Attempts to contact the anonymous informant were unsuccessful, as the informant did not respond to The Sentinel’s follow-up to the claim that 65 students were arrested in one night at Electric Cowboy.

Justin Gillis, the general manager of Electric Cowboy, said that while the club does use Kennesaw police to help with safety precautions, no such sting operations are occurring.

“The only point at which a Kennesaw police officer will [test the blood alcohol level of ] an underage patron would be if they are suspected of underage consumption,” Gillis said, “or if one of my staff has seen an underage person drinking.”

Gillis denied that the club or the Kennesaw Police Department screened underage patrons as they were leaving the club.

According to Kennesaw State student Robbie Cox, this simply isn’t true.

Cox, a junior majoring in Business, said he was just one of the club’s many guests asked to submit to a blood alcohol test one night in March.

Not denying that he blew over the legal limit, Cox said he believes the methods used by police to catch underage drinkers are unethical. He said he saw a number of minors being tested and arrested as they attempted to leave the club.

Suspects younger than 21 can be arrested if their blood alcohol content is .02 or higher.

After being tested and arrested, Cox was sent to jail where he was placed in a cell with other underage drinkers from the club.

“I was in a cell with 15 guys,” he said, “and in the cell next to ours was about the same number of people from the club.” That figure doesn’t include the number of women allegedly arrested at the club that night, which Cox said was around eight or nine.

Officer Scott Luther of the Kennesaw Police Department denied that such methods are used, saying that officers are not at the club simply to catch underage drinkers.

“The city ordinance states that a concert hall of that size has to hire two off-duty officers to help with security outside the business,” Luther said. “If there is any suspicion of a minor drinking, part of this operation is that you check in with an officer.”

Luther said that arresting underage drinkers isn’t a nightly occurance, but if there is suspicion that someone has been drinking, whether seen by an officer of the Kennesaw Police Department or one of the staff at Electric Cowboy, the patron’s blood alcohol level would be tested.

As to the the claims that most, if not all minors are tested when trying to leave the club, Luther said, “that’s impossible.”

“There’s no way we could test 50 minors or every underage person within one night.”

Officer Luther said the only time an investigation begins is when a club employee smells alcohol on a minor trying to pick up his/her I.D. from the front desk.

“As soon as an underage person comes out, they don’t just stop them and start an investigation,” Luther said. “There’s a lot more to it than that. There’s not enough minutes in the day to test every single underage person who comes in there.”

After signing a waiver relieving KSU Police of any liability from injuries that may occur during a ride-along, any individual involved within the KSU community is free to climb into the passenger seat of a patrol car to spend two hours living the life of an on-duty KSU campus police officer.

In the early morning of March 8, Officer Garry Dicks prepares himself for a regular day of patrolling– execpt this time he will be accompanied by a ride-along passenger in his squad car.

At 9:30 a.m., Dicks begins his day patrolling areas such as Chastain Road, Frey Road, Busbee Drive and George Busbee Parkway.

“We cover a lot of ground,” Dicks said. “Technically our jurisdiction runs 500 yards off of any state property. Then if you wanted to get more technical, being that we’re state employees, technically we’re state police officers, so our jurisdiction is statewide.”

The official jurisdiction for all KSU police officers includes any property owned, rented, leased, controlled or occupied by the Board of Regents and spans another 500 yards in all directions from these properties. Excitement sets in at 10:17 a.m. as Dicks turns on his flashing lights to flag down and pull over a Toyota Solara for having an expired tag. After speaking to the driver and looking closer at the tag, Dicks realizes that he’s made a mistake and the driver’s tag is actually accurate.

“Her decal was valid,” Dicks said. “So I smiled, I apologized and I told her the tags are busy and it was hard to tell whether [hers] was valid or not. She said she completely understood.”

At 10:45 a.m. Dicks pulls over a Nissan Xterra for making an illegal U-turn at a red light. This time Dicks ticketed the driver for a traffic violation.

Dicks is allowed to ticket drivers both on and off campus because all KSU police officers are authorized by Cobb County to enforce all county codes related to traffic enforcement.

According to Public Safety Director Ted Cochran, however, when a KSU police officer makes an arrest, the suspect must be transferred to Cobb County’s detention facility.

“We do not have holding facilities,” Cochran said in an email. “When an arrest is made, the subject is transported to the Cobb County Adult Detention Center.”

“As many of you know, diversity work can easily go unrecognized,” Malewski said. “For this reason, diversity and equity work often comes from a different place within us.”

