By Stacey Eyler, Commentary Co-Editor

Just hours before the first day of classes was set to begin, Campus Safety launched a campus-wide email, informing students and faculty of the first serious incident of the school year.

“On Sunday, August 26, sometime shortly after midnight, the Department of Campus Safety (DoCS) was anonymously informed of an unconscious subject in the back yard of a West Main Street home,” the email said.

“DoCS contacted 911 who immediately responded and found a female member of our community. The semi-conscious woman was determined to have possibly been sexually assaulted.”

Since this notification, The Free Press has learned that the assault was by another McDaniel student, a male, and that the case is now being handled by The Carroll County Advocacy Investigations Unit (CCAIC).

This unit consists of several law enforcement and counseling agencies, including the Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office, the local sheriff’s office, Maryland State Police, Westminster City Police, Department of Social Services, Carroll Hospital Center, and Rape Crisis Intervention Services.

“All groups associated with this specialized unit have agreed to investigate all rapes, sexual assaults, and child abuse cases in the county,” said Lieutenant Phil Kasten of the Sheriff’s Department. “It’s a specialized unit with personnel that has extensive training.”

“The case is being investigated and ultimately a determination will be made,” said David Dagget, the Chief Deputy State’s Attorney and Legal Supervisor.

Anyone who has information regarding the case is encouraged to contact Deputy Doug Epperson of the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office at 410-386-3650.

“McDaniel was founded upon morals of trust, integrity, responsibility, and respect,” said senior Kristin Pavlovsky. “To think that someone violated and betrayed all of these morals is just appalling.”

“The number of sexual offenses at McDaniel is a small number,” said Director of Campus Safety Mike Webster.

According to statistics provided through the Department of Campus Safety’s website, there were only two incidents of rape/sexual assault in 2004. However, both victims declined to participate in the investigations. In 2005 and 2006, there were no reports of sexual assault.

Despite the small number, sexual assault has always been a concern for the college, according to Megan Hearron, a McDaniel College counselor. “It’s discussed at orientation, in ‘Choices,’ and in the handbook.”

And the matter was even addressed at a recent faculty meeting.

“Teachers were encouraged to address the matter in their classes—when appropriate—instead of ignoring it and to discuss how to be safe,” said Dr. Mary Bendel-Simso. “I teach Literature by Women, so it seemed appropriate.”

Learning about the incident came as a shock for some, including Pavlovsky. “This is pretty much a safe campus and community, and you really never hear about anything really severe,” she said.

However, that doesn’t make the College and its residents immune to incidents of sexual assault. In fact, one of the biggest myths about sexual assault and violence is that it only happens in large, populated areas. In truth, Hearron explained that sexual assault can happen in any community.

Student medevacked for injury to neck

By Dave Nasongkhla

On Wednesday, September 12, cheerleader Amber Lassen, a sophomore, was injured during a stunt in the gym during the team’s evening practice.

Campus Safety responded to a call at approximately 6 p.m. for a neck injury to an athletic student, according to a Campus Safety report.

Ultimately, Lassen had to be flown to the R. Adams Crowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore for her injuries.

Members of the Green Terror cheerleading squad confirm that, as a group, they agreed not to comment about the incident.

It has been reported, but unconfirmed that Lassen was positioned to catch a cheerleader during a stunt, but the stunt failed and Lassen was accidentally kicked in the head.

“Injuries are a risk cheerleaders take,” said team coach Susan Prodoehl. “It’s unfortunate when someone gets hurt.”

Prodoehl stated that medical personnel on scene did what they thought was necessary in deciding to have Lassen flown to shock trauma. The coach said that she and Lassen have spoken since Wednesday evening.

“Amber said she is doing ok, and will return to practice on Monday,” Prodoehl said.

“Generally I’m doing a lot better, but get occasional headaches,” confirmed Lassen. She said she is scheduled to return to shock trauma in October for a follow-up review.

Cheerleading safety has been an issue for quite some time now. Just last year, a cheerleader at Southern Illinois University fell off of a human pyramid during a cheerleading performance. She suffered a chipped vertebrae and a bruised lung, but has recovered since, according to wikipedia.com.

As a result, the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators recommended banning basket tosses and high pyramids without mats. Though the group has no authority to prevent such routines, the NCAA requires cheerleading squads to conform to AACCA’s requirements, accordingto an AACCA press release on December 19, 2006.

