I MEN’S BASKETBALL
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hen the weather gets cold, there are still
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The Pendulum
ELON, NORTH CAROLINA j THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011 | VOLUME 37, EDITION 27
www.eionpenduium.com
Liquor by the drink passed in local election
Natalie Allison
Senior Reporter
The wait is almost over for
residents of the town of Elon who
want to purchase liquor by the drink
without traveling to nearby cities.
In a referendum on Tuesday’s Nov.
8 ballot, constituents voted to pass
a mixed beverage law that will allow
for the sale of liquor at bars and
restaurants in Elon, a change that
will go into effect in January.
The vote came after local
restaurant owners Peter Ustach
and Jeff MacKenzie of The Fat
Frogg approached the Elon Board of
Aldermen last year about the town
obtaining a liquor by the drink
permit. The board discussed the
measure in July and made a decision
to put the referendum, which passed
with 75 percent of the vote, on this
year’s ballot.
The town will receive revenue
from sales tax on liquor and a portion
of the actual sale of mixed drinks,
and local bar owners think the option
for mixed drinks will increase to«t
traffic and benefit retail locations
in Elon — business that may have
otherwise gone to bars or restaurants
in Burlington.
“I hope this helps the restaurants
that are here,” said Josh Ezrine,
owner of West End Station. “That way,
if there is more foot traffic, more
retail stores may come to Elon.”
Bar owners in Elon said they are
expecting students to respond to the
availability of mixed drinks with a
lot of enthusiasm at first, but they
are conscious of the risks and are
HEATHER CASSANO | Photo Edilor
In elections Tuesday night, a referendum was passed allowing businesses in the town of Elon to serve liquor by the drink.
working to create a safe drinking
environment.
“There will be a transition at
first,” said Gabriel Cheek, manager
of College Taphouse. “They will all
go nuts, but people will grow into
it and find their wits. It’ll be better
for us, but there will be a lot more
responsibility.”
Both Cheek and Ezrine said their
bartenders would undergo additional
training for serving mixed beverages.
and the bars would slowly add liquor
options to the menu. Bartenders at
The Fat Frogg, Ustach said, are all
certified through ABC’s Responsible
See LIQUOR I PAGE 3
Future of General Studies
program remains unclear
Discussions held to plan next steps |
‘No’ means no, but interpretation
of effective consent differs at Elon
Grace Elkus
Senior Reporter
It was less than two weeks ago
that the faculty voted down proposed
changes to the General Studies
curriculum, yet steps are already
being taken to decide what will come
of the efforts and research behind the
proposed curriculum.
Discussion about the proposal
continues and will take place this
week in several meetings, according to
Provost Steven House. These meetings
include a Town Hall Forum, discussions
with senior faculty and the meeting of
the General Studies Review Committee.
Although faculty will be engaging
in these discussions, students
have shared their thoughts on the
significance of the proposal being
voted down.
“The fact that the proposal was
voted down makes me a little concerned
because it means that Elon isn’t making
the General Studies curriculum a
top priority,” said sophomore Nick
Wedlock. “But at the same time, I am
pleased with the current curriculum
and never thought a revision was
necessary.”
Sophomore John Antonelll agrees
with Medlock in that he finds the
current curriculum to be constructive
to his academic studies. But he also
understands the reasoning behind the
proposal.
“I feel like Elon wouldn’t be trying
to make these changes if they were to
have any sort of negative effect,” he
said. “I understand the changes could
be tough on faculty and students at
first, but in the long run it could be
more beneficial.”
Antonelli also expressed a broader
concern about a general lack of
awareness among students.
“I don’t think very many students
knew there had even been a proposal
made,” he said. “I would like to see
more information concerning these
types of proposals given to students,
especially when the subject directly
affects the student body.”
Look for another update on the
General Studies program, following
faculty discussions, in next week s |
edition. I
Kassondra Cloos
News Editor
Consent is sexy. The head nod, the
squeeze of the hand, the wink. According
to Elon University policy, these simple
signs can’t be interpreted as effective
consent in the absence of a verbal, active
“yes.” But the charges assigned — or
not assigned — to students accused of
nonconsensual sexual acts don’t always
reflect what is mandated by university
policy.
On Elon’s Sexual and Relationship
Violence Awareness and Response
website, effective consent is defined as
an active, verbal, uncoerced “yes” in the
absence of substances such as alcohol
and is required at each stage of sexual
advancement.
Effective consent is clearly stated in
the student handbook as a necessity
for students to proceed physically in
accordance with the Flonor Code. But
according to Whitney Gregory, director
of Student Conduct, students don’t
always find it practical to pursue a verbal
agreement to engage in sexual activity,
and so verbal consent is not always the
standard by which the outcome of cases
is determined.
“If somebody is fingering someone
and then it moves to oral sex and then it
moves to intercourse, there may not be a
‘Can I finger you?' ‘Can I go down on you?’
‘Can I put my penis in your vagina?'” she
said. “I don’t know of many students who
have that conversation. Sure, it’d be great,
ideally, but there’s other ways, like body
language, to gauge consent.”
As director of Student Conduct,
Gregory hears the cases of sexual assault
that are reported to the university and
said she has heard as many as five in one
year, few in comparison to the number of
cases that go unreported. Each case is so
wildly different that she cannot provide a
generic or average example for how fault
is determined or charges assigned, but
the university hearing system relies on
the preponderance of evidence.
If personal accounts, witness
statements and any other evidence shows
it is more likely than not a student has
perpetrated a nonconsensual act, he or
she is held responsible. Both parties have
the opportunity to appeal, such as if the
charges are dropped or perceived to be
too harsh.
As circumstances vary from case to
case, Gregory said witnesses and every
other ounce of available information
is taken into consideration during the
hearing process and there is no standard
See CONSENT I PAGE 6
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