RESPONSE TO BOOKSTORE ISSUES - PAGE 3
TWO TRACK STARS SET SCHOOL RECORD - PAGE 19
SERVING THE FORDHAM UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY FOR OVER 90 YEARS
1918-2011
FEBRUARY 9, 2011
VOLUME 93, ISSUE 3
Fordham Refuses Ban on Smoking University Does Not Follow Footsteps of Columbia, NYU, Other American Colleges; Students Still Permitted to Smoke Outside Buildings By CONNIE KIM NEWS EDITOR
In the wake of several universities banning smoking on campus, Fordham has decided not to follow suit. At the moment, about 400 college campuses nationwide are smoke-free, and many colleges in the New York area recently decided to enforce a smoking ban. Although the University banned smoking inside the residence halls as a prudent community health measure about eight years ago, students are still allowed to smoke in outdoor areas on campus. “I think Fordham should consider a smoking ban in outdoor areas of the campus,” Mark Wild, FCRH ’14, said. “Just banning smoking inside of the residence halls and buildings are not enough. It is a well-known fact that secondhand smoking is very harmful. However, we are always easily exposed to the smoke because many students smoke while walking to their classes or at the entrance of the buildings.” On the other hand, a group of student smokers argued that considering the ban was unfair. “If Fordham completely bans smoking on all parts of the campus, we have no place to go,” one student from a group of student smokers said. “Student smokers should have nothing to worry
about, because it would be an unjust act for taking away our right to smoke.” Despite many concerns from the non-smokers, Fordham is not considering additional bans in outdoor areas. “While we have watched with some interest as further bans have been put in place at other universities and municipalities to reduce harm to people from smoking, Fordham has not had any conversations about similar additional bans,” Christopher Rodgers, dean of students, said. “There are no plans at this time to ban smoking in outdoor areas. We do, however, remain very concerned with the health risk to our students from smoking.” “Too many of our students either bring this addiction with them to the University or develop the habit during their college years,” he continued. “In keeping with our mission to care for students, various parts of Student Affairs, including Student Health Services, Residential Life and the Office of Substance Abuse Prevention, seek to address this threat through education, advising and outreach.” Even if Fordham finally considers the additional bans, the University should expect a backlash from many student smokers, which might lead to months or
even years of protests and heavy rhetoric among the campus community, as shown by events at other colleges. “I have been keen to the smoking bans that have been implemented on several college campuses in recent weeks, which led me to inevitably consider where Fordham should stand in this debate over whether our campus is smoking-friendly or not,” Sara Kugel, executive president of USG, FCRH ’11, said. “Having done some research on the topic, I will say that although 400 college campuses have gone smoke-free, such status was achieved after months, sometimes years of tumultuous debate. With such limited time in office, USG must prioritize its initiatives based on the interests of our fellow students. At this time, I do not have the sense that this is something that my fellow students are tremendously interested in and as such, will not plan to make something an issue.” According to the University of Minnesota Division of Periodontology Web site, between 70 percent and 90 percent of non-smokers in the American population are regularly exposed to secondhand smoke. It is estimated that smokers only inhale 15 percent of cigarette smoke; the remaining 85 percent lingers in the air for everyone to breathe.
COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA
About 400 colleges nationwide enforce a smoking ban, but not Fordham. Other studies show that, the less current policy of no smoking inmembers of a community smoke doors or loosely enforced rule within their shared environment, of not smoking directly outside the less likely individual members of residential halls, to suffice. I of that community are to take up do not see [banning smoking] smoking. as a top priority right now for “[However,] I find these facts our campus, but if this is someregarding student health and wellthing the campus community felt being, one of the more compelstrongly about, I would be glad ling arguments for why a campus to discuss the topic and take the should go smoke free,” Kugel said. proper steps to ensure the desires of the community.” “At this time, I believe Fordham’s
Super Bowl Blackout USG Hosts Town Hall Meeting with Frustrates Students Clubs to Discuss Budget Process By VIKRAM BHATIA NEWS EDITOR
The Rose Hill campus experienced a television blackout on Sunday at 8:45 p.m. The loss of signal occurred during the third quarter of Super Bowl XLV, much to the chagrin of the Rose Hill student body. The blackout occurred as a result of a water leakage in Campbell Hall, which houses the data room that is connected with the school’s cable system. The water came in contact with electronic equipment, leading directly to the blackout. The source of the water was the melting snow surrounding the outside of Campbell Café, located on the first floor of Campbell. Eventually, Fordham Facilities Management found an alternate power source for the equipment and the power was restored at 9:30 p.m. The FOX feed came back on in the middle of a touchdown play for the Green Bay Packers. Quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers connected with wide receiver Greg Jennings for an 8-yard score to give the Packers a 28-17 lead with 11 minutes and 57 seconds remaining in the game. The signal was lost after the Pittsburgh Steelers scored a touchdown
to cut the Packers’ lead to 21-16. Pittsburgh made an extra point after the touchdown to come within four points, but viewer on the Rose Hill campus did not see it. The game was viewed by an estimated 162.9 million people, setting a record for the most-watched program in the history of television. Packers fan Jake Kring-Schreifels, FCRH ’14, was stunned when the FOX feed went down. “I could not believe that on the one day my team made it to the Super Bowl, the cable decided to quit,” he said. Some diehard fans quickly turned to their computers to watch the game on one of various Web sites that provided links to the FOX broadcast. “I was in disbelief viewing the most-watched television event in history on an illegal Web site huddled around a desk,” KringSchreifels said. Pittsburgh fan Keyne Rice, FCRH ’12, had luckily gone home to watch the game with her family. “I had a bunch of friends text me and be like ‘omg the game’s out, stupid Fordham’ and I was just kind of laughing,” she said. “I was so happy I decided to go home for the game. But if I had been [on campus] I would have been so [angry].”
get process and how the proposed modifications to the process would rectify those problems. In the current system, DiTanna said that the most severe shortcomings result from a system in which referendum clubs eliminate 65 to 75 percent of the budget before general clubs can even appeal for funding. The Committee allocates the remaining funds to general clubs on a first come, first served basis, as stipulated by the current rules; this forces them to make decisions blindly based on each appeal as it comes in rather than exerting any budgetary planning. In the new system, Fordham University Emergency Medical Service, Campus Activities Board and USG would have separate accounts from the general account that would fund all other clubs. Giving these clubs separate accounts will prevent them from competing with other clubs for funding, according to DiTanna. Under the current system, CAB, for example, as a referendum club must
appeal to the Budget Committee for auxiliary funding when funding that is needed for one of its committees is tied up in another committee but is not being used. The new system would eliminate this problem by giving CAB a predetermined sum in its account and internal authority over its committees, thereby shifting the responsibility for budgeting properly to CAB. Another major component of the proposed plan involves moving away from referendum in its current form, which allows clubs that have been granted “referendum” status to submit an estimate for their semester’s budget and receive it with little justification while non-referendum clubs must appeal for and justify all spending, to lump-sum funding. “We’re keeping all the benefits of referendum and getting rid of all the flaws,” DiTanna said to club leaders. In the new system, an eligible club could apply for a sum to last the entire
Sports PAGE 20
Opinions PAGE 7
Culture PAGE 11
Men’s basketball loses against Richmond
Government should make high-speed rail a priority
Fordham begins first official week of RecycleMania
By VICTORIA RAU MANAGING EDITOR
Club leaders shared their frustration over United Student Government’s budget process, expressed concern at perceived unequal allocation of funds and called into question the Budget Committee’s sense of accountability at a town hall meeting hosted by USG on Feb. 3. United Student Government Executive President Sara Kugel, FCRH ’11; Vice President of Finance Emily Amato, FCRH ’12; and Vice President of Information Technology Michael DiTanna, FCRH ’13, fielded questions from club leaders about how a new budget process, if implemented, would change the way clubs receive funds from the Budget Committee. DiTanna and Amato, co-chairs of the Student Activities Fund Audit Task Force, presented an overview of what their task force identified as major flaws in the current bud-
SEE TOWN HALL ON PAGE 3
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