OLD GOLD&BLACK W A K E
F O R E S T
U N I V E R S I T Y
T H U R S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 2 5 , 2 0 0 8
Convocation centers on art By Lauren Dayton | Staff writer
The new school year officially began onThursday, Sept. 18 with Opening Convocation, presided by President Nathan O. Hatch. The ceremony, which took place in Wait Chapel, was, in Hatch’s words, to “honor what is best about our university” this year the ceremony was “dedicated to the arts at Wake Forest.” The program consisted of a song by the university Concert Choir, the presentation of three awards to university faculty and alumni, recognition of the university Debate Team’s win at the 2008 National Debate Tournament and an address by David Lubin, Charlotte C. Weber Professor of Art at Wake Forest. Provost Jill Tiefenthaler presented the Donald O. Schoonmaker Faculty Award for Community Service to Paul M. Ribisl in recognition of his 34 years of service to the university and the surrounding communities. Ribisl is the Charles E. Taylor Professor of Health and Exercise Science. He chaired the health and exercise science department for 16 years and is currently serving as interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. The Donald O. Schoonmaker Faculty Award for Community Service was established in 1988 by the Wake Forest Alumni Council to recognize extraordinary community service of a respected teacher-scholar from the College or the Calloway School of Business and Accountancy. The award was posthumously named in memory of Donald Schoonmaker, a professor of political science at the university. Hatch presented the Marcellus E. Waddill Excellence in Teaching Awards to alumni Wendy Bartlett (’97) of Winston-Salem and Katherine
VOL. 92, NO. 6
“Covers the campus like the magnolias”
Outside the Bubble... By Sam Cernuto Staff writer PREPARE, the Policy Group on Rape Education, Prevention and Response, was founded in 1987 after a suspected gang rape happened at fraternity party. Since then, PREPARE has been very active and diligent at the university. From RA training and freshman orientation presentations to the Speak-Out and Tie a Yellow Ribbon Week, PREPARE is trying to get every student to be conscious of the realities of rape. SeniorsCorinne Sweeney and John Xenakis, co-chairs of the executive board, are very excited to apart of PREPARE’s 20 year anniversary. “It’s a big testament to the effectiveness that PREPARE has,” Sweeney said. “We’ve been around so long and it’s a student-run group. The students are dedicated to make this a more lasting thing. We are entrenched in student life. We are a place a lot of groups will turn to when they’re looking for help with outside events related to this. We have been and are a lasting presence on campus which is really exciting.” To celebrate this milestone, Xenakis says they are looking internally within their group. “We are updating the program this year. It has
Bush asks for Congress help in wake of Wall Street crisis
been the same program for the past seven years and it is a great program, but we want to make sure that it is still relevant to students. The whole executive board here this year want PREPARE to be even better. We want to see what we can do with our Web site, Facebook, online forums, etc. to communicate more with students. We are constantly trying to make it better and not be limited by what they did in the past.” Sweeney adds, “We are proud of our past but we are definitely future oriented.” Since PREPARE has been around for only 20 years, current students do not know the university without it. It has significantly changed campus since it’s creation. “The biggest thing that it has changed is the awareness of sexual assault,” Sweeney said. “Rape is taboo that was swept under the rug and we’ve been able to allow people to talk more about the topic even though it’s uncomfortable.” Xenakis says that PREPARE has undoubtedly been effective. “It has evolved over time. We establish more of a relationship starting freshman year with residents and providing advocates that they can know personally that way if a crisis does arise, students will feel
On Sept. 23, stocks continued to slump causing investors to bail out of stocks such as oil, gold and other safe-haven commodities. President George W. Bush has asked Congress for approval to spend up to $700 billion to help mitigate the financial crisis and buy bad mortgage. On Sept. 23 the Senate Banking Committee met to work out the details of the plan, and an announcement is expected by the end of the week.
Palin plans to meet with nine international leaders Sarah Palin will meet with nine major leaders on the sidelines of the United Nation’s General Assembly meetings in New York over a span of 30 hours. Palin will meet with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and U2 front man Bono. These meetings come a week before the vice presidential debate, which will be held in St. Louis, Mo. Palin will be holding photo-ops with the leaders, but she will not answerno questions from reporters.
Ten killed at Finnish college
See PREPARE, Page A3
See Convocation, Page A2
Sorority and reinstated frat return to campus By Brianna Pellicane | Contributing writer
Andrew Imboden/Old Gold & Black
Sigma Phi Epsilon brother, senior Geoff Massanek, stands inside the Collins basketball court Sig Ep plans to renovate.
