The H-SC Tiger » News

Unconventional Drug Testing Policies on Student-Athletes

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:59:37 +0000

Hampden-Sydney College constantly receives recognition for the very things that each student and faculty member takes sincere pride in: maintaining a clean welcoming campus, promoting exceptional academic standards, and providing a strong athletic program, to mention a few. The impressive portrayal the school works to preserve everyday can be traced back to the significant level of communication and understanding between faculty, staff, and students at H-SC. This sense of cooperation between staff and students distinguishes the College from many other universities. This idea of unity and collaboration is what we would all love to believe to be the leading quality that makes our school stand out; however, let’s not forget our all-male student body significantly contributes to our strong identity.

Remembering that Hampden-Sydney is the home to over 1,000 male students, one must understand that while the College has numerous clubs, intramural teams, and organizations, most of them can be distinguished into two major groups: athletic and non-athletic. For many years, Hampden-Sydney has especially been successful in various sports. Producing not only quality performances on the field each year, H-SC athletes are very much involved and prevail in the classroom as well. All of our athletes are catechized, just like the rest of the students, to be good men and good citizens at all times. Unfortunately, no one is perfect, and everyone has their flaws; moreover, when there is a failure to abide by certain standards, consequences will follow.

Beyond the popular notions as to why people consider Hampden-Sydney unique, lies a reason concerning the level of discipline at the college. Assistant Athletic Director and Head Athletic Trainer Andy McPherson comments:

“In 2007-2008 H-SC participated in a NCAA Drug Testing Pilot Testing. The NCAA tested 40 student-athletes. They found 9 positive tests. The student-athletes were not punished, and they did not inform the college who tested positive.” In response to the students who failed the drug tests, Mr. McPherson stated, “because of the results of the NCAA pilot, H-SC made the decision to do institutional drug testing on the student-athletes.” The notion to instill a school drug testing policy was made based on a legitimate incident, but is the drug testing process exercised fairly and thoroughly?

Concerning how the drug tests are operated, senior lacrosse player Jack Gibson stated, “the Athletic Department randomly selects a certain number of athletes from each team. Since the selection is random some people get tested multiple times, and some people never get tested. When you are selected to be tested, the athletic trainer informs you a day or two in advance. If you fail to show up to the test, it is counted as an automatic fail.”

While many athletes may be opposed to the additional school drug test, the participation and outcomes of the drug test is what helps display some of Hampden Sydney’s singular qualities like cooperation and discipline. These tests are relevant and signify how the College deals with a problem and creates a solution. Division III college athletics are extremely demanding and should not be seen as any less difficult or important than Division 1. Showing up for a drug test should be just a much of a priority as showing up for practice or a game.

As Hampden-Sydney continues to hold these drug tests each year, the right will prevail and the wrong will be disciplined. The question remains that aside from having to wake up at the crack of dawn, do these drug tests really place any unnecessary pressures, inconveniences or reflect a lack of trust, on the administrations side, for the students?

MSU Shooting Reveals Inadequate Emergency Response

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:57:57 +0000

During the early morning of December 4, 2011, the H-SC campus experienced an event that, fortunately, it seldom serve venue to: the shooting at the Minority Student Union House. Thankfully, campus police arrived quickly on the scene, and no one was injured. This unfortunate occurrence was relayed to the student body using the Emergency Notification System or ENS. The system caused emails to be sent to the students and faculty; text messages were sent to the registered cell phone numbers in the system; there was a informative message on the H-SC’s website homepage and warnings posted on the school’s electronic bulletin boards. In the end of the actual ordeal no one was hurt and now there is an on going police investigation.

As unfortunate as the incident was, it brought a few things to light concerning the process in which the school handles emergencies and the procedure and interworking of the ENS. According to Dr. Dale Jones, Vice President for Strategy, Administration, and Board Affairs, the school handles incidents such as these in three steps: the first concern is to promptly respond to, the second is to inform the community, and lastly communicate with off-campus constituents. The first step involves police officers, the fire department, and emergency medical responders, or “first responders.” Once they have taken control of the situation, the administration alerts the community using the ENS. After these steps have been taken then parties such as parents are informed via email.

