The Reporter

Seeking The T, ruth' At St-etson University Volume CXIX Issue 7 Thursday, October 26,2D06 Student Struck By Car By TORI On Oct. 5, 2006, freshman business management major Madison Goode began the trek from Nemec Hall to her afternoon class at approximately 2:25 pm. On her way, she decided to cross Amelia Avenue at the intersection of East Arizona Avenue. While crossing, she was struck by a" vehicle. Goode said, "The driver was talking to someone on the other side of the street. He hit his gas before looking in my direction and hit me as he was braking." She did not incur any serious injuries, other than a large bruise on her leg from where she fell on the pavement. "I got lucky," she said. Freshman Discovery major Tyler Ward was with Goode at the time of the occurrence. "I told my classmates what I saw, GIBBS hundred.students utilize the two crosswalks on Amelia Avenue. Students are often cautious as to avoid being struck, but, as evidenced by Goode's story, sometimes accidents occur. However, even with the very real threat of danger, many students still utilize the East Arizona intersection rather than crossing at the light. Freshman marine biology major and Nemec Hall resident Lindsay Martin generally utilizes the crosswalk with the stop light, especially when going to the Commons. "I think that people need to get over their time constraints and watch for [university] students..: I mean, we bring a lot of economic growth to DeLand. I don't find it that frustrating [to cross at the light] because mostly I see that the one without the light is even harder to cross, because people do not feel obligated to stop for pedestrians," said Martin. Not all students choose safety at all times, though. Many students Margaret Abraham/The Reporter Amelia Avenue where freshman was struck by a car going to class. and they said that it's happened before. It was crazy. We were walking to class, and then I looked over and realized she was on the opposite side of the car on the ground. She just got up and went to class, though. She's like Superwoman to me now," said Ward. Goode did not file any reports concerning the incident, as she felt that her minor discomforts were not enough to endure the hassle of missing class, filing paperwork, and calling insurance companies. Had she decided to file a report, though, it would have been handled through DeLand Police Department, rather than Public Safety. University public safety employee Jim Hess said, "We at Public Safety do not get involved in a peripheral manner if the accident involves a [university] person." Between Nemec, Smith, and Gordis Halls, and with the addition of the New Residence Halls, over five choose convenience by using the East Arizona corner, and by doing so, put themselves at risk. "It's the shortest distance from point A to point B," said Goode. Junior general business major and resident of the new residence hall Corey McBride said, "If the cars are not moving too fast I usually just walk out and pray that I do not get hit. I cross there because I am lazy and I do not feel like walking down to the light." Freshman finance and marketing major and resident of Smith Hall Robert Gilbert said, "I cross at both intersections. I have not encountered any problems so far, but if I did, I probably wouldn't be too happy." Even Ward showed indifference towards using the perilous intersection See AMELIA on Page A2 Camiixe Billy/The Reporter Site of the theft on the crew team at Beresford Lake where thousands of dollars worth stolen. Crew Victimized By Theft By CAITLIN HUGHES On Thursday, October 5th, between the hours of 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., $3,000 worth of university sports equipment was seized by unknown abductees. Taking place at their off-campus site, the theif victimized, the rowing team, otherwise simply known as crew. The items stolen consisted of eight speed coaches valued at $2,400, two oscillating fans valued at $40, one megaphone valued between $70-$ 100, thirty flashlights and safety lights valued at $300, a radio/CD player valued at $50, three brand-new uni-suits (race attire), and a pair of sophomore coxswain Olivia Santiago's flip-flops. Speed -coaches, devices which only have a use in rowing, having been stolen, and items such as the team television and VCR remaining, the theft puzzled the crew members, who filled out a police report of the incident. The lack of suspects and possible motives also leaves the team in a tough position. "We currently have to bring the TV, VCR, cox- boxes, and other equipment home with us each day because we can not let it sit there even when the room is locked. It's ridiculous," states men's captain Christopher Riccard. The theft affects the team on the water as well. "The. speed coaches have become an integral part of our training. In crew, a boat can be feeling good but not be going anywhere. The speed coaches provide immediate feedback of our speed, given in meters per second. As a coach, not having speed coaches is like not having stop watches when you need to be timing the 50-yard dash," states head coach Christine Deatrick. While $3,000 is a minimal amount Camille Bexy/Tie Reporter of damage compared to the amount of damage which could have occurred, the gravity of the incident is still felt financially as well as emotionally. "The theft is really unfortunate because the team has worked really hard to raise money to go to big, out of town races that were not in our budget, and this incident potentially jeopardizes that," states women's captain Melissa Pancoast. Deatrick affirms this, stating, "We moved money from our fundraising account into our budget in order to buy more lights." Aside from presenting technical and financial dilemmas, the theft also presents new concerns which should not exist for student athletes or their coaches, namely fear of further damage to property and safety of the team. "Obviously you cannot steal a boat because they are too big, but I do have fear of vandalism or