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A class project of CMA 304

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Students dispute new housing rules

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meyran sink

 

By Devon Wilson//

Hood College is implementing a new housing requirement for students enrolling in the upcoming fall semester that will require all freshman, sophomore, and junior students to live on-campus.

Dean of Students and Vice President for Student Life Olivia White wrote to all Hood students: “When students live on campus, they are more likely to take full advantage of academic resources, achieve greater academic success, and attain their degrees. They also are more likely to be involved with student organizations and projects.”

While White’s statement may be true, not all students subscribe to this theory as they believe this new housing requirement would be unfair for future Hood students.

“If you want to be involved, you’re going to be involved, and if you don’t, you don’t. I don’t think where you live determines that,” said sophomore Meyran Hall resident, Samy Brandt.

While administration believe future students who live on campus will have more opportunities to get involved, current students believe improvements need to be made to on-campus housing and the new rule may deter prospective students.

Katelyn Long, a junior who lived in Coblentz Hall last year, noticed some issues with the dorm.

“I lived on the second floor and there were always ants. We also only had two showers and two bathroom stalls…I think that they need to update it like they did to Memorial Hall’s bathrooms.”

[Read more…]

Health officials promote flu shots

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flu shot

By Nicole Prokopchak//

With the flu season already having started, health officials want students to know the importance of getting vaccinated.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated their list of information for the 2017/2018 flu season that recommended to not use the nasal spray flu vaccine. “Flu vaccines have been updated to better match circulating viruses (the influenza A(H1N1) component was updated),” stated the CDC. Only injectable flu shots are recommended now, which are available to students at Hood College.

Teresa Cevallos, director of Health Services at the Hood College Health Center, strives to get the message across to students. “Prevention is always better than a cure. As with any immunization, it is there to prevent you from getting sick,” she stated.

Cevallos explained that while the health center does not see that many cases of the flu each year (less than 10 cases), she would like to attribute that to more students getting vaccinated.

Students live in close proximity to one another and are much more susceptible to catching sicknesses when living with each other. “The more students that get vaccinated, the less able the flu is to spread, it is important to protect yourself and others. This is a prime example of herd immunity,” explained Cevallos.

Hood College senior Melissa Sepe is a firm believer in getting vaccinated. “Not only is it protecting your health, its also helping from having the flu spead all over campus,” Sepe said. “This is my fourth year living on campus and I’ve seen first hand how fast sicknesses can spread. Do your job and get vaccinated just to be cautious. Its better to be safe than sorry.”

Flu symptoms that can run you bed-ridden for up to a week or more, which is keeps students out of class. Hood College senior Max Stankiewicz had the flu last year after not getting a flu shot. “I definitely regret not getting the vaccine last year,” Stankiewicz said. “I had to isolate myself from everyone else as to not get anyone sick. My symptoms lasted a week and I couldn’t go to class. This year I’ll definitely be heading to the campus health center to get the vaccine, I don’t want to risk what I went through last year,” Stankiewicz said.

The Hood College Health Center is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Flu vaccines are available at any time during their hours on a first come first serve basis. The vaccine is $15 out of pocket and they do not take insurance. The health center encourages students to get the vaccine even if students get it somewhere else through their insurance.

 

New plan adds to parking woes

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parking chart

A Hood driver searches for parking place.

A Hood driver searches for parking place.

By Natalie Kendall//For years, the parking at Hood College has been a problem for years, with more individuals than parking spaces. Earlier this year, Hood put into place a new parking plan to try to handle the parking dilemma on campus. While it was hopeful that this new parking plan would solve the problems, alas it did not. Ever since the plan was put into place it has been even harder than normal to find parking spaces.

“Throughout the years,” Thurmond Maynard, the director and chief of campus security at Hood College, said, “parking has been an ongoing issue that the College is trying to improve with this plan. With minimal spaces to utilize, it has been a difficult challenge that will need to take time and adjustments.”

Maynard stated that the initiative behind the plan was “to be able to maximize parking lots and have spaces throughout the campus dedicated to different members of the community.” While the reasons behind this plan were valiant, its outcome was less than helpful, at least from the eyes of many students and staff and faculty.

parking spaces

Maynard, gave an in depth analysis about the parking spaces on campus. He said the spaces can be broken up into percentages between commuters, residents, faculty/staff, general parking, and reserved parking. According to him, 34% of the spaces are dedicated to commuters, 30% are for residents, 20% are for faculty/staff, 7% are for general parking, which can include commuters, residents, faculty/staff, and visitors, and 9% is for reserved parking for visitors, motorcycles, handicapped, and contractors.

