The Stetson Reporter

wed feb SPORTS: Mens' basketball teams loses page 5b ATO food fight concludes with clean up. duties • By Amy' Rigdon and- ■ Julie Farricker . . news editor and associate news editor At 7:30.a.m. on Friday, Feb. 8, B*ublic Safety officers reprimanded ■fourteen Alpha Tau Omega (ATO) members for disorderly conduct from initiating a food fight. . The group of students had entered the Commons and sat down to their breakfast and after a while began to throw.food at each other and, according to the Public Safety Incident Report, "became loud and disruptive." Not only did the thrown food hit the other members of the. fraternity, but spread around to that area ofthe Commons. The group consisted of all the . pledges* and a few brothers. . Two Commons employees, Steve - Touchen and Sharon Scheffel, confronted the group and asked them to cease.'. According to the Incident Report, "They became very disrespectful. One if the students physically stood up and told Sharon to go away." ; Certain members of the fraternity promised to clean the area in order to end further questioning about the incident from the Commons and.possibly Public Safety. . - . At about that time, David Damato,. a Public Safety officer who had been there to pick up a cup of coffee and had witnessed the episode, approached the group and spoke with the students. In the Incident Report, Damato said, that .the students were,.belligerent and disrespectful in both language and demeanor to him as well. The students refused to give their names or show their university ID's -and were becoming "argumentative and unruly." ■ Some students even attempted to leave the Commons .and used excuses svch as wanting to. wash hands as an excuse to not talk to Public Safety before they, were stopped, - Public Safety officer Santiago came to assist Damato in resolving the situation, and, according to the Incident Report, it was not until Damato men- . tioned calling the DeLand Police Department to Santiago that the students began to comply and offer identification. .Although most of the ATO's in- - volved in the incident were the initiated brothers, Public Safety demanded the names of all the students in the group. kfter compiling their names, Damato requested that the students clean up the area since there was cereal, eggs, and other food on the tables, chairs, and floor. According to the Incident. Report, Damato informed all the students that "their disorderly conduct and disrespect would not be accepted, and they would all be written up." "I don't think [students] have ever taken their antics into-the cafeteria. This is the first incident of this kind that I have heard of in the two years that I have been here, which says how unusual .this one is," said Jim' Lockwood, director of the Division of Public Safety. ' Judicial Affairs will decide what, if any, penalties the students will receive. Amy Rigdon aiu{ Julie Farricker can be . contacted at [email protected]. issue'16 volume 114 Sfi3qrida's Number One Private College Newspaper ^Reporter Contact Us 421 N. Woodland Blvd. #8409 DeLand, FL 32720-3751 386.822.7224 FAX 386.822.7233 reporterXstetson.edu reporter_news.Xstetson.edu opinionsXstetson.edu lifefestetson.edu . etcetera!.':;'stetson.edu sportsf'i stetson.edu onlineXstetson.edu advertised stetson.edu udent st By Jorge Mondaca news writer ' Marcela Martinez,.a 20-year-old student studying abroad for the year, died Saturday Feb. 9 when her parents decided to take her off of life support. - Martinez, who had'been hospitalized following a hit and run accident in Madrid, Spain, had been diagnosed as OPINIONS: Enron illustrates need for government reform page ^r« abroad dies in hit an comatose before her parents made the decision. , .Following the decision,' the Martinez family made the choice to donate most of her organs. - The former cheerleader was spending her entire sophomore year abroad at the time of the accident. "Our family feels extremely bad. Unfortunately, it was a situation that nobody could prevent," said Monica Curtis Perez, the daughter of the study abroad organizer in Spam. Curtis Perez commented on the status of the other students abroad. "We are all very saddened by the loss here. A psychiatrist saw all ofthe students [studying abroad] this morning, and they are all together right now," said Curtis Perez, "I have crossed many streets and seen buses within inches of me [in Madrid]; it was very scary at times. Unfortunately; this type of accident is not uncommon, something similar had happened last year with another person from another school," said Latoya McClam, a junior who studied abroad last spring. "The Stetson University commu nity is greatly saddened by the .tragic loss of Marcela Martinez," said President Doug Lee. "She was a dear friend and a student who was making a difference on our campus and in the world. Our prayers are with her family and, friends." . "She was the type of person that ■when she dies, you don't need to build them up because she's such a great person," said Meg Loftus, a friend of Martinez and a sophomore international see MARTINEZ, page 2a estored fountain shows its color, By Julie. Farricker ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR ne of the university's main" landmarks is finished after two months of construction. The Holler Fountain, located as the centerpiece on the quadrangle between the DuPont Ball,, library; Elizabeth and Sampson Halls, has been renovated in order to restore the water and -light displays. The project was a joint effort