LGBT Awareness Posters Defaced at Iowa State U.
By Jessica Anderson
and Erin Randolph
The Iowa State Daily
(U-WIRE) AMES, Iowa – “Not everyone wants to look at faggots.”
This was just one of the phrases written on posters of a gay couple kissing.
As part of Awareness Days, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Ally Alliance conducted a poster campaign. LGBTAA members hung posters featuring three types of couples kissing: two men, two women and a man and a woman.
The poster read, “Everybody has a right to love.”
More than 1,000 posters were displayed on the Iowa State University campus. When counted at the end of the week, 81 were still intact, Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen, LGBTAA president said.
“This is sort of a barometer to the attitude on campus,” Beatty-Hansen said. “It didn’t turn out like we’d hoped it would.”
Todd Herriott, LGBTAA adviser, said hundreds of the posters came back with faces burnt off and mouths taped over. Some had writing on them, including “Not everyone wants to know you exist” and “Everyone has the right to be saved by Christianity.”
“I’m disgusted by what some people have done,” Herriott said. “Most people don’t realize how many times we go through this on a regular basis. Every time we have a poster campaign, they get torn down.”
Katie Mead, a sophomore in sociology, and Julia McGinley, a sophomore in psychology, posed for one of the posters.
“It’s really disheartening, frustrating and disappointing that my classmates and peers showed that much intolerance,” McGinley said.
Beginning Monday, the group will put some of the vandalized posters inside a display case in the Memorial Union. Beatty-Hansen hopes people who take the time to look at the display case will help the LGBTAA promote awareness and understanding.
“[I hope] that people will realize what kind of a situation is out there, what the atmosphere is right now,” Beatty-Hansen said. “Maybe they could do some work, too, to promote understanding.”
Herriott said some students have said the posters are “sexually explicit.”
“How can an innocent kiss be sexually explicit?” Herriott said. “I can’t walk around without seeing people kiss or hold hands.”
He said at least twice a semester, librarians find heterosexual couples having sex on the bookshelves in the library.
“If a homosexual couple was doing this, a big deal would be made of it,” Herriott said.
U. Wisconsin Admissions Process Resumes After Freeze
By Julia Westhoff
The Badger Herald
(U-WIRE) MADISON, Wis. – University of Wisconsin system schools have resumed their regular admissions process since arch’s admissions freeze, UW System President Katharine Lyall said at the Board of Regents meeting Friday.
At the time of the freeze, 124,100 students – 94 percent of the planned target for fall 2002 – had been admitted systemwide. After receiving assurance the budget of UW would not exceed Gov. Scott McCallum’s recommended $51 million, the board of regents authorized schools to admit 5,500 more students. Since Wednesday more than half of the additional students have been admitted, and Lyall said the remainder should be notified soon.
“The process is proceeding briskly, and I believe we will reach the 5,500 [full-time students] within the next week or so,” Lyall told the regents.
Lyall said the university will know the final budget outcome after all students are admitted and will consider whether additional admissions are warranted at that time.
The board also accepted the 2001 Minority and Disadvantaged Student Annual Report Friday amidst discussions of definitions regarding minorities and minority recruitment.
During the discussion, the board reviewed the definitions used to describe minority students and the goals of Plan 2008, UW System’s 10-year plan to increase campus diversity.
Cora Marrett, senior vice president for academic affairs, explained definitions of minority students in the report are established by state statute, which requires the UW System to report on them each year to the governor and state legislature.
Regent Fred Mohs questioned the use of race in admissions but said he enthusiastically supports Plan 2008 because it promotes inclusiveness and does not call for using racial preferences in the admissions process.
UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley said the university’s flagship goal is to continue to improve recruitment of students of color, until the proportion of entering minority students at least matches the proportion of Wisconsin high school graduates of color who are qualified for admission.
The board also discussed deferred maintenance of UW buildings. For the 2001-03 biennium, the UW System’s backlog of deferred building maintenance is estimated at $800 million, according to Nancy Ives, assistant vice president for capital planning and budget.
Regent Roger Axtell wondered if UW buildings were safe with that level of deferred maintenance. Ives and UW-Platteville Chancellor David Markee said UW buildings are safe, despite the backlog. Ives said UW spends about $115 million a year on an ongoing cycle of maintenance needs.
Columbia Students Bet Bush They Can Reduce Emissions
By Zoe Galland
The Columbia Daily Spectator
(U-WIRE) NEW YORK – Scott Paul, a Columbia University student, has a challenge for President George W. Bush that could result in the president being toted around Washington, D.C., in a bicycle rickshaw.
Paul is a member of SustainUS, a network of students and young professionals that symbolically has bet Bush it can eliminate 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions by July. If SustainUS wins, Bush must appoint five members of SustainUS to accompany him to the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa; reduce White House energy consumption by seven percent; and open a “public comment period” on the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol is the international agreement among countries that pledge to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases they emit.
