Claire Miller
Reporter
November 12, 2004
Because so many students missed a mandatory residence life meeting on Tuesday, a makeup meeting has been scheduled for Nov. 30 at 11 a.m. in Lower Seeger.
Kim Parker, director of student life, said that the number of students who missed the meeting on Tuesday could easily total 100. This included the men’s soccer team and the cheerleaders, who were excused from the meeting.
Parker said that the biggest reason for calling the meeting was the high number that missed the information, especially the freshmen included in that number. “The checkout information is what’s most important,” she said. “It would be a burden for the RAs to explain it. It’s not that big a deal when it’s just a few.”
Most students missed because they decided to stay until the end of a men’s soccer game. “The men’s soccer team was playing in the regional game,” said senior Cheri Lomison, one of the fans who missed the meeting. She said that after double overtime, penalty kicks began at 9:30.
“Me and many, many other Milligan students decided we needed to stay,” said Lomison. “We thought they would excuse us.” Lomison estimated that at least 70 other students stayed for the end of the game.
Parker called the overtime “a unique situation that was unforeseen.” She and Mark Fox, vice president for student development, made the decision to have a makeup meeting. “We wanted to be supportive of students supporting athletic teams,” she said. “We don’t plan on ever doing this again. It just happened to be really unique.”
Sophomore Ryan Reynolds said he missed the meeting because he thought that supporting the soccer team was more important than the meeting. “You can always make up a meeting,” he said, “but a game like that was probably the biggest soccer game this season.”
Lomison said she was angry when she was fined. “I just thought that our school promoted encouraging our sports teams and encouraging each other as individuals,” she said. “I think they were contradicting themselves.” She did, however, call the makeup meeting “a good solution.”
Reynolds said he thought the decision to have makeup meeting was fair. “I can see why (they would fine),” he said, “and I can see why not at the same time.”
Parker said the method of giving information to residents may be changed in the future.