WORLD & NATION
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“Rape guide” puts Dartmouth student in danger
BY NICOLE ZELNiKER
Staff Writer
Thousands of Americans are enraged by an incident that
occurred at Dartmouth College regarding an anonymous website
and a "rape guide."
"My -first reaction ... was disgust and dismay," said Naomi
Madaras, Guilford College sophomore and Students Assault
Awareness Support and Advocacy member. "It is terrifying
and painful to see that sexual assault is so prevalent on college
campuses."
After one young woman's name was published on the student-
run Bored@Baker website in a "rape guide" on Jan. 10, she was
attacked in February.
"For the first time in months, I started feeling safe," the woman
told The Huffington Post. "I went out last week and got assaulted
at the first and only house I went to. Then I got told it happens all
the time."
While the author of the "rape guide" is currently being put
through Dartmouth's judicial process, questions have arisen
regarding the college's role in content published on Bored@Baker.
"Bored ©Baker is an anonymous online forum designed by an
individual outside of the Dartmouth community," said Dartmouth
senior Flolli Weed in an email interview with The Guilfordian. "As
such, it is not under the jurisdiction of Dartmouth and is protected
by free speech."
In response to debate about whether Dartmouth should shut
down tlie website, an anonymous source and moderator of Bored®
Baker insists that the website is invaluable to the student body.
"While these kinds of posts can surface, (the website in question)
is an indispensable means of communication," said the source in a
phone interview with The Guilfordian. "It's been a really valuable
resource for students working through personal issues. It has
talked people out of suicide."
Although Dartmouth cannot claim responsibility for the
website's content, many believe that this is just one more incident
on a long list of unanswered problem's.
"Dartmouth has had a problem with rape and sexual assault for
decades," said Ultra Violet campaign director Karin Roland in an
interview with ThinkProgress. "They have a long history with this
issue, and student groups on campus are finally fed up and are
leading the charge."
However, sexual assault extends far beyond the campus
grounds of Dartmouth.
"Many campuses are struggling due to the complexity of the
issues involved," said Guilford's Dean of Students and Vice
President for Student Affairs Aaron Fetrow. "Colleges understand
that we must continue to work on prevention initiatives, but my
colleagues across the country complain that the only way this will
change is by changing student behavior."
At Guilford, change in the form of a clarification may be the
need of the hour.
"Guilford needs to make the judicial process more clear to
students," said Madaras. "Many sexual assault victims aren't
aware that they have the right to an advocate in the judicial
process. Most of the solutions for Guilford involve a lot of funding
... like hiring full-time staff members for the wellness position and
providing sexual assault response training for the deans."
o
u
Choates whore She lives in
Choates sormwhere. Because of her reputation she
bit of a recluse, so you're gonna have to work on jt a
bit. Hang in and around the choatesv yod'll firp^ her Look
her up on fb and friendsy so you can fecdgnize what she
looks like “Befriend’' her. Start hartgtrtg out with her Just
casually drink with her every now and then. "Prove^ that
you're not a dangerous person and that she should trust
you. Increase how much alcohol you give her each time,
maybe flirt with her slightly Then one such day. go for it
This is a portion of the “rape guide” from Bored@Baker.The girl named was sexually assaulted in February after this was posted anonymously.
Oscar Pistorius awaits trial for murder
BY JAKE DELAHANTY
Staff Writer
"I respectfully believe the state has no
basis for alleging that I wanted to take
Reeva's life," Oscar Pistorius told the
North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria,
South Africa, on March 3, the first day of
his trial.
The state, led by prosecutor Gerrie Nel,
intends to prove otherwise.
It has been over a year since South
African paralympian Oscar Pistorius
shot and killed Reeva Steenkamp, his
celebrity-model girlfriend, on Valentine's
Day 2013. Pistorius, who claims he
mistook Steenkamp for a burglar, is now
being tried for murder.
New evidence brought forth in the
trial from witnesses and forensic experts
seems to suggest premeditation.
"I was still sitting in bed and I heard
(Steenkamp's) screams," witness Michelle
Burger, a neighbor of Pistorius, told the
court. "She screamed terribly and yelled
for help.
"Just after her screams, I heard four
shots. Four gunshots. Bang, bang, bang,
bang."
Ballistics expert Captain Christian
Mangena outlined bullet holes through
a bathroom door that corresponded with
wounds on Steenkamp's hip, hand and
skull. While much of what he said did not
contradict Pistorius' testimony, Mangena
claims that there had to have been a pause
between the first and second shots.
"If it's two double taps, then all the
wounds would be in the same position,"
said Mangena to the court. "There
wouldn't be any time for her to change
position in that instance."
If there was a pause, the prosecution
argues, Steenkamp would have had time
to scream. Naturally, this would have
caused Pistorius to stop, but he did not.