During the latest shooting incident, many members of the community were left wondering: “why did it take so long?” In response to this Dr. Jones comments that the administration also “asked [themselves] why?” This led them to make improvements to the ENS system and form the Incident Management Team. The INS, according to the H-SC website “provide[s] a coordinated approach to preparing for, responding to, and managing an emergency incident at Hampden-Sydney College.” One of the issues that the school ran into that prolonged the time it took to activate the system, according to Tommy Shomo, Director of Communications, was the number of people that had the clearance to do so. In response to that problem, Dr. Jones said that, “we had six individuals before, and now we have fifteen.” This is because, unlike before, police officers are now able to activate the system and send out a message if necessary.

Another problem administration ran into in the aftermath of the incident was the reaction from parents regarding their late notification about the shooting on campus. According to Mr. Shomo, the incident happened in the early hours of Dec 4, 2011, but an official statement was not sent to parents until the afternoon of Dec 5. Parents’ reaction to this was very negative, and they wish that they too be informed at the time of the activation of the ENS. Mr. Shomo says the problem with that is it would slow the system down. Another factor is that a parent’s natural response would be to call their sons, and that may slow down the phones on campus which at that time should be open in order to send out other notifications if necessary. The administration agrees that it is the school’s responsibility to alert the campus first, then those off campus.

Lastly, one of the biggest issues the administration faces with alerting the community about emergencies on campus is that not enough students have registered their cell phones in the ENS. According to Dr. Jones we have an “Opt in” system, in which student voluntarily submit their cell numbers. Because cell phone numbers are the students’ property the school can’t require the numbers to be registered. According to Dr. Jones the amount of people that register rises in spurts over time: after the incident, some after an email sent, etc. Mr. Shomo said that on Dec 3, the day before the shooting, there were 176 students that had registered their numbers in the ENS. Now there is about 450 students registered. Mr. Shomo also said that the administration ultimate goal is to have at least eighty percent of the student body registered for the ENS via their cell phones. Students can register their numbers via the emergency links on the HSC website using their student ID and pin.

The school is continuing to look into other areas to strengthen the ability to respond to events like the shooting. Dr. Jones said that some of the options the school is reviewing are using carillon speakers to audibly alert the community, possibly installing alert beacons within classrooms, installing more emergency telephones around campus, the utilization of social media, and he formalization of an agreement between the school and the Farmville Police and Fire Departments in case assistance is needed. Via the changes already made and the changes that continue to be made the ENS and H-SC’s ability to respond to an emergency situation are constantly growing.

Don’t Even Bother to Vote

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:44:26 +0000

With the Republican Primaries well underway and the Presidential Election in the not-too-distant future, it will only be a matter of time before we are reminded about our patriotic duty to vote. Many well-intentioned citizens, from celebrities proclaiming “Vote or Die” or our grandparents complaining about how corrupt our generation has become, present voting to us as a remedy for an ailing society. The problem, as many of these well-intentioned people see it, is that bad, wicked, and corrupt politicians are in office and that they simply need to be voted out and replaced by good, noble, and altruistic statesmen and women. However, this argument misses the mark. It is not simply that bad people have stolen the system. Voting, by its very nature, will lead to bad outcomes. Voting is simply not an efficient mechanism for expressing what people desire. Therefore, a good Hampden-Sydney man should question if his role as a voter is legitimate and is actually helping our society to progress.

Even if politicians were the most altruistic people in the world they would still face large problems in determining what their constituents wanted. This difficulty arises because voting cannot account for people’s intensity of preference for a policy. For example, in a market, if I wish to buy something, I can use my money to express how much I desire something, and I can use varying amounts of money to express how highly I want the item. However, with voting I simply get one vote. This is my only mechanism for expressing how much I desire a policy and it’s the same as everyone else’s, and the end of the day all of the votes are added together and whoever has the most gets what they want. Lost in this aggregation of votes are the different and varied preferences that people may have on an issue. Thus the feedback politicians receive from voting do not account for the actual demands of the voters, which will lead to poor policy choices.

