Storify Stories
Bionic Pancreas Story
Amendment One Story
Class Stories-Fall 2014-Spring 2015
Unusual Arrest Raises Concern About Parking Laws
By Callie Compton
Winter 2015
A University of Memphis student was arrested Jan. 20 by a Collierville Police Officer and spent 14 hours in the Shelby County Jail all because of just three unpaid parking tickets that totaled $400.
Steven Gill, 24, of Memphis said it was a waste of time and energy to arrest him for something as insignificant as unpaid parking tickets.
“I didn’t know I had a warrant out for my arrest because of my unpaid parking tickets,” Gill, a student at the University of Memphis, said.
Morgan Goad, 20, a Memphis commuter student said, “It is a waste of time and energy to arrest otherwise law-abiding citizens for things like unpaid parking tickets.
“It is actually kind of ridiculous to arrest someone over parking tickets,” Goad said. “There is obviously a limit to that though, otherwise people would just park wherever they want and they would never have to really pay for it.”
Goad paid two parking tickets in the last month that he believes were unjustly written and “the no-parking zones should be more clearly marked,” Goad said.
“I know as a citizen of Shelby County there is a certain kind of financial responsibility on our part, but they shouldn’t waste our limited resources on petty little stuff like this,” Gill said.
Gill had three unpaid parking tickets and owed a total of $400 to the City of Memphis for those tickets. He spent a 14 hours at 201 Poplar, from about 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. the next day.
“After that I didn’t have to pay any of my parking tickets, it was all expunged off of my record for the time that I spent in the jail,” Gill said.
The Annual Report from the Memphis Police Department states, there were 46,142 citations issued in 2012 and an increase to 48,212 citations that were issued in 2013.
A citation is, according to the official City of Memphis website memphistn.gov, “A citation is a parking ticket that should be paid or placed on the court docket for a hearing with 15 days after issuance.”
After 90 days, the City of Memphis charges a cumulative $60 late fee, and at which point, a bench warrant can be issued by a judge for the offending party’s arrest.
“The whole situation just felt a little ridiculous, to be honest,” Gill said.
Gill said, he had a friend or two remind him to take care of those unpaid parking tickets just two days before his arrest in Collierville.
http://www.memphistn.gov/Government/PoliceServices/Traffic.aspx
Bionic Pancreas Story
Amendment One Story
Class Stories-Fall 2014-Spring 2015
Unusual Arrest Raises Concern About Parking Laws
By Callie Compton
Winter 2015
A University of Memphis student was arrested Jan. 20 by a Collierville Police Officer and spent 14 hours in the Shelby County Jail all because of just three unpaid parking tickets that totaled $400.
Steven Gill, 24, of Memphis said it was a waste of time and energy to arrest him for something as insignificant as unpaid parking tickets.
“I didn’t know I had a warrant out for my arrest because of my unpaid parking tickets,” Gill, a student at the University of Memphis, said.
Morgan Goad, 20, a Memphis commuter student said, “It is a waste of time and energy to arrest otherwise law-abiding citizens for things like unpaid parking tickets.
“It is actually kind of ridiculous to arrest someone over parking tickets,” Goad said. “There is obviously a limit to that though, otherwise people would just park wherever they want and they would never have to really pay for it.”
Goad paid two parking tickets in the last month that he believes were unjustly written and “the no-parking zones should be more clearly marked,” Goad said.
“I know as a citizen of Shelby County there is a certain kind of financial responsibility on our part, but they shouldn’t waste our limited resources on petty little stuff like this,” Gill said.
Gill had three unpaid parking tickets and owed a total of $400 to the City of Memphis for those tickets. He spent a 14 hours at 201 Poplar, from about 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. the next day.
“After that I didn’t have to pay any of my parking tickets, it was all expunged off of my record for the time that I spent in the jail,” Gill said.
The Annual Report from the Memphis Police Department states, there were 46,142 citations issued in 2012 and an increase to 48,212 citations that were issued in 2013.
A citation is, according to the official City of Memphis website memphistn.gov, “A citation is a parking ticket that should be paid or placed on the court docket for a hearing with 15 days after issuance.”
After 90 days, the City of Memphis charges a cumulative $60 late fee, and at which point, a bench warrant can be issued by a judge for the offending party’s arrest.
“The whole situation just felt a little ridiculous, to be honest,” Gill said.
Gill said, he had a friend or two remind him to take care of those unpaid parking tickets just two days before his arrest in Collierville.
http://www.memphistn.gov/Government/PoliceServices/Traffic.aspx
Memphis City Council Delays Community Advisory Council Vote for Two More Weeks
Winter 2015
A vote on a Memphis city ordinance to establish community advisory councils cosponsored by Councilwoman Wanda Halbert was tabled on Feb. 3 for two weeks, the seventh time it had been delayed.
