Brown and White Vol. 124 no. 16

              Vol. 124 No. 16
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
‘All the Lehigh News First’
THE BROWN AND WHITE
Lehigh University’s Student Newspaper Founded in 1894
SPORTS
Lucas breaks LU home run record
Page 12
ONLINE
Take our online poll
How often do you binge drink?
Lehigh turns out
the lights
Page 5
LIFESTYLE
B&W photo by AMALIA SAFRAN
News staff writer and opinion section editor Crisitano Lima, ’13, poses with Lehigh police Chief Ed Shupp outside his police car. Lima participated in a police ride-along Thursday evening from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Riding shotgun with the LUPD
By CRISTIANO LIMA
Dropped off at home by a Lehigh police officer following a long night out. For most students this scenario would be their worst fear coming to fruition. For me it was quite the opposite: It provided the learning experi­ence of a lifetime, coupled with an enormous dose of perspective.
On the night of Thursday, March 21, I participated in a ride-along with a Lehigh police officer and spent four hours in and out of an LUPD vehicle experiencing first-hand a rarely-seen perspective of Lehigh nightlife.
“[The police ride-along] gives people a better understanding of what the police role is, of what we do,” said Lehigh police Chief Ed Shupp in an interview weeks before my ride-along. “Right now student leaders do it [and] some administrators do it.” They are held every week on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Due to a confidentiality agreement, ev­eryone involved must remain anonymous. I will refer to the unnamed police officer with whom I spent four hours with that night as Officer McGruff, named after the beloved anthropomorphic hound who taught me, as a child, to “Take a Bite out of Crime.”
The night began rather routinely, as we stopped at a local gas station for some cof­fee. The coffee was needed. McGruff had already logged a shift from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. that day, and was then set to begin another shift that would last “till the night is over.” Later he explained this likely meant till 5 or 6 a.m.
“When do you have time for sleep?” I asked him. He shrugged his shoulders and responded, “Whenever I get home.”
After scanning the streets of south Beth­Lehigh
students, faculty perform in ninth LGBTQIA drag show
By KIRSTIN ROOKS
Members of the Lehigh community were treated to the ninth annual “Il­lusions” drag show hosted by student group Spectrum, part of LGBTQIA, at Lamberton Hall Thursday night.
As part of Lehigh’s new “After Dark” initiative, various campus organizations have the opportunity to offer late-night entertainment with the convenience of an on-campus location. Many of these events, such as “Illusions,” not only pro­vide students with a good time in a safe environment, but also promote aware­ness and support a good cause.
“We want everyone to have a good time,” said Spectrum president Ethan Nadler, ’14. “The main function is to raise money for Pennsylvania Diversity Network (PDN) and expose members of Lehigh University to things they would normally not see.”
PDN is a community-building orga­nization that campaigns for LGBTQIA equality, particularly civil rights, and focuses on the Lehigh Valley. Spectrum has developed a strong relationship with PDN, which sends speakers for Spectrum’s Creating Change Confer­ence each fall.
“The biggest challenge is making awareness an issue,” Nadler said. “On the whole, Lehigh’s campus is accept­ing. It’s just making the issues known and getting people worked up enough
Lehigh empowers its women with week of events
By ILANA MARKS
In the 1960s, Lehigh was a male-domi­nated campus. It was an esteemed and pres­tigious university, thriving in the fields of engineering and business. However, some­thing was missing, something that would have branded Lehigh as a more diverse, modern and competitive institution. That something was women.
A brave bunch of 169 women made history in the fall of 1971 as the first group of female undergraduates to attend Lehigh. Met with ambivalence and uncertainty from fellow students and faculty, these women fought to make a name for one another. Their efforts proved successful; now women are a critical aspect of this well-established university.
To highlight the importance of women on this campus, and to celebrate their suc­cesses, Lehigh’s Panhellenic Council spon­sored Women’s Empowerment Week from Monday, March 18, to Friday, March 22. Events varied from documentary screenings to panel discussions to a free zumba class.
On Tuesday, a discussion was held in Packard 101, during which guest faculty and alumni shared their experiences with wom­en at Lehigh and women in their careers. They gave female students advice in how to navigate their time in college and to advance into the work field in the future.
Jennifer Miller, one of the speakers and a Lehigh alumna, shared her experience as part of one of the first graduating classes of women.
“You need to be assertive,” she said. “Hold your ground.” Miller pointed out how women tend to belittle their success when they are complimented on it, and how they need to own up to their accomplishments.
Miller started out at Salomon Brothers, working in capital management with men, primarily. Once the CEO retired (a man), she took control of the business with two other men. Under her direction, business improved but, eventually she helped make the decision to close the company in 2010 after the recent financial crisis. Miller went on to hire a lawyer in order to continue to serve some of her clients on her own, bringing them to her current company J.M. Hartwell.
“See, I was able to get this down without you,” she joked, referring to her two male ex-partners.
“Jennifer Miller is a family friend of mine, but it was exciting to get to know her on more of a professional level,” said Kristi­na Gretz, ’14, who attended Miller’s lecture.
A free zumba class was held in the Uni­versity Center on Friday, as a more fun and active means of engaging female students to participate in Women’s Empowerment Week events. Although it was created by a male, Alberto Perez, zumba is predominant­ly a female-driven workout involving many different types of dance including salsa, me­ringue, hip-hop and flamenco.
“I was excited about the events this week because it always feels good to get involved and attend campus events,” said Kendall Van Winkle, ’16. “But this week felt espe­cially personal and meaningful[ly] focused around women and their success.”
See RIDE-ALONG Page 3
See DRAG SHOW Page 4