INSIDE
Sights set on Trinity Groves renovation
SMU Fashion Week begins
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Take discrimination seriously
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Jerry LeVias, No. 4 SMU athlete
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wednesday
april 30, 2014
Wednesday High 72, Low 46 Thursday High 75, Low 52
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Rawlings to speak at commencement Katelyn Gough Editor-in-Chief kgough@smu.edu W. Tucker Keene Managing Editor tkeene@smu.edu SMU announced Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings as the featured speaker during the all-university commencement ceremony May 17. Rawlings was elected mayor in June 2011 and has focused his work in areas such as combating domestic violence, improving education equality throughout the city and improving the economic impact and employment opportunities of Dallas. Rawlings and SMU partner on several initiatives, including the Mayor’s Summer Reading Club for Dallas-area young students and the Mayor’s Intern Fellows Program for Dallas high school students. “We prepare our graduates to become world changers, and I can’t think of a better example for them than Mayor Rawlings,” said President R. Gerald Turner to SMU News and Communications. Chair of the SMU Board of Trustees Caren H. Prothro echoed these sentiments, as reported by SMU News and Communications. “[Rawlings] understands the impact of higher education on the vitality of a city, has participated in several SMU programs and is a great friend to the university,”
Prothro said. Student Body President Ramon Trespalacios expressed his excitement to welcome Rawlings to Moody Coliseum at graduation. “I heard him speak earlier this year and I saw his passion for bettering the Dallas community, which has been our home for the past four years,” Trespalacios said. “It is a great way to keep us connected to Dallas when we graduate.” The reaction from many other students has been mixed. After a seemingly delayed announcement of the commencement speaker, the announcement of a local speaker created backlash from a number of students thinking back to past speakers, such as former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. “I think Mayor Rawlings is an intelligent man and probably has good insight for the graduates, but I too am disappointed” said senior and outgoing Student Body Secretary Katherine Victoria Ladner. Ladner said a local speaker could be considered a downgrade, but at the same time, backlash from students — including a Twitter movement to have Mark Cuban agree to speak at commencement — “is a poor reflection on the university.” Senior Julia Olson said that while she was surprised by the selection, hosting the leader of the university’s city is ode to a strong and beneficial partnership.
Courtesy of AP
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings speaks at the Childhood Obesity Prevention Awards luncheon in Washington, D.C.
“I found SMU’s selection to be very unexpected considering the incredible notoriety of past commencement speakers,” Olson said. “However, as the university celebrates the centennial, maybe it is appropriate to highlight the leadership of the amazing city that has supported our institution’s growth and success.” As a life-long Dallas resident, junior and most recent Student Body Vice President Jaywin Malhi
said he is looking forward to hearing Rawlings address the university. “Mayor Rawlings has demonstrated a commitment to bettering this city and, having heard him speak before, his vision for the future of Dallas is incredibly motivating,” Malhi said. “As the leading university in Dallas, SMU has surely benefited from Mayor Rawlings’ continuous support for this university.” Malhi said he understands some
of the disappointment of members of the graduating class, but called his peers to reconsider the capability and tangible work of Rawlings. “I would urge us all to focus on the caliber of thoughts a speaker can impart, [and] not merely his [or] her name recognition,” Malhi said. “I look forward to hearing [Rawlings’] thoughts on how we can all play a role in being city-changers, statechangers and...world-changers upon graduation and into the future.”
Associated PRess
Professors discuss McCutcheon v. FEC Sissy Dreyer Contributing Writer sdreyer@smu.edu
Courtesy of AP
President Barack Obama signs a memorandum creating a task force to respond to campus rapes.
Within higher education, many campuses have been working to make improvements, but the issue is complex and some college administrators have sought answers from the federal government about how to interpret federal law. Research has shown that most campus sexual assault victims know their attackers, alcohol or drugs are often involved and only 12 percent of college women attacked report it to police. A key tool the government has against campus sexual assault is Title IX, which prohibits gender discrimination at schools that receive federal funds. The 1972 law is better known for guaranteeing girls equal access to sports, but it also regulates institutions’ handling of sexual violence and is increasingly being used by victims who say their school failed to protect them. Fiftyone campuses currently have such an ongoing investigation involving sexual violence, the Education Department said. Title IX requires that schools proactively prevent sexual crimes,
A student reported to the SMU Police Department that he was sexually assaulted Friday afternoon in the men’s locker room of Dedman Center for Lifetime Sports. The suspect’s identity is known to police. He is described as “about 5 feet, 10 inches tall, about 32 years old, and weighing 145 pounds.” The suspect reportedly has dark medium length hair, brown eyes and a beard. The suspect was last seen wearing a black and white striped T-shirt and jeans. SMU PD is investigating the alleged sexual assault. Anyone with information related to the assault is encouraged to contact SMU PD at 214-768-3388. The Daily Campus will continue to provide updates as they become available.
