state
the The voice of Austin Peay State University students since 1929
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April 14, 2010 | Vol. 82, Issue 26
Details released regarding attempted abduction By PATRICK ARMSTRONG Editor In Chief
On Thursday, April 8, The All State’s Freedom of Information Act request letter, which was sent on Monday, March 22, regarding the attempted abduction on campus that occurred on Tuesday, March 16, was responded to via e-mail
seven days late, according to Tennessee Code Annotated 10-7-503 (2)(B)(i-iii). According to the requested police report, the attempted abduction happened on Tuesday, March 16, at 10 p.m. Campus Police was not notified of the incident until the complaint was telephoned in. On Wednesday, March 17, APSU Campus Police Officer Richard Wacker was assigned to the call. The complaint came from an adult black female who
said she was on her way from Meacham to her room in Sevier walking with her iPod ear buds in and her hands full. She was going eastbound on Govs Lane on the sidewalk near Miller. “I was coming up the sidewalk next to the Red Barn and a black man driving a small, dark-colored four-door car pulled up next to me,” the complainant said in a written statement. The offender was an unknown adult black male between 20 and 30 years old,
6” tall, of average build, wore a black hoodie and smelled like tobacco. The victim could not remember any noticeable or identifying marks. When the offender drove up, he tried to get her attention by saying “aye.” She turned around and did not recognize him and then ignored him. “He proceeded to continue to follow me and try to get my attention. I kept walking.” After three attempts, the offender pulled ahead of her, parked his car,
got out and walked to the sidewalk, blocking her path.
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APSU in violation of federal Clery Act
He grabbed me by the arm and tried to shove me into the car.” — Victim of attempted abduction
“He grabbed me by my arm and tried to shove me into the car. I resisted and propped my foot against the
back seat to use as leverage. We tussled for a minute. I threw my boot back behind me and it hit him. He took a couple steps back, paused, ran around, got in the car and drove away.” The victim did not get a good look at the offender or the car. The car was described as a small, newer four-door sedan, black or dark blue in color, similar to a Honda or Toyota, with power locks and windows CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Changes expected to APSU Dining Services
WOMEN’S TENNIS
By JENELLE GREWELL News Editor
Cecil Wilson, assistant director of Housing/Dining Services, said Dining Services at APSU will experience a few changes over the Summer. AP Dining and Chartwells will replace the Mama Leone’s concept with a Papa John’s concept designed especially for college campuses and other fast food type concepts Wilson said. “Initially, our Papa John’s will serve freshly baked 8-inch pizzas for a quick, grab-and-go meal. Later, we may introduce bread sticks and other side items offered by the Papa John’s franchise menu,” Wilson said. “I would rather have the Italian place,” Cecibel Rivera, senior social work major said.
ANTHONY SHINGLER | ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
APSU Lady Govs tennis has won 11 straight and are currently ranked second in Ohio Valley Conference heading into the OVC tournament. Vanja Tomic serving on the court in the match vs. TSU on Thursday, April 8. Tomic is ranked number one in singles in the conference. Tomic is 16-2 overall, 9-0 OVC and has won fifteen straight singles. Tomic and Mariana Pagan currently lead the team in doubles with a 14-3 overall record, 8-1 OVC and they have won 10 straight doubles. See Sport’s page 6 for more information.
