4 april 9, 2012
news@ da ilyor a nge.com
MARTIN FROM PAGE 1
“There was a shooting, and the individual that we all now know was responsible for that shooting is walking around.” Zimmerman is protected by Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law and has not been charged with any crime. Every state has some version of a self-defense law to protect innocent victims of crimes and perceived attacks, said Lisa Dolak, a professor in the College of Law. But Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law goes further than most in the extent of protection it offers. In Florida, she said, a threatened individual does not have an obligation to retreat before using force to defend himself or herself, even in public. Florida addition-
UU
FROM PAGE 3
not profitable. But UU is funded by the student activity fee, meaning the goal of UU’s events is not necessarily for profit. “The emphasis is on responsible spending of that allocation and entertaining the students,” Dekker said. “Certainly, University Union is the most profitable student org. on
“We want to educate you as much as possible on how University Union operates, and then conversely we would like to know what the sentiment in the room is and how you view the ways University Union could improve.”
Rob Dekker
UNIVERSIT Y UNION PRESIDENT
campus. We make the most from box office returns. But that’s not to say that all of our events are profitable per se.” This year, more than 3,000 responded to the survey UU sent out to all students via email, Consor said. The most popular genre selected this year was rap and hip-hop. The second most popular genre was electronic. Despite the No. 1 ranking of rap and hip-hop, UU did not choose to pursue this genre. “We’ve had a lot of hip-hop; we just had hip-hop in February, and we really wanted to diversify here, so we went from the top down to the second most popular genre, which was electronic music,” Consor said. Although some students have complained that previous Block Party concerts have had more prominent headliners like Drake, Fergie and Kanye West, Dekker said these artists are “a gamble” and are often just becoming more
BRIEFS FROM PAGE 3
are now quickly filling up because an unusually warm winter left demands for the fuel low, according to an April 8 AP article. Companies that produce natural gas, once successful, are now suffering as prices dip lower than they have in the last 10 years, according to
ally offers immunity for self-defense, which means that a person cannot be arrested for an act of self-defense. In many other states, self-defense laws only provide defense in court after a person is charged. “Immunity is a stronger protection than a defense,” Dolak said. “It’s the reason the shooter has not yet been arrested because police believe, so far anyway, that he had a right to invoke a ‘Stand Your Ground’ law.” Proving that Zimmerman did not act in selfdefense would be difficult, she said, because there were no other witnesses and Florida police did not administer drug tests or collect adequate evidence after the shooting. Dolak said many states have been expanding self-defense rights in recent years. The laws have been controversial even before Martin’s case, she said, and his case might be significant in stalling the trend because it has brought so
well-known. “We got Drake before he was Drake in the same way that we got Kanye before he was Kanye,” Dekker said. Dekker said Kaskade was no different, and that he too was seen as an up-and-comer. He was ranked “America’s Best DJ of 2011” by the DJ Times and will be performing at the Electric Daisy Carnival this summer in Las Vegas. Consor said the process behind selecting a date for the concert and securing the talent can be lengthy. To select the date, UU officials must first consider all other campus activities, particularly athletic events. Next, they must find an artist that is available to perform on the given date and is also affordable. Artists’ availability can be determined by whether they are touring at that time, where they will be located at the time of the concert, whether they are working in the studio and whether the artists perform on college campuses at all, Consor said. Consor and Dekker both said the survey sent out to all students via email is where the planning for the concert begins. “The first step in our process is to look at the artists that were most popular on the survey,” Consor said. “We’re really working from the top down, so who’s the most popular artist, if we’re going for that genre for a specific show and then are they available. If they’re not, we’ll go down to the second most popular artist and find out if they’re available.” Although the f loor was opened to questions at the end of the presentation, only two audience members spoke up. Dekker said he had hoped more students would attend and that UU had received more feedback from the students. But he said he felt the forum was successful because UU officials were able to discuss the issues they felt needed to be addressed and also correct some misconceptions. Approximately 3,700 tickets have been sold thus far. Students may still purchase tickets at the Schine and Carrier Dome box offices. Tickets are available for purchase on Ticketmaster for those who are not students. cffabris@syr.edu
the article. Multiple companies have announced plans to slow production. Analysts said unless demands increase or production declines, storage space for gas will fill up by fall, according to the article. Prices, which are now at about $2, would then nosedive to below $1. —Compiled by Maddy Berner, asst. copy editor, mjberner@syr.edu
