Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG.
The Daily Gazette
Swarthmore College
Tuesday, November 3, 1998
Volume 3, Number 35
CORRECTION:
On Monday, November 2, the Gazette misprinted Holly Baker’s class year as
’00. She is actually a member of the class of 1999.
NEWS IN BRIEF
1) SBC approves purchase of new van
2) DU-Phi Psi party receives impressive turnout
3) World news roundup
4) Campus events
SPORTS IN BRIEF
1) Intramural scoreboard
2) Today’s and tomorrow’s contests
WEATHER FORECAST
Today: Partly cloudy. High of 51.
Still a good time to take a walk through the Crum…
Tonight: Partly cloudy. Low in upper 30s.
But be careful down those hills…. I have first hand experience
with slippery leaves.
Tomorrow: Partly cloudy. High of 48.
*****
NEWS REPORT
1) SBC approves purchase of new van
On October 28, there was a campus-wide email asking for students’ input, on
whether to accept a proposal by Van Coordinator Dennis Cheng ’01 for the
purchase of a new van. The total estimated cost would be $21,421.51,
including $2500 from trading in van 16A, which is the van that Cheng wishes
to replace. In his proposal, he refers to the potential safety hazard in
using van 16A because it is 10 years old and will have traveled 100,000
miles by the end of the year. “Although van 16A has passed all state tests
for road safety,” he expressed at a Student Council meeting last month, “I
wouldn’t want it to finally break down while students were driving it.” In
response to a [reserved-students] e-mail soliciting input, 160 students
responded. Of these, 123 were in favor of purchasing a new van, while 37
were against the expenditure.
Student Budget Committee approved Cheng’s proposal on Sunday, November 1.
Now the question is what to do with the van that is being replaced.
According to SBC Treasurer Joshua Bess ’00, SBC is currently trying to
decide, together with the deans, whether to trade in the old van, or to use
it for activities such as movie runs during the weekends. During the
weekends, only two of the vans are currently available, since the third
one, van 18A, is co-owned by the Peaslee Debate Society, who uses it during
the weekends. The concerns raised in keeping the old van are safety,
insurance and parking. The college would have to pay more insurance if van
16A is kept. SBC, with input from the deans, will decide by Wednesday
whether to keep van 16A or not, and student council will then vote on the
proposal at their next meeting, which will be on Thursday night, in
Kohlberg 228, at 8:00 p.m. The money for the van replacement would come out
of the capital replacement fund, which currently contains $142,000. This
figure is separate from the money budgeted to all the different school
groups and the money that SBC runs on. Referring to SBC’s decision, Bess
said “This is the part of my job that I like, because I don’t like to see
the money sitting on a bank account.”
*****
2) DU-Phi Psi party receives impressive turnout
This weekend, several Halloween parties were held around campus, filling
the gap created this year by the decision of the Mary Lyons Resident
Assistants to not hold a party at that dorm. Dorms holding parties included
Dana, Parrish, and Pittenger, whose party in the basement was particularly
well-attended. The largest party, though, was that held at the Delta
Upsilon and Phi Psi fraternity houses, and co-sponsored by the Social
Affairs Committee. Estimates of the attendance at that party ranged from
five to six hundred students, most of whom seemed to enjoy the party.
The proposal to the Social Affairs Committee stated that the Phi Psi house
was to be a haunted house, while the actual party was to be held at the DU
house. According to several Social Affairs Committee members, the most
significant consideration in awarding funding to the fraternities rather
than to the International Club was because the DU-Phi Psi proposal
specifically described a variety of Halloween decorations, especially in
the haunted house. Many students who went in the Phi Psi haunted house on
Saturday night, however, felt that both it and the DU house were
inadequately decorated. One senior voiced a common sentiment, “It was just
like a regular DU party with a lot of people dressed in costumes.” SAC
Co-coordinator and DU member Tony Skiadas ’99 said, however, that with only
a few hundred dollars for decorations, it was not possible to completely
decorate the two houses, and that they did the best with the funding that
they had. In response to the concern that of the ten members of SAC, 3 are
in DU and 1 is a pledge, he affirmed that SAC is a consensus body, and
unanimously felt that the fraternities deserved the funding.