Malewski said the hard work of individuals within their communities, although important, often goes unrecognized and unrewarded. He said the award ceremony is important because it honors the “trail-blazers” of the institution, the individuals who compel others to become better people and challenge their assumptions.

“The work they do is a result of a calling, a sense of being called to do work for the collective good of different communities– to making things better– to righting wrongs so that humanity as a whole might be better.”

President Papp delivered the ceremony’s opening remarks.

He said the awards “epitomize our continued pursuit of inclusive excellence.”

“These awards speak to our past and offer a glimpse of what our future can be,” he continued.

Following Papp’s speech, Kennesaw State’s Presidential Commission Chairs were introduced. These faculty members gave brief speeches before recognizing the Diversity Award winners and presenting them with plaques for their various accomplishments.

Disability Strategies and Resources Chair Elizabeth Tindel awarded Jill Sloan the Carol J. Pope Award for Distinction for her role as assistant executive director and program coordinator for the Academy for Inclusive Learning and Social Growth. Sloan works to improve opportunities for KSU students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Gender and Work Life Issues Chair Robert Wise honored KSU student Flora Lowe-Rockett for her efforts to develop a childcare facility on campus for non-traditional students with children.

Ana Baida, the associate director of Career Servives and chair of Kennesaw State’s GLBTIQ Initiatives, presented Kennesaw State’s Associate Provost Teresa Joyce with the Gender and Work Life Issues Outstanding Contribution Award. Joyce was recognized for working to improve the college experience of KSU’s LGBT community.

Sociology Professor Jesse Benjamin was awarded the R.O.H. Social Justice Award for Racial and Ethnic dialogue for his role as faculty adviser for KSU’s African and African Diaspora Studies and well as his work with the school’s NAACP chapter.

Benjamin has been teaching for 16 years, seven of which have been at KSU. Benjamin, a self-proclaimed “Pro-Palestinian Israeli,” said he “stands for all forms of social justice” and identifies with oppressed groups around the world Kennesaw State Biology Professor and Director of Sustainability, R.C. Paul, was presented the Sustainability Award for Distinction for his help in creating KSU’s Climate Commitment Council.

Lastly, KSU Student and Iraq War veteran Derek Ridings was given the Excellence in Service and Leadership Award for his work with fellow KSU veterans.

Ridings, who works at the Veterans Resource Center on campus, served in the Army and spent three tours of duty in Iraq over the course of five and a half years.

“It was nice to be recognized for my work,” Ridings said. “It was a neat experience and I was honored to receive it.”

Kelly Hyder-Stockdale, president of the OWLS American Sign Language Club, is determined to add ASL to the list of foreign language courses offered at KSU.

The ASL pamphlet states that while The University System of Georgia recognizes ASL as a foreign language, KSU “currently does not offer American Sign Language as a foreign language credit.” Hyder-Stockdale, a Psychology major, said that offering ASL as an accredited class will help bridge the communication gap between hearing and non- hearing students.

“The communication gap affects deaf education,” Hyder- Stockdale said.

She said the average deaf high school student will graduate with a third-grade reading level due largely to the fact that “only 38 percent of teachers of deaf students know ASL,” which makes it difficult for students and their teachers to communicate.

Unfamiliarity with ASL leads many of those outside of the deaf community to have misconceptions about the language.

“The biggest misconception is that people think it’s English on the hand,” Hyder-Stockdale said.

She said that in actuality, ASL is closer to the Japanese and Navajo languages than any other language in terms of structure and syntax.

The miscommunication between the deaf and hearing also causes other issues for deaf children. According to Vengeful Stapler, a website that provides information about ASL, “90 percent [of deaf children] are born to hearing parents.”

Hyder-Stockdale said 88 percent of those parents do not know ASL. She also said these statistics may be connected to the fact that “50 percent of deaf girls and 67 percent of deaf boys 12 years old and younger are sexually abused.”

Hyder-Stockdale said this abuse could be prevented if deaf children knew more people who were educated in sign language and that ASL education could begin at universities like KSU.

While Hyder-Stockdale said she is certain that ASL would benefit KSU students, several members of the Foreign Language Department and not convinced.

Thierry Léger, an associate dean and professor of French, consulted with fellow French Professor and chair of the Department of Languages, William Griffin, about the possibility of creating an American Sign Language course.

Both faculty members came to the conclusion that “while ASL is a language, it is very different than the other languages taught in the Department of Foreign Languages [in that] it is not the equivalent of exposing students to a foreign language and culture.”

The professors argue that other foreign language classes teach “language skills and culture,” while teaching ASL would only focus on “learning and producing signs to communicate.”

