OLD GOLD&BLACK W A K E
an m h s l Fre ide! a i c Spe ion Ins Edit
F O R E S T
U N I V E R S I T Y
VOL. 94, NO. 1
T H U R S D AY, A U G U S T 1 9 , 2 0 1 0
“Covers the campus like the magnolias”
On-campus party changes become official
Outside the Bubble...
By Renee Slawsky | News editor
Illinois Governor Blagojevich on trial A jury found ousted Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich guilty on Aug. 16 on one count of making false statements to federal officials, but was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on 23 other counts. Blagojevich faced 24 counts in the wide-ranging corruption case including racketeering, conspiracy, mail fraud and attempted extortion. U.S. District Judge James Zagel said he intends to declare a mistrial on the undecided counts. Prosecutors have until Sept. 7 to seek a retrial of the case.
New large factory to open, help local economy Governor Bev Perdue formally announced on July 30, Caterpillar Inc.’s plan to open a $426 million manufacturing plant in WinstonSalem that will employ some 510 people. Perdue said that “it was a fight” to bring the company to Forsyth County and praised Mayor Allen Joines and Dave Plyler, the chairman of the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners, for working together to land Caterpillar. Winston-Salem won out over Montgomery, Ala., and Spartanburg, S.C., in part because of the combined $23.5 million in incentives approved by officials in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, and in part because of the industry-specific training at Forsyth Tech.
Thousands die in intense Moscow heat wave Several thousand Muscovites are thought to have died in July alone from this year’s unprecedented heat wave and August could add more fatalities, a Russian scientist said on Aug. 17. Moscow, a metropolis of over 10 million people, has suffered intense heat since late June, with day temperatures sometimes nearing 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). The crisis shriveled a third of Russia’s grain crop, shaved billions off this year’s economic growth and killed at least 54 people in wildfires.
Favorite Winston-Salem music club to reopen Ziggy’s, Winston-Salem’s legendary music club, is reopening, owner Jay Stephens said today. Stephens said he plans to open the club on Trade Street between Eighth and Ninth Streets next year. Stephens said he plans to build the new Ziggy’s “from the ground up.” He said he has secured financing and is ready to start construction.
Deadline for BP to accept claims approaches BP has picked Aug. 29 as the deadline for accepting claims from people and businesses affected by the Gulf oil spill disaster. After that, the oil giant will direct people to the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, led by attorney Kenneth Feinberg. Feinberg is charged with independently administering the $20 billion escrow account established by BP to compensate for damage caused by the Gulf disaster. Lots of business on the Gulf Coast have filed damage claims.
INSIDE:
Greek life at the university has been a rather touchy topic since the events of Pledge Night last year when several students were sent to both the Student Health Center as well as local hospitals with dangerous levels of intoxication. As a direct result of these events, the university’s administration took action and put a lot of ideas on the line. Many major changes were suggested and talks were held throughout the entire summer debating what should be done about student drinking at the campus. As of Aug. 18, President Nathan O. Hatch and the rest of the administration announced their decisions and, therefore, the ramifications of last year’s Pledge Night. “We can all agree that what happened was bad,” said Fellow for the Division of Student Life Meghan Haenn. “The administration saw and heard that the students needed changes, so changes are being made,”. The realization was made that offcampus parties encourage a lot of dangerous practices such as “front loading” or “pre-gaming” as well as not providing students with as many safety nets such as the Campus Police and
the proximity to the Student Health Center. An e-mail was sent out to all student, faculty, and staff by President Hatch that broadcasted these decisions that started out mentioning the “long history of strong residential life” and the “vibrancy of our campus community.” The e-mail goes on to say that much of the university’s social life has moved to off-campus locations which has raised a lot of issues with students’ safety and problems of enforcement. As a result, the administration created two committees charged with the responsibility to reconsider the university’s treatment of parties. Both committees consisted of administrators, faculty and students as well as included a lot of input from parents of students and local residents. “Pretty much everyone associated with Wake Forest got a say,” said Haenn. The e-mail mentions the importance of Greek life on campus and the guiding principles of the decisions made which were “preservation of the health and safety of our students,” “an engaged and inclusive community,” “the primacy of the academic endeavor” and “our longstanding commitment to help our students live lives
it is important not to allow new students to become too inundated with the party scene while they are still extremely new to the school. Haenn said, the administration is “trying to get the freshmen to know the fun of on-campus parties” instead of off-campus ones. Another change that has been made is the Greek organizations’ acceptance of requiring higher overall GPAs as an alternative to delaying all recruitment until the sophomore year. The delaying of recruitment, as well as many other ideas, was an option that many Greek life student leaders vehemently spoke out against. A Web Site, called PartySmart, will soon be made available which allows easier registration of parties, tips on having a good party, being a good party guest and a recap of the laws that deal with drinking in any way. Overall, the recent changes made due to the events of last years Pledge Night are meant to alter the face of on-campus parties to a more positive one and to make students who choose to party do so safer. While off-campus parties will most likely continue, large efforts are being made to encourage on-campus parties now.