“When I see them do the lifts and pyramids at the games, I always worry a little that something will happen,” said Lydia Eddy, a graduate of McDaniel College. “But I know they practice hard and know their stunts, though it is a little scary to watch.”

“As a cheerleader I am completely aware of the risks involved, but that is true for any athlete,” said junior and former Green Terror cheerleader April Curley.

“I have cheered for about six years and never been seriously hurt,” she added. “If I felt at anytime during my cheerleading career that I or my teammates were in danger, whether it was because we weren’t using the right techniques, we didn’t have the right equipment, then I would speak up.”

Adequate safety equipment has been an issue for sometime now amongst Green Terror Cheerleaders.

Former Cheerleader, Amy Faby, also a junior, states “McDaniel doesn’t consider cheerleading a sport and that leaves us with insufficient funds to have all the safety equipment required, such as cheerleading mats to obviously provide extra safety that is required for cheerleading.”

“I know that at the end of the day my life and the lives of my teammates are far more important than a Homecoming game,” Curley said.

By Geoff Peckham, News Co-Editor

Close your eyes.

The dull background noise of idle chatter and ringing cell phones rapidly died down, as a packed beyond capacity Hill Hall 108 became silent. Only one voice could be heard; it was gentle and deep, and for a room full of students and visiting adults alike, the chaos of everyday life was gone.

McDaniel College was happy to welcome Bhante Wimala, a Buddhist monk of the Center for Conscious Evolution in Princeton, NJ, for the third time last week. His talk was entitled “Peace Within,” and was sponsored by the Peace Club on campus.

“Silence speaks to me,” Wimala said after beginning his talk with a brief meditation. “Such a deep moment of silence, once you experience it… it broadens your perspective of the chaos in your mind. You see the world.”

Take a deep breath.

Wimala, who is originally from Sri Lanka, spoke for about 50 minutes before answering questions from the audience, which ranged from meditation techniques to how to mentally approach the various conflicts in the Middle East.

“The purpose of meditation is to find inner peace,” Wimala said. He talked of how an individual’s character will transform after finding that state of mind, which will lead to the “purest happiness in life.”

He also spoke of the difference between reacting to something and responding to it. He compared the human mind to a mechanical reactor, and that the mental chaoses many of us go through are results of us letting our emotions do that to us. “If you don’t have peace of mind, you [will] drown in chaos,” he said. Wimala spoke of the dangers f letting that chaos take over your mind, of dwelling on negative emotions, which often originate from other people’s negative views.

Wimala said the greatest liberation is not to let other people influence your behavior.

Exhale slowly.

“I think everyone can benefit by achieving inner peace,” said Dr. Tom Deveny, a Spanish literature professor and the advisor for the Peace Club at McDaniel. “I’ve never in my life met anyone who exudes peace like he does.”

The audience appeared to respond just as favorably to the talk. Junior Jake Schuessler was particularly impressed by Wimala’s approach to handling global issues.

“He challenged us to assess our motivations… and [to] ask ourselves if they stem from peace and love. He also encouraged us not to let negative energy… cloud our perception and make us unhappy.”

Wimala concluded his talk with a longer meditation session, for which most of the audience stayed. He compared his words to a “drop from the ocean of wisdom of what peace means.” Such spirituality could only inspire hope that Wimala’s fourth visit wouldn’t be too far ahead.

Open your eyes.

A burning trash can, broken vending machines, sketchy library characters, and failed heists are the legacy of the first month of fall semester.

Mike Habegger looking cool as always.

By Mike Habegger
Co-Editor in Chief

Class has been in session since August 27, and some of us (myself included), have been running around, up, and on the Hill since August 14. You would think that lots of crazy stuff would have gone on by now. Well, think again. It appears the Rouzer boys are a little more in control of themselves than in years past.

I take that back.

I didn’t know that we were living in the Bohemian East Village, but someone decided it would be a good idea to set a trashcan on fire in front of Rouzer. While it is indeed expensive to live on campus, I’m not sure why it’s necessary to pretend to be a squatter. Maybe by the end of the year we’ll be able to see Rouzer’s resemblance to Alphabet City.

Blanche is back in the swing of things. The first few weeks back on campus, and they’re already starving, and I don’t mean the rodents. In a particularly funny turn of events, campus safety officers stumbled upon some broken glass at the vending machines. All appearances suggest that “snacks may have been taken.” Uh, yeah. A resident in Blanche noted that the machines were cleaned out, and they had just been restocked that day.

