The Reporter

thurs nov-05 Staff Report the reporter On Friday, September 30, Dana Copes resigned from her post of Director of Residential Life here at Stetson University. Before she left for the day, she sent out an email from her personal email address notifying her student staff that it was her last day with the school and that anyone who needed to talk to her could reach her at her home phone or by email. As the information trickled down through the ranks of the professional staff members, the hall directors, and finally the residential assistants, the only consistent word was that Dana had simply resigned. No reason as to why, no word as to whether or not she had encountered a more promising offer elsewhere—simply that she had left the school and that business in the Residential Life Department would carry on as planned. Mrs. Copes' spot is currently being filled by Dean Espinosa, who would only say that Dana Copes had "resigned" and that "the school [was] in the process of looking for a new Director for the department." Student staff at ResLife had little to say themselves, though one return student staffer noted that Dana's resignation was "totally unexpected and a cause for concern." Mrs. Copes arrived at Stetson in the fall of 2004, to help organize a department that has had a relatively high turn-over rate for the past several years. While with the department, Mrs. Copes was able to enact a number of important policies. To address the dilapidated state of much of student housing and the furniture it holds, she 'The new residence halls are wonderful but money needs to be spent on the buildings where most of the returning students still live,' DANA COPES former residential life director implemented a "space utilization walk through" of all the residence halls to "reallocate" furniture and designate group study lounges and multiple TV lounges. She was also able to complete (with the assistance of maintenance) an inventory of all the furniture in every area of student housing on campus, so that furniture being kept in storage could be distributed among the dorms and Greek housing. But despite her apparent success in preparing the dorms for students, Mrs. Copes met with adversity in many other areas of the department. The process of dealing with disgruntled staff developed a ping-pong effect, as student staff would go to Dean Espinosa any time that "they did not get what they desired" as opposed to approaching Mrs. Copes with issues of concern. According to Mrs. Copes, the conversations disgruntled staffers had with Dean Espinosa "became conversations regarding my communication style even when [the issue] was regarding someone who faced valid termination." In response to the number of staff who approached Dean Espinosa, Mrs. Copes suggested that she herself be evaluated by the professional and student staff in ResLife. But according to Mrs. Copes, Dean Espinosa refused as "she didn't want to send up red flags" that the staff might interpret as a problem with the ResLife power stAracture. Mrs. Copes also clashed with both Dean Espinosa and Dr. Beasley over the way funds were distributed to ResLife, Public Safety, and Maintenance, as she felt that all three departments were significantly under-funded. Of the ResLife's meager budget for dorm repairs, Mrs. Copes said, "[I]f See RESLIFE, 2A Wireless networks expand to Elizabeth and Quad Inna Campbell utilizes the extended wireless network by Stetson's famous water fountain. Marie Franzman news writer Over the past few years the Information Technology Department has been slowly expanding wireless internet access to the campus. It began in the commons, Lynn Business Center, the Hollis Center, Elizabeth Hall, Davis Hall, the Library, and the Quad. And plans are beginning to unfold for expanding the wireless network to Sage Hall, Sampson Hall, Presser Hall and the new residence halls. "It's kind of been a three year process," said Bill Penny Interim Assis tant Vice President for Information Technology. Although there are no current plans to expand the wireless network further between now and June 2006, Penny and IT are already planning what they would like to accomplish next. IT has been studying how they would go about installing wireless internet into existing dorms and the rest of the academic buildings on campus. Due to the way buildings are constructed and the cost of installing a wireless internet access in any building, residence halls have taken a back seat for the time being. It would also take substantially more effort and resources to make a wireless internet connection work in the dorms as opposed to the LBC. The wireless internet is made available through an access point, which is a device mounted on the ceiling in strategic locations. Each of these devices are connected to the already existing internet network and to use these devices a student will need to use the Clean Access