THE =ENDULUM
PAGE 2 // WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2011
NEWS
ARAMARK expands composting program to
Octagon with help of Office of Sustainability
TRACY RAETZ | Staff Photographer
Students now have the option to compost materials in Octagon Cafe.
Caitlin O’Donnell
News Editor
In a joint effort between
ARAMARK and the Office of
Sustainability to expand the
existing composting program
in Colonnades and Harden
dining halls, a pilot-composting
program was introduced in
Octagon Cafe this
month.
Composting,
which reduces the
amount of solid
waste entering
a landfill, has
existed in
the “back of
the house,”
or essentially
behind the scenes
in the kitchen of
the dining halls,
since fall 2008,
accordingtoElaine
Durr, sustainability coordinator
for Elon. Conversations have
been ongoing about increasing
student involvement in the
process.
“Elon's food waste is picked
up three times a week by a third
party who operates a commercial
grade composting facility about
an hour from campus,” she said.
“The pilot program taking place
in Octagon is for front of the
house compost.”
Because the program
already existed on campus, the
addition didn’t require many
extra resources. Ryan Moore,
assistant food services director
for ARAMARK, said the program
was introduced during Winter
Term because of the decrease in
traffic at the dining halls.
Typically, ARAMARK staff
members are responsible
for sorting out compostable
materials
when
students
and faculty
deliver their
trays of
leftovers to
the kitchen.
Under the
new pilot
-ELAINE DURR, program,
SUSTAINABILITY students are
COORDINATOR responsible
for sorting
the material.
“We’ve
taken out the safeguard of a
trained staff,” Moore said. “With
more st udent involvement comes
more risk for contamination.”
To ensure students are
knowledgeable about the
process, ARAMARK and the
Office of Sustainability created
fliers, an informational page
on their website and sponsored
a booth in Moseley the week
before the pilot launched, Moore
said.
Students from the Green
Team who expressed interest
in volunteering for the program
are also available to answer
questions.
“During high traffic
times, student volunteers are
educating Octagon patrons
about composting and what
materials can go in the compost
or biodegradable container
provided in Octagon,” Durr
said.
Senior Molly Strayer, who is
passionateaboutmakingcampus
activities more environmentally
friendly, currently serves as a
compost bin volunteer, after
manning the Moseley booth in
early January.
“The composting program
is extremely exciting because
it is only really being started
on college campuses," she said.
“If Elon is successful with this
program, that will be a really
meaningful achievement and
make us an example to other
colleges."
Volunteer Sarah Gerald, a
junior, who became involved
through the Eco-Reps
program out of the Office of
Sustainability, said she was
initially surprised by the lack of
knowledge many students have
about composting.
“It is hard to tell if some
students just don’t want to
spend the time to sit down and
think about what goes where
and why, or if they just really
haven’t been educated about the
composting process,” she said. “I
think the average student knows
the very basics of composting
leaves and vegetables, the basic
organic stuff.”
Gerald, Strayer and other
volunteers will be required to
spend one hour per week at the
bins through the remainder of
Winter Term and all of spring
semester.
“It’s not hard to figure out,
once you have a little practice,”
Gerald said. “That’s our goal.”
According to Moore, there
are currently no plans to
expand the program to other
dining halls.
“During high traffic times,
student volunteers are edu
cating Octagon patrons
about composting and what
materials can go in the com
post container"
University award recipient under investigation for fraud
CaWin O'Donnell
N®«s Editor
2«]aaFfi^"J?r>fn "VoV
vvoiK ds an advocate
against human trafficking, is currently
being investigated for fraud by the FBI and
other law enforcement agencies, including
the Department of Homeland Security.
The investigation began with the
Multnomah County Sheriff’s Department
in Portland, Ore. and has since moved
to the federal level, according to Keith
Bickford, director of the Oregon Anti-
Human Trafficking Task Force.
Hillar was given the Hometown Hero
award, along with Meaghan Murphy and
Mark Watros, after being nominated by
freshman Savannah Chaisson.
“1 nominated Mr. Hillar to speak at Elon
after he had spoken at a church in my town
last year," she said. “I did not know about
any of the accusations before nominating
him or even before he came to Elon."
Chaisson said she submitted an
essay and an application with his contact
information, including e-mail, phone
number and address, to nominate Hillar
to speak.
Phil Smith, university chaplain, said
freshmen nominate people for the award
based on their interactions with them.
Freshman class officers select the final
three recipients.
“In this case, not as much was known
personally, but it was still someone who
had an impact," he said. “Anytime you
don’t know someone directly, there’s just
less you know about them, but his story
was very impactful.”
Suspicions come to the surface
Concerns regarding Hillar’s background
were first raised a few hours before the
Hometown Heroes ceremony took place on
Nov. 8. Smith said the university received
a vague e-mail with an anonymous tip.
The tipster claimed military involvement
and accused Hillar of misrepresenting his
military record.
“I did consult around a little bit to find
out what would be a good thing to do here,"
Smith said. "With some good advice, I went
and met with him."
Smith said he explained to Hillar
the university had received an e-mail
questioning the validity of his military
Hillar said it had happened once
before.
“At that point, you’ve got a person you’re
•^T«rriTt/4 trt anr? «nootirvr»
whether the accusing person just didn’t
like them," Smith said. “You can't just not
give them the award because someone said
that an hour before. And it had nothing to
do with the award, which was for advocacy
against human trafficking.”
