4-1-1 on Fashion’s Night Out
INSIDE
Local Cavalli exhibit opens
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A debate on public education
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‘Chicken with Plums’ shines
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WEDNESDAY
SEPTEMBER 12, 2012
Wednesday High 93, Low 72 Thursday High 91, Low 74
VOLUME 98 ISSUE 13 FIRST COPY FREE, ADDITIONAL COPIES 50 CENTS
ECONOMY
SIDNEY HOLLINGSWORTH/The Daily Campus
SMU alumnus John Phelan discussed SMU’s Common Reading program, ‘The Big Short’ with students on Monday.
SMU alum disagrees with ‘The Big Short’ SIDNEY HOLLINGSWORTH/The Daily Campus
CNN political commentator William Bennett (left) and television host Chris Matthews (right) discussed the state of the economy and the upcoming presidential election as part of SMU’s Tate Lecture Series on Tuesday in McFarlin Auditorium.
Bennett, Matthews spar on politics KATELYN GOUGH News Editor kgough@smu.edu The thirty-first season of the Tate Lecture Series opened Tuesday night with a heated, riveting debate between two of the country’s most respected political commentators, William Bennett and Chris Matthews. The debate was moderated by former presidential advisor and CNN host David Gergen. “You could definitely feel a different atmosphere from the normal Tate lectures,” senior Nicollete Bruce said. She also said the atmosphere in McFarlin Auditorium was definitely more intense from both the crowd and the speakers on stage. With the presidential election a mere eight weeks away, hearing representation from both parties brought the key election issues to the forefront. The young adult population and its ability to turnout will be a key issue in the 2012 presidential election. “I think bringing these speakers here…for the students to hear from
a few months before they vote is really great.” Bruce said. Gergen jumped right in asking tough questions of both Bennett and Matthews, not shying away from overt American concerns surrounding both candidates. His discussion focused on likability, the economy, unemployment and social policy. “[I’ve heard people say] Obama is America’s second choice, and Romney is America’s third choice.” Gergen said. Bennett immediately made clear his outlook on the election’s possible outcome. “I think Romney will win the election,” he said. Matthews responded right back with the question on many American’s minds, asking in regards to Romney, “Does this person care about people like you?” The initial question asked by Gergen set up the framework of the debate: Matthews on the political left and Bennett on the political right. The recent national conventions — the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte and the Republic National Convention
in Tampa Bay — found both candidates making promises of economic growth and reform without providing their actual plans of action. Bennett defended Romney in this sense, accusing Obama of having lost the opportunity to follow through on his promises made back in 2008. Obama’s campaign in 2008 was built around hope, change and reform, especially around the issues of education, healthcare and clean energy. “There’s a difference between the guy proposing the plans and the guy who’s been President and has a record,” Bennett said. But Matthews clearly took his stance against Romney as a viable candidate, saying he won the primaries “with a brilliant use of money” against competitors that lacked any chance in the first place. Romney beat out Rick Santorum, a popular social conservative, and a string of other candidates for the Republican nomination. “Who did Romney actually beat [in the primaries]? Nobody.”
Matthews went on to explain that Romney’s vagueness in his party’s platform means he’s “not answering the fundamental questions.” “It’s not a complete presentation…that’s why he’s in trouble.” Amidst the electric volley between Bennett and Matthews, Gergen intervened by questioning what President Obama would do with the economic crisis if elected for a second term. “We have no clue, really, as to what Obama would do…because he hasn’t given it to us.” Bennett said. It’s dynamic, two-sided debates like these that sophomore Alexander Hoskins calls “crucial” to the SMU environment. “[As students,] all we have is the facts, the news…so much more was brought out of this debate than it could’ve been with one person up there giving a lecture.” Hoskins says students need “a more clear picture of what’s going on” to really make educated decisions in today’s political world. “We cannot grow if we cannot challenge our ideas.”
