Personal safety classes open to students

By Timothy Tait
State Press
	If walking through campus at night has 
ever made 
your footsteps fall a little faster, Tempe 
police and ASU DPS 
offer free personal safety classes that may 
help curb your 
fears.
	The classes are designed for ASU and the 
surrounding 
community and cover issues from rape 
prevention to car 
jacking to alcohol education.
	However, only a small number of students 
participate.
	"There is a perception that ASU is 
safe," said Radawna 
Michelle, ASU police Crime Prevention 
Coordinator. 
"Although ASU is fairly safe, there is crime 
and there are bad 
guys."
	Last year, ASU police reported four 
incidents of sexual 
assault, with three incidents reported so far 
this year. Tempe 
police had 58 reports of sexual assaults last 
year.
	"It is important to stress that those 
are only the ones 
that are reported, not necessarily all of 
them," Michelle said. 
"Sometimes it takes a tragedy before people 
realize that they 
are vulnerable."
	Tempe police department is the first 
agency in the 
Valley to offer real life situations in 
assault prevention 
training.
	Participants in the class, held the 
first Thursday of 
each month, are put in three scenarios that 
many women 
would consider frightening, said Crime 
Prevention Officer 
Les Strickland of Tempe Police.
	"Many women have never been faced with a 
situation 
that they don't feel comfortable in," 
Strickland said. "(They) 
have that 'it is never going to happen to me' 
attitude."
	Although the "victims" realize they are 
in a controlled 
situation, it is still startling for many.
	"Most of the participants panic," 
Strickland said. "We 
want to get them to stop and think, 'How can 
I get out of 
this?'
	"No one is hurt, no one is touched, but 
it gives them 
something to think about."
	The goal of Tempe's workshop is to 
demonstrate to 
men and women how they would react if they 
found 
themselves in a situation that they would 
rather not be in. By 
placing the participants into these 
situations, Strickland said 
he hopes to show them their fears.
	"Thinking and alertness are the best 
defense," 
Strickland said.
	Due to the low turnout last year, ASU 
police no longer 
schedules programs until five people have 
expressed interest 
in it.
	"When we have had scheduled events in 
the past, we 
have found that students don't come," 
Michelle said. "We 
wait for people to come to us."
	She attributes the lack of interest to 
the "immortality-
of-youth syndrome."
	ASU police offer classes on campus 
safety, in addition 
to more specific workshops on topics such as 
bicycle and 
property safety. Different classes are also 
held for women, 
minority students and international students.
	Michelle estimates that less then five 
percent of the 
58,000 staff and students on campus attend 
the workshops.
	She offers the following top three tips 
for campus 
safety: 
* Never walk alone;
* Report all suspicious people or activities;
* Never, never leave property unattended;
	Students interested in ASU crime 
prevention programs 
should contact Radawna Michelle at 965-5774. 
For 
information on Tempe police programs, contact 
Officer Les 
Strickland at 350-8305.

Student creates Web page for ASU sports

Self-proclaimed sports fanatic, Evans says he 
wants to help 
bring back Sun Devil tradition

By Ron Matejko
State Press
	It is no secret that ASU sports are not 
receiving the 
support from students and the community like 
it has in the 
past. While many of us sit around talking 
about it,  one 
person is doing something about it. 
	Mike Evans, a junior, created a sports 
page which is 
devoted to ASU athletics and is available on 
the World Wide 
Web. Evans, who is a self-proclaimed ASU 
sports fanatic, 
started the program last November. He got the 
idea while 
looking for anything about ASU on his 
computer.
	"When I got to surfing the Internet and 
looked for 
information about ASU sports, I didn't find 
anything," Evans 
said.  "So I went ahead and got started by 
tracking the 
basketball team during their Sweet 16 run. 
Now  I've 
expanded it to all the varsity sports and 
clubs."
	Evans said he updates the information 
almost every 
day. He is able to do this with the help of 
the ASU  Media 
Relations Department, assistant sports 
information director 
Doug Tammaro in particular. Tammaro supplies 
Evans with 
media guides, press releases, news clippings 
and other 
general sports information which help keep 
the page current.
 	"If we had to do it it would take away 
from the media 
part of the job," Tammaro said. "This is 
something we give to 
him and he runs with it. If we did it, it 
probably wouldn't be 
as good. He's doing a great job."
	The page includes scores, commentary, 
player and 
coach biographies, game-recaps and schedules. 
Evans plans 
to expand with more features in the near 
future.
	Besides designing the page for his own 
satisfaction, 
Evans said the program is designed to achieve 
certain goals. 
He said the primary goal is to give 
information to those who 
do not have it at their fingertips and also 
to help bring back 
the strong following that has been associated 
with Sun Devil 
sports.
  	"ASU is losing its tradition a little 
bit," Evans said. "I 
want to bring back student and community 
interest to where 
it once was. I like it better when the 
stadium is packed and 
the crowd is cheering. Hopefully, I can help 
get more people 
in the seats."  
	Both Evans and Tammaro have received 
positive 
response regarding the program.
	"I get feedback from all over the nation 
and world - 
from alumni and fans," Evans said. "They say 
they've been 
looking for something like this because they 
can't get 
information like this from where they are."
	Tammaro reinforced Evans' sentiments.
	 "Prior to this, people would look for 
information and 
wouldn't know the best way to find it, 
especially for fans and 
alumni on the east coast and in the mid-
west," Tammaro said. 
"If they subscribe to the State Press or the 
(Arizona Republic) 
, they have to wait four days to get the 
information. With this 
they can get it right away."
      Evans plans to continue to be the 
mastermind behind the 
project even after he completes his studies 
at ASU.
	 "I really love what I 'm doing," Evans 
said. "It's a labor 
of love and it's not hard to do."
	Anyone interested in accessing the ASU 
sports page 
may do so by using the web address: 
http://wolverine.inre.asu.edu/sports.

