Ithaca College Digital Commons @ IC The thI acan, 2007-08 The thI acan: 2000/01 to 2009/2010 4-17-2008 The thI acan, 2008-04-17 Ithaca College Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.ithaca.edu/ithacan_2007-08 Recommended Citation Ithaca College, "The thI acan, 2008-04-17" (2008). The Ithacan, 2007-08. 12. http://digitalcommons.ithaca.edu/ithacan_2007-08/12 This Newspaper is brought to you for free and open access by the The thI acan: 2000/01 to 2009/2010 at Digital Commons @ IC. It has been accepted for inclusion in The thI acan, 2007-08 by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ IC. OPINION TASKS FOR AN INCOMING PRESIDENT, PAGE 12 PLAYING FOR A CAUSE ACCENT MAKING ANIMATION PAY OFF AT HOME, PAGE 15 Nearly 200 participate in basketball fundraiser, page 25 THIS I SEE FINDING TREASURES IN TASMANIA, PAGE 32 Thursday Ithaca, N.Y. April 17, 2008 The Ithacan Volume 75, Issue 26 Judge recomends A SHIFT AT THE TOP $1M for Kearney BY AARON MUNZER a new SPECIAL PROJECTS MANAGER Ithaca College student Amelia Kearney and her daughter deserve $1 million for the pain and suff er- ing that the Ithaca City School District allowed the family to undergo by not responding to Kearney’s pleas for help when her daughter was being racially leader College selects eighth president harassed at school, a judge with the New York State Division of Human Rights recommended last week. Administrative Law Judge KEARNEY said Christine Marbach Kellett said she was thrilled after hearing the evidence it was with the judge’s undisputable that the district had decision. failed to protect Kearney’s daughter. “Her daughter was the victim of horrendous, re- peated, racially motivated harassment by other stu- dents in school,” Kellett wrote in her recommenda- tion. “[Th e district] permitted such discriminatory conduct by failing to take appropriate or meaning- ful actions to stop these racially motivated attacks BY NATHANIEL WEIXEL Schwab said Rochon was the best match for the college be- despite the opportunity and authority to do so.” SENIOR WRITER cause of his experience at St. Th omas, as well as his understand- Kellett’s scathing assessment and recommenda- Th e Board of Trustees named Th omas Rochon as the eighth ing of issues in higher education. tion that the district pay $1 million in damages to president of Ithaca College last Friday. Rochon, the executive “He is an extremely accomplished academician and scholar,” Kearney and her daughter will not be fi nalized until vice president and chief academic offi cer of the University of St. Schwab said. “I think he understands what is necessary to pro- Gov. David Paterson appoints a new commissioner Th omas in St. Paul, Minn., will begin his position July 1. vide and deliver excellence in education at both the undergradu- to the division, following last week’s resignation of Rochon said being named the college’s next president was an ate and graduate level.” Kumiki Gibson. indescribable feeling. Rochon said he couldn’t comment yet on any similarities or “It’s highly likely that [Kellett’s] recommenda- “Th e vote of confi dence by the Board of Trustees was just diff erences between himself and Williams but said he has a lot to tions will be adopted by the commissioner,” said Ray overwhelming,” Rochon said. “I’m just looking forward to the learn from how Williams has run the school. Schlather, Kearney’s lawyer. “Th at is the standard way opportunity so much I can hardly wait to start.” Senior Josh Keniston, the college’s student trustee, said it happens.” Rochon said his leadership style probably would not change, he thinks Rochon’s strong academic background will help Th e recommendation came two years after Ke- because his position at St. Th omas requires the same type of the college continue to move forward as an academically arney’s then 12-year-old daughter, Epiphany, was al- leader as Ithaca. sound institution. legedly spit on, hit and threatened with violence and “Th e only leadership style that works … is one that’s collab- “As Ithaca moves forward, we are poised to be a great institu- racial epithets while riding the bus to DeWitt Middle orative,” Rochon said. “In a way, the job of the president is to … tion,” Keniston said. “His experience with fundraising [and] with School. In hearings, the district admitted that within help everyone else do their job.” academics is really good experience to help us continue to move a fi ve-month period they did not do enough to pro- Th e search for a new president began last July when Presi- forward and go to that next level.” tect Epiphany from