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Vol. 87, No. 30 Thursday, January 20, 2011
CAMPUS CHANGES
Newman Lake to shrink more than half over summer after dam fails regulations By TYLER McAVOY The Breeze
JMU’s iconic Newman Lake will be barely larger than a pond by this time next year. On Jan. , the Board of Visitors approved a project to decrease the size of Newman Lake by more than half. Fixing the lake is mandatory and must be completed by the end of , according to Charlie King, senior vice president of finance and administration. The dam that controls the water level for the lake no longer adheres to Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation regulations.
Gary Shears, director of engineering and sustainability, is in charge of the project. A consultant who was hired by JMU to inspect the dam found the spillway to be too small for the lake’s current volume of acre-foot of water. “The existing dam is not problematic at this time and has caused no problems,” Shears said. “The dam is not failing. Instead, there was a legislative regulatory change that required a re-evaluation of the existing structure.” According to Shears, after half of the water is drained from the lake, a new embankment will be installed from Sonner Hall to the WVPT building near Port Republic Road. The final size of the lake is expected
to be just acre-foot, percent of its current size. The dam will be reclassified as a storm water structure in order to be in-compliance with the new regulations. The new regulation guidelines evaluate dams based on major roadways around them. According to the guidelines, any bodies of water that could flood over a major roadway in case of dam failure must be reevaluated. Newman Lake’s proximity to Interstate- made it necessary to be re-evaluated. In order to preserve the lake and cut costs, the Board of Visitors approved to shrink the lake in size instead of installing a spillway structure under Bluestone Drive.
According to Shears, installing a new spillway would have preserved the size of the lake, but would have closed off the roadway going through JMU for a year or more, and been much more costly. “The university determined that [shrinking the lake] was the least disruptive, most cost-effective and most environmentally friendly option,” Shears said. The project, slated to begin by May , was chosen among several proposals to fix the dam. Besides shrinking the lake and building a new spillway, the option of completely
Final size of lake 58% will be drained
see LAKE, page 4
GRAPHIC BY JENA THIELGES / THE BREEZE
from the Bills to
PART 2 OF 2
THE BOOKS DAVID CASTERLINE / FILE PHOTO
ARTHUR MOATS HEIGHT: 6 feet 2 inches WEIGHT: 250 pounds POSITION: Linebacker TEAM: Buffalo Bills MAJOR: Political science CLAIM TO FAME: Sacked Brett Favre in Week 13 of the NFL season, ending Favre’s record starting streak; nominated twice for NFL Rookie of the Week
By MICHAEL DEMSKY The Breeze
Former JMU football star Arthur Moats reached one of his two life goals when he took the field in the National Football League this fall. Now he’s come for the other. He’s back to graduate. Last winter, Moats was selected to attend the NFL’s annual Scouting Combine, a showcase for college players to display their skills to the league’s brass. Invited with about players from around the country, Moats was in elite company.
RYAN FREELAND / THE BREEZE
Arthur Moats, seen here with Senate and congressional reports in Carrier Library, is on schedule to graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in political science. Moats has several career aspirations for when his time as a professional football player is over, specifically in politics.
But, it also forced him to make one of the most difficult decisions of his life. In his last semester before graduation, Moats left JMU and headed to New Jersey, where he worked out at a facility to better prepare for April’s NFL Draft. “For me, in a business sense, it was in my best interests to leave and do my workouts elsewhere,” Moats said. “But from the time I came here as a freshman, the objective was to graduate. I came back because it was never really an option not to.” The choice to leave school last spring turned out to be the right one, as Moats was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the sixth round, making him
For part one of the series, “Arthur Moats: resounding rookie,” visit breezejmu.org. the th player taken in the draft. To some, the idea of an NFL player returning to school to graduate seemed like a stretch. His four-year, $. million contract with the Bills stood out to those who believed he already had the money and skill set to suffice without a diploma. The skeptics were unaware of what Moats and his family represent. Both of his parents are educators, his father a high school teacher and his mother a pre-kindergarten instructor. His older sister has graduated with an engineering
degree from Old Dominion University and his younger brother is on the dean’s list at Marshall University. “I looked at my family and was like, ‘I’m the only one not finishing school right now,’ ” Moats said. “I was tired of being called just the athlete of the family, so I definitely felt the pressure to come back and get my degree.” Moats began to deeply connect with his surrounding youth community, participating in about community service events since joining the Bills, both in his hometown of Portsmouth, Va. and Buffalo. His contract mandates see MOATS, page 8
SGA
CRIME
Decrease in alcohol-related violations in fall By AARON KOEPPER The Breeze
A semester after enacting new police patrol regulations, JMU’s alcohol culture may be changing. That’s what JMU’s Judicial Affairs Director Josh Bacon says after seeing fewer alcohol related charges in the fall. Judicial Affairs handed out referrals for alcohol violations last semester, compared to referrals for violations in the fall semester, according to Bacon. Referrals are given out based on arrests and charges made by JMU and the Harrisonburg Police Department. Bacon said a reduction in the number and severity of violations was concrete evidence that increased enforcement and efforts by JMU were changing the attitudes of students. “The community standards might have
By MATT SUTHERLAND The Breeze
830 referrals from Judicial Affairs for alcohol violations 234 alcohol-related charges from JMU police
784 referrals from Judicial Affairs for alcohol violations 195 alcohol-related charges from JMU police
Fall 2010
Fall 2009 GRAPHIC BY JENA THIELGES / THE BREEZE
see ALCOHOL, page 4
1/20 INSIDE
‘Purple Out’ could be removed from Homecoming
3
NEWS Essential apology
Essence magazine’s editor gives a keynote address during MLK week.
5
OPINION Shooting words
Politicians point fingers, place blame.
A few aspects of Purple Out may change next year. After initial controversy about the distribution of the traditional Purple Out T-shirts during Homecoming weekend, the Student Government Association’s investigatory committee made its recommendations on Tuesday after interviewing individuals and representatives of organizations. Among those, the committee that was formed on Nov. recommended that the vice president of Student Affairs position, if kept for next year, should remain in charge of Purple Out T-shirt distribution. “We acknowledge the need for a strong leadership at the top, which is
7
SPORTS Sendoff for swimmers
Eight seniors participate in final home meet.
Fall 2010 Purple Out event’s operational issues “Inability of staff to control
chaotic and unorganized lines”
“Inability to account for individu-
als receiving multiple T-shirts, nonstudents receiving T-shirts and individuals attempting to acquire T-shirts by circumventing lines” “Lack of adequate lighting” — For the full report online visit breezejmu.org. — Information taken from the Purple Out Investigative Committee Concluding Report
why we’re recommending we maintain control of the execution of this
see SGA, page 4
9
LIFE Capturing constraints
Guest artist paints pictures with photos of every day limitation.