However, even though every voter’s intensity of preference is restricted by his or her one vote, people and organizations find other ways of expressing themselves politically. Old folks attend party meetings, yuppies donate to politicians, and many young people, such as the occupiers, take to the streets. More importantly, corporations and activist groups also influence politics in a variety of ways from donations to starting Political Action Committees (PACs). Corporations can stand to gain millions based on the decisions of politicians. This means corporations have a strong incentive to be very involved in politics and support those politicians, who will write the laws they want and give them the subsidies they desire. The average voter does not have this incentive since he/she is rarely stands to gain millions of dollars by a single political decision. Inevitably, the politicians become corrupt and less receptive to the wants of their constituents.

Even if politicians could overcome the perils of corporate influence and do what is in the best interest of the country, another obstacle emerges: deciding what is in the national interest is actually a very difficult task which is actually made more difficult by voting. Voting is often cited as the institution best equipped to understand what the populace wants. Politicians evoke this message incessantly, such as current Speaker of the House John Boehner who declared the 2010 midterms as a mandate from the people. However, it is misleading to say that the people have mandated something, even if the majority appeared to vote one way as opposed to the other. This is because individuals can rank their preferences in a transitive manner. For example, I can prefer to eat steak to chicken, chicken to soup, and steak to soup. On the contrary, a “majority” can prefer steak to chicken, chicken to soup, and soup to steak simultaneously. This means that the voting system actually complicates the preferences of the majority by reducing their consumption to just one politician or policy.

Of course, many people will claim that they will still vote, because it makes them feel good. It certainly can feel nice to wear the “I voted” sticker and stroll proudly out of the voting booth. Nevertheless, if someone is legitimately concerned about the well-being of other people, he would know that voting should not make him feel good since all he has actually done is contributed to a systemically flawed institution that will continue to make poor choices.

The arguments against voting should not be seen as a defense for being apathetic and ignorant about the world. Instead, one should seek other ways to improve society that aren’t political, such as becoming educated, pursuing philanthropic ventures, or simply helping friends in need. There are literally hundreds of other ways to advance society that don’t involve a voting booth, and it’s quite possible that the voting booth works against that goal in the first place.

This Week on the Hill: The Tiger Traces Its Roots

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:40:28 +0000

On this hill, January 31, 1920, the very first publication of The Hampden-Sydney Tiger was circulated for the reading pleasure of the student body, faculty, and alumni. Subscriptions were two dollars and the price of a single issue was ten cents. There was no section for reviews of the various forms of media. Instead, the paper consisted almost entirely of articles concerning athletics, with a few advertisements scattered between pages.

Our predecessors here at the Tiger wrote with several goals in mind. They intended to bring accurate details concerning athletic events, particularly where the first-hand-accounts of victorious athletes proved too modest. The Tiger was also a means for the student body to voice concerns or criticisms involving the goings-on in their daily on-campus lives. It was also meant as an announcement board for faculty members intending to announce contests, prizes, and exam schedules. It was an important means by which trustees could keep a finger on the pulse of campus life when making decisions, and a way for alumni to arouse feelings of nostalgia remembering their own years here on the hill.

Times have changed, and the Internet has made information easy to access. Even if there is not a desktop or laptop nearby, the proliferation of smartphones and sophisticated software make it a near certainty that there is an app designed to indulge every curiosity. The Tiger finds its relevance in the intent by which it was published. This paper is meant to be the voice of the student body, where you can voice your criticism or satisfaction with campus policies and events. While Facebook is a great place to keep up with friends, The Tiger is the best source of information to keep up with the time-tested institution that strives to make “Good men and good citizens.”

To quote a writer from very first issue, “we are going to do everything in our power to make this a paper that will interest you.” Give us some feedback. Technological innovation means that the campus is no longer only “twenty minutes ride from Farmville by the Norfolk and Western railroad line.” It does not make The Tiger any less your own.

Freshman Learning From Last Semester

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:33:33 +0000

Freshmen were asked what they plan on doing differently this semester because of what they learned last semester or because of their experiences. They were asked to reply with both a goal within the classroom and one outside of the classroom. Here is what they said:

In the Classroom: ”I’m going to make sure I do my homework sooner than ten minutes before the class.”

Outside of the classroom: “I’m going to try to spend less money on chicken wings.” –Mason Watkins ‘15

In the classroom: “This semester from eight to four I’m treating school like a job.”

