THESAINT MARTIN’S BELLTOWER UNIVERSITY MONTHLY STUDENT NEWSPAPER Volume III Issue 6 FEBRUARY 2011 BSU hosts MLK Day Marissa Edwards Staff Writer On Jan. 20, 2011, the Black Student Union of Saint Mar- tin's University put together a Martin Luther King Day re- membrance and dinner in the Norman Worthington Confer- ence Center. Preacher Moss, a comedi- an and social commentator, was the guest speaker. Moss has been touring the United States with his “End to Rac- ism” show. The evening also includ- ed remarks from Ahmadou Seck, the university’s ASS- MU (Associated Students of Saint Martin’s University) president. The MLK commemoration has grown each year, with 60 to 70 people attending in 2011. Among those people Workers take part in Parsons Hall flood repair from damage over winter break. were students, staff, and com- munity members. Other entertainment includ- Flood in Parsons Hall causes disturbance ed singing by The Lion of Sunnie Ha the freshmen dorms with the Juda gospel choir, and fresh- Staff Writer upperclassmen dorms of the men students Jeane Stroud, second and third floors, as Krystinna Lee and Jasmine Parsons Residence Hall well as the students’ rooms Davis. had a devastating flood over on both side of the restrooms, “It was fun and entertaining the past winter break on De- had water damage on the Photos by Nick Harvey and also informational at the cember 31, 2010, causing floors and walls. The flood same time,” said Davis. many students to relocate has prevented students from In his closing statement, their rooms to Spangler Resi- entering the building through Moss explained how having dence Hall. the main entrance. five letters in the name of our Ella Shepherd, the Resi- Shepherd stated that the stu- race gives us all something dence Director of Spangler dents were given the option in common. (For example, Hall, explained that “a pipe to have professional movers “Black," "White," "Latin," or burst in the attic of Parsons pack and move their belong- "Asian.") Hall which caused the wa- ings. “Moss’s performance was ter to flow to the adjacent Director of Housing and well-rounded and recognized rooms.” Residence Life, Tim Mc- all races,” Lee said. Fortunately, Parker Ow- Clain, and Assistant Director, ens, the Parsons Hall Resi- Parker Owens, called each Campus Ministry dence Director, was present student whose space was af- and able to respond quickly, fected to inform the students holds first of three preventing the water from of the incident and the sub- lecture series further damaging the build- Brittany Tennant ing. The bridge connecting See FLOOD, Page B1 Staff Writer Ian Werrett, Ph.D., wore Textbook rentals and eBooks take over college bookstores casual attire; a pink dress shirt tucked into a pair of Jason Schuyler task of buying books each troduction of eBooks, which Nearly two-thirds of the jeans, around his neck was Staff Writer semester is always burden- saved me nearly a third of the country’s major colleges and a scarf, one that he bought some; however, this day cost. Although I didn’t find universities are now renting while in Jerusalem in March A week before spring se- turned out to be different. I the eBooks as convenient as textbooks. According to the 2010. The white scarf was mester started, I set out from strolled into the bookstore, a solid textbook, I couldn’t national association of col- Palestinian. When Dr. Wer- my Olympia home with a began browsing the shelves, pass up the opportunity to lege stores, the cheaper rental rett, Assistant Professor of heavy heart. The fear of be- and discovered a new way save the extra cash. process and the option of the Religious Studies, was pre- ing robbed from the dreaded to save myself time, money, I left the bookstore capti- eBook are aimed at reclaim- paring to board a plane in Is- Barnes & Noble bookstore and a little aggravation: book vated by the question of why ing a piece of the profit pie rael to get back to Washing- hovered over my head the rentals. the bookstore was suddenly being consumed by online ton, he was wearing this scarf whole drive to Saint Martin’s Last semester I was blown shifting towards these new University. The expensive away by the revolutionary in- ways of saving money. See STORE, Page D2 See FAITH, Page B2 SMU joins Saints Nation SMU remembers Homecoming Podcast community airs on FSN Dr. Bailey week kicks off News Page B1 Sports C1 Features Page D1 Opinions E1 B1FEBRUARY 2011 SAINTNEWS MARTIN’S UNIVERSITY The Life in the Balance Initiative Affects SMU Sports FLOOD, From Cover sequent move. A total of 24 students NCAA regulations influence Division II