The QC, Vol. 83, No. 13 • December 5, 1996

              Happy     Holidays     Whittier     College
f^   ^^^ ^m^\ December 5,1996
Quaker Campus
► MVP's and
ROY's
The QC Sports staff
presents its carefully researched picks for outstanding members ofthe
fall teams.        pg 7-8
C   A   M.P   U/IS
»
► Santa's Little
Helpers
Stuck here over the
break? Live in the area?
Feel like helping out?
Check us out for some
great volunteer opportunities, pg 5
C O  L L E  G
► Madrigally
Delicious
This week in the Faculty Center, the Whittier
College Choir will
present, for the sixteenth
year in a row, the Madrigal Feaste—a week of
dinner performances
with singing, acting and
chicken. pg 6
►   Last Minute
■PrOfC:-        , •■'iS-
As you're getting
ready for finals, remember that the residence halls
will close by noon on Saturday, Dec. 14. Don't forget to schedule a time with
your Resident Advisor (or
one in your building) at
ing for break, else you
could face a hefty fine for
improper checkout.
The Voice Of The Campus Since 1914
Jascha Kaykas-Wolff/QC Photo Editor
Vicky Yang
QC File Photo
Mike Garabedian
Jascha Kaykas-Wolff/QC Photo Editor
Sheila Ali
Jascha Kaykas-Wolff/QC Photo Editor
Liza Gershman
At-LargeReps Selected
L E G E,
At
ELECTIONS
► Constitutional changes and
four new At-Large representatives were approved
Wednesday'eveningto begin the
1997 calendar year.
by JED GILCHRIST
QC News Editor
The COR Member-At-Large
election results were tabulated on
Dec. 4, with sophomore Vicky
Yang and juniors Mike Garabedian, Sheila Ali and Liza Gershman
elected At-Large representatives
for the 1997 calendar year. In addition, changes to the A.S.W.C.
constitution, agreed upon by COR,
were approved by the voting student body by a landslide of 98%,
according to COR Vice President
Keristofer Saryani.
Garabedian, who by. virtue of
his current position should have
organized and run the At-Large
election, deferred those responsibilities to Saryani to avoid a conflict of interests.
The office of At-Large repre
sentative is designed as a way for
students to represent the student
body as a whole and bring specific
student concerns to council meetings for consideration. Ali, who
has had previous experience as an
At-Large representative, said, "It's
really gratifying to be able not just
to represent students but to inform
them as well."
The changes to the A.S.W.C.
constitution, which were resoundingly approved by the student
body, were principally composed
of changing terms of office (from
a calendar to academic year term)
for I.R.H.A., Publications Board,
Interclub and Club Sports representatives to COR. All other
changes were grammatical or
punctuational, enacted to make
the wording ofthe document more
clear and consistent, according to
Saryani.
Voter turnout was low for this
At-Large election, with 23% of
1298 eligible voters making an
appearance at the polls. "I think
people weren't very aware of this
election and what it was for," Saryani said.
College Loses Eleven
Students in Fall Semester
STUDENT LIFE
by LETICIA GARCIA
QC Staff Writer
With the end ofthe Fall 1996 semester, 11 students have
withdrawn from the College and 130 have not yet registered for
Spring semester. Only 30 ofthe 130 students are not on billing
holds.
Although thoroughly tabulated statistics regarding retention rates are not available at this time, these numbers follow a
trend of what may present another semester of low retention
rates.
Last year's retention rate dropped to 69%. This was a
drastic decrease from the 70-80% in previous years. However,
the percentage drop is indicative ofthe loss of merely 12
students.
"Whittier is such a small campus that a few numbers make
a big difference," Dean of Students Susan Allen said.
To account for some of the losses last year, Allen mentioned the loss of the Geology and Speech Pathology and
Audiology majors, as well as the athletic turmoils due to the
turnover in football coaches.
"I am optimistic about retention rates increasing," Allen
said. "I don't think we are going to see that slip again."
Of the 11 students who left this semester, the majority of
them left due to personal problems, according to Allen. Three
of these students were football players who had babies and
girlfriends to care for, Allen said.
Aside from personal problems, financial and academic
problems are two other main reasons for leaving, according to
Allen.
"Some students are referred to as 'stop outs,' which are
students who stop attending school in order to make money for
tuition," Gerald Adams ofthe Registrar office said.
According to recent statistics, 22% of students leave because they do not meet the minimal academic requirements.
The college is attempting to address these academic problems
by providing tutoring programs and requiring two semesters of
writing seminars for those having academic difficulties. At the
same time, Whittier also continues to provide challenges for
the students at the top of their classes, Allen said.
In 1992, the retention rates were as good as those of
selective schools such as Pomona and Mills. Despite the low
retention rates, Whittier remains in the middle ofthe retention
scale. The school's goal would be to retain about 80% ofthe
freshman students, according to Allen Of the students who
started in 1993 only 58% have stayed to graduate.
"Many students leave because it's not what they expected,"
Adams said. He compared it buying a sweater that looked good
on the rack and when you got home it didn't fit.
Un-Sportsfestman-like Conduct Causes Scuffle On Field
SPORTSFEST
► Disciplinary action is
pending regarding a Sportsfest-
related scuffle that broke out on
the football field late Saturday
night
by STEVE DESMARETZ
QC Staff Writer
A Sportsfest football game
between the Harris D-mons and
the Wanberg Ghetto Girls ended
in a fight after a dispute over possessions on the evening of Nov.
23.
The referees mistakenly an
nounced that the game had ended,
and the Ghetto Girls had won after
only three possessions had been
run. After a dispute over how many
possessions had been played, the
women returned to the field to
play out the final fourth possession. The Harris D-mons scored
with their next possession, tying
the game. The Ghetto Girls quickly came back to end the game with
a touchdown.
It was after the final play that
the fight broke out between Ghetto Girl Trina Salcedo and Harris
D-mon Brenda Huicochea.
"It was a rough gafhe, more
physical than necessary," player
Anne Dabney said. "It was really
late, everyone was cold and cranky
after participating in Sportsfest
all day and things just got out of
control."
After the fight was broken up,
both teams left the field and returned to their respective residence
hall rooms, but the conflict continued over the phone.
Finally, the Ghetto Girls called
Campus Safety, reporting harrass-
ment from D-mon Jennifer
Moreno, and Residential Life took
a report. "I don't have any hard
feelings, and I hope they don't
either," Moreno said. "If we would
have won that game, we would
have won first place by seventy
points, so everyone was trying really hard. Instead, both teams lost
100 points and we took third," she
added.
Regarding discipline, Dean of
Students Susan Allen said, "We
try to teach our students to deal
with problems the same way we
teach our Broadoaks students—to
use words. If a fight does occur,
we handle the discipline on an
individual basis depending on the
situation."
Moreno did not know what
disciplinary action, if any, she
would have to undergo at the time
of press.
ISSUE 13*VOLUME 83