By Tealy Dippel staff reporter The House of Student Representatives voted Tuesday to allocate $1,800 from their Special Projects Fund to help pay for some of the equipment needed for the Omega Light Project. President of Order of Omega John Horton and Vice President Lisa Jenkins attended the meeting to ask House members for their support on Bill 99-20, a bill to help fund the Omega Light Project during the Christmas holiday season. The Omega Light Project, a project to light Sadler Hall, is the third largest attended program at TCU. Horton said instead of just lighting Sadler Hall this year, they want to expand the program to the entire university row. "We want Fort Worth to see TCU is looking to improve itself and make things bigger and better," Horton said. Bill 99-20 was first submitted to the House Oct. 25 by Joelle Martin, a Tom Brown/Pete Wright representative. The money provided by the bill will help pay for lighting equipment rental over a three day span. Order of Omega is receiving the other $3,000 needed from the university to fund 3,000 feet of white lights. After a question-and-answer session, the House voted to finance the $1,800 for the program. The bill was the first bill this year that the Finance Committee approved for full allocation of funds. Ben Jenkins, House Treasurer and chairman of the Finance Committee, said the vote by his committee was unanimous. "We decided to fund the bill entirely because there was no food or publicity funds involved," Jenkins said. "The bill starts a tradition and that's the point of the Student Government Association. It's the type of event we like to latch onto." SGA President Ben Alexander said the House approved the project because it benefits TCU's campus.
Tealy Dippel
By Justin Roche staff reporter TCU police have increased security near the coliseum after an unidentified suspect kicked open a bathroom stall door, grabbed a female employee by the head and repeatedly hit it against the wall Monday afternoon in Daniel-Meyer Coliseum, TCU police said. Det. Kelly Ham said TCU police have scheduled more periodic patrols of the area around the coliseum, along with sporadic checks of the coliseum during the day. TCU police also held a meeting with the women who work in the building to make them aware of the situation. "We gave them some precautions they could take while in the building," he said. "No one did anything wrong for this to happen, but we told them to stay out of isolated areas and be careful." Fliers were posted and mass e-mails were sent to notify the campus of the incident. Ham said the victim, an administrative assistant, had a difficult time identifying her assailant due to the abrupt nature of the attack. "She was just sitting there in the stall and suddenly the door swung open, and the suspect grabbed her head," Ham said. "He hit it against the wall and then he was gone." The woman's assailant never spoke or showed any emotion during the attack and continued to hit her head against the wall, despite her screams, according to a police report. The attacker then released her and fled. Ham said the victim reported the suspect as a white male with short blond hair and between the ages of 18 and 21. Ham said the victim was examined by Ross Bailey, director of sports medicine and operations, and received no medical attention other than an ice pack. Bailey declined to comment on the victim's possible injuries, due to medical confidentiality. According to the police report, there was no broken skin on the victim's head but there was a slight swelling. The report also contained a witness's account of a male with blond hair entering the restroom about 10 minutes prior to the assault. The witness said the man excused himself as if he thought he had entered the men's restroom. Eric Hyman, athletic director, reported a possible suspect in the coliseum after the attack, but said he was simply responding to what had happened. "When something like that happens, you just try and go out and survey the land," Hyman said. "I just went out to see if there was anything out of the ordinary going on. I happened to see someone who fit the very sketchy description given, but I think it would be very premature to say it was the assailant." Anyone with information on the attack can contact TCU police at 257-7777 or give information anonymously online at (www.cap.tcu.edu/CRIMINAL.HTM).
Justin Roche
By Lori Eshelman staff reporter Hollywood filmmaker Brent Scarpo told about 700 people Tuesday night in Ed Landreth Hall Auditorium that they have a choice to enter the next millennium hate-free. Scarpo's presentation, "Journey to a Hate Free Millennium," explored the nature and impact of hate crimes through a documentary film and lecture. "It's not a gay thing, an African-American thing or a Jewish thing," Scarpo said. "It's a hate thing. And it's time for people to unlearn to hate." Scarpo and fellow filmmaker Martin Bedogne began filming a documentary about a year ago, after the beating death of gay college student Matthew Shepard and the dragging death of James Byrd in Jasper, Texas.
About 25 minutes of the film was shown during the presentation, including footage of protesters outside of Shepard's funeral. It also included interviews with family members of Rachel Scott, a victim in the Columbine High School shooting, and family members of Byrd. A former neo-Nazi now working at a Los Angeles Jewish community center was also interviewed. Audience members also saw a 15-minute clip of Judy Shepard, Matthew Shepard's mother, reading a statement she wrote and read at the trial of one of the men charged with her son's murder. This raw footage was not included in the final film, which has been purchased for distribution by HBO. Scarpo said he and Bedogne made the documentary because people have become so desensitized to the statistics of the crimes. They did not make it for its entertainment value, he said. "I want to do in this documentary what CNN can't do in 60 seconds," Scarpo said. "I want people to see and feel what Judy Shepard feels. I want to show what the ripple of hate can do." He said lack of love and self-respect is the driving force behind these hate crimes, and that is what gives people the power to stop them from happening. But the way to end hate is not through telling others how to change. "You have to be a living example and treat other people with the love and care and respect you have in yourself," Scarpo said. Sarah Sucher, a freshman premajor, said the documentary footage shown was really powerful. "But I wish (the presentation) would have focused more on what students can actively do on campus," she said. "The seed of awareness has been planted, but everyone needs a little water." Carrie Zimmerman, program coordinator for Student Development Services, which co-sponsored the event with Panhellenic and the Interfraternity and Programming Councils, said Scarpo's presentation was only the first step to ending hate on campus and in the community. At the conclusion of the presentation, audience members signed a commitment to help create a hate-free millennium. Zimmerman said Student Development Services will create a path through the Student Center with the papers, which were shaped like footprints. "Then we will contact (those who signed a commitment) to help them decide what their second and third steps will be," she said.