seasons were relocated. Upperclassmen were Caley Wiseman Division II athletes. Two main shifts ball season are similar to those of moved within Parsons Hall while the Staff Writer in the seasons took place this year. the soccer season, yet have a much freshmen were moved to Spangler For soccer, the start of pre-season more positive impact on the team. Hall. A collegiate student-athlete carries was pushed back by one week and The basketball season was also cut Several students who were informed a heavy load during the school year. the total contests allowed in the allot- short by a week around Christmas. of the damage to their rooms com- Not only do athletes have many stren- ted season were reduced by two. The While this reduces practice time, it is mented on their reaction to the news. uous hours of practice each week, but seven-day “dead period” at the begin- right around the holiday which allows Freshman Jessica Ziemer replied athletes are also required to take, at ning of pre-season meant that soccer student-athletes to go home and spend that her first thoughts were if her minimum, twelve credit hours (a full- players lost twenty hours of practice time with family and friends. It is also “stuff was OK and who was moving time load). The NCAA has found that times. This proposed change would mid-season for basketball, which can it.” many students may be stretched too allow student-athletes and coaches be the secret to the well-being of the Alex Williams, also a freshman, stat- thin, and are attempting to define the more time during their summer vaca- athlete. ed, “In my head I was thinking that differences between NCAA Divisions tion. Basketball contests were also re- all my stuff was probably ruined! And I, II and III athletics. There is also a benefit financially duced from 27 to 26 games per year. what made it more difficult was I was The NCAA legislative committee for the institutions: they will not be Men’s basketball head coach Keith not around to see any of the damage stated that “ a group of about 70 presi- forced to feed and house student-ath- Cooper says that this reduction because I had just gotten knee surgery dents gathered at a 2009 convention letes while classes aren’t in session. doesn’t cause any serious damage to and I was stuck at home while they with reason to believe that the balance The second major change for soccer their season. were telling me this. I was preparing that is so integral to the strategic-posi- was the reduction of contests from 20 “If I lose a week of practice and so for the worst.” tioning platform had become skewed to 18. Because many soccer games are does everyone else, then I don’t really Although the transition was un- by athletic time commitments that mid-week competitions, this would see the big deal. It would be different comfortable, Williams stated that the compromised class work, and a play- help reduce missed class time. if I was the only one losing a week, move to a new residence hall was not ing schedule that, over the years, had According to the head of the Saint but since it’s everyone, I’m fully sup- so difficult. become more populated with exempt- Martin’s soccer program, Rob Walk- portive of the initiative,” says Cooper. “We were told the night in advance ed contests, regular-season games and er, these changes to the soccer season Overall, the Life in the Balance Ini- that we had to move, and profession- postseason tournaments. In short… can be beneficial for a student but also tiative is an NCAA enforced proposal al movers came in the next morning the presidents wondered whether negative for the program as a whole. to maintain the well-being of Division and brought everything over for us. student-athletes were spending more Maintaining the same number of II student-athletes and ensure that They tried to make it as painless as time on the fields and courts than they competitions during a shorter season student-athletes aren’t missing more possible,” said Ziemer. However, she were in the classroom.” could be detrimental to an athlete’s class time than they must. After all, explained that the movers were a bit In order to change this overload, the well-being. Overall, Coach Walker student-athletes are students first and “unorganized,” which made the un- NCAA started the “Life in the Balance is not very satisfied with the changes athletes second. packing feel more rushed, in addition Initiative,” which primarily affected made to the season. to the fact that she only had one day the soccer and basketball seasons of The changes made to the basket- to get herself settled in before school started.