Controversy surrounds Resiaence, Life; RAs respond to termination With four RAs fired and fear over more terminations looming, uncertainty and doubt have caused hurt feelings and resentment within the college community. Now, as rumors spread throughout the campus, many residents are left wondering, who will be next? has to sign a Resident Assistant agreement. The agreement states statt writer and web editor the rules. and guidelines that the RA~ are supposed to follow." With only a few weeks left in Carpenter continued to say, the semester, four resident assis- "Being an RA means th~t you are tants have been dismissed from a member of a team, you have to their duties, raising questions be a visible roll model. This is a among students about the .relation- job that pays." Depending on the situation ship between Residence Life and there are many steps Residence RAs. David Carpenter, Director of Life takes in letting go an RA. Residence Life, said, "Each RA Carpenter said, "Generally we usually put the RA through what we call counseling, where we sit the RA down, talk to them about the problem and figure out what should be done to fix what had happened. After that is done, there is written documentation followed by probation. The last step is separation from the RA position on campus." According to Kat Pirrone, she was let go because her residents decided to write letters on Kat's behalf hoping she would be a returning RA next year. Pirrone was the RA in Woodcrest and this was the first year she was an RA on campus. Pirrone said, "I don't think what happened was fair. I did not know that they had written letters, and when I asked to seewhat Kat Pirrone, junior, believes she was written I was not allowed to was fired as a result of a letter see them." She continued, "I was writing campaign. by Justine Di Filippo and eaul William.JJ._..s'------------
Learning communities to benefit freshmen by Sharvon Urbannavage managing editor
Next year, Cabrini will implement learning communities into the core curriculum as a beneficial feature for incoming freshman. A learning community is a program that will link two classes together in criteria. Thirty percent of higher education institutions nationwide utilize learning communities within their curriculum. "The learning communities will integrate courses together to make the freshman
experience more coherent," Catharine O'Connell, dean of academic affairs, said. O'Connell has worked with learning communities at her previous school before coming to Cabrini last fall. "It's not that students will go from one class to another class, which might have nothing in common, but that there would be a sense that you talk about the same ideas and issues, and work on the same skills in several different classes." Two core classes\ one being , See FRESHMEN,page 2
Clarence Scott (left) and Ricky Cruz (right), both seniors, were terminated because of failure to respond to a call while on duty.
approached in an intimidating way and told that I was giving out information pertaining to
Residence Life and that See RAs,page 3
Pollution- concerns spawn 'Watershed Day' by Paul Williams web editor
The entire Gulph Creek is impaired and threatening the wildlife, and the people living along the creek. Off of King of Prussia road, near Valley Forge Military Academy, the Gulph Creek runs paraJlel to Gulp Creek road and deposits into the ponds at Eastern and Cabrini. The creek stretches from Montgomery County to Delaware County before emptying into the Schuylkill River.
The most important part of the creek is a six-square mile piece of land called a watershed. A watershed, as defined by Desiree Henning-Dudley, the water manager for the Southeast-Region of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, is. "The area of land on which rainwater drains from the highest elevation to a common river system." Eastern University held a free educational seminar on Saturday, See WATERSHED, page 4