Students required to have insurance BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina StudentBlue offered to all university students By Ken Meyer | Asst. news editor Health insurance will be required for students at the university beginning this fall semester. Those students affected will be all full time degreeseeking domestic undergraduate students; full-time degree-seeking domestic graduate students in the Schools of Arts and Sciences, Divinity, Graduate Business, and Law; and all international students with school visas. Such students presently hold two options. First, these students may choose to enroll in BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina’s Student Blue program through the university. Second, these students may choose to opt out of the Student Blue program if able to provide the university with evidence of comparable coverage. Waivers must be sent to and received by the university by Aug. 23. Students taking no action by that date will be automatically enrolled in the Student Blue program. Surrounding the debate over the federal government’s recent health insurance overhaul, the university reconsidered its own health care options and availability. In a video produced for students and their families on the university website, director of the university’s Student Health Service, Dr. Cecil Price said, “The university looked at the health issues on campus and one of the concerns was having a quality health program. Part of that had to do with some students coming to campus without adequate health insurance.” The main concern was students being unable to complete their studies due to health needs, which has been posing a bigger problem every year. “We looked at, number one, making sure that all students had insurance so that health issues would not be a reason that they — for financial reasons — would not be able to complete their academic goals and achievements,” said Price. A multitude of other universities already require or will require similar health coverage; these institutions include the University of North Carolina, Duke University, Stanford University and Dartmouth College. Furthermore, the university is a member of the American College Health Association. This association advocated for the Affordable Care Act, which is the official name for the federal government’s health care overhaul. It submitted position papers and otherwise lobbied for universal and comprehensive coverage, for school and community-based policy initiatives and programs, and for college specific health care needs. The American College Health Association was
responding to the statistics regarding young adults and university students. The United States Department of Health and Human Services lists this group as having the highest rate of uninsured of any age level. Nearly 30 percent of young adults — one in five — are uninsured. While the final version of the federal law does not require universities to provide health insurance to students, it does offer benefits for organizations offering health insurance. It requires all who are financially able — including university students — to carry health insurance by the year 2014. It contains a provision allowing young adults who so desire to remain on their parents’ health insurance coverage until age 26. The American College Health Association pushed this a step further. It now requires all of its members to offer health insurance to their students. Those students not purchasing university health insurance must provide their university with evidence of outside insurance. The university’s policies adhere to these regulations. Along those lines, the university underwent a competitive process among all student based insurance vendors. The university chose the Student Blue program as it adhered to the American College Health Association guidelines and for its array of benefits. The plan offers a $2 Million lifetime maximum, unlimited prescription drug coverage, unlimited in-patient treatment for psychiatric care and coverage of intercollegiate athletic injuries to $90,000. Students enrolling during approved periods may not be denied coverage for pre-existing conditions. For students under age 25, the plan costs $649 per semester or $1298 annually. Prices vary for students in other age ranges. A portion of this payment goes to Student Health Services, and all students must pay a Student Health Services fee regardless of whether they pay for the Student Blue Program. All of the benefits and provisions may be viewed on the university website. “I’d want to assure students that the university offers them as beneficiaries to one of the finest student health care plans in the country,” Vice President and Dean of Student Life Ken Zick said. Overall, the new healthcare insurance plan for university students is meant solely to ensure that a student’s health and well being will never become an unnecessarily long and drawn out distraction from their lives and their studies.
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Matthew Poppe talks about upcoming football season and how the Deacs are expected to do while we cheer them on.
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of meaning and worth.” Hatch notes that the full report is comprehensive so he highlights three main points. The first is that a Substance Abuse Prevention Coordinator has been hired to “strengthen alcohol education programs and increase the safety of our students.” Secondly, a Barn is in the works where parties can be more easily held on campus and which will be more available for student use than lounges have been in the past. The Barn has a predecessor called “the Tent” which will be in use while the Barn is being built, which is hoped to be done by the end of this year. Finally, the e-mail proposes the idea that the university is considering changing to a three-year residency requirement instead of its current twoyear requirement. Along with these some less formal changes were made as well. These changes include the banning of first year students from going to any parties during their first week on campus. “This gives them a week to just gel with their class,” said Presidential Fellow Jermyn Davis. The administration has found that
• Hatch cuts ribbon at South Hall ceremony | A2 • Students target for shopping scams | A3
Opinion | A4 University begins a new, “green” chapter Seth Williford talks about the new residence hall and the specifics of it being so “green”