The Metropolitan State College of Denver student newspaper, serving the Auraria Campus since 1979
- LAS Dean Johnson leaves MSCD Letters, Arts and Sciences loses dean to CCHE after nearly a decade of service Philippe Marquis Staff Writer
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Leura Gragg.Tolna I The Metropolotan
Chris Stever (left) was making a mail delivery when a light post got in the way. Auraria Public Safety Officer J.F. Egan observes while Stever contemplates the damage. Stever works for the Auraria Campus mail delivery service.
After serving nearly a decade as an MSCD administrator, Larry Johnson, dean of Letters, Arts and Sciences, is leaving his post. Johnson, who recently began looking into serving a year on the Colorado Commission for Higher Education, was told by the Commission he would have to resign as dean of LAS to make the move. Johnson, who helped organize LAS, has been dean for the seven years of its existence. "It's probably time for me to move on," said Johnson, who has seen six presidents of MSCD. The school of LAS is comprised of 16 departments and two institutions - the Institute for Women's Studies and the Institute for Intercultural Studies. The LAS dean is in charge of faculty recruitment and retention, curriculum development, student enrollment, complaint processing and affirmative action within LAS. Johnson, who served as MSCD's dean of math and science prior to the establishment of LAS, also has see Johnson page 4
Student accuses aviation fraternity of hazing Martin Rush Staff Writer An MSCD student has filed a grievance with the Office of Student Activities, alleg,;;¡ ing a fraternity hazed pledges. The student, who has requested anonymity, filed the grievance against Alpha Eta Rho, a coed fraternity for aviation students. "Some examples of this hazing are excessive physical activity, public humilia,._ tion, and general disregard for my physical and mental well-being,"the complaint states. MSCD club policy forbids hazing, defining it as "any action which produces physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment, or ridicule." The penalties for engaging in - such activities can include withdrawal of the offending club's recognition- and thus all privileges and services - by the Office of Student Activities. In an interview with The Metropolitan,
Tuition changes draw student, faculty opposition Page3
the complainant said that Alpha Eta Rho pledges were subjected to various degrees of verbal and physical abuse. "Pledges had to do push-ups with their feet on one another's backs," the student said. "One night, I did about 109; my back was killing me. One girl was crying." Also, as punishment, pledges sometimes had to assume the "thinking position," the student said. This is a prone position similar to one used for push-ups, but where the body is supported only by the elbows and toes. "One pledge had to carry around an airplane propeller all day," the student said. The grievance is being investigated by Yolanda Ericksen.assistant dean of student life, and Associate Director of Student Activities J. Davidson Porter. Porter said he and Ericksen met with Alpha Eta Rho president Nick Simpson and faculty adviser Jonathan Burke. The two seemed concerned about the complaint and that their pledge program would be viewed
as harassment, according to Porter. Porter said other students had complained to his office about public stunts being performed by Alpha Eta Rho pledges. Tom Mestnik, MSCD student gov!!rnment vice president, said be witnessed one such incident in which four Alpha EtaJUto pledges were standing on a ledgeoutsidethe Student Union singing what he assu,med was their fraternity song. ~ Nick Simpson, president of Alp.h a 'Eta Rho, said the fraternity is awareofMSCD's hazing policy and abides by it. ~ "We're really concerned about this," he said, referring to the complaint. "We won't tolerate hazing." Simpson said all Alpha Eta Rho pledges know about the fraternity's non-hazing policy. They are told that if an action causes them discomfort, they can inform any fraternity member and refuse to participate. "As soon as anything causes physical discomfort, it is stopped," Simpson said.
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"We've done everything we can to ensure we're not stepping out of bounds," he said. "If we find something wrong, we'll correct it immediately." Simpson said he was not aware of the actions alleged in the student's grievance. If he had been, he said, the members responsible would have been questioned. He did admit Alpha Eta Rho pledges are sometimes required to perform in public, such as singing the fraternity song. But what may be comfortable for one student may cause another embarrassment, Simpson said. "Students have to get up in front of the ~hole fraternity and tell us their names when they start pledging," be said. "Maybe some of them consider that embarrassing. Where do you draw the line?" Simpson said the fraternity had taken an open look at its pledge program, acknowledging that there had been complaints in the past. "Now we're looking at it again." 0
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