The Stetson Reporter

LIFE: Downtown DeLand hosts music festival page lb issue 6 volume 114 .OPINIONS: Should women.receive special treatment? page 4a SGA reports, resolves and gets discounts 15Y uULIE J/ARRICKER ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR . Last Wednesday SGA discussed issues and business that affect the_ student body. President Nicole Roenick, Vice-President Chris Girata, Executive Secretary Kasia Walosik, and Parliamentrian Patrick Smith ran-the meeting. • ' One of the first items of business was that students will be receiving the yearly discount cards in the mailboxes during the next week or so. The cards list local restaurants and stores that offer discounts with proof of a Stetson ID. Restaurants in the past included Friendly's and China Buffet. Another issue discussed was the possibility of a program called Safe Rides which would provide a taxi service from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. The rides would be available in the DeLand area and would be accessible from the university and the downtown area with sponsorship from Thorn's Shuttle. "This will not work without support of the students," according to senator Allison Foster. The different committees that report on matters at each meeting include Academic Affairs, Campus Life, Community Relations, Financial Affairs, Food Service, Policy Reform, Residential Hall Association and Social Responsibility. There are also different representatives from campus organizations and residence halls so that numerous voices from around the campus are heard. At each meeting, chairs are called to report on new and old business before, the floor. From the Sept. 19 meeting, proposals involving the extension of Hat Rack hours to 12:30 a.m. and more benefits for resident assistants were discussed. A new proposal offered at the meeting was to have cultural credit for community service and classes that are designated to be service-oriented in the course curriculum guide for each semester. After the committee reports are made along with the old and new business, the floor opens to discussion on any of the issues mentioned at the meeting. Contact Julie Farricker at [email protected]. ^Reporter C ORRECTIONS 1. "Women's soccer defeats Thomas 3-1" SPORTS, Issue 5. Julie Orlowski's former team is not Jacksonville State. 2. "Volleyball team puts on clinic for area children" SPORTS, Issue 5. Julie Farricker, associate news editor wrote the story, not Hamish Wilman, sports editor. 3. "Bluegrass band performs on patio" LIFE, Issue 5. The CSA Jen Cohen concert was March 31,2000 not a year and a half ago. The concert last March was only moved indoors, not cancelled. ^Reporter CoNTACTiUs 421 N. Woodland Blvd. #8409 DeLand, FL 32720-3751 386.822.7224 FAX 386.822.7233 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] • [email protected] [email protected] Confidential settlement ends lawsuit By John Mills news editor The university settled a lawsuit with a former student last week According to a copy of the Seventh Judicial Circuit Court's clerk of courts's notes, the case between Natalie Leo and Stetson University ended on Sept. 24 with a settlement. The suit was regarding the circumstances surrounding the expulsion of, Leo from the university. • According to complaint filed on.the behalf of Leo, the case began after Leo accused David S. Rauschenberger, M.D. of sexual assault during a "Women's Health Day on or about April 26, 1995." Leo was found guilty of falsely accusing Rauschenberger by the university's own judicial, hearing and expelled from the university. Leo then proceeded to file a formal complaint against the university. According to the complaint filed on the behalf of Natalie' Leo, "Violations of Stetson's own procedures and policies constitute an unconstitutional deprivation of Natalie Leo's substantive . due process rights in as much as Stetson's failure to follow its own policies and procedures deprived Leo of the full protection of the handbook," The university and Leo agreed 'on a confidential settlement.- Steve Baker, an attorney independent of either party said, "When we lawyers don't want publicity on the settlement we use a confidential settlement, so that no one will know." Baker said that if either party discloses the details of the settlement,' it- becomes void. "The,university cannot comment on this case,"'said<Brian ■Miller, executive director of Marketing and Communications. "No one is allowed to discuss the ' case,", said Kathleen McNeilly; the at- •tomey representing Natalie Leo, when asked about the settlement. On May 12, 1995, Leo reported the incident.to. the DeLand Police Department. * Following a university investigation led by David R." Bergen, acting dean ■ • see"LAWSUIT, page 2a. Environmental programs work, strive to improve By Amy Rigdon ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR Through initiatives such as the recycling pro gram, a native landscaping project