ESL Resources Often Second Choice for Students

The Writing Center offers one-on-one tutoring sessions to help ESL students

A group of volunteers under the leadership of Bailey Ulbricht ‘15 tutors Syrian refugees to help them practice their English, and a number of Carleton students teach in weekly Adult ESL classes. But how are ESL students at Carleton receiving help?

Surprisingly, Carleton does not offer English language courses specifically designed for ESL students. Because the students are required to take SATs (or ACTs) and additionally TOEFL for non-native English speakers to apply for Carleton, the college assumes all the students have advanced command of the language.

Instead, the Writing Center offers one-to-one tutoring sessions held by designated writing consultants to help ESL students to improve their academic writing skills. The students in need of help usually voluntarily sign up for the services, but there are some cases when they are referred by professors or other students.

“What I want to avoid is the situation where student feels they are being made to come here like a punishment,” explained Renata Fitzpatrick, the Assistant Director of Writing Center and Coordinator of Second Language Writing. “My goal is to support them if they want it, but nobody is trying to force anything.”

According to Fitzpatrick, often the students who ask help are not those who have trouble expressing themselves in English or didn’t have much exposure to English, but those who are already advanced and skilled writers.

“It’s not just a service for people having trouble or struggling, but it is also for people who care about writing,” Fitzpatrick clarified.

“I do need help in correcting grammar sometimes but mostly, the reason I go to the writing center has nothing to do with English language itself,” Jialin Jiang, a freshman from Ningbo, China, confirmed. “It has to do more with structuring essays and correcting the logic.”

Jiang did confess that when he writes in English, he is more prone to wander off from the topic in his paper than he would in his native language, Mandarin Chinese. “I’m less capable of structuring my essay stronger and coming up with new perspectives and ideas.”

Along with the writing center, the Office of Intercultural & International Life (OIIL) supports ESL students by creating a safe and supportive environment to foster conversations and practice the language in more social settings.

Beginning with the International Student Orientation, held a couple of days before New Student Week, international students have many opportunities throughout the year, such as International Term Dinners and the annual International Festival, to build and engage in a supportive, understanding community.

The OIIL office also assigns each student with a mentor, known as Peer Leaders, at the beginning of the year to offer personal guidance and build stronger relationships within the community.

“Often when you’re struggling with language, creating this safe space can allow those individuals to practice the language and feel more comfortable expressing their opinions,”

Brisa Zubia, the Assistant Director of Intercultural and International Life, explained. “Whereas in classrooms, it may be more difficult to do that.”

According to Zubia, when the students feel comfortable speaking out and making mistakes verbally instead of being ashamed or trying to cover them up, they are more likely to speak up in more restrictive settings like classrooms and perform better academically.

Jiang, who has been on campus for almost two terms now, shares the same sentiment. “I am a shameless speaker, often shamelessly confident,” he said. “I make mistakes but that is how we all learn, and I know I will get better in time.”


This article was published by The Carletonian (February 27, 2015)

Mock Trial Presses Suit to Championships

In the Regionals of annual American Mock Trial competition hosted by Hamline University in Saint Paul Friday, Jan. 30 to Sunday Feb. 1, the Carleton Mock Trial team won third place and qualified to continue to opening round championships over spring break.

Additionally, Emily Starr ’16, an economics major, won all-region top attorney, and Suhail Thandi ’17 won all-region top witness for their outstanding scores.

The American Mock Trial Association has four levels of competition for college students.

The first level is Invitational, which is solely for practice and not counted for points. The second level is Regionals, and the top seven to eight teams from each Regional group advance to the third level, Opening Round Championships (ORCS).

The top six teams from ORCS move on to the fourth and the final level, Nationals.

According to Ryan Gorey ‘17, one of the four team captains along with Taylor Mayhall ‘15, Kaitlyn Cook ‘15, and Emily Starr ‘16, it has been the highest advancement achieved by the club since one of the Carleton teams was  “randomly” placed third in Nationals ten years ago.

