’s head coaches, according to a recent press release. “I was very shocked,” said the 6’3” center. “I was just sitting down smiling.” Nunn began playing basketball her junior year of high school, but has made long strides since joining head coach Kevin Cook’s Lady Eagle squad. She recognizes one of the most rewarding moments of her career when she said Freshman Schaquilla Nunn , jersey #4, goes up for a shot against Radford she found out that she was the first person player #24, on the Eagle’s home court. Photo courtesy of Synera in the nation to get a triple-double during Shelton sheltons@mytjnow.com a game against Mississippi State with 10
Index News | 3-4 Science & Tech | 5 Opinion | 6 Sports | 7 Arts & Culture | 8-9
NEWS
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points, 13 rebounds and 10 blocks. “It’s really good to know that as long as you work hard and do what you have to do you can still get results,” Nunn said. Fellow teammate DeQuesha McClanahan, a junior point guard, was voted the Big South Conference Player of the Year for the second year in a row, averaging 19.8 points per game, while leading the conference with 5.9 assists. For her efforts, McClanahan was named to the 2012-2013 Big South All-Conference First Team, after being tabbed before the 2012-13 season as the preseason Big South Player of the Year. “We’re all coming together at the right time,” Nunn said of her team. “At the beginning we were a new team. It’s all meshing and it’s the perfect time, because it’s conference time.” The Lady Eagles finished the season 20-10 overall and 14-4 in the conference. The Lady Eagles were granted a bye in the quarterfinals of the 2013 Big South Conference Championship and will tip off the tournament against the winner of the Charleston Southern vs. Longwood game at 12 p.m. on Friday, March 8.