Opening statements in the murder trial of Christopher Hollis for the 2005 death of Meleia Willis-Starbuck '07 began on Monday, The San Francisco Chronicle reported yesterday. The killing took place on July 17 when Willis-Starbuck and her friends became involved in an argument with a group of football players near the campus of University of California, Berkeley, where Willis-Starbuck was spending her off-term. According to prosecutors, Willis-Starbuck called Hollis, her high school friend, to assist her in the altercation. Hollis arrived with a gun and opened fire, striking Willis-Starbuck in the neck as well as one of the football players in the wrist. The prosecutor, Deputy District Attorney Elgin Lowe, argued that Hollis should be convicted of murder since he fired the gun multiple times. Outside of the courthouse, Hollis' attorney, Deputy Public Defender Greg Syren told reporters that since Hollis was trying to protect his friend, the murder charge was inappropriate.
The nonprofit day care program, Toddler's Morning Out, will lose its lease with the Church of Christ at Dartmouth College according to Tuesday's Valley News. The source of contention between the church and program was parking spaces -- parents would arrive to pick up their children between 11a.m. and noon which was the same time the church needed parking. Becky French, the president of the program's board of directors, told the Valley News she was surprised by the Church's decision. The program, which predominantly served Norwich and Hanover residents, had already accepted 48 new students for next year and will now have to relocate to a new space. Residents who spoke with the Valley News were upset by the Church's decision since the program was a convenient distance from their homes. Neither the Church of Christ nor Toddler's Morning Out is affiliated with Dartmouth College, which has its own day care program.
Princeton University students continued their "Own What You Think" campaign, which began as a reaction to malicious posts on the website, juicycampus.com, the Daily Princetonian reported Tuesday. JuicyCampus, recently subpoenaed by the New Jersey Attorney General, allows users to post anonymous comments online. The "Own What You Think" campaign, started by Class of 2010 president Connor Diemand-Yauman and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Students Thomas Dunne, has collected more than 930 signatures for an online petition against hate speech. The campaign also launched a poster campaign and a "Love Wall" that projects positive comments written by students about one another. Other schools have contacted Diemand-Yurman about creating similar campaigns.