Outside the classroom: “I’m going to get a little more peaceful time to myself this semester.”- Joe Bean ‘15

In the classroom: “I’m going to start homework as soon as I get out of class.”

Outside the Classroom: “I’m going to spend more time in the Tiger Rec lifting weights.” –Jay Easley ‘15

In the Classroom: “I’m trying not to go to the library too much. I’m planning on going to classrooms to work.”

Outside the Classroom: “I’m trying to go to the gym more and smoke less cigarettes.” –Orian Ray’15

In the classroom: “I’m going to take a more active role in perfecting my rhetoric skills.”

Outside the classroom: ”Socially, I’m going to be pledging this semester.”

– Tim Coleman ‘15

In the classroom: “I’m taking four classes instead of five, so I can focus on my terrible writing skills with the extra time I’ll have.”

Outside the classroom: “I’m playing some Tiger Lax, so we can get that ODAC championship.” –Jim Woodward ‘15

Despite the Cold, Basketball Heats Up the Court

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:10:19 +0000

After starting the season at 4-2, the Hampden-Sydney basketball team has been on fire winning 10 of their last 12 games overall and 7 of 9 in the ODAC. Leading the Tigers through this torrid stretch has been forward Harrison George who is averaging 17.8 points per game (second in the ODAC) and 6.2 rebounds per game (11^th in the ODAC). George’s best performance was against Roanoke College where he scored 28 points, including 19 in the second half. George also added 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals in the 85-70 Tigers victory.

Throughout the stretch the Tigers have been winning with a superb offense scoring 88.2 points per game, best in the ODAC and eighth in the nation. Part of their great success is their offensive rebounding in which they average 12.2 rebounds per game, allowing the already efficient offense to get second chance points. Another one of the Tigers’ strengths is their outstanding depth. The Tigers have 10 players who average at least 10 minutes a game and all players on the team average at least 3.8 minutes per game. This wealth of talent is a big reason the Tigers now sit with a 14-4 record and are playing perhaps their basketball to date.

Another reason for the Tiger’s success has been their defense. The Tigers sit second in the conference in field goal percentage defense (opponent’s field goal percentage) at 40.8% and first in three point field goal percentage defense at 28.6%. The Tigers also dominate the glass on the defensive end, leading the conference with 29.1 rebounds per game. Khobi Williamson leads the team with 6.7 rebounds per game. Williamson also leads the team in blocks with 23. The Tigers rank second in blocks, third in steals, and third in turnovers caused. The commitment to tough defense bodes well for the Tigers as they get into the meat of the conference schedule.

The Tigers opened ODAC play with an absolute thrashing of Eastern Mennonite 108-65 and didn’t slow down, crushing Randolph 75-53 and running by Washington and Lee 77-65. The Tigers first conference loss came at the hands of #2 Virginia Wesleyan who capitalized on the Tigers’ 16 turnovers which turned into 25 points for Virginia Wesleyan, who won 100-80. After the loss, the Tigers came back stronger and won four straight conference games by an average margin of 18.25 points, including a 23 point beatdown of Lynchburg College, a game that saw Harrison George match his season high for points with 28 and a Tiger defense that held Lynchburg to 34.4% from the field.

Riding a hot streak into the January 21 contest against archrival Randolph-Macon, the Tigers were hoping to earn a victory in the hardcourt version of “The Game,” But failed to move past a poor first half performance and lost 86-80. George was held to 9 points on 4-16 shooting and the Tigers never found a true offensive rhythm. The Yellow Jackets also had a great shooting game, hitting 51% of their shots.

The Tigers did not stay down for long however as they went on the road to face Lynchburg. The Tigers came out firing on all cylinders and jumped out to a 42-24 halftime lead and never looked back thrashing the Hornets by 33 points, 92-59. Ru White ‘12 led all scorers with 15 points and also added in 7 rebounds and 3 assists.

The next game for the Tigers is Saturday January 28^th at 2:00 PM as they travel to face the WildCats of Randolph College. The Tigers return home and open a 3 game homestand on February 1^stas they take on Bridgewater College. Other games are Emory & Henry (2/4) and Patrick Henry (2/7). So come down and show your support for the Tigers!

Ben Jesse has been lethal from 3 pt range this season hitting 37 of 98.

