Page 2
Campus News
The Clarion \ February 4, 2015
Lecture series comes to BC
By Jordan Laws
staff Writer
The Great Decisions iecture series witl begin for
Brevard Cotlege on February 4th. The discussions
witt cover everything a student in the twenty first
century needs to consider
On February 4th the iecture witt begin with
Syria’s Refugee Crisis presented by Nora Nassri
of the University of South Carotina in Coiumbia.
She witt discuss a topic that has been on the
gtobal stage since March of 2011, when a civil
war displaced Syrians from their homes. Four
years have passed and the crisis still exists for
the Syrians who aren’t fortunate enough to have
a stable home. To become more familiar with the
background of the Syrian Refugee Crisis feel free
to go to the website www.syrianrefugees.eu and
read the short three paragraphs of information on
the global humanitarian issue.
Nora Nassri is a Doctor of Philosophy, Political
Science and Government and also has a B.A. in
Politics and Flistory according to her Linkedin
profile. Fler educational background isn’t the
only thing that qualifies Dr. Nassri to lead this
discussion; her close ties to Syria also make her
a prime candidate for discussing this topic. This
lecture is not to be missed.
The second lecture will be led by Liliana Cas
tro of Buncombe County Schools and she will
discuss Brazil’s Metamorphosis on February
11th. The lecture will cover Brazil’s transforma
tion after an economic downfall in the 1990’s to
one of the world’s emerging superpowers. Like
any superpower, Brazil is starting to experience
income inequality, weak civic institutions, and
poor regional leadership according to an article
posted on Blue Ridge Community College’s
website www.brcll.com.
Privacy in the Digital Age is the third lecture
presented by Jagdeep Bhandari of Mars Hill
University on February 18th. He will discuss a
topic that affects all citizens who are invested in
the digital age. Privacy is an important issue for
current times and the gravity of this issue will
remain apparent well into the future. This lecture
will explore this idea of privacy in contemporary
times. Dr. Jagdeep Bhandari is a Professor of
Business and Economics at Mars Hill University
and his educational background stretches to 1973.
If students and faculty attend no other lecture in
the series this would be the one to sit in on. It is
an issue that hasn’t been explored much, even
though we all are ‘on the grid’.
The fourth lecture will be led by Steve Solnick
of Warren Wilson College and he will discuss
Russia and the Near Abroad on February 25th.
Anyone who has watched the news or read news
articles recently will know that Russia has played
a pivotal role in geopolitics. Russia has even tested
the waters in regard to NATO airspace by sending
bombers to U.S. airspace, as well as U.K. airspace.
Russian bombers have been intercepted by fighter
pilots over one hundred times by both countries
in the past year. The current issue of sovereign
nation Ukraine being invaded by Russian support
ers remains an important issue of security in the
modem world - it is even speculated that Russian
forces themselves have invaded Ukraine. Students
with Political Science degrees and Communica
tions degrees should pay special attention to this
lecture, because it is a current issue that shows
no sign of leaving the global political platform.
The penultimate lecture will be presented by
Keya Maitra of the University of North Carolina-
Asheville on March 4th. She will discuss the India
Changes Course lecture. Keya Maitra holds two
doctoral degrees in Philosophy. She received one
from the University of Connecticut and the second
from the University of Hyderbad in India. She is
also the Chair and Associate Professor for the De
partment of Philosophy at UNCA. It is estimated
by the United Nations that India will be the most
populated country in the world around the year
2028, surpassing China. India is among the largest
democracies in the world alongside the United
States and Indonesia. Given this information,
it is irrevocably clear that India is becoming an
important factor in global affairs for current times
and for the future.
The final lecture presented by David Hudleson
of National Security will discuss Sectarianism in
the Middle East on March 11th. Since Septem
ber 11th, 2001 the Western World has certainly
become more familiar with Middle Eastern phi
losophies and ethics. This lecture on sectarianism
will discuss that even in the Middle East there are
several sects, more than several even, that vie for
control over the minds of their populations. David
is going to point out that the sectarianism of the
Middle East is political, not religious. There isn’t
a better discussion to wrap up current issues in the
twenty first century.
I will be writing individual articles on the sepa
rate lectures in a six-part series that will discuss
these topics in more depth. These articles will
stretch from February to March, and will discuss
the complex issues that affect the world as a
whole. The lectures will start at 3:30 p.m. and
end at 5:30 p.m. in MG 125, considering that
the occupancy doesn’t exceed 80 people. If the
occupancy grows beyond 80, Laura Rain Tree
will look into moving the venue to accommodate
everyone. Students and faculty can attend the
lectures for free but anyone else will have to pay
$ 10 per lecture or $35 for the whole lecture series.
To pre-register or for more information contact
Laura Rain Tree at (828)-884-8251 or email her
at raintrlh@brevard.edu.
Beam lobby
closed
By Calum McAndrew
StaffWritei^^^^
The Beam Residence Halls saw its communal
area closed on January 27th, following a series
of occurrences of vandalism over recent weeks.
Four couches on the second floor had suffered
severe structural damage, and all the furniture on
the first floor had been overturned. This all oc
curred in a short period of time, as well as damage
being done to a door in the building.
The door to the second floor lobby of Beam
was bolted shut last week as a result, preventing
access to the popular gathering spot. The furniture
from the first floor was also removed, and locked
upstairs with the damaged couches.
Campus Life have received notice as to who
the possible offenders may be, and are set to
look into the matter, before returning the lobby
to student usage.
In an interview with Director of Residence
Life, Michael Cohen, and Director of Housing
Operations, BethAbrams, it was projected that the
damage in the second floor lobby of Beam alone
could cost somewhere between $4000 and $8000.
“If we were to replace the couches, it would
have to be of commercial quality, as to withstand
future abuse, which could amount to $1000 per
couch,” said Abrams.
“The question then arises, would we have to bolt
down the couches?” said Cohen, who went on to
say that Campus Life are looking into ways that
they could return the lobby into use.
“A student came forward and suggested that we
look into some t5q3e of rotational use of the lobby,
where they have to check in,” Cohen suggested,
before going on to say that this system would
require students to leave their ID with a Resident
Advisor, and would only allow certain students
to be in the room at certain times.
Cohen also confirmed that, “Campus Life are
looking to return the lobby to students this semes
ter, but it will not happen until we are completely
comfortable returning it.”
It appears that the removal of the furniture from
the first floor lobby may also coincide with these
plans, as according to Cohen, it will be easier
to look after the couches if they are relocated
upstairs.
“We can’t lockdown and protect the furniture
on the first floor, but we can do that on the second
floor if we introduce the system where a student
checks in to the lobby. Until that point, as long as
students are abusing the furniture, it is in a safe
place where it cannot be overturned or damaged.”
The removal of the furniture however, has
See 'Closed' page 6