Friday, April 2, 1999

Student Newspaper of the University of North Texas

Vol. 81

No. 94

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Captured soldiers face military trial; well-wishers rally

AP - While Serb television showed images of three U.S. servicemen captured in Yugoslavia, their relatives and friends back home Thursday prayed for the soldiers' safe return and described them as brave young men who were proud to serve their country.

The three soldiers, part of a NATO peacekeeping force, were captured Wednesday near the Yugoslav-Macedonian border. Yugoslavia's state news agency reported the three will go on military trial Friday, a move President Clinton condemned as a violation of international treaties.

The Pentagon identified the soldiers as Staff Sgt. Andrew A. Ramirez, 24, of Los Angeles; Staff Sgt. Christopher J. Stone, 25, of Smiths Creek, Mich.; and Spc. Steven M. Gonzales, 21, of Huntsville, Texas.

Though Gonzales appeared battered and bruised, his family expressed relief he didn't look worse.

His parents, Gilbert and Rosie Gonzales, are both employees of the Texas corrections system, and prisons statewide were asked to tie yellow ribbons to their entrances until the soldiers are released.

Yellow ribbons also were tied around trees in downtown Capac, Mich., where Stone went to high school. Small American flags were tied with yellow ribbon on the fence outside the home of Ramirez's father in Los Angeles.

''Steven and those other two soldiers don't deserve this,'' Mrs. Gonzales said at a news conference Thursday. ''They're young men with their whole lives ahead of them who were put in a bad situation. We're hopeful for the safe return of all three of them.''

Friends and former teachers said Gonzales was a likable, bright athlete during his high school days in Palestine, 90 miles north of Huntsville in east Texas. He graduated in 1995 and won a scholarship to Texas A&M, but left after a year to pursue a dream of joining an elite Army corps.

''He was the type of student you'd love to have: hard-working, always happy, funny,'' said teacher Kay Stroud, who had Gonzales in her advanced placement biology class his senior year.

A friend, Kelly Williams, recognized her former classmate as soon as she saw the Serbian TV pictures.

''Unfortunately, he's got rather big ears. He used to wiggle his ears for us and make us laugh,'' she said. ''That's how I knew it was him. I was like, you could not mistake those ears.''

Stone, whose wife and 5-year-old son live in San Antonio, was described by former teachers and classmates as a talented athlete also blessed with the ''gift of gab.''

''I'm surprised he couldn't talk his way out of this,'' said Ken Marzka, Stone's cross-country coach at Capac Community Junior-Senior High School, about 50 miles northeast of Detroit.

''Chris is a tough kid ... he never quit,'' Marzka said. ''He never was great (as a runner),'' Marzka said. ''But when push came to shove, he got tougher and tougher. Chris is going to be just fine.''

School counselor Kathy Kish said Stone was well-liked by students and teachers. His membership in Students Against Drunk Driving showed his concern for his fellow students, she said.

''It doesn't surprise us a bit that he's serving our country on a peace mission,'' she said.

In Los Angeles, outside the modest home of Ramirez's divorced father, Andy Ramirez, neighbors prayed for the captured staff sergeant and reminisced about the ''all-American kid'' they watched grow up.

Ramirez, a wrestler in high school, joined the Army after graduation in 1992. He wanted to follow the path of his hero, older brother Steven Ramirez, an Army veteran who is now a Los Angeles police detective.

''Those two brothers are very close. It hit home because we're a very united family,'' said Frank Jasso, Ramirez's great-uncle.

Some neighbors wept as they talked outside the home five miles east of downtown.

''I know he will come back and we will all greet him with open arms,'' said neighbor and longtime friend Johnny Rios. ''He's a hero now because he did his duty as a military personnel. We just thank God for putting him in our lives to serve the country.''

Candidates for SA state platforms

By Kendra Boome
Staff Writer

Parking and lighting should be increased and organized, agreed both candidate teams running for SA president and vice president in a candidate forum Thursday evening in the Bruce Hall Lobby.

Each candidate team - Jesse Martin, Denton junior, and Lisa Bethea, Cedar Hill sophomore, as well as Kabrina Luckey, Lancaster junior, and Daryl Miller, Fort Worth junior - spoke for 20 minutes, answering questions and sharing their plans if elected.

Of the nine assembly members running for positions, only Susan Ganzer, Denton junior, who is running for assembly member for the College of Arts and Sciences attended the forum.

SA elections officer Dustin Lowe, Carrollton junior, said students can run as write-in candidates for assembly member positions. If they receive more votes as a write-in candidate than an already-announced candidate, they can take the position.

Martin and Bethea stressed their plans to work as student advocates.

"If you have a problem, we will have the empathy to help you out or find someone who can," Bethea said.

Martin and Bethea presented several ideas for the new year:

·A study of parking, lighting and other safety measures

·Bi-weekly SA roundtable discussions for groups on campus

·Beginning an organization that works solely on coordinating service projects

·Scheduling homecoming events for an entire week instead of a weekend

·A scholarship fund for B-average students who are active on campus and work at jobs outside of their academic work

·A brochure for new students outlining fees and important dates

Luckey and Miller shared their goals of seeing more students, groups and faculty involved in SA activities.

