The Stetson Reporter

3yLXJR_JS-JL_I_Y W < o OS UL life | Students crowded around the Hat Rack patio last week to listen to the rock duo Life in General. The group got a good response from the crowd, and invited the crowd to actively participate in the concert. This was the duo's second visit to campus. [ see Life page 2b ] wed 02 sept issue2volume 111 ;a^CT^P??^&^ MANY by andy dehnart | As part of the new direct networking in the residence halls, the telephone system is changing to fiberoptic cabling. Residents will receive voice mail, and residence hall phone numbers will change. Also, in response to dissatisfaction with last year's long distance service, Student Telephone Services, AT&T College and University Solutions will return as the on- campus long-distance provider and provide lower rates. All room phone numbers will change from a 738 prefix to a 740 one, Jim Snyder, CIT's director of technology infrastructure and support, said. "There was no room for growth down the road" with the 738 exchange, he said. The last four digits of all phone numbers will remain m Q > Z 2 H We're making ourselves available to answer any questions and make sue that everybody is comfortable with the new system. We want the same. When the 738 exchange is turned off, there WILL/WILL NOT be a recording informing callers of the new 740 prefix. -Currently, the 738 and 740 prefixes are both working, leading some residents to have phones plugged into both the old and new jacks in order to receive calls on both lines. The 738 extensions will be disconnected once all rooms are connected to the 740 line. CIT personnel went into residence hall rooms on Friday, verifying that the new network and phone connections work and "checking every phone to make sure it's on the 740 exchange," Snyder said. Phones should be plugged into the "A" jack for telephone service with the 740 prefix. The "B" and "C" jacks connect personal computers to the network. CIT "sent a flyer out through the RAs" with information about the jacks. Snyder said. However, not all students heard about the changes and some were confused about the new exchange and connections. "I think it was very poorly handled," said Desiree Devaney, a junior and RA' in Smith Hall, "They were supposed to take care of it before my girls came. They never mailed out letters to anyone." CIT held town hall meetings in Stetson and Chaudoin Halls to convey information about the changes. Snyder said, "We're making ourselves available to answer any questions and make sure that everybody is comfortable with the new system." He also said that CIT "probably will send out some more information. We want to make sure that we communicate." Residents with phones plugged into the 73 8 jack will have to dial 9 plus the seven digit number (740-0000) to reach those on the new 740 prefix, and vice versa. Once everyone is on the 740 exchange, it will be possible to dial just the last four digits to reach other rooms on campus. "The problem is that everyone hasn't pulled off the 738 jack," Synder said. However, residents will need to dial 9 plus the seven digit number (822-0000) to reach university offices until they are converted to the new system. Voice mail will be brought online later this semester, when administrative offices are converted to the new phone system. "When you pick up the phone you'll hear a stutter [tone and] then you dial your personal code," he said. The system will be similar to personal and office voice mail systems. With the new system, both call waiting and three- way calling are no longer being offered. "Typically, the way the voice mail works, incoming call[s].. .go to voice mail," he said. However, the lack of call waiting may change. "We're just now hearing that students would really like to have the call waiting," Snyder said. The addition of three-way calling, a standard feature on all phones over the past few years, may also be considered. - Once the phone system is working, CIT will look at adding features like call waiting and three-way dialing, "if [those are] features that the students want." ACUS will charge a flat 15 cents per minute, compared to STS's 19 cents per minute. All students have or will be issued a long distance code via campus mail. FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS: Members of the largest first-year class ever carry their belongings into Chaudoin Hall. Because of the housing shortage created by the large number of first-year students, many are living with RAs and in fraternity houses, photo by paul davis by sara cotner | This summer, RAs received a letter from the department of Residential Life, informing them of a "good problem." The "good" was the continued, increase in enrollment, while the "problem" was the shortage of traditional housing spaces to accommodate the influx. The solution to the problem was to temporarily fill every "available bed" on campus, which included placing roommates with those male RAs living in double rooms, adding students to the rooms that were originally designated "doubles-as-singles," and filling fraternity houses with the overflow of males. Michelle Espinosa, director of Residential Life, says that the overcrowding is "a challenge, though it's not unusual." Temporary housing has been used for the past two years. This year, however, there are fewer "no shows" and more students needing spaces. Espinosa says, "I don't know exactly how those numbers are going to fit together." Espinosa is currently working to identify the "no- shows" — those students who are not returning to campus but did not notify the university. By checking with RAs and the registrar's office, Residential Life can begin to determine where the vacancies are. The department must call the "no shows" to confirm that they are not returning. When the vacancies are determined this week, students will be moved out of temporary housing, starting with the approximately 22 first-year and returning students who are living in the fraternity houses. Nearly 700 new students enrolled for the 1998-99 academic year. According to the Dean of Admissions Mary Napier, the university has still not reached its cap, even though students are living in temporary housing. She says, "The goal is to try to fill the space that's there, but that may have to be done creatively because of gender differences." The maximum number of students that the university can accommodate is based on the available beds on campus, including those in residence halls and sorority and fraternity houses. However, the questions then arise, "Where do you put people? Is this the right kind of environment for them? Is this the right kind of environment for first-year students?" says Napier. Triplet! says, "If I were a first-year student facing the