4.17.12

Page 1

Tuesday April 17, 2012 year: 132 No. 53

the student voice of

The Ohio State University

www.thelantern.com

thelantern

sports

5A Campus hate crimes continue to spread Thomas Bradley / Campus editor

Ayan Sheikh / Lantern reporter

Chelsea Castle / Managing editor

Four cases of vandalism on and near OSU’s campus has prompted a 2nd hate crime alert email this month to be sent from university. police The words ‘Long Live Zimmerman’ were written on Hale Hall April 5 (left). Swastikas and the ‘N-word’ were written on a mural of President Barack Obama April 6 (middle). The ‘N-word’ was written on a dumpster April 16.

Shark sighting

Former OSU basketball player Mark Titus visited campus Monday for a book signing of “Don’t Put Me In, Coach.”

Chelsea Castle Managing editor castle.121@osu.edu

[ a+e ]

Two acts of vandalism Ohio State Police labeled hate crimes were discovered Monday — one in a university dorm and the other across from the Ohio Union. The first incident involved racial and religious slurs, written on a door in Baker Hall East. The word “n-----s” and a swastika were written with permanent marker on a message board hanging on a dorm room door, said OSU Deputy Police Chief Richard Morman. Two females, one Caucasian and one African-American, live in said room, Morman said.

Winning jig

1B

OSU student Michael Holland won the Senior Men’s World Irish Dancing Championship in Belfast, Ireland.

campus

2A

Cooking for the president

A video contest is giving students the chance to cook for and dine with President E. Gordon Gee. The contest ends April 20.

weather

The police report for the incident listed it as an “anti-Black” hate crime and the motive as “menace.” The second occurred off-campus, when a dumpster across from the Ohio Union was covered in red spray paint that read, “hang n-----s.” The dumpster is located behind Formaggio Pizza, at 20 E. 13th Ave. Dilnavaz Cama, a department manager from OSU neighborhood services and collaboration, was dispatched to cover up the spray paint on the dumpster until it could be permanently removed. Cama said the dumpster is property of Republic Services, Inc., and she was told someone would be sent out to permanently remove the vandalism. Republic Services, Inc., had no immediate contact as of Monday afternoon. Sam Michael,

Katelyn Pruchnicki Lantern reporter pruchnicki.5@osu.edu After confirmed incidents of hazing and a “long laundry lists of things,” the Theta Delta Chapter of the Beta Theta Pi Fraternity at Ohio State has been closed and can’t return to campus before January 2014. The national headquarters of Beta Theta Pi announced in a letter on April 15 that the Theta Delta Chapter of the fraternity, founded in Columbus in 1885, “sustained a culture that was incongruent with university and Beta Theta Pi values,” while violating conduct standards and policies of OSU and Beta Theta Pi as a general organization. According to the letter, the national level of Beta Theta Pi and OSU believe closure is the appropriate action after a recent hazing allegation, a lack of transparency during the subsequent investigation and an “on-again, off-again cycle of unacceptable behavior.” Martin Cobb, director of communications at the administrative offices of Beta Theta Pi, said the investigation was sparked by a hazing allegation, but the closure was based upon “larger cultural issues” with the OSU chapter. “It’s not worth going into all the details at the end of the day. We’re standing by our values and the expectations the

university has of us,” Cobb said. “We have not had the type of chapter that Beta should have on the campus.” In a letter to fraternity members, parents and friends of the fraternity, David Schmidt, General Secretary of Beta Theta Pi, said a pattern of unacceptable behavior led to the closure of the chapter. “As a result of the chapter’s actions spanning a period of several years, including a pattern of unacceptable behavior and a lack of transparency and forthrightness during the investigation process,” Schmidt said in the letter, “the Fraternity’s Board of Trustees concluded that … closure of the (chapter) was the appropriate course of action.” Dave Isaacs, Student Life communications manager, said OSU is in agreement with Beta Theta Pi nationals in that the violations made by members of the Theta Delta Chapter warrant closure of the organization. “Both (the) Beta Theta Pi General Fraternity and Ohio State realize that the student code of conduct was violated,” Isaacs said. “This final incident confirmed by Beta Theta Pi General Fraternity did involve hazing.” Clark Siddle, president of the OSU Interfraternity Council, said the exact reasons for the chapter’s closure remain unidentified, but that more than one violation contributed to the final decision.

continued as Beta on 3A

Katie Higgins / Lantern photographer

The Beta Theta Pi Fraternity at OSU is being closed after a national and local investigation found incidents of hazing.

Athletes able to yield profit from textbooks Katie Higgins Lantern reporter higgins.254@osu.edu

partly cloudy

sunny mostly cloudy isolated t-storms few showers Shelby Lum / Lantern photographer

www.weather.com

continued as Crime on 3A

Doors close on Beta Theta Pi until 2014

high 64 low 43

W 67/48 TH 72/52 F 69/40 SA 54/33

manager of Formaggio Pizza, said he did not know anything about the vandalism on the dumpster outside of his restaurant. University Police sent out a public safety email Monday afternoon to alert OSU community members to take precautions and actions to increase safety and to aid in the prevention of similar crimes. In an official statement to The Lantern, Javaune Adams-Gaston, vice president of Student Life, said she is horrified by the incidents. “I am appalled by these continued acts of hate. We are working with University Police, acting swiftly, diligently investigating, and will take the appropriate action,” Adams-Gaston said in the statement.

Student-athletes with a book scholarship are permitted to sell back their books to Barnes & Noble after the quarter — books they received for free.

Many Ohio State students hope to make a small portion of what they spent when selling books back at the end of a quarter. However some student-athletes can make a profit during textbook sellback time. Up until last year, student-athletes received free textbooks as a part of their scholarship that they returned at the end of every quarter. Due to a change in Big Ten ruling, OSU student-athletes are allowed to sell back books — ones they receive for free with book scholarships — to bookstores for money. The Big Ten’s old rule said students were allowed the use of free books and nothing more. Kerry Kenny, assistant director of compliance at the Big Ten, said the old rule prohibited student-athletes from selling the books back.

“We used to have a rule that said you could only provide the use of the book to a student-athlete … for a course you were enrolled in,” Kenny said. “You were only provided with the use of the book.” The change came about in Fall Quarter. The Big Ten decided to make this change to better correspond with rules held by the NCAA. “The NCAA rules that students can keep the textbook or they can sell that book back and obtain the actual value for that book,” Kenny said. Kenny also said the modification made sense because of the way the textbook industry is changing. Some things, like online books and binder-ring books, cannot be returned, which made it difficult to keep track of. While the Big Ten sees the change as a better match with NCAA rules, OSU compliance said it was changed because of administrative issues. Jessica Olms, associate director of

continued as Books on 3A 1A


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
4.17.12 by The Lantern - Issuu