A lot of students are unaware of and feel intimidated by SA, Luckey said.

Luckey and Miller's plans include:

-Bringing SA representatives to area high schools and freshman orientation to increase freshman retention

-Pairing faculty member mentors with students

-Increasing attendance at SA meetings by having town hall meetings during the school day

-Having mandatory study sessions for SA members to motivate the student body to follow suit

-Talking with the administration about increasing both lighting and parking.

Speaker shares story of sexual assault

By Selene A. Benjamin
Staff Writer

Thousands of people across the nation have heard her story. On Thursday afternoon, about 100 students sat in the University Union Lyceum intently listening to Katie Koestner tell her story of date rape.

"This is not about bashing men, it's about how you can help," she said.

The audience sat and watched the petite, blond woman walk to center stage and stand in front of a microphone. Everyone sat in silence as she told a story about what she calls the worst night of her life.

Koestner's story begins like many students at NT and other colleges and universities.

Koestner said during her first few days at William and Mary, the women's dorm invited the men's dorm to watch a movie. At the movie, Peter caught Koestner's eye and she thought, "There weren't guys like that in high school. I'm going to love college."

One day Koestner made her way to "run into him" at the cafeteria trash can, and they discovered they were taking the same chemistry class she said. They decided to study together.

After that first day, Koestner said they saw each other every day for the next 10 days. She said they weren't dating, just hanging out, and he was a perfect gentleman.

Then he asked her out on a real date. He came to her dorm room and took her to a fancy, French restaurant. The menus were in French, the waiters spoke French and Peter ordered for the both of them in French. She told him she didn't drink, he told her he didn't order champagne every night. She said she didn't want to ruin the date, so she took two sips.

She said a little knot formed in her stomach when he told her she would also have to have sex with him when he wanted her to. She ignored the knot, she said.

She invited Peter back to her dorm room, she said. She said she had been alone with him before.

"Why after acting like a perfect gentleman for 10 days would I think he wouldn't on the 11th?" she said.

Koestner said when he tried to undress her, she tried to stop him. When he got undressed, she said she didn't know how to deal with it so she tried to start a pillow fight. They started wrestling and then pinned her on the ground and started to get rough, she said.

"When I was 18, date rape didn't exist," Koestner said.

She said she knew about rape when her father gave her a clipping of a woman who was raped, murdered and left with her pantyhose around her neck. Her father told her, "Katie, don't let this happen to you."

Koestner said 84 percent of rape victims know their attacker.

"I can't tell you all the reasons I didn't throw him out of my room," she said. "I like him a lot."

Peter stopped and said he was going to bed. Koestner sat up all night on the other side of the room. When he woke up he told her he was sorry, that he felt awful she didn't get any sleep, and to go ahead and try to sleep.

"I gave people second chances," she said. "He looked and sounded sorry." She said she started to go to sleep and that's when the rape happened.

"I dream of a day with no more rape," she said. "I'm an idealist."

This happened in 1991. Since Koestner spoke out, people's attitudes toward date rape have been changing.

When she told people what happened to her, she was told by the nurse to take some sleeping pills, get some sleep and that she could come back for a pregnancy test.

Then she tried to talk to the dean. The dean told her that she was making a serious charge and to go home and think about what she was saying. She said even her father told her it was her fault it happened and her mother told her she was damaged goods and would never find a husband.

Since then, numerous television specials have educated people on date rape. Many series have made it the topic of a show, and with Koestner's help, the Victim's Bill of Rights was passed in 1992.Koestner encouraged the men in the audience to tell other men that rape is wrong.

"Sometimes I think your voice goes farther than mine," Koestner said. "Don't wait until someone you care about is crying on your shoulder."

Koestner told the audience that one in four women are sexually assaulted. She urged everyone to do something now and not wait until that one is their mother, sister, girlfriend or daughter.

"Respect a simple word," Koestner said. Peter told the jury at the trial at the college that she did say no.

Scott Koller, Crandall sophomore, said after the presentation he realized that "it can happen anywhere and anytime."

Banquet committee finishes preparations

By Catherine Atkinson
Daily Reporter

The invitations have been delivered, the menu has been planned, and all that is left for the Honors Banquet Committee to do is to decorate.

The three regular members of the banquet committee have been working with Dr. Gloria Cox, Honors Program coordinator, to organize the affair, which takes place on Thursday.

Cox invited Gloria Campos, news anchor at WFAA, to speak to the attendees. "We haven't had a woman yet. I felt she would be a good person."

Candis Threlkeld, committee chair, said, "The banquet committee has not done as much as in years past," because few people have been interested.

One of the jobs of the committee was to choose the theme for the event.

Wendy Upchurch, Arlington freshman, said the theme, "Achieving Excellence," was just made up by the group.

"It's just the name," she said. "Dr. Cox wanted something with excellence in it."

Upchurch said that the theme does not have special decorations.

Threlkeld, Whitney senior, said the group chose to have simpler decorations this year, though Cox will choose the decorations.

"We're going to have flowers on every table," Cox said. "We'll have votive candles," and they will have posters with the theses some students have written.

