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What do you think nice Christian girls feel getting onto campus and seeing the LGBT-whatever banner? These girls need support. — Kate Obenshian >> see page 3
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Serving James Madison University Since 1922 breezejmu.org
Cloudy n 86°/ 57° chance of precipitation: 10%
Vol. 87, No. 50 Monday, April 11, 2011
Election
SGA Debate
SGA candidates encourage involvement By Anne Elsea The Breeze
This year’s Student Government Association elections, held Wednesday and Thursday, will mark the first time of a ticket of four students running together for president, vice president, executive treasurer and student representative to the Board of Visitors. On the ticket, Pat Watral is running for president, Emily Douillard is running for vice president, Abby Ware is running for executive treasurer and Chris Brown is running for Student Representative to the Board of Visitors. In the four students’ slogan, “A Change of P.A.C.E,” P.A.C.E. is an acronym for the students’ first names. The four are running with similar platforms on the ballot to collaborate on ideas before they are elected. They are working together to get elected in hopes that their similar objectives will make it easier to bring change to SGA, according to their website. Kenzie Fisher is running independently for vice president. “I really don’t know why people
aren’t running against Watral, Ware and Brown,” said Jordan Descovich, the 2011 elections commissioner and a junior political science and history double major. “That’s a question I really wish I could answer, but all the executive positions will get filled by write-in votes if not by election.” Students can still fill the leftover spots in the executive board and the class council as a write-in on the ballot. If they get majority vote, then they get the position, according to Descovich. Watral, a junior international affairs major, would replace Andrew Reese, but Watral said he was unhappy that he didn’t have any opposition. “It’s really disappointing, the lack of interest in the presidency,” Watral said. “SGA is hoping to make a big deal out of this election to encourage students to participate and take notice of what SGA is doing this year.” Watral has been an at-large senator representing his class for two years, and in the past academic year he chaired the committee on student services. see SGA, page 5
Hosted by The Breeze
Now at 9 p.m. tonight in the lower drum of the Festival Stage. n
Send debate questions to n
sga.debate@gmail.com.
Elections take place Wednesday and Thursday. Cast your ballot at: n
Photos by Ryan Freeland / the breeze
TOP SGA candidates Pat Watral (left), Abby Ware, Chris Brown and Emily Douillard are running together on one ticket. BOTTOM Kenzie Fisher is running independently for vice president.
sga.jmu.edu/voting.
Weekend of fun and service for Dukes
Meredith Sizemore / the breeze
Photos by Ashley Grisham / the breeze
More than 100 students and a number of faculty members stand in line on the Quad awaiting their Big Event community service assignments Saturday.
Students gather for music, food and fun at Madipalooza
JMU organizations participate in a day of community service
By Oscar Jurado contributing writer
Despite modest estimates for attendance, nearly 6,000 students took part in Madipalooza. Carrie Martin, Madipalooza Planning Committee Co-Chair, was pleasantly surprised by the turnout, as they had expected around 2,500 people. The event brought free food, popular musical acts and giveaways to the Festival lawn. The event, designed by University Program Board in part as an alternative to spring block parties, featured inflatable entertainment, food from Festival and multiple bands. The event had a budget of roughly see Madipalooza, page 10
The Big Event by the numbers
By Natalie Dohner and Sallie Drumheller The Breeze, contributing writer
TOP Freshmen Arijana Lempke (left), Taylor Benavidez, Matt Boyer and BOTTOM sophomore Justin Calhoun take advantage of inflatable entertainment on Festival Lawn.
Rain clouds and dreary weather lingered Saturday morning but didn’t stop more than 900 students and a handful of faculty from volunteering across the Shenandoah Valley for the Big Event. Student organizations, represented by teams of five to 15 people, met on the Quad Saturday morning to receive their assignment locations. Although registration for the event occurred throughout April, the teams received their project the morning of the Big Event. The directors and their committee of 30
2,778 estimated hours of work was completed. If each volunteer had worked at minimum wage, the event would have had to pay more than $20,140 in labor. $6,000 was spent on the Big Event. More than $500 was personally contributed by the Big Event directors.
see Big Event, page 5
Awards
JMU publications receive 12 awards in Region 2 >> To see the award-winning photos, visit breezejmu.org. Three JMU publications received 12 awards Saturday at the Society of Professional Journalists Region 2 conference. Region 2 includes Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia and North Carolina. The Breeze received second place in the category of Best All-Around NonDaily Student Newspaper. Port & Main magazine received first place in the category of Best Student Magazine. Curio
magazine, the product of SMAD 321: Feature Magazine Production, received second place in the same category. The Breeze also received first place in the category of Breaking News Photography for 2010 graduate David Casterline’s photograph of Peter Morgner “inciting a riot” at Springfest. In the same category, junior Breeze Photo Editor Robert Boag received second place for his photo of the Springfest riot, a wide-angle shot of attendees standing near an enflamed dumpster on fire. The
4/11 Inside 3 news Leaving behind a legacy Alumna honored for awards and scholarships contributed to JMU.
Breeze staff received third place in the category of Breaking News Reporting for the “War Zone” front page and the coverage of the Springfest riot. Other Breeze photography awards include first place in the category of Sports Photography for Boag’s photograph showing free safety Ryan Smith intercepting the ball by the knees at the football game against Morehead State University and second place in the category of General News Photography for Boag’s photograph of sophomore Nic
Mirenda biking in preparation for the DR-100 Memorial Ride and Run. Former Breeze Editor-in-Chief and 2010 graduate Tim Chapman received first place in the category of Sports Column Writing for his column “yeah . . . I said it.” Former Breeze cartoonist and 2010 graduate Karen Thorsdottir received first place in the category of Editorial Cartooning. Curio magazine received a first place award in the category of Non-Fiction Magazine Article for Chapman and
2010 graduate Rebekah Lowe’s article “Making Strides” and third place in the same category for 2010 graduate Anna Young’s article “From Madison to Washington.” Those awarded first place in all categories will go on to compete at the national level at the Excellence in Journalism conference in New Orleans this September.
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9 A group of JMU students
11 A look at the questions
opinion Free market — not so bad?
Student responds to claims that capitalism hurts buyers.
life Going really decaf
puts coffee money toward African aid.
— staff report
sports Tackling spring fever
and hype surrounding JMU football.