NEWS
Towson mall adds new stores New venues to include Sperry, Tommy Bahama JAY GREENE Staff Writer @loggedinwithjay
Patrons of the Towson Town Center will have new venues to check out this summer. In a May 29 press release, mall officials announced that the venue will be opening four new stores during the course of the summer. These new openings include Tommy Bahama, Microsoft and Sperry. The fourth addition to the venue, Lululemon Athletica, stylized “lululemon athletica,” an athletic apparel company for men and women, opened May 30 on the fourth level in the Macy’s wing. Along with lululemon athletica, Tommy Bahama, will also open its third location in Maryland on the fourth level, in the Macy’s wing on June 14. Shoe and clothing retailer Sperry plans to open its second Maryland location on the fourth floor in the Macy’s wing. Mall officials also announced that a Microsoft Specialty Store is scheduled to open on the venue’s second level. According to the issued press release, the Microsoft Specialty Store will provide shoppers with “a curated selection of best-in-class Microsoft products, including Windows 8.1 PCs, tablets, Windows phones, Xbox One, Microsoft Office 365 and more.” Customers will also receive service on all of their Microsoft products, make recommendations and help with PC setups and other services. Annie Wildasin, senior marketing manager for the Towson Town Center, said that the stores were selected using several methods. “When evaluating prospective merchants, we always
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When evaluating prospective merchants, we always consider customer input, local demographics, regional competition, along with the correct size and location within our center. ANNIE WILDASIN Senior Marketing Manager for Towson Towson Center
consider customer input, local demographics, regional competition, along with the correct size and location within our center,” she said. Some of these stores are only opening for the second or third time in-state, so the mall is bringing these relatively new selections to students, Wildasin said. “Part of the value of our center is the ability to offer these specialized and niche retailers that students can't find anywhere else,” she said. Towson Town Center considers every student’s needs, Wildasin said, from a beginning freshman’s to a graduating senior’s. “Towson University's student population changes and Towson Town Center recognizes that different students have different needs,” she said. “The ability to choose from hundreds of stores, from basics to high fashion, active wear, accessories, home décor and technology, offers Towson University students the opportunity to find and create their own personal style.”
Towson Square nears completion
BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY Assault perpretrator only warned In January, rising Brandeis senior Joseph Babeu reported the involvement of a male student in a sexual assault incident. The list of charges faced by the accused, as reported to the Huffington Post, included “sexual assault, taking advantage of one's incapacitation, sexual harassment, physical harm and invasion of personal privacy.” Five months later, just before Brandeis’s finals week, University officials found the student responsible of all charges. On May 27, they punished him with sensitivity training and a warning. "Honestly, I thought it was a joke," Babeu said. "Did they send me the wrong letter? I read the charges and almost nothing was happening -- just a slap on the wrist." Though she declined to comment about the case, University spokeswoman Ellen de Graffenreid said that the information given by Babeu to the Huffington Post contained “factual errors.” In April, activist group UltraViolet cited Brandeis as one of many colleges with a “rape problem.”
STANFORD UNIVERSITY Questions raised on appropriate punishment In early 2014, Stanford University senior Leah Francis was sexually assaulted by a male student at his house during Winter Break. A week later, Francis reported the incident to area police. Upon her return to campus, Francis also reported her assault to Stanford University officials and the Alternative Review Process, a board of students and staff which is responsible for addressing cases of sexual assault. On April 24, the male student Francis reported was found responsible for sexual misconduct and assault using force. In early May, the student was punished with community service, a required class about sexual assault and a five-quarter suspension, effective following spring commencement in June. As the accused will have received his diploma at the ceremony, the suspension will merely delay his admittance to Stanford’s graduate school. Leah Francis will graduate late due to the course load reduction that occurred as a result of the anxiety triggered by the experience of her assault.
DARTMOUTH COLLEGE
Sarah Hugel/ The Towerlight The Towson Square project is still set to open at the end of the summer, starting with the Cinemark movie theater. Baltimore County Councilman David Marks and Director of the Towson Chamber of Commerce Nancy Hafford both could not be reached for comment on an exact opening date for the project. When it is open, students will be able to finally go to the movies again in Towson. Towson Square will also hold several restaurants behind the movie theater including Bonefish Grill and Nando’s Peri-Peri.
The Towerlight
Dartmouth alum Shonda Rhimes, writer and producer of television shows “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal,” spoke at the college’s commencement ceremonies on June 8, during which she stressed the importance of real-world activism over the culture that has formed online. “Hashtags are very pretty on twitter. I love them. I will hashtag myself into next week. But a hashtag is not a movement. A hashtag does not make you Dr. King. A hashtag does not change anything. It’s a hashtag. It’s you, sitting on your butt, typing into your computer and then going back to binge watching your favorite show,” she said in her speech. “For me, it’s Game of Thrones.” Rhimes also rounded out her address with a bit of candid advice for the graduating class. “Some people suggest that [volunteering] will increase your sense of well-being. Some say it’s just good karma. I say that it will allow you to remember that, whether you are a legacy or the first in your family to go to college, the air you are breathing right now is rare air. Appreciate it. And don’t be an asshole,” she said.
July 1, 2014
TV producer gives advice at graduation
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