Nice time for a heist.

If you’re under 18, you might want to be a little more wary when setting foot in the library. A call came in complaining about someone using his laptop improperly. Problem: dude was watching porn. We’ve heard stories like this before, but I’m just going to throw this out there right now: why go to the library to do something you can do in the privacy of your room? No common sense. I don’t want to see anyone going Balls McGee in the stacks.

One of the new things this year is the new Merritt Fitness Center. The pity is that we can’t drive through there anymore, which is probably a good thing, because you might get abducted by Spielberg’s aliens at their green-light landing pad. Well, apparently some boys decided they’d had it with such restrictions, and decided to yank the whole “ROAD CLOSED” sign down. Just so happens that the geniuses did it in front of some officers, and before you knew it, there was a chase. Two people, different directions. Run, run, run. Maybe they thought they’d have a chance getting picked up by E.T.’s family or Morgan Freeman’s voice.

But, inevitably, they were caught. Good thing, too. It seems the officer earned himself an invite to a party in North Village. Good party, too. Just in time to throw a few ping pong ball into ubiquitous red drinking cups.

Nice.

And this was the first night back on campus for these guys.

Oh, and though it’s obviously not yet Valentine’s Day, someone was already in the love-making mood. Thoughtful. Guess the flower shop wasn’t open, for it was 3:14 a.m. Dude couldn’t wait, and so officers found planted flowers pulled from the ground at PA 203, apparently interrupting the pursuit of flowers on the cheap, and the chance for some bow chika wa wa.

Organization gets government grant for the promotion of responsible drinking

By Melanie Chupein, Co-Editor in Chief

McDaniel College has received a two-year grant from the United States Department of Education to fund Late Nights, a student run program that promotes responsible drinking.

Project Director Grogan Ullah, wrote and applied for the grant and said that out of 168 applicants McDaniel ranked 6th. It took about a month to finish writing the grant. He said that “it was almost round the clock (literally late nights and weekends).” He adds that grant proposals have special format. Most proposals consist of about five to six mini essays. Each proposal is scored individually by outside readers usually on a scale of 100 points. After they receive a score, recommendations are made to the government for selection. Ullah said that the entire ordeal “is a highly competitive process.”

Ullah wants the students to plan events that interest them. He emphasizes the importance of raising awareness about the alternatives to binge drinking and reminding people that they have a choice.

“What kind of campus do you want it to be?” Ullah asked, adding, “We got the funding so that anything that the students want to do at campus that is fun and raises awareness about responsible drinking we can do.”

Andy Wu, ‘06 graduate and another member of the Late Nights team explained the mission of the organization.

“Late Nights is an organization trying to reduce dangerous drinking practices on campus,” Wu said. “We emphasize responsible drinking and informed decision making to ensure a safe after hours campus.”

Wu recognizes that tackling the issue of drinking on campus is difficult but he is confident that the method they are using is working. For their first event, an ice cream social was held and nearly 300 students showed up.

“I think our method of approaching students will help out a lot,” Wu said. “We speak to them as equals who understand their behaviors, not as authority figures trying to ruin their college experiences.”

Jess Behar, ’07 graduate and interactive theatre consultant for the program is hoping that there will be many more events on campus adding, “If there’s energy around it, we will plan it.” Behar hopes to bring more of a night life to McDaniel through regular events and make a difference in the campus community.

“I’m hoping this will have a very positive effect on the campus,” Behar said, “giving students more power to take ownership of their community and make it a safe, fun place to live and learn.”

Allie Pearlman, ’03 graduate and social worker, recalls her time on the Hill.

“Even from when I was a student here, there’s already pre-mixed drinks and people don’t think where it comes from,” Pearlman said. “There’s a disconnect in our minds about what that means.”

Pearlman works closely with the student task force of the Late Nights program, who meet every Monday night at 6 p.m. in Winslow.

Students in the group chose Thursday night as the main night to hold events and beginning on October 4, there will be free game room nights from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. the first Thursday of each month.

In November, there are plans to host a speaker who will discuss the effects of alcohol on the brain and later there will also be an art show as a means of artistically expressing high risk drinking. Everything in the program is “totally student run, student led.”

“Our goal is to empower students to make changes on campus,” Pearlman said. “We’re sort of the catalyst for change to be made through the students.”