1997_02 The Daily Collegian February 1997

              THEIDAILY
COLLEGIAN
Monday, February 3, 1997
News Editor: Matthew Hart
Telephone: (209) 278>5735
National Campus News Digest
Your link to students and campuses across the nation."
4-
Fraternity's cross-
burning ignites contro¬
versy
LINCOLN. Neb. A pledge
ritual that involved Confederate
uniforms and a burning cross
was not racially motivated, says
a University of Nebraska-Lin¬
coln fraternity.
Instead. Sigma Chi members
say the ritual symbolized the
unity of the fraternity since the
Civil War.
Still. Lincoln. Neb., commu¬
nity leaders have protested the
cross-burning and called on the
university to punish the students.
On Jan. 23. Lancaster County
Sheriff's deputies found 30
white members of UNL's Sigma
Chi fraternity gathered on pri¬
vate land, conducting a ritual
that included Civil War uni¬
forms, swords and rifles.
The deputies also said they
spotted a 6-foot tall wooden
cross—later burned during the
ceremony. The officers left af¬
ter finding no criminal activity.
The university decided not to
punish Sigma Chi. after mem¬
bers denied the incident was a
hate crime and apologized for
any misunderstanding.
Linda Schwartzkopf. UNL's
acting director of Greek affairs,
said the fraternity's ritual was
protected b> the First Amend¬
ment, although the university
would use the incident lo raise
cultural awareness.
"Pretty Woman" to
join men in drag at
Harvard ceremony
_C A M B R I D G E .
Mass.(CPS)—Julia Roberts and
Mel Gibson have been chosen
woman and man of the year by
Harvard University's Hasty Pud¬
ding theater club, the nation's old¬
est collegiate drama group.
The annual awards are presented
to performers who have made a
"lasting and impressive contribu¬
tion to the world of entertainment."
The movie stars will be pre¬
sented with little brass pudding pots
at separate ceremonies. Roberts will
be paraded through Harvard Square
on Feb. 13 by students dressed in
drag.
Then she'll get a "roasting" by
members of the Hasty Pudding the¬
ater club at a luncheon. Gibson will
appear Feb. 18 at the troupe's open¬
ing night performance.
Roberts joins an impressive
group of movie, stars who are past
winners of the award, including
Katharine Hepburn. Elizabeth Tay¬
lor. Meryl Streep. Glenn Close.
Meg Ryan and Susan Sarandon.
Leading men who have won
pudding pots are Paul Newman,
Robert Redford, James Cagney.
Robert DeNifo. Steven Spielberg,
Robin Williams, Tom Hanks and
Harrison Ford.
Louganis speech pro¬
tested by lawmaker
TAMPA. Fix— A state senator
wants the University of South
Florida to cancel a speech by diver
Greg Louganis, who is homosexual
and HIV positive, because he be¬
lieves it would contribute to "moral
decadence."
Slate Sen. John Grant, a Repub-
lican/rom Tampa, said the speech
would help promote homosexual¬
ity and is an abuse of student activ¬
ity fees.
The five-time Olympic gold
medalist is being paid $14,000 to
speak April 3 during the
university's annual lecture series.
Past speakers have included poet
Maya Angelou and director Spike
Lee.
The apparent problem, however,
is that the speech will also serve as
the keynote address during USF's
third annual Gay and Lesbian
Awareness Week, which coincides
with the lecture series.
"Such a presentation represents
moral decadence and is an embar¬
rassment to the university commu¬
nity," said Grant, in a letter to USF
president Betty Castor dated Jan
14.
He added thai he would not sup¬
port future spending increases for
state universities if Louganis
speaks.
University officials say ihe
speech will not be canceled.
West Point cadet acquit¬
ted of rape charges
WEST POINT. N.Y. (CPS>— A
West Point cadet accused of raping
a female classmate after an off-
campus party was acquitted Jan 24
James P. Engelbrecht. 22, told a
court-martial jury that he did not
know the woman had been drink¬
ing heavily when she climbed into
bed with him! He also said the fe¬
male cadet initiated the sex.
Another cadet told the military
court that he walked into the room
and saw the woman straddling
Engelbrecht.
The party was heid last Memo¬
rial Day Weekend at the New Jer
sey home of another cadet.
