Tuesday, November 14, 2000

Tuesday, November 14, 2000
Volume 5, Number 43

NEWS IN BRIEF

1) Discussion of Honor Code proposal to be held this evening
2) College Bowl freshmen tangle with the big boys
3) World news roundup
4) Campus events

SPORTS IN BRIEF

1) Football recognized with eight All-Conference selections
2) World sports roundup
3) Today’s and tomorrow’s contests

WEATHER FORECAST

Today: Rain early on, but clearing skies in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 50s.
I don’t know what’s the big deal with this election thing…

Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows in the mid 30s.
I mean, the whole constitutional crisis can be resolved with three simple words:

Tomorrow: Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 40s.
Rock. Paper. Scissors.

TODAY’S SHARPLES MENU

Lunch: Open face turkey-ham sandwich, curly fries, *vegetarian chili, open face vegetable sandwich, French cut green beans, mixed vegetables
**Asian chicken salad bar

Dinner: Catfish with Creole tartar sauce, corn pudding, *broccoli-mushroom stir-fry, tomatoes provencal, brussel sprouts
**Cajun bar

NEWS REPORT

1) Discussion of Honor Code proposal to be held this evening

This evening, a fireside chat will be held regarding a proposal for an academic honor code at Swarthmore. The proposal was submitted several weeks ago to Student Council by Jared Solomon ’01 and Horatiu Stefan ’01.

At the time, the proposal was neither endorsed nor rejected by SC. They decided to open the issue to campus wide discussion, first at tonight’s meeting and possibly at follow-up meetings depending on turnout and reaction at this one.

Solomon says that he and Stefan are surprised that Swarthmore does not have any type of honor code considering that many other schools in the area with which we often compare ourselves, such as Haverford, Bryn Mawr, and Penn, have had honor codes for some time.

He also notes that the absence of an honor code is particularly unusual at Swat because “academics and academic integrity are such a big part of what we do here. We talk about our classes in Sharples and with our friends in our dorms. It’s just a huge part of our culture, and the honor code would be a way of reflecting that.”

The proposed honor code drawn up by Stefan and Solomon deals strictly with academic matters, unlike the honor code at Haverford, which also applies to parties and other aspects of social life on campus. The proposal calls for self-scheduled exams during finals period at the end of each semester.

Under this system, staff members would sit in Upper Tarble during certain hours with copies of all exams and students could come and pick up their tests at any time, take them anywhere on campus, spend the allotted amount of time completing them and then return them to Upper Tarble.

The plan also calls for a letter about the honor code and a contract to be sent to all accepted students which they would have to sign and return before coming to Swarthmore and a workshop run by the College Judiciary Committee (CJC), which all incoming freshmen would have to attend.

“This would set it in students’ minds from the very beginning that academic integrity is valued and taken seriously here,” Solomon explains.

Finally, the proposed code would recommend that any student or faculty member who witnessed another student cheating or plagiarizing their work report the incident to the CJC, although they would not be required to do so.

Solomon insists that the code he and Stefan have proposed is more of a guide to jump-start discussion than anything else and that “if Swarthmore does end up adopting an honor code, it doesn’t necessarily have to be this one.”

He explains that he is most interested in gauging how students feel about the idea of an honor code in general. “If no one shows up at the meeting, then it’s obvious that no one wants one and the discussion stops there. If we get 20 people or more, though, then I think that shows that it’s a viable idea and it should be pursued.”

The fireside chat will begin at 9:00 p.m. in Kohlberg Commons.

– Karla Gilbride

2) College Bowl freshmen tangle with the big boys

Last Sunday, Ascencion Duenas ’04, Michael Noda ’04, Adrian Packel ’04 and Jeff Traczynski ’04 attended the NAQT IFT, hosted by Yale University.

Despite the fact that their status as freshmen made them eligible for Division II status, they played in Division I, ending with a 3-7 record in the round robin and a 3-0 record in the final rounds.

This included two wins over a team from Princeton, wins over teams from Dartmouth and Columbia, and close losses to the same team from Dartmouth and the team from Cornell.