accidental vandalism because people have been coming out there and doing inappropriate things. We have other equipment out there too, I don't know if I want to state everything we own because of the theft, but we are worried about those pieces of equipment, too," stated Deatrick. The students recognize this unfortunate repercussion as well. "She [Coach Deatrick] shouldn't have to worry about people vandalizing and stealing, she should just have to focus on making our boats go fast," states Riccard. So what is being done to prevent such incidents from happening in the future? "We intend to actually put a chain link fence on the sides of the boathouse as a gate and install motion- detecting cameras. I want to improve the lighting out there, even though the incident occurred during the middle of the day, and put security bars across the windows. These recommendations were actually made to me by the Ath- See CREW on Page A2 tudents Celebrate Radical Menstruation Day By KATHRYN TURNER After a week-long campaign promoting gender awareness on campus, members from the Organization for Students Actively Pursuing Equality (OSAPE) decided to end the campaign by raising awareness about an often ignored, largely private, and socially taboo issue—menstruation. OSAPE members tabled outside of the Commons on Friday, October 20th during lunch with displays adorned with common brands of tampons and maxi pads—items usually hidden from sight—and information ranging from cultural phobias associated with menstruation to toxins contained in familiar feminine products. Part of the display drew attention to environmental connections between menstrual products and waste. Many of the disposable items women use to contain menstrual fluid are discarded, and, over a lifetime, these products fill up dumps and contribute to massive waste accumulation. Responses to the display were varied, with some students passing by s^y^i and commenting on how "disgusting" menstruation is, and others stopping to read the information and picking up "sew your own cloth pad" kits. In response to the negative reac tions OSAPE tablers received, Will Stoetzer, president of SGA, stated that "Men typically -f view menstruation as \{ something they don't *. talk about. I think this is. in part due to not understanding it, and the other part is upholding] the masculine ideal of how men should react." Dr. Mieras, profe: sor of American studies and women and gender studies courses commented, "I think it is important that OSAPE is talking about a topic that people are often unwilling to address and calling attention to important issues relating to women's health." Other responses tended to be more humorous. One male student exclaimed, "I wish my body could clean itself every month!" while an- other stated, "If I had a vagina, I'd go organic." Radical Menstruation Day organizer Lauren Hill emphasized the importance of understanding the social stigma associated with menstruation and limiting the waste that typical products produce. "We need to address ways that women have been made to feel about their bodies—especially the embarrassment and shame surrounding menstruation. Also, waste from menstrual products needs to be significantly reduced. Over 170,000 tampon icators were collected along U.S. beaches from 1998 to 1999." So what are the alternatives? Organic pads and tampons, such as those manufactured by Natracare, cloth pads, sea sponges, and "the Keeper" are all options that allow women to avoid exposure to harmful chemicals that are present in typical products. A few methods have some drawbacks, however. Cloth pads and sea sponges must be washed in order to be reused and "the Keeper" must be emptied regularly, a task that may have to be performed in public areas at times. Some women feel this is a good way of breaking social taboos and that it can be an empowering experience, while others feel that it is inconvenient and messy. When considering the convenience of typical menstrual products, Alison Aragona, president of OSAPE, points out that there are also risks women are faced with. "In the 1960s, only 1 in 22 women had cancer. Today it is 1 in 7 and rising." Part of the reason is because everything we use—from toilet paper to skin cream—is filled with and sterilized with chemicals. Few women are aware of how bad conventional methods are for the body. Also, girls should embrace and celebrate their sex and femininity." According to the Student Environmental Action Coalition, "The feminine hygiene industry begins its unsustainable cycle by manufacturing millions of tampons and pads using pesticide-grown cotton and rayon, a bleached and processed product made from wood pulp (ground-up trees). And every year, hundreds of thousands of disposed tampons and pads contribute to the oversized landfills that plague the surrounding communities and our environment." Many of the health worries associated with tampons, such as toxic shock syndrome, stem from the presence of a chemical called dioxin, which has been used to bleach tampons in order to give them their "pure" white color. In certain quantities, dioxin can cause endometriosis, headaches, cancer, birth defects, low birth weight, miscarriages, and infertility. However, the Food and Drug Administration has responded to environmentalists' and women's rights advocates' concerns by regulating the amount of dioxin allowed in certain products. In response the rumors that tampons also contain asbestos, the FDA posted on their website that- claims that companies use asbestos in tampons to promote menstrual bleeding in order to sell more products is "un- See MENST on Page A2 Thursday's Forecast:,,< Scattered T-Storms •?/ High 82 Low 63 Weekend Forecast: Friday: Scattered T-Storms Saturday: Mostly Sunny Sunday: Mostly Sunny Hi's: Mid 70s Low's: Low 50s Caitlin Reagan gives suggestions for sticking around our area. PAGE C1 Opinions Sophia Couzo opens the case on public safety. PAGE B1 Michael Hodges spotlights Kim Lyle in Hatter Profile. PAGE D1