SPORTS | PAGE 6
OPINION | PAGE 4
A message from SMU President R. Gerald Turner
Men’s basketball advances to CIT final four VOLUME 96, ISSUE 78
FIRST COPY FREE, ADDITIONAL COPIES 50 CENTS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2011
SMUDAILYCAMPUS.COM
COMMUNITY
Weather
STUDENT SENATE
Student athlete proposes special interest seat, causes controversy
WEDNESDAY High 85, Low 55 THURSDAY High 84, Low 66
A SIDE OF NEWS
By MEREDITH SHAMBURGER
Obama faces Congress’ criticism
Online Editor mshamburge@smu.edu
Obama officially notified Congress about military action in Libya, after a third night of airstrikes. Republicans in Congress are growing increasingly critical of Obama’s decision to use force in Libya. The U.S. is near its goals for the initial strike on Libya, according to The New York Times. However, analysts feel a stalemate is increasingly likely.
American victim found in Japan Officials have recovered the body of the first U.S. victim of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. The body was identified as Taylor Anderson, a 24-year-old English teacher. Anderson had taught for two years in Ishinomaki when the quake struck. She is believed to have survived the earthquake but to have then been swept away by the tsunami, as she rode her bike from the school to her coastal home.
Yemen leader to make deal Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and a top military general are in the process of discussing a deal for a peaceful transition of power. This new deal would allow Saleh to stay in place for the rest of the year. The discussions come after three top generals changed their point of view and declared their support Monday for the protesters and the end of Saleh’s 32-year rule.
AT&T proposes T-Mobile merger AT&T and T-Mobile announced a $39 billion proposed merger Sunday. This deal would leave just three major carriers in the United States. Analysts and consumers alike are worried that significant price increases will occur. AT&T maintains that this move will be better for consumers because it will improve network quality.
Amazon sued over app store Amazon opened “Amazon Appstore” for Android smartphones at midnight Tuesday. Apple immediately responded with a lawsuit, saying the online retailer has improperly used its “App Store” trademark. Apple applied to register the “App Store” trademark, but Microsoft filed to block the move; the matter is currently before the courts.
Want more news? Visit us online at
Contact Us Newsroom: 214.768.4555 Classified: 214.768.4554 Online: smudailycampus.com
Index News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,3 Arts & Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . 5 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Opinion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Health & Fitness . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
TAYLOR HENRY/The Daily Campus
Starting on Aug. 1, 2011, any person without an University Park resident parking permit will no longer be allowed to park on neighborhood streets surrounding the SMU campus Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Students voice concern over new parking regulation By SARAH KRAMER News Editor skramer@smu.edu
On March 15, the University Park City Council unanimously approved an ordinance to establish a residential parking district that will require residents living within the district to have a parking permit. This ordinance that will go into effect Aug.1 has caused much commotion on SMU’s campus. While many students rely on the twohour parking limits, others welcome the
Allie Feldman, who currently does not live on a street included in the district, acknowledges that the streets are often crowded. “Some residents can get frustrated when there is no parking in front of their homes; however, these residents knew about the street conditions prior to moving in,” Feldman said. Feldman was considering moving onto Rosedale next year. “Now, with these new
results of the nearly year-long study in response to the complaints from UP residents. As a resident of McFarlin Boulevard, one of the streets included in the district, junior Annie Bures approves of the ordinance for she often finds herself frustrated as she searches for parking spots. “The problem is not simply that non-residents park on the street, but that they often park in sections of the block designated to residents by their landlords,” Bures said.
See PARKING on Page 3
NATIONAL
Health care reform law still misunderstood after one year By ASHLEY WITHERS Associate News Editor awithers@smu.edu
At One Year Anniversary, Views on Health Reform Remain Divided 50% 46%
48% 46%
45%
44%
Wednesday marked the one-year anniversary of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Though not all parts of the law have been enacted yet, officials say that 61.5 million people have benefited from the law in the past year. In its first year of existence, the law made it possible for uninsured young adults to stay on their family health insurance until age 26, it made changes in the Medicare system and removed pre-existing condition insurance exclusions for children. The law also gave tax credits to small businesses in an effort to help offset the cost of health insurance to
50%
49%
48%
50
44% 42%
43%
40
40%
41%
41%
43%
42% 40%
40%
42% 41%
41%
ACA signed into law on March 23, 2010
Favorable Unfavorable 18%
20 14%
14%
12%
13% 11% 9%
10
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Don't know/ Refused
18%
15%
14% 10%
0
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
8%
Feb 2011
2010
employees. Ideally, the law should provide more than half of the currently uninsured 50 million Americans with health insurance. This health care reform law came
Mar
Source: Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Polls
under fire last year and a recent study by the Kaiser Foundation shows that public opinion has not shifted much in the year following its enactment.
