New member lists from Panhellenic and Interfraternity Council: see who went where SEE PAGES 4 & 5
FEBRUARY 3, 2012
Indiana’s Oldest College Newspaper
VOL. 160, ISSUE 1
Admissions office compiles own research, avoids national rankings By ZEE LIU news@thedepauw.com
Rather than directing effort towards obtaining a top spot on U.S. news ranking lists of top universities, DePauw focuses on obtaining quality. The recent scandal surrounding nationally ranked liberal arts school Claremont McKenna College spurred dialogue about the truth behind college ranking lists. After the discovery that the college lied about tests scores to climb rankings, other colleges and universities were also caught redhanded. However, DePauw opts out of the competition, aiming for quality over quantity. The university chooses to ignore judgment cast by U.S. News rankings, eliminating the pressure created by competing with other university’s numbers. Director of Admissions Danniel Weatherford said DePauw recently joined the Annapolis Group to coun-
ter similar incidents. The group is made up of liberal arts colleges that formally made an announcement that they do not promote U.S. News World Report rankings or participate in the U.S. News World Report surveys. Rather than relying on ranking sources that can provide skewed or inaccurate information, DePauw conducts its own research, which is regulated and then reported by the federal government. “U.S. News doesn’t use the exact same formula every year. It has been changed over time,” Weatherford said. “Sometimes it’s hard to compare one year to the next, if they have changed their formula.” The lists often are not based on thorough investigation or research and rarely provide a fully accurate de
Too much, too soon Campus report cites ‘pregaming’ at heart of unsafe drinking
By LEANN BURKE news@thedepauw.com
Admissions | continued on page 2
Anna Logan, the admissions office visit coordinator, schedules visits for prospective DePauw students. Logan believes these visits give students a “good feel” for what DePauw is like and play an important role in their decision making process. EMILY GREEN / THE DEPAUW
DePauw students are proud of their reputation as the smallest school on Princeton’s top 20 party schools, but university administrators don’t seem quite as impressed. The committee to study the use of alcohol on campus released an Executive Summary and Recommendations for the university this December. The report consisted of the committee’s findings about the university’s alcohol culture, along with a summary of the university’s proposals for how to encourage and educate about more responsible drinking. Cindy Babington, vice president for student life, formed the committee in the fall of 2010 after student government passed a white paper calling for a change in the alcohol policy. The changes proposed in 2010 included the allowance of kegs at events and parties. The committee chaired by Babington consists of students, faculty, staff and alumni. It first met during the spring of 2011. Their plan is to study
student use of alcohol on DePauw’s campus and to make recommendations for changes to the alcohol policy, as well as to employ new party management guidelines and education and prevention methods. “The committee, as a whole, reviewed data from the social norms research program Students Opting for Alcohol and Drug Free Residence, commonly known as SOAR, the CORE survey and data regarding hospital runs,” Babington said. “The large committee divided into four sub-committees [that] explored the various topics and came up with the findings.” The committee also works to make recommendations for solutions to the alcohol problem, that are then assigned to various members of the Student Life staff to either be implemented or researched further. In the committee’s report, issues such as alcohol education, enforcement, sanctions, pre-gaming, Winter Term drinking, and campus parties and events were discussed and researched. In the alcohol report, the committee looked at the DePauw’s current efforts
to cut down on what the administration believes is the student body’s irresponsible use of alcohol. Programs such as the online class on alcohol, MyStudentBody.com, Party House — an interactive alcohol education for freshmen soon after they arrive on campus — as well as residence hall educational bulletin boards appear to be effective tools. The university wants to continue brainstorming for ideas and implementing more preventative measures for alcohol abuse. The main suggestion for alcohol education is the clear communication of each of the current program’s goals. The committee also recommended constantly assessing the programs to make sure each goal is being accomplished effectively. Along with the improvement of current programs, the university would also like to see SOAR gain a more prominent position on campus. In regards to enforcement, the committee found that the overall view of Public Safety’s enforcement of university policy is favorable and that there is
Alcohol | continued on page 2