between the university and a group of area businesses that contributed materials, services, • and • equipment, to aid in the fountain's restoration. Now that the project is complete, the water displays have three different effects. They include a main center jet that projects a stream to a height of 20-25 feet, a ring four feet in diameter with small jets that form a dome four to six feet high, and three nozzles that create hollow cone sprays from two to four feet high. ■ . " Nine floodlights in the basin use red, green, and amber lenses to provide six light color combinations over a two-minute cycle. These water displays are operated in a cycle of seven one-minute periods. When it senses darkness, an electric eye turns on the lights and a time clock controls the water activity- , Lights are also located under the basin to illuminate the pool. The basin is arranged, so the water would not spill over but fall evenly in the pool instead. Now restored, the fountain has new plumbing, electrical and light fixtures, in addition to a water filtration and cleaning system. The electrical and mechanical equipment used to control the fountain are located under Sampson Hall and the DuPont Ball Library. ■ . "We want to bring it back to being a focal point of the quad, and try to'restore it to its original, splendor," said David Noyes, Vice President for Facilities Management, in reference to the original reason for SPLASH: Friends carry on university tradition and throw the birthday boy in the refurbished fountain, photo art by amy rigdon the restoration. The fountain was part of the Florida Exhibit at the Great Lakes Exposition in Cleveland in 1937 and at the' New York World's Fair in 1939-1940.. Surrounded by orange trees and other natural Florida vegetation, it was the central piece in the patio of the exhibit. On a marker, the fountain bears the inscription, "Build for the Future:— While Others Think Only of Today." William E. Holler, Jr., the son of then Chevrolet Corporation executive, William E. Holler, Sr. gave the fountain to the university in honor of his father. The Holler Fountain.was initially dedicated and relit during the Baccalaureate'service of .the 1951 June Commencement by then President J.' Ollie Edmunds. Some ofthe students have different opinions on the new look. "The fountain looks awesome. I enjoy the various water formations and the lights that complement them. It's a great thing to* see as leaving the library or walking by at night," said sophomore political science major, Christie Moore First year discovery major, Meghan McGee, agreed that the fountain's appearance has improved but wonders about the cost of the fountain and if it were necessary to restore the fountain in the first place. . "The fountain is one of the university's appeals and its location is ideal for enjoying the weather, but it looked fine before the restorations," said McGee. , The fountain has appeared in the 1997 film The Waterboy, which brought celebrity Adam Sandler to the campus. In the movie, his character chooses the school because of the view, which includes the fountain. Julie Farricker can be contacted at [email protected]. SGA aw By J. Mills and A. Rigdon NEWS WRITER AND NEWS EDITOR The Student Government Association (SGA) has given leadership awards to the four students that it deemed the best leaders on campus. The applicants completed applications that included information about their involvement in extracurricular activities and an essay, about the meaning of leadership. The applications were submitted to a committee that reviewed and chose who they believed to be the best leaders. If possible, the seven members of fyoucSing to four campus le the committee should consist of both upper and lower classmen to help diversify the board. "Committee decisions should be made in an objective manner. To help to assure this, when applications are read, their cover pages were detached so that the, applicant's name-is unknown. The Student Government advisor will be responsible for this," said ■ Johnathan Martin, chairperson of the award committee. The awards are given to juniors and seniors with, a GPA.of 3.5 or higher based upon their leadership posi- ■ tions and their essay regarding what it means to be a leader. SGA attempted to inform as many students about the award as possible. "SGA advertised in the school-wide e-mail and to senators within SGA, so they could report back to their constituents," said Martin, chairperson of the award committee. The winners were notified by mail late last week. The awards were given to junior, Christy Mistier; senior, Adam Schwarz; senior, Jenny Wills; and junior, Monica Spirig The awards are for $500 each to cover educational costs and were donated by MBNA, a financial institution. "Two years ago, MBNA donated SI0,000 to SGA to give out four $500 over the next five years so that MBNA could solicit Stetson students," said Chris Girata, Vice President of SGA. "But it was not until this year that SGA set up, the award program." Martin said that SGA termed the cash prize as an "a* /ard" rather than a "scholarship" so that the university could not lower the recipients' university scholarships by $500, which would keep the students from benefiting from any of the money. "The award is credited directly toward the student's account. Tt is not unlike any other award given by the university. It may only be used for expenses covered in the student's expenses at the university," said Martin. "The recipients do not get a check sent see AWARD, page 2a