See POLICY on Page 3
Many students relieved Texas gun laws not mandatory for private schools Contributing Writer pboh@smu.edu
Gun rights have been an issue in America since its origins. Two hundred years later, the American public still disagrees on the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms and its implications. Texas State Legislature recently proposed legislation that would allow people with concealed handgun licenses (CHLs) to carry guns onto college campuses. However, guns cannot be carried inside buildings. The new law mandates public universities to comply, but allows for private universities to decide whether to uphold the law or not. “I’m glad SMU is a private institution and is therefore not bound to this law,” sophomore Katrina Leshan said.
“
See SENATE on Page 3
TECHNOLOGY
35%
30
an exact number, but personally knew at least seven students. Sen. Soniyyah Blue (Perkins) asked Beachum to talk to more student athletes to see how they felt. Beachum said he would. Several senators wanted to know what student athletes had done to express their concerns. Beachum noted that some athletes had run in elections, but he said no one had talked to the Student Concerns Committee. Student Body Secretary Katie Perkins asked whether just having a regular meeting with someone from Senate, such as the Student Body President, would work. Beachum said it would, especially since they have a monthly meeting. “As student-athletes, we have different concerns and issues while at school and there hasn’t previously been a way for us to have our voice consistently heard,” Beachum wrote. After the meeting, senators had mixed reactions to Beachum’s proposal. Sen. Jonathan Ishmael (Dedman I) does not think a special seat is needed. “I believe that if they would like more representation than they currently have, then they should actively pursue the open Senate seats that are available for them to pursue,” Ishmael said. “I definitely think that student athletes do have special concerns, but I think some of the
42%
LEGISLATION
By PATRICIA BOH
Junior Kelvin Beachum’s proposal to add a student athlete special interest seat to Student Senate bought lots of questions from the chamber at the beginning of Tuesday’s Senate meeting. But this was Beachum’s goal: to get Senate to look into the idea and “get back to us with ideas.” “There are roughly 450 studentathletes at SMU, a large portion of the undergraduate population,” Beachum wrote in an email after the meeting. “This large number in itself should express the need for specific representation in Senate. There are schools like Lyle and Meadows that have less than 500 students and yet still have two or more senators.” The big questions from Senate were whether student athletes had special concerns and whether a seat could address them. Beachum told Senate that there was a disconnect between Senate and student athletes, noting that athletes don’t always know what’s going on in Senate. Beachum said that having a special chair or seat in the chamber could help facilitate the spread of information, especially since many athletes are inundated with emails. “We want to keep the lines of communication wide open between the Senate and the student-athletes,” Beachum wrote. “There are events, workshops and other programs that both groups miss out on because of the disconnect between groups. By working together and having a student athlete in the Senate meetings, we can ensure the messages will be heard loud and clear on both ends.” Senators questioned Beachum on the number of student athletes who are interested in a special seat. He said he couldn’t provide
It boils down to the bad guys having guns or both the bad and good guys having guns.
”
—Michael Hamel SMU history major
Brad Cheves, vice president for Development and External Affairs, said, “While the intent of the proposed legislation is laudable, we believe… this legislation will have unintended consequences that cause greater risk to…the university community.” Applying for a CHL demands several rounds of scrutiny, including classes,
psychiatric evaluations, application and class fees, shooting tests and background checks. Applicants must be either over 21 years old or in the military. Those in favor of this law argue that persons with a CHL are less likely to commit a crime and could protect students in the event of a shooting. CHL holders are also taught to protect the area where they are in the event of a shooting, not to seek out the shooter. History major Michael Hamel has had his CHL for over a year. “By definition, criminals don’t follow the law,” Hamel said. “It boils down to the bad guys having guns or both the bad and good guys having guns. Criminals are going to bring guns
See GUNS on Page 3
Photo courtesy of Locaii, Inc.
Four creative advertising students partnered with a Dallas entrepreneur to create a social media iPhone app.
Dallas entrepreneur, four students launch app at South by Southwest By SARAH KRAMER News Editor skramer@smu.edu
With the help of four SMU students enrolled in a social media marketing class, Dallas entrepreneur Taylor Cavanah marketed and launched his free social media appLocaii-this past week at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. However, Cavanah also wanted Locaii to have a presence on SMU’s campus. The group of four students in Professor Steve Edward’s social media marketing class— Haley Gatewood, Sarah Crane, Heather Kelldorf and Natalie Postgate— thought it would be a good idea to raise awareness for Relay for Life through the app. So, that is what they did. “It was perfect. Our app is a social media channel but at the same time we needed a social media presence on campus,” Cavanah said. What makes Locaii different from other apps: It’s a conversation
Photo courtesy of Locaii, Inc
Locaii is an interactive app that allows users to post polls, questions and photos at different locations.
starter. Unlike other check-in apps such as Foursquare, Locaii is interactive. Followers can post questions, polls,
See LOCAII on Page 3