Lori Eshelman
By Kristen Naquin campus editor Nearly 4,600 copies of the TCU Daily Skiff were taken from their on-campus distribution boxes Tuesday, initiating an investigation by TCU Police. Although no formal charges were filed with police as of Tuesday evening, the disappearance of the Skiffs sparked speculation among members of the TCU community that the issues were stolen by a candidate not endorsed in the Skiff's special voter's guide. The eight-page guide, titled "Student Government Association Elections 1999 Voter's Guide," provided candidate profiles and editorial staff endorsements for Wednesday's SGA election. The special section ran as a tabloid insert in Tuesday's paper. Witnesses said the issues were confiscated from all distribution boxes except a box outside the Skiff newsroom sometime between 9 and 11 a.m. Dagoberto Lomas, a groundskeeper who regularly works behind the Moudy Building, said he entered Moudy Building South and was met by the first-floor housekeeper, who asked Lomas to help her empty the trash can. When he lifted the trash bag, he realized it was full of copies of Tuesday's Skiff, he said.
Both endorsed and non-endorsed candidates said they were disappointed by the disappearance of nearly all the Skiffs on campus. "(Stealing the Skiffs) hurts every candidate," said Ben Jenkins, a junior international finance major and the House of Student Representatives presidential candidate endorsed by the editorial board. "It's a sad statement that people feel they can have their voice heard in this way and by going to these means." Sara Donaldson, a sophomore premed/neuroscience major and House vice presidential candidate, said she was upset voters were not able to read her answers to a questionnaire that was distributed by the Skiff editorial board and printed in the special section. "Even though I wasn't endorsed, that doesn't mean I don't want people to read what I had to say," she said. "I want them to read it even more, so they can compare." Other students said they were angry because Tuesday's news articles - specifically an advance to a campus presentation by national filmmaker Brent Scarpo - were unavailable to readers. "It makes me so mad," said current House Vice President Sarah Burleson. "It (provided) publicity for the speaker, and that was something Student Development Services put a lot of work into. There was also a half-page ad telling students how to vote. You'd think the candidates would want that. It's unfortunate that democracy can be so marred by people." Complaints within the journalism department centered on a financial loss incurred by the Skiff, including the cost of advertisements that were never seen and the cost of reprinting the special section. Bitsy Faulk, business manager for student publications, said the cost of printing 4,600 8-page, black-and-white issues is $800, and the cost of printing an 8-page insert is $415, with an additional $109 charge for inserting the tabloid. The student publications division incurred an additional $524 fee for reprinting the voter's guide Wednesday. In addition to reprinting the special section, Skiff editors sent a campus-wide e-mail message, informing TCU community members of the confiscation and reminding them of the Skiff's Web site, where the endorsements and profiles can be read in their entirety. As previously planned, SGA also provided a link to the Skiff Web site on its home page. SGA President Ben Alexander said he hopes the confiscation of the Skiff's voting guide will not negatively affect voter turnout. "We have had a really well-run campaign up to now," he said. "I wouldn't want this to hurt the outcomes of the election." Although Alexander said he does not know who is responsible for the confiscation, Presidential Candidate Walker Moody said competition between campus fraternities may have contributed to the disappearances. "I really don't know what happened, but I am the main competition for Ben Jenkins, who is a (Pi Kappa Phi) member," said Moody, who is a member of Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity. "It could be a result of the tension that might be between fraternities on this campus." Moody said he is confident that Phi Kapps were not responsible for the disappearances. They played no role - either formal or informal - in the confiscation, he said. Phi Kapp President Marcus Craig agreed, saying he personally questioned most of the members of his chapter. "We had absolutely no involvement with that," he said. However, a source who asked that his name not be used said he saw students wearing Phi Kapp T-shirts knocking down campus signs endorsing Jenkins Monday night. But Craig said those allegations are not necessarily true. Comments from students regarding campaigning are hearsay, mainly because they are subject to rivalries and competitions between campus fraternities, he said. Skiff Editor in Chief Jeff Meddaugh said he was upset that staff members' efforts Monday night were seen by only a few members of the TCU community. "Both the regular issue and the Voter's Guide were important for readers to see on Tuesday," he said. "It's not fair to the staff members who worked hard producing them nor to our readers and voters who needed to read the Skiff to be informed about this campus and the elections."The last time Skiff issues were stolen in bulk was April 24, 1998, when the lead story reported that House Parliamentarian and Phi Kapp member Chris Brooks was arrested for stealing a sign from Scooner's Bar. Other front-page stories included a feature about Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, Order of Omega's annual banquet and Chancellor Michael Ferrari's preliminary visit to campus. Skiff staff members Aimée Courtice and Laura Head contributed to this report.
Kristen Naquin |
"This documentary is a collection of memories designed
to educate and empower young people," Scarpo said.
Reports of empty Skiff distribution boxes also came from
the Student Center, Sadler Hall, Moudy Building North, Tandy Hall and the
Tom Brown/Pete Wright Residential Community.| The TCU Daily Skiff © 1998, 1999 Credits |