2008-02-29

              First Class
THEARGUS Permit 30
A
FEBRUARY 29, 2008
OP/ED, PAGE 4
Weekend
Weather
Sunday
Courtesy of
www.weather.com
Saturday
VOLUME 114 ISSUE 19
In this Issue
On the Web
www.iwu.edu/
~theargus
argus@iwu.edu
FEATURES, PAGE 3
High: 50
Low: 35
High: 37
Low: 32
SPORTS, PAGE 8
IWU on alert after third student attack
Illinois Wesleyan University’s
problems with outside threats
and attacks on its students have
once again surfaced this past
week on campus.
Junior David Cramer was
walking along the 300 block of
Seminary Street at 9 p.m.
Monday night when four black
men wearing hooded dark cloth-ing
reportedly approached him.
According to Cramer, one of
the men asked him for money.
After responding that he did not
have any, one of the men tried to
assault him. He then ran away
until one of them tripped him.
“The victim apparently ran
away as soon as the assailants
started to attack him, so it would
appear he escaped serious
injury,” said Bloomington
Police Department Media
Relations Specialist Duane L.
Moss.
“I got up in case I could still
outrun anyone. One of them had
two clear punches to my face
while another knocked me down
a second time,” Cramer said.
“At this point, two people were
punching me as I protected my
face and ears and another kicked
me from behind.”
Cramer said he then handed
Campus welcomes green building
Minor Myers Jr. Welcome Center set to open next fall
On a campus that has been
known to be politically apathet-ic,
Roland S. Martin challenged
students to make use of their
voices and votes last Sunday.
“Everything we do is affected
by the political process,” Martin
said. “You cannot be absent
from that.”
The award-winning journalist
and CNN correspondent was the
keynote speaker at Illinois
Wesleyan University’s annual
Soul Food Dinner in the Hansen
Student Center. Around 60 stu-dents,
faculty, staff and commu-nity
members were in atten-dance.
Martin’s speech gave students
insight on what he calls “the
power of one.” According to
him, all it takes is one person or
a few people to start a move-ment.
Martin went on to explain
how small groups in the past
have begun large-scale revolu-tions.
He then talked about how
students like those at IWU are
the source of future change.
“Who is that somebody?” he
asked. “That somebody is you.”
Martin showed how
Americans tend to take their
duty to vote for granted. He said
that the youth would rather
stand in line for events or items
other than voting, such as bas-ketball
shoes.
“If they were passing out free
Michael Jordans, it would be no
problem,” he said.
According to Martin, coun-tries
like South Africa and
Zimbabwe take their duty much
more seriously. He told stories
about the long lines they face.
“People were in line for two
and a half days,” he said.
Martin also spoke to students
about how people tend to feel
cynical towards the political
system, thinking that their vote
will not count.
Students who listened to his
speech agreed with him.
“If everyone has that mentali-ty,
then one vote does make a
difference,” sophomore Jenny
Bubke said.
Martin pointed out that people
underestimate their voice in
government and political action.
“Movements take time.
Progress is slow,” he said. “You
have to keep going and going. I
think today people give up.”
IWU President Richard
Wilson hoped that Martin’s
message would once again stim-ulate
student interest in the
upcoming election.
Wilson said that he would like
to see more campus events now
that the candidate choices are
narrowing down.
CNN correspondent feeds
inspiration to students
Poets slam campus with performances
On the evening of Saturday,
Feb. 23, “Rhythm and Rhyme,”
transformed the Hansen Student
Center into a poetry café, com-plete
with low lighting, flicker-ing
candles and an open micro-phone.
Jazz flutist Galen Abdur-
Razzaq, accompanied by a
three-piece combo consisting of
electric piano, string bass and
drums, performed a medley of
songs to set the mood.
Students had the opportunity
to recite original or non-original
works of poetry or perform
improvisational poetry accom-panied
by the jazz band.
“Even though I was scared at
first, my roommate persuaded
me to read a poem,” said first-year
student Vanessa Snyder.
“The leader even nicknamed
me ‘girl in the red shirt and blaz-er’
since I wouldn't tell them my
name at first because I thought it
would keep me from being
called up onto the stage. Boy,
was I wrong. Still, the overall
experience was positive.”
Following the music and open
microphone performances, fea-tured
slam poet LaShaun
“Phoenix” Moore of Detroit,
Mich. performed her original
work.
“Slam poetry is an incorpora-tion
of the written word and per-formance.
It infuses poetry with
acting,” Moore said.
KD shines with philanthropy week
The Illinois Wesleyan
University chapter of Kappa
Delta hoped to shine this spring
with its annual Shamrock Week.
This event was the sorority’s
biggest philanthropy event of
the year.
Shamrock Week is held to
benefit Kappa Delta’s local
charity, the Baby Fold, and one
of its national charities, Prevent
Child Abuse America.
The event started on Feb. 15
and ended on the 28 with the
Back to Basics drive. Boxes
were placed in all the residence
halls for collecting basic neces-sities
for the Baby Fold, which
provides child welfare services,
family support services, acade-mic
and residential services.
“I think some people don’t
realize how common child
abuse is,” said junior Kim
Stabosz, co-chair of the event.
“Four children die every day
as a result of child abuse, and
out of those four, three of them
are usually under the age of
four. It’s tragic because they are
just kids, and they should be
able to just be kids.”
The largest and most highly
attended event during the week
is the Bowl-a-Thon, which will
Illinois Wesleyan University
is anticipating the completion of
its latest addition: the Minor
Myers Jr. Welcome Center.
Much progress has been made
on the building since construc-tion
began last summer.
The initial project plan was
proposed following Myers’
death in 2003 as a way to honor
his memory. Since then, funds
have been gathered for the $5
million project, including a
$500,000 leadership gift from
Kent ’62 and Sue Wallace of
Dallas, Texas.
“The Minor Myers Jr.
Welcome Center is being funded
completely by private support,”
said Director of Development
Ben Rhodes, referring to gifts
from alumni and admirers of
Myers.
Almost all of the necessary
funds have been collected for
the project.
“By the time the doors open,
all the needed funds will be
pledged,” Rhodes said.
As part of the sponsorship,
alumni have the opportunity to
contribute to the Alumni Walk.
In March, they will be able to
purchase a brick for $250 that
will display their name and class
year. The bricks will then be
installed in July.
“We want the future genera-tions
of students to know that
IWU was built on the founda-tions
of alumni generosity,”
Rhodes said.
The Welcome Center is also
an eco-friendly building. Other
Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED)
buildings have been constructed
in the Bloomington-Normal
area, but the Welcome Center
DANIELLE LAURITSON
NEWS EDITOR
DANIELLE LAURITSON
NEWS EDITOR
KRISTY HOSACK
STAFF REPORTER
ALLEGRA GALLIAN
ASST. NEWS EDITOR
EMILY ORNAT
STAFF REPORTER
see ATTACK p.2
see WELCOME p.2
see MARTIN p.2
see SHAMROCK p.2
see POETRY p.2
“Gossip Girl”
stirs up
controversy
online
Students
relieved by
end of
writers’
strike
Titan
women
hosting CCIW
tournament
Columnist
upset by
notification
methods
Roland S. Martin
Poet LaShaun “Phoenix” Moore performs her slam poetry at “Rhythm and Rhyme” last Saturday.
ERINN TOBIN/THE ARGUS
Above:A construction worker begins on the foundation of the
Minor Myers Jr.Welcome Center last fall.
Above Right: Construction workers complete the outer walls of
the Welcome Center earlier this week.
ERINN TOBIN/THE ARGUS
MARK FEATHERLY/IWU