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‘Black-Jew Dialogues’ tackles race issues
OC TOBER 4, 2012 V O LU M E 9 7 | N o. 3 3
EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY CHARLESTON, ILL. D A I LY E A S T E R N N E W S . C O M T WIT TER.COM/DEN_NE WS
Going long for Gober Page 8
Page 3 POLICIES
HUMAN SERVICES BUILDING
Free influenza vaccines available at Health Services Medical director advises students to get shots By Nicole Spentzos Staff Reporter
PHOTO ILLUSTR ATION BY Z ACHARY WHITE | THE DAILY EASTERN NE WS
According to a 2005 study by the Department of Justice's Office of Violence Against Women, one woman out of every 14 and one man out of every 50 are stalked during some point in their life.
Stalking: an open-ended issue By Elizabeth Edwards Editor-in-Chief
Zero cases of stalking have been reported this year by students, said the officials at the University and Charleston police departments. Lt. Brad Oyer, of the Charleston Police Department, said stalking is one form of harassment, but he described stalking as a step above, which causes fear in victims. “Not only do they feel as though they are threatened, but the person has made some message that they will do harm to them,” Oyer said. “It seems to be an exert of control or power over them.” The University Police Department has zero cases reported from 2010-2012, said David Closson, the UPD crime prevention officer. However, the Office of Student Standards has cases reported every year, said Director Heather Webb. “No two cases are identical, so each case is handled according to the unique variables in the case,” Webb said. Reported cases have consisted of males stalking females, females stalking
males or same-gendered stalking, she said. Both Jeannie Ludlow, a women’s studies professor, and Oyer agree that the stalker can be either male or female. During Oyer’s career, he said he has mainly seen male perpetrators, but has seen female perpetrators as well, and he said no gender combination is inclusive. Definition of Stalking According to the criminal statute, “a person commits stalking when he or she knowingly engages in a course of conduct directed at a specific person, and knows or should know that this course of conduct would cause a reasonable person to fear for his or her safety.” The UPD and CPD must follow the legal statute when investigating stalking cases, police officials said. Ludlow described stalking as an action that is intended to make the person feel fear and to control the victim. “Stalking is a situation where a person repeatedly, through a series of patterns of behavior, inserts themselves into another person’s space, checks up on the person and tries to make themselves part
Check out a video about stalking on dailyeasternnews.com
of the person’s day-to-day existence,” Ludlow said. Oyer said stalking is not random and is mainly a result of bad breakups, which includes bad relationships. Ludlow disagreed and said categorizing stalking as a relationship gone wrong opens up the door to blaming the victim, which should never be an option. Stalking is about one person’s bad behavior, not a bad relationship, she said. Stalking, like other relationship violence, is a deliberate attempt on the part of one person to control another, she said. Reporting Cases The UPD may transfer cases to the Office of Student Standards or to criminal proceedings, Closson said. Students are encouraged to come to the police department at Seventh Street and Grant Avenue to report incidents of stalking, he said.
STALKING, page 5
With the start of flu season, doctors at Health Services recommend all students and faculty sign up for their free flu vaccine to prevent the spread of the virus. Sheila Baker, the medical director at Health Services, said the flu, which kills more than 36,000 people each year, is an infection that can be prevented with the Fluzone, an influenza vaccine Eastern provides for free to all students. The flu is spread by coughing, sneezing or nasal secretion. The virus is highly contagious and common in young children and adults over 65. Even though college-aged students do not fit into this category, anyone can transmit the virus. Baker describes the flu as a serious infection with symptoms that keep students out of school longer, effecting academic success. Although flu season has not started and no major cases have been reported at Eastern, Baker advises that students get their flu shot early. The vaccine requires two weeks for protection to fully develop in the body. Baker said the flu season typically begins in November and December, peaks, and then decreases in April. The flu vaccine lasts the entire flu season, so students only need to get vaccinated once a year, she said. Eastern provides a shot that injects certain proteins from the flu virus into
the body, which allows the body to create protective antibodies, she said. These antibodies get the immune system ready to fight infection. Baker said while it is rare, it is still possible to get sick after receiving the vaccine. Sydni Hoffman, a senior journalism major, gets the flu vaccine yearly. “I still get the occasional cold, but I think the vaccine prevents me from getting more sick,” Hoffman said. At Eastern, Health Services administers about 1,000 vaccines a year on average, serving 10 percent of students, Baker said. Every student has the opportunity to receive a vaccine because Eastern is able to provide all students with a flu shot as it is included as part of tuition. Just like any type of medicine, vaccines could possibly cause problems or side effects. Mild side effects of the flu vaccine include soreness, swelling, fatigue, itching or aches, which typically last one or two days at most. Hoffman said she was a little sore after her vaccination. Baker said Eastern only provides the injection, however other methods of protection are available, such as a nasal spray that uses live viruses to build protection. Students can protect themselves by frequently washing their hands, eating well, getting enough sleep and not sharing food and drinks with others. “The vaccine is a way for the community to come together and help prevent sickness in others,” Baker said. “We’re helping protect our grandparents, young children, and anyone susceptible to viruses.” Nicole Spentzos can be reached at 581-2812 or nmspentzos@eiu.edu.
FACULT Y
Author provides insight on her gay youth novel By Jaime Lopez Verge Editor
An excerpt from author and English professor Lania Knight’s novella “Three Cubic Feet” was read and explored during a reading hosted by EIU Pride and the English Department Wednesday. “Three Cubic Feet” tells the story of a teenager named Theo struggling with his closeted sexuality; his family and intimate friends are the only ones who know he’s gay. When exploring the depths of his sexuality, Theo befriends a boy named Jonathon who might be even more closeted than him. Nico Canaday, a senior English
major, read from an intimate scene involving Theo and Jonathon. Jonathon flirted with Theo and started to unzip his pants while both of them are sitting alone in room at Jonathon’s house. Caught underneath Jonathon, Theo feels uncomfor table and struggles to get push him off, provoking a fight between the two characters where Jonathon suffers a blow to the eye. Though he acts disturbed by Jonathon’s actions, when alone trying to find ice for the wound above Jonathon’s eye, Theo stares into a glass and imagines himself in the his embrace instead of struggling to get him off.
“I stared at myself in the empty glass, imagining Jonathon fucking me up the ass,” Canaday read. After the reading, Knight took the stage and answered questions from audience members. Theo’s character grew and became the strong protagonist he is in the final version of the book when Knight modeled him after an actor in a staged production of the book that she helped produce, Knight said. Knight said several rewrites of the novel followed before the complete version was published. Z ACHARY WHITE | THE DAILY EASTERN NE WS
NOVEL, page 5
Lania Knight, a professor in the English department, speaks to students about her book "Three Cubic Feet" in the 7th Street Underground Wednesday.