Marietta City Police are searching for a white man, approximately 30 years of age for an alleged armed robbery of Walgreens at the corner of Third and Greene streets. The suspect was last seen on foot near Vogue-Swift Cleaners, located on Third Street, at about 8:30 this morning (Aug. 12).

The suspect is armed with a gun and/or knife and considered dangerous. Do not approach this man. He was last seen wearing blue jeans and a dark green long-sleeved shirt.

If you see anyone matching this description please go to a safe place and call 911.

If or when the suspect is caught, the College will send out an additional notification.

Students were alerted via text, e-mail, and phone around 9 a.m.

UPDATE 10:18 a.m. – Students have reported that the campus has been placed on lock down while police continue the search for this morning’s robbery suspect.

UPDATE 11 a.m. – The Marietta Times and WTAP are confirming that it was the Salvation Army that was robbed, not the Walgreens.

UPDATE 12 p.m. – Marietta College’s lock down has been rescinded.  Marietta City Police have called off the active search for the robbery suspect.

Stay tuned to Writing on the Mall for the latest.

In brief, here’s the entire list of changes and hires:

• The Office of Residence Life is now the Office of the Dean of Students
• Bruce Peterson is now the Dean of Students, and is the go-to if Dr. Pastoor (VP of Student Life) is not around
• Ellen Campbell is now the Assistant Dean of Students
• Leslie Yetter was hired as an Assistant Dean of Students
• Amanda Mullen was hired as a Residence Hall Director, and will work with Yetter
• Erica Knuckles was hired as a Residence Hall Director, and will work with Campbell
• Jason Gepperth was hired as a Residence Hall Director, and will work with Campbell
• Jacob Tidwell was hired as Assistant Director of Student Activities and Greek Life
• Linda See is now working on the Marietta College Parent & Family Organization, no longer responsible for housing coordination
• Chief of Police will be named soon

Obviously, the biggest news is that they found the replacement for the Assistant Director of Student Activities and Greek Life position.  Tidwell is an Eastern Carolina University graduate who has been working for the school.  According to his Facebook profile, he is a brother of Beta Theta Pi, and serves as their chapter advisor.  He has a BS in Business Administration and his MBA.  Tidwell replaces Allison Toney, who resigned in June to take a position at the University of South Carolina.

The new Residence hall Director hires were needed after Tara Kurilchick and Ricky Ciccone departed.  Amanda, Erica, and Jason all have the Masters in Higher Education, and in Leslie’s case, previous Residence Hall Director experience.  The e-mail did not list who was going to be in charge of each Residence Hall for the coming year, but we are working to obtain that information.

The Chief of Police remains MC’s only major hole left to fill.  Dr. Pastoor said that all three candidates have been to Marietta for interviews, and that a decision should be made soon.

Keep with Writing on the Mall as we work through all of these new people.  We are working to try to get them all to introduce themselves through here.

Blockbuster Adds Games To

While the company that used to be a behemoth in the rental industry flirts with bankruptcy and tries to compete with Netflix, it is trying to differentiate itself.  Blockbuster By Mail, their DVD rentals at home program, announced today that games would also be included.  So users can rent movies, games, and TV series at their home via the mailbox.  $9 a month will get you 1 DVD or vide game at a time, with plans going up to $17 a month for 3 DVD’s or games at a time.  The Total Access plans are only worthwhile if there is a Blockbuster in the area (the nearest stores are in Belpre and Parkersburg)…which there isn’t.

If you’ve been tempted by this deal, consider the major points between Blockbuster and Netflix.  Sure, you get to rent games with Blockbuster.  But at the same price point ($9) you could stream movies to your computer, XBOX 360, Wii, Playstation, and eventually, mobile phones.  Online streaming is separate with Blockbuster, and costs vary from rental to outright purchase (but offers streaming to computers, mobile phones, and TV’s).  So the question is, which do you value more?  Online movie streaming, or Video Game Rentals?

Netflix Gets More Online Movies

Speaking about the whole online streaming universe, Netflix announced today that it’s increasing their streaming library in a huge way.  New movies from Paramount, MGM, and Lionsgate will be able to be streamed online 90 days after their DVD release, starting September 1st.

This also means that their back catalogues will also be available, starting that same day.  According to the press release, this could mean nearly 3,000 new movies available for streaming via Netflix.  Like I mentioned earlier, $9 will get you one DVD at a time, and unlimited movie and tv streaming.

Hulu Plus Coming

Most students don’t have TiVo’s or DVR’s on campus, and with busy lives away from the TV, yet great shows on every day, it’s hard to keep up.  Hulu fixes that problem, for the most part, but if you were looking for more, it’s here.

Hulu Plus gives you access to previous seasons of shows, and unlocks a back catalogue of many other shows not available to the typical Hulu user.  It also allows you to stream Hulu Plus content to your TV, Playstation 3, iPhone, and iPad (supposedly more devices are coming soon, including the XBOX 360).  Costs $10 a month, but is currently in a limited preview, so you have to apply for the privilege to use the service at the moment.

Even with the monthly payment, you’ll still be forced to watch ads during the shows.  And don’t worry, free Hulu will still be around.

The closure of DU Field means that Flag Football games will have to be moved.  Our guess is that almost all games will be played near Don Drumm Stadium this year, but there is a chance that Parsons Field could also be used.  Parsons Field is being listed as the alternate for those looking to enjoy wide-open flat spaces on campus.  Another alternative would be to use the Kremer Green in front of the Legacy Library.  While smaller, the area is well suited to just laying out or playing cornhole (oops, I mean Corn Toss, lol).

