college shorts

Author: Aviva Shen

Two critically wounded in Delaware State shooting

Two students were wounded in a shooting at Delaware State University's Dover campus on Sept. 21. Classes were canceled for the day and the campus was locked down while police searched for the gunman.

Authorities later arrested Loyer D. Braden, a student at the university, in connection with the shooting.

The incident took place at approximately 12:54 a.m. near the Memorial Hall gymnasium. One student said he heard five gunshots and looked out the window to see people scattering.

The two victims, a 17-year-old man and 17-year-old woman, both from the Washington area, were taken to the Bayhealth Medical Center in Dover. The woman suffered "potentially life threatening" injuries, according to the hospital. The man is in stable condition and is refusing to answer questions, suggesting he knew his attacker.

"We are very troubled and saddened by this event," Delaware State spokesman Carlos Holmes said. "This is nothing that any administrator wants to happen on their university campus."
- Bloomberg Press


Police subdue defiant student with taser gun

Andrew Meyer, a senior at the University of Florida, was tasered and arrested during Senator John Kerry's speech on campus on Sept. 17. Police claim that Meyer was trying to start a riot and charged him with third-degree felony.

During the question-and-answer session, Meyer asked Kerry about his involvement in Skull and Bones, a secret society at Yale University. When his microphone was cut off suddenly, Meyer started to scream in protest. According to Steve Blank, chairman of the Student Government's speakers bureau that sponsored the event, the organization cut the microphone because Meyer used profanity.

Police officers attempted to pull Meyer away from the microphone, but he resisted.

Several students recorded the entire struggle on video. One such student, Matthew Howland, said that police held the Taser gun on Meyer for about seven seconds.

Meyer was released after one night in jail. A protest march was held the following day, attracting about 300 students.
- The Independent Florida Alligator


Hampshire President weds same-sex partner

Ralph J. Hexter, president of Hampshire College, married his partner of 27 years, Manfred Kollmeier, over Labor Day weekend, marking the first same-sex marriage by a college president in the United States. The couple announced their marriage officially to the college on Sept. 18 and held a campus reception the following day.

Hexter has been president since 2005 and is one of only eleven openly gay college presidents. Kollmeier, who is retired, repairs and restores violins and cellos. He is also on the governing board of the Commonwealth Opera of Western Massachusetts.

The decision to wed was partly triggered by the Massachusetts legislature's recent rejection of a proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex unions.

"It's here to stay," Hexter said. "This is a really special state. We wanted to stand up and be part of it."
- The Chronicle of Higher Education