Student feigns assault
A student at the College of Saint Rose in Albany was arrested for fabricating and reporting a burglary and sexual assault. On October 30, freshman Jessica Waffle told police that she had been attacked and robbed in her dorm room in Brubacher Hall two days prior, offering highly detailed descriptions of her assailants. On November 9, however, Waffle admitted that she had made the whole story up in order to go back home to Fonda, N.Y, and was arrested on the misdemeanor charge of falsely reporting an incident.
As the residence hall is the property of the University at Albany, SUNY campus police led the intense investigation into the claims. They found a number of inconsistencies in Waffle’s story, which eventually led to her confession.
Waffle’s report also sparked concern among college administrators and community members over the general security on the campus. A town hall-style meeting was held to discuss the issue, and school leaders pledged to install security cameras and card readers. Such plans are still going forward despite Waffle’s confession.
New cell tower planned
Verizon Wireless has proposed building a new 80-foot cell phone tower in a location selected for its clear view of the city, North Troy and Lansingburgh in particular. The plot, approximately 0.35 acres, is located by Oakwood Cemetery at 20 Gurley Avenue. The tower itself would be disguised as a large pine tree and would be protected by six-foot high chain-link fencing.
Area residents are concerned about the new addition, particularly because of its potential to affect the view and land value. The worry is that by building the tower, the surrounding real estate would decrease in value. To allay such fears, Verizon has met with several of the locals to present plans that gave more specifics about the structure as well as the landscaping the company would do.
Student senate update
After a discussion about WRPI last week, the Student Senate focused on committee reports, starting with E-Board Liason Nick Wood ’07, who reported that the Board was going to be discussing the new budget plans. The Community Relations and Student Life committees were busy with “Pizza with the Mayor,” which took place last Wednesday. The Student Life Committee has also been working on the GM Week formal, most notably the possibility of moving it to the Heffner Alumni House. The Finance, Facilities, and Advancement Committee is working on implementing the recently-approved sign policy and helping the Class of 2007 with its plans to redesign the footbridge.
