The Stetson Reporter

j: http://, ,--•<■>•"..* .stetson.edu LIFE: Caribbean Night celebrates Island life page issue 10 volume 114 Florida's Number One Privfate.CpllegelHevvfspaper; OPINIONS: Drag show only reinforces stereotypes. page 4a OC1 VXV./C llClu l.\»*y J. \^J. J. J.\»^J. JL JL IL/v-'JL loved student HONOR: A memorial is dedicated near Sage on Nov. 7.. photo by julie farricker By Julie Farricker ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR Last Wednesday, Nov. 7, a memorial ceremony honoring a student killed in an auto accident over the summer was held. Ruben Eduardo Torres, 21, died Wednesday, July 18, in Gainesville of injuries sustained-in the accident. The junior biology major was attending ' a summer session at the University of Florida. Families, friends and faculty gathered in the courtyard between Sage and Carson-Hollis Halls to offer condolences, memories and a dedication marker. The stone marker sits at the' base of,one of the oak trees outside- Carson-Hollis. The ceremony's location outside of Sage was chosen for Ruben's great interest in the sciences. University Chaplain Laura Walters- Baskett presided over the ceremony, and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Dr. Grady Ballenger also offered a few words. Friends spoke in Torres's honor, and his older brother read a poem. ■ ■ Amber DeChambeau, a friend of Torres, said, "He was a very good stu-* dent and was dedicated to his future as a dentist. Ruben always had a positive attitude about everything and had a great sense of humor. He was also- a very compassionate individual, and was willing to lend a helping hand to anyone." Torres was an Orlando native, who moved to Deltona with his family in 1992. He worked at his father's dental practice after school. ' Torres was an active member of the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) and aspired to become a dentist, as well as participating in intramural soccer and volunteering for the, YMCA Roller Hockey League. ' - ' ' When Torres had decided to join the university's crew team,, his parents bought a boat for him to practice. Although Torres later decided a'gainst joining crew, his parents chose to donate the boat to the university's crew team after his death. It was christened and dedicated to Torres's memory on Nov. 10. "He loved working on cars, espe-' cially his own, and sound systems, and was really handy at fixing pretty much anything that was broken. He also loved working out and we would go every day . together," said DeChambeau. •Torres is survived by his-father, mother, older brother and older sister. '^Reporter C ORRE CTIONS 1. "Community gives blood to CFBB"' LIFE, Issue 9. Lisa Guenther's name was misspelled. 2. "Organizations groove for Airwaves" LIFE, Issue 9. Zeta Tau Alpha's name was given incorrectly. Contact Us 421 N. Woodland Blvd. #8409 DeLand, FL 32720-375J 386.822.7224 - FAX 386.822.7233 ' reporter&stetson.edu reporter_news*.*-stetson.edu • opinionsXstetson.edu life© stetson, edu etcetera^? stetson.edu [email protected] online©'5tetson.edu advertise© stetson.edu SGA tests water for inception of honor code By Julie Farricker ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR During the past two weeks, SGA held "honor code forums in order to engage students around campus ip a discussion of the current policy qnd possible changes pertaining to academic dishonesty. Two weeks ago on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 29 and.30 .these forums were held in Smith and Carson-Hollis Halls to inform first- year students about what the current code is, the original proposal and a new hybrid system, which is the cur rent proposal that will go before SGA .to be passed. Another meeting took place this past Tuesday, Nov. 6, in Nemec Hall. On Tuesday Academic Affairs Chair Bret Barrowman led the discussion along with Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Dr. Grady Ballenger. Dr. Eugene Huskey, a professor in the Political Science Department, also attended to help answer any questions and give a faculty member's perspective on the issue. ■ During the forum the three different systems were" discussed in a ques- 'tion-and-answer format. First-year stu dents responded to subjects concerning the academic atmosphere of the university, what is considered academic dishonesty and the various pros and cons of the different systems. Currently university does not have an actual honor code, but each student is given the student handbook, Von-. nections, which outlines the various definitions and policies in place now. Students receive these handbooks at the beginning of each school year and may'read them if they choose. This year the information about policies pertaining to academic dishonesty is in the front of the handbook* and the cal- . endar. is in the back. - I . Under the current policy, a stu-1 dent who is caught cheating or plagia-'. rizing is dealt with by the individual'. faculty member and assigned an aca-; demic penalty. The faculty member I also must send letters to the dean of'. the student's respective school and! the student judicial officer notifying,* them of the violation. I In,a pure honor system like the* system proposed last year, each stu-; dent would have to read and sign a; pledge, agreeing to uphold the policies; see HONOR CODE, page 2a! aw school noperals receive advice By Amy Rigdon NEWS EDITOR With a simultaneous increase in selective admissions and the number of people applying to law school, Career Services and Phi Alpha Delta, the university's pre-law fraternity, hosted a pre-law panel last Wednesday to give potential law school students tips that will aid in the admission process, "The study of law is in some flux; procedures keep changing. Maybe we can all get some hints or tips to help with that," said Dr. -T. Wayne Bailey, a political science professor and