Lee Daniels
Content
Serving the University of New Hampshire since 1911
The New HampsHire
Friday, February 14, 2014
www.TNHonline.com
INSIDE
THE NEWS
UNH’s Ballroom Dance Club
continues to grow and
accomplish its goals.
Vol. 103, No. 29
After falling to Vermont, the
UNH men’s hockey team looks to
rebound against Boston University.
Page 8
Page 19
Parental rights for rapists may be terminated Lee Daniels
shares his own
story of struggle
By MELISSA PROULX
STAFF WRITER
A proposed piece of legislation could
mean a change in the way the judicial system reacts to and treats victims of rape.
Last week, New Hampshire lawmakers
considered a bill that would terminate parental rights for convicted rapists as well as limit the rights of those who have been tried and
not convicted. As of right now, New Hampshire is one of 21 states that don’t require
termination upon, or even after, conviction.
This change in legislation would potentially
help those who are currently dealing with
relevant cases in court, as well as the one
out of every four women who falls victim to
sexual assault each year.
According to Shauna Prewitt, a national voice for these complicated issues who
spoke to members of the Senate Judiciary
Committee in Concord on Tuesday, Feb. 4,
the maintenance of the current law has to do
with the way the country views and treats
women who become pregnant after rape.
Prewitt is considered a national expert
on the subject, as she has both professional
and personal experience with this sort of
legislation.
While in law school, she wrote a paper
on the issue that was eventually published
in the Georgetown Law Journal advocating
ending parental rights for convicted rapists.
She said that the change in legislation would
only match those standards of the legislation
dealing with the other choices that a woman
can make in regards to her baby.
“We know that a woman [who has been
raped] has ultimately three choices once she
find out she’s pregnant,” Prewitt said. “A lot
of states have legislation that help with termination and adoption, but when it came to
women who were raising their child, I was
really surprised to find out that far fewer
states had protections in place for them.”
Prewitt’s desire to take action also came
from her own experiences. Prewitt herself
was raped while in college and learned
shortly after that she was pregnant. After
deciding to keep her baby she attempted to
move on with her life. But in one last final
attack, her rapist, who had not yet been con-
LAW continued on Page 3
UNH ranks high in college arrest statistics
STAFF WRITER
91
11.
12.
33
12.
41
13
14.
17
15.
15.
86
.52
17
20.
06
83
12.5
20.
It’s more than just a simple numbers
game when trying to figure out the validity
of UNH’s party school reputation.
A recently published report on Rehabs.
com named the colleges and universities in
the United States that hold the highest drug
and alcohol arrests based on data collected
from 2009 to 2011. In the report, UNH was
ranked 37 out of 50 for most on-campus
drug arrests per 1,000 students and 20 out
of 50 for most on-campus alcohol arrests
per 1,000 students. In all, the university was
ranked eight out of 20 for drug and alcohol
arrests per 1,000 students.
When looking at UNH’s arrest statistics
from the last three years on the UNH Police
Department’s website, it is clear that these
arrests make up a majority of the criminal
activity on campus, providing some evidence for the findings.
The UNH Police Department, which
posts the crime statistics for the past three
years on its website, recorded that between
2010 and 2012, 717 students were arrested
on campus for violating liquor laws and 294
were arrested on campus for drug possession.
These numbers, which do not include
the drug and alcohol violations referred for
disciplinary action during those years, are
significantly higher than the other categories
shown on the website. For example, dur-
CAMERON JOHNSON/STAFF
Lee Daniels, director of “The Butler,” visited
UNH on Wednesday and spoke before a
crowded Granite State Room.
By CATIE HALL
41
STAFF WRITER
2010-2011
25
22.
By MELISSA PROULX
College and University
Drug and Alcohol Arrests
Arrests Per 1,000 Students
School officials
view ranking as
a sign of strong
policy enforcement
0
U. of Wisconsin
U. of Colorado
U. of Minnesota
U. of Louisiana
U. of Wisconsin
- Oshkosh
- La Crosse
- Boulder
- Duluth
- Monroe
Florida State
U. of Wisconsin
West Chester
Western Illinois
U. of New
- Stout
Hampshire
DATA FROM REHABS.COM
ing those years, only 18 individuals were
charged with aggravated assault on campus.
