Sexual assault investigation deepens

By Garin Groff and Dustin Krugel
State Press
	A fifth Sun Devil basketball player is wanted for 
questioning in connection with an incident that occurred early 
Wednesday morning in which police said two women were 
imprisoned at gunpoint and one was raped.  
	Three highly-touted basketball recruits Ñ who are sitting 
out this season because they do not meet academic qualifications 
Ñ have been charged in connection with the case. A fourth player 
was questioned but faces no charges.
	Police planned to interview the fifth player Ñ freshman 
guard Duane Davis Ñ Monday, but Chief of ASU Police Lanny 
Standridge said he did not know if the questioning occurred. 
	Police want to question Davis because he may have been a 
witness to the incident, Standridge said. 
	One of the victims said Monday that Davis drove her and 
others to Sonora Center, 725 E. Adelphi Drive, where police said 
the crime occurred. However, she said Davis was not involved.
	Police said Monday that one of the players threatened the 
victims with a pellet gun. Although the gun was not considered 
life-threatening, the man was still charged with aggravated assault 
because the weapon provided a danger in the eyes of the victim, 
Standridge said. 
	Standridge also said police believe the fourth basketball 
player, freshman center Okeme Oziwo, was present for at least part 
of the alleged incident. He was questioned but has not been 
charged. 
	When police wanted to question Oziwo on Wednesday, he 
was already in Seattle preparing for Thursday's game at the 
University of Washington. He flew back to Arizona Thursday for 
questioning and missed both games against UW and Washington 
State last week.
	Thomas Prince, Rico Harris and George "Gee" Gervin were 
arrested and charged Thursday in connection with the alleged 
crime. Some of the charges brought against the three were 
aggravated assault, threatening and intimidation, unlawful 
imprisonment, kidnapping and sexual assault. Only Prince faces all 
of these charges. 
	The players were released shortly after their arrest, but 
Standridge said the victims should not have to worry about their 
safety and players are cooperating with police. Police advised the 
suspects not to contact the victims, Standridge said.
	Meanwhile, ASU athletic officials scrambled Monday to 
defuse the situation. Standridge and the officials fielded media 
questions all day.
	Frieder told KTAR (620 AM) Monday night that if the 
players are convicted, they will not play for ASU.
	"We will be in bad shape next year, but I would rather be 0-
27 and making the right decision rather than making the wrong 
decision," Frieder said.
	He added that Oziwo could face disciplinary actions if he 
broke a team rule. Oziwo has also been suspended indefinitely.
	Interim Athletic Director Christine Wilkinson said ASU is 
ready to move according to the student-athlete conduct policy 
when police release a final report. She said ASU immediately 
reacted to the situation when it arose Wednesday by having Oziwo 
return to Arizona.
	"The first step was requesting that the student-athlete return 
from an away game and that was within hours from being 
notified," Wilkinson said. "We couldn't have acted any faster than 
that.
	"We initially took action even when there was potential 
involvement. I think that was real appropriate on our part. 
Somebody might question that we acted maybe too quickly."
	Wilkinson added that it would be inappropriate for the ASU 
Athletic Department to conduct its own investigation. The 
Department of Public Safety will conduct the investigation, she 
said. 
	Prince, Gervin and Harris were expected to play next 
season for the Sun Devils with sophomore eligibility 
remaining.

