September 21, 2012
Campbell House selMmposes party ban after warnings
BY THOMAS DEANE
Staff Writer
Of the four theme houses on campus, one seems to be
gamering a lot of attention. For some, attention may be
welcomed, but at Campbell House it couldn't come at a worse
time.
Problems for Campbell House arose from a party at the
house on Aug. 31. That night, countless students showed up
at the house with the promise of a fun night of partying. What
happened was quite different from what partygoers expected.
Campbell House residents strive for a community atmosphere
and the chance to socialize with all of their friends. Hosting
parties became a longstanding tradition of accomplishing just
that.
"Everyone can sometimes become isolated from one another,"
said sophomore house resident James O'Neill. "Having people
over is our way of continuing the community feel."
Throwing parties always carries the risk of repercussions
for the hosts, which in this instance included four returning
residents and two new ones. House residents have become
somewhat accustomed to hearing from Public Safety. Last year,
the theme house hosted multiple parties in which students
were sanctioned for violations.
Over the course of the night of Aug. 31, several students
were written up for underage drinking and open-container
violations. The problems for die house did not end there. The
following morning. Public Safety offices questioned house
residents about beer bottles laying in the grass of surrounding
properties. Housemates had initially believed that they had
cleaned up most of the remnants of the party, but not all was
cleared. ^
Not wanting to start the year on a bad note, house members
met with Residence Life to establish a set of bylaws for the house.
House'Manager and junior Zach Kronisch acknowledged that
this was to ensure a fun and safe year for all at the house."We
listened to everything they said and we accommodated all the
requests that they made," said Kronisch. "We wanted to know
what's appropriate and what's not. This year we have the house
(again). It's a whole new year. (But, we) threw a party and there
was a lot of underage drinking outside, and a lot of people got
documented."
All that had been gained in the initial meeting with Residence
Life seemed to have been lost after one party. Residence Life took
this party very seriously and threatened to remove Campbell
House residents if any similar incidents occurred in the future.
In order to preserve their status as members of Campbell
House, the residents took drastic measures. The members self-
imposed a "party ban" in order to prevent future sanctions as
well as the possibility of removal from the house.
Kronisch knew tihat it was vital to impose the ban for
all involved.'The party ban was established for us to take
responsibility and (because we're) not wanting to get kicked
A
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junior Michael Robles, junior Keenen Loranzato, sophomore Noah Wernstedt-Lynch, junior Daniel Fulbrecht,
sophomore Janies O'Neill, and junior Zachary Kronisch sit on Campbell's porch.AII but Wernstedt-Lynch are house members.
out of the house," he said.
While some students embraced tfiexledsion, others thought
of it as an unnecessary reaction.
"What would the school have done if they hadn't (self-
imposed the par^ ban)?" said senior Celeste Prose. "It seems
like an overreaction."
What could have been done to prevent all this? Kronisch
believes that it is not about preventing partying, but instead
embracing "smart partying."
'The issues arise when there's not that many things
happening on campus," Kronisch said. "It's very rare to have
an on-campus house party. When people find out about it, they
kind of flock to where that's happening."
When all of these students show up, it can become difficult
for the hosts to supervise every person and ensure that no
violations occur. Underage drinldng and drinking outside can
run rampant.
"In th^e party situations, it becomes very difficult to discern
who can be drinking and where it is acceptable to be drinking,"
said junior Kyle Smith.
Other students who have been to parties at Campbell House
have not seen these issues first-hand. Senior Max MacClennen
has partied at the house but has always seen order.
"The times that I have been there, (the drinking) has all been
pretty contained," MacClennen said. "It's usually all going on
ipside the house or on the porch."
On Sept. 17, Kronisch, along with representatives from
the three other theme houses, met with Residence Life and
discussed proper behavior for the houses.
"There were a lot of concerns brought up; it wasn't just me,"
Kronisch said. "A lot was said about party culture and why
there are a lot more people being documented."
In the end, Kronisch acknowledged that not a whole lot was
accomplished in the meeting.
Although Residence Life seemed promising about the
chances of parties in the future, the ambiguous nature of the
rules leave Kronisch and the rest of the house wary of any
parties in the immediate future.
"We want to try it out," Kronisch said. "It's just hard because
nothing concrete was set."
Insurance increase: does Obamacare help or hurt students?
BY CLARENCE TURPIN
Staff Writer
Imagine the perfect summer day: sleeping
in, taking a trip to the pool and doing
just enough to feel productive on a truly
unproductive day. Then imagine going to
your mailbox. You see a letter from Guilford
telling you that the health insurance premium
has increased $511 per semester. What would
your first reaction be — to shudder at the
thought of paying the school more money? To
hope that there is some acceptable reason for
this increase? Or to just throw the letter on the
counter and let your parents worry about it?
Regardless of your reaction, you are
witnessing the alleged effects of the
Affordable Care Act on Guilford College. The
act, nicknamed "Obamacare", ensured that
all Americans have health insurance while
paying what they can afford. However, for
colleges and universities in North Carolina,
the price is rising due to new regulations.
For Guilford, this means a jump from $668
last year to $1,179 this year. In an interview
with CNN, Vice President for Finance Greg
Bursavich and University of North Carolina's
Director of Campus Health Mary Covington
acknowledged the substantial spike in
insurance premiums.
"Our student health insurance policy
premium has been substantially increased due
to changes required by federal regulations,"
said Bursavich in a letter to students.
"As the coverage continues to increase, as
mandated by the law and the regulations,
there is no question the cost is going to go up,"
Bursavich further elaborated to CNN.
Covington was more blunt in her statement
to The Daily Tar Heel.
"Nothing is ever free," said Covington.
"Eventually the cost of (benefits) will
somehow be put into the cost of the policy."
In Guilford's case, the price increase is
much larger than that of public universities.
The main reason for the price hike,
Bursavich wrote to CNN, is that health plans
provide a minimum policy benefit of $100,000
instead of the $50,000 minimum previously
offered by the Guilford-provided plan.
"Much like food or car shopping, if you
pay for better quality you usually get better
quality," said Vice President for Student
Affairs and Dean of Students Aaron Fetrow.
"Some of the extended coverage requirements
also resulted in higher premiums across the
coimtry, and not just for college students."
Professor of Economics Bob Williams
sees the intent of the Affordable Care Act,
and hopes others will look past the obvious
premium increase.
"The premiums have risen because we
must offer a more expansive set of services to
our students," said Williams.
"I worry that some might think that the
increased premiums are simply the result
of federal government intrusion, or worse:
waste."Some students support the increase
and others disagree. Junior Kelly Cope is
happy with the change in the insurance policy
and sees it as a step in the right direction.
"I think private insurance companies suck,
because they're only around to make money
off of sick people," said Cope. "If there was
any problem with Obamacare, it's that it didn't
go far enough." Others believe the Affordable
Care Act is unneeded and unwelcomed.
"I do not believe that driving the country
farther into debt by forcing people to buy a
mandated healthcare plan is the function of
government as it was originally intended,"
said junior Joseph McManus.
One thing is certain; the Guilford
community is noticing Obamacare.