Complaints against ASU cops relatively few

By Greg Zemeida
State Press
	Although ASU student Michael McVerry 
alleges that 
campus police used excessive force during his 
arrest last 
month, the total number of complaints ASU 
police receive 
each year is relatively low.
	Over the past two and a half years, only 
26 people 
filed complaints against the ASU Department 
of Public 
Safety. Four were submitted in 1993, 17 in 
1994 and five have 
been filed so far this year.
	Of those complaints, 21 were determined 
to be 
unfounded, four were substantiated and one 
has not been 
resolved.
	The total number of complaints is low 
compared to the 
number of calls ASU police receive. Since 
1993, they have 
gotten more than 750,000 calls for service. 
Of that number, 
police found evidence of a crime in about 
9,000 cases.
	Lt. Bennett Rowe, ASU DPS patrol officer 
supervisor, 
said the department gets few complaints 
because of the 
quality of its 40 officers.
	He said all ASU police must go through a 
careful 
screening process before being hired, which 
includes drug 
testing, a lie detector test and even 
contacting former 
employers and family members. Last year, the 
department 
tested more than 300 applicants, hiring only 
two, Rowe said.
	"The testing process is incredible," he 
said. "Many 
people we turn down are hired by other 
(police) agencies.
	"If you can get onto our department, you 
can get on 
anywhere."
	But Rowe readily admits that there have 
been some 
legitimate complaints against officers. When 
the department 
discovers one, it takes action - ranging from 
an oral 
reprimand to firing the officer, he said.
	"We make mistakes sometimes, but we are 
not above 
the law," Rowe said. "If an officer breaks 
the law, they are 
held accountable like any other citizen."
	To the best of Rowe's knowledge, an ASU 
police 
officer has never been fired as a result of a 
complaint. He said 
some officers have been let go in the past 
few years, but those 
cases involved poor job performance.
	Rowe said when a complaint is made 
against an 
officer, it is either forwarded to the 
officer's supervisor or 
generates a "full-blown" internal 
investigation depending on 
the severity of the allegations. 
	He said charges of theft or corruption 
would warrant 
such an investigation. However, he was quick 
to point out 
that no ASU officers have ever been found 
guilty of 
committing a serious criminal act.
	According to complaints filed against 
DPS since 1993, 
accusations against officers have ranged from 
harassment to 
assault. The most frequent complaint involved 
rude behavior. 
	The most serious, substantiated 
complaint in that time 
period happened in 1994. While an officer was 
directing 
traffic, a driver ignored a command and 
nearly hit him. The 
officer became angry and threw his flashlight 
at the car, 
denting it. Although the driver broke the 
law, ASU police 
decided not to ticket him and even apologized 
in writing for 
the officer's actions. The officer received a 
written reprimand.
	When investigating a complaint, police 
try to 
determine if it is founded, Rowe said. The 
officers involved 
and the person filing the report are 
interviewed and relevant 
state and federal laws, along with department 
policy, are 
reviewed to see if any of them have been 
violated.
	If the complaint is found to be valid, 
the officers 
involved may receive an oral or written 
reprimand, days off 
without pay or termination. Rowe said the 
penalty depends 
on whether the offense was a repeat or 
serious.
	ASU police are not alone in receiving 
complaints. 
Tempe police also get their fair share.
	From 1989 to 1993, Tempe police have 
received about 
100 complaints per year. Numbers for 1994 and 
1995 were not 
available.
	Of the 122 complaints filed in 1993, 15 
percent were 
sustained, 60 percent were unfounded and 25 
percent were 
exonerated, meaning that police acted 
correctly. Only 1993 
complaints were broken down.
	Tempe police get more than 100,000 calls 
for service 
each year, according to Les Strickland, 
spokesman for the 
Tempe Police Department.
	He said the number of complaints 
received each year 
doesn't vary much, but they have recently 
gone up slightly 
because the city, and the police department 
itself, have gotten 
bigger.
	"Of course the numbers are going to grow 
each year," 
Strickland said, but not because "officers 
are doing anything 
different."
	Just like ASU, he said most complaints 
involve officer 
conduct, from rude speech to inappropriate 
actions. 
	Strickland also admits that some 
complaints are valid, 
but said sometimes people simply don't 
understand the law, 
making accusations about perfectly legal 
police conduct.
	Rowe agreed, adding that some people 
also file a 
complaint to help get them out of court, to 
make money or to 
simply get revenge against an officer.
	"People want some payback on the officer 
for not 
getting their way," he said.
	Overall, Rowe said most complaints don't 
stand up 
after they are investigated. That is a 
testimony to the quality 
of the department, he added.
	"We stack up very favorably, if not 
better, than most 
(police departments)," Rowe said.

Ex-guard tackles new magazine

By Lisa Eskey
State Press
	Former ASU left guard Joe Cajic has left 
the football 
field for another field - publishing. In 
November, Arizona 
Night Life,  his own informational magazine, 
will debut for 
Valley tourists.
	About 100,000 copies of the quarterly 
magazine will 
appear exclusively in at least 30 hotels and 
resorts.
	After last year's season, Cajic worked 
as a concierge at 
a hotel and said he became an "expert in the 
field of where to 
go."
	"I kept having to write information down 
for the 
tourists. I started to keep myself up to date 
on what to do and 
then I thought about developing a magazine," 
Cajic said. 
"After some research, I found it very 
possible."
	Cajic, who will graduate from ASU in 
December with 
a degree in biology, said he was going to 
become a teacher, 
but now his future appears to be in the 
publishing business.  
	Not having any background about creating 
a 
magazine didn't phase Cajic.
	"I was able to apply the same philosophy 
that (ASU 
Head Coach Coach Bruce) Snyder taught us in 
football in my 
everyday business," he said.
	Cajic carries a card with him which has 
ASU's team's 
oath written on it.  	
	"Everything written on there takes no 
effort," he said. 
"To display courage is on the card. For me, 
courage came 
with meeting with people with whom I had no 
idea who they 
were and trying to sell them on an idea that 
didn't even exist yet."