“The club has been newly built in the past four years, especially under Taylor and Kaitlyn's guidance,” Gorey explained.

“This year, we earned our way in third place in Regionals, outranking Macalester and University of Wisconsin-Madison, both nationally recognized teams.”

Founded in 1996, the Carleton Mock Trial team currently consists of 15 members, playing either attorney or witness roles, divided into two competing teams.

The club meets three times, in total of six to seven hours, every week to write themes, strategize witness calls, and practice case law and rules of evidence objections.

“The main purpose of the club is to develop public speaking, acting, legal, writing, and logic skills,” Mayhall said. “But the members tend to become very close friends in the process.”

This year’s unprecedented success can be attributed to having an intact group of members and changing the focus of the presentation, according to Mayhall.

While Thandi said focusing on essential arguments strengthened the team’s competitiveness, Gorey revealed that also polishing on rhetoric and articulation helped persuade the jury and the judges effectively.

“Even though, objectively, there may be facts that will prove your case better, if you don’t have the means to present those in a professional way, sometimes less powerful information will have more power in persuading the jury,” Gorey said.

“So changing our perspective on how to present our information was the key.”

The club members went on additional trips to New Jersey during winter break this year and participated in a tournament hosted by Monmouth University, aside from the usual invitationals at Macalester College, St. Olaf College, and the University of St. Thomas.

While only individual speakers have won awards for outstanding performances in the past, one of the teams won first place at St. Olaf, Monmouth University, and the University of St. Thomas.

“It’s my favorite community at Carleton,” Gorey expressed his appreciation of the club. “Watching people find their moments, where they click, and seeing everybody's growth over the course of the entire year are really exciting to watch.”


This article was published by The Carletonian (February 20, 2015)

FinAid says Carleton’s “doing its best” on need-sensitive aid

FinAid says Carleton’s “doing its best” on need-sensitive aid

While increasing number of liberal arts colleges are following the trend of implementing a need-blind aid policy, Carleton continues to admit students on a need-sensitive basis.

Paul Thiboutot, the Vice President and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, clarified that Carleton “will attempt to be need-blind to the fullest extent it can be”. It means that the college will practice need-blind until the set budget is exhausted and then apply the need-sensitive policy to a small pool of applicants, usually around 10 to 15 percent.

“We approach the admissions process as if we are entirely need-blind, and then we stop at a certain point and take a snapshot of it to see the projections of our financial aid commitment,” he said. “If we can’t afford at some point, we have to make some adjustments.”

Thiboutot emphasized that the college does not separate the pool of applicants into those who are in need of aid and those who are not.

Students in consideration for acceptance are not only evaluated based on their financial need, but also on factors such as test scores, gender, race, ethnicity, and national origin.

“All of these students are well qualified academically to be here, so there are more subjective matters that come into play,” explained Rodney Oto, Associate Dean of Admissions and Director of Student Financial Services. “One of the factors is the amount of financial assistance the student is going to need.”

Both Thiboutot and Oto strongly supported the idea behind the need-blind policy but also agreed that it requires a significant commitment of resources that Carleton does not have available at present.

The financial difficulties and budget constraints that would arise from having a need-blind policy may lead to inadequate distribution of endowments and loans. Though financial aid does take up a large portion of school funds, there are other significant costs to consider, like faculty member salaries, to maintain the college’s attractiveness and ability to compete with peer schools.

“There are two major groups where costs are sensitive to, one is the students and the other is faculty personnel,” Oto commented. “We want to make sure there are outstanding teachers, faculty who are interested in teaching, and we want them to stay.”

Even if the college decides to change its financial policy to need-blind, the reality may not be as ideal as it seems. There are a number of colleges that guarantee need-blind admissions, but fail to provide the full amount of aid to help students continue their studies after they are accepted.

