News
Dealing with College Bullies
Rachel Pratl, editorial editor
A recent scandal involving twelve-
year-old Rebecca Sedwick resulted in
her committing suicide after being bul
lied both online and in-person by two
girls aged 12 and 14. Both now face felony
charges for aggravated stalking; according
to the Huffington Post, the attackers sent
Sedwick online messages telling her that
“no one liked her and encouraged her to
kill herself.” According to the U.S. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, bul
lying is the third leading cause of death
among people between the ages of 10 and
24. Tragic stories like Rebecca Sedwick’s
aren’t shocking with bullying in grade,
middle and high school, being common.
However, bullying does not appear in the
same way on college campuses.
In college, it’s no longer called
bullying, it’s called harassment. The Stu
dent Handbook describes harassment as
“any action (oral, written, or electronic)
repeated or persistent series of actions, or
expression that are reasonably perceived
as creating an offensive, hostile education
al, employment, or living environment for
a student or College employee.”
For a college student, bullying
or harassment is different than in high
school, as many do not have the comfort
of their family to retreat to after a bad day.
A college student’s family essentially be
comes their roommates and hall-mates.
However, if they’re the problem, then
what is a college student to do?
Elizabeth Meier in the Counseling
Center recommends getting support from
campus resources. “We have an incred
ible professional Residence Life staff. I
would encourage [a student] to talk to her
Residence Hall Director. The Counseling
Center is another great campus resource.
She could make an appointment or use
our walk-in hours at io;oo am Monday,
Wednesday and Friday. We also have a
1:00 crisis hour Monday through Friday,”
Meier says. Dean of Students Ann Gleason,
wants students to know that they have op
tions when faced with harassment in the
Meredith community. They can reach out
to a Residence Life staff member and at
tempt to resolve the conflict through me-
“For a college
student, bullying or
harassment is
different than in
high school, as
many do not have
the comfort of their
family to retreat to
after a bad day.
A college student’s
family essentially
becomes their
roommates and
hall-mates.”
diation. If a student feels that her rights
have been more seriously violated, she
can choose to take the issue to the Honor
Council because any “conduct resulting
in physical harm, harassment and/or dis
crimination of another” is in violation of
the Honor Code. Getting involved in a ha
rassment case can mean being sanctioned
in different forms by the school, being
placed on probation, having your gradua
tion delayed, or even being suspended or
expelled.
It may be hard to believe that ir
reconcilable conflicts could arise between
students within a community that appears
to be strongly united. However, students
who have found themselves facing ha
rassment or who are currently enduring
some type of harassment, should know
that there are people on campus that care
about their issues and want to help make
their time at Meredith the best that it can
be.
viafakingnews.firstpost.com
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Have you gone to a Meredith sports game in the last year?
28% Of course, I go to all of them!
38% I went to one or two.
33% We have sports?
Results from last issue’s poll
The North Carolina State Fair’s “Homecoming”
Hannah Nielsen, staff writer
MCG’s are used to hearing the trains pass by campus, but for ten days of
fall, there is also a different sound every night at 9:45 sharp: the fireworks from
the fairgrounds. Though sometimes alarmed, students find it fun to hear the fire
works that draw them back to the North Carolina State Fair every year, just like
a “Homecoming,” which is, incidentally, the theme of this year’s fair.
The fair offered a wide variety of entertainment options for its visitors.
Carnival rides and games were strewn across the fairgrounds, and visitors can
take a tour of all kinds of competitions—livestock, agriculture, knitting, clogging,
and so much more. They could even watch pig races, goat races, and duck races,
which are as exciting as they are adorable. State Fair concerts held in Dorton
Arena are always a highlight of the festivities for many. This year’s musical tal
ents included Florida-Georgia Line, MercyMe, Sister Hazel, Francesca Battistelli
and Scotty McCreery.
Even if someone had just gone to the State Fair to people-watch, they
might as well have something to eat while they did it. Ever5nvhere visitors walked
on the fairgrounds, they were enveloped in the smells of sweet cotton candy,
freshly fried confections, smoked turkey, and corn. Fair food is truly unlike any
thing else. The Krispy Kreme burger was back this year along with other fair
favorites such as deep friend Oreos and Reese’s. Newcomers this year included
a Krispy Kreme sloppy joe (which is exactly what it sounds like), deep fried red
velvet Oreos, and pink lemonade funnel cake. If all this fried food sounded a
little rich for a visitor’s taste, there were a few healthier options. There was even
a Mediterranean stand this year with vegetarian and gluten-free menu items. The
State Fair truly had something for everyone this year.
via derekolsenphotography.com