Brown and White Vol. 126 no. 9

              Vol. 126 No. 9
Friday, February 21, 2014
‘All the Lehigh News First’
THE BROWN AND WHITE
Lehigh University’s Student Newspaper Founded in 1894
SPORTS
Baseball to open season on road
Page 12
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Steel Ice Center welcomes skaters
Page 5
LIFESTYLE
By JADA GREEN
The “Celebrating Diversity” panel generated discussion on is­sues of diversity in the workplace Tuesday night in Lamberton Hall.
Among the panel were nine minority professionals from the Big Four accounting firms, who offered students advice based on their experiences in the business world. The panel represented minority groups in race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender and gender identity.
The Society of Queer and Undergraduate Allies in Busi­ness co-hosted the event with the Accounting Club, the National
By AMANDA DONOHUE
A variety of topics — ranging from positive sexual relation­ships to Lehigh’s conduct pro­cedures in sexual assault cases to the definition of “hooking up” — were at the forefront of an open panel discussion Tues­day night.
The Women’s Center and local representatives from the American Association of University Women hosted a discussion-based panel to delve into the sensitive topics of rape, sexual assault and hook-up cultures on college campuses. Randi Blauth, president of the Bethlehem branch of AAUW, introduced the panelists.
Dr. Rita Jones, director of the Women’s Center, led the panel with detailed sce­narios to which the participants responded.
It is inherently clear that Le­high offers a plethora of options for survivors of sexual assault. However, the real issue lies in the gray area of when sexual activity becomes sexual assault. Panelists concurred that this is often a confusing situation, one that universities must address.
Assistant Dean of Students Chris Mulvihill said the dif­ficulty of this differentiation is heightened when students are intoxicated, not to men­tion incapacitated. He said it is challenging to convince college students that verbal consent is safest.
“It’s a hard conversation to have at 18 or 19 years old,” Mulvihill said.
Danielle DiStefano, ’16, a member of Break the Silence, said the “Off the Hook” pro­gram for first-year students aims to clarify the definition of consent and help students develop ways to engage in posi­tive relationships at college.
“Silence does not constitute consent,” DiStefano said.
Sexting was another scenario that sparked colorful discus­sion. Clarifications about age of consent and prior knowledge of a photo or video are key components to understanding the issue.
“If there are two consenting adults, it’s not a crime,” said Sgt. Chris Houtz of the Lehigh University police department.
Brooke DeSipio, assistant
By SARA BLATCHFORD
Whether it’s shown by students building enor­mous snowmen on the University Center front lawn or snowbanks the size of cars along E. Fifth Street, it is clear that the Lehigh community has been greatly affected by the recent snowstorms.
Over the past few weeks, there have been a se­ries of snow emergencies, delays and even school closures for the Lehigh community.
Lehigh has been closing down campus for all or part of the day — aside from access for essential personnel — often within the past few weeks due to the number of snowstorms that have been hitting not only Lehigh Valley, but also much of the East Coast.
“We’ve had more closures this year than I remember in other years,” said Lehigh Provost Patrick Farrell. He also noted that there have been times in the past that Lehigh has lost electrical power, requiring cancellations.
“We’ve had our share of other events that affect classes in the past few years,” he said.
He said that closing for the day is a very dif­ficult decision, but the safety of the Lehigh com­munity both on and off campus is very important. Although most students live on or near campus, many faculty members have to travel larger dis­tances and weather can vary a great deal over such distances.
The decision to cancel classes for part or all of the day is completely up to Farrell.
Each time the decision may need to be made, he generally receives a call from the facilities super­visor around 5:30 a.m. informing him of conditions on campus and the streets around campus.
“We also look at the weather forecast to know whether more snow is predicted during the day,” Farrell said. “Lehigh operates from a baseline plan for not closing or canceling classes or activities. However, conditions are monitored carefully and constantly.”
Students have missed three and a half days of class this semester, and there have been multiple snow emergencies that have closed parking on the lower half of campus as well as other areas of the campus.
Students and professionals
discuss workplace diversity
B&W photo by CHRIS BARRY
Dangerous winter weather has forced Lehigh to cancel multiple days of classes since the semester began. Leaks in several buildings have been reported to Residential Services.
B&W photo by JAMIE MARSHALL
Students listen as nine minority professionals offer advice on life in the business world.
Panel sparks talk on partner violence
See SNOW Page 3
See PANEL Page 3
Snow, ice threaten student safety
See DIVERSITY Page 4
n Representatives from the Women’s Center and AAUW led the talk on college relationships.