Another piece of evidence revolves
around Pistorius' cricket bat. Pistorius
claims that, after he realized Steenkamp
was inside the bathroom, he grabbed his
cricket bat in an attempt to break down
the locked door.
Forensic analyst Police Colonel
Johannes Vermeulen suggests otherwise.
"The marks on the door are actually
consistent with him not having his legs
on," Vermeulen told the court. "I suspect
the marks must be similar to the height
that he was when he fired the shots."
Using this testimony, the prosecution
argues that Pistorius hit the door with
his bat before firing shots or wearing his
prosthetic legs.
They believe that Pistorius lost his
temper with Steenkamp due to a strained
relationship, after which Pistorius caused
"I respectfully believe the state has no basis for alleging that I wanted to take Reeva's life."
Oscor Pistorius
Steenkamp to flee to the bathroom. He
then hit the bathroom door with his
cricket bat and finally shot and killed
Steenkamp.
Pistorius' trial has been a hot topic
amongst student discussions at Guilford
College.
"My family in South Africa seems
to bersplit orr this controversiaL issue,"
said sophomore and former citizen of
South Africa Byron Hamilton in an email
interview. "Some believe he is completely
guilty and deserves life in prison, and
others sympathize with him."
Another Guilford student who wished
to remain anonymous weighed in on the
issue,
"Pistorius seems to have an aggressive
history and the 'I'm invincible' type of
attitude," said the student. "I wouldn't
be surprised if he is found guilty."
"Personally, I think he's guilty," said
Early College junior Neal Vaidya. "At the
same time, the media might have skewed
my view of Pistorius. We'll just have to
wait and see."
The defense, led by Barry Roux, was
scheduled to begin on March 28 but was
delayed.
The trial will resume on April 7, when
one of two assessors, assistants who help
the judge reach a verdict, returns from
hospitalization.
night 370 gone
for more than
three weeks
BY ADITYA GARG
Staff Writer
"It is very frustrating that in an age
where we can always know our position
via a smartphone, have satellites that can
read license plate numbers and have a
manned space station circling the earth, we
can still lose track of a commercial airliner,"
said David Ison, chair of the Master
of Aeronautical Science program and
assistant professor of aeronautics at Embry-
Riddle Aeronautical Uni versity, in an email
interview with The Guilfordian.
The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines
Flight 370 has baffled the world for over
three weeks. To date, the fate of the 239
passengers onboard remains unconfirmed.
After an extensive two-week search by
a team of international aviation specialists,
Malaysia Airlines finally arrived at a
sobering conclusion.
"Malaysia Airlines deeply regrets that
we have to assume beyond any reasonable
doubt that MH370 has been lost and that
none of those on board survived," read
the airline's text message to the families of
victims on Monday, March 24.
- The riwsion to inform family members
►4^ t^'^essage widespread
‘ criticism from many. Nearly 100 relatives
Md supporters marched on the Malaysian
Embassy in Beijing, China, chanting "liars!"
and "Malaysia, return our relatives!"
However, Malini Saudranrajan, a
spokesperson for Malaysia Airlines,
affirmed the airline's commitment to
helping the families of the victims.
"At this point in time, our priority
remains to provide all assistance to the
families and passengers of the crew," said
Saudranrajan in an email interview with
The Guilfordian.
The question now remains: What caused
the plane to disappear?
"It is extremely unlikely this was caused
by a mechanical problem or fire for two
reasons: The plane kept flying along a
manipulated route, and there were no
communications," said Ison in an email
interview. "If there was a major issue, the
plane would not have continued for several
hours."
Both pilot Zaharie Alimad Shah and co
pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid have received
much criticism after officials found a flight
simulator in Shah's house. Many people
have questioned his competence and
handling of the situation.
"Our pilot is a very experienced pUot
with more than 18,000 flight hours," said
Saudranrajan in an emailj^terview, while
Malaysia Airlines was unable to discuss the
matter with The Guilfordian.
Experts have indicated that they will
not know the fate of the flight until they
find the black box, which consists of a
rectangular housing for electronics and a
memory module that holds various data
regarding flight parameters.
The problem? Finding it.
Despite various leads, the search for the
plane's debris has proved futile as of April
1.
"We're not searching for a needle in
a haystack — we're still trying to define
where the haystack is," said Air Marshal
Mark Binskin, Australia's vice chief of
defense, to reporters in Perth, Australia.
On March 28, newly analyzed satellite
data shifted the searA zone about 700
miles northeast of the site previously
being searched, raising expectations that
searchers are closely approaching the
zone of impact. The size of the new zone is
approximately 123,000 square miles.
The fiasco surrounding Flight 370 has
left many questions unanswered and many
disillusioned by the search process and the
travel industry. But, according to Ison, the
current situation will have few implications
for air travel in the future.
"Flying is still the safest mode of
major transportation we have," said Ison.
"Hopefully this disaster will prompt the
world to adopt a better tracking system for
aircraft flying in remote locations."