During the banquet, the Honors Program will honor scholarship winners, the seniors who wrote an honors thesis and one or two faculty members, Michelle Bennett, administrative assistant, said.

The cost of the banquet is $7 for Honors students and $15 for faculty and guests.

Bennett said, "[The tickets] are going to cover the cost of the banquet," though the program usually spends more than it receives.

The banquet will run from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the Thursday in the Silver Eagle Suite.

Upchurch said she enjoyed working on the committee and preparing something for her friends in the program. "It's neat to get to work with people you know."

Outside the walls
New classes focus on roughing it

By Selene A. Benjamin
Staff Writer

Outdoor Pursuits, an experimental course, will be offered for during the May minimester by the kinesiology department.

The course is an introduction to noncompetitive life-long activities, such as hiking, camping, outdoor cooking and possibly cycling, canoeing and fishing.

"Most [activity courses] are competitive," said John Sanfranek of the kinesiology department. "It's something people can do throughout their lives, something people can appreciate regardless of age."

The class will fulfill a one-hour activity credit required by some degrees, Sanfranek said. However, Sanfranek said the class will also benefit students who enjoy the outdoors and always wanted to learn more about it.

The class also fulfills an accreditation requirement for kinesiology majors seeking teacher certification, Sanfranek said.

"The course is accredited by the National Counsel for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the National Association for Sports and Physical Education (NASPE)," he said.

During the first week, the class members will set goals and determine what skills they want to learn. The skills will be taught in the classroom and outdoors, then during the second week, the students will go on a three-day overnight camp. The camp gives the students the opportunity to practice what they've been taught.

"The students pick the location and design the camp," Sanfranek said.

During the last week, the class will meet once to take the final exam.

Students will need to have a sleeping bag, foam pad and tent for the class.

During the three day camp, students will be expected to make their own meals, sleep in tents or under tarps on the ground at "primitive campsite," a campsite with no shelter or electricity.

"I think it will be fun class," said Dr. Jim Morrow, department chairman of the kinesiology department.

The class will be offered in the fall and may be offered again in the next spring minimester.

Police seek rebels in MSU riot

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Authorities working to identify suspects from a weekend riot at Michigan State University have confiscated snapshots from a film developer and subpoenaed news organizations for photos and videotape.

The seizures by East Lansing police took place Monday and Wednesday from a film counter at Meijer's, an area department store. It came after employees spotted eight rolls of riot footage and notified detectives. Five of the rolls were taken by a freelance photographer who covered the riot for The Associated Press.

About 5,000 people rioted on the Michigan State campus after the school lost its Final Four college basketball game to Duke on Saturday. Rioters set cars aflame, broke windows and squared off with police. Police have made 27 arrests.

Meijer's spokesman John Zimmerman said employees in the store acted responsibly in alerting police to the riot images. ''This is a well-publicized act of violence,'' he said.

Ingham County prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III said his office also issued subpoenas Wednesday to 19 news organizations seeking all their videotape and film of the riot. He declined to identify them.

Steve Crosby, executive editor of the Lansing State Journal, said the newspaper sent police copies of photos it had published. But he said the newspaper is not turning over any other photos except one of a man believed to have assaulted a Journal employee.

''We need our independence and integrity to do our job,'' Crosby said. ''We don't want to be an arm of the police.''

WILX-TV news director Kevin Ragan said he turned over only material that his station had broadcast.

''We see the need for our pictures to be part of that investigation,'' Ragan said. But he added, ''There are some basic First Amendment rights and freedom of the press rights we need to protect.''

Police on Thursday also began using a Web site to display pictures of riot suspects. The Web site address can be viewed at www.ci.east-lansing.mi.us.

A&M loses affiliation

HOUSTON (AP) - A judge has struck down the affiliation between Texas A&M University and Houston's South Texas College of Law, saying A&M violated the state Constitution in going forward with the alliance.

State higher education officials applauded the decision, while a lawyer for the private law school vowed to appeal.

''We expect to reverse (the) ruling and obtain a ruling ... in furtherance of good public policy for the benefit of the students,'' said South Texas lawyer John Hill.

State District Judge Suzanne Covington voided the affiliation on Wednesday.

Clinton asks country to 'carry out mission'

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - President Clinton acknowledged today the dangers of NATO's mission in Kosovo but asked the American public to ''resolve that we will continue to carry out our mission.''

Speaking to military personnel and their families at Norfolk Naval Base the day after three U.S. soldiers were seized by the Serbs, Clinton put Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic on notice that he would be held responsible for safety of the three, who are expected to go before a military court as early as Friday.

''President Milosevic should make no mistake,'' Clinton said. ''The United States takes care of its own.''

Necessary strikes

The NATO airstrikes are necessary to counter the slaughter of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo, Clinton said.

''Had we not acted, the Serbian offensive would have been carried out with impunity. We are determined that it will carry a very high price indeed,'' he said.

''This is not an easy challenge with a simple answer,'' Clinton said. ''The mission I have asked our armed forces to carry out with our NATO allies is a dangerous one.''

Recognizing that atrocities occur in other parts of the world, Clinton argued against complacency.