Easy-to-get credit cards getting students deep in debt

By Cody V. Aycock 
State Press
	"Don," an ASU sophomore, owes $2,700 in 
credit card 
bills.
	If he pays only the minimum payment at 
an interest 
rate of 17 percent, it will take him more 
than 15 years to pay 
off his debt. Over that time, he will pay 
more than double his 
original balance in interest alone.
	"It's ridiculous," said Don, who asked 
that his real 
name not be used. "At first, when you get 
(credit cards) you 
don't realize with all the interest and 
everything that it is 
going to take that long to pay them off."
	Don's story is a familiar one on college 
campuses 
around the nation.
	Students are the largest identifiable 
segment of first-
time customers for credit card issuers, said 
Kim McGrigg, 
manager of marketing programs for Consumer 
Credit 
Counseling Services Southwest. 
	"College students are less risky than 
the general 
population," she said. "They are very loyal 
to the first card 
that they apply for, and they usually keep 
them for a long 
time. So the credit card companies want to be 
the first one in 
their pocket because they tend to stay 
there."
	Students may also be more reliable than 
the general 
public because many have their parents' 
financial backing if 
they need to be bailed out. 
	"Some of the credit card applications 
ask for the 
parents' name, which is interesting because 
they are not a co-
signer on the account," McGrigg said. "But 
the issuer may be 
wanting to know if the parents can pay for it 
if the students 
cannot.
	"They are able to determine a lot from 
(just) their 
names."
	The majority of applicants apply for 
credit cards to 
establish a credit history, or to have 
something to "fall back 
on" in case of an emergency, McGrigg said.
	But some college consumers are using 
credit for more 
than necessities and finding themselves in 
financial trouble. 
	Don used his credit cards for everything 
from clothes 
to concert tickets.
	"It is terrible for (students) to start 
their lives having 
not only to pay off the debt for school, but 
also having to pay 
off the debt for having an easier life than 
they should," said 
John Greenhut, professor of business and 
management at 
ASU West.
	Greenhut said students may find 
themselves in debt 
because they don't understand the compounding 
effect of 
interest.
	Duane Hernandez, Tempe branch manager of 
Credit 
Counseling Services, said students should 
know how they are 
going to pay for a purchase before they 
charge it. 
	"Learn how to budget," he said. "Learn 
how to deal 
with your funds as they come in. That is the 
biggest thing to 
deal with." 
	Credit card counselors advise students 
who cannot 
pay their bills to contact the company and 
explain the 
situation. 
	"Be truthful with the creditor. Explain 
your situation to 
them," Hernandez said. "Ninety-nine percent 
of the time, as 
long as you go to them, and are truthful, 
they are generally 
going to find some way to help you."

Morning blackout brings parts of campus to standstill

By Brian Anderson
State Press
	A 2-hour blackout Wednesday morning left 
12 
buildings without power and cut off air 
conditioning 
campus-wide, triggering class cancellations 
and making 
Memorial Union restaurants sweat over food 
spoilage.
	The electricity went out for more than 
two hours in the 
southwestern part of campus after a defective 
high voltage 
switch near the old Purchasing Building 
malfunctioned, said 
Val Peterson, the director of facilities 
management. It is 
unclear what caused the transformer to fail.
	"We don't know if it had a foreign 
substance in there 
or if it's condensation," he said. "There's 
lots of reasons why 
that could happen."
	Power went out in 12 buildings at 
approximately 8 
a.m., Peterson said, adding that the 15 to 20 
electricians 
working on the problem had it temporarily 
repaired by 10:15 
a.m. The electricians completely repaired the 
switch shortly 
after 3 p.m., he said. 
	The outage brought the breakfast rush at 
many of the 
Memorial Union eateries to a standstill. 
	"Of course it (the outage) affects 
business," said Anna 
Fuentes, manager of McDonald's. "We're just 
going to hang 
around until the power comes back on." 
	Fuentes said the food stored in their 
cooler had to be 
transferred to nearby stores because they 
were worried it 
would spoil. 
	Business was also slowed in the darkened 
recreation 
area on the MU's windowless lower level. But 
that didn't stop 
John Patchett, a sophomore computer systems 
engineering 
major, from getting in a game of billiards. 
	"It makes the game more challenging," 
Patchett said. 
"Then we can't see how bad we're playing." 
	Patchett also said his morning class was 
cancelled 
because of the power outage. 
	ASU Provost Milton Glick said he was 
unaware of the 
number of classes that had been cancelled, 
but that the 
administration attempts to keep scheduled 
classes whenever 
possible. 
	"We try to avoid cancelling classes 
unless it's real 
compelling that we do so," he said. "Clearly, 
that 
disadvantages the students and it's hard to 
make up." 
	Glick added that faculty and staff who 
were not able to 
work because of the lack of light or 
unbearable office 
temperatures received permission to take a 
two-hour 
sabbatical. 
	"We tried to do as little as we could do 
without 
causing people to work in unworkable 
conditions," he said. 
"If we were closed for a couple of days, I 
don't know what 
we'd do."
	Peterson said outages of this magnitude 
surface every 
two or three years regardless of the 
preventative maintenance 
performed on the electrical equipment, 
because of the 
unpredictable nature of electricity.
	"When you've got high voltage 
electricity, just about 
anything can happen," Peterson said. "It's 
one of those things 
that you hope never happens. (But) there's 
nothing you can 
do to prevent (blackouts)."