New Gun Locker on Campus Continues to Face Challenge

admin — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 18:56:36 +0000

At Hampden-Sydney College, students enjoy many liberties that many other schools outright ban. Take allowing guns on campus, for example. Allowing guns on campus poses a potential threat to security, yet our school allows students to have guns under certain conditions. Any student who chooses to bring a firearm or bow must register them with the school and must also keep them in the gun locker. Nonetheless, there are some who choose to keep their guns close at hand in their dorm rooms.

For those of unfamiliar with the gun locker, it is a storage place for weapons and ammunition located in the police headquarters. This year is the first year the gun locker is located in the Security Office. Before that, it had been located in the basement of the Carp Z dorms. The location was moved for multiple reasons.

Students had extreme difficulty accessing the gun locker because the key card lock, which was supposed to let them in any time, would often malfunction. This would mean a student would have to call the station then wait for an officer to come down and unlock it for them. They would then have to call the station again to return the gun. This would cause discontent amongst students and was a factor in the decision to relocate the locker. As a result of minor inconveniences like this, students have started keeping guns in their rooms causing a safety risk for other students.

Chief Gee pointed out some other reasons for moving the location, which include the safety of the campus, safety for the students, and safekeeping of the weapons. The administration had personal interest in moving the location because no one was able to keep watch over the locker and felt that leaving it unattended posed security risks.

One student weighed in on the topic of registering guns versus keeping them in rooms saying that the gun locker is not only a hassle to use when you want to go shooting or hunting, but it is also bad for guns because the wet wood the locker is made out of allows moisture to seep into the guns over time. He also said he is tempted to keep his gun in his car or room because he has had difficulty with the police when trying to get his gun because of lost keys. Other times, no one is around to unlock the locker.

Though it is not a common occurrence, other students have made this complaint as well. Chief Gee responded to this observation by saying, “the locker is in excellent shape, but a big factor is the unexpected heat and humidity of this fall; however, we have a solution for this when it starts to get warm again.” The police department is installing a dehumidifier and using other chemicals to absorb moisture before it gets to the guns.

Another student gave some alternate ideas for future gun locker plans assuming the locker was relocated or updated to function more smoothly. One idea he had was to build multiple gun lockers and station one near all the dorms to improve convenience and efficiency. Unfortunately, this idea would be difficult to put into practice because of price and the lack of supervision for all the lockers across campus. The cost of building the current locker was around $7000, even though Chief Gee’s original plan only cost $2000. Building more lockers around campus could result in other plans going over budget, and then money spent building extra lockers would have to be taken away from other funds, such as those set aside for academic purposes.

Chief Gee also gave more insight into the behind-the-scene issues involving guns on campus. “I don’t mind having guns on campus the way its set up now, but I have a yearly battle at the General Assembly about allowing people to carry concealed guns on campus.” This would mean that students would be allowed to carry concealed weapons in class rooms, dorm rooms, and other places like the fraternity circle. Arguments for concealed guns use the Virginia Tech shooting as an example. They claim that had students been carrying concealed weapons at the specific time, they could have stopped the shootings before innocent people were killed. Chief Gee points out that if the police were to walk into a room after someone had killed or shot the original gunman, Chief Gee and his team would most likely “pop” the one with the smoking gun before the situation could be settled.

Situations like this are why the administration has to be careful with students bringing guns to school and keeping them in their dorm. Keeping guns in dorm rooms could eventually lead to the banning of guns on campus for good, especially if it becomes a pressing issue with campus security. Several students have already been caught this year with guns in their rooms.

Everyone can be assured the freedom to keep guns on campus if they abide by the requirement. After all Chief Gee and many other students could not come up with a better way or place to store the guns. Along with being able to track the usage of registered guns on campus, the police station gun locker ensures that student’s guns will also be protected from theft and kept in good condition.

It is a large responsibility to have guns on campus. When placing guns into the hands of others for safekeeping, the owners usually want careful watch over the belongings. In the end, the college has the students’ best interests at heart when it compromises some freedoms and luxuries for the long term benefit of sanctioned gun usage.