The party received $1800 in funding from SAC, which is what the Mary Lyons
party has generally received in the past. Of that amount about $1000 was
spent on a DJ from Philadelphia, and for a band that played in Phi Psi.
They originally planned to spend $200 on an advertised costume contest, but
later chose to instead spend the money on the other expenses of the party.
SAC now has about $4200 remaining in their budget out of an original $14200
to spend on SAC-funded and SAC-sponsored events this semester. This section
of their budget does not include the Fall Formal, which will be held this
upcoming Friday, on a theme as of yet unchosen.
*****
3) World news roundup
ARAFAT AGREES TO PEACE ACCORD DELAY
Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat agreed Monday to extend the
deadline for ratification of his recent peace accord with Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The accord, known as the Wye Agreement, was
signed in Washington on October 18th, and calls for Israel to exchange 13%
of the West Bank in exchange for Palestinian security guarantees. Netanyahu
called Arafat yesterday to request an extension; the Israeli Parliament is
expected to ratify the agreement next week.
COLUMBIAN REBELS ATTACK POLICE POST
A frontier police post in the Columbian town of Mitu was the site of
bloodshed yesterday, when 800 rebels staged an attack. At least 60 police
officers and 10 civilians were killed, and at least 40 police officers
taken captive. Officials called this the latest development in Columbia’s
civil war, which has continued for 34 years between the government and the
Marxist group calling themselves the Armed Forces of Columbia. Peace talks
between the two groups are scheduled for next week.
IN OTHER NEWS…
In the first day of talks on the UN Global Warming Treaty, China opposed
Argentina’s proposal for further regulation of greenhouse emissions among
poorer countries, calling it the responsibility of developed nations such
as the US… Honduran President Carlos Flores issued an international call
for help after Hurricane Mitch swept through Central America, causing
devastating floods… British prosecutors announced their intention to news
services to appeal last week’s ruling by a British court not to extradite
General Augusto Pinochet to Spain.
*****
2) Campus events
Movie: “All the President’s Men”
Kohlberg 116, 7:30 p.m.
Ballroom Practice
Upper Tarble, 9:30 p.m.
Eli Quinn, Lecturing on “Birth of a Nation”
BCC 2nd Floor, 9:55 a.m.
Pre-Med Juniors and Seniors Info Session
Kirby, 12:35 p.m.
CIGNA Info Session
Bond, 7:00 p.m.
Mystic Seaport Maritime Studies Info Session
Kohlberg 202, 7:00 p.m.
*****
SPORTS UPDATE
1) Intramural scoreboard
IM SOCCER:
Faculty/Staff – 5, Springfield Isotopes – 4
FC Bonobo – 5, Mertz & The Mafia – 2
Willets Refugee All-Stars a FORFEIT WINNER over The Latin Lovers
I-20’s – 2, Jay Vee’s – 1
IM VOLLEYBALL:
* CANCELED DUE TO TOO MANY FORFEITS!
*****
2) Today and tomorrow’s contests
TODAY
No contests are scheduled for today
TOMORROW
Men’s soccer visits Washington at 3:00 p.m.
*****
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The Daily Gazette
Board of Editors
Joseph Genereux
Jeff Heckelman
Lorrin Nelson
Cathy Polinsky
Jessica Salvatore
Ty Wilde
Staff Writers
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Ben Geller
Megan Haberle
Lindsay Herron
Ilya Leskov
Ira Lindsay
Alma Ortiz
Pete Schilla
Jaspal Singh
Nellie Tong
Weathercasters
Rachel Labush
Ben Hanani
Laurie Smith
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This concludes today’s report.
Copyright 1998 by The Daily Gazette. All rights reserved.