The Reporter

i - i i mmmmmmmmmm^mmmmmanmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmv^mmmm^mmmmmmmmmmmmmBmm ■?TOBER 26 2010 VOLUME \ • ISSUE \ Stetson University's new facelift The first thing that many Stetson students likely noticed upon their return to campus for the Fall 2010 semester was a marked change in the physical appearance of their school. The landscape of the university has been dramatically redesigned and remodeled, to the point that some parts of campus look absolutely nothing like they did just six months ago. Many students, be they transfers or first-semester freshmen, are unable to grasp the level of surgery that Stetson University has undergone, and so I sat down with Albert Allen, the Associate Vice President of Facilities at Stetson, to discuss many of the changes to Stetson's landscape, though this is certainly not a comprehensive list of the abundant alternations to Stetson's appearance in the last 5+ months. One of the more dramatic alterations took place in the quad. Originally, the plan that Stetson devised for the quad included many more palm trees than were present prior to this summer, and so more of them were added to fit the intended design. Additionally, the Stetson University administration decided that the walkways which crossed the quad were insufficient for the needs of the Stetson students, and so the previous sidewalks were removed, replaced by brick pavers - brick walkways that sit on top of concrete. These new walkways are 8ft across, which is much wider than the previous sidewalks, allowing students to actually walk three abreast. Additionally, all of the grass in the quad, which was previously "St. Augustine grass and weeds" was re placed by Bermuda grass - the kind that is used on athletic fields - so that students can walk on it without leaving a big, brown trail wherever they go. Since we were on the topic of the quad, I mentioned to Allen that several students expressed a concern for the amount of shade and the removal of certain large trees to make room for the new palm-centric landscape. He explained that these old trees were obstructing the view of Sampson and Elizabeth hall - buildings which he thinks display some particularly impressive and unique Florida architecture and without those trees, students and visitors can now better celebrate that architecture. There used to be small, green, wooden posts around campus - in the BY PAUL RADENHAUSEN quad and near various buildings - with yellow rope running between them, apparently intended to keep students from walking on the grass in those areas. These were all removed and replaced in many cases with new furniture which he is glad that many students are already using. In addition, Allen estimates that roughly "90 percent" of all signs on campus have been removed. In the shaded areas near the quad and on the landscape islands outside of Stetson hall, Mondo grass was installed (it is the dark green, prickly-looking grass - "hair plugs" as Dr. Paul calls them). This grass is shade-tolerant and requires little water, which makes it perfect for those aforementioned islands, since the trees and buildings near them provide abundant shade. The CUB was another important focal point for the summer renovations. The circle road was repaired - if you didn't realize that the road needed to be renovated, then you probably never saw it on a rainy day. They fixed the "big lake in front of the CUB," as Allen put it. The centerpiece in the CUB circle was entirely redone. Previously, the circular decoration in the middle was simply a patch of grass and bushes. Over the summer, brick paths were implemented and roses installed to match the brick color. "They give us year-round color and are actually a very low-maintenance plant," Allen explains. New lawn furniture was installed in front of the CUB and the Commons, and to Allen's delight, "students are actually sitting in it." CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 GA # How to Lose Friends "I *\ • and Alienate People J BY OMAR AVEDANKE It wouldn't be politics without a good scandal, and that's exactly what rocked our campus last spring and well into the current semester. A scandal of cable news proportions, it threatened to bring the entire organization to its feet. The saga, full of mysterious characters, wild allegations, a barrage of anonymous emails and plot twists interesting enough, it's shocking no one's tried to license it for a screenplay. Yet, it's probably a movie only those involved would have cared to watch, the rest of us probably wouldn't have worried enough to find out what had been going on, and why would we? At the time, our campus was in the middle of finals and, if we're being honest, how much does the average Stetson student actually care about the SGA election process? That being said, if this had simply been a matter of internal tumult, I probably wouldn't be writing this article. What happened last spring transcends petty politics and demands that serious questions be asked about our Stetson community and the people who make things happen in and around our campus. In one corner we've got embattled former President Akeel St. Jean, twice disqualified and demoralized. Depending on whom you ask, St. Jean is either the wronged candidate, a target of hateful attacks from former cabinet members and campaign officials, or he's the villain of our story—a deceitful and slimy figure much like every other politician we all love to hate. In total, 24 grievances were filed against St. Jean's campaign officials and himself, a record number according to Kameron St. Clare, Electorate Committee chair. While it's clear that the bulk of the complaints are inconsequential at best, they do seem to suggest that St. Jean's campaign was being run as anything but ethical. Sifting through dozens of pages of complaints, the common thread seems to be that St. Jean was dead set on taking credit for campus initiatives that he'd allegedly had no part in. Taking responsibility for the Stetson Discount Program, improvements of the SGA website, and claiming to have donated food to charitable organizations. What the candidate was trying to do was paint himself as the well balanced and effective leader he wished he'd been during his term. Choosing to remain anonymous, some members of SGA who worked with St Jean described him as "secretive and private," and very "independently minded." Amne Harrington stated that "working with Akeel was a challenge," while current president and his former vice president Derek Jan- sante described the experience as causing "discomfort." Aimee Bushway simply stated that, "[Akeel] didn't communicate well, which made working with him difficult" CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 DR. FORTE on PAGE 3 MEN'S SOCCER on PAGE 9