Sewanee Purple,1991-92

THE SEWANEE PURPLE FEBRUARY 10, 1992 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTH VOLUME 171, ISSUE to SEWANEE, TN 37375 Five Students Punished for Roles in Confrontation by Michael Cass, Editor, consulted with members of the tionaswell. of friends and possibly under them to wait and went to get my and Ann-Elise Lewallen, Faculty Discipline Committee. Probation requires the the influence of alcohol, made friends," said the student in an News Editor In subsequent meetings, appro- four disciplined students to un- an undirected racially related interview last week. priate measures of punishment dergo mandatory counseling, comment which was perceived When the student and one The Faculty Discipline were given to the students in- help to develop programs for to be derogatory. An African- of his friends returned, another Committee suspended one stu- volved and amended after ap- education about race relations, American student in a nearby Caucasian student approached dent and placed four others on peals to Vice-Chancellor and participate in various com- room pursued the group of Cau- them and began to speak with academic probation for their in- Samuel Williamson. munity service programs. It also casian students to the parking the two. volvement in an incident which The lone student who suspends theirdriving privileges area of the dormitory. According to the African- took place early in the morning threw punches was suspended and makes them ineligible to At this point he said to the American student, "1 saw a lot of Jan. 26 in a dormitory room. from the College until Easter enter the Order of Gownsmen group of eight or nine people of boys taking off their jackets Four African-American Semester, 1993, effective im- or participate in varsity athletics. gathered in the parking lot. and making ascmi-circle around students entered the room of a mediately. Another student who The students may petition the "Whoever said it, step up to me us. We were scared and I said Caucasian student and pro- entered the room received three Vice-Chancellor for reconsid- like a man and deal with your 'If you don't leave us alone. ceeded to interrogate him about semestersof academic probation eration of their punishment af- comment." we're gonna sue you,' just to an allegedly racially derogatory forverbal abuse ofthe Caucasian ter the majority of their proba- The group began to come invoke some fear in them. statement that had been made student, while the other two tionary period has passed. nearer to the student questioning "When I said that, one of the evening before. When they students present on the scene Although the situation them, and it was at this point the Caucasian students stepped did not get the answer or infor- were placed on probation for which eventually led to the that he saw the individual to forward and said. 'Ain'tnobody mation they sought, one of the one semester each for contrib- punishment of the students was whose room he went the next gonna die tonight, ain't nobody students became incensed and uting to the hostile environment an isolated incident, both groups evening. gonna shoot nobody.' Because struck the Caucasian student re- in which the confrontation took of students agree that it was not "This environment was he was approaching me as he peatedly in the face. place. Finally, the student who the only confrontation which very intimidating tome, because was speaking, 1 pushed him The student who had been made the initial, allegedly ra- influenced their behavior. they were not answering my back. Thenalotof people started assaulted promptly contacted the cially derogatory remark re- On the evening of Jan. 24, questions but were coming continued on page 2 appropriate administrators, who ceived one semester of proba- aCaucasian student with a group closer and closer to me. I told Habitat for Humanity Calls Students to Chicago by Elizabeth HesseJink " There seemed lo be a need The former seminarian also Jltlf ~~— News staff for workers in the Chicago treated the Sewanee group to a chapter of Habitat for Human- Ba»»*» 1 in the During the last week of " 'T^^ti"- ' ity. "The people Christmas Vacation, while many 'The students were ap- seminarian's church were Sewanee students were busy prehensive at first but agreed to amazed that folks from Sewanee travelling or relaxing, a group ™' the trip," said Myers, "To actu- would come up to Illinois Ifor of students led by Dixon Myers yw^r ^ ally get in a van and go down- this kind of work]," said Griffin. for town in the middle of Chicago is Susan Staton commented participated in a Habitat ^FS»*r il that, "the houses were so ter- Humanity project in inner-city 1 a big step. an act of courage." Chicago. y The