Editorial: One day at a time

	Move over, Lou Gehrig. Baseball has a 
new iron man.
	Last night, Baltimore Orioles shortstop 
Cal Ripken Jr. 
played in his 2,131st game, breaking Gehrig's 
record of 2,130.
	It was one of those records that was 
thought to be 
untouchable, much like Babe Ruth's magic 714 
homers.
	Too bad no one told Hank Aaron that it 
would be 
impossible to break the Babe's record.
	And apparently, no one told Cal Ripken 
that the Iron 
Horse's record was impossible to equal, 
either. So he just 
went out and did it.
	So sure were the Yankees that Gehrig's 
record was 
unmatchable that they put a stone in center 
field in Yankee 
Stadium on July 4, 1941 - a plaque saying 
that Gehrig's record 
of "2,130 consecutive games should stand for 
all time."
	How about 56 years?
	When viewed game by game, Ripken's 
accomplishment doesn't seem all that 
extraordinary. He just 
showed up every game.
	But when you view it as a whole, it 
staggers the mind. 
Ripken has played in every single game the 
Orioles have 
played since May 30, 1982.
	Many of this year's entering freshmen 
were just 
starting kindergarten when Ripken began his 
streak.
	Thirteen years is a mind-boggling amount 
of time to 
keep playing baseball. Baseball schedules 
offer very few 
breaks during the season - just night after 
night of games.
	Try imagining going for 13 years without 
missing a 
single day of work - either for sickness or 
vacation - and you 
can begin to grasp the immensity of what 
Ripken just 
accomplished.
	But Ripken's story is far from just a 
story about a 
baseball record. It is a legacy to the 
concept of determination.
	Had Ripken considered in 1982 that he 
would 
challenge the Iron Horse one day for his 
record, he would 
have no doubt been overwhelmed by the sheer 
size of the 
task before him.
	Play in every single baseball game for 
13 years? How 
could anyone do that?
	Ripken took his long journey one step at 
a time - one 
game at a time. Only now, upon reaching the 
summit, does 
the sheer length of the journey sink in.
	College can seem that way too. There are 
times that 
graduation and a college degree seem so very 
far away - 
blurred from view by a mountain of term 
papers, exams and 
reading assignments.
	Keep going at this rate for four, five, 
or six years? How 
can anyone do that?
	You can't - not if you try to take it 
all at once. But the 
end is out there somewhere. All you have to 
do is keep going 
one day at a time.
	No, the president and the vice president 
won't be there 
when you finally make it. Crowds won't cheer 
for long 
minutes solely for you at your graduation. 
You're not likely 
to make headlines around the world.
	But you'll have accomplished a personal 
goal no less 
important, no less amazing than Cal Ripken 
Jr.'s. You will 
have taken on an incredibly immense goal - 
and succeeded.
	Stay on the course. Keep going, no 
matter how far 
away your goals may seem. You can accomplish 
that which 
seems unattainable, if you only take it one 
step at a time.
	Just ask Cal Ripken Jr.

Column: Let's go to the audio tapes

Les Payne
Columnist
	No act or word of racism - against 
Blacks - no matter 
how obvious, 
will be believed by most White Americans, it 
seems, unless it 
has been captured on film or audio tape. Non-
Black juries, as 
the Rodney King panel demonstrated, may well 
reject even 
this level of proof.
	Given their brutal history with White 
cops, most 
African Americans would have believed the 
Rodney King 
beating even without the gruesome videotape. 
Much of 
White America, on the other hand, believed it 
only with 
repeated viewings of the murderous beating of 
the stun-
gunned Rodney King. Even then, many insisted 
that such 
treatment of a Black man in the custody of 
White cops was an 
anomaly.
	Now comes the angelic Det. Mark Fuhrman.
	"You say under oath that you have not 
addressed any 
Black person as a 'nigger' or spoken about 
Black people as 
'niggers' in the past 10 years, Detective 
Fuhrman?" attorney F. 
Lee Bailey thundered in March at the O.J. 
Simpson trial 
witness coiffured to look more choirboy than 
cop.
	"That's what I'm saying, sir," Fuhrman 
answered.
	Black America did not believe him. The 
media 
declared Fuhrman the winner over Bailey. The 
prosecution, 
which had Fuhrman's records, including his 
psychiatric 
reports with him admitting he is a 
pathological racist, knew 
the truth. Marcia Clark's team had coached 
its star witness on 
how to evade Bailey and deceive the jury and, 
in effect, to 
commit perjury.
	Now we have Fuhrman on audio tapes, 
using the "n-
word" 41 times in a transcript that runs a 
dozen pages, single-
spaced. The recording has brought White 
America around as 
only an audio tape can. Even Don Imus, whose 
radio show at 
times approximates the taped Fuhrman slurs, 
feigned 
disgust. The shock-jock, however, recovered 
after Judge 
Lance Ito ruled that the jury could hear only 
a brief segment. 
Imus said on his syndicated morning show that 
the 
disappointed Johnnie Cochran's defense team 
had planned to 
celebrate the playing of the tapes to the 
Simpson jury with a 
dinner of "chicken wings."
	More important than Fuhrman's use of the 
"n-word" 
are his taped references to 17 incidents of 
on-the-job 
misconduct - including planting evidence. Ito 
will not allow 
this damning and seemingly relevant 
information before the 
jury. It is his case. The L.A. cop also 
bragged about willfully 
lying in cases covering up murder and 
brutalizing "niggers" 
in the line of duty. Listen to Fuhrman's 
etiquette for policing 
well-heeled White neighborhoods as compared 
to those Black 
and downtrodden:
	"You have to be a switch-hitter. You 
have to be able to 
look at your area and look at how you talk to 
people, look at 
how you deal with things, what you can and 
can't do even 
with a criminal. You can't go up to Bel Air, 
and some guy 
gives you a hard time in broad daylight, and 
slap him [and 
say]: 'Dammit I want to know what's going 
on.'
	"You just can't do that in Bel Air. I 
mean, it's obvious. 
But when you work down on the South End, 
Watts, the 
metropolitan area, skid row, you use your 
stick more than 
you do your mouth ... you just use your 
stick, smack 'em. 
They'll move."
	Blacks in every city in America 
recognize this as 
standard police procedure. Barring a 
videotape, most Whites 
will deny it. This difference in perspective 
shows up in the 
polls showing about two-thirds of Blacks 
unconvinced that 
the prosecutions has proven Simpson guilty 
and an equal and 
opposite number of Whites believing him 
guilty as charged.
	The Fuhrman tapes raise troubling 
criminal justice 
issues that go well beyond the guilt or 
innocence of O.J. 
Simpson. The detective confirms a separate 
method of 
patrolling nonWhite communities that can be 
called only 
police-state tactics.
	Such behavior calls into question the 
fitness of the Los 
Angeles Police Department - and the city's 
criminal justice 
system, so-called - to deal fairly with 
Blacks of any economic 
level. This, if Ito is not careful, could 
splatter onto the Simpson verdict.

