Volume 31, Issue 18 March 2, 2006 www.elon.edu/pendulum natters to you, it matters to The Pendulum/' will target illegal drinking . , - Jessica Frizen/PTiotographer SGA staff (left to right) Maggie Piggott, Cameron Davis, Michael Bumbry and Bethany Massman tackle topics like preserving the 'Elon atmosphere.' ~ " and there are new issues to deal with. Timothy Rink Reporter Beginning his second term as Student Government Association’s executive president, junior Michael Bumbiy said the most serious problem on Elon’s campus is the increase in dangerous and illegal drinking. “I sit in on hearings all the time, and most of them are alcohol- related and it’s really surprising,” said Bumbry. “I’m not just talking about .08 (blood-alcohol content) or .17, I’m talking like .30 and above, areas where you should be in a coma, if not dead. I think our administration really needs to crack down on underage drinking.” The most important people in this process may be Elon’s Resident Advisors. “It’s important for RAs to maintain their credibility,” said Bumbry, a resident advisor in West Area. “And it’s impossible to do that if they are violating the codes they should be enforcing, especially with their residents. They’re supposed to be I think there’s a culture on this campus that says you have to go to West End on Wednesday nights, you’ve gotta go to Cantina on Thursdays and that you just have to party it up on the weekends. That culture needs to change. —Michael Bumbry, SGA executive president ^ ^ ^^^^ ^ the role model and how can you enforce something when you’re doing it yourself?” “I’m not completely innocent, I’m not saying I’m holier-than-thou or that I have never drank alcohol and I’m not 21. I’m no saint, but my residents have never seen me intoxicated and because of that, we have that barrier, that boundary, that respect.” According to Bimibry, the biggest change needs to come from within the student body itself. “I think there’s a culture on this campus that said you need to go to West End bar on Wednesday nights, you’ve gotta go to Cantina on Thursdays and that you have to just party it up on the week ends,” he said. “That culture needs to change.” Bumbry seemed at home in the SGA’s executive president’s office, where he has worked for the last year. “I don’t know what it’s like to not be involved in SGA,” he said. After an election earlier this week, he found out he will get to spend another year there, working toward his vision for Elon. “I’m just looking forward to getting started with a new year. Each year you learn new things, you meet new people Elon’s reigning homecoming king said that being president is stressful, but worth it “I think it just goes back to having done this for so long and having a passion for it and not wanting to quit,” he said. “This is a very demanding job, it’s very tough on you physically and mentally because you’re the president and that comes with a lot of glory, but it also comes with a lot of responsibility.” Bumbry said he never planned on serving two terms as president, but he’s using it to his advantage and is enjoying it. He said he loves Elon’s personal atmosphere and warns that growth is both necessary for and a danger to the continuation of a healthy campus. “No one wants to see this school twice the size it is,” he said. “I think we don’t have the space for it and it would take away from the culture that is Elon - that personal interactive feel ing that you don’t get at most schools.” Staff Senior Class Officers: President - Carson Foushee Vice President - Jamey Falkenbury Secretary - Amie Ritchie Senator - Michelle Matalon Junior Class Officers: President - Michelle Lauren Murphree Vice President - Michael Purcell Treasurer - Joshua Donde Senator - Robert Saunders Sophomore Class Officers: President - Ben Smith Vice President - Alex Nickodem Senator - Ian Spreat FEATURES p. 15 Local couple hosts dinner for Elon stu dents every week. ENTERTAINMENT 18 Popular jam band O.A.R. is coming to Elon May 6. SPORTS p. 21 Montell Watson hopes to return from injury and fulfill a dream