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Several Furman professors and students fear the partnership will decrease diversity and further the university's reputation as being elitist. Read more.
Furman University has taken over day to day operations of the Upcountry History Museum after finalizing an agreement with the museum on Feb. 1. The museum board will maintain ownership of the building and current exhibits.Read more.

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Furman Partnership with Christ Church Episcopal School Prompts Questions

Furman University and Christ Church Episcopal School (CCES) have formed a partnership that will provide scholarships for Christ Church graduating seniors to attend Furman and a tuition discount for Furman faculty and staff to send their children to Christ Church. Several Furman professors and students fear the partnership will decrease diversity and further the university's reputation as being elitist.

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University to Run Upcountry History Museum

Furman University has taken over day to day operations of the Upcountry History Museum after finalizing an agreement with the museum on Feb. 1. The museum board will maintain ownership of the building and current exhibits.

  The university is now responsible for employing museum personnel and has begun the search for a new director of the museum.  

New Concentrations to be Added to Course Catalog Next Year

When the 2012-2013 course catalog is released in March, students will see several new classes added to it. They will also see two new concentrations being offered to students: Film Studies and Arts Administration.

  For a concentration to be approved, a proposal must first be presented to all participating departments. The Arts Administration concentration, for example, is the product of the Music and Business departments.

From there, the proposal is sent to the Academic Policies Committee, a group comprised of professors in several different departments and two students, which either approves or disapproves it.  

Departments Hiring Additional Faculty

Next year there will be nine more professors on campus, the first step to accommodating the growing student population.

  This past year, the freshman class increased in size by 80 to 90 students. The expected increase for next year's freshman class is around 50 students.

The current average class size is 18 students. Dean of the Faculty John Beckford said Furman could have increased class sizes but that it would have gone against the university's principles.  

Sports

Opinions

Furman Circus

Conscientious consumerism" means a whole slew of things in today's world. It is both responsible and ethical to know where your food comes from, who made the clothes you are wearing and under what conditions, and to consider the public political stances of who you buy from.

Furman University is an educational institution, sure, but it is also a collective body that represents each one of us. Furman is striving for a more diverse student body in many ways, and goes to great lengths to bring people of differing opinions, backgrounds, and ambitions. But to what extent does Furman carry forth these differing perspectives in relation to its own consumerism? 

Student Body Woes

It has recently come to my attention that our push for diversity is, in some ways, backfiring. As of now, Furman has the lowest retention rate it has had in a number of years (from what I've heard, it's lower than 90 percent).

Within the first week, about 70 first-year-students accrued alcohol violations, more than any other class presently on campus.

Finally, this class has brought in more hate crimes than other classes, from writing racial slurs on doors to making crude remarks about salient characteristics concerning peoples' physical appearances.

 

Sorority Rush Revisions for the Best

The new rules that Furman's Panhellenic Council implemented for sorority recruitment definitely had a positive impact on the rush process this year.

These rules made the rush more time-efficient, enabled more girls to join sororities and ensured that there were fewer mismatched girls on bid day. Also, these new rules led to more smiling faces on bid day than there have ever been before. Yes, the number of girls who decided to rush was higher than ever before, but there was also a higher percentage of girls who were invited back to each round of recruitment.  

How, Why, and Baseball

It's that optimistic time of year when the pitchers and catchers report for spring training. Baseball season is returning quickly, and with it comes high expectations, a love of the pastoral, and well-deserved nostalgia.

Unfortunately, in the Major Leagues, fear of steroid use has become as much a part of the game as the seventh-inning stretch. This is a useful example of our aversion of fact in the face of narrative. 

Diversions

Time to Stop Overthinking!

The true mystery in life for most women is "What are men thinking?" , but really, should that be a mystery? From several friends along the way, I have concluded men are a great deal less complex than we make them out to be. This is not to say they are not complex people; however, in my opinion guys are generally straight forward with what they intend to do and what they say. They say what they mean, or that is the general consensus among guys when asked. These are the top five things that girls read into in college that I have personally experienced or have experienced via friends.

New Semester, New Start

Congratulations everyone! You've made it through the fall semester- and it's all downhill from here.

Recruitment is finally over, which gives all the Greek women and men on campus a little more free time (though not much for those of you pledging fraternities... sorry guys) and I'm sure the Independents are ecstatic that they won't have to listen to their Greek friends talk about all the new sorority babies and the crafting they've done for their new "Little Sister." 

Theater Dept Preview

The Furman Theatre opens this semester with a cast that is passing on a torch to the next group of actors. Two of the most well-known faces on the Furman stage, Ardarius Blakely (Spelling Bee) and Cortney McEniry (Dead Man's Cell Phone), share the meta-theatrical moments in Circle Mirror Transformation with three students never before seen in department mainstage shows.

Professor Profile: Lane Harris

Q: Where are you from originally?

A: I was born in Mount Vernon, Indiana—I lived there for three or four years, and then moved to a suburb of Minneapolis. Then Chicago, then back to Minneapolis.

Advice for Independents

In the past few weeks have you felt distant from your friends or roommates who have been rushing? If so, you are not alone. In the midst of rushing and pledging, you may feel neglected by those people. Rather than just feeling left out, why not take this time to make new friends that are also independent? You could find someone on your hall who is not in a fraternity or sorority who you don't know very well and strike up a conversation with them. I'm sure most people would love to have new friends.

Crossword Answers, February 3

Across 3. Electoral 5. GOP 7. Debates 9. Hunstman 10. Bachman 12. Perry 13. Immigration 14. Gingrich Down 1. Florida 2. Elephant 4. Romney 6. Obama 7. Donkey 8. Economy 10. Biden 11. Mormon