Ithaca College Digital Commons @ IC The thI acan, 2008-09 The thI acan: 2000/01 to 2009/2010 4-16-2009 The thI acan, 2009-04-16 Ithaca College Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.ithaca.edu/ithacan_2008-09 Recommended Citation Ithaca College, "The thI acan, 2009-04-16" (2009). The Ithacan, 2008-09. 21. http://digitalcommons.ithaca.edu/ithacan_2008-09/21 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, 2008-09 by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ IC. OPINION SGA ELECTIONS SIGN OF BIGGER PROBLEM, PAGE 10 IT’S COMPLICATED SPORTS TRACK COACH CARRIES ON TRADITION, PAGE 23 Students’ parents use Facebook to communicate, page 13 PHOTO FINISH BOMBERS FALL TO FISHER, PAGE 28 Thursday Ithaca, N.Y. April 16, 2009 The Ithacan Volume 76, Issue 26 Inauguration ceremonies begin today BY SAM LOWE STAFF WRITER President Tom Rochon will be inaugurated as Ithaca College’s eighth president in a two-day aff air starting today. Th rough numerous events, the college is preparing to show- case academic accomplishments to visitors for the inauguration. Th ese events include the James J. Whalen Academic Symposium and faculty presentations. Th e inaugu- ration ceremony Sophomore Ashna Huq will graduate early and return to her home country of Bangladesh because of the economic crisis in the United States. will be held at PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY LAUREN DECICCA/THE ITHACAN 3 p.m. tomor- row in Ben Light Gymnasium, In a global economic crisis, after a full day international students weigh their options of events held The Dream Deferred around campus. C. William ROCHON will BY ELIZABETH GORMISKY America, are changing their plans. Th e students’ responses indicated their waning Schwab ’68, be inaugurated STAFF WRITER “We all had thought that maybe we’d stay hope in the U.S. economy and increased con- chairman of the tomorrow as the Two years ago sophomore Ashna Huq de- here for a while,” Huq said. “But now we’ve all cern for obtaining work visas postgraduation. Ithaca College college’s eighth president. cided the U.S. would off er her an incompa- decided that there’s really no point.” “Th e results were distressing from a U.S. Board of Trust- rable education, a wealth of opportunity and Huq said she expects to be more successful in perspective,” Wadhwa said. “Th e vast majority ees, will preside over the inaugu- social freedom. Now Huq sees her dreams only her job search at home. of [the students] were talking about going back ration. In addition to remarks by partially realized. “In Bangladesh having a degree from abroad home, and they didn’t consider the United States Rochon, the ceremony will feature Huq, an economics major, has been follow- can defi nitely hold quite a bit of signifi cance,” to be the biggest land of opportunity anymore.” an address by political scientist ing the U.S. fi nancial crisis with concern as her Huq said. Sophomore Samwan Rob, also from Dhaka, Robert D. Putnam titled “A New hopes for living and working in the U.S. post- Huq’s circumstances refl ect those of foreign Bangladesh, said the economy has made his ‘Greatest Generation’?” Putnam, graduation have faded. Huq has made the dif- students across the country. A recent survey postgraduation plans uncertain. who is a professor of public policy fi cult decision to graduate a semester early and conducted by Harvard and Duke universities’ “I’m not sure whether I am going to stay af- at Harvard University’s John F. return to her hometown, Dhaka, Bangladesh, fellow and researcher Vivek Wadhwa found that ter graduation given the economic situation,” Kennedy School of Government, because of her diminishing prospects of fi nding international students were less likely to seek Rob said. “I was planning to go home and work, will also be awarded an honorary work in America. Huq is not alone – several of jobs in the U.S. this year. More than 1,200 stu- Doctor of Letters degree. her cousins, who also attend college in North dents participated in the survey via Facebook. See STUDENTS, page 4 The events were planned by the inauguration committee consisting of 25 staff members and 30 student volunteers. Shel- ley Semmler, vice president for institutional advancement and Card key access systems member of the inauguration committee, said an inauguration could have a deeper meaning to the college — a fresh start. vandalized on campus “Th e term inauguration has two meanings: It means the for- BY SAM MCCANN In addition to targeted patrols, mal induction of the president STAFF WRITER