''Just because we can't do everything for everyone doesn't mean that for the sake of consistency we should do nothing for no one,'' he said.

Clinton offers appreciation

Clinton came to Norfolk to rally the troops and express his appreciation for the sacrifices that their service requires. He was met by Adm. Harold W. Gehman Jr., NATO's supreme allied commander for the Atlantic, whose headquarters is at Norfolk.

After meeting with the families of several airmen and sailors who are deployed abroad, he addressed more than 1,200 military personnel and family members gathered in an aircraft hangar.

''I wanted to come here today because I wanted America to know that the sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform are fully mirrored by their families back home,'' Clinton said from a podium set before two F-18 Hornets. Mothers with toddlers mixed with the uniformed personnel in the crowd.

He also spoke by telephone to military personnel at Aviano Air Base in Italy, where many of NATO's planes are based. ''We're proud of you and we appreciate you,'' Clinton said.

Introducing Clinton, Defense Secretary William Cohen defended the administration against criticism that it had been unprepared for the escalation of Serbian violence in Kosovo. And he dismissed Russian President Boris Yeltsin's call for an eight-nation summit on the Kosovo crisis.

Cohen, who was accompanied by Gen. Hugh Shelton, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, dismissed as ''completely fictitious'' reports that U.S. officials ignored warnings that air power alone might not save the Kosovar Albanians or that Milosevic might step up his aggression. ''We knew that it would not be easy,'' he said.

''The president was right to act. We looked at this. We saw what the potential consequences would be if we took no action or if we took action,'' Cohen said. ''We believe we're doing the right thing.''

Capture not affecting resolve

He said the capture of the three soldiers would not loosen NATO resolve.

''NATO intends to proceed with its plan to see to it that Mr. Milosevic is going to suffer considerable damage,'' Cohen said.

On Wednesday, Clinton called on the allies and the American public to ''show a little resolve'' with the air campaign now in its second week. Despite a growing humanitarian crisis, Clinton remains opposed to sending in U.S. ground troops.

''This air campaign is not a 30-second ad,'' he said in an interview Wednesday with CBS News anchor Dan Rather. ''It's only been going on a few days. ... And I'd like to see us keep working on this and not have our attention diverted by other things.''

Air strikes criticized

As Serb forces appear to be pushing ethnic Albanians out of Kosovo into neighboring countries, critics of Clinton's Kosovo policy increasingly are saying an air-power-only approach will not bring Milosevic to the peace table.

The president declined to explicitly rule out the introduction of ground troops in the future, but he maintained that such a move is not currently under consideration.

''The thing that bothers me about introducing ground troops into a hostile situation - into Kosovo and into the Balkans - is the prospect of never being able to get them out,'' Clinton told CBS.

Meantime, two ships in the USS Theodore Roosevelt battle group, which departed Norfolk Friday en route to the Persian Gulf, entered the Mediterranean Sea today and will take up stations in or near the Adriatic by Saturday, bolstering NATO's capability to fire sea-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles at Yugoslavia, officials said.

Citing reports that Serb forces were stripping ethnic Albanians of documents that prove their citizenship, and slaughtering politicians and others, Clinton blamed Milosevic in the CBS interview.

Dole supports actions

Former Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas, Clinton's Republican opponent in the 1996 presidential campaign who before the airstrikes tried to broker peace in Yugoslavia at Clinton's behest, said use of U.S. ground troops there should not be ruled out.

Reflecting on World War II, Dole said: ''My generation, we stood by and watched genocide and we promised ourselves and everybody else it would never happen again. Now if this (Kosovo) isn't genocide, then I fail to understand the definition, and it's been going on for seven years. ...

Clinton turned aside a request from Pope John Paul II to suspend the bombing over the Easter weekend, saying it would give Milosevic carte blanche to step up his aggression.

''We can't observe Easter and honor the resurrection of Christ by allowing him another free day to kill more innocent civilians,'' Clinton said.

Yahoo! Inc to buy site for $5.7 billion

NEW YORK (AP) - Yahoo! Inc. is buying Broadcast.com Inc. for $5.7 billion in stock, adding the Internet's leading supplier of radio and video programs to Yahoo!'s growing array of services.

The transaction announced Thursday puts Yahoo! in a solid position to take advantage of the high-speed future of the Internet. Yahoo! now offers a directory service and search engine for the World Wide Web, providing easy links to millions of sites.

Broadcast.com is perhaps best known for its Web broadcasts of John Glenn's second launch into space and the Victoria's Secret fashion show. But the company's services are expected to grow in popularity as connections to cyberspace get faster and easier.

The acquisition ''really positions Yahoo! to play a defining role as we see the rise of audio and video content on the Web,'' said Paul Noglows, a San Francisco-based analyst with Hambrecht & Quist.

''From Broadcast.com's perspective, it will make their services available to a much broader range of users, considering Yahoo! attracts 50 million unique users to its site a month.''

Yahoo! agreed to pay $130 a share for Broadcast.com's stock, a 10 percent premium over Wednesday's closing price of $118.18 3/4 on the Nasdaq Stock Market. Shares of Broadcast.com had run up in recent days on reports the two companies were talking about a deal.

