THE BG NEWS
FILLING IN THE GAPS Former BG News reporter Amanda Atkins spoke at the University Tuesday night about how she found a career she loves. Read the full story on Page 2.
ESTABLISHED 1920 | An independent student press serving the campus and surrounding community
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
VOLUME 94, ISSUE 85
WWW.BGNEWS.COM
Keeping the planet BLUE Guest lecturer debunks water consumption myths
By Lily Bartell In Focus Editor
Fast Water Facts
- By the year 2030 the demand for water is projected to surpass the global supply of water by 40 percent. - Since 1990, half the rivers in China have gone away due to the state’s massive production of goods. - California produces 80 percent of the world’s almonds, proving their drought to be detrimental to this business. - Last year, the world used enough plastic water bottles to stretch end-to-end from earth to the moon 65 times. - Only 35 percent of plastic water bottles are recycled.
Maude Barlow spoke to a packed room about water. She spoke w ith excitement and passion despite the often tedious topic for the Edward Lamb Peace Lecture held at the University. “My husband says you’re crazy for coming to hear me because I’ll depress you,” she said as she backtracked and promised not to bring down the audience too much. Barlow is from Toronto, Canada and is the National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians. She is a co-founder of the Blue Planet Project, which is an international plan to fight for the human right to have access to water. She has also authored and co-authored 16 books regarding politics, government, water and the environment. She described the “myth of abundance” that is taught to children
See WATER | Page 6
Facts taken from Barlow’s speech
Faculty senate debates academic honesty
THE CLOTHESLINE PROJECT
By Kathryne Rubright City Editor
ERIC BURGASSER | THE BG NEWS
STUDENTS PAINT shirts to bring awareness to violence against women in 107 Hanna Hall. See more photos on PAGE 3.
FALCONS SHOW PROMISE After a 5-6 start followed by a 10-game losing streak, BG baseball has won four out of their last five. They continue against Eastern Michigan with new lead off hitter Kory Brown.. | PAGE 5
Allen Rogel
Faculty Senate voted in favor of two changes to the Academic Charter, one regarding academic honesty and one regarding absences, at its Tuesday meeting. The goal of the change to the academic honesty policy is to “streamline the bureaucratic aspects... by housing the academic honesty process within the division of Student Affairs as opposed to where it’s currently dispersed across the colleges and in the division of Academic Affairs,” said Faculty Senate Vice Chair Allen Rogel. The same people will still be making decisions about academic honesty issues, Rogel said. What changes is who handles paperwork; faculty will report potential violations of the academic honesty policy to one person in Student Affairs. That person will pass the issue to the appropriate dean, rather than
SHOWING KINDNESS
Columnist Abbey Serena talks about how important it is to be kind to strangers. She explains that you don’t know what problems they may be dealing with, and even a smile can lift their spirits. | PAGE 4
Faculty Senate Vice Chair
the faculty member having to figure out who that is. Students will also be able to go to Student Affairs with any questions they have about the policy. The change to the absence policy in the charter adds language encouraging faculty to accommodate absences for University-related activities. However, the change does not require any faculty to change their absence policies. Other added language states: “If the course grade has been negatively affected by a legitimate absence or absences that the faculty member does not excuse, the student may appeal the
See FACULTY | Page 8
WHAT SHOULD THE NEXT USG SENATE FOCUS ON? “I’d like to see them move forward with sexual assault awareness.” Paul Mims Junior, Dietetics