pre-law advisor, during his introductory speech at the panel. The panel included representatives from seven law schools: Florida Coastal University, Florida State University, Mercer University, Roger Williams University, St. Thomas University, Stetson and the University of Florida. Bailey moderated the panel as the representatives provided information about their respective schools and suggested certain strategies to employ when applying. • "You want to say that you are the best law student-there ever was. Read the* directions on the application and the view book. They tell you what you need and what we are looking for in a law student," said -Shandrea Williams, representative from the law school of University of Florida. "I don't want to see things that demonstrate you aren't reading." The panel agreed that no detail QUESTION: Renee Germaine asks about technology requirements and recommendations for law schools, photo by amy is unimportant when applying. • . ■ "[An admissions committee] will review everything from that coffee stain at the bottom left hand corner of your application to the crumpled edges at the top—it shows what kind of student you are," said'Williams, Since most law schools have rolling admissions, it is beneficial to submit the application as early as possible because that gives a student a better chance at being admitted and at receiving'bigger financial awards. In the admission process, it is not just students looking for law schools, but law schools looking for students. "Law schools are trying to focus on the needs of students because they are the lawyers of the future, and I for one know that I will want a good lawyer," said Jennifer Swezey, the assistant dean of Academic'Services at Florida Coastal University's law school. Panel members said that a prospective student should ask the law school questions about areas that the student is interested in or what the law school is known for. -Williams said that the downside is that every law school.will tell a student that it has his or her area of interest, although that may only be one class. "If you know your area of interest and are sure that field is what you want to do, go to a school that is strong in your area. You will be too busy to build a program yourself, which will in turn make you unhappy," said Williams. The panel advised students to disregard rankings and others' perceptions when choosing a law school. "Go to- the law school, look at the classes and no matter what the law school is ranked in Peterson 's Guide to Law Schools, find out if it is right for you," said representative and recent graduate from M e r c . e r University's law school Collin Shepherd. J Shepherd also advised that once in law school a student should THE LAW: Pamela Coleman, dean of admissions at Stetson's law school provides information about getting into the university's law school, photo by amy rigon take legal writing classes because that that encompasses so many aspects is the first way to distinguish oneself of life and has changed the way I out of law school because most stu- think about everything," said Julio Sabo, a recent graduate from Roger Williams University's law school. To-conclude, Dennis Ferraro, assistant director of Career Services, said that any student thinking about dents will not be litigating right out o law school The most important factor in the entire admission process is honesty. "Truth is what we at law schools and in admissions believe in. A student applying to law school can go to must be 100. percent candid when he . Career Services, which has refer- or she fills out the application because ence guides and tools to aid in the education a student receives at law search. school. Law touches almost everything Contact .Amy Rigdon al in .the world. It is the only education ari'gdon(costetson.edu. Volunteers find friendship at Chisholm Center By Doreen Overstreet GUEST WRITER ' "The Chisholm Center is not a black community center, it is a community center- in a black neighborhood." The director of the Chisholm Center, Jerome Porter repeats this phrase frequently to those who visit the center. The Chisholm Center is the only community center in the DeLand area and is located off New York Ave. on 520 South Clara Ave. The main building was built in 1982 and the gym was added in. 1992. The center serves a variety of pur poses, including a children's after- been an increased response from Stet- school program that meets from 2:30 . son students in the past three years p.m. to 4:30. p.m. Monday through Fri- that has broken the charts," said Porter. day Most university students who volunteer at the Chisholm Center are involved in the after-school program. According to Porter, most of the volunteers from the university come "...the grades are significantly Higher when we 'have Stetson tutors." He believes that the increase of support from the university is due' to Courtney Brown's effort in the Community Service Office,'as well as the support of President Doug Lee and the academic from Alpha Kappa Alpha, Alpha Phi deans. Alpha, Into the Streets and the Service Most of the students assist with Station. "The AKAs started coming tutoring children one-on-one in the af- here about, 10 years ago, and there has ter-school program. Porter stresses that it "is not the amount of time spent volunteering that matters, it's the consistency of the volunteering." "Volunteering at the Chisholm Center is extremely fulfilling because you see the kids from week to week," said Brian Crooks, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha who tutors every week. "It's too bad some people don't donate their time like they donate.their money." ' ■ Since there is on'y one teacher in the after-school program who has been hired to help 40 to 50 children with* their homework, it is difficult to give see VOLUNTEER, page 2a :-