Broadcast.com investors will receive .77 of a Yahoo share for each Broadcast.com share.

News of the deal filtered out after markets had closed Wednesday.

By midday Thursday, Broadcast.com's shares were up $10.31 1/4 to $128.50 and Yahoo!'s stock was up $7.62 1/2 at $176.

Founded in 1994 by Stanford University doctoral candidates David Filo and Jerry Yang, Yahoo! is one of the premier destinations on the Internet. The company's turbocharged stock, which has risen 264 percent in the past 12 months, has turned into a currency to snap up rivals.

But Broadcast.com wasn't cheap. The Dallas-based firm, which went public in July, has seen its shares rise 1,213 percent in just eight months.

The company, however, isn't making any money yet. Broadcast.com lost $16.4 million last year on revenue of $22.3 million, while Yahoo! made $25.6 million on revenue of $203.3 million.

Yahoo!'s premium for a company in the red didn't seem to bother Yahoo! shareholder Charles Lax, a general partner with SoftBank Venture Capital.

''What else is new?'' he asked. ''High-speed access (to the Internet) is very important, and this is just an anchor acquisition for that.''

This is Yahoo!'s second major deal this year. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company announced the $4.58 billion acquisition of GeoCities Inc. in January.

Trucker in Amtrack wreck losing license

CHICAGO (AP) - Illinois officials said Thursday they will suspend the commercial driver's license of the trucker involved in last month's deadly Amtrak collision.

John R. Stokes, 58, will lose his truck-driving privileges for two months starting in June, said Secretary of State Jesse White.

Keeping Stokes from driving a truck, even for 60 days, will ''no doubt'' make Illinois roads safer, White said.

Stokes' license had been under suspension at the time of the March 15 crash because of prior speeding tickets, but he had been allowed to drive with a temporary license during the suspension.

That suspension expired March 25. Last week, White said state lawyers concluded there was no way they could legally extend it, despite Stokes' checkered driving record.

Since then, however, White has learned of an additional traffic violation on Stokes' record from last year.

A two-month suspension is the toughest penalty the state can impose on Stokes under Illinois law, White's office said. He will still be allowed to drive his car.

Prosecutors have not filed any charges against Stokes in the wreck. Eleven people were killed and more than 100 injured when Amtrak's southbound City of New Orleans struck a semi-trailer truck that Stokes was driving at a rural crossing near Bourbonnais.

Stokes has denied any wrongdoing, and the National Transportation Safety Board has said crash witnesses gave possibly conflicting statements about his actions the night of the crash.

But Stokes has a long history of traffic citations in the 31 years he has had an Illinois driver's license, including involvement in nine accidents before the train collision, state records show.

Man killed in possible hate crime

CORDELE, Ga. (AP) - A 33-year-old transvestite was beaten to death in rural Georgia, and authorities are investigating the beating as a possibly hate-motivated crime.

Covered with blood and bleeding from head wounds, Tracey Thompson managed to walk a half mile to a farmhouse before he lost consciousness. He died Tuesday at a hospital.

''We backtracked where he had walked down the dirt road and found the crime scene,'' Sheriff Stacy Bloodworth said Wednesday. ''In the middle of the road were blood and a partial piece of a baseball bat.''

The bat appears to be the murder weapon, Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent Gary Rothwell said today.

Rothwell said authorities were able to question Thompson before he died, but he declined to say what the victim told them. He said Thompson lapsed into unconsciousness while he was being questioned.

Possible motives ranged from robbery to a sex- or hate-crime, Rothwell said. But the state has no specific law that provides for extra punishment for attacking a person because of his or her sexual orientation.

Hall hooligans
Bruce Hall organization invades dorms for night time fun

By Marissa Ann Moses
Daily Reporter

The Bruce Hall army has done it again.

The Royal Order and Army of the Roach, or R.O.A.R., has invaded another dorm and kidnapped one of the residents, all in the spirit of fun.

On Tuesday, R.O.A.R. members dressed up as members of the Mafia invaded Maple Hall's general assembly, kidnapped Maple Hall Association's president Cristina Reyna, Grapevine junior, and held her for ransom.

Bruce Hall Association treasurer Mike Scherpenberg, Dallas senior, said Bruce Hall invaded Maple Hall in the last five minutes of their meeting. Maple was informed that the dorm was "disrespecting" the Bruce Hall family, Scherpenberg said.

"We took their president to teach them a lesson," Scherpenberg said, smiling.

The "Mafia" kidnapped Reyna and left a ransom note. Items demanded 16 green M&M's, a Gonzo Pez dispenser with strawberry Pez, a New Kids on the Block compact disc, purple nail polish and a poster-size sign that had "Maple has been annexed by the Bruce empire" written on it. They also wanted Clark Hall director Laurelle Denning.

Denning was once the assistant hall director at Bruce Hall. She was promoted to Clark Hall this past semester.

"She was stolen from us by Clark, and we wanted her back," Scherpenberg said.

As Reyna was tied to a chair in the Bruce Hall lobby, R.O.A.R. assumed that the residents of Maple Hall were attempting to gather everything.