and solar heating, the university continues to amplify its role in environmental responsibility Besides these noticeable programs, the university seeks to maintain campus grounds while being sensitive to the environment. John Jett, director of environmental affairs, said, "Facilities Management is absolutely dedicated to environmental stewardship and it is unique that most environmental issues that have occurred were from Facilities Management. Managers within . the department are taking a critical look at everything we do from an environmental perspective." The university irrigates 120 of its 170 acres with "grey water" or recycled water. It has "moved towards planting more native plants and reducing the amount of chemicals used on the grounds. Presently, the campus uses a total of 10 different chemicals on an as-needed basis. "The days of just spraying are gone. Chemicals used on t he grounds are applied in small, controlled quantities by people who are certified, and on most days, weeks and even months, nothing is used," said Jett. The chemicals that the university uses are a variety of herbicides, fungicides and insecticides. • Assistant professor of geography and environmental science Eric Perramond said, "Facilities Management made good effort, in terms of ■v. -a*...•*,.'?.■ /•/«___- ».-1. j.'.Vij? STUDY: Danielle Dea does homework on the grass, photo by john mills EAT: Army worms often destroy lawns in Florida, photocourtesyofgreensmiths.com strategy. Trying to get rid, of those chemicals is difficult because we are in Florida and the climate makes it hard to not use chemicals, but .T think there are ways to combat chemical usage. For instance, preventive mainte-. nance like caulking and sealing holes would help alleviate pests in older building. However, I know there will always be light spraying here." Facilities Management is reducing its use of chemicals by employing other methods. For example, instead of spraying pesticides, Facilities Management uses baiting traps for pests within buildings. Jett said, "[Facilities Management] is going away from using lots of chemicals if for no other reason than the fact it is very expensive to do preventive maintenance with chemicals." Another environmental challenge for the university lies in the type of plants* on campus. The university comprises a mixture of native plants and exotic plants, or plants not indigenous to Florida. "I think it is a give-take relationship; there is a lot of native plants and a lot of exotic plants. The difficult thing is how to sell the university based on aesthetics'while being mindful of the environment because this university is a. part-of the environment," said Jett. Perramond agrees that changes would be difficult but thinks that they '•' see CHEMICALS, page 2a Money for low income students now available By Julie Farricker ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR Some university students who are searching for outside sources as ways to support payment for their education could be eligible and interested in the new offer from the Florida International College Fund. , The program, called the Step-Up Grant Program, is a joint project of Workforce Florida, Inc., the Florida Independent College Fund and the Department of Labor. Its goal is to help individuals advance from low-income employment, under-employment, unemployment or public assistance to secure self-sufficient careers in skilled occupa- - tions. The program will provide $4,500 of federal, aid on a first-come, first-served basis. There are 341 of these scholar-, ships available to university students, and they are obtainable for independent colleges around Florida including Stetson, Rollins College, Embry-Riddle and the University, of Miami. The funds may. be used for tuition, books, fees, and other student financial aid or participant funds. To be eligible for this program an individual must be a custodial parent, non-custodial parent, current.or former foster child ages 18-24 or other tar- .' see SCHOLARSHIP, page 2a ELIGIBILITY requirements To be. eligible for the Step-Up scholarship a.student must meet one of the following requirements: 1. Be a custodial parent living below the poverty level: . 2. Be a non-custodial parent unemployed, underemployed or having trouble paying child support; his or minor children must be eligible for welfare; and enter into a personal responsibility contract to establish paternity, pay child support and participate to increase employment and earnings, and to support his or her children. • ' 3. Be a person with characteristics associated with long-term welfare dependency. See website for details. 4. Be an individual between 18 and 24-years of age who was or is under foster care and in a training educational program. 5. Be a hard to employ individual. See website for details, source: ficf.org http://reporter.stetson.edu - talk/applaud/criticize/react/reflect in our uncensored discussion area [click Shout!