Some members of the deaf community disagree with this viewpoint. Vengeful Stapler suggests that the deaf community is comprised of its own culture, consisting of its own “set of values, rules and traditions different from typical American values.”

Vengeful Stapler provides examples of deaf literature, history and customs that are foreign to many Americans. Many deaf children, for example, view their family members as not only relatives, but also as teachers and classmates.

Hyder-Stockdale’s statement about ASL being more complicated than just a hand-translation of English contrasts with the professors’ notions that the language is as simple as “learning signs.”

While some may disagree about the need for an ASL course, many in the deaf community remain hopeful.

Jessie Robbins, a Biology major who is also deaf, said she believes that ASL classes would be beneficial.

The middle of my term involves happy tears, sad tears and exhausted tears. I owe my strength to the student media advisor, Ed Bonza. There aren’t many people that can put up with my kind of crazy, but Bonza never cared that I was overdramatic, intense and determined. He put so much time and faith into my term and I will be forever grateful for his help and believing in me.

My family is a major part of me making it through the middle. As the youngest twin, I tend to hate the spotlight and count on others to make major decisions. Lucky for
me, my twin sister Katie has always pushed me in the right direction and even convinced me to put in my application to become a writer years ago. If she didn’t make things better, my boyfriend Josh would. Without the two of them, I would have been lost without someone to talk me through all my biggest decisions.

As a daddy’s girl, I always go to Randy to share good news and to get advice on how to handle a staff. As my mother’s daughter, I’m thankful to say that I get my work ethic, attention to detail and ability to cry from Karen. As a granddaughter who can’t go a week without talking to her grandparents, I’m lucky to have a Nanny and Pop who listen to all the insane stories I have and to be my biggest fans. It was a big decision to take this job and if it wasn’t for my family agreeing to help me when I needed it, I never could have made it this far.

By the end of my term, I can honestly say that it takes a village to make a paper. Without the help of Amie, Alek and the rest of the student media staff, I would have lost my mind. I’m grateful for all the good times and being surrounded by people who truly reflect the messages that I write about them on their inspirational sticky notes. I’m a mother hen type so here is the part where I thank every section editor, designer, writer, photographer or staff member that has been a part of The Sentinel. You make a lot of friends being a part of a group, but it’s nice to choose a group that becomes a family. You all are the reason the paper goes out each week and I can never thank you enough for your dedication.

Okay, I’m done being sappy. Regardless of all the complaints and constant questioning, I will be forever changed by my decision to join my college newspaper. Thank you all for reading The Sentinel each week and I hope that you continue to find something to enjoy and consider becoming a part of the family that I’ve been happy to be a member of for the past 3 years. It’s all yours Eric.

 

Megan is a senior and a Communication major.

 

“I’m blessed with three boys (my wife says she has four, but I don’t know what she’s talking about), but if I had a daughter, I would like her to be just like Megan. A truly good person with a huge heart. I’m going to have her cloned.”

- Ed Bonza

To Eric, congratulations to the new EIC! You’ve been a rising star this semester. You’ve been consistent in your work ethic and that’s going to take you far. Be encouraging, fair and persistent—you can do it!

To Laura, the up and coming Production Manager, you’re a talented designer and I know you’re going to do wonderful things for The Sentinel. Trust your instincts and you’ll nail it every time.

To all of the section editors, writers, photographer and designers—I can’t tell you how much I appreciate every single one of you. Each week you come to the plate and deliver. Literally, there would not be a paper without the effort that you put in and I am forever grateful to your dedication.

To our advertising team and our advisor Ed Bonza—where would we be without you? I have been extremely grateful to the synergy that we’ve worked toward over the past year. Your support and understanding helped fuel us and together we have created a strong team.

Words of advice: talk openly with each other, always seek truth, get the work done, but most of all have fun! Relax enjoy each other’s company and remember that you are doing a noble service for Kennesaw State University—don’t forget that and be proud of yourself…I certainly am.

Andrea is a graduate student and an Art Education major.

The rise of the 24-hour news cycle has led to a dilution of our news. Now that every single bit of information can be spread across the world in rates that would make the common cold jealous, we no longer have to worry about column inches or running into commercial breaks. Now we just through in a line that says to check our website or follow us on Twitter. With the constant ratings battles of televised news and the dying media of print journalism, whatever sells the most or brings in the most ratings wins the battle of importance. That’s why our country was obsessed with Casey Anthony and not with midterm elections, rising debt or the still ongoing wars. Please tell me how the trial of an alleged child murderer is more important than anything else that was going on? It wasn’t, but because we are obsessed with gossip and water-cooler chat, we had weeks of “specialists” and “insiders” telling us the real story. I am ashamed of the journalists who betrayed their obligation to our country so they could get a quarter-point bump in the 18-25 demographic.

