Thursday February 25, 2016
NORTHWEST MISSOURIAN
nwmissourinews.com V91 • N21
NEWS BRIEF
CONNER B. STOTTLEMYRE
Stottlemyre sentenced for terrorist threats The former Northwest Missouri State University student who pled guilty for last semester’s terrorist threats received his sentence from the Nodaway County Circuit Court. Connor B. Stottlemyre, 19, Blue Springs, will serve 30 days in jail and will have five years of probation following the court’s decision. He is also banned from setting foot on Northwest property, including satellite campuses. Stottlemyre was responsible for three posts on Yik Yak threatening the campus, specifically black students and occupants of Hudson and Perrin residence halls. The Nov. 5 post read, “I love evil, I just want to shoot up H&P, they’re all bullies especially in Hudson.” The next posts took place later that week stated, “I’m gonna shoot any black ppl tomorrow so be ready,” followed by, “I love evil, I can’t wait for Northwest to make the news tomorrow.” Stottlemyre was arrested Nov. 11, his birthday, for the posts after an investigation by University Police in conjunction with Yik Yak.
HANNAH WOODSON | NW MISSOURIAN
New Missouri bill may require passengers, regardless of age, to wear a seat belt and allow police to stop drivers if they suspect drivers are not wearing a seat belt.
Senate proposes new bill for driving safety JAKE MCKNIGHT News Editor | @jbmcknight93
Four new bills governing seat belt use, texting while driving and helmet requirements for motorcyclists prompted debate in a Missouri Senate committee. Texting while driving is only forbidden for commercial drivers and people younger than 22. Two of the bills would ban texting while
driving for everyone. One of the bills is sponsored by Senator David Pearce, the other by Senator Jill Schupp. A legislation from Sen. Jason Holsman would allow motorcycle riders who are at least 21 and have health insurance to ride without a helmet. They must also have been licensed for two years or have completed a safety class. Another proposal by Schupp
would require everyone in a car to wear a seat belt, no matter the age. Law states adults in the backseat are exempt from seat belt requirements. It would also allow police to stop drivers solely for suspicion of not wearing a seat belt. Missouri’s rate of seatbelt use was about 79 percent and trending downward in 2014, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, while the nation-
al usage rate was remaining stable around 87 percent. The Missouri Highway Patrol also argues that one half of those killed in traffic fatalities would not have died had they worn seat belts. In the past year, 603 people in Missouri died in traffic accidents. Reactions to the proposal have been fairly positive.
SEE SAFETY | A5
Greek Life changes may see delays JAMES HENDERSON III Editor in Chief | @jendersoniii
BECCA BOREN | NW MISSOURIAN
Bernie Sanders told supporters at his Kansas City rally Wednesday that college students should not be hopelessly in debt upon graduation, drawing sustained applause from the mostly under-40 audience.
Sanders energizes young crowd ANGELA LUNA Chief Reporter | @lunie95
KANSAS CITY, MO. -- Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders flew here from South Carolina Wednesday morning to speak at a campaign rally downtown at the Kansas City Convention Center. About 7,000 people filled the convention center, which was completely surrounded by Sanders supporters an hour before the doors opened and more than three hours before the rally began. It wasn’t all love and cheers, for Sanders, however, as members of the Westboro Baptist protested across the street, carrying their signs and singing a
parody of “Let It Go” at the crowd. The protest didn’t last long, however, as the Westboro members departed shortly before the doors to the convention center opened. The crowd was comprised primarily of young adults. However, the crowd ranged in age from newborns to people in their late 80s. A group of disabled adults and children sat up front, and a hearing-impaired signer provided interpretation for about 10 others. High school and college students skipped class for the day just to watch Sanders and cheer for his free tuition plans. “We are gaining momentum because people believe you should
AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1914.
not be $50,000 or $100,000 in debt when you graduate college,” Sanders said to raucous cheers from the audience. The doors opened for the rally at 11 a.m., and the crowd continued to file in until the candidate took the state around 1:15 p.m. Campaign signs filled the room, including “Feel the Bern” and “We are the 99%,” which has been another key point with his presidential plan. The democratic candidate attacked the 1 percent, saying the rich will continue to get richer while the poor will struggle living in poverty.
SEE SANDERS | A5
Northwest Missouri State University’s Greek Life visioning process may see an extension from its previous deadline. The Greek Life visioning process began during the spring semester and consisted of interviews with alumni and surveys sent to students and faculty. Vice President of Student Affairs Matt Baker, Ph.D., said the visioning team sent out a request of proposals to Greek Life consulting companies in order to get an outside view on Northwest’s Greek Life. Baker said they were informed the April 15 deadline would not be plausible. “What happened was we had a pretty aggressive timeline where we were hoping to have a Greek Life vision outlined and done by April 15,” Baker said. “But, they said, ‘We are too busy with other Greek Life cases and we can’t get to your campus in the time to give you an answer by April 15.’ So now we’re reevaluating if our original deadline is a realistic deadline. We can do some stuff and get some input by then, but we need to consider if it would be better to slow down, take more time, take an extra six, seven or eight months and get the right answers to a longterm improved and reenvisioned Greek system.” The postponement of the deadline is not yet official because at time of publication, Baker was still in discussion with University President John Jasinski, Ph.D., but Baker said he was confident the deadline would get pushed back and that it was best for the process. “I don’t know what the Pres-
ident will say, but I think we will slow down the Greek Life visioning program to make sure we are getting the right input,” Baker said. Leaders of the program are continuing to interview alumni and are working on sharpening the questions for when they receive help from the consulting companies. They are also examining all Northwest Greek Life practices and comparing them to best practices from across the nation. Baker said the extension of the deadline means the program should be comfortable with making changes to Northwest’s Greek Life. “I think Greek Life over the last two years and over the next five years is changing, higher education is changing. I am not forecasting a huge change to Greek Life. But I am saying we better be ready to make good changes with the right goals in mind. I think it’s possible that we may make big changes, but if people from the outside saw the changes we made, I don’t think they would be too surprised. I think change will come to Greek Life, but I can’t predict what that will look like right now. We wouldn’t go through a process if we thought everything was going perfectly,” Baker said. He could not predict what the changes to Greek Life would look like exactly, but Baker said it could range from additional resources to support Greek Life, looking at building Greek houses on campus or requiring off-campus Greek houses to have an “adult” resident to name a few of the possibilities.
SEE GREEK LIFE | A5
PLEASE
RECYCLE