THE Pendulum
ELON, NORTH CAROLINA | WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2010 | VOLUME 36, EDITION 30
www.elon.edu/pendulum
Loko
PHOTO tLLUSTRATION BY UNDSAY FENDT | Photo Editor
FDA moves to ban popular alcohol
energy drinks nationwide
Gabriela Szewcow
Design Chief
Four Loko has quickly become all the
rage on college campuses, but the Food
and Drug Administration is trying to
bring a stop to these popular alcoholic
drinks infused with caffeine.
The FDA acted Nov. 17 to remove
alcoholic energy drinks from shelves
nationwide. North Carolina Gov. Bev
Perdue said she is on board with the ban
in a statement released Wednesday.
“1 called for these alcohol energy
drinks to be pulled from the North
Carolina market because there are
serious questions about the health
risks of these products,” she said in the
statement. “The North Carolina ABC
Commission will be prompt to apply the
FDA's decision to its rules that protect
North Carolinians.”
According to the L.A. Times,
manufacturers of Four Loko volunteered
to remove the caffeine from their
products and remove the beverages
from stores by Dec. 13. Manufacturers
also said they would pull their current
beverage blends from the shelves. The
L.A. Times reported that the FDA was
hoping to clarify as early as the morning
of Nov. 17 rtiat caffeine is an unhealthy
and unsafe supplement to alcoholic
beverages.
As of Nov. 17, West End Station was
still selling Four Lokos at the bar and
has been since the beginning of this
school year. Owner Josh Ezrine said he
was not notified of the ban, and no one
told him to stop selling the drinks at his
establishment.
Neither Sandy’s Bar and Grill nor The
Fat Frogg sell Four Loko or any other
alcoholic energy drinks. The Kangaroo
g/s station still has Four Lokos in their
store. But employee Catherine Murell
thinks they shouldn’t.
“I feel very strongly that they should
ban these drinks,” Murrell said. “I have
kids that ar^qld enough to drink and it
worries me. The studies have shown that
teenagers can’t handle them and I think
they need to be pulled off the shelves
before it’s too late.”
Elon students straddle the issue.
Even students who have been negatively-
affected by caffeine are wary of the ban.
“I’m definitely sensitive to caffeine
because 1 was hospitalized last year
after 1 consumed too much caffeine
from coffee,” junior Emily Stanchi said.
“So 1 am definitely for the ban because I
understand how dangerous they are and
the effects they can have on the body.
It’s just unfortunate because at the same
time, they taste so good.”
Senior Tom Waterman also recognizes
the complexity of the ban.
“It’s an issue where you want to have
control but you don't want to ban. You
have to find that medium so people
don’t go outside the lines or limits to get
it,” Waterman said.
Susan P. Lindley, the executive
assistant to the vice president for
Student Life and dean of students at Elon
University, agrees that a happy medium
needs to be found.
“I don’t know that the federal
government has the responsibility to
ban a drink,” she said. “1 think that a
clear warning explaining how much
alcohol and caffeine a drink contains
would be a better place to start.”
With additional reporting by Ally Lord,
Jesse Jacobs and Katie Koch.
With No. 1
rank, study
abroad aims
to expand
Christine Everett
Reporter
After holding onto its top status
in the area of student abroad and
global learning, representatives
from the Isabella Cannon Centre for
International Studies say they’ve been
making 100 percent accessibility
to study abroad programs a top
priority.
The ICIC seeks to raise more
scholarship money, make programs
more suitable to students' majors
and develop innovative programs
that will facilitate the increase of
student accessibility.
“We are working to identify
those factors that keep students
from studying abroad," said
International Programs Advisor Bill
Burress. “Some factors that we have
identified include finances, academic
requirements and involvement
in campus activities including
athletics.”
Junior Taylor McKee is one
of the many students who has
taken advantage of the diverse
opportunities the study abroad
program provides.
McKee said she believes the study
abroad application process is fairly
straightforward and that the ICIC is
helpful in assisting the procedure.
“Studying abroad is simply a great
experience, I cannot express that
enough,” McKee said. “The lessons
you learn, the friends you gain and
the places you see are incredible.”
Although she studied in London,
McKee experienced other cultures
as she traveled to Scotland, France,
Germany and Sweden during the
2010 spring semester.
According to Burress, the ICIC
is committed to expanding study
abroad programs to countries with
emerging economics, such as China
and India in the future. Additionally,
it is working to expand programs in
the Middle East and Sub-Saharan
Africa.
“We are always exploring
innovative programs to meet the
needs of Elon students,” Burress
said.
ICIC partners with the university
to offer a variety of financial
assistance to students wanted to
study abroad. The ICIC offers Isabella
Cannon Need-Based Scholarships,
See ICIC I PAGE 3
Elon man arrested after threatening to kill wife
Anna Johnson
Managing Editor
After remaining missing for
several hours, the Elon man who
allegedly pointed a gun at his wife and
threatened to kill her was arrested
Wednesday night.
Mark Douglas Murrell, 42, was
arrested at 8:30 p.m. at 212 Cedar
St., Gibsonville, an Elon police press
release stated.
The arrest stemmed from an alleged
domestic assault that took place
earlier that day at Brookside Mobile
Home Park at 660 Manning Ave., Elon.
At 10. a.m., Murrell allegedly
pointed a handgun at his wife and
threatened to kill her. His wife was
able to escape and called 911 from a
neighbor’s house.
She told police that she believed
Murrell was still in the household and
had possession of two weapons.
Elon police, Elon University Campus
Safety and Police and Gibsonville
Police Department surrounded the
home and attempted to make contact
with the suspect.
In conjunction with the Burlington
Police Special Response Team, tear gas
was deployed and the police officers
entered the home. Murrell was not in
the residence.
Murrell’s wife was escorted to the
Alamance Family Justice Center to
obtain a Domestic Violence Order.
Warrants for assault on a female,
assault by pointing a weapon,
communicating threats and not
allowing (a person) to call 911 were
issued for Murrell.
Incident and arrest reports had not
been released at the time of print.
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