If we want America to be grand and beautiful again, we need men and women who will inform us! We need the men who will call out a president for his crimes or sniff out the cronyism and corruption in our system. We need men who will report on wars, not from some predetermined press-relations center, but from the front lines! Show us what are senators have voted for. Let us decide if we have the moral obligation to invade a country. Let us know when our leaders lied about weapons of mass destruction in the hands of would-be terrorists. Help us elect the men who will do great things again.

I know I am rambling on after watching two shows based off of the ideal situation. Journalists have already attacked Newsroom for showing 20/20 hindsight and perfect situations, but so what. Our ideals are supposed to be grand. No one told us that the moon was too far or communism was too entrenched. No, we set our goals and we hit them. Our fathers will always remember sitting in their pajamas watching man walk on the moon and dreaming of being astronauts. We owe it to our future children to continue reaching those outlandish ideals so they can dream to be better than us. With real men and women showing us the way, we can do it again.

So here is your task. Stop watching the 24-hour news channels. Stop picking up trashy gossip rags. Stop letting the media betray you. When you hear about an issue, check every news site you can. Read the oppositions stuff. Read another country’s stuff. Watch the other guy’s channel. Maybe then you can get a real opinion. And when you are watching and reading this stuff, write a letter to an editor or call in to that talk show and let them know you want real journalism. You don’t want their opinion. You don’t want their spin. You want the facts laid out in an honest and unbiased way so you, the public, can make informed decisions. Oh and the next time you go and vote, make sure you don’t get your research from a campaign commercial.

And just as Will McAvoy in Newsroom says, we aren’t the greatest country anymore, but we can be.

Bechtler was born and raised in Chantilly, Va., a suburb of Washington, D.C. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication with an emphasis on Journalism from Carson Newman University in Tennessee.

KSU hired Bechtler for the position of administrative associate in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and University Ombuds in May 2009, and she was promoted to her current position in October 2011. One aspect of Bechtler’s job is to coordinate the marketing efforts for the Paulding site through the avenues of social media and community engagement activities.

“In the past 13 months, our office has conducted 29 community engagement activities through the Paulding County Schools,” Bechtler said. “ I particularly enjoy this aspect of my job, as it allows me to serve as a KSU ambassador to the community.”

Some of the qualifications for the Staff Employee of the Month nomination are demonstrating outstanding dedication; establishing the spirit of KSU in overall attitude and interaction with co-workers, faculty, students and visitors; excelling in the performance of their duties; and making a major impact on the university through their work.

“[Bechtler] hit the ground running and quickly organized our office while deftly handling any and every request that we threw at her,” said Dr. Anita VanBrackle, Paulding site director, faculty in residence and professor of Elementary and Special Education. “She answers every request in a positive manner and is always accessible to students, faculty and the rest of our staff. She never complains about the difficult challenges that we lay before her, and she is always excited to learn new skills.”

 

“They do these joke restraining orders against us. Like: ‘we worked with those girls, but we don’t want to see them anymore.’We’re such friends now, ” Beth said.

The ladies were a perfect fit for a film with such heavy profanity. When asked if it was challenging working with McCarthy’s foul-mouthed character, Gina pointed out that it was the exact opposite of a challenge.

“My first baby word was the F-word and the same for all my kids. Now, if everyone on the film had been speaking Puerto Rican, I would have been like: ‘I don’t understand, ’” Gina said.

“The Heat” is the first film Gina and Beth have done, so seeing themselves on the silver screen was a surreal experience for the two.

“I was just waiting for me and Beth to come on, and when we did, I was living in the reflective glow that we were even in the movie,” Gina said.

Gina and Beth were brought on to the project because of all the excellent work they have done playing “themselves” in the past. From “The Real Housewives of South Boston” to Funny or Die’s “MA Men,” Gina and Beth are no strangers to playing obnoxious Bostonian women. Director Paul Feig found these two to be the perfect fit for the role.

“He wanted people from Boston and had seen our videos. He was like: ‘Those idiots can do it,’ and we were like: ‘We are those idiots,’” Beth said.

“The Heat” will be an excellent and unique addition to the buddy cop comedy genre. Gina and Beth’s snarky attitudes play well off of Bullock and McCarthy’s characters throughout.

“I don’t really know too much about the story or what happens, but I’m pretty sure that it was an awesome film,” Gina said.

Look for “The Heat” in theaters June 28.