But all of these statistics raise another
question: is it simply a matter of geography?
New Hampshire has, in the past, had it’s
own reputation of having some of the highest drug use and alcohol consumption rates
in the country.
A look at the national statistics for the
region only further explains these numbers.
In its 2010 National Survey on Drug Use
and Health, the Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration showed that
in the New England Area alone, 56 percent
of those who answered the survey reported
using illicit drugs in their lifetime, with 17.6
percent saying that they had in the past year
Film producer and director Lee Daniels
walked down the rows of seats yelling, “Hi,
everybody! Hi!” His voice filled the Granite
State Room while he marched, wearing casual
jeans and a white dress shirt, to his spot at the
podium.
If his 200-member audience on Wednesday night expected to hear only about Daniels’
movies or his upcoming TV show, they got
more than they bargained for as Daniels painted
the picture of his childhood, his fame and his
home. Much like his movies, the true story of
the night was one of triumph over adversity.
***
and 11.4 percent in the past month. These
numbers were higher than the national averages, which were 49.6 percent, 14.9 percent
and 8.8 percent, respectively.
And when it comes to drinking, the results were about the same. The 2010 SAMHSA report found that in New England, 92
percent said that they had consumed alcohol
in their lifetime, with 78.3 percent saying
they had in the past year and 67.8 saying
they had in the past month. The national averages for these statistics were 87.5 percent,
70.4 percent, and 55.9 percent for the three
categories.
And when compared to other schools in
Before titles, before fame, young Lee Daniels walked down the stairs, his small feet sliding inside his mother’s heels. While his mother may have laughed — a sweet melody to a
child’s ears — his father did not.
As he descended the staircase in his mother’s shoes, his father picked him up.
“You’re trash,” his father said, and he put
the little boy in the garbage.
His father was not the only person in his
life that attacked Daniels.
“I was bullied on. I knew that I was a gay
guy, real skinny. About half the size I am now,”
Daniels said. “Kids don’t know what their sexuality is — four, five, or six — but you know
ARRESTS continued on Page 4
DANIELS continued on Page 3
The New HampsHire
Friday, February 14, 2014
www.TNHonline.com
INSIDE
THE NEWS
UNH’s Ballroom Dance Club
continues to grow and
accomplish its goals.
Vol. 103, No. 29
After falling to Vermont, the
UNH men’s hockey team looks to
rebound against Boston University.
Page 8
Page 19
Parental rights for rapists may be terminated Lee Daniels
shares his own
story of struggle
By MELISSA PROULX
STAFF WRITER
A proposed piece of legislation could
mean a change in the way the judicial system reacts to and treats victims of rape.
Last week, New Hampshire lawmakers
considered a bill that would terminate parental rights for convicted rapists as well as limit the rights of those who have been tried and
not convicted. As of right now, New Hampshire is one of 21 states that don’t require
termination upon, or even after, conviction.
This change in legislation would potentially
help those who are currently dealing with
relevant cases in court, as well as the one
out of every four women who falls victim to
sexual assault each year.
According to Shauna Prewitt, a national voice for these complicated issues who
spoke to members of the Senate Judiciary
Committee in Concord on Tuesday, Feb. 4,
the maintenance of the current law has to do
with the way the country views and treats
women who become pregnant after rape.
Prewitt is considered a national expert
on the subject, as she has both professional
and personal experience with this sort of
legislation.
While in law school, she wrote a paper
on the issue that was eventually published
in the Georgetown Law Journal advocating
ending parental rights for convicted rapists.
She said that the change in legislation would
only match those standards of the legislation
dealing with the other choices that a woman
can make in regards to her baby.
“We know that a woman [who has been
raped] has ultimately three choices once she
find out she’s pregnant,” Prewitt said. “A lot
of states have legislation that help with termination and adoption, but when it came to
women who were raising their child, I was
really surprised to find out that far fewer
states had protections in place for them.”
Prewitt’s desire to take action also came
from her own experiences. Prewitt herself
was raped while in college and learned
shortly after that she was pregnant. After
deciding to keep her baby she attempted to
move on with her life. But in one last final
attack, her rapist, who had not yet been con-
LAW continued on Page 3
UNH ranks high in college arrest statistics
STAFF WRITER
91
11.