There are 659 marked parking spaces on Hood College property. Of those parking spaces there are 127 staff/faculty spaces, 198 resident student spaces, and 224 commuter student spaces. While this may seem like a lot of spaces, when you look at the number of spaces in comparison to the number of individuals on campus it becomes quickly apparent how few spaces there really are.

Of the 659 parking spaces on campus, 549 of these are marked for staff/faculty, residents, and commuters, with the last 90 spaces marked for general parking. In comparison, there are 2,437 staff, faculty, and students on campus. This creates a ratio of about four individuals to one parking space. However, this ratio doesn’t account for the amount of visitors on a regular basis or for special events.

While the ratio of overall spaces to individuals is one to four, the ratios between the marked spaces and their designated persons range from one to three for staff/faculty and one to six for commuters. This drastic ratio for commuters has caused a lot of problems since the plan was put in place with a lot of complaints because of the lack of spaces designated for commuters. Maynard said, “Some adjustments were made after implementing the initial plan to dedicate more parking for commuter students, who make up the largest population of the community.” While this is helpful for commuters it hasn’t completely fixed the problem with lack of spaces. “Continued assessments and suggestions will be taken and shared,” Maynard said, “with senior management in an effort to maximize parking on campus.”

While there are 659 parking spaces on campus, 905 people have applied for a parking pass, which is less than half of the total individuals on campus. According to Maynard, everyone who has registered for a parking pass has picked up their parking pass.

While it is a good idea to try to help parking all over Hood College’s campus, the reality of the matter is there is just not enough space for parking. The college will continue to put effort into trying to improve the parking problems on campus. It will be interesting to see where parking on campus will go over the next couple years and if it will ever be solved.

Student debate mirrors the national political scene

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donkey elephantBy Sophia Rowel//On Wednesday Oct. 10, while the general population prepared to watch another riveting presidential debate, Hood College students experienced an exciting debate between Hood College Democrats and Hood College Republicans on the topic of immigration.

On the Democratic side, seniors Gabriel Cassutto and Kaylene Wright presented a fact-based line of reasoning and ethics while the Republican team composed of junior Luke Staley and sophomore Samantha Salus, offered more on the defense of American values and political structure. The heated discussion attracted a large audience and certainly provided comprehendible political observations for the crowd of millennials.

As immigration has become such a heated area in presidential campaigns, both sides were tasked with relaying the stances presented in each respective party platform.

Democrats kicked off the conversation with an introduction that called attention to the historic relevance of immigration in the discovery and founding of the United States. “If we choose the path of fear, we not only alienate millions of innocent people, who strive for a better life for themselves and their families, but we degrade the belief, values, and essence of what is inscribed on the statue of liberty,” Cassutto says leading into a quote from “The New Colossus.”

[Read more…]

Alcohol violations double as college cracks down

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By Tyler Royer//Alcohol-related violations at Hood College have nearly doubled over the last year as security and faculty are cracking down on underage drinking, according to campus security officials.

In the latest annual security and fire safety report shows an increase in judicial referrals of liquor law violations from 49 in 2014 to 75 in 2015. In 2013 there were 66 violations reported. According to Thurmond Maynard, director and chief of security at Hood College, says the numbers are down for the fall 2016 semester, saying, “There has not been many, maybe around 10 or 15 violations so far this semester.”

Matt Troutman, director of residence life and student conduct, said the numbers in the report can be misleading because they depend on the size of the student body, which varies from year to year. He said percentages of the student body would be a more accurate documentation.

“Residence assistants now know how to properly address and document alcohol issues,” Troutman said, who joined Hood College’s faculty in the summer of 2015. Troutman later added that in the past only students directly in violation of policies have been referred and documented, and the process since Troutman’s arrival is now much more thorough.

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College adds gender-neutral bathrooms

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all gender bathroom sign

By Ryan Knight//Students’ right to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity in public schools has been taken all the way to the Supreme Court.

But since changes were made at Hood College, using the same bathroom as their transgender and gender-nonconforming peers hasn’t been an issue for anyone on campus. Safety and comfort while using the bathrooms were primary reasons members of the Queer Student Union wanted all-gender bathrooms o campus.

During the spring 2016 semester, QSU members met with President Andrea Chapdelaine and Dean Olivia White during an open forum in which they discussed the possibility of making some restrooms on campus all-gender.

According to the Rev. Beth O’ Malley, other institutions had restroom accommodations for transgender students and Hood College wanted to adhere to those same standards because transgender students needed this change to feel safe in the bathroom. However, overall, she feels that safety and comfort of all students is important because many students call this campus home.