There was some confusion among council members as to what exactly the ordinance entailed, and exactly how much money was to be spent along with its potential passing.
“I would be opposed to it if it still had the language in there where it would allocated, a million dollars to each councilman do with whatever they wanted in their districts,” Councilman Boyd said, “I called it like, pork barrel type legislation, but it looks like it has been removed.”
Boyd was interrupted by Halbert’s late entrance to the meeting.
“This vote is just to establish advisory councils, this is not to allocating funding? At one point this had about $2 million attached it, right?” Councilman Floyd said. “It has been taken out? Okay.”
The council was given time to look over the ordinance again, as Halbert had her microphone placed on her, before a vote could be cast.
Halbert said that she did not intend for the funding allocation to be taken out of the ordinance that she sponsored, and was unaware that this had happened.
“Mr. Chairman, would you please call the administration up? This is exactly what they tried to do before,” Halbert said. “The money was not supposed to be stripped, as that is the whole purpose of the concept of the program, Mr. Chair.”
Halbert then requested that the ordinance vote be held another two weeks, without objection. It will be held further until Feb. 17, it had originally been held from Aug. 19, Sept. 16, Oct. 21, Nov. 18, Dec. 16, and Jan. 20.
Winter 2015
A vote on a Memphis city ordinance to establish community advisory councils cosponsored by Councilwoman Wanda Halbert was tabled on Feb. 3 for two weeks, the seventh time it had been delayed.
There was some confusion among council members as to what exactly the ordinance entailed, and exactly how much money was to be spent along with its potential passing.
“I would be opposed to it if it still had the language in there where it would allocated, a million dollars to each councilman do with whatever they wanted in their districts,” Councilman Boyd said, “I called it like, pork barrel type legislation, but it looks like it has been removed.”
Boyd was interrupted by Halbert’s late entrance to the meeting.
“This vote is just to establish advisory councils, this is not to allocating funding? At one point this had about $2 million attached it, right?” Councilman Floyd said. “It has been taken out? Okay.”
The council was given time to look over the ordinance again, as Halbert had her microphone placed on her, before a vote could be cast.
Halbert said that she did not intend for the funding allocation to be taken out of the ordinance that she sponsored, and was unaware that this had happened.
“Mr. Chairman, would you please call the administration up? This is exactly what they tried to do before,” Halbert said. “The money was not supposed to be stripped, as that is the whole purpose of the concept of the program, Mr. Chair.”
Halbert then requested that the ordinance vote be held another two weeks, without objection. It will be held further until Feb. 17, it had originally been held from Aug. 19, Sept. 16, Oct. 21, Nov. 18, Dec. 16, and Jan. 20.
Darrell Greene Encourages Students to Give Back to Memphis
Spring 2015
It is amazing how local anchorman Darrell Greene, 45, finds time to do the FOX 13 nightly news at 9 p.m. With everything he is involved in, from his volunteer work with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, to living with type one diabetes and spending time with his wife and two daughters, Greene stays busy and involved in the Memphis community.
“Being a voice for the community as a news anchor, gives me the great honor of being somewhat influential by giving a voice to people who otherwise might not have one on issues,” Greene said.
Greene relocated from Orlando to Memphis four years ago and has been volunteering locally ever since.
“I'd done a lot of charity work for diabetes before, previously with the American Diabetes Association, but when I got here, I tried to plug into the community as quickly as possible,” Greene said.
Greene says he immediately gravitated towards JDRF because of the way working with the kids “tugs at your heartstrings.”
After being diagnosed with juvenile diabetes, in 1994 at the age of 24, Greene spent several days in the hospital.
“You're hit in the face with, you're going to deal with this the rest of your life. I fell into denial immediately, I didn't want to hear about it, I and didn’t want to deal with it,” Greene said.
Greene has lived with the disease for 21 years and is now a spokesperson for the West Tennessee chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, located in Collierville. He speaks at all of their local events, including the Walk to Cure Diabetes, Brew for a Cure and the Promise Ball Gala, which raise money for diabetes research.
“I've worked very hard to be credible in my position. When you have credibility, you have a louder voice. People respond to what you say and how you say it. But with that comes a TON of responsibility,” Greene said.
Journalistically, Greene began as a sportscaster, but considers himself a newsman.
“It's a different world now with proliferation of social media. But while anyone can get information out, only a journalist takes the time to vette that information, confirm it, make sure it's right and not rumor,” Greene said.
Greene says credibility is hard to build up and easy to tear down.
