4 I Wednesday, April 14, 2010 Student leaders react to ordinance changes By Megan Rogers COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER Student leaders said Tuesday that recent changes in the Nuisance Gathering Ordinance are not enough one day after the latest draft of the ordinance was presented to the State College Borough Council. The changes presented at Monday’s work session limit the ordinance, holding party hosts responsible only for violations occurring on their own property. Previous versions aimed to charge party hosts if guests later committed crimes elsewhere. University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) Governmental Affairs Chairman T.J. Bard said though he sees the change as a step in the right direction, many students oppose the ordinance. Bard said his committee is going to send out a questionnaire to people affected by the ordi nance including fraternity presidents, the Off-Campus Student Union, students living off campus and borough residents by the end of the week. PSU veterans join newly formed fraternity colony By Jourdan Cole COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER After holding positions as a machine gun squad leader and sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps, “The Godfather" is just another title for Matt Poth. And while he’s a little older than the average college student. Poth, 24, has taken the position as the president of a new co-ed fra ternity for veterans. Omega Sigma Delta. After spending two eight-month tours in Iraq, Poth (junior-second ary education) said it was difficult to readjust and settle into college and classes so he began to look for something bigger. “It is a daunting task. We're starting from square one. We were important people in the mil itary, and we’re just a number to the campus," said Poth, also the vice president of the Penn State Veterans Association. Enter Omega Sigma Delta, which helps veterans get back into the swing of things. Last fall, Poth and several other veterans discovered Omega Sigma Delta, National Veterans Fraternity, Inc., and decided to apply for a colony. Including the Penn State colony, there are six chapters of Scholars Facebook Uncle Eli’s * fci . O SJV artist's marketplace the daily on-poriun. special! An exciting world of "arty" gifts, & other surprises awaits you! 129 E. Beaver Ave. ► Right between Allen and Pugh ► Open ‘til B:3opm on weeknights 93% ‘ of PteM Suite students agreed that the distribution racks are conveniently located. Advertise In The Daily Collegian and get noticed! From the feedback, Bard hopes to compile a “uniformed and uni versal” report to present to the council members before they cast their votes. UPUA Legal Affairs Director Matthew Lachman said the numerous revisions to the ordi nance show the council and bor ough are not confident in the pro posal. “The fact they keep revising and taking things out of it show they are aware it’s not the right thing to do,” Lachman (senior political science) said. Chadd Williams, president of the Penn State chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), said the change in the ordinance was good, but still not enough. In March, Williams (freshman political science) sent a letter to the borough, stating the ordi nance was unconstitutional. Though he never got a reply, he said he will continue to fight against the ordinance. “We’ll do our best here at Penn State, but we only have a couple weeks left until we leave," Williams said. “We’ll do what we “It’s not your traditional fraternity. We still all have the warrior spirit in us.” Omega Sigma Delta, which bills itself as the largest and most active veteran fraternity in America. But it’s been difficult to build membership. The fraternity cur rently has about 25 members and plans to reach out to more veter ans. “Our pledge process is signing on the dotted line and defending your country. It’s not your tradi tional fraternity,” Poth said. “We still all have the warrior spirit in us.” Potential members must have a grade point average of at least 2.5 and have been honorably dis charged from the United States armed forces. Poth said the brothers’ bonds are stronger than those of tradi tional fraternities because of their shared connection to the armed forces. “It’s a mutual trust,” he said. "We have each others’ backs in the most dire situations, when it truly is a life-and-death kind of thing.” Public Relations Officer LOC A L “The fact they keep revising and taking things out of it show they are aware it’s not the right thing...” Matthew Lachman UPUA Legal Affairs Director can but we can only do so much.' Voting on the Neighborhood Sustainability Ordinances is scheduled to occur at the May 2 council meeting, the beginning of finals week for students. The current form should not be passed. Williams said he thinks the ordinance still violates a host's rights by holding him responsible for someone else's behavior. "The people who act disorderly commit crimes on their own. The host shouldn’t be responsible." Williams said. “The person who committed the crime should be responsible.” To e-mail reporter: mers2oo@psu.edu Matt Poth President of Omega Sigma Delta Jonathan Chorle, 25, said he joined the fraternity for the expe rience and to be part of some thing that will grow in the fut ui l . He enjoys the weekly meetings because they're not "the typical boring kind." "We talk about the agenda but also have a lot of fun." Chorle (senior-international media stud ies) said. "We all joke around and poke fun at each other. We all have thick skin and can laugh at ourselves." While the fraternity brothers do not share a common residence yet, Poth said he would like to see the fraternity' get a house and join the Interfraternity Council <IF(N in the future. Other goals for the fraternity include giving back to the com munily and working with its phi lanthropy, Wounded Warrior Project, Poth said. "We want to be like the other fraternities and have socials and get involved in THON,” he said. To e-mail reporter: Jpcs2ol@psu.edu Penn State alumnus Jennifer Storm n the Light On: A Memoir of Recovery ana s Recovering addict talks of experiences By Chidi Ugwu MGiAN STAFF WRITER Even though her days as a self proclaimed BLOC (big lesbian on campus * have been over for more I'jitie. .Jennifer .Storm lii! enn.-uieis Penn State her Storm. author of "Leave the On: A Memoir of Recovoiy : -Mi Discovery." spoke to a audience Tuesday nigh! in LIT. auditorium about her mil] addiction. reeov Mnv iier time at Penn i Med her through it. i really positive expert .■•he said. "And 1 did it . ..loan and sober" : -.aid that her addiction organ alter she va o .-mulled at age 12. am! sound herself dependant M and various drugs to wail the day. Once she sci ions about trying to Storm uprooted her Kir ame a student at Penn "Kveiything was a party for me" she said. "When I got here and ’ was actually sober, it was like whole new world." Whiie Penn State does have a reputation for being a heavy drinking school. Storm said there is much more to do here if people are willing to look. She recalled an instance where -■msvonc flew into a drunken rage after she told him she woukinl lake a shot of alcohol, i'rt'ii it it w as his birthday li took a bit of getting used to. Ms storm said she eventually learned how to resist the peer pressure she encountered regu lar!] and how to avoid the situa- The Duly Collegian a: campus that > Tav clean and imoh i ner tour rears .aid gave her the more open about u the number of ti’.e cover of the ■■■ rainbow flag .a -wnething." ite served as ‘hie Lamour. icaih interest- ■shman-pre ■ sirenath it ,o talk about a c-ssh e " 'id irom New !n;r iii who i.\ vou can is lung you can ogy '■ - ciosol2@psu.edu a "Leave eadav. i neoimter is her rage and tiling she ■Uu'ii as ca'iue was ■ks. Storm ivod death vaa-g. She a II Hie -sage was ■pie- can do iuinestlv icssage i'ii to me •::: ! V Isiili be kind of propie who :gh patches
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