On Oct. 28, a week before the Hometown
Hero ceremony, Jeff Hinton, a retired
Special Forces Master Sergeant involved
with the association of Professional
Soldiers, published findings questioning
Hillar’s military experience.
Professional Soldiers is an online
forum for members of the Special Forces.
According to Hinton, Special Forces alludes
to only one unit, the Green Berets, of
which Hillar claimed to have been a part,
specifically a retired colonel of the United
States Army Special Forces.
“Over a year ago, we got an e-mail
asking who Bill Hillar was," Hinton said
in an interview. “That e-mail, once it hit
Special Forces command, went out to the
‘who’s who’ of Green Berets."
The small unit, which has existed for 54
years, has around 2,000 members around
the country at any given time, he said.
“It would have been very hard for this
guy to not have been known, and it went
out and no one knew who he was,” Hinton
said. “I made it my goal to expose this
guy Nobody wants to question someone’s
credentials when they are viewed as a hero,
but someone has to do it and not let them
continue to scam (people).”
Probing for truth
Hinton began by sending for Hillar’s
records at the National Personnel Records
Center. All members of the United States
military have a record known as a DD214,
which is part of any member of the
military’s resume when he or she applies
for a job. The record also includes when the
person left the service and how he or she
was discharged, whether dishonorably or
honorably, and what medals the person was
awarded.
“You can get any person’s DD214, the
records are not classified," Hinton said.
“Even after finding his date of birth and
social security number, I couldn’t get
anything."
Hinton next enlisted the help of Mary and
Chuck Schantag, who also work, to expose
Green Beret frauds across the country, and
discovered Hillar served eight years in the
Coast Guard and was never a member of the
Forces.
After more research, Hinton Sclid he
Uillckr n-wiuacQ liiuliljjlc: law
enforcement agencies, including the FBI
and Department of Homeland Security.
“I asked the FBI how he pulled this off,
and they never thought to question his
credentials," Hinton said. “The thing is, we
get involved because no one else is going to
question this guy."
Within two to three weeks of Hinton’s
published accusations, Hillar’s website,
citing his credentials and advertising his
training workshops, was removed from the
Internet and Hillar had essentially gone into
hiding, according to Hinton. Around that
time, he confirmed with the FBI that they
were on his case.
“This is not the first time we’ve done
this," he said. “We don’t go after the guy who
claims it sitting at the bar. We go after the
guys that make themselves public figures
and say they can offer training. We don’t
take lightly to people using the title to scam
iimocent people, especially for money."
Ending the ‘scam’
Claiming to have qualifications as an elite
member of the military, Hinton said Hillar
charged individuals and organizations for
military training.
This included the Monterey Institute
of International Studies in Monterey, Calif.
Hillar was contracted to lead a 15-houri
three-day workshop, worth one academic
credit in 2005. Since then, he has led one
workshop per semester, most recently on
human trafficking in October of last year
according to Jason Warburg, executive
director of communications at the
Institute.
In early November, a student from the
workshop came to the administration,
expressing concern over whether Hillar’s
claims about his background were true.
Besides claiming Involvement with Special
Forces, Hillar also asserted in a resume
that he held a Ph.D. from the University of
Oregon. Around the same time, postings
from Professional Soldiers came to the
attention of the Institute, which triggered
an investigation, Warburg said.
“We reviewed the Information,
commumcated to him that we needed
documentation, and there was no response ”
he said. “VVe confimed with the, IJnjyersit’y
of Oregon that he did not have a Ph.D. We
concluded he has misrepresented his
academic credentials and issued a statement
of findings."
In the statement, Monterey Institute
ricsiaent Sunder Rcunaswamy apologized
for the incident and placed responsibility on
the Institute for fcdllng to uphold the qucdity
and integrity of the instruction received
there.
According to the statement, the Institute
will offer students who attended Hillar’s
workshops the option of either keeping
the credit on their academic records or
removing it and enrolling in a comparable
workshop at no cost.
Though HlUar, as a workshop instructor,
was not subject to the pre-employment
background check typical for all employees,
the Institute has since chsmged its policy.
“Workshop Instructors ... typically
come to the attention of the academic
administration through recommendations
and a resume, proposed syllabus £md list of
references would generally be considered
sufficient,” the statement read. “However,
as a result of this Incident, the institute
has extended the requirement for a full
pre-engagement back^ound check to any
person who provides classroom instruction
for academic credit."
Attempts to contact Hillar have been
unsuccessful.
Precedent for the future
According to Smith, Elonfe experience
with Hillar wUl likely have little bearing on
the future of the HometownHero awcird.
“If someone has misrepresented
themself. I’d hate for that to mean we have
to scrutinize everyone who’s nominated,” he
said. “We’re not going to do the same level of
checking you would do if you were having
someone come and teach or someone
offering credit."
Smith said there has never been a
situation presented in which a recipient
of the award would have the recognition
retracted. If the officers and rominator
choose to do that. Smith said it cauld be a
potential discussion.
“I don’t feel like I’m giving tie award
as an individual, I feel like our office is
sponsoring the awcird and it rases the
question of whose award it is to lesclnd,"
Smith said. “This is an Institution cf higher
education and we learn somethin} every
day I imagine we’ll learn somethlrE from
^flfthls.”
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