News
Wednesday, September 16, 2015 • page g
Local police parade remembers 9/11
Sophia Asmuth
Multimedia Editor
On the 14th anniversary of Sept. 11 on Fri
day, it was difficult to imagine that it has only
been 14 years since the attakcs. Then again, it
was hard to realize it hasn’t been longer. The
police and fire departments came together Fri
day to ensure that no matter how long or short
the time may feel, the nation remembered the
nearly 3,000 people who were killed in the ter
rorist attacks.
With the parade, several of the Burlington
Police Department officers offer reflections.
Officers present at the parade said they ap
preciated the acknowledgement for law en
forcement that the event brought.
Chief Jeff Smythe of the Burlington Police
Department, who has been an officer for 30
years, said 9/11 is a good reminder for people
to appreciate police officers.
“The silent majority is too silent too often,”
he said. “As the negative national media direct
ed toward the police comes to the forefront,
we’re starting to see some folks step up and say,
‘wait a minute, we need our police.’”
Many of the officers felt the direct effects
of the 9/11 attacks as they were working in the
U.S. Military at the time.
Jerry Christian, a patrolman for the Burl
ington Police Department, served 28 years in
the U.S. Military prior to his work with the po
lice department. He was deployed to Afghani
stan after the Sept. 11 attacks.
“It gives me a lot of thanks that I -was there
at the time and maybe able to change some
things in that part of the world, but now we’re
here trying to help our own country [as police
SOPHIA ASMUTH j Multimedia Edior
Local children and their families line the streets of Downtown Burlington Sept. 11 in support of
the police within the community and all who lost their lives in 2001.
officers],” he said.
Christian simply urged the public to con
tinue acknowledging Sept. 11, “Just try to re
member. . .we don’t really want nothing [sic] in
return,” Christian said.
“The kids seem to appreciate us coming
through, and as a result they are more aware of
this day than the adults sometimes are.”
Graham Sappington, Master Police Officer,
served six years in the U.S. Airforce prior to his
current eight years of service for the Burlington
Special Response Team.
“The country’s never been closer than in the
days^ weeks and years after Sept. 11,” he said.
“Sometimes we stray away from that, but we’re
all in this together. We just got to figure that
out, and maybe this parade will help that hap
pen.”
“As we get further removed from a tragic
event we tend to forget how bad it felt that day,
and how we all came together as Americans
— not as different types of people — but as
Americans. We all held hands under one flag.
If we get back to that, it’U be nice.”
While the day marks a time of sorrow felt
across the nation, all the officers agree that the
parade gives a sense of renewal and connectivi
ty — especially with the school children.
David Carter, chaplain of Alamance Coun
ty Sheriff Department, said he appreciated
youth support.
“The kids come out wearing red, white and
blue while waving flags,” he said. “They make
banners during art class, and they show their
patriotism. They’re just really excited to see us.
Really, as officers, it makes the hair on the back
of our necks stand up because they are just so
excited to be a part of this.”
And the Elon Elementary students chant
ed, “U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A.”
New IFC fraternity
coming to Elon
Tommy Hamzik
Managing Editor
A new Interfraternity Council (IFC)
organization is coming to campus as one of
the changes new Director of Fraternity and
Sorority Life Dan Faill is implementing in
his first year at Elon University.
FaUl said in an email that Elon has de
cided to add a new IFC organization, but
the school is still in the selection process.
The finalists will be on campus the week of
Oct. 19, and the presentations are open to
all.
This decision comes after two IFC orga
nizations were suspended from campus and
a third had activities suspended for a portion
of last year because of hazing investigations.
FaiU said nothing is solidified yet, but
changes in the recruitment process for IFC
and Panhellenic Coundl (PHC) organiza
tions are pending.
For IFC fraternities, Faill said the dates
for fall recruitment have changed to end on
a Monday, which he said will allow for deep
er conversations with recruits.
“While no decisions have been 100 per
cent set in stone, we are looking to make aD
of the processes more valuable for the mem
bers and potential new members, in both
information and conversations,” Faill said.
Faill said the change doesn’t specifical
ly relate to National PanHellenic Council
(NPHC) fraternities and sororities because
“their intake process is very different from
the recruitment processes.”
Faill said the PHC has unanimously vot
ed to adopt a two-tier total system, which
means the fall members — or maximum
chapter size — will be adjusted by semester
to account for graduating seniors snd new
members.
