Digital Kenyon: Research, Scholarship, and Creative Exchange The Kenyon Collegian College Archives 4-12-2007 Kenyon Collegian - April 12, 2007 Follow this and additional works at: https://digital.kenyon.edu/collegian Recommended Citation "Kenyon Collegian - April 12, 2007" (2007). The Kenyon Collegian. 75. https://digital.kenyon.edu/collegian/75 This News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the College Archives at Digital Kenyon: Research, Scholarship, and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Kenyon Collegian by an authorized administrator of Digital Kenyon: Research, Scholarship, and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Established 1856 Volume CXXXIV, Number 22 www.kenyoncollegian.com PB News The Kenyon Collegian Thursday, April 12, 2007 Thursday, April 12, 2007 The Kenyon Collegian News THE KENYON COLLEGIAN Gambier, Ohio Thursday, April 12, 2007 12 Pages ‘Hell week’ draws ire, support BY Allison Burket seem out-of-touch with independents, initiate new members.” •Not just in Leonard Students were unable to wake the News Editor assuming that all of us are indebted to Singing is an important part of Leonard residents were not the student before class began at 8:10 p.m. them for their parties.” this unity-building process for the only students affected by hell week “It didn’t bother us too much in class, “The Delt singing woke me up Martyn wrote a private e-mail Delta Tau Delta fraternity. The song activities. Molly Schlemmer ’08, a Wat- except his alarm on his computer did a few times” on Tuesday, April 3, said to James Reid ’08, president of Delta that awoke students in Leonard is “a son resident, was awoken at 7:30 a.m. go off a few times,” said Morrison. “He third-floor Leonard resident Em- Tau Delta, to express her irritation at song that I learned during pledging, on Tuesday, April 3 by fraternity pledg- did wake up toward the end of class,” ily Martyn ’07. “The first time I just being awoken. “I wrote it politely and that we use during meetings,” said Reid. es playing basketball on the courts near around 8:30 or 8:45 p.m. “He just got brushed it off, rolled over and went reasonably, and received an apology “Definitely we teach it to encourage Watson. “We wouldn’t even really have up and left.” back to sleep, but by the third loud written in the same way,” Martyn said. our pledges to understand more of known they were playing basketball if “I don’t think any of the pledging outburst I was seriously annoyed.” “In addition to apologizing for the what we aspire to be as people. … Basi- they weren’t shouting as loud as pos- rituals are over-disruptive,” Morrison Martyn was one of many students noise, he also thanked me for voicing cally, that song is supposed to be sung sible while doing so,” Schlemmer said. said. “The only thing that would who were awoken by the singing of my concern in a private manner, and with pride and dignity.” “They played for about half an hour; bother me is when they interfere with Delta Tau Delta pledges outside of humorously explained that they were Steele said an important element it was impossible to get back to sleep academics.” Leonard Hall last week during the final working on their pitch … I haven’t of the week is seclusion of pledges. “It is while it was going on.” Neither Campus Security nor week of pledging before initiation, heard a peep since then.” really the one week where all the Greek Jennie Morrison ’09 attended a the maintenance department have commonly called “hell week.” organizations are doing something Spanish AT class last week in which noticed unusual effects from hell The loud singing prompted Julie •What is hell week? really specific for themselves,” said a male fraternity pledge—and not a week activities this year, according Kunz ’07, a third-floor Leonard resi- “The ultimate goal of hell week is Steel. “So there really is the division member of the class—slept for much to both Superintendent of Buildings dent who was also awoken, to send an to bring together that group of pledges in that sense.” of the hour on the classroom floor. irate all-student e-mail. For Kunz, hell as a pledge class, living together, work- see GREEK, page 2 week calls attention to what she sees as ing together in a kind of team-building a strong disconnect between Greeks setting,” said John Steele ’07, president Battle of the Bands and non-Greeks on campus. of Kenyon’s Phi Kappa Sigma chapter. “To those not involved in Greek “We want the fraternity to work as a life, many aspects of it are simply a mys- body, as a cohesive unit. … We want tery,” she said. “Likewise, many Greeks to have built that unity by the time we Vandalism targets gay community sexuality