Ivy festival gets a little
too lively
photo by Nathan Campbell
“I think
it’s unfortunate that a small group of students had to ruin something that
was meant for everyone,” said Seth Brady, president of Phi Kappa Tau.
The major
damage was found in the bathroom and in the far room near South Hall.
The sink in the bathroom was clogged with toilet paper and the door was
ripped off its hinges. In the room near South Hall a large panel
of the wall was broken, with a hole large enough for someone to walk through.
A TV that belonged to one of the fraternity brothers was also taken from
the trailer. It was later found sitting in the mud on the edge of
the woods by North Hall, with a broken screen and picture tube.
“I just
prefer money for a new TV, even if it comes anonymously,” said senior Phi
Tau brother Paul Rigg, owner of the television. “But if arbitration
becomes necessary, so be it. I prefer to keep it simple and keep
people out of having marks on their permanent record. All I want
is for them to learn their lesson.”
At 1:32
a.m. campus security officer Jon Zemke, and Mark Cassarino, assistant director
of Residence Life, arrived at the party. They felt the party was
getting out of control and decided to shut it down.
“They
told everyone to get out, and at first we thought it was just a joke, but
then they were like, no really, get out,” said junior Julie Ecker.
Members
of Phi Kappa Tau took photos of the damaged rooms, and copies were given
to Dean of Students David Buckingham, and the security office.
“It’s
upsetting because we tried to give something to the campus and a few ruined
it,” said junior Phi Tau member Skip Stone. “Now we don’t know if
we want to do it again, but it was the best ‘Lively in the Ivy’ has been.”
Cottingham
said, “The men of Phi Tau will not be held responsible because they helped
out the physical plant and called Cassarino when they realized something
was wrong.”
The school
has a few suspects in the case, but no evidence to prove that these people
were involved.
“We are
not taking the trailers away because few people decided to get drunk and
disorderly,” said Cottingham.
Once basic
repairs are made to the bathroom and to any exposed wires, the trailers
will be reopened to the students. This is not expected to be complete until
the end of the semester. |
Note:
This site is optimized for Netscape Navigator 3.0 and later. Other
browsers may alter the appearance of the pages. |
|
By BECKY GILBERT
Mounting tensions in the
Balkans are creating an emotional strain for two Virginia
Wesleyan students. They had the chance to express their views
on the situation during the March 30 United Nations Club panel discussion
about the conflict in Kosovo.
At press time, NATO forces continue
the assault on Yugoslavia in an effort to end bloodshed in Kosovo.
Ethnic Albanians fighting for their independence have become victims of
genocide and other terrors at the hands of the ruling Serbs.
The panelists Samoil Petreski,
a junior from Macedonia, and Gjergj Dollani, a sophomore from Albania.
Both students agreed that peace should be restored and the fighting should
come to an end. Their opinions differed regarding where to place
the blame.
“I never thought it would get
to this point,” said Dollani, “If the genocide could stop right now,
that would be the best choice. Albanians don’t deserve to be massacred.”
He said his worst fear has become reality and worries that the entire Balkan
region could become destabilized.
“Ten thousand Albanians living
in Kosovo have been ordered to leave their homes or be shot by the Serbs,”
said Dollani. “It’s frightening. We all have families there.”
Dollani has waited a long time
for NATO to take action. He believes the air strikes will stop further
massacres of the Albanian people living in Kosovo.
“I don’t hate the Serbs,” said
Dollani. “There are bad Serbs and there are good Serbs.”
Four years ago, Dollani immigrated
from Albania with his family. He plans to apply for dual citizenship,
becoming a U.S. citizen while retaining his citizenship in Albania, utilizing
his education to further good relations between the two countries.
“I know the U.S. is still living
under the echo of the Vietnam War and I totally agree with those parents
who do not want to send their sons to where they don’t even know where
it is on the map,” said Dollani regarding the possible deployment of ground
troops into Kosovo.
Dollani would like NATO to provide
weapons to the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) to protect the villages that
have not been bombed or burnt to the ground.
Petreski felt that arming the
KLA would lead to further bloodshed and create a situation that would spread
the conflict to neighboring countries.
Thousands of Serb sympathizers
marched on the U.S. Embassy in Macedonia on Thursday, March 25, according
to The New York Times.
The demonstrators protested
the NATO air strikes by assaulting the Embassy with firebombs and burning
the U.S. flag.
“It’s scary,” said Petreski.
“My parents live near the Embassy.”
Petreski, who plans to return to his homeland when he
completes his education, talks with his family on a daily basis to assess
the situation. Although he supports the NATO efforts, he worries
that the conflict will extend into his homeland.
“My biggest fear right now is
that Macedonia will get involved,” Petreski said. “Then the entire Balkans
will become involved with the whole situation.”
Petreski noted that Macedonia
is having a difficult time financially because so many refugees are
entering the country from neighboring Yugoslavia.
“The economy is going down,
big time,” he said. “The banks have stopped giving money and the
stores are empty.”
Petreski recognizes the importance
of the NATO bombing. “The purpose is correct,” he said. “I
can agree that the air strikes will save the women and the children.”
Americans may well be called
upon to risk their lives and the lives of their children if the war in
the Balkans continues to intensify.
As the conflict escalates in the Balkans, the U.S. Congress
is returning from a short recess.
Their agenda will include a
debate over the air strikes in Yugoslavia and the possible use of ground
troops to end the Serbs’ assault against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. |