“When some people think of need-blind, they assume that the school will admit anyone unconditionally, meet their full need, and give scholarships,” Thiboutot said. “But there are schools that claim to be need-blind but do not meet all of the students’ need. Some schools may give 100 percent but mostly in forms of loans, instead of scholarships.”

Even though the policy of need-sensitive aid continues at Carleton, the college is constantly striving to increase the amount of financial aid for the students. Oto recently addressed the board of trustees for more financial assistance to make sure there is sufficient aid for the students.

The students, in general, are satisfied with the Carleton’s current aid policy. More than half of the first-year students, approximately 52 percent, received need-based grants and scholarships that do not need to be repaid. Many students credit their choice of Carleton to receiving the most generous aid package than anywhere else.

“When applying to colleges, it's not uncommon for students to pay attention to financial aid packages when considering what colleges to attend,” a sophomore student, Kifaya Taha said. “For me, Carleton was able to provide me with a very generous financial aid package. This was one among many reasons that I decided to come here.”

This article was published by The Carletonian (February 13, 2015)

[Editorial] A Healthy Bowl of Ramen for Hungry College Kids

A Healthy Bowl of Ramen for Hungry College Kids

As college students, we all have had the experience of bumping into our friends in the kitchen at night and hastily making up excuses for eating allegedly the most unhealthy yet popular college snack, ramen. Even though we joke and even brag about how much ramen we consume during finals, we still get embarrassed if we get caught eating them.

Sure, ramen are cheap, savory, and accessible but they prove that you are guilty of living an unhealthy lifestyle. The convenience and addictive flavor, however, makes it hard to walk away from them. Especially for busy, constantly hungry college students, ramen can turn into a quick and efficient, tasty, and comparatively healthy meal with a few adjustments in preparation and adjusting the ingredients.

Those skeptical of ramen’s appeal who fuss about its excessive amount of sodium can be found in every dorm. The noodles themselves, however, are not the source of the problem but the little spice packet that comes along with them. That problem can be easily solved by using only the half of the spice, replacing the rest with other spices in the supermarket or even in our dining halls, and the flavor would be the same since the seasonings have a strong taste.

Simply chopping in garlic or onions also does the trick, a method that a lot of Japanese restaurants use when making more authentic and sophisticated noodles. That would significantly lower the sodium level and preserve the savory taste without going through the hassle of having to search up countless names of foreign spices.

Even if we take out the sodium in the spice packet, the issue of MSG still remains. Some argue that MSG contained in the spices as a flavor enhancer, is the ultimate factor for the unhealthiness of ramen. Though the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classified it as a safe food ingredient to be consumed and cooked, MSG has long been unfairly criticized for inducing headaches, nausea, and other negative reactions.

Such effects, however, are only shown to a very small group of people, much less than the number of people allergic to peanuts, and do not appear when consumed in moderation, just like many other food products. According to a study held by American Chemical Society, MSG and resembling chemicals are often found in protein-rich foods like meat, milk, and cheese and are even produced in our bodies when we metabolize food.

Although ramen itself does not have significant vitamins or minerals, it is easy to add vegetables and proteins to balance out the containing carbohydrates and fat. A packet of baby carrots that come with sandwiches or a handful of spinach in the salad section of school dining halls would be enough to compensate for the lack of minerals.

Slice in some leftover chicken or add a boiled egg and the protein problem would be surely fixed too. Adding chopped up beef or pork into the pot also helps while enhancing the overall taste of the soup with rich broth. These ingredients are easily accessible in nearby supermarkets or may be already stocked in the fridge since they are our food staples.

As easy as it is to cook, ramen fits into every occasion and fulfills various purposes for college students. Students who do not have enough money to eat out or pay for dining halls can buy it for less than a dollar from the campus bookstore. The spicy taste of ramen helps the students to destress over finals and endless pile of homework. Because it is simple and fun to cook, students can make ramen for study breaks or hold a midnight snack party in the kitchen.

