Methodist College
Fayetteville, NC Vol. XXXIV, No. 3 Tuesday, October 1, 1996
Crime major concern
in Fayetteville area
Methodist offers
safe haven; ranks
in top five state
wide for lowest
campus crime rate
By Sonya Sparks Murdock
Staff Writer
For the second year in a
row, Cumberland County ranked
third in the state in violent crimes,
according to the 1995 Sheriffs
Report on Crime. By comparison,
Methodist College offers a safe
haven within this danger zone.
As Methodist College
students enter the campus pre
mises, their risk of being victimized
by crime drop significantly.
The Uniform Crime Re
port issued by the state Department
of Justice includes crime statistics
for Methodist from July 1, 1995,
through June 30, 1995. Of the 29
North Carolina colleges and univer
sities represented in the report,
Methodist holds the fourth lowest
overall crime total and boasts a
perfect zero in its violent crime to
tal. Beaufort County Community
College, Pfeiffer University, Mars
Hill College, and Methodist were
the safest campuses in the state in
that order.
While no violent crimes
occurred last year at Methodist,
campus police documented 42 in
cidents of damage to personal
property and 19 burglaries, most of
which were breaking and entering
and larcenies, according to CpI.
Harold Blake, crime prevention
officer for Methodist College.
Blake said that most of the misde
meanor offenses were committed
by students and were just "high-
spirited pranks."
Blake explained that the
campus security officers train for
13 to 14 weeks in the basic secu
rity officers program at
Fayetteville Techr>ical Commu
nity College and are authorized
to detain a suspect on college
premises.
The nine-man campus
police force, on the other hand,
consists of state-commissioned
officers who complete the same
training as any city law enforce
ment agent receives. The campus
police are authorized to carry
firearms and make arrests.
The campus force di
rects a roving foot patrol 24
hours a day, ensuring that resi
dence hall doors are secure,
checking other campus buildings,
inspecting campus lighting at
night, and securing campus pe
rimeters. Methodist's security
officers also teach personal safety
classes during student orienta
tion, hold discussions on crime
prevention, participate in the
"Friends Living in Community"
program, and work in conjunc
tion with the Fayetteville police.
High profile crimes,
which Blake defines as any felony
larceny of goods valued at
$1,000 or more, are posted on
the Crime Stoppers bulletin
boards in residence halls and the
Student Union. Students are
urged to report crimes or infor
mation they have about crimes to
the Crime Stoppers Hotline by
calling 630-7287.
Commuter students liv
ing in apartments or communi
ties surrounding campus also en
joy safer boundaries than many
other city residents. The
Fayetteville Police Department
divides the city into 16 patrol
zones, with Methodist falling into
zone 12. This zone covers the
north side of the city, including
Country Club Drive and Ramsey
Street, north to the city limits.
and the following communities:
College Lakes, King's Grant,
Kinwood, and Ascot I and II.
In the police
department's 1995 annual report,
zone 12 ranked as the city's fifth
safest area to live in. Crime in this
zone fell 19 percent in 1995 from
the previous year.
Although these encour
aging statistics seem to indicate
that security measures on campus
are working, experts caution stu
dents against complacency. Crime
analyst Steve KJingensmith of the
Fayetteville Police Department
stresses that students should use
common sense and stay alert to
their surroundings. KJingensmith
notes that the majority of crimes
occurring in the city are property-
related crimes, which also happen
to be the most common crimes on
campus.
"Safeguard your prop
erty and don't leave items such as
compact disc players, amplifiers,
and radar detectors in plain view
in your automobiles,"
Klingensmith advises. He adds
that city residents don't really need
radar detectors; since patrol cars
are equipped with radars cali
brated above the speed limit, driv
ers will find it difficult to contest
speeding tickets.
Finally, Klingensmith
emphasizes that the police are
making "great strides to educate
the public through a community-
oriented policing concept" that
encourages the public to assist
each other by becoming extra eyes
for the police department. He ex
plains that residents should report
anything they view as suspicious.
"It's better (for us) to respwnd to
an unfounded report than to find
people who come forward later"
to say that they were aware of a
crime as it happened, but failed to
report it at that crucial time.
Cumberland county ranks third in N.C. in violent crime
North Carolina ranked as the 20th most dangerous state in the country, thanks in part to
Cumberland County's 1,126.5 violent crimes per 100,000 inhabitants last year. That's why the 1995
Sheriffs Report on Crime also ranked Cumberland County third in the state in violent crime.
Meanwhile, the Uniform Crime Report issued by the state Department of Justice reveals a 57
percent increase in the state's number of violent crimes since 1986.
One violent crime is committed every 11 minutes, 26 seconds in North Carolina according to
the report. The Uniform Crime Report classifies the following as violent crimes; murder, rape, robbery,
and aggravated assault. The report defines aggravated assault as "the unlawful attack by one person
upon another for the purpose of inflicting serious injury."
Cumberland County contributed 34 murders to the 1995 state totals. However, the number of
aggravated assaults for the county declined by 5.2 percent in 1995 from the previous year, with an
average of 1.2 aggravated assaults each day.
The Fayetteville Police Department's 1995 report cited the downtown zone as the most dan
gerous in the city, while the airport zone was the least dangerous in terms of violent crime.