Individually, Noda averaged over 45 points per game in the round robin portion, and Duenas scored 75 points in a single playoff game.

3) World news roundup

A Florida State Court will decide the fate of the ongoing presidential election ballot recount this morning. Despite the rejection of an attempt to block the recount by the Bush campaign yesterday, Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris insisted that the final tally be completed by 5 PM today, in compliance with state law. However, Palm Beach County, which is home to the most publicized recount, has only started its tally, and will not be finished until Sunday. Both presidential candidates pleaded their cases to the public yesterday, with Gore’s campaign calling for the aforementioned court decision to allow for a full recount.

Congress has begun a temporary shutdown in light of the presidential stalemate. Rather than pass legislation under a lame-duck president, the Republican leaders of the House and Senate have agreed to limit their work until December 5th, when a new President is officially chosen. The shutdown means that passage of a new budget will have to be delayed until the end of the year.

Following the killing of 4 Israelis by Palestinian gunmen, Israel has closed off West Bank villages from Palestinian towns. The closure signals a return to the restricted conditions that existed prior to October’s cease-fire agreement between the conflicting sides.

4) Campus events

Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun
Kohlberg 226, 7:00 p.m.

“India From Midnight to the Millennium: Identity and Democracy in India Today” by Shashi Tharoor, Director of Communications and Special Projects in the Office of the Secretary General of the United Nations
Scheuer Room, 7:00 p.m.

“The Question of ‘Religion’ Across Traditions: Muslims and Christians in Dialogue” by Jacques Waardenburg, Dutch Scholar of Method and Theory in the Study of Religion
Hicks 312 – Mural Room, 7:00 p.m.

Swarthbucklers Practice
Upper Tarble, 7:30 p.m.

“New Zealand Gardens” Arboretum Lecture by Andrew Bunting
LPAC Cinema, 7:30 p.m.

Lecture by Portrait Photographer Peter Miraglia
Kirby Lecture Hall, 8:00 p.m.

Scottish Country Dancing
LPAC Dance Studio 3, 8:15 p.m.

Fireside Chat about Honor Code
Kohlberg Coffee Bar, 9:00 p.m.

Ballroom Dance
Upper Tarble, 9:30 p.m.

SPORTS UPDATE

1) Football recognized with eight All-Conference selections

The Centennial Conference named 8 members of the Garnet Tide to its All-Conference team yesterday. Running back Ken Clark ’03, who set team records for carries and rushing yardage, and offensive lineman Matt Rapoza ’03 were both selected to the first-team offense. Meanwhile, defensive forces Tony Hillery ’01 and Joe Corso ’02 were named second-team defense and wide receiver Blake Atkins ’02 was second-team on the the other side of the ball. Rounding out the picks were punter Rob Castellucci ’01 at second-team special teams and honorable mention OL Justin Pagliei ’02. The selections mark the end of a fantastic season for the Tide. Their 4-5 record was their best in 5 years.

2) World sports roundup

Contrary to widespread rumors circulating in baseball, the New York Mets have officially announced that they will not try to acquire free-agent shortstop Alex Rodriguez. Rodriguez, who is asking for a long-term contract totalling upwards of $200 million, was seen as too much of a threat to the Mets’ team dynamic, according to General Manager Steve Phillips… Boston Red Sox pitching ace Pedro Martinez, won the American League Cy Young Award by a unanimous decision. It was the first time in AL history that a player has won the award unanimously in consecutive seasons… Tiger Woods added a second Vardon trophy to his long list of accomplishments yesterday. The trophy, which is awarded to the golfer with the lowest stroke average on the year, commemorates Wood’s establishing of a new low scoring average of 68.17…. And in other sporting news, the Harlem Globetrotters lost their first game in five years yesterday, to 5th-ranked Michigan State 72-68. The loss followed 1,270 consecutive victories, dating back to Sept. 12, 1995.

3) Today’s and tomorrow’s contests

There are no contests scheduled for today or tomorrow.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.” – Douglas Adams, “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”