Not only is it good for coping with studying on weekdays but it is also known to be a great hangover cure on weekends, which the majority of college students are equally in need of. In winter, instead of trudging through the snow to a nearby town bundled up in layers of clothing, we can stay in our rooms and pull out a packet of ramen from our bookshelves.

Ramen quickly and easily comforts the empty stomach of college students without draining their empty bank accounts. The additional vegetables and meat add taste, nutrients, and decorations to what would be a plain, salty pot of water, transforming it into a fancy cuisine. Next time when your friend catches you eating ramen, instead of acting like you are covering up a crime scene, you could surprise them with a warm dish of delicious, healthy ramen.

Danish Group Teaches Green Design

Danish Group Teaches Green Design

Students plan hypothetical Arboretum office

Many visitors of the Perlman Teaching Museum were confused when they first walked in at the beginning of this term. Instead of seeing a usual exhibit of photographs and drawings, they encountered a group of students and two artists in matching black outfits ardently working at a huge table that occupies nearly half of the Braucher gallery.

It is, in fact, not an exhibit but a studio art class called “Critical Studies in Public Space with N55” with visiting artists, N55. For the first five weeks, eighteen Carleton students will be working with Danish art and design collective N55 to come up with a proposal for a hypothetical building in Cowling Arboretum.

N55, consisting of Ion Sørvin, Till Wolfer, and Anne Romme, questions the definition of public areas and the ownership of communal spaces through their creations. Their previous works like the “Walking House” and “XYZ Spaceframe Vehicles” emphasize a nomadic and environmentally friendly lifestyle the firm strives to achieve.

Sørvin, the founder of N55, explained his fascination with the concept of land ownership. “We all take it for granted that we can own land, but if you look at it from a philosophical perspective, it doesn’t make sense that people can occupy land and prevent other people from using that land,” he said. “Eventually, if this situation persists, some people would not be able to walk on the surface of an earth.”

That is an idea that N55 is incorporating into their project, the building of an Arb office. The students and artists will investigate the functions of the Arb for not only the immediate Carleton community but also for local Northfield residents. They will examine the Arb as a contested territory that generates conflicting interests among various communities.

It is a project that weaves in different disciplines like sociology, history, and architecture. Therefore, it challenges the students to go beyond their areas of expertise. “It is different from how students here usually work, so they have to be more self-reliant and creative,” Wolfer, another member of N55, said. “Building an office requires rather more complex process than it seems.”

The students already held meetings with local citizens to discover their general opinions of the Arb, how often and for what purposes they use the area, and complaints they have about restrictions. Some students specializing in the history looked into the changes in Arb policies through the years.

While there is no concrete plan to build a new Arb office at this time, the artists hope they can contribute to the discussion on the plan that will likely occur in the future.

“There will be several ideas pointing in various directions that people can be inspired by,”  Sørvin elaborated. “We are doing something that will not necessarily happen but will raise discussions and show different aspects of these complex relations that people have with the land and how to share the land in a meaningful way.”

N55 was invited to campus under the auspices of the Lucas Lectureship in the Arts that sponsored Salmon Rushdie’s talk last school year. The lectureship rotates different disciplines in arts and this year, its focus is architecture.

One of the few Art History professors specializing in architecture on campus, Ross Elfline saw the opportunity and contacted the artists whose works he has been following for more than ten years.

“I didn’t like the model of bringing in one famous person for a day or two and then have them leave,” he said. “I wanted to bring a group of artists and actually have them work with students in a more engaged, longer term basis.”

Elfline first discovered N55 when writing his master’s thesis on blurring distinctions between fine art and design. He never had a chance to work with them before but was impressed with their working method, very different from the traditional American model.

“There is an end goal of building an Arb office, but the process of achieving that goal is more open-ended,” he explained. “In that sense, it is very different from other Carleton classes that have a constructed syllabus with every week rigorously planned out. It is much more flexible.”