12.
33
12.
41
13
14.
17
15.
15.
86
.52
17
20.
06
83
12.5
20.
It’s more than just a simple numbers
game when trying to figure out the validity
of UNH’s party school reputation.
A recently published report on Rehabs.
com named the colleges and universities in
the United States that hold the highest drug
and alcohol arrests based on data collected
from 2009 to 2011. In the report, UNH was
ranked 37 out of 50 for most on-campus
drug arrests per 1,000 students and 20 out
of 50 for most on-campus alcohol arrests
per 1,000 students. In all, the university was
ranked eight out of 20 for drug and alcohol
arrests per 1,000 students.
When looking at UNH’s arrest statistics
from the last three years on the UNH Police
Department’s website, it is clear that these
arrests make up a majority of the criminal
activity on campus, providing some evidence for the findings.
The UNH Police Department, which
posts the crime statistics for the past three
years on its website, recorded that between
2010 and 2012, 717 students were arrested
on campus for violating liquor laws and 294
were arrested on campus for drug possession.
These numbers, which do not include
the drug and alcohol violations referred for
disciplinary action during those years, are
significantly higher than the other categories
shown on the website. For example, dur-
CAMERON JOHNSON/STAFF
Lee Daniels, director of “The Butler,” visited
UNH on Wednesday and spoke before a
crowded Granite State Room.
By CATIE HALL
41
STAFF WRITER
2010-2011
25
22.
By MELISSA PROULX
College and University
Drug and Alcohol Arrests
Arrests Per 1,000 Students
School officials
view ranking as
a sign of strong
policy enforcement
0
U. of Wisconsin
U. of Colorado
U. of Minnesota
U. of Louisiana
U. of Wisconsin
- Oshkosh
- La Crosse
- Boulder
- Duluth
- Monroe
Florida State
U. of Wisconsin
West Chester
Western Illinois
U. of New
- Stout
Hampshire
DATA FROM REHABS.COM
ing those years, only 18 individuals were
charged with aggravated assault on campus.
But all of these statistics raise another
question: is it simply a matter of geography?
New Hampshire has, in the past, had it’s
own reputation of having some of the highest drug use and alcohol consumption rates
in the country.
A look at the national statistics for the
region only further explains these numbers.
In its 2010 National Survey on Drug Use
and Health, the Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration showed that
in the New England Area alone, 56 percent
of those who answered the survey reported
using illicit drugs in their lifetime, with 17.6
percent saying that they had in the past year
Film producer and director Lee Daniels
walked down the rows of seats yelling, “Hi,
everybody! Hi!” His voice filled the Granite
State Room while he marched, wearing casual
jeans and a white dress shirt, to his spot at the
podium.
If his 200-member audience on Wednesday night expected to hear only about Daniels’
movies or his upcoming TV show, they got
more than they bargained for as Daniels painted
the picture of his childhood, his fame and his
home. Much like his movies, the true story of
the night was one of triumph over adversity.
***
and 11.4 percent in the past month. These
numbers were higher than the national averages, which were 49.6 percent, 14.9 percent
and 8.8 percent, respectively.
And when it comes to drinking, the results were about the same. The 2010 SAMHSA report found that in New England, 92
percent said that they had consumed alcohol
in their lifetime, with 78.3 percent saying
they had in the past year and 67.8 saying
they had in the past month. The national averages for these statistics were 87.5 percent,
70.4 percent, and 55.9 percent for the three
categories.
And when compared to other schools in
Before titles, before fame, young Lee Daniels walked down the stairs, his small feet sliding inside his mother’s heels. While his mother may have laughed — a sweet melody to a
child’s ears — his father did not.
As he descended the staircase in his mother’s shoes, his father picked him up.
“You’re trash,” his father said, and he put
the little boy in the garbage.
His father was not the only person in his
life that attacked Daniels.
“I was bullied on. I knew that I was a gay
guy, real skinny. About half the size I am now,”
Daniels said. “Kids don’t know what their sexuality is — four, five, or six — but you know
ARRESTS continued on Page 4
DANIELS continued on Page 3