the repeated racial harassment dent Peggy R. Williams announced her plans to retire at the end Rochon said he has no specifi c policy initiatives for the during the 2005–06 academic year. Epiphany is now of the school year. Rochon was selected by the college’s Board of a student at Ithaca High School. Kearney is a 37-year- Trustees, chaired by C. William Schwab ’68. See NEW PRESIDENT, page 4 old student at Ithaca College, majoring in criminal Thomas Rochon, who was named the eighth president of Ithaca College on Friday, speaks March 26 in the Clark Lounge. See ICSD, page 4 CONNOR GLEASON/THE ITHACAN Weekend crimes shake campus BY SAMANTHA ALLEN residents had property stolen. Th e building. Th e students told offi cials STAFF WRITER suspect stayed in the apartment for an they had left the door to their apart- Following two weekend crimes on estimated 15 to 20 minutes, gathering ment unlocked. Bob Holt, director the Ithaca College campus — a bur- an undisclosed amount of cash, sev- of Public Safety, said “piggybacking” glary in the Circle Apartments and an eral laptops, PlayStation parapherna- into residence halls is common in armed robbery lia and multiple iPods, Dunn said. No the community. in the Garden students were injured. Dunn said Public Safety believes Apartments, To watch video inter- Public Safety offi cials said this is the suspect had the intention of enter- involving simi- views with Garden the fi rst crime of its kind to occur on ing that specifi c apartment, seeing as lar stolen items Apartment residents, campus in recent memory. Dunn said no other apartments in the building — the Offi ce of visit theithacan.org Public Safety has increased patrol at were entered. Public Safety the Garden Apartments. Th e campus community was noti- has increased security and patrol staff Th e students described the sus- fi ed of the incident at 2:52 a.m. in the on campus. pect as a dark-complexion black fi rst use of the college’s new Emergen- No arrests have been made in ei- male with dreadlocks, 20 to 30 cy Notifi cation System, Dave Maley, ther incident, and the investigations years old, standing approximately 6 associate director of media relations Ithaca College Security Offi cer Jim Conlon patrols outside of the Garden are continuing, Investigator Tom feet tall and weighing 230 pounds, said. Maley said the college debated Apartments yesterday. Public Safety has increased security there. CONNOR GLEASON/THE ITHACAN Dunn said. He said Public Safety is in- Dunn said. He was last seen wearing whether or not to use the ENS be- vestigating several leads in both cases. black jeans, a black hoodie and a cause of the early hour. He said it took default, every student, faculty and staff often forget to lock the door and Four male student residents of Gar- purple bandana. time to decide, as well as to gather use- member received an e-mail message. that they hadn’t considered that den Apartment 27 reported at 12:18 Th e residents told offi cials they did ful information, such as a description Maley said the messages were received something like this could happen a.m. Monday that a man with a black not know the identity of the robber, of the suspect. “within a matter of minutes.” on campus. handgun entered their apartment at Dunn said. Public Safety has not ruled “It’s a balance between timeli- At an open-forum held outside “[I was afraid] only in the sense approximately 11:15 p.m. Sunday. Th e out the possibility that the suspect ness and the amount of information,” the Garden Apartments Monday, that it was so close to home,” Drick suspect went upstairs and confronted may be a student or a member of the he said. Holt spoke to students who lived in said. “ ... You think that we’re in our the four students, Dunn said. A fi fth college community. Forty-four percent of the under- the area. own little bubble on campus but resident was not in the apartment at Dunn said forced entry was not graduate community received either Junior Seth Drick, who lives in the time of the incident, but all fi ve used to enter the apartment or the a text message or a phone call, and by Apartment 27, said his roommates See CRIME, page 4 find more. online. www.theithacan.org THURSDAY BRIEFING 2 The Ithacan Thursday, April 17, 2008 THIS Nation&World WEEK Virginia Tech remembers tragedy 17 THURSDAY A sea of people wearing orange and maroon fl owed onto the main lawn at Virginia Tech yes- Mesa Española from 6 to 7 p.m. terday, some clutching single roses, to remember in the Terrace Dining Hall the victims of the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.