Column: Keeping tabs on the tabloids

A.Marjory Kaminski
Guest Columnist
	They sit in a linear fashion on the 
racks at the checkout 
counter next to the tiny booklets claiming 
"You Can Lose 30 
Pounds in Two Days by Eating Dirt!" and the 
latest printed 
adventures of Archie and the gang at 
Riverdale High. The 
colors catch the eyes. The words catch the 
mind, no matter 
how smart and wise one claims to be.
	Yes, I talk of the tabloids: those 
annoyingly alluring 
waste of trees that pull us into a world of 
May-December 
romances, quintuplet births, 80-year-old 
women, literally 
dog-faced men and countless affairs while 
leaving a nasty, 
dirty film in your brain cells.
	They contain stuff I really don't care 
to read, but am 
stuck knowing. I don't need to learn about 
Tom Cruise's 
transsexuality or the latest scandal that 
caught Hugh Grant 
with his pants down. I don't know them. I 
never will know 
them. Personally, I don't really want to know 
them.
	So why is it that I know exactly what 
others talk about 
when they mention Michael Jackson or Cher? 
They're 
something to look at while waiting in line at 
the register, but 
the headlines don't disappear once you've 
received your 
receipt. It's embarrassing for a pseudo-
intellect like myself to 
nod in acknowledgment. "Yes, I did hear about 
Nixon's brain 
going to Tom Brokaw. Was it a successful 
surgery?" "How is 
the love child of Kathy Lee Gifford and 
Arnold 
Schwarzenegger doing?" 
	What exactly is it that draws us toward 
this fictitious 
smut?
	I just accepted this affliction as a 
fact of life until a 
friend, Kari, kept telling me about the 
adventures of an 
acquaintance of ours who had some, shall we 
say, "different 
morals."
	There were some outrageous stories about 
her that 
made us squeal "Omigawd! How could she? How 
stupid!" 
After a while, I got tired and annoyed of 
hearing about the 
gross escapades of someone I barely knew and 
was beginning 
not to like at all. Kari agreed with me on 
this. So, I asked her 
why she even kept contact with this 
acquaintance. 
	She shrugged. "I don't know. She's got a 
life and we 
don't."
	Kari was right, and not just about the 
fact that we 
don't have lives. That acquaintance has got 
this lifestyle that 
is fun to follow and gawk at. At least it can 
liven up a boring 
conversation.
	That's when I realized what the whole 
thing the 
tabloids have: an imagination and people to 
pin it on. People 
love to read about who they're not.
	For some odd reason, whenever I go 
camping or 
somewhere away from the city life, I tend to 
grab one of these 
magazines. I don't get it - my last link with 
civilization and I 
pick the National Examiner as my source? I 
read it front to 
back, absorbing every disgusting, poorly-
written story and 
after I'm done, I feel really icky. Then it 
gets burned in the 
campfire and the stories are forgotten until 
the name John F. 
Kennedy Jr. and his latest girlfriend gets 
brought up in 
conversation.
	Now that, as of late, I've found myself 
staring blankly 
at the television watching The Gossip Show 
and Hard Copy, I 
can't hide my addiction to the smut any more. 
I remember 
this same humiliating feeling when I 'fessed 
that I'd seen 
every episode of Saved By the Bell. But, the 
worst part is that 
there's no choice in knowing about what 
transcends in the 
star's lives because the info is everywhere 
and it's clouding 
my brain, especially since I need to memorize 
case studies in 
journalism, not the case studies of O.J. 
Simpson or Susan 
Smith. 
	A college course in this stuff would be 
great. It'd be 
called TAB 101. The only text necessary would 
be 
subscriptions to the Star and the New York 
Post. There would 
be weekly quizzes on the reading. Two 12-page 
research 
papers would be required on two major stories 
of the 
semester, i.e. whatever stories that had 
front page privileges 
on more than three publications. The class 
could even cover 
one of the linguistics requirements. At least 
it would give us a 
reason for knowing this crap. 
	I do hope that, like any other fad, the 
overwhelming 
need to inform the public on the garbage of 
the stars' lives 
will fade. This will, at least, have to wait 
until Judge Ito is out 
of the lime-light. But for now, I can answer 
any question 
you've got about Roseanne. Wonder how long it 
will be 
useful?

