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Presidential pursuit University seeks Bennett’s replacement
Sex offense reported by Gabi Wy editor@usishield.com @GabiCWy
Photo Illustration by Abigail Stanley| The Shield
The university is searching for a new president leading up to the retirement of current president Linda Bennett. There have been three presidents in USI’s history.
by Riley Guerzini
news@usishield.com @rguerzini
The university Board of Trustees will begin their search for the next President of USI within the coming weeks. Chairman of the Board of Trustees Harold Calloway said the Board will form a search committee within the next couple weeks to begin the search for President Linda Bennett’s replacement, who announced her retirement at a faculty meeting in August. “We want someone who is a proven leader, a proven communicator, a person who has love for the students and love for the community and for faculty,” Calloway said. “I’m not sure how close we can get to that, but that’s the caliber of person we are looking at.”
The average tenure of a university president is eight and a half years according to a 2006 survey done by the American Council on Education. Bennett, who became President in 2009, is the university’s third President since it was founded in 1965. Bennett’s predecessor, Ray Hoops, served as President from 1994-2009 and USI’s first President, David Rice, served for 27 years between 1967-1994. Calloway said the Board will be taking its time with the decision and want to make sure it hires the best candidate. “We can go real fast and get it done and get it over with, or we can methodically go through it based upon where we have been, knowing that history, knowing where we are now and knowing where we want to go,” he said. Calloway said he has cut back on activities outside the university, including his job, in or-
Students demand parking by Riley Guerzini news@usishield.com @rguerzini
Tian Moore-Denk said she usually arrives on campus at least 30 minutes early just to find a parking spot. “One thing that I don’t like is that they have a whole section of the parking lot blocked off for the construction,” the freshman sociology major said. “If you don’t come between 7 and 10, you’re probably not going to get a spot.” Miles Mann, assistant director of facilities, operations and planning, said the last row in parking lot C that is unavailable due to the construction materials and vehicles stationed there will not be available for public use until the completion of Phase II of the Physical Activities Center, which is not expected until October of 2020. Mann said no other spaces will be affected by
construction of the PAC or the Fuquay Welcome Center. Moore-Denk posted in the USI class of 2020 page a photo of a truck double parked in one of the lots. “My main complaint is that we just don’t have enough parking for the amount of people we have here,” she said. “It really pissed me off that there’s not enough parking and someone just decided to double park on purpose when that could have been someone else’s spot.” According to information collected for the university’s next master plan, the university currently has 6,726 total parking spaces on campus. Students who are not exclusively distance education students are required to pay a transportation/parking fee that is determined by the number of credit hours a student is enrolled in at the university, which ranges from $78 to $130 per semester.
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der to focus more on finding a new President. “This is a really important position we are trying to fill,” he said. “I think to give less than 100 percent would not be good for the university students or the faculty.” Under Bennett, the university completed its first strategic plan along with the completed construction of the Griffin Center, Performance Center and the Business and Engineering Center. Calloway said the university has seen large growth under Bennett and hopes that will continue under the next President. “From a physical standpoint, I think the most exciting thing we have going on right now is the Fuquay Welcome Center, so I am looking at those as places of growth,” he said. “I think we have also done a good job in diversity on campus as far as students and the staff, and I think that is important as well.”
A rape was reported in campus housing at 2:14 a.m. September 6. According to the USI Public Safety Incident Log, the sex offense occurred between 1:36 a.m. and 8:36 a.m. Sept. 5. The case was referred by Public Safety to another university department. This is the first documented report of a rape this academic year. Public Safety confirmed a female student made the report. The university is required to disclose all sexual assaults in cooperation with the Jeanne Clery Act. In the fall of every year, the university publishes an Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, which documents all rapes reported the previous year. The 2017-2018 year’s safety report has not been published. In the 2016-2017 report, there are four sex offenses documented for 2015 compared to two sex offense reports in 2014. According to the university’s website, “USI condemns all gender based discrimination including sexual assault, rape, sexual harassment, and all other forms of non-consensual sexual activity.” The website states if a student is assaulted, he or she has options. Students can approach Public Safety, local law enforcement, the Dean of Students Office, the Title IX Officer in the Office of Human Resources, a local emergency room for medical care and the Counseling Center. Riley Guerzini contributed to this story.
Paint war adds splash of color to campus
Photo by Brittany Smith | The Shield
Freshman Paige Courtright ran through the rugby fields shooting paint at fellow students during the paint war Sunday afternoon. “It’s really cold,” Courtright said. “But it’s really fun.”
by Jeana Everhart jjeverhart@eagles.usi.edu
Maddie Seib convinced her friends to join her for a colorful Sunday afternoon. The junior nursing major arrived with her friends in white shirts ready for battle, and by the time they left, each was covered in a splatter of colors. Firing paint from water guns and hitting everyone in sight, students
went through over three gallons of paint during the two-hour paint war. Hitting both friend and stranger, every student was ducking for cover while firing aimlessly into the air. As the paint dried, students wondered if the stains would be gone before classes Monday. Seib has been to every paint war since her freshman year. Two years later she still finds the event fun. “It’s great just coming out here and having fun with other people,” Sieb
said. “The paint war is something you don’t normally do; it’s different.” Sunday’s paint war was one of many events hosted by the Activities Programming Board. “We are the group that puts on the events around campus that are free to students,” said junior member Megan Kendrick. “We put on the live karaoke during the Welcome Week, cookie canvases and the comedian magician from a few weeks ago.”
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