Rob Reuland, a sophomore taking the class, commented on his appreciation of their teaching. “We don’t really have any architecture classes here, this is the only class that takes an idea and creates it in a physical mode, which gives you a lot of hands-on experiences”, he said. “I like how architecture is not just making a building, but it is also creating an environment.”

This article was published by The Carletonian (January 23, 2015) and on Carleton News https://apps.carleton.edu/news/features/?story_id=1237099

An exclusive interview with Deputy Prime Minister of Ethiopia

An exclusive interview with Deputy Prime Minister of Ethiopia

Ethiopia has many attractive conditions for Korean investors

Jennifer Kwon

Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen Hassen of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia recently visited South Korea from Nov. 30 to Dec. 3 to discuss ways to promote bilateral relations and expand cooperative partnership between two countries in fields such as science and technology. The visit was arranged by the South Korean government to initiate diplomacy and improve relations with the leading East African country in exchange for sharing the strategies of achieving significant socio-economic development in a short period of time. The Deputy Prime minister also held talks with South Korean companies on investment and business opportunities in Ethiopia. At an exclusive interview with The Korea Post at Lotte Hotel in Seoul on Dec. 1, 2014, he said, “Infrastructure in Ethiopia is developing and everything is becoming more conducive and so it is time for South Korean investors to come and invest.” Here are the excerpts from the interview:

Question: Would you wish to invite Korean business to invest in Ethiopia? If so, what are the most promising areas in Ethiopia for the Korean businesses to invest?

Answer: Of course yes. As you know, Koreans and Ethiopians are special friends. Their partnership and cooperation were cemented by blood. (Ethiopia is one of the two African countries that sent troops during the Korean War to South Korea to help maintain and support its democracy) In the contemporary world, these two countries, Korea as a developed and civilized country and Ethiopia, after a long suffering, ups and downs, entering a new chapter to join the Korean roadmap, is a special platform for these two countries.

When you look at the partnership, it’s not the government levels only but business community levels and people to people levels and, to me, that is a multi-faceted and all-around partnership. From this, to sustain this one, business communities and investors’ engagement are very crucial.

So having investors from South Korea, who have knowledge and different capacities and resources, we give special consideration to such kind of investors.

In Ethiopia, the comparative advantage to work in Ethiopia and investors here, the first one is that Ethiopia is a peaceful country as the center of Africa. It is the center of Africa, where the previous African union, the Organization of African Unity (OAU), and the current African union are at (Addis Ababa). Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa, the capital city of Africa, with now nearly four million people, next to New York and Brussels, it is the hub center for Africa. New York, for United Nations, and Brussels, for Europe, and Addis Ababa is the center for Africa and other international communities.

In Addis Ababa, there is a lot of creativity and dynamism but also as a peaceful and predictable one. Any business, whether it is real estate, higher education, construction industry, or mining, is welcome in Addis Ababa today.

We are calling foreign investment with attractive mechanisms to invest in different areas. Manufacturing is almost an infant industry. We were agrarian up to now. We are seeking to transform the country into industrialization by chipping in cheap labor.

We have very strong airways. We fly to more than sixty countries. Directly to Latin America, Brazil, Washington, different parts of Europe, all in Africa, Tokyo, Seoul, and three places in China. It is the best in Africa. Now, we are constructing airways to ports to Djibouti.

Infrastructure is developing and everything is becoming more conducive so it is time for South Korean investors to come here and invest.

Q: Many countries offer foreign investors incentives. What incentives does Ethiopia offer to Korean investors?

A: For private investors, especially focusing on manufacturing industries, there are lists of priority areas like getting preferred treatment on customs, duty free items, tax free mechanisms.

Additional proposals are submitted to the government to be approved at least in the end of this month to make investment attractive and competitive.

The other thing is that in Ethiopia, rules and interrelations are very strong. We can’t say we are free from corruption, but it is not an overriding environment and the government is very cautious.

