tl20030908-000 ">ff !s, ie KS )ff ce ur is us a id d, SO BS /11 !cl le 3e fl is 1- a Baltimore's #1 College Paper - Published Twice-Weekly - www.thetowerlight.com The Tower Monday, 9/8/03 Campus 'Master Plan' revealed 5 SGA to improve communication 8 'Fever' diagnosis: light, fun horror 15 Thin Dark Line draws following 15 Departments Opinion News Campus briefs 2 5 6 Arts 15 Sound Bites 17 Sports 24 Athlete of the Week 23 In this corner 24 Classifieds 18 TU admits drinking a problem Committee works to stop Thursday buses; Underage drinking called 'large problem' Cailin McGough The Towerlight At 10 p.m. Thursday night, the sidewalks behind the University Union were lined with people ready to head to the clubs. Some leafed through pamphlets titled ""Incredible Alcohol Facts"" and ""Drinking: What's Normal, What's Not."" At one point, three girls pulled out IDs, holding them up to the light from the street lamps to compare. ""Look how well that would work for me,"" one said. Standing back from the crowd, a tight circle of police officers stood with arms crossed, watching the students wait. They estimated that 800 people would fill the buses sent by downtown clubs to take students to Baltimore's Inner Harbor. The police presence is part of a new campaign to address problems such as underage drinking and increased vandalism. While the effort is drawing criti-cism from club representatives and students, University officials say failing to take action now means the Towson community will contin-ue to suffer as the clubs turn a prof-it. In a press release issued Wednesday, the University Police cited concerns about underage stu-dents arriving back at the campus intoxicated. Those leaving from the buses often display loud and disor-derly behavior and sometimes are so intoxicated that medical atten-tion is required. Capt. Joe Herbert explained that the majority of students taking the buses are not of age. ""If they were of age and took the bus and drank responsibly, and came back and acted responsibly... We've not had that situation. We've had people come back and we've had to call an ambulance,"" Herbert said. Herbert said the police explained their concerns to representatives of the bars. See DRINKING, page 10 Saul Staagenka/Tha Tawarlight Students receive citations from a 111PD officer around 2 a.m. Friday after returning to campus from downtown. Selling a 'Metropolitan' story Caret pushes TU's regional focus, makes growth, resources, experience priorities Cailin McGough The Towerlight In his Fall Address, President Robert Caret summed up his vision for Towson's campus in four words: ""Clean, Safe, Pretty, Happy."" Caret elaborated on this message � in addition to a series of more detailed goals for the University� in the speech delivered to TU faculty and staff in the Stephens Hall Theatre Thursday afternoon. He began by describing Towson's current status: ""There is good news and bad news,"" he said. Caret first pointed to enrollment. Graduate offerings expanded, but adequate funding never came through. In terms of resources, TU boasts a faculty-student ratio of 17 to 18, he said. But faculty pay rates are no longer competitive, falling from the 97th percentile to the upper 70s of national salary scales since the 1970s. In addition, only 17 percent of alumni contribute to the University financially after they graduate. ""We have 100,000 alums some place but we don't see a lot of them. The ones we see are zealots, but we don't see a lot of them,"" Caret said. Towson's image presents another puzzle: though seen as accessible and high quality, the University is not viewed as a player in the University System of Maryland, and often gets lost in the shuffle, Caret said. ""We're viewed as good but people don't know why. You ask them why, they're not sure. They just know we're good,"" he said. The University needs redirection, Caret said, and must focus on five primary areas: enrollment manage-ment, growth, and mix; student experience and success; partnership philosophy; resources for success; and telling and selling the story. Over the next 10 years, full-time enrollment needs to grow by 2,500, with a 20 percent increase in gradu-ate enrollment, Caret said. Merit-based programs also must grow. See CARET, page 7 Saul Staaganke/The Towerlight Towson President Robert Caret Today High 79 Low 61 Tuesday High 73 Low 58 Wednesday High 73 Low 58 Thursday High 75 Low 63 Friday High 77 Low 63 "
