News

It’s commonly mistaken for a stain or dirt, but the black growth commonly found in bathroom grout throughout Lakeside Housing could be a cause for concern.

In July, Furman hired a new Director of University Police with prior experience working in a university setting to replace longtime director Bob Miller, who retired at the end of June.

Last week, about 775 student from around the country and around the world made their way to Greenville to begin their Furman education.

When Rod Smolla announced his retirement this spring, Carl Kohrt received what he referred to as “the famous phone call” asking him to step in as president. As Kohrt remembers it, the first thing he did was call his wife.

A tragedy hit the Furman community this summer when recent graduate Eric Weigel passed away in a kayaking accident on Wednesday, June 5.

On April 18, Furman was annexed into the city of Travelers Rest, though the university has retained its Greenville address.

The Paddock, a new restaurant and bar in the PDen, is set to open Sept. 9 and will not only serve an array of hot meals but also beer and wine. All food products may be purchased with PalaPoints; however, alcoholic beverages may not.

Each of the past four years, an increasing number of students from across the globe have been enrolling at Furman. This year, a new program through the Office of Study Away and International Education is hoping to help them feel just a little more at home.

President Rod Smolla surprised the Furman community in May when he announced that he was stepping down the following month, ending a rocky tenure that — at three years — stands as the shortest in Furman’s 187-year history.

The thought that gender inequality was a problem solved back in the 1920s is false in numerous ways. It is a current issue that can be found right on Furman University’s campus today.

The Furman 2012-2013 academic year has seen some difficulties with professor absences. Many students have shared the concern that, because of a lack of professors, they would not be able to take the classes they wish to take in the upcoming fall semester. The question of whether this has been due to an increase in teachers taking sabbatical or simply taking a personal leave of absence has risen.

Furman has recently hired its first Rabbi, Alana Wasserman. Until 1992 Furman was affiliated with the Southern Baptist Church, which impacted the campus curriculum and even the number of CLPs students were required to attend. Today, a prayer still adorns the walls of the Dining Hall and a plaque above the library patio features Furman’s motto, “Christo et Doctrinae,” which means for Christ and learning.

The ROTC program will face downsizing next year because of budget cuts. Some of these cuts predated sequestration and were simply planned government cuts because of the army downsizing. As the United States withdraws from conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, Congress has pulled money out of national security and the army has downsized.

A university committee is currently debating whether to make Furman a tobacco-free campus.

In his March 27 CLP “What a Waste: Why We Waste So Much Food and What You Can Do About It,” Durham-based writer Jonathan Bloom questioned why the U.S. is able to produce enough food waste to fill the Rose Bowl every day and yet have one quarter of U.S. children face food insecurity each day.

Several departments have made changes to their curriculums during the spring semester. While most of these changes will not go into effect until the fall, the changes could affect how students select their classes.

A petting zoo, live bands and representatives from 11 student groups and 12 community groups will be among the offerings of the Furman Earth Day Festival to be held on Saturday, April 20 by the lake.

On April 20 every year, people across the nation celebrate what has become a drug holiday. This tends to be the case, especially on college campuses where young adults will partake in the use of illegal drugs such as marijuana. Furman has a different reputation though.

Whether a Furman student is walking in the DH, along the Mall, or around North Village, they are likely to see one of three people: the “Chubbies Guy” as Matt Wessinger is better known, Southern Tide model Rivers Townes, or Alex Buchart reliably wearing a Southern Fried Cotton t-shirt.

Anyone who was here when the Poinsett Project kicked off this time last year may be wondering what happened to all those grand plans. The old Piedmont Shirt Factory, the old building that has “Life Without Television?” spray painted on the wall, is set for demolition to make way for a new building. Greenville County determined that this location was central and could become a link for different parts of the city.

Do you have a story? That’s what the woman on the poster is asking. Her mouth is taped over, and the tape reads, “Break the Silence.” Black and white posters have popped up across campus and are asking students to share their experiences struggling with mental illness for an upcoming CLP.

Speaking before an audience of 100 students, faculty, and staff at the Younts Conference Center earlier this month, sophomore A.J. Calhoun opened Furman’s inaugural TEDx event with a bold statement about the university’s direction.

Furman has acknowledged new advances in technology. However, there have been some questions as to how online courses could be developed for students in the future. Sociology professor, Ken Kolb, the head of the Computing Committee, said that the committee is considering several ideas and has taken steps to explore the world of online education at Furman University.

In Business and Accounting, Professor Dr. Jeanine Stratton’s marketing principles class, when she asks for her students to turn to a page in the textbook, the whole class takes out their iPad minis and scrolls to the page. With new iPad minis available for the semester to Stratton’s non-business-major marketing principles class, students take full advantage of using them in and out of classroom.

Anonymous harassing text messages have been sent out to students. The texts, ranging from inappropriate and harassing to just gossipy, are sent from random Google numbers.