If the organization loses, it has volunteered to help Bush save energy by chauffeuring him around Washington, D.C., in a rickshaw for a week.
The “bet” was announced at a press conference held Tuesday.
The Bush administration has not responded yet to the bet. But later this week, a planning team from SustainUS will discuss its plans with representatives from the U.S. delegation to the World Summit in Johannesburg. Paul emphasized SustainUS will proceed with its plan even if the Bush administration does not agree to the bet.
SustainUS will collaborate on the bet with Green Ribbon Pledge, an organization aimed at raising energy conservation awareness. Green Ribbon Pledge organizer and Hampshire College graduate Ariele Foster described how the challenge will work.
Participants first will go online to greenribbonpledge.org to pledge. All who take the pledge will make energy cutbacks in their lives. They can adapt their habits by taking public transportation at least one day a week, drying laundry on a clothesline and shortening showers by three minutes. Other possible commitments include buying fuel-efficient vehicles, cleaning refrigerator coils every three to six months, caulking and weatherstripping doors and windows, and insulating hot water pipes.
Paul predicted a large number of Columbia students will be involved in the bet. Five students already have filed pledges with the Green Ribbon Pledge.
SustainUS leaders were asked at the press conference how the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions would be measured. SustainUS currently is talking to the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit organization that is considering monitoring the reductions.
Frisbee Golf Leagues Grow Across U.S.
By Rebecca Vallett
The Daily Universe
(U-WIRE) PROVO, Utah – Four years ago, when Terry Calhoun began playing disc golf in the backyard with his children, it was just a game.
Now, as the director of communications for the Professional Disc Golf Association, Frisbee golf is Calhoun’s way of life.
“There are now 25 to 30 touring players who spend their lives being disc golf professionals,” he said.
Dave Nesbitt, a coordinator for the 2002 PDGA Pro Disc Golf World Championships, said few people realize the seriousness of disc golf as a sport.
Although most PDGA members are amateurs, the total professional purse for the tour will exceed $1 million this year.
Frisbee golf, played like regular club-and-ball golf, is growing in popularity both internationally and among Brigham Young University students.
Professional Disc Golf Association statistics report the number of Frisbee courses has grown from five in 1977 to 1,000 courses in 1999.
“There are already five courses in Utah,” said Doug Smith, Utah PDGA State coordinator.
Courses exist in Provo, Ogden, Salt Lake and Roosevelt, Utah, and at Solitude Mountain Resort.
Ohio State Protestors Split on Mid-East Support
By Lorrie Kaufman
The Lantern
(U-WIRE) COLUMBUS, Ohio – Almost 400 protesters crowded the sidewalks outside the Federal Building on North High Street, downtown Columbus, Ohio, Friday to demand the United States stop aid to Israel immediately.
They held signs that read, “Israel must respect international law,”Your bullets are killing our children” and “Palestine is bleeding.”
Protesters of all ages supported the Palestinian community.
A young boy stood up and said, “I stand for all the children who have stood in front of a tank to protect their family.”
Ahmad Al-Akhras, president of the Council for American-Islamic Relations, called for people to take a stand against the violence. Call the Bush administration immediately. Tell them to cut aid to Israel, he said.
“Make sure your voice is heard,” he said. “You have to speak up. Make sure our tax dollars are not used to kill innocent civilians.”
Last week President Bush asked Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to remove his people from the occupied Palestinian territories. Sharon refused. Bush also announced Secretary of State Colin Powell will be traveling to the Middle East sometime early this week.
Outraged by Sharon’s refusal, Al-Akhras said, “The United States must support ending the occupation immediately. These little kids are killed by our own bullets, our tax dollars. We demand stopping, immediately, the aid to Israel.”
Also on Friday more than 300 people gathered on the Statehouse lawn in support of Israel.
Elliot Mendes, president of OSU’s student group Israel Action Committee, said U.S. aid to Israel is necessary.
“American aid to Israel is very important to Israel as a state,” Mendes said. “Since the violence, their economy has really been in decline. It’s important as Israel is trying to defend itself they continue to receive American support so their economy can survive, which also helps the Palestinian economy to an extent.”
Sean Krebs, an active member of the Committee for Justice in Palestine, disagreed. He said it is time for America to demand justice.
“America, it is time to wake up and realize the atrocities being committed by the Israeli government,” Krebs said.
Mendes supports the Israeli government’s right to defend itself. He also said Palestinians’ views are more uniform than those of the Israelis.
“Israel as a democracy entitles its people to question the government,” he said. “Palestinian people don’t have that kind of mechanism. They need to have strong leadership that is really willing to work for peace.”
Ora Wise, member of the Committee for Justice in Palestine, is a Jew who was born in Jerusalem but is a strong supporter of the Palestinians.
