Posted by Andrew Shi
The Men's Soccer team was involved in a hazing scandal that received national attention. The hazing incident occurred during the Nov.30 "rookie night," an initiation event. Many of the players involved received points to their student record, had to pay fines, and were banned from playing spring sports. Several of these students were able to successfully appeal some of these punishments. An initial investigation by the Saratoga County District Attorney was dropped and the police investigation into the incident has also seemed to come to a tacit end.
On Tuesday, March 5, the campus went into lockdown after Lance C. Leonard made a threat to kill a Skidmore student. Leonard was arrested at 6:40 a.m. the next day in Atlanta City, N.J, and was believed to be on his way to Skidmore. Classes resumed as normal on Wednesday.
Several Scribner houses have neared completion. Currently seven are under construction and four are scheduled to open for the fall, providing much needed living space. Much of the junior class was upset that they would have to live in the dormitories once again. The other three houses are currently scheduled to open for next spring.
Skidmore experienced a 40% increase in applications this year. The administration does not plan on increasing the student body size. This will result in the College's acceptance rate to lower, which often serves as a indicator for a college's competitiveness.
William Spears, an architect from the firm Miller Dyer Spears, began to survey Case Center. He is tasked with renovating the building and questioned students, faculty and staff for what they wished to see in a new building. Blueprints for the news building have not yet been created. Case Center was last expanded and renovated in 2000.
Commencement Controversy:
The announcement that Cynthia Carroll would be awarded an honorary degree and speak at commencement received much attention from the Skidmore Community. Ms. Carroll, once rated the fifth most powerful woman in the world by Forbes magazine, is the outgoing CEO of Anglo-American, a mining conglomerate, and is also an alumna from the Skidmore class of '78. Students took issue with her and Anglo-American's environmental and social justice record.
A group of 40-or-so students interrupted April's faculty meeting to air grievances over the choice of Ms. Carroll as a commencement speaker. While many of the faculty present showed disapproval with their behavior, they lauded the students' commitment to taking action and having their voices heard.
Students were invited to a teleconference with Ms. Carroll and associates to hear her address the issues they had with her presence at commencement. A discussion amongst students and faculty followed the teleconference. President Glotzbach also sent out an email to the community to explain why he thought Ms. Carroll was an appropriate choice.