ush
late for FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2013
Battery charge blocks ATO from first round Rush
Indiana’s Oldest College Newspaper
pg. 8
VOL. 161, ISSUE 25
Watergate reporter to discuss future of journalism in next Ubben lecture
By LEANN BURKE and ABBY MARGULIS news@thedepauw.com
Campus Living and Community Development banned Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity from participating in the first round of formal recruitment due to the ongoing investigation of reported battery charges on Dec. 14, 2012. The investigation did not reach the CLCD office until the end of winter term. The battery was reported at 2 a.m. when a DePauw student heard screams coming from a nearby room inside the fraternity house. The victim was James Borchert, a member of ATO and a sophomore transfer student from Wabash College. Allegedly upperclassmen members of the fraternity confronted Borchert one evening in the ATO house. The encounter escalated quickly, leading to violence and serious harm to Borchert. “I kept them out of the first round of recruitment because I needed to work with the chap-
ATO | continued on page 3
Carl Bernstein. COURTESY MEDIA PHOTO / DEPAUW UNIVERSITY
Carl Bernstein (left) and Bob Woodward, the team that broke the Nixon Administration’s Watergate scandal, in the Washington Post newsroom. Bernstein will be visiting DePauw as part of the Timothy and Sharon Ubben Lecture series on Feb. 13. COURTESY MEDIA PHOTO / DEPAUW UNIVERSITY By NICKY CHOKRAN news@thedepauw.com
Alpha Tau Omega is subject to an ongoing investigation of a reported battery that occurred Dec. 14, 2012. The fraternity will be allowed to participate in second and third rounds of recruitment this weekend. ASHLEY BAUER / THE DEPAUW
Prolific journalist Carl Bernstein will present as part of the next Timonthy and Sharon Ubben Lecture series on Feb 13. A lecture titled, “The State of Our Information: Is Journalism Dead?” will be given in Meharry Hall, DePauw announced on Tuesday. Bernstein is best know for his Washington Post collaboration with Bob Woodward in their 1973 Pulitzer Prize winning article. The article investigated and exposed the Nixon administration’s Watergate Scandal. “The Watergate story is still a juncture in journalism history,” communications professor Jeff McCall said. “[Bernstein] questions that sometimes the news agenda is not as
solid as it should be.” Bob Steele, distinguished professor of journalism ethics, agrees. “He’s a strong voice of scrutiny and criticism,” Steele said. “[The lecture] will bring an incredible lens of media criticism to our learning at DePauw.” Steele hopes that during the lecture, DePauw students will pay close attention to Bernstein’s notorious skepticism. “It is very important for DePauw students to scrutinize journalism and the role of journalism in society,” Steele said. The lecture will aim to answer growing concerns about the future of journalism at a time when newspapers struggle to stay in business. Bernstein’s career, however, is an indication of the significant impact journalism can
have on the public. Steele described Watergate as a historical benchmark for questioning and scrutinizing political figures and governments. “It’s a way to put present day journalism in the context of historical journalism,” Steel said. Since Watergate, Bernstein has continued to be a prominent figure in print and broadcast news. He has appeared on CNN as a political analyst and is a regular contributor to MSNBC’s show, “Morning Joe.” Bernstein has also authored four books, the most recent being “A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hilary Rodham Clinton.” Overall, McCall thinks that Bernstein was a good choice for an Ubben Lecture speaker. “It’s important to get a variety of journalistic perspectives from within the journalistic trenches,” McCall said. “[Bernstein] is a prominent figure in journalism history, he has experience across media platforms, and he’s a thoughtful guy.”