Aramark Monopoly Continues on College Grounds

admin — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 18:54:31 +0000

Only Aramark may provide refreshments for events held on campus

Hampden-Sydney students are very fortunate to attend a school that offers a vast number of seminars and forums from well-accredited speakers, but events such as these are sometimes a hardship on their hosts due to a seemingly harmless culprit: cookies.

Faculty and students both have had issues with the catering policies and prices provided by Aramark. The price of light refreshments, such as cookies, bottles of water, and cheese trays have become a problem among members of the community who want to serve refreshments at school events.

According to Aramark’s H-SC catering website, the price of one dozen cookies is $6.60 and “English Tea Sandwiches” are $25.00 a dozen, but the customer must purchase at least two dozen, driving the price to a $50.00 minimum. When satisfying a large group of hungry, male college students, one can foresee how events can become pricey. But there are also service charges for the event: including a drop off and pick up fee, an hourly fee for each employee involved actively serving food, and charges for each table with linen.

One might ask, “Why don’t people just go to Wal-Mart and purchase cookies and water there?” The official answer is found in “H-SC Policy on Room Chargers and Rules,” which states, “All food service at College facilities and/or property must be contracted for and provided by H-SC Aramark catering office.” In short, Aramark has a contractual monopoly on all served foods on campus. Because of prices and obligation, some faculty members have said that they are forced to host many events without refreshments.

This issue is also affecting students. Nay Min Oo ’12, president of the H-SC International Club, hosted the sixth annual International Food Festival in the past month. It featured a number of dishes made by students. The event was only allowed to be held in College Church. The Church is the one building on campus that is not owned by the college, thus creating a loophole in the contract. In past years, the club cooked food and hosted the event in Settle Hall, but due to recent changes in policies, students were forced to move to College Church. Clubs only have a certain amount of money given to them by the Student Finance Committee, and if a club wanted to have an event with refreshments, it may leave them bankrupt. Oo expressed concern about the requirement noting, “As limited as a club’s budget is, I don’t think it is helpful to have clubs required to buy food from Aramark.”

Only Aramark may provide snacks and refreshments for events held on campus

Aramark’s catering policies aren’t all bad though. Glenn Culley, the new Vice President of Business Affairs and Finance, comments that a large benefit of Aramark is the “Quality control of food being served on campus.” If third party caterers’ food was to be served on campus and people got food poisoning, it would be a massive liability. Another positive view came from Thomas Shomo, Director of Public Affairs and Marketing. He said that Aramark’s services benefit our institution in terms of accessibility and cleanup.

When talking to Mr. Culley about Aramark’s contract and the issues people have been having, he said that the problems have become apparent and are being looked into, but Mr. Culley also noted, “Nothing is going to change this fiscal year.”

Professor Involvement Outside of the Classroom

admin — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 18:46:12 +0000

Student-faculty relations outside of he classroom are very important

At any Saturday home game at Hampden-Sydney the professors who watch the game from the Wilson Center are a welcome and familiar sight, and it is usually the same professors who attend each game. This group of professors has become a fixture at the College. Students, who appreciate additional out-of-classroom time to interact with their professors, also respect them.

Decades ago the on-campus and out-of-classroom contact was even more pronounced, but with different generations come different priorities. This is not to say that newer professors do not value the students, but with many of them living in Richmond or Charlottesville there are just not as many opportunities for the same kind of mentor-mentee relationships. Prof. Frusetta summed it up when he said, “Graduate school trains scholars, but it doesn’t train professors very well.” This is not a slight against any professor, but rather a reminder that we should do more to capitalize on the unique opportunity we have at Hampden-Sydney. At many large state schools there exists a canyon between students and professors making student-professor connections nearly impossible. Hampden-Sydney’s small class sizes make these opportunities a possibility, however.

This semester, for example, the Union-Philanthropic Literary Society has developed a program to help foster student-professor relationships. UPLS frequently invites an alumnus of the Society back on a Friday and then takes him to dinner with his favorite professor. This provides an opportunity for students to get to know their professors and for alumni to catch up with them. Other clubs and on-campus organizations provide similar opportunities. CSPE, for example, hosts three reading groups where students can debate and discuss ideas with professors.