Q: What are the major products of Ethiopia which Korean consumers might find attractive and want to import from Ethiopia?

A: Traditionally, our export is focused on coffee, number one, gold, some oil products, leather products but now we are focusing to diversify our exports. Number one is to increase the volume of coffee to be exported. Number two is to process agricultural products to finished goods, like shoes.

Another one is to focus on textile, garments industry.

We are continuing our gold and other mineral exports. Ethiopia is number one in Africa on its animal resources, yet we do not harvest them in the proper way. We are focusing on how to improve the health of our animals and how to harvest them in a productive way. In the future we have to diversify; we have huge and immense animal potential like cows, sheep, goats, and others.

Up to now we have been discouraging to export animal meat because the local people will be afflicted and the price will increase; we are rethinking that one. Export-oriented strategy is our central policy and diversifying is another one.

We are finalizing sugar factories, with more than 200 hectares of land for sugar plantage. We hope Ethiopia to become a leader country in the world to export sugar. Koreans have to look which is appropriate for import.

Q: What is the general view of Ethiopian people on Koreans?

A: The Korean experience is highly appreciated in Ethiopia. From 1950s, 60s to now, from its different problems to how they managed to reach a civilized country, as having the 13th or 14th strongest economy in the world.

Koreans in 1950s and 60s, were in a terrible situation, and then they jumped from the ashes to this civilization. Ethiopians wish to follow this path. Everybody in Ethiopia, they’re very, very keen and proud of how Koreans achieved such development. People are also aware of how Koreans are polite and respectable.

Q: Does Ethiopia have many tourist destinations that are attractive to Korean visitors?

A:  Of course. Ethiopia is becoming one of the best destinations for tourists. Why? Because of peace. Too, there are many historical, natural, and religious sites. We have nine properties registered by UNESCO that is number one in Africa. Great monuments constructed before 3000 years, amazing places. It’s a very rich country in tourism.

The other one is that all the days and nights are equal. All 12 hours of the day are bright, other 12 hours are dark -- it’s equally divided. This is the only place in the world that is Ethiopia. There is no heavy winter or hot summer; it’s almost average. The average temperature is the room temperature.

Also, we have a different calendar, different working hours, and different months. All the days and the nights are naturally equal. When the sunrise begins, we count our clock and when it reaches the middle, it is midday, and then the sun goes down and at sunset, the day is finished.

The evening night starts; the mid-night is again the middle and when the dark is finished, the sun comes up and it is the other day.

The other one is that all 12 months are thirty days so we have 13 months. Our new year is September, not January. It follows the natural cycle, summer to winter, for our winter, meaning our rainy season is June to August. Ethiopian calendar follows the nature.

We have our own letters, own alphabet, own numbering systems, and we are the only one that has not been colonized by super powers.

Q: Please explain about yourself, including your career and personal background.

A: I grew up in the rural area, I come from a (perhaps, rich) peasant family. At the age of 9, I started school and then I went to a university, had my first degree in science in 1987. I joined a teaching profession for five years and after that I joined politics for the last twenty one or two years.

I used to be the bureau deputy president of the region and in 2008, I came to the federal government, I was assigned as the minister of education, I served there for some five years and was transferred as a deputy prime minister. I am now coordinating the technology and social class sectors of education.

I did my master’s degree in the United Kingdom in 2003 in political science. It was a jump from natural sciences to political science. I had been in the UK for fourteen months and last year, on December 5th, I was offered an honorary degree in education and science.

I married in 1995 and I have four children, two boys and two girls. My first child is a science student in Ethiopia, to become a medical doctor in Ethiopia. My second son is interested in politics, may follow my life. I am very happy in my father’s and mother’s life. My father is 96 years old. My mother is 79 years old.

Q: How does one make a prime minister in Ethiopia?

