The Towerlight, September 23, 2010

m As a political group, Towson NORML cares about only one issue. Its sole mission is to successfully repeal one law: the ban on marijuana. NORML, which stands for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, meets every week in an open forum setting to plan out an agenda for the week. They discuss concerns, plan events and brainstorm fundraiser ideas, similar to any other club. While the club only has 10 active members, according to president Amrith Wadhera, it still is an incredibly reliable group and the number of participants doesn’t worry him. 'We have 133 members on Facebook," Wadhera said in an e-mail. “I’ve been a member of [another political group] on campus who you think would have a lot more coming to their meetings, but they never had more than we do right now.” Although Towson’s NORML club has not yet been accepted to the national chapter of NORML, it did go through the usual process of being ratified by the Student Government Association. Wadhera said he was pleased with the open views the SGA had regarding his group and that only two people voted against the group’s establishment. "I just had to explain what NORML has been doing since the mid-70s," he said. “There is no reason not to approve of a group that simply [advocates] reforming marijuana laws." Wadhera said his audience wasn’t entirely respectful when he pre¬ sented the group to the SGA for approval and found a lot of spectators See WEED, page 15 Illustration by Shelby Cahill/ The Towerlight Commons bought by unknown bidder ALISSA KATZ News Editor Learn more about Towson NORML Go to thetowerlight.com to see a video feature on the advocacy group. Go to norml.org to read about the national organization. Find the group on Facebook: “Towson NORML” One of Towson’s biggest largest commerce-potential landmarks has been sold and will likely undergo major renovations - but who will make the changes is a mystery. Towson Commons was auctioned Tuesday for $28.5 million, but the buyer is remaining anonymous, according to Fronda Cohen, marketing and communications director at the Baltimore County department of economic development. Alex Cooper Auctioneers, the company behind the bid, confirmed the sale, but would not comment on the buyer. The winning bidder offered their price over the phone during the auction on the steps of See BID, page 9 MALE \ CHEER¬ LEADERS JOIN TEAM PAGE 16 TU crime statistics lowest in Maryland DANIEL GROSS Editor in Chief Despite some high-profile crimes that put Towson University in the news such as the Tower В armed robbery, a crime report for 2009 shows Towson has the lowest crime rate per capita in the state. The data comes from a 2009 FBI Uniform Crime Reports statistic report. The University had zero recorded violent crimes and 156 property crimes in 2009. Other schools like the University of Baltimore and St. Mary’s College also had zero violent crimes and lower property crime statistics, but considering the amount of students at each school, TU shows the lowest crimes per capita with 7.37 property crimes per 1,000 students. Towson University Police Department dep¬ uty chief Joe Herring said the low crime rates are a sign of the University’s ability to work with the department. “It’s all a function of teamwork. A lot of the credit goes to the University community. They work well in partnership with the police department," he said. "They do an excellent job of doing the things we need to do with crime prevention.” Although this is a high point for the cam¬ pus police department, Herring said they cannot lose focus on the day-in and day-out of police work. "There’s always room for improvement; just because we’re the lowest doesn’t mean we won’t be vigilant. If we have one crime come on campus, there’s room for improve¬ ment," he said. Junior theatre major Emily Jewett has classes in the Center for the Arts and some¬ times leaves the building at 9 or 10 p.m. This makes her feel unsafe, but she does not blame Towson. "I don’t feel comfortable walking back by myself, but at the same time, I wouldn't any¬ where," Jewett said. Other students at Towson said they aren’t See CRIME, page 10 Ground Deef Tacos Af„r$A00 ЩвР io Bill ANY Breakfast Burrito Get ANY Breakfast Burrito Tree (for equal or lesser value) exp. mm WE DELIVER! tall 410-823-4545 or order online at WWW.LAPROMESA.FOODLER.COM FRESH OUT OF CALIFORNIA Karaoke Thurs/Fri/Sat ■ 9pm-3am *23 YORK Rc. towson, Mb \!ГЬстщ]1?':013Э111!Р[к1Шог013з