They were surprised with what happened at the 11 p.m. meeting time. Three Maple Hall residents with only one item on the listed showed up.

"They gave us a box of purple bunny marshmallows as a peace offering," Scherpenberg said.

Since Maple Hall decided not to pay the ransom for their president, R.O.A.R. tried to persuade Reyna to surrender.

"We told her to surrender, but she wouldn't give up," Scherpenberg said. "Instead we untied her and dropped her off at the Maple Hall front desk."

All of the events Tuesday night were done in the fun of dorm life. Maple Hall was chosen as the victim for this invasion because everyone involved thought it would be fun.

"We though Maple would be a fun hall to mess with," Scherpenberg said.

Maple Hall had a hint that an invasion would take place, but Maple residents were unsure of when. The members of R.O.A.R. attended a previous Residence Hall Association meeting to find out when Maple Hall Association has meetings.

"There was foreshadowing it would happen," Scherpenberg said.

No one knows who the leaders of R.O.A.R. are. They traditionally wear black-hooded capes with the highest-ranking leader wearing a purple-hooded cape. The leaders of R.O.A.R. were very pleased with this invasion.

"Maple declared the dominance of Bruce Hall over Maple by erecting a banner of their defeat," the guardian of R.O.A.R. said through his mask.

Asked how members became the leaders of R.O.A.R., the reply was, "I just am. We are who we are."

The next event the leaders of R.O.A.R. should appear at is Bruce Hall's Jello Wrestling program from 2 to 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Bruce Hall courtyard.

Other invasions are planned for other dorms on campus.

"I hear West Hall is trying to gather a force of people called the Dark Legion who obviously envy the success of R.O.A.R. Soon they too will be annexed," the guardian said.

Bravo for Brazo
Broadway veteran contributes to NT performance

By Thomas Dodson
Staff Writer

As the dance and theater arts department prepares to open this season's musical, "A Chorus Line," Broadway veteran and choreographer Ed Brazo has been called in to give the show a professional edge.

Brazo became a professional dancer after he received his bachelor's degree in 1975 from Montclair State University in New Jersey. He spent several years as a Broadway performer and toured nationally in "Gypsy," starring Angela Lansbury.

He then went to do choreography at Southern Illinois University, where current NT dance and theater arts faculty member Alex Chrestopoulos was teaching.

"We worked in a lot of the same theaters, so our paths had crossed in New York. We shared a lot of stories about friends we had in common," Brazo said.

At the university the two worked together for the first time. Chrestopoulos was the director and Brazo the choreographer for - "A Chorus Line."

In 1985, Brazo had gone to almost full-time choreography and in 1990 he went back to school to get his master's degree at Northeast Louisiana University. He decided on the Northeast because they offered him a graduate teaching position and it was out of the city.

"I wanted to get out of the city because I knew if I didn't I would keep doing shows and would never finish this degree," he added.

Aside from returning to New York to perform during the summers, Brazo has spent the last seven years teaching at Northwest Louisiana State University. He said the department's commitment to grow with quality performers and not just quantity has been what's kept him there.

"The only reason I've stayed is because the dance and theater program has grown so much," he said.

Brazo arrived in Denton on March 22 and is putting the finishing touches on the show's high-toned dance steps. However, this is not Brazo's first trip to NT. He was also the driving force behind last year's dance steps in "Cabaret," which was directed by Chrestopoulos.

"I knew that his style would really benefit the students because he would include them in the process of interpreting the original Broadway choreography," Chrestopoulos.

"A Chorus Line" originally opened on Broadway on July 25, 1975 and ran for 6,137 performances up to its close on April 28, 1990. Director/choreographer Michael Bennett was the mastermind behind the show's success and Brazo is recreating the original choreography for the NT production. Some students said they felt Brazo's experience and professionalism has brought more to the show than they ever thought possible.

Jeffrey Schick, Grand Prairie junior, said the experience of this show and working with Brazo has been far beyond any show he's ever done. As for what he thinks of Brazo, "Phenomenal, he knows exactly what he's doing and how to teach it," Schick said. "If you're not from a dance background it's hard to keep up, but he helps us learn the steps quick.'

Schick plays Mark in "A Chorus Line," who is one of the principal roles, and he said that just having Brazo there has made a tremendous difference for him in his first collegiate show.

"The first rehearsal, everyone was just in awe of him. It's like he's bringing a piece of Broadway to us," he said. "He would tell us stories and we would just stop and say, tell us more."

Brazo said he is truly enjoying working on this project at NT because of the students' desire to work.

"I've enjoyed it just as much this year, if not more. The students are extremely positive," He said. "It's like if someone is hungry, you feed them. And here they're hungry for me and what I can teach them."

"A Chorus Line" will open at 8 p.m. April 22 through 24 and 30 through May 1. There is also a 2 p.m. performance on May 2. All shows are in the NT University Theatre, located in the Speech and Drama building. Tickets are $10 for general admission, $5 for senior citizens and NT faculty and staff and $3 for NT students. For ticket and show information call the box office at (940) 565-2428.