Wilson said Chartwells has proposed several ideas to help make Austin’s Diner more of a destination. These ideas include providing a lounging area near the TV to allow for a more relaxed seating space, installing window treatments to add more privacy and warmth, changing the current photo mural and a few “back room” changes that may
help expand and speed up the services they now provide. “In the coming weeks I will continue to meet with Chartwells as we consider the feasibility and cost benefits of such changes,” he said. Wilson said Denny’s will not be taking over Austin’s Diner. At one point, it was close to happening. “They sent us a quote that didn’t include the cost of construction, just materials and equipment._” Wilson said when Denny’s sent the new quote with construction added, it exceeded the allotted budget. “Besides the installation of another nationally recognized food chain (Papa John’s), we have been given the opportunity to move the Peay Pod from the first floor of the UC to a much more centralized location,” he said. AP Dining and Chartwells recently accepted an offer to move the Peay Pod to the space currently occupied by SGA on the main floor of the UC, room 214. SGA will be moving into the Student Publications office while the vacant Peay Pod space will house Student Publications. “We feel this location will better serve the students, faculty, staff and guests of APSU as it will be more prominent. This move calls for a complete redesign of
the SGA office to facilitate a shopping experience worthy of the new space,” Wilson said. Wilson also said the panning stages to “refresh” Chick-fil-A are in the final stages. “We will replace tile, marketing material, and other ‘behind-the-line’ equipment to better serve the students, faculty, staff and our many guests. It will not be a totally new look, but a great breath of fresh air,” Wilson said. Wilson said it will cost $50,000 to remodel the Chick-fil-A. The money comes from Chartwells’ investment fund. Wilson said Chartwells invested $1 million and some commission from whatever is sold, and the money goes towards improvements in Dining Services. Wilson said AP Dining and Chartwells are currently considering a new station in place of the Freshens concept in the food court. “While we haven’t totally settled on a name; for now, ‘Fresh Fusions’ will have to do. The Fresh Fusions concept will serve a rotating menu based, in large part, on customer feedback.” Wilson said there have already been requests for pasta items displaced by the Papa John’s concept, along with requests for smoothies, sushi and salad. “The choices are endless when we lift the menu constraints that come with a defined concept space,” CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Texting while driving has dangers and consequences Guest Writer
Some people may use what they think are only a few seconds to send or check a text message or e-mail while driving, but studies show 23 seconds is all it takes to cause a car accident. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2008 nearly 6,000 people died in crashes involving a distracted driver. Distracted driving is broken into three types visual, which means a driver is not looking at the road; manual meaning a driver removed their hands from the wheel and cognitive, a driver taking their mind off of the road. Sending a text message is considered the most dangerous because it involves all three types of distractions. “Texting is crazy. You see adults and teenagers ages
17-40 that can’t exist without texting. People get distracted, they don’t pay attention and people get hurt,” said APSU Campus Police lieutenant Carl Little. According to the Harvard Center of Risk Analysis, cell phone use contributes to 6 percent of all crashes, which equates to 636,000 crashes, 330,000 injuries and 2,600 deaths each year. Text messaging is now being considered an epidemic because of the national accumulations of deaths among men, women and children. According to the Governors-Highway Safety Association (GHSA), 19 states, including Tennessee and the District of Columbia have banned all texting while driving. Tennessee’s ban became effective July 1, 2009. “It’s an emergency issue, we would like to see all states ban texting,” said Kara Macek, communications
manager of GHSA.
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By LORI PERKINS
I think it will make people pay more attention to the problems... educating ourselves, family and children. I have told my kids to avoid talking on the phone.” — Gary Hurst,
Clarksville’s Police Traffic 2nd Lt.
According to a 2005 study for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, drivers are four times less likely to get into accidents serious enough to cause injury when they turn off their cell phones while behind the wheel. Distracted driver’s in Tennessee caught violating
the law will be issued a $50 fine. Traffic 2nd Lt., Gary Hurst of the Clarksville Police Department has heard about only one ticket that was issued to a local driver. “It’s difficult seeing if someone is dialing or texting,” he said. He doesn’t think the law is harsh. “It’s obviously designed to get compliance and not punish everyone. I think it will make people pay more attention to the problem ... educating ourselves, family and children. I’ve told my kids to avoid talking on the phone,” Hurst said. To some, the punishment may not be much, but when a distracted driver kills a victim, of course the penalty is uncompromising. In the state of Tennessee, a violator can be charged with vehicular homicide and face three to 15 years in prison, get a class B or C felony, have
their license suspended and/ or fine payments, depending on how they are charged. “Campus falls under state law,” Little said. Drivers who text on campus are violating the state law and will be given a citation if caught. Using a phone at a stop light is even considered a distraction because it can disrupt the flow of traffic and cause an accident. To alleviate the confusion of knowing whether someone is dialing or texting, and other problems that occur, people are asking drivers to simply turn their phones off while they are driving their vehicles to reduce distractions. To raise awareness, the U.S. Department of Transportation is encouraging drivers to stay focused while driving with a plain slogan, “Put it Down.” Oprah Winfrey issued a Public Service Announcement and formed
a “No Phone Zone Day” campaign for Friday, April 30, in honor of victims who have been killed by distracted drivers and to enforce the importance of drivers thinking first, before they text while driving. Winfrey has received a huge response from her TV viewers and celebrities who have pledged not to use their phone while driving. “Our message is don’t use cell phones while driving regardless of the law,” Macek said. Just like the slogan “click it or ticket”, Winfrey and state officials are trying to put an end to the number of deaths occurring in the U.S. So no matter how “smart” your phone may be, before you consider using your it, ask yourself, “Is it worth the risk of losing your life and the life of a loved [or someone else’s] because you were reading a message?” Little said. ✦