As reported in Monday's Towerlight, four non-students were ordered to stay off campus after fighting outside Scarborough Hall around 1:30 a.m. Saturday.
But several students contacted the newspaper this week to tell their side of the story. They said the original story, printed on page nine of Monday's edition, contained incorrect information. According to two residents of Scarborough Hall, three people were involved in the fight (not four), and all three of the individuals were sliced by the switchblade. The students, who contacted The Towerlight on Monday and Tuesday to express their concerns, asked not to be identified in print. "Please next time make sure you have all of the correct information before releasing it to others," one of the students said. "That night was extremely and emotionally tough for many of the residents and your article did not include the truth, as well as the seriousness, of the event." Information about crimes on and off campus is usually obtained from police officials. In this case, we relied on the Towson University Police Department for details of the incident.
On Wednesday evening, Capt. Joe Herring said the TUPD is aware of only one injury from the incident. He said students should contact the TUPD if they have additional details about the crime. Their non-emergency phone number is (410) 704-2134.
Does Towson have mission creep?
Some state legislators in Annapolis are concerned about "mission creep." You're probably wondering: What is "mission creep?" It's apparently when one institution ventures too closely onto the turf of another institution.
At a Senate Budget & Taxation Committee hearing on Tuesday afternoon, Vice-Chairman P.J. Hogan (D-Montgomery) expressed a bit of concern that Towson University is creeping a bit too close to the stated mission of University of Maryland College Park.
Hogan cited Caret's comments at last week's press conference with Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich, as quoted in the Thursday, Feb. 2 edition of The Towerlight. In the story, Caret said he foresees Towson's relationship to College Park "as being like Michigan State is to Michigan, Arizona State is to Arizona, Florida State is to Florida."
Hogan remarked that he doesn't see Michigan or Arizona listed among TU's peer institutions, and noted that they're all research extensive schools. He wondered if there was "mission creep" going on.
Caret quickly clarified that he uses the Michigan State to Michigan line in his "Kiwanis speech." The point isn't that Towson aspires to become a research extensive school like College Park â€" it doesn't. But it does want to be "that other public university in Maryland," with the name recognition of Michigan State or Arizona State or Florida State.
Caret told the legislators that Towson is evolving into a research intensive school â€" one that values research (especially on the applied side), but not to the extent that College Park (or Michigan State or Arizona State or Florida State) does.
"As we push that research-intensive button a little more, [legislators] get nervous," Caret said in an interview Wednesday. "They don't want us to be a research I."
"Telling and selling" the wrong name
Speaking of Towson's testimony in Annapolis, the University had a little trouble "telling and selling the story." Towson highlighted the work of a professor who established the annual Baltimore Immigration Summit. It's definitely a noteworthy accomplishment for professor Elizabeth Clifford â€" but according to Towson's written testimony to the legislature, her name is Elizabeth Crawford. Caret also referred to "Crawford" while talking about Towson's successful faculty members during the hearing. At least Towson spelled her first name right!
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