much attention to the issue. “It might really be the game-changer in terms of these kinds of laws,” she said. But the lasting effect of Martin’s death remains unknown. Ronald Taylor, a freshman political science and policy studies major who participated in the “Hoodies for Trayvon Martin” rally and the “1,000 Campus Vigil for Trayvon,” said he is concerned the outrage over Martin’s death will quickly lose momentum. “These larger movements are great, but what will become of them?” he said. “I worry that this is just going to be a fad.” But Taylor said the events held at SU in the past weeks were effective in “awakening” students and challenging the complacency on campus. Ultimately, these movements might contribute to legislative change, he said. Taylor said college students play an espe-
MSO
FROM PAGE 3
University Chicago in 2003. She is president and CEO of Zahra Ink, a website that offers professional writing services. She also writes, edits and serves as a marketing consultant for multiple businesses. Hashmi earned a bachelor’s degree in fashion design from the State University of New York Fashion Institute of Technology. She created a fashion brand with her longtime friend, Fatima Monkush. The two sell their line in boutiques across the United States and United Kingdom, emphasizing modesty and confidence. Alwan is working on a law degree with a focus on immigration at Case Western Reserve University School of Law. She cofounded a Muslim-Jewish Dialogue program while at the University of Rochester; served as an outreach education and training intern for the Interfaith Youth Core; was a counselor at an international peace camp, Seeds of Peace; and worked as a law clerk with the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Chicago. The role of the hijab, the head covering traditionally worn by Muslim women, was also discussed. Though none of the women always wear a hijab, they had differing opinions on its necessity in Islamic tradition. Hashmi stressed the importance of living her spirituality through modesty, especially in her clothing.
STITH
FROM PAGE 1
year commitment turned into almost nine as Whitman’s dean. “It’s very difficult,” Stith said. “I enjoyed being the dean here at Whitman.” Stith said he hopes to take sabbatical at the
“The Whitman community will miss his leadership and laughter.” Clint Tankersley
ASSOCIATE DEAN OF UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS AT WHITMAN
end of next year. During that time, he hopes to continue work on issues related to veterans and students of color and their access to graduate programs. Clint Tankersley, associate dean of undergraduate programs at Whitman, has known
cially important role in protesting the circumstances of Martin’s death. “If you look at all major movements in America,” he said, “they’ve been run by young people. The civil rights movement was a college student movement. The gay rights. All of them.” Social media has also offered college students an organizational outlet they did not have in past movements. The “Hoodies for Trayvon Martin” rally, Taylor said, was organized in one weekend through social media tools like Facebook and Twitter, and it had a positive turnout. “If you use these media in a way where you’re really pushing for something positive, people will react to it,” Taylor said. “Especially now, in this century, it’s not going to be a televised revolution. It’s not going to be a march down Washington. It’s going to be a Facebook revolution.” nagorny@syr.edu
“Harper’s Bazaar was my best friend,” Hashmi said, speaking of her budding interest in fashion as a Muslim woman. But she made the decision not to wear the hijab. “I have huge respect for people who wear it, but I feel like it’s a very personal choice,” Hashmi said. Suratwala said she liked to wear the traditional dress at different times — sometimes with people she didn’t know and sometimes among family and friends. But she acknowledged that many people still stereotype the hijab as a sign of oppression and not a woman’s choice. “Sometimes people stare,” Suratwala said. “But sometimes people don’t even notice.” Alwan also said she did not wear the hijab, but she might wear it in the future. “I haven’t had enough time to really consider it,” she said. Other discussions concerned the backlash against Islam after Sept. 11 and traditional views on women and marriage. The event closed with the opportunity to purchase the book outside the auditorium. The women also announced a new book, “AllAmerican: 45 American Men on Being Muslim,” will be released in June. Emira Soleha Ramli, a junior political science major from Malaysia, said she came to the event to see the difference between Muslims in America and in South Asia. Said Soleha: “It’s interesting to see what living your faith means to different people.” klees@syr.edu
Stith since he was a student at Syracuse University in the late 1970s. He said he will miss Stith as both a valued colleague and friend. “As dean his mantra has been ‘students first,’ and he has always worked to improve the student opportunities and experiences within the school and enhance the Whitman brand,” Tankersley said. With Stith leading Whitman for almost 10 years and serving as dean of other business schools for 25 years, Tankersley said it is understandable that Stith would want to take a break. “The Whitman community will miss his leadership and laughter,” he said. Stith’s wife, Patricia, assistant provost and associate dean of the Graduate School, said she plans on taking leave once her husband takes his sabbatical. “The only thing I can say is that we’ve both thoroughly enjoyed coming back and being on the SU campus and giving whatever we can to Syracuse because we’re Syracuse alumni,” she said. “I think it’s been a real privilege to be able to do that.” meltagou@syr.edu