A. MarJory Kaminski is a senior studying 
journalism.

Letters to the Editor

Letter: Justice must be served to maintain peace

	The members of the John P. Morris Black 
Law 
Students Association (BLSA) were outraged to 
hear and read 
about the recent brutality demonstrated by 
Bryan Southard 
and other Sigma Chi fraternity brothers. We 
hope, indeed, 
pray that the perpetrators get what justice 
requires. If those 
involved are found guilty after a fair and 
thorough 
Department of Public Safety investigation, 
justice requires 
their expulsion from school, and full 
restitution to the victim.
	The sequence of events in the early 
morning hours of 
August 25 are still unclear. The ASU DPS has 
tried to 
convince everyone that the investigation may 
somehow be 
tainted if full disclosure is made. However, 
the following 
facts are clear:
	* The victim was a 30-year-old homeless 
black man. 
	* The victim was intoxicated, and 
trespassing on the 
fraternity's property.
	* The police were never called by the 
suspect(s) or any 
other person at the gathering. 
	* When the victim voluntarily exited the 
fraternity 
house, Southard and other fraternity members 
pursued and 
encircled the victim in the front yard. 
	* By all reported accounts, the victim 
was unarmed. 
	* The victim was found by an off-duty 
peace officer 
and was admitted into a hospital suffering 
from a severe 
beating that included facial lacerations.
	Fortunately, a video camera situated in 
Lot 59 
captured most of the events on tape and may 
prove helpful in 
the investigation. Regardless of the tape, 
members of BLSA 
are certain that attempts will be made to 
rationalize this 
human atrocity. But, the fact remains that a 
member and or 
members of Sigma Chi brutalized a homeless 
black man on 
the front lawn of their fraternity house. 
	Was this a racially motivated crime? 
Under current 
law, for this assault to be defined as a hate 
crime, it must be 
established that this crime was motivated by 
race and likely 
would not have occurred otherwise. This 
racist motive can be 
proven in either of two ways. 
	A member of Sigma Chi or a member of any 
other 
fraternity or sorority that were present at 
Sigma Chi that 
night could provide evidence that the crime 
was racially 
motivated, or proof could be achieved by 
establishing that 
the fraternity has a history, indeed, 
tradition of causing or 
being involved in racial incidents. Given the 
few facts known 
in this case, a plausible motive for the 
assault that took place 
is racial. 
	The point is that anyone with 
information about 
exactly what happened has a duty to come 
forward. 
Although fraternal bonds are supposed to be 
strong, should 
those bonds take priority over the human 
bonds of respect, 
tolerance and compassion for all people? 
	Even if this crime was not racially 
motivated, a brutal 
assault nonetheless occurred and the 
assailants must be 
punished. Mr. Southard and possibly others 
broke the law 
and must be penalized to the fullest extent 
of the law.  Little 
or no action would serve only to illustrate 
the University's 
tolerance of this kind of brutal behavior. 
	As Student Life, the Greek Council and 
the Campus 
Environment Team contemplate how to handle 
this matter, 
BLSA and all other ASU students should not 
allow them to 
make the decision alone.
	Every student concerned with justice 
should find a 
way to get their message across, whatever 
their message may 
be. Specifically, students should contact 
their college 
senators; write letters to the State Press; 
and attend and be 
vocal at any administrative meetings or 
hearings. 
	Let the world know that Sigma Chi 
represents racism 
at worst, and senseless violence against the 
homeless and 
helpless at best.
	In conclusion, no matter how you 
rationalize it, what 
happened on August 25 was wrong. And anything 
less than 
expulsion of the assailants, once the 
incident is thoroughly 
investigated, runs the risk of not deterring 
others that may be 
similarly inclined to commit racist crimes. 
Failure to deter 
behavior like this also threatens our 
continued peaceful 
coexistence, and any progress that we all 
have made together. 
	If anyone knows the whereabouts of the 
victim or has 
any information about what happened, please 
contact the 
BLSA via the College of Law.

Gerald Anderson, 2nd year law student
Nicole Farnum, 3rd year law student
Leila Reynolds, 3rd year law student

ASU freshman Richardson to start at safety

By Dustin Krugel
State Press
	It didn't take long for ASU football 
Head Coach Bruce 
Snyder to shuffle his lineup after last 
week's 23-20 setback to 
Washington.
	Freshman Damien Richardson will start at 
one of the 
safety positions instead of sophomore Thomas 
Simmons, 
Snyder said Wednesday. Simmons had shined 
since the 
spring drills, but Snyder was disappointed in 
his 
performance last Saturday.	
	"There was some times when he stopped 
and didn't 
run very hard," Snyder said. "He played 
poorly enough for us 
to make a change and he is capable of so much 
better of a 
performance than that.
	 "We know it. He knows it. And it's a 
matter of when 
he does it, he'll probably have the job back. 
Were not trying to 
play mind games, it's not that."
	Richardson will team with Mitchell 
Freedman, last 
week's starting strong safety, but Freedman 
will shift to free 
safety, provided he gets healthy enough for 
this Saturday's 
home-opener with UTEP, Snyder said. Freedman 
suffered a 
contusion in his left thigh against 
Washington and has had 
limited practice time. If Freedman can't 
start, Snyder said B.J. 
Alford, a transfer from Scottsdale Community 
College will 
start.
	"B.J. hasn't necessarily proven he can 
play at that level, 
so Thomas has to respond," he said.
	Snyder said he didn't hesitate inserting 
Richardson in 
the already youthful secondary.
	"He'll be very disciplined," he said. 
"He'll make his 
calls. He'll be in the right place. He'll 
hustle and he'll  make 
hits. Is he skilled enough yet to make plays? 
We don't know. 
But he'll do that other stuff."
	Although Richardson is getting the 
starting call, 
Snyder expects Simmons to rebound quickly.
	"I like him very much and I think he 
clearly should be 
our free safety," he said.  "I'd be 
disappointed if his pride 
wasn't hurt and he didn't respond."
	Junior Traivon Johnson and sophomore 
Jason 
Simmons will be the likely starters at 
cornerback Saturday. 
Seniors Marcus Soward (groin) and Lee Cole 
(hamstring), 
who were tabbed to start at corner in the 
preaseason, are both still nursing injuries.