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Libman professor prepares for the next adventure

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By Ellie Blaser//

For the last three years, Katherine Fulfer has served as the Sophia M. Libman NEH Professor of the Humanities, specializing in the Women’s Studies Program and Department of Philosophy & Religious Studies. The Sophia M. Libman NEH is a visiting professorship awarded to a professor at Hood for three years, during which time they work at Hood. Fulfer’s time as the professor will conclude at the end of this academic year.

“The contract is for three years, and it was designed to bring in a junior scholar to meet a teaching need that the college had: an area of interest that no one was able to teach,” Fulfer says regarding her positions. “One of the first Libman professors focused on classics, one focused on queer studies and Latin American studies, one focused on film.”

Libman professor Katy Fulfer.

Libman professor Katy Fulfer.

During her time at Hood, Dr. Fulfer has focused on women’s studies and feminism. Her education includes a B.A. from Freed-Hardeman University, a Masters philosophy from Georgia State University, and a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Western Ontario. Dr. Fulfer was granted her Hood Professorship immediately after earning her Ph.D.

“It’s an exciting opportunity because you get to do so much and it’s very inter-disciplinary, so I’m constantly learning all the time,” she says. “When I first got here, I felt like a spent a few months reinventing the wheel.” She says that it was thanks to another former Libman professor that she was able to find her footing at the school.

Dr. Fulfer teaches many classes regarding gender and feminism, including Global Perspective: Women, Power, and Politics. In this class, Fulfer encourages discussion among students while also giving information on the topic of the day (surrogacy in India) through video and images.

[Read more…]

Hood housing changes will eliminate all-girls dorm in the fall

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By Taylor Yancey//It has been over 10 years since Hood College decided to allow males to attend the institution as full time students. Throughout those 10 years the staff at Hood has accommodated to both the male and female students.

Hood College students are now in the second semester of the 2015-2016 academic year, and there have been discussions regarding dorm changes. There was recently an open forum held on campus by the Student Government Association (SGA) that discussed the changes that will be implemented in the fall of 2016. This forum was held on February 26, 2016.

Some students were concerned with what these changes would consist of so the forum granted them an opportunity to gain some clarity.

Sarah Scott, a House Council representative for Shriner Hall said, “I heard that within the next 10 years Shriner will no longer be an all-girls dorm. I can’t imagine what that will be like.” Scott is a sophomore and will be graduating Hood in the winter of 2017.

At the beginning of the 2015-2016 semester, all of the students were asked to participate in an anonymous survey that featured questions about dorm life, both currently and in the future. The results of the survey were released and discussed at the open forum.

Matt Troutman, Director of Residence Life and Student Contact said, “These changes will take place this fall. I would say that there were some loud voices initially not supportive or seeking to learn more information.”

These changes were brought up in order to create a better living environment for the students. Troutman said “In addition, we will try to have full occupancy on campus to have a robust campus life.”

Some of the reported changes include, granting the option for girls and boys to room together, transforming the only all-girl dorm into a coed dorm, and reserving both Smith and Memorial Halls.

dorm sign

Sign in front of Memorial Hall.

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Career center helps students find their way in the job world

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By Gabrielle Cavalier//

Hundreds of students entering their first year of college have absolutely no idea what they want to do as a career path. Some think they do, but then change it three years in. What if there was a place a student could go to for career path advice, right on campus? Well, that’s where the Hood College Career Center comes in.

The Career Center, which can be found on the second floor of the Apple building connected to Whitaker, is the place to go to when a student needs an internship, resume critiquing, career help, volunteering opportunities, etc. The Career Center has plenty of options for students to engage in networking and finding a job after college that is suitable for them.

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College students grow accustomed to using iPads for work and play

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By Becca DeLauter//   

In 2014, Hood College was recognized as an Apple Distinguished School for its plan to use iPad technology as a teaching tool. The program, initially aided by an anonymous alumni donor, caused controversy on whether giving students iPads would really enhance their education. Hood initially geared the pilot program toward moving away from physical textbooks to e-books.

The school began this process in 2011.  Four years later, student and faculty opinions still vary on whether Hood’s mission to further education through the iPads is successful.

Many students agree that the root of the controversy lies in the faculty.  They say some of their professors don’t allow the iPads, while others encourage use of them, as well as make them a part of lesson plans.

“About half of my teachers allow them, and half of them forbid them, “Ariana LeBlanc, a junior, said. “I never know what to expect.”

LeBlanc, a biology major, also said that she mainly uses her iPad for social media and entertainment purposes.  She said that the iPad does help her escape from the stresses of school.  When she needs to take a break from school work, she watches Netflix and plays on the iPad.

ipad in the classroom [Read more…]

A class project of CMA 304.