As a media professional, Greene’s advice to aspiring journalists is to, “be credible. Take pride in your reputation for being right and fair. Be inquisitive. Ask questions about everything you see or hear,” Greene said.
He spends time encouraging students to give back to their community and be proactive in change.
“There are tons of charities begging for help, student need to get involved. It's some of the most rewarding work you will ever do,” Greene said. “Be aware of what is going on in your community. Don't be afraid to call attention to problems you see.
Spring 2015
It is amazing how local anchorman Darrell Greene, 45, finds time to do the FOX 13 nightly news at 9 p.m. With everything he is involved in, from his volunteer work with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, to living with type one diabetes and spending time with his wife and two daughters, Greene stays busy and involved in the Memphis community.
“Being a voice for the community as a news anchor, gives me the great honor of being somewhat influential by giving a voice to people who otherwise might not have one on issues,” Greene said.
Greene relocated from Orlando to Memphis four years ago and has been volunteering locally ever since.
“I'd done a lot of charity work for diabetes before, previously with the American Diabetes Association, but when I got here, I tried to plug into the community as quickly as possible,” Greene said.
Greene says he immediately gravitated towards JDRF because of the way working with the kids “tugs at your heartstrings.”
After being diagnosed with juvenile diabetes, in 1994 at the age of 24, Greene spent several days in the hospital.
“You're hit in the face with, you're going to deal with this the rest of your life. I fell into denial immediately, I didn't want to hear about it, I and didn’t want to deal with it,” Greene said.
Greene has lived with the disease for 21 years and is now a spokesperson for the West Tennessee chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, located in Collierville. He speaks at all of their local events, including the Walk to Cure Diabetes, Brew for a Cure and the Promise Ball Gala, which raise money for diabetes research.
“I've worked very hard to be credible in my position. When you have credibility, you have a louder voice. People respond to what you say and how you say it. But with that comes a TON of responsibility,” Greene said.
Journalistically, Greene began as a sportscaster, but considers himself a newsman.
“It's a different world now with proliferation of social media. But while anyone can get information out, only a journalist takes the time to vette that information, confirm it, make sure it's right and not rumor,” Greene said.
Greene says credibility is hard to build up and easy to tear down.
As a media professional, Greene’s advice to aspiring journalists is to, “be credible. Take pride in your reputation for being right and fair. Be inquisitive. Ask questions about everything you see or hear,” Greene said.
He spends time encouraging students to give back to their community and be proactive in change.
“There are tons of charities begging for help, student need to get involved. It's some of the most rewarding work you will ever do,” Greene said. “Be aware of what is going on in your community. Don't be afraid to call attention to problems you see.
A Growing Greek Community Creates Challenges, Opportunities for Members
By Callie Compton
4/25/15
The number of University of Memphis students participating in sororities and fraternities is increasing, which has led to the addition of a new sorority in fall 2015 and concerns that the increase will affect Greek life on campus.
The U. of M. has eight Inter-Fraternity Council fraternities and six Panhellenic sororities. From the year 2010 to 2014, the Panhellenic chapters grew from 411 total members to 675 members while during that same time total fraternity membership went from 476 members to 473 members.
“Regarding numbers, all of our sororities have gotten very big,” said Laitin Beecham, a 22-year-old political science senior and former fraternity president. “Big enough to where our Greek system will be growing a chapter next school year.”
Adding another chapter to the already uneven system could create further discrepancy in total Greek council membership.
“It’s going to distribute things differently,” said Tyler McGee, a 19-year-old fraternity, “as far as chapter membership goes anyway.”
The addition of Sigma Kappa also leaves some students concerned about creating competition between chapters.
“Being a member of a Greek organization already, I feel like adding another sorority will create competition since we will essentially be competing for members,” Briana Seibert, sophomore, said.
Other students said they think that the swift growth of the Greek system could be good for women who haven’t joined a chapter yet.
“With this new sorority coming in, women that don’t fit in other places, can find a chapter they like,” said Zac Gilliam, a 19-year-old fraternity executive board member said.
New sororities may have an appeal that existing chapters don’t always have, since they do not have an established reputation on a certain campus and the women who join are free to build it.
“It's hard because the new chapter has the upper hand- they seem exciting and more fun,” Seibert said.
Students who are now seniors and juniors have seen many changes in the community since pledging as freshmen and sophomores.
“When I pledged in 2011, my pledge class only had 18 girls,” said Kayna Chisum, a 23-year-old nursing senior and former sorority executive board member. “Now, most Panhellenic chapters exceed 40 new members after fall recruitment.”
Although the fraternity system has not increased in numbers in recent years, many members say it has grown in other ways.