A: In our political system, that depends on the work and the favor of the leader. I might go to regional government leadership, to the ministry, to the prime minister’s office, to continue my position. The ruling party proposes the prime minister to the Parliament. The majority vote of the Parliament decides. And then the prime minister again proposes the deputy prime minister to the Parliament and the Parliament will approve or disapprove. If you’re not accepted by either one, you can’t have that position.

Q: Does your Prime Minister have any plan to visit Korea?

A: We hope so. I think our prime minister has already invited the President of Korea to visit Ethiopia and depending on our prime minister might visit Korea in exchange. That will be managed by two foreign ministers.

Q: Have you ever visited Korea before? If not, had you heard about Korea before you came to Korea? If so, what’s the difference, if any, between what you learned about Korea and what you actually see here in Korea now?

A: I read many books about Korea and many of my friends had been here for visits and even for longer time. Here, the system is very standardized. Your focus on science and technology and human resource development impressed me, that is a landmark from your side and there are a lot to come from in this regard.

This article was published by The Korea Post (December 2014 issue)

Campus Security Cameras Multiply

Campus Security Cameras Multiply

Jennifer Kwon (17)

There are approximately sixty cameras dispersed around Carleton’s campus, although the numbers are constantly increasing, with almost ten to twenty added per year according to Security’s needs.

Security and residential offices convene periodically throughout the year to discuss where to put more cameras. The group decides locations based on predicted future and past incidents, such as where property has been stolen or people had been injured. New cameras are installed over winter and summer breaks.

The locations of the surveillance cameras are not specified on the website for safety reasons.

“You cannot publicize information that people might use for purposes that are the opposite of what you intend,” Daniel Bergeson, the director of Auxiliary Services, explained. “By telling people where everything is, there might be people who will use that information.”

Wayne Eisenhuth, the director of Security Services, reaffirmed Bergeson’s statement. “The surveillance system is put up as a protective measure for the students, not to spy on them.”

In line with the campus handbook, which states, “The use of surveillance cameras is limited to uses that do not violate a person’s reasonable expectation of privacy,” surveillance areas do not include private areas such as locker rooms, bathrooms, student rooms, and individual offices.

According to Bergeson, cameras are only installed in public places such as hallways, lobbies, or entrances of the buildings, excluding the Arboretum.

Most students appear to be unaware of the presence or location of cameras on campus. In fact, many students and staff members responded to questions regarding Carleton’s surveillance system with either indifference or astonishment that Carleton needs one.

“I feel like it’s not necessary because Carleton campus is pretty safe already and I doubt that there’s going to be a lot of incidents,” first year Sandy Lor commented.

Another first year, Elizabeth Zheng, felt differently. “I would feel safer if there [were] cameras around, just in case something happens. I’ll be fine with it as long as it is not inside the buildings.”

Zheng and others were pleased to hear that cameras are not allowed in private places in accordance with Carleton’s guidelines.

Regardless of students’ opinions, the surveillance system has played a significant role in identifying the agitators in small and large past incidents. Such incidents include: salespeople coming in and out of dormitories, attempting to sell magazine subscriptions, a student letting loose a bunch of crickets in the library late at night, and a group of students stretching yarn across Weitz common to install an unpermitted art exhibit.

Bergeson recalled a series of fire alarms that occurred a few years ago, in which a student triggered the Cassat or James Hall alarms at 1:00 AM every night for almost a month. Security was able to identify the student by spotting the individual’s face on camera.

In 2005, according to Eisenthal, a Northfield resident stalked a female varsity basketball player. The stalker repeatedly put notes in the student’s mailbox with a list of instructions on how to find him at a section of the Gould Library. Her coach reported the incident, and security was able to identify the culprit through camera footage showing him entering and leaving the library.

There have been fewer interesting cases in recent years. The biggest crime of this term, detected by the surveillance system, was the theft three bicycles stolen near Evans and Cowling at the same week.

This article was published at The Carletonian