Viewpoints
Entertainment
The Quickie
Health & Fitness
Sports
Big Fat Gay Column returns
Garden of E.D.M.
Club Spotlight
Happy-go-healthy
Gay athletes in sports
A sophomore picks up the LGBT column, writes how the “Eckerd Bubble” made coming out easier.
Eckerd grads give current students and electronic music lovers something to dance about.
Ultimate Frisbee Club plans exciting year of competition.
Discover the foods guaranteed to boost your mood.
Asst. sports editor talks breaking down barriers in professional sports.
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The Official Student Newspaper of Eckerd College
Vol. 4, Issue 2—Sept. 28, 2012
One student arrested, one hospitalized in two separate physical altercations By Malena Carollo Asst. News Editor, & Jeralyn Darling Managing Editor Students were recently involved in two physical altercations—one resulting in a felony battery on a security guard, the other resulting in injuries that required emergency medical attention.
photo by Tyler Cribbs A group gathers to enjoy refreshments in the new Delta lounge.
Campus unveils latest dorm lounge updates For ribbon-cutting details, photos and future rennovation plans, see page 3.
Sept. 23
Responding to noise complaints near Zeta, Campus Safety Officer Kevin Osani arrived about 1:20 a.m. According to an eyewitness, Sophomore Anna Vecchio, Osani approached a group of students regarding quiet hours, and had to use a megaphone to be heard over the music. Vecchio says the students complied by turning off the music. That’s when Sophomore Samuel Ramey attempted to leave with a speaker. Osani, according to Vecchio, pursued Ramey and attempted to take the speaker from him, grabbing Ramey by the arm. According to Campus Safety policy, officers may confiscate speakers to honor quiet hours. But Vecchio says that’s when an altercation broke out between the two, beginning when Osani used his forearm to shove Ramey against an outdoor Zeta wall. The two See INCIDENTS, page 7
Students, staff react to perceived difference in policy enforcement By Malena Carollo Asst. News Editor
F
rom a larger freshman class to a refurbished Delta lounge, the new semester has ushered in several changes to Eckerd. While many of these were widely accepted, adjustments to Campus Safety’s and residence life’s approach toward policy enforcement have elicited stronger reactions than other changes. Two shifts have occurred. A Campus Safety officer will now accompany the on-call RAs during rounds, and RAs and Campus Safety officers are no longer allowed to give warnings for policy violations. “[The change] was definitely a joint effort between us in residence life with Campus Safety,” Jamey Handorf, associate director of residence life, said. “When it comes to policy enforcement we both
sort of share that responsibility on campus, so it makes sense that any sort of changes in the approach to that would be a joint effort so students wouldn’t be confused by two different approaches.” Now, all policy violations will be documented and the decision to issue a formal warning to a student or pursue other forms of disciplinary action is decided by the Office of Community Standards. RAs and Campus Safety officers, Handorf said, will still have an amount of discretion while in the field. The model is intended to create greater cohesion between residence life and Campus Safety while addressing several related issues. “First and foremost we are trying to limit the amount of underage drinking on campus, that is always a goal,” Handorf said. “We’re trying to limit the amount of unsafe
drinking practices that take place on campus… By doing that, we will also limit that perception that students have that everyone drinks, because that’s just untrue.” The perception to which he refers stems from the large numbers of students in and between residential complexes with clearly marked alcoholic beverages. This behavior, Handorf said, has contributed to the “party school” perception of Eckerd, landing the college on several dubious lists in the past five years. One such ranking publication is the Princeton Review. In 2010, Eckerd was pegged at 17 on the “Most Beer Drinkers” list, a subcategory of the “Top Party Schools” list. In 2011, Eckerd dropped to 19. Another aspect the new system addresses is repeat-offenders being given multiple warnings by RAs and
Campus Safety officers with no way to track if they were already issued a warning. Contrary to rumors, the alcohol and drug policy being enforced has not changed. A related policy addition is that students can lose their housing if they accumulate three substance-related offenses, though loss of housing is not automatic. Likewise, Adam Colby, director of emergency management and Campus Safety, said Campus Safety’s role remains the same. “The big thing is Campus Safety officers are here for the safety of the community,” Colby said. “If people were perceiving that they should be allowed to drink and have their music up as loud as they want [and] be disruptive See Policies, page 4
Tracy Kidder visits Eckerd; offers advice to novice writers By Cait Duffy News Editor
promotional photo Please Recycle
INDEX: News 2 - 8
“No one makes rules for everyone.” Pulitzer prize-winning author Tracy Kidder began with one of his favorite John McPhee quotes Sept. 17, speaking to a Creative Nonfiction class. Renowned for such works as “Mountains beyond Mountains,” “Strength in What Remains” and “The Soul of a New Machine,” Kidder spent the course of a week amongst Eckerd students and faculty, answering questions about his novels and offering advice to writers. His activities ranged from speaking to individual classes, to addressing those in Quest
for Meaning in a plenary assembly, to a talk hosted in part by the Tampa Bay Times, to a vegetarian chili cook-out. Kidder was even available for one-on-one meetings with students, making himself available for office hours throughout the week. During his stay, Kidder had much to say, and Eckerd students had much to ask. The next speaking point of Kidder’s guest lecture during Tuesday’s class was another of his trusted sayings, and a description of nonfiction writing’s greatest challenge. “The nonfiction writer’s fundamental job is to make what is true believable.” A challenge he encountered, and conquered, when drafting
his novel “Mountains Beyond Mountains.” The next afternoon, Kidder confided his difficulties in relating the character of farmer to the senior class. “It was a problem of goodness” that stood in his way. The subject of the book, Dr. Paul Farmer, seemed simply too good to be true. Solving the problem took a step that most journalists, literary or not, typically steer away from. He placed himself as a character within the story, a living foil of a true, imperfect human for Paul Farmer’s exceeding humanity. He described Paul Farmer’s presence as one
Viewpoints 9 - 12 Entertainment 13 - 16 The Quickie 17 - 18 Health & Fitness 19 - 20 Sports 21- 24
See Kidder, page 4 The Current is a free, biweekly student newspaper produced at Eckerd College. Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the writers.