“Our Fraternity system has shrunk in chapters since I joined ZBT in the fall of 2011,” Beecham said. “We lost both Fiji and Pi Kappa Phi due to low numbers. However, our remaining chapters have gotten bigger and stronger.”
Beecham said that chapters have also grown in member development since he joined in 2011.
This growth could mean a lot of different things for the U of M, leaving many students unsure of its impact and unsure of the future of Greek life on campus.
“I really don’t know how I feel about it to be honest,” Hunter Key said, a 21-year-old fraternity officer. “It does force leadership out of you though.”
This growth comes with changes and affects every chapter in a different way, but also affects the community as a whole.
“The biggest change I've noticed in the Greek system is the level of competitiveness,” said Chisum. “While it's a good thing, we've lost sight of what really matters in philanthropies.”
The rise in the number of women going through formal recruitment has increased as well, leading to higher number of new members after the week long recruitment process.
“I think the formal recruitment process makes sororities seem more welcoming than fraternities,” Seibert said.
Between 2012 and 2013 sorority membership increased by almost one hundred women, a much larger increase than in years past where it fluctuated by an average of 20 members. Sorority members attribute this to the positive affects they have experienced because of joining a sisterhood.
“Joining a sorority also saved me from going down a path that I really didn't need to go down as far as drugs and helped me find the right supportive friends,”
By Callie Compton
4/25/15
The number of University of Memphis students participating in sororities and fraternities is increasing, which has led to the addition of a new sorority in fall 2015 and concerns that the increase will affect Greek life on campus.
The U. of M. has eight Inter-Fraternity Council fraternities and six Panhellenic sororities. From the year 2010 to 2014, the Panhellenic chapters grew from 411 total members to 675 members while during that same time total fraternity membership went from 476 members to 473 members.
“Regarding numbers, all of our sororities have gotten very big,” said Laitin Beecham, a 22-year-old political science senior and former fraternity president. “Big enough to where our Greek system will be growing a chapter next school year.”
Adding another chapter to the already uneven system could create further discrepancy in total Greek council membership.
“It’s going to distribute things differently,” said Tyler McGee, a 19-year-old fraternity, “as far as chapter membership goes anyway.”
The addition of Sigma Kappa also leaves some students concerned about creating competition between chapters.
“Being a member of a Greek organization already, I feel like adding another sorority will create competition since we will essentially be competing for members,” Briana Seibert, sophomore, said.
Other students said they think that the swift growth of the Greek system could be good for women who haven’t joined a chapter yet.
“With this new sorority coming in, women that don’t fit in other places, can find a chapter they like,” said Zac Gilliam, a 19-year-old fraternity executive board member said.
New sororities may have an appeal that existing chapters don’t always have, since they do not have an established reputation on a certain campus and the women who join are free to build it.
“It's hard because the new chapter has the upper hand- they seem exciting and more fun,” Seibert said.
Students who are now seniors and juniors have seen many changes in the community since pledging as freshmen and sophomores.
“When I pledged in 2011, my pledge class only had 18 girls,” said Kayna Chisum, a 23-year-old nursing senior and former sorority executive board member. “Now, most Panhellenic chapters exceed 40 new members after fall recruitment.”
Although the fraternity system has not increased in numbers in recent years, many members say it has grown in other ways.
“Our Fraternity system has shrunk in chapters since I joined ZBT in the fall of 2011,” Beecham said. “We lost both Fiji and Pi Kappa Phi due to low numbers. However, our remaining chapters have gotten bigger and stronger.”
Beecham said that chapters have also grown in member development since he joined in 2011.
This growth could mean a lot of different things for the U of M, leaving many students unsure of its impact and unsure of the future of Greek life on campus.
“I really don’t know how I feel about it to be honest,” Hunter Key said, a 21-year-old fraternity officer. “It does force leadership out of you though.”
This growth comes with changes and affects every chapter in a different way, but also affects the community as a whole.
“The biggest change I've noticed in the Greek system is the level of competitiveness,” said Chisum. “While it's a good thing, we've lost sight of what really matters in philanthropies.”
The rise in the number of women going through formal recruitment has increased as well, leading to higher number of new members after the week long recruitment process.
“I think the formal recruitment process makes sororities seem more welcoming than fraternities,” Seibert said.
Between 2012 and 2013 sorority membership increased by almost one hundred women, a much larger increase than in years past where it fluctuated by an average of 20 members. Sorority members attribute this to the positive affects they have experienced because of joining a sisterhood.
“Joining a sorority also saved me from going down a path that I really didn't need to go down as far as drugs and helped me find the right supportive friends,”