African Cultural Festival highlights traditional music and dance

By Torrey Bell
Staff Writer

NT's second annual African Cultural Festival marches into Denton at 8 p.m. Monday at the Lucille G. "Lupe" Murchison Performing Arts Center.

Professional drum ensembles from Atlanta, Chicago and Oakland, Calif., join NT's African Drum Ensemble headed by Gideon Alorwoyie for the event.

"This is a whole, big family thing," Alorwoyie said.

A native of Ghana, Alorwoyie said the visiting groups, the African-American Unity Ensemble, the Ladzepko Brothers African Music and Dance Company and the Sankofa Cultural Dance Company will arrive Saturday to start rehearsing the evening's program.

All of the pieces to be performed at the event will be original compositions and will be composed during weekend rehearsals.

"This is the first time we've done this," Alorwoyie said. "We are going to present a mix."

As the title implies, the evening is designed to highlight the art of African music and dance.

"We are all here to show off our achievements and our involvement with our programs," Alorwoyie said.

An internationally recognized Chief Master Drummer, Alorwoyie has personal ties to all of the organization - in particular, the African-American Unity Ensemble of Chicago, a group he founded in 1987.

Alorwoyie said the development of the organization is closely associated with the development of the Pan-African consciousness of American people in the United States.

He also said the organization is dedicated to the preservation, education and sharing of authentic African music and dance through concert performances, lectures, demonstrations and workshops.

Also a world-renowned artist, C.K. Ladzekpo is the director of the African music program at the University of California at Berkeley.

The Ladzekpo family is a famous group of musicians and dancers who traditionally serve as lead drummers and composers among the Anlo-Ewe people of southeastern Ghana.

Many recognize Ladzekpo for his staging of a traditional war dance in the documentary "African Dance at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival," first aired on Public Broadcasting System in 1988.

Numerous NT students are looking forward to Monday's festival.

"I think it's really important to have diverse groups on campus and for them to be recognized," Amanda Adams, Denton junior, said. "It's important for organizations to show other organizations what they're about."

Adams also said that she finds the presentation of an African drum session at the Performing Arts Center out of the ordinary and exciting.

"From what I've heard, it seems like a place for classical music. I thought it might be too stuffy for something like a drum jam," she said. "I really think its great that they're having it there."

For sale: Uniforms could be billboards
Baseball players have mixed reactions to ads on sleeves

NEW YORK (AP) - Some baseball players were angered by a plan to have them pitch ads on their uniforms. Others said it was a sign of the times.

''We're just employees of the Cleveland Indians, so whatever they want us to wear, we'll wear,'' catcher Sandy Alomar said Thursday. ''But pretty soon we're going to look like race car drivers or Boy Scouts with these badges everywhere.''

With baseball and its players' association conducting negotiations to sell ads on 1- to 1 1/2-inch square patches, players were wondering which companies would step up to the plate with some cash.

''The first thing I think of is somebody's bail bonds on the back of the 'Bad News Bears' uniforms,'' Baltimore pitcher Mike Mussina said, ''So it's going to be my name, my number and Joe's Bail Bonds?''

Actually, Mike, it was Chico's Bail Bonds in the movie. And baseball said it might negotiate one deal with a national company.

''It's about the right time for that the happen,'' said Bill Potts, vice president of marketing for Foster Grant sunglasses. ''It's worth a lot. You can imagine the exposure you would get from having a patch on a baseball player's uniform.''

Oakland pitcher Tom Candiotti wasn't happy with the idea.

''It seems like every traditional thing about this game is going out the window,'' he said. ''So what's next?''

Philadelphia outfielder Ron Gant agreed.

''Ads belong on billboards and on walls, not on uniforms,'' he said. ''To me, my uniform is sacred, and I'd like to keep it that way.''

Cleveland Indians manager Mike Hargrove said the size and placement of any ads would make a difference.

''As long as it's not on the chest - 'Pepsi Indians.' I'd have a little bit of a tough time with that,'' he said.

With salaries at record levels, some players saw the connection between the ads and their paychecks.

''The purists don't pay the bills. It's all about dollars and cents,'' Milwaukee Brewers infielder David Nilsson said. ''I think it's necessary. It's for the economic benefit of baseball. It's done in every other sport around the world.''

The idea for the ads came out of discussions between the players' association and the commissioner's office about what constitutes the uniform, according to Gene Orza, the No. 2 official of the players' association. Some players have worn mock turtlenecks in recent years with the logos of athletic equipment companies, such as Nike.

While the union is taking part in the talks, the players' association won't necessarily get a 50-50 split of the cash.

''They're the bosses. They can make us do whatever they want,'' Chicago Cubs first baseman Mark Grace said. ''We're walking billboards, if that's what they want us to do.''

Dallas to have Dolphin for Turkey Day

IRVING (AP) - Jimmy Johnson comes home on Thanksgiving Day to meet his former employers, the Dallas Cowboys.

Johnson, who won two Super Bowl titles as the Cowboys' coach, brings his Miami Dolphins to Texas Stadium for a 3:15 p.m. meeting on Thanksgiving, according to Dallas' schedule released Thursday.

Dallas owner Jerry Jones and Johnson decided they couldn't stand each other after winning back-to-back Super Bowls.