Comer, UTEP study Plummer

By Damian Shaw
State Press
	When ASU's running backs venture up the 
middle 
against UTEP this Saturday, they're going to 
have to face the 
Western Athletic Conference's top returning 
tackler in junior 
Michael Comer. 
	But Comer, an inside linebacker, said 
his first concern 
isn't the Sun Devils' rushing attack, it's 
Jake Plummer. 
	"From the film that we've seen so far, 
they've got a real 
good quarterback," Comer said of ASU's 
passer. "He's got a 
good arm and and he's got good wheels too, 
real good 
wheels."
	Miners' Coach Charlie Bailey is looking 
for Comer to 
become more of a force in defending the pass. 
	"Michael does a good job on the running 
game. His 
biggest problem is improving on his pass 
coverage," Bailey 
said. "I want to see Michael get his weight 
down so he can 
run sideline to sideline and play every down 
with an all out 
effort." 
	Comer isn't daunted by the overwhelming 
odds his 
team is presented with. They are a 24-and-a-
half-point 
underdog going into the contest against ASU. 
	"You can go into a game like this two 
ways," Comer 
said. "You can say, 'alright, we're going to 
get beat anyways, 
so we might as well not try,' or we can go 
into this game 
trying to win (and) knowing that we'll open 
some peoples 
eyes if we do."
	Comer said the team has been studying 
film from the 
Washington game as well as film from last 
year's USC and 
Arizona  game's.
	"We've been looking at what these teams 
did against 
them and trying to come up with a game plan 
to try and stop them," he said.

Plummer not happy as UTEP approaches

By Dan Miller
State Press
	Despite several pats on the back and 
words of praise 
for his efforts against Washington last 
weekend, ASU junior 
quarterback Jake Plummer is not in great 
spirits as Saturday's 
game with UTEP inches closer.
	"A lot of people have come up to me and 
said, 'Good 
job in the game,' but that's just looking at 
the statistics," said 
Plummer, who completed 19 of 32 passes for 
264 yards and 
two touchdowns in last Saturday's 23-20 loss. 
"I had a few 
plays where I should've stayed in the pocket 
and completed 
the ball or put it more on the numbers.
	 "I just believe I could've played a lot 
better game. I 
kind of got riled a couple of times."
	Plummer, who said his preparation for 
last week's 
opener far outweighed his performance, said 
he was still 
fuming about the outcome.
	"It's worn off some," he said of his 
anger. "But when I 
sit down and talk about the game with someone 
or a relative 
calls I get even more mad because it's just 
frustrating. We 
should've won that game. There's not going to 
be a cure until 
we go to bowl game."
	"I think he's set a different standard 
for himself now," 
said Head Coach Bruce Snyder.
	Plummer said one adjustment he is making 
this week 
is to intensify his chatter with the 
offensive line prior to 
running plays. 
	"I'm always telling them I need time to 
throw the ball,"  
he said of his line. "But I'm going to start 
telling them that 
we've got to get five yards on every run."
	ASU mustered only 66 yards rushing last 
week.

Campbell, Verdugo content with roles

By Dawn Wagner
State Press
	With its first regular season game 
almost a week past, 
the ASU football team has yet to name who 
will serve as 
back-up to quarterback Jake Plummer.
	And according to Sun Devil Head Coach 
Bruce 
Snyder, they're in no hurry.
	Although sophomore Jason Verdugo had 
been slated 
as the No. 2 quarterback to Plummer this 
season, he hasn't 
received the nod as the official back-up, 
which has left 
Verdugo and Steve Campbell jockeying for the 
position 
during practice.
	"It's a lot of pressure,  but we just go 
out there and do 
our best," Campbell said. "We push each other 
in practice 
which makes it better."
	Verdugo, who was Plummer's back-up last 
year, 
capped off last season by completing 10 of 14 
passes for 171 
yards. He also threw two touchdowns and one 
interception .
	Verdugo hopes his previous game 
experience will put 
him above Campbell in the long run.
	"The only thing that separates Steve and 
I is 
experience," said Verdugo, who rushed for 54 
yards on seven 
attempts last year. "I had the opportunity to 
play last year. 
That's what will wind up setting us apart."
	However, Campbell, who led the offensive 
scout team 
against the No. 1 defense last year, said he 
expects his height 
to play into the mix.
	"I have the advantage height-wise over 
Jason because I 
can see more of the field, but Jason has the 
mobility . . . and 
that helps him," said the 6-foot-6 sophomore.
	However, Verdugo said Campbell had a 
training 
advantage in the spring.
	"What helped Steve a lot was that I 
played baseball 
during the spring last year and he got more 
reps in and had 
more time," Verdugo said. "But if I just go 
out there and do
what I'm coached to do and play like last 
year, I won't have a 
problem."
	Regardless of experience or height, 
Snyder said he 
wants to see the two in game action before he 
makes any 
decisions.
	"Competition will go on for a while," 
Snyder said. 
"Jason Verdugo will go in the game first, but 
I'd like to find 
out what Steve Campbell can do."
	For both Verdugo and Campbell, being 
named official 
back-up might mean the difference between 
seeing game 
action from the field and watching it from 
the sidelines.
	"It's very important (to be named back-
up QB) because 
that way, I'm only one play away from the 
game instead of 
two plays away from the game," Verdugo said. 
"You never 
know when you'll get to play."
	Regardless of who gets the nod, they 
will still have to 
wait for Plummer, one of the premier 
quarterbacks in the 
Pac-10, to either be pulled from the game or 
suffer an injury.
	For Campbell, that makes every chance to 
play in a 
game even more critical.
	"When I have the opportunity to get in 
there, I'm going 
to do whatever I can," Campbell said. "The 
biggest thing I 
need to do this year is to prove myself. 
That's a  big deal for 
me to go out and prove myself to the guys."
	The opportunity to prove game ability 
will happen 
soon said Snyder, who wants to get Campbell 
into a game 
situation soon .
	"We need a legitimate ruler of measuring 
between the two," Snyder said.

