T h u r s d a y, A u g u s t 2 7 , 2 0 1 5 | U s i s h i e l d . c o m | v o l . 4 6 i s s u e 2
‘A lasting impression’ PG. 4
thinking about ‘think about it’
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Amber Rogers (right), a sophomore dental hygiene major, tackles the CampusClarity course along with Blair Kickert (left), a sophomore nursing major, as well as Taylor Bigelow (middle) in the Starbucks lounge. “The alcohol parts are helpful, but the beginning about random people is non-informative,” Bigelow said. Rogers also said that she didn’t believe all of it was needed.
Students express mixed feelings on Campus Clarity by Gabi wy news@usishield.com @ShieldsterGabi
Bryan Rush, dean of students and an avid promoter of a safe community at the university, said he wants students to care for each other and have each other’s backs. To Rush, communication from student to faculty is of utmost importance. In cooperation with federal mandates, the university requires all students to complete CampusClarity: Think About It, an online course concerning sexual assault, alcohol and courses of action. Federal law requires that any university participating in federal financial aid have courses like Think About It in place for all students. If a student does not complete the course by deadline, their account will be put on hold. Rush said that even though “Think About It” is required, he believes the course teaches real-life lessons that are more applicable than students may think. “You may not experience these things, but others around you do,” Rush said. “If they find
themselves in a situation, you’ll know how to deal with that and report it.” “Think About It” consists of six sections: a prologue, Sex in College, Healthy Relationships, Partying Smart, Sexual Violence and an epilogue. The course covers a variety of situations college students encounter on campus and features fictional characters that the user follows. “Partying Smart” illustrates drinking and the different amounts that constitute one drink of alcohol. Freshman Hayley Brantley said the course is important for people who want to experiment with alcohol. A roommate could have a medical or mental condition that could be worsened by alcohol, especially when mixed with prescribed medicines. After learning about aspects of parties and physical relationships, the program becomes interactive. Students select answers, confidentially respond to polls and earn badges for reading extra articles or answering questions correctly. There was no reward for badges other than
the feeling of accomplishment. “The badge system was silly,” freshman Zion Myers said. “Now, if we could turn in the badges for candy, that would be cool.” The course description includes an estimated completion time of about two or two-and-ahalf hours. Every student interviewed said the course was either redundant or too long. Four interviewed students believe that much of the material covered in “Think About It” is common sense. Junior Andrew Ramsey disagreed with one of the program’s correct answers to how to deal with a situation. “(The course) told you if a girl was sexually assaulted, you should just speak calmly to her, but I think you should go straight to the hospital because she could be hurt,” he said. Freshman Misty Cowen said that the majority of the course wasn’t new material for her, but it made her more aware of scenarios beyond her experience. “Some situations, I never would have thought about,” she said. “I think (sexual assault) happens more than people think.”
University to Priority 1 survives despite empty position spend $330,000 on Wi-Fi fix by Gabi wy
news@usishield.com @ShieldsterGabi
by bobby shipman editor@usishield.com @ShieldsterBobby
The university will spend around $330,000 on Wi-Fi improvements starting this week, said Information Technology Executive Director Richard Toeniskoetter. Anyone who has logged on to the university’s WiFi in the past few weeks may have noticed their service dragging, or even dropping altogether. Toeniskoetter said the slower speeds are a result of so many students registering for Wi-Fi usage and a low number of WiFi access points.
“Our (registration) process is somewhat dated,” he said. “We need to replace it … We need something more modern.” He said the current registration process may have some bugs that cause more difficulties than usual, but by next year the university will try and obtain a more effective and easier registration process. The second dilemma resulting in a service slowdown is the university’s lack of access points. Cisco, the university’s service provider, came out recently to survey the university’s Wi-Fi and said the 250 access points in Housing are not enough.
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Priority 1 meetings have been put on hold because of lack of leadership over the program. “Currently we have no assistant (multicultural) director. We will still have Priority 1, but it may look a little different,” Multicultural Director Pam Hopson said. The program is for male African-American students and aims to provide support and resources for those students during college. Hopson said that Priority 1 has not been consistently present at the university. Excel Mentoring Program began for students eligible for 21st Century
Photo by Isaac Willams | The Shield
Pamela Hopson, director of the multicultural center, speaks with student choir members about upcoming events and attendance goals.
Scholars. “The breadth of what the multicultural center provided expanded, but
the staff did not keep up,” Hopson said. She said that multicultural staff wanted to put
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its energy elsewhere, and the mentoring program became dormant until recently.
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