CESAR RINCON Staff Writer crincon@smu.edu SMU alumnus John Phelan pushed students not to chase what’s hot, but to chase the best environment for him or her when looking for a career. Phelan, co-founder and co-managing partner of MSD Capital, L.P., was invited to serve as the guest speaker for “The Financial Crisis of The Big Short: An Investor’s Perspective” of the Gartner Honors Lecture series. About 400 members in the audience of the HughesTrigg Ballroom attended the free lecture Monday at 5 p.m. to continue the 2012 Common Reading discussion. “There’s a committee here at SMU of faculty and staff who really pushed for the book to be selected as this year’s Common Reading discussion book,” David D. Doyle, Jr., Dedman College assistant dean and University Honors Program director, said. “[The book] is unusual but it is reflective on the students’ interests.” The SMU University Honors Program decided having an insightful perspective from an investor within Wall Street would benefit the students attending the lecture. Phelan graduated cum laude with distinction back in 1986 with two B.A. degrees in
economics and political science. He then went on to earn his M.B.A. degree from Harvard University. “I really came to realize that this is a one-sided and very antiWall Street oriented book,” Phelan said. He understood and believed that Michael Lewis’ The Big Short was written from an unfair and biased standpoint belonging to fraudulent investors. As a renowned and credible Wall Street investor, Phelan could not relate to some of the content of the nonfiction work and even had trouble interpreting some of Lewis’ words. “Wall Street investment banks are like Las Vegas casinos: they set the odds,” Phelan quoted. He referred to this being an example of how the media puts out a significant amount of information that is fashionably inaccurate. That is why he encouraged students to keep true to their ambitions without having to pay attention to the misleading media. Phelan’s main emphasis throughout his lecture consisted of promoting that the students follow their dreams and stick to their goals. “The best way to be successful in life is to pursue your passions,” he stressed as the highlight of his lecture. “I like the fact that he took the
See INVESTING page 6
EMERGENCY
RELIGION
Natural gas scare causes SMU to evacuate buildings, cancel classes
Professors offer lessons on Catholicism
JAN ANDERSON Staff Writer jnanderson@smu.edu September is National Emergency Preparedness Month and the SMU community got a real life reminder of the need to prepare on Tuesday, Sept. 11, when multiple buildings on campus and houses in the surrounding neighborhood were evacuated due to a suspected natural gas line leak. Shortly before 9 a.m. there was a report of the smell of natural gas near the Dawson Service Center at 3050 Dyer Court. According to Kent Best, executive director of SMU’s News and Communications Office, the university decided to evacuate the Dawson Service Center, SMU Service House, and the Embrey Engineering Building. An email was sent out just past 9 a.m. to the SMU community announcing the situation and recommending students avoid the area. Best said the university also alerted people through SMU’s
SIDNEY HOLLINGSWORTH/The Daily Campus
Multiple buildings were evacuated on Tuesday afternoon after the smell of natural gas was detected near the Dawson Service Center.
Facebook and Twitter accounts and with a banner across the top of SMU.edu. After Atmos Energy arrived on the scene, the decision was made to expand the evacuation zone to include all of the Lyle School of Engineering, the fraternity houses, the Blanton Service Centerand the 43 houses on McFarlin Boulevard and Fondren Drive between Airline
Road and Dublin Street. Natural gas service to the campus was also turned off as a safety precaution. Andy Scott, a sophomore marketing major, was still sleeping in the Sigma Phi Epsilon house on SMU Boulevard and was “very surprised” to find out about the evacuation.
See RESULT page 6
KELLY GILLILAND Contributing Writer kgilliland@smu.edu A room filled with round tables and dozens of folding chairs provided the arena for the first discussion of the Brown Bag Series, Catholic Social Teaching: Why does it matter? Thirty people gathered in Hughes-Trigg Student Center, Atrium A/B for the Brown Bag Series on Catholic social teaching Monday. About 5 of those people were students, and the rest were SMU professors and community members. Ellen Pryor, professor at the Dedman School of Law, and Matthew Wilson, professor of political science at SMU facilitated the discussion that was hosted by Judy Henneberger, Associate Chaplain at SMU. Central terms to catholic social teaching like solidarity, subsidiarity, universal destination of goods and preferential option for the poor began the conversation. Wilson exemplified solidarity to knowing that “we’re all in it together.
One must ask ‘what’s best for the collective?’” rather than thinking about themselves or only a small group. He uses an analogy for subsidiarity, saying that “It is better for a neighbor to help a neighbor in need than it is to get a personal check in the mail.” These aren’t only values that many Catholics live by, but attitudes that anyone may be able to embrace. So why does catholic social teaching matter? “We have to stop thinking about how we live out our lives, and live out the common good,” said Henneberger after Monday’s discussion. Paola Buckley, professor of French at SMU, believes that those who left the discussion today left wanting more. “Everybody has something to say about [social issues] because it affects us all,” said Buckley. It’s not just a discussion among Catholics, though most people at the event were Catholic. Buckley sees it as “a common information gathering, and you can apply it however you see fit to apply it.”
Judy Henneberger said that this discussion series began with herself and other SMU Catholics because of the issues that are arising as we approach the presidential election season. However, this series of conversations is not supposed to be political, and Henneberger is very glad that the room did not become politically heated on Monday. According to Henneberger, the main point of this first meeting was to see if there was interest in the topic. Before the first meeting of a series, it is difficult to gauge how many people will turn out. Considering that the room was full of people, there was considerable interest among the people of SMU. Henneberger and Pryor were pleased with the interest level. Pryor said that this particular Brown Bag discussion is important because they will talk about many issues that have recently been in the news. Many people do not know what catholic social teaching is,
See DISCOURSE page 6