FaUl, who arrived on campus in the
summer to take over for Shana Plasters, the
former director, said he’s been meeting will?
departments and directors on campus to
understand the perception of fraternity and
sorority life at Elon.
After hazing allegations, the Epsilon
Theta chapter of Sigma Pi and the Epsilon
Alpha chapter of Pi Kappa Phi each re
ceived suspensions that will last until 2017.
The Lambda Lambda chapter of Ka:ppa
Sigma’s new member activities were also
suspended during the spring.
BSU
from cover
discrimination on campus during his time
at Elon. Race relations incidents occurred
in 2013, when a student drew racially and
religious offensive symbols on two students’
whiteboard, and in 2014-2015, when mul
tiple racial slurs were directed at students.
There have been a host of similiar instances
in recent years.
In a similar vein, sophomore Alonzo
Cee, BSU’s special events director, said he
is often asked about how it feels being a
person of color at a predominantly white
institution while he serves.as a campus tour
guide.
“I would love to be able to tell [pro
spective students] that we have a spectac
ular community here that will accept them
straight away, but it’s something we are con
tinually working on, and that is the truth,”
he said. “BSU is trying to help expedite that
process.”
Bohannan said while the name-change
was necessary to expedite this process, it
doesn’t mean that the organization is re
tracting its 45-year-long history as the
Black Cultural Society,
“We have learned from our history as be
ing BCS and we will continue to keep many
of those traditions alive,” he said “But with
the organization’s recent reputation for hav
ing a lack of unity, and with everything go
ing on nationally and on campus, there was
a need for change and rebranding to make
a statement.”
To Bohannon, the word “society” doesn’t
quite capture the purposeful power that the
word “union” does. But of all the connota
tions associated with “union,” the one that
he feels matters most is “unity.”
Cee agreed and said BCS was lacking in
its ability to provide unity.
“BCS last year was a home for the black
community, but in my opinion as a first-year
student, it did not seem that inviting,” Cee
said. “The connotation behind BCS wasn’t
very positive, at least according to people
who have been at Elon longer.”
To Cee, “union” promotes a firm state
ment about solidarity — something he said
he thinks is necessary on a campus where
there are more than black students on a
campus of more than 6,000 students.
“We want BSU to be a space where we
come and celebrate all different identities
and intersections of what is under the spec
trum of‘black,’” Bohannon said. “Our goal
is to educate the greater community but
also provide an avenue for unity and soli
darity for black students.”
Bohannon hopes the newly branded
BSU will also serve a more centralized role
as the umbrella organization for all other
black organizations on campus.
Other changes in the organization in
clude a restructuring of executive staff roles
and positions, as well as the creation of sev
eral member-led committees.
While changes are in store; Bohannon
hopes the organization can continue collab
orating with departments and other groups
on campus.
Some of the events Cee is leading sur
round topics including diversity, racism, mi
cro-aggression and the N-word.
Bohannan also previewed an “Intersec
tion Series,” a program featuring discus
sions around holding intersecting identities
within the black spectrum. This, he hopes,
will highlight the diversity among black
students at Elon.' . •
A brief snapshot of Black Cultural Society
New events and initiatives coming
From a “Black Student Success Week,”
which culminates in a pool party to future
rallies to their most popular event, the Fash
ion Show, BSU has already executed and
•will continue to plan themed educational
and cultural events throughout the year.
Cee urges the entire community — not
only those who identify as black or people
of color — to participate in these events,
since the educational component is what he
believes can create a more accepting com
munity at Elon.
“There are people who are there for the
cause and are willing to learn, but there are
a lot of people who silence our voices and
are just coming to events just to feel good
about themselves,” Cee said. “That’s why
education is so important.”
BCS was established in 1975, 12 years
after Glenda Phillips Hightower became
the first black student to attend Elon and
the same year John Roscoe became the first
black individual appointed to Elon’s board
of trustees.
Its purpose, written by inaugural chairs
Rodney Evans ’75 and Don McLaughlin ’76,
was to “promote understanding and a sense
of unity among Black students; encourage
Elon College to achieve a greater awareness
and appreciation of the culture and achieve- ,
ments of Black people; attack with vigor all j
injustices and inequalities that may exist on
the campus of Elon college with respect to
Black people; and support and assist in any
way possible the communities immediately
surrounding Elon College.” Membership
was open to all regularly enrolled firU
part-time students.