“I’m standing here in solidarity with my Palestinian brothers and sisters because what Israel has been doing for the past 54 years does not represent me,” Wise said.
Tufts Students Depend on AIM Communication
By Genna Sankin
The Tufts Daily
(U-WIRE) MEDFORD, Mass. – When that cute guy you met at a party asks you for your screenname instead of your phone number, you know you’re in trouble. While “LOL,”TTYL” and “BRB” have not been officially added to the English language, anyone with access to a computer knows what they mean. America Online’s Instant Messenger feature is all the rage these days, especially on college campuses.
AIM is free, and offer students the “chat” component of America Online without the e-mail feature. Members pick a “screenname” and can talk to friends or leave “away messages” when they are away from their computer. While ICQ is popular among the international and West Coast crowd, the majority of students at Tufts have AIM screennames.
“It’s my downfall,” Tufts freshman Kathryn Peters said of Instant Messenger. For incoming freshmen, downloading some type of online “messenger” system is essential.
“I downloaded it the first day [it was available],” freshman Lauren Gesserman said.
AIM was not always as popular as it is now. Senior Latrice Goosby was inspired to create a screenname by her freshman roommate, an international student. Goosby didn’t know of any other students’ using the feature at the time.
Goosby and other students say they use Instant Messenger primarily to communicate with friends at other college campuses. IM has allowed her to keep in touch with students she met abroad, since it’s much easier and cheaper than a visit or a long-distance phone call.
“Without IM I probably wouldn’t talk to a lot of my friends from high school,” sophomore Tyson Lynch said. He says that IM away messages and personal profiles allow him to keep up with friends he doesn’t see every day.
However, many underclassmen admit to the ultimate in laziness: chatting online with Tufts neighbors and friends in lieu of phone calls or personal visits.
“I’m on it all the time except for when my Internet connection is broken,” freshman Kate Kleene said.
Senior Jessica Cohen says she mostly talks online to the people she sees every day, although she says she still prefers to use the phone.
Sophomore Gati Dharani says she thinks that because of the heavy reliance on IM, students’ social skills may be deteriorating.
UConn Police Utilize Sobriety Checkpoints
By Nicole Statuti
The Daily Campus
(U-WIRE) STORRS, Conn. – The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that every 32 minutes, there is one alcohol related fatality. In the United States, there were 16,653 fatalities in alcohol related crashes during the year 2000, NHTSA reports. Three in every 10 Americans are involved in an alcohol related crash some time in their life, they also reported.
This weekend, the University of Connecticut will attempt to reduce drunken driving violations.
This Friday night and early Saturday morning, the UConn Police Department will be performing sobriety checkpoints on campus.
These checkpoints are part of an effort to catch DUI violations and other motor vehicle related violations.
“This checkpoint is part of the continuing effort by the University of Connecticut Police Department to take drunk drivers off the highways of Connecticut,” UConn Police Chief Robert Hudd said in a recent news release.
According to the NHTSA, a recent survey of college students said that more than 35 percent of students reported they have driven under the influence. Out of this 35 percent, only 1.7 percent were arrested.
In Connecticut, it is illegal to operate a motor vehicle if your blood alcohol concentration exceeds .10 percent.
Randolph Lafferty, an attorney with Youngblood, Corcoran, Lafferty, Stackhouse, Hyberg and Waldman in Egg Harbor Township, N.J., said that if an individual is stopped and asked if they have been drinking by police, they are not required to answer any potentially incriminating questions.
This, though, does not mean admittance to a few drinks necessarily means the individual is drunk, he said.
On the Web page of attorney William Head he said that during a DUI stop, the officer will most times look for tell-tale signs of intoxication including a flushed face, red, watery or glassy eyes, slurred speech or alcohol on the breath.
If an individual shows these signs, they may be asked to take a field sobriety test, the Web page said.
During the FST, the individual is often asked to perform several tests such as the recitation of alphabet, fingers to thumb, finger to nose, heel to toe, standing on one leg, etc., the Web page also said.
Legally an individual is not required to take the FST, Lafferty said.
“Your Fifth Amendment rights provide you with the right not to do anything that may be self-incriminating,” Lafferty said. “By nature, the field sobriety test is self-incriminating.”
The officer may then ask for an individual to complete a chemical test (blood, breath or urine). Many people believe that they can refuse to take a Breathalyzer without any consequences. This is not true, Lafferty said.
“[The individual] must take a Breathalyzer, by law,” Lafferty said. “The reason for this is that it is a condition of your license that you submit to the Breathalyzer.”
A refusal to take a chemical test can be introduced as evidence as “consciousness of guilt.” Upon a refusal, the individual will have their driver’s license suspended, Lafferty said.
This may even be true if you are not found guilty of DUI. Not taking a Breathalyzer receives the “same penalties as drunk driving,” Lafferty said.