(See related commentary, page 6)
' %
Sophomore Frank Curiel was the decisive winner in the Methodist Invitational Cross-Country meet held
Sept. 13. Curiel won with a time of 16:34, well ahead of second-place finisher Paul Williams from Greens
boro College who finished with a time of 17:39. Curiel was named a Dixie Conference Athlete of the Week
for the week of Sept. 16. The crosscountry team placed third overall In the meet. (Photo by Jamee Lynch)
Non-traditional student
Increasingly common with some perceived advantages
responsibility for their lives from
By Mike McDermott
Editor
Go to most colleges or
universities in the United States
and you will come across a wide
variety of people from every ori
gin, race, color, creed and sex.
Many schools maintain a count
less number of teams, organiza
tions, cultures, subcultures and
cliques. There exists one group,
however, that has forged the river
of social, cultural, racial and eco
nomic diversity like no other
single group has been able to in
the past. This dynamic conglom
eration of people have been
dubbed “non-traditional stu
dents.”
Non-traditional students
are students who did not come
directly from high school to col
lege. Generally, they are inde
pendent, which means simply that
they are paying for their own edu
cation. They have legally sepa
rated from home and assumed full
parents or guardians.
Often times they are seen
by traditional students as outsid
ers. JuniorAnthonyFairlamb feels
that they “ask too many questions
and hold up the class.” This may
be attributed to the fact that they
have had a longer separation pe
riod between high school and col
lege and have not fully retained
much of the basic knowledge that
is taught in primary learning insti
tutions. Senior Leon Clark, how
ever, feels that the inquisitive na
ture of the older students “stems
from a higher maturity level and a
greater sense of urgency.”
Maturity seems to be the
largest element dividing traditional
and non-traditional students. This
is not to say that the traditional
students are immature, but rather
less experienced. Paul Hanlon, a
Methodist senior and non-tradi
tional student, states, “Our per
sonal educational standards are
higher. I ignored my parents while
I was in high school, and I messed
up. I have learned from my mis
takes and I’ve learned to study.
Tliis is my last chance.”
Some non-traditional
students have perceived a differ
ence in their treatment by profes
sors, as compared to traditional
students. Senior Karl McKenna
states, “I felt like they were ignor
ing me at first, like I was foreign
to the classroom, but I soon real
ized that it was because I was not
acting silly. I was more mature
than the other students, so I was
treated like an adult.”
A large number of
Methodist’s non-traditional stu
dents are undertaking second ca
reers. Many of them joined the
military after graduating from
high school and decided that it was
time to make something more of
their lives. Qark, a former Marine,
states, “I enjoyed my Marine
See NON-TRADITIONAL, page 5
INSIDE
Kobudo classes teach self-defense skills as well as
confidence page 3
Irish soccer player discovers stereotypes about
Americans just aren't true page 4
Is Generation X just a bunch of slackers? page 6
Crime is more than a dry list of statistics as it hits
home in a very personal way page 6
Work-studv positions still available;
If you have been awarded work-study or live in the
dorm and are interested in a work-study position,
come by the Financial Aid office or call them at 630-
7192/7193. Positions are still available for those who
do not yet have one.
Effective study strategies key to academic success
By Alexandra Nulle Dummer
Staff Writer
Picture it: 8:00 Sunday
night and you suddenly realize that
you have a two-page essay due to
morrow morning and a test in phi
losophy. What do you do?
According to The Study
Game by Connie Bovier, for ev
ery hour spent in class you can
expect to spend three hours study
ing. For most of us, this seems
unrealistic considering other time
demands like clubs, socializing,
and sports. Time is precious,
which is why you should priori
tize the events of a normal day,
including sleeping and eating.
■ Having a class schedule that
works with your internal clock is
another good way to make the
best use of time, says Bovier.
The environment in
which you study is very important,
and in a dorm, distractions are in
evitable. So don't procrastinate.
Start with your simpler assign
ments first and stick to it until
you're finished, but remember to
take short breaks every hour or
so to keep from becoming men
tally exhausted. Make sure your
study area has a comfortable tem
perature with good ventilation,
good lighting, a desk with ample
work surface, a comfortable chair,
supplies and equipment, storage
space, and reference books. If it's
impossible to study in your room
because of a noisy roommate or
whatever, head over to the library.
Working in study groups
is a great way learn, but some of
you out there may need more per
sonal attention. That is what the
Academic Resource Center is for.
Its purpose is to provide students
with the support necessary to en
sure academic success. Carolyn
Bittle, Coordinator of Testing and
Tutoring Programs, says they "help
students in any way they can" by
providing professional and non
professional tutors free of charge.
She adds, "Teachers will refer stu
dents if they feel they need extra
help in certain areas." Also, there
are study hall sessions every night
from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in room 214
held by Frank Curiel, and anyone
who wishes to attend is welcome.
The ARC is planning to hold
workshops on various topics to
help students with their study tech
niques. Last spring, Sheila Yates,
Coordinator of Academic Re
sources, held one on how to do
research papers.
Organization is another
important key. This occurs from
the moment you take notes to the
moment you begin studying them.
For effective notetaking, you
should date them, leave margins
for additional comments, use your
own abbreviations, highlight im
portant points, don't distract your
self by doodling, and review your
notes within 48 hours. To keep
the information as fresh as jx)s-
sible, you should review often.
Michele Scarbrough, a freshman
at MC, says, "I take very detailed
notes because I more easily un
derstand my own terms."
Students also need to
develop critical reading strategies.
There are three steps for an effec
tive reading process. First, scan
the entire assignment, then read in
depth, picking out topic ideas and
See STRATEGIES, page 5