Since they split the Cowboys won a Super Bowl under Barry Switzer, who was dumped in favor of Chan Gailey, who coached for the first time last year.

Johnson has yet to get his Dolphins to the AFC title game and even quit for 24 hours in the off-season before he decided to return and coach the team again.

''It will be an exciting game for me personally,'' Jones said.

Dallas will be featured a franchise-record six times on national television.

''It shows how much interest there is in the Dallas Cowboys,'' Jones said. ''It's great to open our home season n Monday night football.''

Breaking Waves
New scuba class invites students to explore the sea

Story by Mike Beachum

A baby placed into a swimming pool will instinctively and instantaneously hold its breath the moment his head falls below the surface.

Take the same baby, strap him with several more years, a tank full of air, a regulator and the knowledge of those that have gone before him, and he'll quickly realize that old habits are hard to break.

Even in a 4-foot pool, maintaining the cardinal rule of scuba diving, "always breathe," is difficult to remember. It's only now obvious why the first pool session is done there and not in the middle of some watery abyss.

But that first breath - even if it is in water that only comes to your chest - is enough to make fans for life. It's this enjoyment that a group of professors and instructors are rallying hard to bring to the NT curriculum.

In only its second semester at NT, the experimental Kinesiology 4480 scuba class isn't even listed in the schedule of classes, yet still manages to garner strong support from NT students. The class enrollment for this semester is 52 students which is up from the previous semester's enrollment of 24 people.

In a move to satisfy requests for scuba (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus) instruction, Dr. James Morrow, chairman of the kinesiology, health promotion and recreation department, teamed with the efforts of Dr. Robert Taylor, chairman of the criminal justice department, seek to test the waters of the NT campus.

Morrow, who has been at NT for more than 5 years, has been approached about six times with the question. It was only with recent changes in the core requirements at NT which allowed the addition of the experimental class.

"There wasn't any pool time in the past," said Morrow. "Prior to 1994, the core required four P.E.s. The place was full of kids all the time. In 1994, [NT] did away with the old 4-hour requirement and implemented a 2-hour wellness class," he said.

"When less people took less of the required courses, it opened up more pool time," he said. Several people approached Morrow with the idea and the opportunity to fill a void and to simultaneously create a 3 credit-hour wellness course arose.

It was then that the prospect of a scuba class was possible. Morrow, although not yet a diver, displayed a strong interest to an underwater program after snorkeling on vacation.

"One of the most vivid memories I have of the trip is just being among the fish," he said. "It was unbelievable, breathtaking. Now to think you could actually go down with the fish was amazing," he said. "You catch a fever."

Morrow points out that there are other benefits as well with the addition of the developing program.

Students receiving a kinesiology degree will now be more marketable. With the additional certification the scuba course provides, students will now have a more enhanced resume. Morrow also explains that criminal justice majors are at an advantage as well because most students pursue careers in law enforcement. The certification would place them at an advantage in the event the student pursued a career in rescue and recovery.

This semester has also seen changes in the structure of the course. With only one class offered last fall, this semester incorporates an advanced scuba class in conjunction with a reef ecology course that is designed to enhance the learning experience.

Although the beginning and advanced classes are offered under the same section, the classes are separated when class convenes at the semester's start. Neither class, however, leaves students certified to dive. The program stops short of conducting the final open-water checkout dives necessary for full certification because of liability reasons. Those wishing to become open-water certified need only take the two-day checkout dive to become PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) certified. This must be done within a year of completing the course and by a private instructor.

The advanced class comprises certified divers and concentrates instruction toward continuing education of those skills learned in the beginning scuba class, as well as, self-rescue, lending assistance, underwater navigation and more technical aspects of the sport.

The beginning class focuses its efforts in development of basic underwater skills and equipment training necessary for recreational scuba diving. Both classes are taught by Jim Williams of Island Divers, Inc. and are PADI instructed. Williams was contracted by NT to teach, train and equip students taking the class.

Although the advanced class is a little more academically oriented, the beginner class is primarily concerned with proper training, says Williams.

"Safety is the main issue," he said. "When they leave us they will be trained properly."

Williams, with the assistance of two other instructors and two additional dive masters, structures the beginning class into two groups.

"PADI recommends ten students per instructor," he said. "To keep it more personalized, I like to keep it eight students per instructor."

Modules are taught every other week. Both groups, pool groups A and B, attend class simultaneously during modules and are held in the pool of the PEB. During the modules, text concepts are reviewed, video-instruction enhances skill learning and tests are completed before moving into the water training the following week.

In the confined water training, groups are separated. Group A gets in the pool on the first class day of the week and practices those skills and procedures taught in the following week's module. Group B gets wet the following class day.

In the water training, students suit-up in full gear - snorkels, fins, masks, tanks, regulators, and buoyancy control devices - and practice scenarios like mask clearing, manipulating buoyancy, pressure equalization and emergency situations to name just a few topics.

Upon completion of the five modules, the student is then ready to be certified.

The kinesiology department hopes the scuba class will become a permanent part of the schedule of classes by fall 2000 after the proposal goes before the Curriculum Review Committee sometime in May.