During the last rush to finish classes, write papers and study for exams, it is easy to forget what happened way back in September. Here are a few of the News section’s most important events from the 2008-2009 school year.

FACULTY HOLDS INFORMATIONAL PICKETING, NEGOTIATING FOR CONTRACT, BENEFITS
The University of San Francisco’s Adjunct Faculty Association held an informational picket to promote the discussion about benefits that were being negotiated with the administration.

USF STUDENT ARRESTED, CHARGED WITH “ACQUAINTANCE” RAPE
Allegations of assault and rape made by four female USF students prompted the arrest of 21-year-old senior Ryan Caskey. Caskey was arrested by the San Francisco Police Department. Caskey  entered a plea of not guilty and is awaiting trial.

Each of the reported rape incidents took place in on-campus residence halls over the last several months according to USF Director of Public Safety Dan Lawson. All of the alleged victims were female students and acquaintances of Caskey.

STUDENT APPEARS IN OBAMA CAMPAIGN VIDEO
Sociology major Courtney Parham appeared in “We Need A President,” a hip hop video geared toward gaining support for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

“We Need A President” was produced by Eklectyk Creative Media. Trevor Parham, directed, edited and appeared in the video featuring original music by Napalm Clique, F.L.O and Tai Chi.

CLUBS FAIL TO REGISTER WITH SLE, DON’T RECEIVE CLUB PRIVILEGES
The office of Student Leadership and Engagement, which oversees all clubs and organizations at USF, denied club status to 18 of the 85 student groups who had petitioned to register but then did not complete their registration on time last May.

Registration was done differently this year, as SLE employed the new online portal OrgSync rather than use paper registration forms.

STUDENT EMPLOYEES CONTINUE TO WAIT FOR PAYCHECKS
Last semester, delays in paycheck distribution affected hundreds of student employees campus-wide. Few were aware of why they had been missing paychecks, but many had problems ranging from dissatisfaction to financial difficulties.

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