Serving James Madison University Since 1922 breezejmu.org
Sunny n 72°/ 49° chance of precipitation: 20%
Vol. 87, No. 49 Thursday, April 7, 2011
Double punch deliverance Dining Services presents major changes to meal plans for fall 2011 The new off-campus meal plan, ‘Block 50,’ will include 50 meals for the entire semester and 150 Dining Dollars.
SGA Debate April 11 @ 8 p.m. Hosted by The Breeze
In the lower drum of the Festival Stage >> Have questions to submit? Email sgadebate@gmail.com
The value of a punch will increase from $4 to $5 at Festival, PC Dukes, Top Dog, Market One and Corner Bistro. With a 14-punch plan, students will be allowed to distribute punches however they choose.
Pat Watral
Emily Douillard
Student Body President
Student Body Vice President
Students with meal plans will be able to double-punch on both weekdays and weekends.
Graphic by Jena Thielges / the breeze
By Evi Fuelle contributing writer
Cheers erupted during Tuesday night’s Student Government Association meeting when Stephanie Hoshower, director of Dining Services, said that students will be allowed to double-punch on the weekends. In late January and early February of this year, Dining Services solicited both on- and off-campus students in an hour-long chat-room discussion about meal plans. Students were randomly selected and encouraged to give feedback in the sessions on
proposed changes to the meal plans, according to Hoshower. She said she is constantly seeking to make meal plans more beneficial for students, but the chat-room discussion helped her understand exactly what changes students wanted. Dining Services continued to meet regularly with the SGA food service committee to obtain feedback and ideas about the dining program. An official consensus was reached this week, with the changes formally announced for the first time at Tuesday’s meeting.
The Food Committee and Dining Services announced four major changes for meal plans: a new offcampus meal plan, two changes to the 14-punch plan and an increase in the value of a punch. “Our goal is to give students more flexibility and value for the meal plans,” Hoshower said. Beginning in fall 2011, there will be an extra off-campus dining plan called the “Block 50,” which will include 50 meals for the semester. These punches must be used by the see Punches, page 5
master plan
Convocation conversation
Year: Junior Hometown: Budd Lake, N.J. Major: International affairs Platform: n Addressing students’ concerns about the upcoming transportation issues on JMU’s campus n Pursuing alcohol abuse reduction n Facilitating Harrisonburg/JMU relations and representing the student body at Harrisonburg Town Council meeting n Promoting green sustainability n Non-discrimination in the community
Year: Junior Hometown: Essex Junction, Vt. Major: Health sciences Platform: n Upholding spirits and traditions of JMU through events n Logistical changes in the Purple Out event n Taking on a coleadership role with the class council committee n Fostering better relations between the executive and senate members of the SGA
Kenzie Fisher
Abby Ware
Student Body Vice President
Executive Treasurer
Students’ reactions to a possible new home for basketball, concerts, events vary By Georgina Buckley The Breeze
Student reactions are mixed when it comes to the potential construction of a new Convocation Center as proposed last Friday by the JMU Board of Visitors in their Six-Year-Capital-Plan for 2012–18. “I personally believe that a new, larger Convocation Center is necessary and that it will be beneficial to the entire JMU population,” Stephen Eure, the president of University Program Board said in an email. UPB schedules events at the see Convo, page 5
Photo Courtesy of JMu’s office of public affairs
This sketch from JMU’s master plan illustrates potential plans for a possible new Convocation Center, which would be ready for the 2015 winter basketball season.
Causes
Clothesline Project honors victims
Year: Sophomore Hometown: Virginia Beach Major: Communication studies Platform: n Working to find out what students want n Getting feedback from students and making SGA approachable to students n Making more connections with different organizations n Making positive changes at JMU
Chris Brown
Students decorate T-shirts for Sexual Assault Awareness month
Student Representative to the Board of Visitors
By Alicia Hesse contributing writer
Lauren Debski was raped in a dorm room on campus last February. A T-Shirt hangs in Transitions to represent her sexual attack. She now suffers from post traumatic stress disorder and takes medication to cope. It was not just a physical attack, she said, but a mental attack. Approximately 600 T-shirts hung for the Clothesline Project on Monday and Tuesday, adorned with messages about sexual violence. It’s been a little over a year since the night Debski was sexually assaulted, and she already began speaking out. “It’s not just happening to me, it’s everywhere,” she said. “It’s an epidemic.” In an effort to stop this from happening to anyone else, Debski presented to seven fraternities and sororities at JMU and intends to present to four more. She shows a PowerPoint she made, an emotional video and tells her story. Though it pains her to talk about it, Debski has a strong desire to educate people about sexual assault, even though that can mean telling her personal account to a room of strangers. She doesn’t want to be seen as a victim, but knows she has to take that risk if she is going to speak out. Debski said she wakes up every day thinking about the night she was raped.
Year: Sophomore Hometown: Great Falls, Va. Major: Political science Platform: n Create more awareness of the funding the SGA has to offer to organizations like SafeRides n Promote “The BIG Sale” so that on- and off-campus students can donate their unwanted belongings; proceeds will go to charity
Year: Junior Hometown: Charlottesville Major: Health sciences Platform: n Improve student body’s awareness and understanding the role of the Board of Visitors and their representation n Establish a committee of representatives from different regions across campus n Improve on the level of communication between the Board of Visitors and JMU students n Build a close relationship with SGA to make sure every student concern is being addressed
SGA Elections April 13-14th Katie Baroody / the breeze
Monday and Tuesday’s display of T-shirts in Warren Hall shared messages from victims and friends for Sexual Assault Awareness month.
She said seeing all the T-shirts made her feel better to know that there’s hope and light out there. Debski believes the Clothesline Project can inform others to some extent, but feels it should be outside and more visible to show people the reality.
4/7 Inside 3 news Inside his head Student body president
reflects on his time in office and the future of SGA.
She also suggested incorporating discussions about sexual assault in JMU’s orientation program. She believes freshmen at JMU should be educated on the reality that one in four will be
Cast your ballot at sga.jmu.edu/voting
see Clothes, page 10
7 Parties should not be open 9 JMU HDPT-driver steers opinion Lesson not learned
life Behind the wheel
to the public on Facebook, considering last April.
bus in challenging state competition.
11 Baseball head coach Spanky
sports The apple doesn’t fall far
McFarland is now coaching his freshman son, Tyler.