August 15, 2011 | Vol. 49 No. 3
“If It Matters To the USA Family, It Matters To Us.”
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Campus Death Update By Cassie Fambro Editor-in-Chief
Brandon Aijadeh, suspected of stabbing James Franklin Dean 25 times with a butcher knife on July 10, was reportedly distraught after an rejection on Facebook and a soured friendship. Aijadeh, Dean, and two friends were together in the Delta 6 dorm room the night of Dean’s death. Aijadeh’s Twitter account showed posts about one of the other men present, Kennan Henderson, a fellow student of Dean and Aijadeh at Murphy High School. Aijadeh felt that Henderson had betrayed him and was reportedly jealous of the friendship between Dean and Henderson. Henderson deleted Aijadeh from his Facebook “friend” list, according to the testimony of USAPD Officer Phil Fishel, which allegedly emotionally upset Aijadeh. Henderson and his friend allegedly left the dorm, leaving Aijadeh and Dean alone before Dean’s death. Aijadeh has given conflicting stories of the events of that night, including citing self-defense, implying that Dean had made unwanted sexual advances toward him. Officer Fishel stated that investigators discovered blood-covered walls and obvious bloody handprints in the Delta 6 room of Dean’s death. Officer Fishel also confirmed the bloody fingerprints were a positive match to Aijadeh. Dean, a non-USA student, had reportedly been living with Aijadeh for 3 months, according to reports. USA Housing does not permit nonstudents to reside in campus dorms and was unaware of Dean’s living arrangements with Aijadeh. Stay tuned to our website for breaking news blog updates.
WEEKLY INSIDER
Assistant Professor of Geology Dr. Jim Connors assists two student volunteers in assembling the bicycles where the bookstore was temporarily located during renovations
COURTESY OF USA PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICE
JagBikes: A New Way to Roll at USA
500 University-Sponsored Bicycles Roll Out for Student Use as Part of the USA JagSmart Initiative By Cassie Fambro Editor-In-Chief
This fall, be prepared to see an influx of shiny, blue bicycles around campus. The USA Geology Club and the Student Sustainability Council, both led by adviser Dr. Jim Connors, Assistant Professor of Earth Sciences, assembled 400 new “Jag Bikes” with the help of members from the the Honors Program Organization and Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity.
It took a couple weeks of grueling days and hard labor, but the end result is a new way for students to commute around campus. Dr. Connors told The Vanguard that the initiative is a “bold experiment in community-level sustainability.” Primarily, USA students volunteered to help assemble the bikes. The bicycles, partially funded by private donations, are part of the University’s new sustainability initiative “JagSmart,” a program integrating the
latest green principles in recycling, energy conservation, transportation, campus construction and campus life. The JagSmart committee is headed by University of South Alabama President Gordon Moulton, and the Chair of the committee is Sociology Assistant Professor Dr. Doug Marshall. Dr. Connors also serves on the committee along with Director of Facilities Chris Willis, Associate Director of Housing James Bridgeforth, see JagBikes, page 24
Summer SGA Allegations By Matt Weaver Senior Reporter The University of South Alabama SGA motioned to undergo impeachment charges against Attorney General JeanPierre Arditi late last month after abuse of power assessments were brought forth by Senator Riley Davis of the College of Engineering. The charges were presented to the Senate at the July 25th meeting, where the group voted to further review the information. The charges imply that Arditi improperly
used his office to waive parking tickets for friends, directly bypassing and overriding the authority of Chief Justice Coleman Wolf. “I’m turning these charges over to the Student Government Supreme Court for review and see if there is enough evidence for a trial,” Davis said. “[Arditi’s] actions not only make the SGA look bad but they also do not represent what student government stands for.” Arditi, a junior from Mobile, claims that he has the authority to waive parking tickets under the Lowdown and that the Attorney General’s role is open to
see SGA, page 24
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Football Ready See Sports, p. 25
More on Jagsmart’s JagBikes: p. 24 Opinion: What’s the deal with parking? p. 22 |
Life: Tips on where to study: hint:, tree chair p. 10 |
Sports: One track member’s sacrafice p. 26