Stetson Reporter

;■;. ■:■ '.y^-jy ;■*«. \ sfteaa^i^.'? '<: f X. ^^^KM-jf^byif^yxii.^:- yap-Jii?- x: ~<w :.;ra:rc %•■: ?3>K;wr«M«MW« p»««»«ssBa^aa««eii^&*»^»*«*«« Stetson University November 3,1992 Volume 105, Number 9 INSIDE • Questions concerning Jimmy „ Carter's Christian ethics are opined by ^ student who attended the Intimate Dialogue on Monday Page 3 • Steinbrenner to speak at law ; school .commencement and to be ■• -awapded-an^-hoiiorary doctorate degree in December Pages' @ Admissions Office adjusts to nation's tough-economic times and how it will affect financing students' educations Page 6 Students urged to vote in Winter Term dispute Eric J. Carr Special t© the Reporter The Faculty Senate is moving closer to approving an alternative to Winter Term. This week, the faculty's Academic Affairs Committee will hear alternative proposals to the currentsystem and will vote to recommend one of those proposals to the Faculty Senate for approval. This is the end result of intense debate on tins subject dating hack to the beginning of last year, and if a proposal is'ap-- - proved, .this seroester.-.it will, be implemented in the 1994-95 Academic year. At the beginning of'this semester, Provost Lou Brakeman released a report on Winter Term to the Faculty. In his report, he discussed a survey taken among the faculty that showed an approximate 2 to 1 margin in favor or removing the Term of replacing -it with an optional May term. The Provost also submitted a proposal to create a two-semester system and add a May term for internships and trips. This is one ofthe alternatives that are being considered% the Senate. The Student Government Association has announced that a survey will be sent to ALL students this weekconcermngthe issue. The- survey will-present Four options'- the sane -options that were presented in the faculty survey back in S^tember-regardingWinterTenn and ask students to choose their preference. The options it will present are as follows: 1. T© keep the academic year es sentially as it is. 2. To adopt a two-semester calendar with' no Winter Term. 3. To retain the Winter Term, but modify it. 4. To adopt the two-semester calendar and add the May term. In the SGA survey, the positives and negatives of each option will be presented in detail. Student reactions are already heating up, however, and they seem to share a common .thread: Let Us Be Heard. '" ": ". "Sophomore Bill Moeller puts it rather bluntly.' "The stu-. dents'- opinions are the only thing that matters: They're the ones paying the tuition." Junior Glenn Gottfried cautioned against rushing the decision. "It's good that the faculty is addressing the issue. I just hope they don't rush to a decision prematurely. It's important that they consider all the options and the pluses and minuses of each one." When asked about Ms preference, Gottfried indicated that "IdonH think that Winter Term works'as well as it should. The concept is a good one, but with revision it could be greatly enhanced." Sophomore Pawn Rasmussen feels th^f-Winter Term "gives students the availability to take classes that they may not have time to take otherwise. I don't want to lose it completely. It makes Stetson unique. It just needs to be reformed." She feels that the students must have a role in making See Winter-page 5 Question raises consciousness of gay rights on campus By Donald "Hitchcock Staff Writer Chances arc that seven to 14 percent of this campus is homosexual according to many studies including the Kinsey Report. But even with these numbers, the issue of homosexuality on campus this year and last has found itself silenced by the fear of non- acceptance and persecution. Dur- ingPresident Jimmy Carter's Question and Answer session with the students, the silence was broken as senior Psychology major, Eric Muenks, asked Carter for his opinion on the matter. - The following is the dialogue that ensued. Eric Muenks: The democratic party has traditionally been supportive of homosexual rights. At Stetson, even though there are gay. and lesbian students and faculty members, homosexuality is still a taboo subject. Stetson has no student organizations nor support groups for homosexuals. Many students men find it difficult to admit that they have homosexual friends or family members.- Stetson has no stystent organizations nor support groups for homo- senua§s What do you perceive to be major obstacles keeping homosexuals, their friends and family members in the closet and what would you recommend to students who are tolerant of homosexuality as a plan for health change? Emmy Carter: I tkank you for this question. This is a problem with which Emory University has been concerned with for the past few months. It is one of the highest publicizedissues in the Emory campus newspapers tsnd magazines. Dr. Jim Laney, who is the president of . Emory, has gone out of his way to protect the rights of gay students and to say that they have a perfect ability on campus to organize, to express themselves, to have guaranteed respect, and to have a guaranteed equal opportunities on the campus in every way. \ Thai is my own personal preference, that there would be no discrimination what-so-ever against students that happen io be gay. And] don't want to interfere. I don't know the background ofStetson University; 1 know that it has a deep religious commitment, and I don't question the fact that the Bible deplores homosexuality. [But], it also deplores adultery. Homosexuality, as Dr. Laney has pointed out in some of his talks, is not one of the Ten Commandments, adultery is. So any person that criticizes gay students and tends to condone adultery, 1 think, is standing on shaky theological grounds. My position as president, my position as a campaigner, is that there should be no discrimination against students because of and for sexual preference. Since, asking the question, Muenks has been approached by many students and faculty members who showed their appreciation for the question and interest in belonging to a consciousness raising group where gay and lesbian issues will be discussed. Muenks, as do many others, believes that Stetson is now ready for a group composed of members that are not necessarily homosexuai,but are tolerant ofthe homosexual lifestyle.