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Show Page 7 pinion & ditori als December 2, 1998 Editor: Jackie Fuller EVERY&toY CDMES AV&f WITH jfullerinfowest.com SMSWrlOTlt Staff Editorial Share-A-Rid- e Program Not an Adventure in Death Though the disclaimer, "ride at your own risk," may deter e promany students from participating in the gram, we believe the program does have some valuable merShare-A-Rid- its. e is exactly as its name suggests. Students looking for a ride to a particular location or those willing to give a ride can fill out an information form that lists where and when that student can take or give a ride. 's billboard is located on the lower floor of the Gardner Center near the recreation center. The board is divided into eight geothat zones graphical include California, Nevada, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. The board is accessible but of course, is more visibly used near the holidays when more students are looking for and giving rides out of St. George. This program can We encourage the use of be a valuable service to poor college students looking to cut traveling costs by dividing up the required gas money between riders. By sharing rides, car pollution can be somewhat minimized and having someone to ride with provides essential safety that cannot be found while riding alone. In addition, though the program is a somewhat unconventional way to meet new people, it does provide students a new opportunity to meet people that perhaps live close to them. does have the disclaimer of "ride at Though Share-A-Riyour own risk," George Whitehead, Gardner Center Director is not aware of major problems that in charge of have arisen with the program. So, we encourage students to not shy away from this valuable program for fear of rape, murder, or assault. Rather, we encourage the obvious use of good judgment and discretion in accepting and giving rides. In addition to this program, we encourage Dixie College to look into initiating a form of mass transportation similar to Through a reasonable fee the school could provide a bus for a multiple number of students traveling, for example, to the Salt Lake City region. The bus could stop at a select number of destinations allowing students the opportunity to decide where they arrived in the valley. Such a probenefits in addition to cutgram would share for traveling students. ting costs even further If students can give a ride, we encourage them to check the Share-A-Riboard regularly. Don't leave a fellow student at school for the holidays because he or she couldn't find a way home. The idea of Share-A-Rid- Share-A-Ride- Hose sm&w CKA.W tyMBfc MC3T VV job. Colleges Preferring Ignorant Students By Jackie Fuller ifullerinfowest. com College students have been denied a right to know for too long. But finally, after the passage of the Campus Crime Reporting Provision of the Higher Education Act of 1998, students are on their way to being treated as normal citizens instead of what many schools would have them be ignorant. Ignorant about crime on their own campuses. An ignorant student is not a safe student, and by denying students access to campus crime records colleges and universities have encouraged just that. This law provides that not only must all colleges and universities keep a public log of criminal incidents, but they must also make available that information to the entire student body. The law prompts colleges to disclose the names of students disciplined for crimes of violence and "nonforcible sex offenses," including the violation committed and any sanctions taken against the student. So, we've come a long way from the hush-hus- h mentality some schools have hid behind for years. Colleges and universities tend to want to protect their images by closing campus courts to the press and public and by making campus crime reports nearly impossible to obtain. Schools commonly use the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), also known as the Buckley Amendment, as justification for refusing to release the outcome of student disciplinary hearings. However, state "sunshine laws" or open records law supercede FERPA. Unfortunately, when schools refuse to release crime records on the petty notion of protecting their image it becomes a matter of denying a student his or her sense of security and safety. Crime on campus can be a deciding factor in choosing a college or seeking to transfer. Students are being given the same right to basic criminal incidents that have been provided to the general public by law enforcement for years. Campus crime should be treated no differently than crime. Dixie College has always been proactive in complying with campus crime laws. Dean of Students Bill Fowler said. Fowler also said if a student wanted to sit in on a student affairs hearing he would not have a problem with it. However, Campus Security Chief Don Reid said before he would show anyone an incident report he would require all necessary papers and documents to be filled out. The opening of campus crime reports will not undermine or threaten police work and investigations. Rather, campus police and administrators should trust campus newspapers and journalists, where the effects of the law will be most visibly seen, to be responsible with the information he or she receives. A student newspaper, for example, would not publish a front page article detailing a rape incident complete with the victim's name because, believe it or not, journalists do have ethics also. This law won't go away. If anything, it will become stronger. It has been a long time in coming and the time is now to take advantage of it. year-roun- Share-A-Rid- e. de Share-A-Rid- e, Share-A-Rid- e. Share-A-Ride- 's de d, |