Concordiensis T H E S T U D E N T N E W S PA P E R O F U N I O N C O L L E G E S I N C E 1 8 7 7 Thursday, October 15, 2020
Volume. CXLIX, Issue V
concordiensis.com
Congress members join Pres. Harris to talk police reform By Megan Brown News Editor
At 6 p.m. on Tuesday, October 13, the Black Student Union, Office of International Affairs and Civic Engagement Initiative hosted two former members of Congress, the Hon. Charles Bass (R-NH), and the Hon. Albert Wynn (D-MD), along with President Harris, to discuss matters of police reform at both the state and federal level. The conversation began with comparisons of policing and levels of police force regulation at the state/local levels versus the federal level, and the balance of power between the two. Bass expressed that he had concern of federal regulation of law enforcement nationwide, stating that that type of national control would ultimately be a mistake. He mentioned that law enforcement works in this nation because there is a lot of local control. On the contrary, Wynn argued that some
Courtesy of BSU, OIA & CIA President Harris joins former Congressmen Charles Bass & Albert Wynn
See POLICE on page 2
Giardiasis cases on campus By Daniel Wilcox Editor-in-Chief
Reports have begun circulating at Union of a potential outbreak of giardiasis, a diarrheal illness, caused by a microscopic parasite. According to the Center for Disease Control, the most common spread of the parasite is through drinking water and recreational water. An email sent out by Michele Gibson, the Vice President for Administration and Finance, on October 14, confirmed that cases have been reported at Union, and that the college is “partnering with the City of Schenectady and the Schenectady County Department of Health.” This is being done to discover whether the
communities are going to be very resistant to change at the local level which is precisely why a baseline of federal law enforcement standards are imperative. Wynn said we need “reasonable common sense guidance,” and listed the following examples of acts that should be regulated nationwide: chokeholds, mandatory cameras, etc. The police standards, he argues, should be national standards. He said that federal regulations should not be extensive, but that they should provide some sort of local control.
current cases are linked to the college water supply, or “other points of infection”, according to the email. It is as yet unknown exactly how many cases have been reported and confirmed, and all those that experience the symptoms associated with giardiasis, diarrhea and nausea, have been guided in the email to “report these symptoms in the emocha app.” The Wicker Wellness Center, Union Facilities and College Spokesperson, Phil Wajda, have been reached out to for comment. The Sci-Tech section of the Concordiensis will be publishing an article in next week’s edition, investigating Giardiasis, what causes it, and the best steps for prevention.
Honor misconduct updates By Akriti Dhasmana Editor-in-Chief
The Honor Code cases for Spring 2020 were resolved and the Union community was notified of the cases on 14 September in a report shared on Nexus and via email. The 18 violations reported during the Spring 2020 term saw a three fold increase from the six reported misconducts in Winter 2020. According to the official reports on Nexus, this is contrary to the trend observed in the beginning of the year when Winter 2020 had seen a considerable drop in honor code violations from the 26 in the Fall of 2019 to only 6 in the Winter of 2020. Out of the 18 cases reported in Spring 2020, there were eight in-
stances of “facilitation of academic misconduct”. This is the highest number of such violations in the past 6 academic terms. The Honor code report from Winter 2020 contains only a single instance of facilitation. This is interesting because of the shift to online teaching instruction at the end of Winter term in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It remains to be seen how many cases of Honor Code violations come forward at the end of this first of its kind hybrid Fall term with both online and in-person mode of instruction being adopted by the college.
We’re beautiful on the inside, too
News, page 2 Kenney Center to hold John Calvin Toll Day
Opinions, page 4 An English perspective on US elections.
Sci Tech, page 7 A closer look at the Nobel Prize winners
Arts, page 9 100 Years of WRUC
World, page 6 Attempt to kidnap Michigan Governor foiled.