Agent that IT began using this year to protect the internet connections on campus. In some of IT's studies, they have discovered that where the LBC requires only three access points to oper-. ate a wireless internet connection, the smaller residence halls would require nearly twice as many, if not more, to CAMILLE BILLY / THE REPORTER establish a fully functional and convenient connection. This has to do with the types of materials that were used in the construction of the buildings on campus. The LBC has steal beams and a newer technology friendly design that makes a wireless connection easier compared to some of the buildings on campus that were constructed well before the computer. As far as students go, there seems to be a consensus that wireless internet is significantly more convenient and user friendly. "The plugs aren't convenient, the locations aren't convenient, sometimes See WIRELESS, 2A David Horowitz criticizes politics in school Caroline Peterson news writer Thursday, November 3, 2005, the Elizabeth Hall Chapel was filled with Stetson students, faculty, and alumni gathered to see David Horowitz, a world renowned conservative activist, political analyst, author, and Fox news contributor, give a lecture entitled "Academic Freedom and the War on Terror." Horowitz, a liberal-turned-conservative, argues that some professors "indoctrinate" rather than "educate" by turning their classrooms into political forums that rob students of their right to developing personal opinions and beliefs in a safe environment. President H. Douglas Lee introduced Mr. Horowitz, and stayed onstage with him throughout his talk, as did Student Government Association President Peter Urscheler and College Republicans Chairman Erik Detlefsen. "This, is an important night in the life of Stetson University" said President Lee. Mr. Horowitz prefaced his talk by giving a short synopsis of his somewhat unusual political background. The son of communist parents, Horowitz began his life in politics early, participating in his first civil rights march in 1948 at the age of 9. Years later, as a postgraduate student at Berkeley in the early 1960's, he was one ofthe organizers of the first demonstration against the war in Vietnam and member of the New Left movement. As time went on, Horowitz became increasingly contemptuous of the left and made the switch to more conservative ideals. He has since become a leading conservative political author- lry,"with frequent appearances on television, as the author of many books and other publications, and as the publisher & Editor-in-Chief of a website (www.discoverthenetvvork.org). "We're very pleased to have someone of this stature here today" said sophomore Economics major and chairman of the College Republicans Erik Detlefsen. The lecture was focused on the political undertones at American universities, particularly in regards to war in Iraq, a hot issue in American politics. Although Horowitz spoke highly of the population of Stetson University, he had anecdotes of situations at other universities where students had been placed in difficult positions simply because their political persuasion differed from that of their professor. He applauded President Lee for allowing this opening of "intellectually diverse" dialogue. "You are very privileged to go to a University like this" said Horowitz. Horowitz argued that college is a place for students to determine, on their own, what their opinions are. He stated that they cannot do this freely or really effectively if they also have the influence ofthe ideologies of not only their families and peers, but of their professors as well. "Life is a lot more complicated than adopting the 'right' position or the 'politically correct' position...you always need to keep your eyes open" said Horowitz. Horowitz went on to provide a charge to the Student Government Association to adopt an Academic Bill of Rights, a version of which Horowitz has drawn up himself and members of the College Republicans distributed at the lecture. This Bill of Rights ensures an environment in which students, faculty and administration are entitled to explore and identify with all sides of an issue, not be indoctrinated, but educated. "This is not a free speech issue. This is an appropriate speech issue" said Horowitz. Contact Caroline Peterson at cmpeters@stetson. edu. Thursday's Forecast: Chance of scattered thunderstorms. High 85 Low 69 CALENDAR 3B NEWS 2.4 CROSSWORD 2B NEWSMAKERS 3A HISTORY 2B OPINIONS 4A HOROSCOPE 2B RUMINATIONS 2B LIFE IB MOVIE REVIEW 3B METRO REPORT 2A STUDENT GOVERNMENT 3A MOVIE LISTINGS 3B l'i aurrlcao© Break Students talk about what they did during this year's hurricane break. PAGE 1B lilowla Revise &UJ%#t ii *_ W V Movie Critic Blair Townley reviews "The Legend of Zorro." PAGE 3B 's fciasSv f*vS>l k0^ I African Americans spoofed by softball team. No mention in this article though. PAGE 1C