current temporary housing situation (like those are now), I would be more than just a little upset. The creation of a community is taking a back seat to other interests, as it has in the past." Espinosa understands "that it's difficult" for students to live in temporary housing. Some students have not yet unpacked completely, while others are still waiting to bring all of their belongings from home. Espinosa says, "We did set the rooms for them as regular rooms. They are in traditional double rooms with the regular furniture and things like that. It's temporary in the sense of location, but >ve certainly hope it's not temporary in the type of housing." Eric Johnson, a first-year student from Lehigh, FL, was told that he would be living in the Lambda Chi Alpha house one week prior to his arrival on campus. He says that being a non-fralemily member in a "I think that without knowing specifics, it's certainly detrimental to have first-year students living in the fraternity houses, not only to the new students but to the fraternity members as well." fraternity house is "not all that bad," although it is "sometimes really, really loud." Johnson says thai the fraternity members are "very nice." However, he also says that he is missing out on the traditional, residence hall experience by not having an RA. The ten non-fraternity members living in the Lambda Chi Alpha have not formed "much of a community." Espinosa says that the "students who are in temporary housing have been very understanding and very cooperative and very flexible about the situation." She attributes their attitudes to the cooperation of the fraternities where the overflow is housed: Phi Sigma Kappa and Lambda Chi Alpha. ■ '. ' The male RAs living in Emily, Gordis, Smith and Stetson Halls with roommates have also displayed "cooperation and patience," according to Espinosa. Espinosa anticipates that "as occupancy and enrollment continue to grow ... in the next couple of years probably most of the RAs will have roommates." Russ Triplett, an RA in Stetson Hall for the past two years, is "supportive of an aggressive admissions program," but says that having a roommate this year "realistically caught [him] off guard." Although RAs usually have single rooms, the contract that they sign when accepting the position stipulates that they may have roommates if necessary. In the past, though, "it has never really been an issue," says Triplett. This year, he says, "the problem is much larger." Triplett says, "I think that without knowing specifics, it's certainly detrimental to have first-year students living in the frat houses, not only to the new students but to the fraternity members as well." Andy Burman, a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, says that non-fraternity members should not be living in the fraternity houses because of "chapter meetings and stuff going on." The housing shortage is not only affecting fraternity members, male RAs, and incoming students. Carrie Gill, a senior biology major, was also displaced. During room selection last spring, she signed up for a "double-as-a-single" in Smith Hall. Midsummer, Residential Life informed her that she could either live in her Smith room with a roommate, or move to a single in Nemec. Neither option appealed to Gill, since her friends had already selected roommates during room selection, and she didn't want "a tiny room." Gill then asked forpermission to move off campus without losing her financial aid. Residential Life denied her initial request, so Gill wrote a letter of appeal. Her appeal was continuously postponed. Eventually, Residential Life denied her appeal, stating that they had offered her a single. Currently, Vice President for Campus Life and Enrollment Management Jim Beasley and Espinosa are not considering any change in policy, such as allowing students to move off campus without financial penalty, Espinosa said. Triplett says, "Maybe they should consider entertaining other options, if the admissions program continues to be aggressive. We cross our fingers and hope that our interests are going to be looked out for. What can we do or what can we say?" Sara Cotner is a senior and managing editor o/The Reporter. MJ gang it Freshmen Fall 1998 Fall 1997 Fall 1996 Fail 1995 Fall 1994 o eg inquired 26,535 25,157 24,174 26,688 23,611 a. Applied 1,797 . 1,592 1,660 1,722 1,760 w Accepted 1,521 1,396 1,435 1,463 1,491 m Enrolled: < Men 237 219 193 214 200 u Women 320 296 233 258 285 SOURCE: Office of Admissions. —'■"—"—M" mmimim^Bimssistsmsiaasimimiiis Christians should gay hashing median ark a defi murals chang ew director / by tasha kuxhausen | This summer I read about an ad campaign hoping to convince homosexuals to change their orientation. The idea intended to rescue gays from their "harmful" decision. If you guessed that the Christian Coalition was involved in this charade, you are correct. But of course there are others who believe that homosexuality is a choice. Televangelist D. James Kennedy who is the national director of the Center for Reclaiming America — a group that also is a conservative Christian Bible enforces our country's laws. But no article or amendment of the Constitution forbids homosexuality. We must not forget that the Constitution empowers laws. [ read this story in Forum, page 4a ] BY jeff hidek J It wasn't even the first day of classes, but we still managed to learn something. Actually, those of us who laughed along with comedian Anthony Clark last week learned a lot. We learned how to freak out the dry cleaners. We learned how to freak out the toll booth attendants. We learned that good comedians can come to campus. And we learned that the Hollis Center Field House has all the acoustics of a cardboard box. . As FOCUS wrapped up last week, comedic actor Anthony Clark entertained over 500 students in the Hollis Center Field House. Clark gave a consistently funny performance, covering topics that ranged from Chia pets and crack cocaine to David Copperfield and the Backstreet Boys. [ read this story in Life, page 1b ] by randi duhigg Steve Najera, the newly-appointed assistant director of Student Life and coordinator of recreation, has revamped the intramural program at Stetson. Most importantly, he wants students to "really focus more on not necessarily the winning aspect of it but the aspect of it but the aspect of recreation and just getting out there and competing." In the past, there have been two leagues: the white, comprised of teams made up of fraternity members, and the green, where non- Greek teams competed. According to Najera, the league structure will change. In the past, Najera says, "the league with the highest competition [was] the fraternity league..." . [ read this story in Sports, page 4b ]