The Higher Education Opportunity Act goes into effect July 1st, and contains many different things (thanks to Disruptive Library Technology Jester for the breakdown of the law).  One part that is important to students is that there are new textbook disclosure rules to help make class selections and book purchasing decisions a bit easier.

According to the law, colleges are now required to show what books and materials are required and/or recommended for each course at the time of scheduling.  Back when you scheduled, you should have noticed a book icon listed for each class.  Clicking on the icon will tell you what is required for the course, the price, and the ISBN.  Not all classes have books listed, so you may see “To Be Determined” and “No Required Materials” notes instead.  Textbook bundles must also be sold separately, with bundled and non-bundled options listed – including pricing breakdowns.

Ed. Note – According to a rep from the National Association of College Stores, which commented on the article, books are allowed to be bundled still.  Writing on the Mall apologizes for the error.  Here’s what they said:

Under the law, institutions do not have to sell or list textbook bundles seperatly. Publishers need to disclose such information to faculty, but faculty are free to continue to adopt bundles as required. Publishers do not have to offer unbundled for any package they determine as “integrated”.

Another change is that publishers are required to tell professors more information about books they may use for classes.  Professors will now know how much the book costs, what revisions have been made to the book, and other editions of the book in different formats (including their prices).

HEOA also asks for book options to be publicized better by the institution, including renting textbooks, buying used books, and digital textbooks.

Like I mentioned earlier, Marietta College has already adopted the new requirements in its online scheduling system.

Follett Higher Education Group, the company that owns the Marietta College Bookstore, has been advertising it’s own book rental program called Rent-A-Text.  Follett is trying to compete with Chegg (A person favorite!), a popular book rental service that has been around for a few years.  Half.com and Amazon are other great choices for used textbooks.

This means that Marietta College will have its fourth Assistant Director of Student Activities and Greek Life in four years.

Toney revealed her plans in an e-mail to the leaders of all the greek houses and councils on campus. In the letter, which was obtained by Writing on the Mall, she says, “I decided to leave to get back closer to home and it was more personal than professional reasons for leaving.”

When reached for comment, she says, “I really enjoyed working with everyone this past year! You all are some great students and I know you will continue to do good things in the future!”

Toney was hired by Marietta College last summer to replace Tara Kurilchick.  Kurilchick had dual-roles for the college (Residence Life and Student Activities) during the search to fill the Assistant Director position after Lynne Miller left in 2008 for the University of Pittsburgh.  Miller replaced Melissa Liptak in 2006 after Liptak accepted a position with Kent State.

David Travis, the Director of Student Activities and Student Life, says that this is to be expected.  He says that the Assistant Director position is considered and entry-level position.  Because of this, he continues on to say, “It is not uncommon for entry level positions to be held from 1 to 3 years. With this said my goal is to create a working environment that is welcoming for any staff member. This environment needs to allow for a staff member to be challenged and grow professionally.”

Travis will take over the duties of Assistant Director while a search to fill the position begins.  Candidates will be interviewed by a panel of students, faculty, and staff has been formed.  Interviews will begin in July on a rolling basis.

If you were curious to the job requirements, Travis sent along a copy of the job description.

The primary responsibility of this position, as part of the Student Activities & Greek Life department, is to provide leadership to the Greek community by developing and implementing programs and activities that strengthen and enhance Greek Life at Marietta College.  This includes serving as advisor to Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Council, and Greek Council.  The Assistant Director will also provide academic support, counseling and educational programming for all Greek organizations.

Additional responsibilities include partnering with students, student organizations, faculty, and staff in coordinating community service projects.

Duties and responsibilities are organized around two areas:  Management and Programming.

Also of note, a Master’s degree in Higher Education is not being required for the position. Emphasis is also placed on Greek Affiliation.

A Bachelor’s degree is required while a Master’s degree in College Student Personnel, Higher Education Administration or related field is preferred. Prior Greek Life experience (chapter consultant, graduate assistant with Greek Life responsibilities, etc.) is strongly preferred.  Affiliation with a Greek Letter organization is highly desirable. Must possess well developed communication/interpersonal, organization, planning and programming skills.

Writing on the Mall asked several campus leaders for comment.  Brendan George, president of Interfraternity Council, and Josh Maxwell, president of Student Senate, had the following to say.

Ms. Toney’s vacancy will mark the fourth Greek Adviser that MC seniors have experienced.  This means that something is either very wrong with the Greek population at MC or something needs to be done with the position from an administrative standpoint.  Why is it so difficult to keep someone in the position?  Looking at Andrews, Bruce Peterson is really the only one that I see that has stayed with the overall department of Student Life for an extended period of time.  Vickers is gone, Travis is still relatively new, and Pastoor has yet to impress the collegiate population.  It is, as far as it’s personnel is concerned, a very new department.  Now Allison Toney, a woman that showed such promise early in her career here, is leaving as well.  The phenomenon warrants investigation.

~ Brendan George, President of Interfraternity Council

Allison’s departure marks a growing trend in the Assistant Director of Student Activities and Greek Life position of very low retention.  It’s currently suffering the Harry Potter “Defense Against the Darks” curse, because we can’t seem to keep them past a year.  I wonder if maybe this is an appropriate time figure out why this keeps happening, before we set out to hire a replacement.

One of the biggest criteria I will be looking for in a replacement will be the candidate’s willingness and commitment to a multi-year stay at Marietta.  I feel that if the Student Life wishes to continue helping Greek Life grow and develop, it needs to have a staff member that can bring continuity to the table.

~ Josh Maxwell, President of Student Senate

Travis also had the following to say about Toney

Marietta College is sad to see her leaving us. I believe Allison contributed much to the College, its students and the Office of Student Activities and Greek Life. I believe her passion is supporting students and helping them achieve their goals.

~ David Travis, Director of Student Activities and Greek Life