The QC, Vol. 93, No. 20 • March 15, 2007

              The Voice of Whittier College Since 1914
Quaker Campus
Thursday, March 15, 2007 • Issue 20 - Volume 93
• QC@WHITT1ER.EDU
JUSTIN VELASCO / QC NEWS EDITOR
The pews of the WhittierCollege Chapel were removed on Tuesday, March 6 and Wednesday,
March 7, despite student and faculty objection that it could effect the acoustic sound.
Chapel left hollow
Music department concerned over the sound of the Chapel
Justin Velasco
QC News Editor
After spending months voicing
their concerns to the administration, the Music Department lost
their fight to keep the pews in the
school Chapel. The pews were
removed on Tuesday, March 6 and
Wednesday, March 7, and now
members of the Music Department are concerned with the future
acoustic sound of the Chapel.
Music majors and professors
voiced their concerns prior to
the move in Fall 2006, when the
idea of turning the Chapel into a
temporary Faculty Center was first
suggested [see Quaker Campus
Issue: 11 Vol. 93]. The Building Committee in charge of the
renovation of the Campus Center
suggested the idea to help find
space when the current Faculty
Center is demolished.
Music Department Chair
David Muller worries that the
removal of the pews has altered
the acoustic sound. "We're quite
sure it [the sound] has been altered,
and we are quite sure it hasn 't been
altered for the better," Muller said.
The Chapel will be hosting the 70th
annual Bach Festival on Sunday,
March 18, and Muller is concerned
that the current "echoey" sound
will remain. Muller said that the
Faculty Center chairs would be
placed in the Chapel, and he hopes
that will help with the sound, but
it is "too early to tell."
According to Director of Student Activities Barny Peake, an
acoustical engineer was hired to
assess the sound. The acoustician
said that the removing of the pews
would alter the sound, but if the
chairs were put in their place the
sound would remain the same.
Dr. Frances Nobert practices
playing the Organ in the Chapel
see CHAPEL, page 4
Video Production Club joins Media Council
Yasmin Khorram
QC News Asst. Editor
Media Council met Tuesday,
March 12 to decide if they will
allow the new Video Production
Club to join. After co-president
senior Justin D'Angona proposed
the club's objective and future
ambitions, the members of the
council voted them in.
Advised by Media Coordinators Rich Cheatham and Chuck
Elliot, the Video Production Club
is for anyone interested in producing movies, documentaries or
short videos. They are currently
requesting funding from the Media Council to purchase better
equipment.
Co-founded by D'Angona and
sophomore Drew Southern, the
club is still in its developing stages.
With their equipment housed in
Platner Hall, the club has already
sparked the interest of over 60
students. "There is a big interest in
video production on our campus,"
D'Angona said. "We're trying to
provide an outlet for that."
Within the next couple years,
Whittier College is pushing to
introduce a film department and
begin offering a Film Minor
study to those who are interested.
Cheatham confirms this and feels
that the Video Production Club will
be a leading step in this lengthy
process. D'Angona and Southern
are currently in post-production for
see MEDIA, page 5
2007 pledging
under discussion
Alle Kamela
QC Staff Writer
Since Jan Term and pledging
ended, society members and faculty have been working together to
devise a plan to help students get
better grades during New Member
Education, commonly known as
pledging. Because
the average grade
point average of
students pledging
societies this year
was significantly
lower than that of
the active members, which caused
concern among
faculty.
The issue was
raised when Assistant Professor
of Mathematics
Jeff Miller sent an
e-mail to all of the
faculty asking if
other teachers were
experiencing students performing
poorly as a result of pledging.
Miller received an overwhelming
Number of Members in
Societies:
Palmers
38
Thalians
29
Sachens
25
Perms
24
Mets
24
Athenians
17
Ionians
13
Lancers
12
Orthogonians
11
According to Associate
Dean of Students Andre Cole
man, 15.7percentofthe student
body is in a society.
response of e-mail agreeing with
his question. Professors were
concerned about the welfare of the
students coming to class looking
exhausted and beat down, according to Associate Dean of Students
Andre Coleman.
"I always get concerned when
students perform below where they
should," Miller said. "I noticed part
of this was pledging."
In response to
widespread concern among faculty, the Student
Affairs Committee formed. Dean
of Students Jeanne
Ortiz, Coleman,
Miller, senior Jane
Franklin, junior
ASWC President
Adam Steinbaugh,
juniorlSCco-chair
Malyssa Robson,
and sophomore
ISC co-chair Michael Muse, make
up the committee which was cre-
see PLEDGING, page 5
Student attacked
Student hit by club outside Stauffer
after refusing to turn over money
Yasmin Khorram
QC News Asst. Editor
A Stauffer resident was attacked
with a club by two non-Whittier students on Tuesday, March 13, around
11 p.m. Campus Safety is encouraging
students to be more resilient as the
suspects are still at large.
The student initially noticed he
was being followed in front of the
California Grill, located on the comer
of Philadelphia Street and Painter Avenue. As soon as he crossed onto Philadelphia Street, the suspects surrounded
him and demanded money. According
to Assistant Chief of Campus Safety
John Lewis, the student, thinking it was
a joke, questioned the two men. Once
he realized the seriousness of the situation, he was in, he dashed toward the
Stauffer-Johnson Courtyard, where
he was tackled to the ground. One of
the suspects pulled out a short club,
attempting to strike him but the student
blocked his shots and ran safely back
to the Stauffer lounge.
According to the student, the
suspects are both Hispanic males with
some facial hair. The primary suspect
was described as 6' 1" with athin built,
and wearing a white t-shirt and jeans.
The other suspect was described as
5'8" medium built dark complexion
and wearing black jacket and jeans.
Lewis strongly encourages all
students to report any suspicious activity and to take advantage of the escort
program available. "We're extremely
happy that he reported this incident
to us promptly," Lewis said. "Whittier Police Department is involved
and we have released a crime alert.
We have an escort system available
for all students, staff and faculty. If
something doesn't seem right give
us a call, we're more than happy to
come and help. The students are our
eyes and ears out there."
Dl WEEK BEGINS
Even zoot suits are celebrating
their diversity.
Campus Life, Pages 8 and 9
LACROSSE
Women's Lacrosse wins their first
game in three years, 10-8.
Sports, Page 16