campus police are using the infor- into offi ce, but it could also mean Since the card access program mation gained when students swipe a formal beginning or introduc- was implemented campuswide their IDs as a way to “narrow [the in- tion,” she said. Feb. 4, at least six card readers, out vestigation] down,” Stewart said. Th e Th e fi rst president to be inau- of more than 250 across campus, card readers electronically transmit gurated at the college was How- have been damaged or destroyed, students’ information when an ID is ard I. Dillingham on Oct. 12, costing the college more than scanned so police can then use that to 1957 at a Presbyterian Church in $2,000 to replace. determine who last used the device to downtown Ithaca. Th e damage includes pulled unlock the door. Ellis J. Phillips Jr. held the fi rst wires and defaced or destroyed Zach Newswanger, assistant academic festival and ceremony casings. One card reader, on the director of the Office of Resi- in 1971 featuring visiting del- second-fl oor loading area of East dential Life, said he believes ini- egates, a presidential medallion Freshman Mary Apesos uses her ID card last fall to get into Rowland Hall. Tower, was removed altogether. tial vandalism is a natural part of and multimedia presentations. Six card access systems have been damaged since February. “Over the course of the last the transition. ELIZABETH SILE/THE ITHACAN Guests from other colleges will month, it has been a problem area “I had expected that we might also be present at Rochon’s inau- for us,” Public Safety Director Terri see more [damage] than we have, does this entail … how is this at- has had to buy 10 replacement guration, as well as the medallion Stewart said. and I’m pleasantly surprised to say tached, how long is it going to stay, card readers to fi x the broken and presentations made by fac- Public Safety Director Terri that,” he said. “I wish we didn’t see what can I do to it?” readers and maintains a stock of ulty and visiting delegates. Stewart said card-reader vandal- any, but to see the smaller amount Newswanger, who is in charge extra devices. Each replacement Like the inauguration of for- ism has been a problem during the that we’ve had, I think the students of the card reader system, budgeted to the locks on the outside of mer President Peggy R. Williams, past month. are adjusting to using the readers for this type of damage when creat- buildings costs $210, in addition the fi rst day of events for Rochon’s To combat the problem, Public as opposed to their keys.” ing the initiative. He said with more to repair costs. Tyler Wagenet, the inauguration will include casual Safety has begun to target specifi c He feels that students have a than 250 card readers campuswide, campus card coordinator, said the presentations and cross-campus areas that have seen a particularly tendency to experiment with any he was worried the college would average price of each repair, in- activities. In the second event, high number of incidents. East kind of new program and see how have to replace 25 to 30 percent of cluding hardware costs and labor, the president will be invested Tower, which houses 52 card read- far it can be pushed. the devices. is roughly $500. with the college’s charter, mace ers, is one of the most frequent tar- “You have a little bit of where Despite being in line with pro- gets of card-reader vandalism. people test the system, like what jected costs, Newswanger said he See ENTRY, page 4 See PRESIDENT, page 4 find more. online. www.theithacan.org THURSDAY BRIEFING 2 The Ithacan Thursday, April 16, 2009 THIS Nation&World WEEK US sailors arrive home unharmed 16 THURSDAY Th e American crew who thwarted Somali pi- rates was fl ying home to the U.S. yesterday but Marjorie Fortunoff Mayrock without its captain, who was still aboard a Navy de- Lecture Series in History from stroyer after being rescued from the hijackers, the 7 to 9 p.m. in Park Center 111 crew’s shipping company said. Maersk spokesman Gordan van Hook said the 17 FRIDAY crew members of the Maersk Alabama left Mom- basa on a chartered plane heading for Andrews Air Shabbat Services at 6 p.m. in Force base in Maryland, where they were expected Muller Chapel to land late yesterday. Th eir reunion with Capt. Richard Phillips will Shabbat Dinner at 7:15 p.m. in now will take place in the United States, van Hook Terrace Dining Hall said. Phillips had planned to fl y home with his crew, 18 SATURDAY but he was aboard the USS Bainbridge when it was diverted Tuesday to try to help a second U.S.