TL20050829_001 "'Aristocrats' director talks Johnny Carson, AMC, ^P _the MPAA, George Carlin, penguins, A m I anc' ^e dirtiest J0^ ever< M 9 Arts, page 21 New bus routes, stops planned to ease congestion on campus. News, page 7 $10.2 million gift sets record Brian Stelter Editor in Chief A former student has presented Towson University with a """"transformational"""" $10.2 million gift that will endow scholarships, establish a chair in the biological and physical sciences and rename the College of Science and Mathematics. The endowment has been directed to Towson by trustees of the Robert M. Fisher Memorial Foundation. Jess Fisher, a Baltimore native who attended Towson in the 1930s and later became a real estate developer and philanthropist, established the foundation to honor his son. """"Not only is this gift the largest ever received by Towson University, it is utterly transformational - particularly for our College of Science and Mathematics, which will from now on be known as the Jess and Mildred Fisher College of Science and Mathematics,"""" President Robert Caret said in June, when the gift was announced. Fisher passed away in 2003 at the age of 89. The gift to Towson is the foundation's largest to date. (Prior to the announcement, the foundation's largest gift was $1 million.) Towson University unveiled the donation at a press conference on June 13. Professor William Forrester held two frogs in the air and said the animals were a metaphor for Towson """"leaping ahead."""" Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich was on hand for the announcement. He called the day """"incredibly important"""" for Towson, and said the $10.2 million gift creates a foundation for future donations. """"Today is an incredible day for the school and the institution, but I look at it as a beginning - the beginning of a series of announcements over the coming years with respect to major gifts made to this school. It is my expectation, and it is my challenge,"""" Ehrlich said. See DONATION, page 10 Residents descend on Towson Students, parents share excitement, reservation about college during move-in weekend Kristi Funderburk News Editor Sharon Leff Associate News Editor As the sun was rising early Friday morning, families from different backgrounds and locations set out on the same track. Some crossed state borders and some merely crossed the Beltway, but all were Towson-bound, leaving behind familiar faces and familiar places to embark on college life. New kids on the block Derrek Whtisor/The Towerlight Students came out in droves for Towson's move-in weekend. TUPD reported that biggest rush came """"[at the] earlier hours,"""" but volunteers and a staggered schedule helped the process run smoothly, Jerry Dieringer of Housing and Residence Life said. Move-in day is really a day for freshmen: A welcome to a new campus, a new opportunity, a new life. While parents vanquish mixed emotions of leaving a child to fend for him or herself, it is the freshmen who meet the experience head-:.i. As John Santangelo stood in J:iie outside Tower B, he admitted to some nerves about his first year. Living on his own means """"no mommy"""" to help him through, he joked. Santangelo said he was looking forward to """"getting moved in and getting settled and being away from home."""" The new college life is something freshman Jessica Watson is hoping for, too. The optimistic physics major left Frederick, Maryland at 8:30 a.m. Delays en route did not dampen her good spirit. She cannot wait to begin """"meeting new friends and getting out of the house,"""" she said as she smiled at her mother. """"I just [want to get] the whole college experience."""" Though Watson is excited to start her college life, there are a few things she has spent time worrying about. """"I know college courses will be hard,"""" she said. """"I'm not the best student."""" I think it was a good decision [moving on campus] both personally and academically. Jazzmen Tynes sophomore, mass communication stuff, er,"""" but she never said Watson is living in a Tower A triple. """"I've shared rooms with friends before, on different school trips and with a strang- apprehensively. First year resident, second year student Friday was not just a move in day for freshmen; it was for first year residents as well. Sophomore Jazzmen Tynes, a mass communication major, spent part of Friday moving into Tower D as a new campus resident. See VOLUNTEERS, page 19 Derrek Windsor/The Towerlight INSIDE: Perspectives....3 Beyond 12 Arts 21 Classifieds 25 Coming In Thurdavs Towerlight. News: Easy access, Cook Library renovation doubles number of computers Sports: Towson renews rivalry with cross town foe Morgan State, see preview"
