February 7, 2011

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you know what it is hi

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february 7, 2011

t h e i n de pe n de n t s t u de n t n e w spa pe r of s y r acuse , n e w yor k

INSIDenews

I N S I D e o p ini o n

INSIDepulp

I N S I D Es p o r t s

Shedding light Light Work prepares to host

Raving the storm Marina Charny commends SU

Too close for comfort SU alumnus assaulted while

Bullish Led by Rick Jackson,

speaker on controversial short film. Page 3

students for their determination to brave the weekend weather in search of a party. Page 5

documenting turmoil in Egypt. Page 9

Syracuse blows past South Florida 72-49. Page 16

Negotiations to start for DPS union By Dara McBride News Editor

Officers in the Department of Public Safety are hoping a new union will give members enhanced benefits, as they plan to begin negotiations in the upcoming weeks with Syracuse Uni-

What is the union?

The SU Public Safety Officers union will work with the university to determine the terms and services of employment, including wages, benefits and work hours.

Students celebrate receiving sorority bids By Emily Pompelia Contributing Writer

The yells and chants of sorority women rang across campus Sunday as female students received bids to various sororities. The day marked an end to the competitive two-week recruitment process for hundreds of female underclassmen at Syracuse University. The process started with 17 groups of about 50 young women in each one. Those who made it to the end filled several classrooms at noon as their Rho Gammas gave each of them an envelope. Inside the envelopes was a bid to join one of the 12 National Panhellenic Conference-affiliated sororities at SU. Sarah Schmalbruch, a freshman magazine journalism major, received

a bid from Alpha Xi Delta. “Being a sister means I’m a part of something that will be a huge part of my life for the rest of my life,” Schmalbruch said. “I can’t believe it.” Members from various sororities participated as Rho Gammas, who were responsible for guiding the young women through the recruitment process. There were two to three Rho Gammas assigned to each recruitment group. “The Rho Gammas were here to talk to any of the girls who had hesitations, to celebrate and to be a shoulder to cry on,” said Alison Pang, a freshman public relations major who received a bid from Gamma Phi Beta. After the groups’ Rho Gammas see bid day page 4

altan james (above) | contributing photographer jenny jakubowski (below) | staff photographer From top to bottom: Alpha Xi Delta sisters welcome potential new members. Female undergraduates cheer for their sororities outside Schine Student Center on Sunday as part of Bid Day celebrations.

versity officials on the formation of the SU Public Safety Officers union. For almost four years, DPS was part of a national organization called the International Union, Security, Police and Fire Professionals of America. But the union was not very helpful to DPS officers, said DPS officer Jonathan LeBaron, president of the former and current union. “They were more about taking our union dues,” LeBaron said. Some DPS officers said they are hoping for higher pay and more time off from work as a result of the new union. DPS officers referred to the old union as a “Mickey Mouse union” because it also handled unionizing workers at Disney World, LeBaron said. The base salary for DPS officers is 33 percent lower than those of other area law enforcement officials, despite the fact that officers are dispatched beyond the university area and will soon be able to run license and give tickets like other area law officials, LeBaron said. The Buffalo chapter of the National Labor Relations Board certified the union Jan. 16, said Paul Murphy, assistant to the regional director for the board. Included in the union are all fulltime and regular part-time safety officers, community service officers see union page 6


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