The Boulder DePauw University’s Winter Term Newspaper | Jan. 22, 2014
Construction a common theme Humane Society to re-open for DePauw moving forward By Arthur Small THE BOULDER
Thanks to a decision by the Putnam County Board of Commissioners and an innovative financial plan adapted after the closing of the Putnam County Humane Society two years ago, the animal shelter will be reopening in spring 2014. Lynn Bohmer, wife of Dave Bohmer, the head of the Media Fellows Program at DePauw, has been working to better Putnam County for two decades. Starting at the Putnam County Foundation, an organization responsible for overseeing the distribution of financial gifts to the county, Lynn found that her services
were most needed at the Putnam County Humane Society 19 years ago. During her time at the humane society she has seen the shelter’s doors shut twice due to financial hardship. As a result, when the shelter was closed two years ago, the decision makers on the shelter’s board realized it would be irresponsible to reopen the humane society without definitive financial backing to keep the shelter opened. The need of the center was not the only thing that drew Lynn Bohmer to the humane society. An animal lover herself, Lynn, along with her husband Dave, own two dogs: a Golden Retriever named Woody and a rescue named Lucy. She does not blame the residents
Humane Society | continued on page 2 The current interior view of Lilly as the construction continues to progress. HOANG NGUYEN / THE DEPAUW
By Brock Turner THE BOULDER Change has been a norm on the DePauw campus recently. One of the most noticeable and impacting to students is the current renovation to the Lilly Physical Education and Recreation Center. The current construction, despite the eyesore and hassle to students and visitors is set for completion at the start of the 2014 fall semester. “Everyone’s been really patient thus far,” said Stevie Baker-Watson, Depauw’s Theodore Katula Director of Athletics and Recreational Sports. Baker-Watson, however, admits she is worried about the, “breaking point, when people begin to say, ‘I’m tired of it.’” Many students, however, believe the changes are important. “It’s necessary to improve the campus, hopefully it will be worth it,” junior Haley Pratt told The DePauw last spring when the construc-
tion first began. Since then, the project has seen minor set backs, including electrical issues, and reconnecting steam lines that took three months longer than expected and even closed the center for a few days. Despite these set backs, Baker-Watson ensures the project is both on time and on budget. Students, however, will have to get used to construction on campus. Once the current expansion and renovation to Lilly is completed, work will begin on the Hoover Dining Hall scheduled for completion in mid-March of next year, which paves the way for phases two and three of the Lilly renovation. The following phases, according to Baker-Watson, are still being planned. Phases two and three include the construction of a new 1,800 to 2,000 seat stadium to replace the current Neil Fieldhouse as the primary venue for basketball and volleyball competition. Also included in the construction is a new
natatorium, and conversion of the Erdmann Natatorium to an auxiliary gymnasium. Students shouldn’t expect these changes for a while, though. “All of these projects are donorfunded. We’re not looking for loans,” Baker-Watson said. “We have a rule that forbids us from starting a construction project until we have 100 percent of the funds committed and 75 percent in hand.” Baker-Watson also ensures that the university will not have two major construction projects going on at once. DePauw now finds itself in the middle of President Brian Casey’s 2020 Plan which challenges DePauw “to become a leading, national liberal arts college and school of music.” The plan doesn’t simply state campus facilities. Also included in the plan are revisions and improvements to the academic program, student preparation and experiences, admissions, and financial resources such as the annual endowment.
Public Safety crackdowns over Winter Term frustrate students By Julie Block THE BOULDER A group of students are at a party, listening to music and drinking, when at 12:00 a.m. sharp, Public Safety shows up outside, and everyone flees. This has been a common occurrence over Winter Term, and many students are becoming increasingly upset with Public Safety’s crackdowns this January. One student, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that Public Safety followed him and his friends around campus last Tuesday night. “I was walking to Delt [Delta Tau Delta fraternity] and I saw [Public Safety], and I turned around and we went to South Quad. Then they started driving around South Quad, and then we sat on the stairs and they stopped there,” the student said. Even after walking to the Women’s
Center to try to get away, the student recounts Public Safety continuing to follow him and his friends. “They stopped right there, and they stayed there,” he said. “We went behind SAE [Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity], and then we came up out of the parking lot and they were right there, and then we turned around and we just waited outside of Lucy [Rowland Hall], and then they flashed their brights at us outside of Lucy.” Although Public Safety never ended up causing any real trouble for the group of students, the anonymous student said that this encounter made him feel uncomfortable. “They’re being intrusive… [It’s] really trying to take away from our social scene, which is a big attraction for students,” he said. “It is college, and they’re shutting down every party at midnight.”
Public Safety | continued on page 2