Attn: Sports fans

	As a reminder, the State Press sports 
department is 
sponsoring the weekly "PICK IT AND WIN" 
contest for ASU 
football games. Today at 5 p.m. is the final 
deadline to enter 
this week's contest.
	To win, contestants must correctly 
predict the winner 
and final score of the ASU football games. 
This Saturday's 
match-up features ASU's home-opener against 
UTEP at 7 
p.m. 
	The weekly winner receives: an ASU cap 
courtesy of 
The Cap. Co. on 6th and Mill, an autographed 
Jake Plummer 
poster schedule courtesy of ASU athletics, a 
personal 
headshot in Monday's State Press sports 
section and a bonus 
prize.
	If none of the contestants in a given 
week predict the 
exact score, then the winner will be 
determined by which 
contestant comes closest. 
	In the event of tie, the winner will be 
drawn out of a 
hat. However each person in the tie will be 
recognized. 
	Entries must be either faxed to 602-965-
8484, "Attn: 
Sports Editor," or dropped off at the State 
Press offices in the 
basement of Matthews Center.Valid entries 
should include 
full name, student #, year in school, major 
and daytime 
phone # where you may be reached. Winners 
will be 
contaced the Sunday after the game. 
	The entry deadline each week is Thursday 
at 5 p.m.  
Entries received after the deadline will not 
be considered. 
Telephoning the State Press is not a valid 
form of entry.

ASU police reported the following incidents 
Wednesday:
* A man not affiliated with ASU was contacted 
at the Social 
Sciences Building while attending a class he 
was not 
registered for.
* A man not affiliated with ASU was arrested, 
cited and 
released for bike theft at College Avenue and 
Apache 
Boulevard.
* A man not affiliated with ASU was contacted 
at Old Main, 
where he jumped into the fountain to cool 
off. He was 
advised of loitering and trespassing and left 
the area.
* A male student was contacted at Parking 
Structure 5 while 
in-line skating. He was advised of ASU policy 
and left the 
area.
* Someone broke into three Pepsi machines 
over the holiday 
weekend. The machines were in the Stauffer 
Building, 
McClintock Hall and Physical Sciences F-Wing. 
Total loss 
was $160. 
* Two bikes were reported stolen.
Tempe police reported the following incidents 
Wednesday:
* A 31-year-old woman was arrested for 
driving under the 
influence after she ran into a stopped car at 
4400 S. Mill Ave. 
She admitted to drinking prior to getting 
into her car and did 
poorly on a field sobriety test.
* A 32-year-old woman was arrested for 
shoplifting after 
stealing $445 worth of merchandise from K-
mart, 1330 W. 
Baseline Road. She was booked into the Tempe 
City Jail.
* A 24-year-old man was arrested for driving 
under the 
influence after being pulled over for failure 
to stop at a red 
light at Mill Avenue and University Drive. He 
did poorly on 
a field sobriety test and got a .124 on a 
breathalyzer.
Compiled by State Press reporter Greg Zemeida

	The Today Section is a daily calendar of 
events printed 
as a service to the ASU community. Requests 
are accepted on 
a first-come, first-served basis and are 
printed as space 
permits.
	Campus clubs and organizations may 
submit written 
entries to the State Press in the basement of 
Matthews Center. 
Requests will not be taken over the phone or 
via fax. 
	Entries must contain the full name of 
the club or 
organization, a description of the event, 
date, time and the 
full address of the location. All requests 
are subject to editing 
for content, space and clarity. Incomplete or 
illegible entries 
will be discarded.
	Deadline for requests is noon the day 
before 
publication and entries will not be accepted 
more than three 
working days before publication. Only one 
entry per 
organization per day is permitted.

* Alcoholics Anonymous - Daily campus 
meeting. Noon to 
1:15 p.m.; Newman Center, Aquinas Hall in the 
basement.
* Alpha Mu Gamma - National foreign language 
society's 
first meeting of the semester. Everyone 
welcome. 3 p.m.; MU 
Chrysocolla Room.
* Alpha Phi Omega - National co-ed service 
fraternity. Rush 
informational table for students interested 
in community 
service and having fun. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. all 
week; Cady Mall.
* American Heritage Association - First 
annual meeting. 
Election to fill slate, preferred activities, 
get acquainted. 3:15 
p.m.; MU Coconino Room.
* American Marketing Association - Guest 
speaker: Todd 
Borgwald. Everyone welcome. 4:30 p.m.; MU 
Turquoise 
Room (208F).
* Baptist Student Union - Free food, fun and 
fellowship. 
Please join us. Noon; 1322 S. Mill Ave. 
* Barren Mind Improvisation - Free comedy 
show. 12:10 p.m.; 
MU Programming Lounge in the lower level.
* Campus Crusade for Christ - Thursday Night 
Live. Open 
meeting with Bible study, music and fun. 7:30 
p.m.; Physical 
Science H-Wing, Room 150.
* Christian Students Fellowship - Bible 
study: What is the 
meaning of the universe? 12:40 p.m.; MU Room 
223.
* Golden Key National Honor Society - Campus 
awareness 
table, membership information and Kaplan test 
preparation 
info. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Cady Mall. 
* KASR - Listen to "Vynal Therzdeigh" to win 
a subscription 
to Rolling Stone magazine. Trashcan Man and 
EMO will spin 
rare records. 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.; 1260 AM.
* MUAB Culture and Arts Committee - Meeting. 
Everyone 
welcome. 4:30 p.m.; MU third floor Conference 
Room 1A.
* MUAB Special Events Committee - Meeting. 
Everyone 
welcome. 3:30 p.m.; MU third floor Conference 
Room 1A.
* Philosophy Club - First meeting of the 
semester. All are 
welcome. 4 p.m.; Physical Science A-Wing, 
Room 546.
* SHPE de ASU - First meeting of the 
semester. 4:30 p.m.; 
COB 251.
* THEM - Meeting of the Science Fiction and 
Fantasy Society. 
4:30 p.m.; MU Mojave Room (222).