Page 145 - ThePhoenix1996-97

I' , STUDENTS p JOURNALISM VIA the Phoenix WIN NATIONAL AWARDS --See page 6 L..._____.__J Volume XV, Number 11 Western Maryland College Thursday, April 24, 1997 Graduation to be held rm SIGMA SIGMA PLEDGING on a Thursday next year HALTED BECAUSE OF HAZING BY NIKKI BELANGER The faculty council considered BY KATE HAMPSON SraffWriter potential problems such as whether Assistant New.! Editor For the past 12 years, gradua- {his would be a hardship for fami- Pledging a fraternity or soror- tion has been held on the Saturday lies to attend during the week in- ity is always an eventful time, but of the week following finals. For stead of the weekend but discov- new members of Phi Sigma Sigma next year's senior class that tradi- ered that many colleges in the area Sorority got more than they bar- tion will be broken. hold graduation during the week. gained for when their pledge pro- In 1998, commencement will They also considered whether gram was halted by college offi- be on Thursday, May 21 at 1:00 seniors would have time for aU the cials. p.m. with baccalaureate on activities that are normally planned A number of reports of a haz- Wednesday night instead of Friday during that week but "were assured ing incident involving the sorority night. that all activities could be fit in," were received by Dean of Student The administrati ve council Alles said. Affairs Dr. Philip Sayre and the . brought the proposal to change the The faculty council then de- College Activities Office, so the date of graduation to the faculty cided that "this was an idea we program was suspended while in- council last fall because of a sched- could validate and pass on to fac- vestigation took place. uling conflict. In 1998, the state ulty," Alles said. The exact nature ofthe incident PHOENIX high school track and field event, The proposal was raised at the has not been disclosed and both the Pledging a fraternity or sorority is always an eventful time, but which uses Western Maryland faculty meeting on Tuesday, April college and the sorority are unwill- some may gel more than they bargain for. College's facilities. would have 1. There was a-brief.discussion ing 10 do <;.(1. The Phi Si~ .. been taking place during the same with some concerns raised by fac- quest an official list of the allega- vestigation was based on a wide future they will follow the national time as graduation. ulty members, and the proposal was tions against them but the college variety of complaints. Phi Sigma Sigma program known 'This was a gesture of good will accepted by matter of consensus. did not consider this necessary. After the incident was reported, as "Reflections." to the high schools," Dr. Gregory According to Dr. Philip Sayre, Reports of the incident came Dean Sayre, KaJtenbaugh, and Di- According to Clark, this pro- Alles, secretary of the faculty coun- Dean of Student Affairs, there will from a variety of sources includ- rector of College Activities gram has more activities involving cil,said. still be enough time for all of the ing parents, students and faculty Mitchell Alexander, met with Clark all the sisters and will "show the According to Alles, the initial activities that seniors normally members. and Sorority President Meredith new members what sisterhood is proposal last fall was to change the plan. Liz Clark, the pledge educator Bowen to discuss the issue with about." baccalaureate to Saturday night and "Most (senior classes] have for Phi Sigma Sigma is under the them. Dean Sayre emphasized the have graduation on Sunday after- only used three, sometimes four impression that one of the pledges They also met with all the importance of learning from this noon. However, administrators days" instead of the full week, complained to the college, but As- pledges, both as a group and indi- experience and of changing for the believed that Sunday would be too Sayre explained. sistant Director of College Activi- vidually, and with the sorority's better. He commented, "too many late for people to move out of their Traditionally, activities include ties Anita Kaltenbaugh will neither advisor 'and representatives from people see hazing as the way to dorms and would also spread se- an evening on the schooner, Clip- confirm nor deny this as she wishes the national organization. bring someone into an organiza- nior week too thin. $0 they de- to keep her sources confidential. As a result of these meetings the tion. A better way is to educate cided to have graduation during the continued on page 4 However, she does stress that sorority has been put on probation them about the group and to create week and shorten senior week by See related editorial on page 3 there were numerous reports from for two semesters and has had to a bonding experience." two days. many different sources and the in- rewrite its pledge program. In the continued on page 4 ing from elementary school-age StajfWriler children to adults. No matter their "Every once in a while there age, everyone in attendance re- comes a band who changes the face sponded to They Might Be Giants of history forever ... Ladies and enthusiastically. gentlemen do not be alarmed ... " The Gravel Pit warmed up the With that announcement filling crowd at 8 o'clock before TMBG the dark PELC Gym Friday night, continued on page 5 the spectrum of lights flared, the disco ball spun, and They Might Be Inside Giants took the stage. The concert, brought to WMC Soapbox 2 by the CAPBoard Campus Concert Staff Editorial 3 Committee, had a high turnout, Leiters to the Editor 3 with 700 of the 1000 tickets sold Meningitis report 4 as of the night before the show. Classifieds 6 Counting the tickets sold at the Joumalism awards . 6 door, CAPBoard president Brandy Milstein profile 7 Mulhern said a sellout was pos- Channel 17 8 sible. Study Abroad 8 The nearly full PELC Gym con- Internships 9 tained a mix of WMC students and Track and field 10 JOSE (lUBA) S1QUE1RA people from the community, rang-