After years of absence, two Greek organizations, Alpha Delta Pi sorority and Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, will officially return to the university this spring. Alpha Delta Pi’s Eta Upsilon chapter was on campus from 19921995. The organization left after a rocky transition from a local society to a nationally affiliated sorority. The Zeta Chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon was founded at the univeristy in 1940, but it has been denied recognition since spring 2002 when many of its members faced misdemeanor charges after an unauthorized party. Coordinator of Greek Life Peyton Risley said she is excited to have ADPi on campus as the university’s eighth National Panhellenic Conference organization. “I see it as an opportunity for all eight to continue to grow,” Risley said. “In my opinion, you can
never have too many opportunities.” Alpha Delta Pi first emerged in the school’s community when women’s societies, then strictly local organizations, were asked to affiliate with national sororities in the early ‘90s. “When societies had the opportunity to be matched to a national organization, the process didn’t work out for ADPi,” Risley said. All seven current NPC chapters voted unanimously for extension last May. Risley does not anticipate that this addition will greatly affect the sororities already on campus during formal recruitment. “What’s great about (ADPi’s return to campus) is that it is allowing groups to recruit up to their normal numbers,” Risley said. ADPi will wait until all seven current sororities go through with formal recruitment before it holds its own rush two weeks later. Sigma
See Greek, Page A5
On Sept. 23 a gunman rampaged through a Finnish college, killing 10 students before turning the gun on himself. The gunman, Matthi Juhani Saari, entered the building wearing a ski mask and carrying a large bag. Over the course of the 90 minute shooting, Saari fired some shots at police. Police had previously arrested Saari on Sept. 22 for posting violent videos on YouTube. The videos featured a man firing a pistol at a shooting range. A video tribute to the Columbine High School shooters was found at the top of the man’s favorites list on his profile.
Convicted cop killer seeks his execution postponed Troy Anthony Davis was convicted in 1991 of killing Officer Mark MacPhail as he responded to an altercation in the parking lot of a Burger King. Davis has long denied that he killed MacPhail and seven of the nine witnesses that originally testified have since recanted. The Supreme Court will look at his case and decide whether to postpone his execution.
Arctic sea ice dwindled to second lowest level This summer marks the second lowest amount of sea ice on record for the Arctic. Ice loss can affect precipitation and winds on other continents. Polar bears are also affected and are starving, drowning and even resorting to cannibalism.
University begins development plans for ‘Deacon Village’ By CeCe Brooks | News editor
The university is beginning to move forward with the project tentatively titled “Deacon Village.” Part of this process has included meetings with students to discuss possibilities for the area that includes Deacon Boulevard and Baity Street from University Parkway to BB&T Field and the Lawrence Joel Memorial Coliseum. Ken Basch, exectuve director of university properties, and city planner Hunter Morrison discussed the project with students on Sept. 23. “It’s primarily for students to have more social alternatives on
and around campus,” Basch said of Deacon Village. Morrison discussed the area the university is developing, why they want to restore it and ideas of what it may look like based on other cities. Morrison highlighted several reasons for restoring the Deacon Boulevard area. “There needs to be an effort to connect the dots, to unify the greater Wake Forest campus and specifically connecting the campus today, with its very strong architecture, with the athletic campus,” he said. “What you have now is suburban strip sprawl.” The obstructed views
of the stadium also play a part. “There was a substantial investment made in the new refurbishment of the stadium. It’s very attractive and when you’re coming down Deacon Boulevard, you can’t see it,” Morrison said. As for what the university hopes the area to be Morrison says, “It’s very important to resist the flavor of the month, whatever is built in this area needs to truly be part of the Wake Forest experience, of the Wake Forest community.” Morrison and Basch showed pictures of popular districts and areas in cities that they thought Deacon Village could draw inspiration from
Life | B7
INSIDE:
Family Fun
Brieflies
A2
Police Beat
A2
Spotlight
B2
Family weekend is sure to be full of activities for students and parents to partake in. A writer offers suggestions.
The Hot List
B8
In Other News
Sudoku
B8
• This year’s Executive Action Committees begin | A2 • University student organizes benefit concert | A3
such as The Vista in Columbia, S.C., the Coventry district in Cleveland, Ohio and the Church Sreet marketplace in Burlington, Vt. Possible venues mentioned were restaurants, a hotel, apartments and a movie theater. Many students at the meeting agreed that they wanted Deacon Village to not only be a place of entertainment for university students, but also something that blends its the university community with the surrounding community. Development is now in the preliminary stages. There is no concrete date to begin construction.
Sports | B1 The Olympic Dream Wake Forest graduate student, Jamie Dean, wins the silver medal in the 2008 Beijing Paralympics in rowing.
Andrew Christian/Old Gold & Black
As of now it is unclear what will happen to current Deacon Boulevard businesses such as Pig Pickin’s.
Opinion | A6 It’s Okay to Betray Senior believes that it is okay to wear paraphernalia from other schools.