Westside Chapter of rible and the neighborhood was group of nine drove PwV Habitat for Humanity had their in such poor condition we really The : making dif- up on January 13, toured Chi- tools stolen a week before the felt like we were a Sewanee habitat volunteers take a break from their hard work. cago on the 14th, and then group arrived so that there had ference." seem to worked for four days before house. The group's job was to Coordinator of Outreach been no recent work on the Although there problems in the inner- returning to Sewanee. Students work on the trimwork, includ- Ministries Dixon Myers thought houses. Sewanee students be many felt it was important in the group were Tonya ing laying down baseboards and that the trip was "an eyeopener. brought with them three boxes city. Myers fami- Eldredge, Jennifer Griffin, putting up door frames, all of Exposing students to places like of tools and a saw which were to remember that "the two Jenny Johnson, Robbin Milam, which was accomplished in this and seeing these real prob- greatly appreciated by the lies that move in will have dras- Kathy Morris, Elizabeth temperatures below freezing lems makes them seem less in- Westside Chapter. tically-changed lives." Anthony Williams added. Sherwood, Susan Staten, and with the use of an air compres- timidating—you feel like you According to Myers, the should do it at least Anthony Williams. They stayed sor. can make a difference." group's labor on the houses "Everyone organizing once. It's hard work but worth at Jenny Johnson's home and Though the group did not Myers began helped "lift the spirits and pick if it if you know what you're do- drove out to the worksite on the have much direct interaction the trip after students inquired up the momentum" of the Chi- ing it for helping someone. west side of downtown. with the people in the neigh- there was a possibility that a cago Habitat volunteers. — back to society. You Each of two brownstone borhood, "the people were aware service project could be arranged The Chicago group was You give leave your mark and later you houses that the group worked of something going on in the for the last part of Christmas also helped out by a University can go back and see what you' ve on was for a single mother with community and we didn't have Break. Though the group of the South School of Theol- done." more than four children; the to say anything to make a strong originally wanted a project ogy graduate who had his parish south, project. family will later work on the impression," commented Jen- somewhere in the no donate money to the nifer Griffin. projects were available. Page 2 The Sewanee Purple February 10, 1992 NEWS Five Students Community Service Council Disciplined i in;.' \ iukiicc) I'iriliU'd Strives, to Assist Service Groups by Chris Mahoney -Fraternity Council and the problem does confront one of -Sorority < antmm- ii from page I News staff Council, and the these service groups, the CSC is available for assistance. All one grabbing and pushing and it was The Community Ser- broken up." has to do is to contact the Coun- handling the matter as soon as vice Council (CSC) at Sewanee Beck, the Program Service In the eyes of one Cauca- Co- cil, describe the problem, and if they learned about it at ap- has kept a low profile, despite ordinator, and Paige Ford, the sian individual who witnessed something can be done, the proximately 2:30 a.m. the fact that it has been here for the incident, "He [the Cauca- members of the Council will Throughout the week members two-and-a-half years. Carrie sian student who spoke] simply find a way. of the Faculty Discipline Com- Ashlon, the staff adviser for the asked him [the Alrican-Amcri Ashton expressed hope mittee met to decide upon Council, insists that the group's can student] what was up and that the Council will expand its appropriatedisciplinary mea- main purpose at the University before he had finished his sen- role in the future, becoming a is "to act as a clearinghouse for tence he was hit in the mouth more active body, rather than Pearigen thought the problems and a source of in- about three times and had a solely an adviser to the various punishments for each partici- formation for the community cussion, the meetings of the busted lip," groups on campus. pant were fair. groups here the Mountain." Unfortunately, much un- on Council are excellent ways for Beck also indicated his "The punishments were a resolved tension after Friday's Meeting once month, the leaders to discuss ways of desire to increase the Council's iik'k-d mil in jiutmlrince with confrontation remained through (he CSC consists of the leaders improving the service they influence.

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