Politics
Obama to assist campus rape victims
by President Barack Obama in January, make its recommendations following a 90-day review that included dozens of in-person and online meetings with victims, advocates and higher education representatives. It was made up of Obama’s Cabinet members, including Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Attorney General Eric Holder. “Colleges and universities need to face the facts about sexual assault — no more turning a blind eye or pretending it doesn’t exist,” said Vice President Joe Biden, who was to make remarks Tuesday when the task force findings were released. “We need to give victims the support they need — like a confidential place to go — and we need to bring the perpetrators to justice.” Even as 1 in 5 female students is assaulted, the White House said in announcing the task force, it said the review was also about protecting male victims and engaging men in discussions about preventing such assaults.
Student reports sexual assault Staff Reports
Nation
The Obama administration is taking steps designed to help colleges and universities reduce sexual assaults on their campuses and provide better protections for the victims when they do occur. Schools should identify trained, confidential victim’s advocates and conduct surveys to better gauge the frequency of sexual assault on their campuses since these types of crimes are underreported, a White House task force on sexual assault recommends in a report to be released Tuesday. It said the Justice Department will help develop training programs in trauma care for school officers and assess different models for schools to use to adjudicate such cases since some sexual assault survivors are wary of an adjudication process that can open them up to potentially painful or embarrassing questions by students or staff. It also promises greater transparency. A new website, notalone.gov, will post enforcement actions and offer information to victims about how to seek local help and information about filing a complaint, the White House said late Monday. It provides a checklist for schools to use in drafting or reevaluating sexual misconduct policies that includes ideas a school could consider when defining what is or isn’t sexual consent. “Prevention and education programs vary widely, with many doing neither well,” the task force said. “And in all too many instances survivors of sexual violence are not at the heart of an institution’s response: They often do not have a safe, confidential place to turn after an assault, they haven’t been told how the system works, and they often believe it is working against them. We heard from many who reached out for help or action, but were told they should just put the matter behind them.” The task force, appointed
CRIME
promptly investigate complaints and discipline the accused if it’s more likely than not that violence occurred. The school can’t retaliate against students who file complaints and must ensure that a victim can continue their education free of ongoing harassment. Complaints have ticked up in the past couple years, after the Education Department publicized guidance on Title IX’s sexual assault provisions in 2011. The department can withhold federal funding from a school that doesn’t comply, but so far has not used that power and instead negotiated voluntary resolutions when they find violations. The task force said on Tuesday the department would issue more information related to the 2011 directive that answers frequently asked questions. Another law that campus sexual assault cases fall under is the Clery Act, which requires colleges and universities to annually report crime statistics on or near their campuses, to develop prevention policies and ensure victims their basic rights.
The recent Supreme Court ruling April 2 of McCutcheon v. the Federal Election Commission sparked multiple divisions, between socioeconomic classes, in the courtroom, and even on SMU’s campus. The case dealt with issues over regulating campaign finances, specifically focusing on limiting individual donations. A 5-to-4 decision ended this debate, with a strike down on the aggregate cap on campaign contributions. This leaves a base limit of $2,600 an individual can donate to a federal candidate per election intact. Before, individuals had an aggregate limit of $48,600 to donate to candidates for a federal office and $74,600 to PACs and other organizations. “Now, an individual can donate endless sums to super PACs and other organizations,” said political science professor Matthew Wilson. Previous rulings stated that an individual could not give more than a total of $123,000 to numerous candidates in an election cycle. Issues over campaign finances have been problems in the past. In 1976, after the Watergate scandal, the Supreme Court case Buckley v. Valeo placed limits on campaign contributions by Congress. McCutcheon paralleled the 2010 decision on Citizens United, which stuck down limits on independent campaign spending by corporations and unions. SMU political science professor Cal Jillson notices a pattern in the Supreme Court’s history of making things easier
for those more well-off. “Wealthy donors have always had more influence on elections than regular voters and have always had many ways to make that influence felt,” Jillson said. “Recent Supreme Court decisions, including Citizens United and McCutcheon, have simply made the process exercising influence simpler for the wealthy.” The case started when a conservative, Alabama businessman named Shaun McCutcheon, sought to donate more money to candidates. He believed these limitations violated the First Amendment. The Republican National Committee joined him to fight against this issue. The Federal Election Commission believes limits are necessary to fight corruption. The Supreme Court divided over the issue. In general terms, liberals want to preserve campaign finance restrictions in order to ensure that democracy is not damaged by the wealthy and the powerful. Conservatives argue these restrictions go against the First Amendment, which they say prohibits the government to control who pays for elections and how much they spend. “I do not agree with the McCutcheon decision because I do not believe that money is speech in any simple or direct sense,” Jillson said. Political science student Ted McGuire alleged McCutcheon v. the Federal Election Commission spoke to the importance of SMU students staying abreast of the recent decision. “University students are part of the American electorate. This decision affects all of us,” McGuire said.