Many professors are still very active in campus life. The Macon Week activities held at the Tiger Inn saw a good number of attendances from professors. These type of events help promote the interests of everyone and reduce the notion that, except for office hours, you might not see a professor out of the classroom. Seeing professors outside the classroom will encourage them to look forward to an opportunity to casually approach a professor for extra guidance. For professors, this personal interaction is beneficial as well because it allows them to identify students who are interested in their field or are struggling with class material. In this way it becomes a tool for community strengthening and building those professor-student bonds that attracted many students to a school like Hampden-Sydney.

Dr. Frusetta also points out, “Professors are like icebergs; you see them in class, but this is really only about a fifth of how they spend their time at work.” And he is absolutely correct. Students should be made aware of professors other time commitments.

H-SC is still light years ahead of many other schools when considering the sense of community that exists. And if both professors and students get involved to form better connections, both sides will benefit. In the long run, that will only strengthen our College. However, we should not take the culture we have for granted. We need to be constantly seeking out new avenues to engage students and professors beyond classes. While the younger generation of professors should seek more opportunities for involvement, student clubs should also look towards finding ways to involve professors in their activities.

Fraternity Life Beyond the Party Scene

admin — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 18:30:17 +0000

Hampden-Sydney students sign their presence at the 4th Annual Kappa Sigma Golf Tournament in honor of Allen West

Merriam-Webster.com states that the word fraternity can be defined as “a group of people associated or formally organized for a common purpose, interest, or pleasure.” Nearly 70 percent of the Hampden-Sydney student body that is non-active in Greek Life may see Fraternities as simple promoters to party and have fun. This may be true at other colleges, but while all 10 active fraternities on the Hampden-Sydney campus engage and host weekend social activities, they also contribute significantly to the common good of Hampden- Sydney College and our community.

Due to past incidents around the nation and public awareness on campus, the Inner Fraternity Council, along with H-SC faculty and staff have constantly been working to improve the portrayal and safety around the campus. Hampden-Sydney College is currently promoting the “No More Campaign,” while the Inner Fraternity Council has also presented a committee called “Project Hercules.” The “No More Campaign” seeks to promote public awareness around the campus about the dangers of prescription drug misuse. Meanwhile, Project Hercules primarily focuses on eliminating the flaws among the Fraternities through replacing negative fines and student relations with a more positive system and environment. Fraternities on campus are in support of both programs and concerned with increasing public awareness for students’ safety, whether down at Fraternity Circle or anywhere around campus.

Aside from the recently developed campaigns and committees on Hampden Sydney’s campus, the Hampden-Sydney Fraternities also display concern for and contribute to the College through various fundraisers and memorial events. On September 17, 2010, Kappa Alpha Order held an Oyster Roast in honor of deceased member of the 2014 class and Kappa Alpha Order, Blake Hill. The Oyster Roast provided a great chance for students and parents to contribute on the Saturday of Parents Weekend. The event ultimately raised over $3,000, which was donated towards a Blake Hill Memorial Scholarship.

Theta Chi brother Ned Horton added, “Theta Chi has been sponsoring a bi-annual blood drive every year since I’ve been here; once during Macon week, and once during Greek week. We generally beat Macon per capita in the blood drive as we did this year. The Greek Week blood drive is a great way to give back during the College’s most well-known week of festivities.”

Across Fraternity Circle, William Cronly, a brother at Kappa Sigma, spoke about the Annual Kappa Sigma Golf Tournament held in honor of Kappa Sigma brother Allen West, who passed away in 2007. He informed, “the 5^th Annual Golf Tournament will be held in the spring of this year, and the money raised is donated towards a scholarship in honor of Allen West. This scholarship is then awarded to a student who displays superb academic and athletic characteristics. The Tournament raised over $7,000 and was held at the Manor Golf Course. As Kappa Sigma plans to hold this event again, we encourage everyone to attend, support, and embrace the event.”

There may be no denying that fraternities on campus direct a good portion of their focus on partying and meeting hosting social events, but one should understand that behind the common stereotype, each fraternity takes initiative in contributing to the Hampden-Sydney College Community. And for those who don’t hold faith in the fraternities, the Inner Fraternity Council Vice Chairman, William Kitchen, advises to “be on the look-out next semester as the IFC plans on coming together and participating in a unified initiative of continued support towards the surrounding community.”