The woman testified that she had
passed out in a bed, then woke in
pain to find Engelbrecht raping her.
The case marked the first time a
cadet has accused a classmate of
rape since the academy began en¬
rolling women 20 years ago.
The prosecutor. Capt. Dean
Raab. told the court in summation
that it didn't make sense for the
woman, who claimed to have been
a virgin, to suddenly become "a
sexual predator."
Engelbrecht's defense attorney
focused on the woman's inability lo
remember details, and inconsisten¬
cies in her story.
Engelbrecht would have faced
life in a military prison or dismissal
from the Army if convicted
University of Kansas
swimmer dies in practice
LAWRENCE. Kan —Seth
Dunscomb. a University of Kansas
senior and co-captain of the varsity
swim team, died Jap 22 during
swim practice
Teammates said Dunscomb had
gotten out of the water and was sit¬
ting on the pool deck wherr he col¬
lapsed
The cause of death was un¬
known, although Dunscomb had a
history of asthma
The men's swimming and div¬
ing team immediately canceled
games against the Universities of
Iowa and Wisconsin as those who
knew the 21-year-old struggled to
deal with the loss
"Seth was the Type of young man
that I want my boy to grow up to
be like." said head coach Gary
Kempt" "Seth was the best friend
of everybody in the program
Dunscomb was majoring in me¬
chanical engineering In high
school, he had excelled in swim¬
ming and track and field Al KU,
he placed fourth in the 200 indi¬
vidual medley and eighth in the 200-
butterfly at the Big Eight Con
ference Championship last year
A complete autopsy wav
planned to determine the cause
of death.
Students end boycott as
Pepsi severs Burma ties
STATE COLLEGE, Penn -
Student protesters will no longer
parade the giant Pepsi can in
scribed with the words "mur
der," "torture" and "slavery"
around campus, now that it's OK
to drink Pepsi again.
"We no longer have an\
problem with Pepsi." said Ton>
North, a member of Penn State'*
Students for a Democratic
Burma. That was his reaction lo
the news that by May Jl,
PepsiCo will sever business tie>
with Burma, now called
Myanmar
Mynamar is located in South
east Asia.
This week, they were revel
ing — just a little — in the be¬
lief that the petition drives, the
demonstrations, the Pepsi boy
COV and their two-day fast had
something to do with PepsiCo\
withdrawal.
Since 1995. the students haw-
protested PepsiCo's presence in
Burma because they say foreign
investments support a militarv
dictatorship there with a record
of human-rights abuses
The students aKo protested
Penn State's 10-year. SI4 mil¬
lion contract to sell only PepsK '< i
soft drinks
Stories compiled from Tn
hune Media Sendees from col¬
lege campus newspapers across
the country.
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Continued from page 1.
how information is delivered and
received in the classroom.
"We have to evaluate our entire
delivery system." As,tin said.
"While most instructors still choose
to lecture for the entire class period,
that puts the student very much in
a passive mode. We have to find
more creative ways to get the stu¬
dents to actively participate."
Astin also put a high-value on
the use of "collaborative learning."
or working in small and large
groups for projects. He also sup¬
ported more internships, research,
and class presentations and less
standard tests and papers.
"All of these things signify a
high level of engagement on the
part of the student." Astin said. "It
gets them more directly involved
with the process. In all of my years
of research on higher education, the
single most important factor that I
have found is student involvement."
Despite the fact that the major¬
ity of the audience'was faculty
members, Astin's points on student
involvement were far from lost on
, the crowd.
"I think he is right on." said Lcs
Pincu. professor of Criminology.
"He is giving us ways lo make the
process better. Ways to improve
ourselves as wcjl as the students."
Most universities, according to
Astin. base their view of excellence
on one of two things, reputation
and/or resources. Astin disagreed
with boih systems, instead offering
an alternative gauge he called "t.il
ent development."
In the talent development 'sys¬
tem, universities would be judged
on their ability to offer an excellent
educational program for all students
and to ensure academic success
"All of his theories and all o\ his
information are backed by years
and years of research." W it. said
"He helped to address our key «|ues
tion in the planning process, w hu:h
is how we can create a learning ev
pcrience for students that can maxi¬
mize learning developmcni "
STOCKTON
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