in Sports at Kenyon,” “NO BY Willow Belden WAY” was written in capital letters. Editor-in-Chief Next to “Hate Crimes at Kenyon” was In the past two weeks, several acts written “NEEDS TO BE MORE!” of vandalism targeting members of the Earlier that week, at least four Day gay community have occurred on cam- of Dialogue posters were torn down, pus. Several posters advertising a “Day ripped up or otherwise defaced, accord- of Dialogue” about gay, lesbian, bisexual, ing to Ieshia West ’09, co-manager of transgender, queer, questioning and Unity House and one of the organizers ally (GLBTQQA) topics were torn of the Day of Dialogue. One poster was down or ripped up, and other posters found with the word “fags” written on Paul Reed were found bearing hateful words and it in black ink. Several days later, Yana Encore After Midnight’s Jeff Gardner ’07, Greg Rosenbaum ’0 and Dave Thurston ’09 rock out at the phrases. March 24, in what may be Forney ’07, a discrimination advisor battle of the bands on Saturday. EAM placed sixth out of the 6 bands competing for the opportunity an unrelated event, a student’s car was and member of the queer community, to open for De La Soul at send-off. pushed into the lawn of the Gambier wrote a letter objecting to the treatment House and the windshield was smashed. of the posters. The letter, signed by Another student’s window in new multiple students, hung in Caples until apartments was broken last weekend. last Friday, when the words “F— you” New ombudsperson to defuse conflicts Both students are members of the gay were written on it in magic marker, BY Leslie Parsons hiring new staff to take on the tasks the human resources director.” community. West said. A&E Editor that Hess formerly handled. The ombudsperson position It is unclear whether the events “There’s been kind of a long his- Before the search began, it was is “a position that is for the staff, were related, and the College does tory of posters being defaced on cam- Wendy Hess, who was formerly decided that Hess’s position would administration and faculty of a col- not know who is responsible for the pus,” Martindell said. “Writing ‘fags’ on Kenyon’s equal opportunity officer be separated into two independent lege,” Goodstein said. “I’m hired as damage. a sign or something is kind of old hat, … and ombudsperson, retired shortly positions. essentially a third party neutral and “Odds are they’re not related,” but this is the first time it has escalated before spring break, and her job has “The equal opportunity officer what I do is I work with staff and ad- said Dean for Academic Advising to … something targeted like ‘we need now been split into two positions— … is responsible for making sure that ministration with working on issues Jane Martindell, “but the problem more hate crimes.’” ombudsperson, or a neutral third we provide equal opportunity under of conflict resolution.” is with the timing. You put all that Although the smashed car—and party who helps with staff conflict the law for all searches that are con- “It was actually Wendy’s sugges- together, and it makes people in the particularly the broken apartment resolution, and equal opportunities ducted on campus,” said Sacks. “The tion that the positions be decoupled,” community—especially the gay com- window—may not be at all related officer, who ensures that the College person also works directly with the said Nugent. “Wendy perceived that munity—very nervous. Because what to the defacement of the posters, Lisa provides equal opportunity under discrimination advisers in relation to there was almost a slight conflict of if it isn’t random? Should we be feeling Carroll ’07, the owner of the vandalized the law and handles sexual harass- the student affairs center and is also interest in marrying those positions unsafe at Kenyon?” car, said she thinks all three instances ment cases. responsible for dealing with sexual because an ombudsperson’s role is Although this is not the first time “are indicative of a declining level of Kenyon alumna Robin Good- harassment cases.” really supposed to be neutral, [while] posters have been torn down or defaced respect for fellow students at Kenyon. … stein ’87 will become Kenyon’s new An ombudsperson, in contrast, the equal opportunity officer is re- on campus, Martindell said the things All of these events are blatant shows of ombudsperson, but the position of is meant to operate independently. ally an officer of the organization, written on the posters this time around disrespect and a lack of consideration for equal opportunities officer has not “The ombudsperson truly is a neutral ensuring that you are complying with were more threatening than usual.