Victim claims players previously abused her

By Garin Groff
State Press
	Some of the basketball players charged with holding two 
women captive and raping one had threatened the two before and 
physically abused them, one of the victims said Monday night.
	In an interview with the State Press, the woman who was 
not raped said she had been locked in a room two or three times 
before and that her friend had been locked in a room even more 
times. 
	The State Press is withholding the woman's name. When 
given the name, Chief of ASU Police Lanny Standridge would not 
confirm or deny if the woman was one of the victims. But her 
account of the incident matches details so far unreleased to the 
public by police. 
	The 18-year-old woman is not a student, but lived in a 
residence hall with the other victim, whom police said was raped. 
	Repeated attempts to contact the players involved were 
unsuccessful.
	The woman, who met the players in January, characterized 
her relationship with the players as friendly, but would not say if 
she had dated or had sex with any of them in the past.
	"They were just real cool people to be with," she said.
	That changed in the last few weeks, she said. When she 
visited the players recently, she said one of them threw her against 
the wall when she said she wanted to go home. 
	"After a while, it started getting worse and worse, and they 
just overdid it," she said.
	The freshman players Ñ Thomas Prince, Rico Harris and 
George "Gee" Gervin Ñ were arrested and charged Thursday in 
connection with the crime. They are sitting out this season because 
they do not meet academic qualifications. A fourth player, 
freshman center Okeme Oziwo, was questioned but faces no 
charges.
	Police advised the woman to seek counseling, but she has 
not.
	"I really don't like talking about it," she said. "I'm just 
trying to forget it happened." 
	She said she spoke about the incident in hopes that she 
could prevent the players from treating anyone else the way she 
claims she was treated. 
	"They think they can get away with things because they 
play sports and they know that nothing's going to happen to them," 
she said. "I guess they didn't think that anybody's going to believe 
us."
	She gave the following account of the incident:
	Freshman player Duane Davis picked her and the other 
woman up early Wednesday morning at their apartment and drove 
them to the Sonora Center, 725 E. Adelphi Drive, where two of the 
players live. 
	Davis was not charged in connection with the incident, but 
police said Monday they planned to question him.
	Once at the Sonora Center, each woman willingly went into 
a bedroom with a player.
	One of the other players, who wore a ski mask, jumped 
through one of the bedroom windows and pointed a gun. One of 
the women screamed and ran out of the room, causing the other to 
scream and run out of the bedroom. The man took off his mask and 
the players apologized, saying they didn't mean to scare the 
women.
	The women began to feel uncomfortable.
	"We asked if we could leave, and they said no," said the 
woman, who is not affiliated with the University.
	The women separated again, and the woman was told to 
have sex with one of the players while others watched. She 
refused, but agreed to do so if the other players left the room.
	"He told me that I had to give him oral sex, and if I did not, 
that (the player with the gun) was going to shoot me."
	The other players left the room and the lights were turned 
off. But the players snuck back in, one hiding under the bed while 
the other was near the door.
	"I saw that someone else was in the room, and I started 
screaming," the woman said.
	After this, the player who wanted to have sex with her 
released her.
	"Then he told me to go home because I wasn't worth his 
basketball career," she said.
	One of the players offered the women a ride home, but they 
refused and walked.
	"We didn't even think we would leave alive," she said. 
"When we got home, all we were doing was crying and hugging 
each other."
	She said the two have not talked about the incident with 
each other.
	Now, she said she is trying to put the incident behind her. 
She said she was going to attend ASU next semester but plans on 
attending an out-of-state college because of the incident.
	She has since moved back with her mother in Phoenix, she 
said.
	She added that the other student left ASU to move in with 
her parents out of state.
	She said she does not wish any harm on the players, but 
does not want them to go to ASU or play basketball.
	"I don't think anything of them," she said. "They don't even 
exist to me. They just mess with others' lives, and they really don't 
care."

Sigma Chi frat suspended by review board

By Timothy Tait
State Press
	The Sigma Chi Fraternity has been suspended from the 
Interfraternity Council for one year following last week's 
investigation by the Greek Review Board in the wake of two fights 
involving fraternity members and African Americans.
	The Friday suspension effectively excludes the fraternity 
from any Greek activities, including Rush. However, the fraternity 
can remain intact. 
	Sigma Chi President Mark Buntz said the Greek Review 
Board's decision was motivated by political pressure.
	"We were railroaded," he said. "The facts became 
secondary. We were definitely prejudged.
	"The board was tremendously swayed by the racial tension 
on campus."
	Sigma Chi plans to appeal the decision.
	However, Denise Trimble, president of the Pan-Hellenic 
Council, said Sigma Chi's punishment was consistent with their 
actions.
	"The facts have shown that they have a problem with 
violence," she said. "They have to be held accountable for every 
member of the fraternity Ñ they were not railroaded."
	The Interfraternity Council investigation came after two 
Sigma Chi members were involved in a fight with a black man 
following the Super Bowl. Tempe police have made no arrests.
	Police also investigated Sigma Chi in August for the 
beating of an African-American man found inside the fraternity's 
house.
	Fraternity member Bryan Southard was arrested, but the 
county attorney's office dropped the charges, calling the incident 
"mutual combat." However, several other fraternity members were 
arrested and charged with lying to police during the initial 
investigation.
	Sigma Chi Vice President Bryan Beham said the review 
board disregarded the facts involving the fights during the hearing.
	"If they had looked at the facts, they would have concluded 
that there were no racial overtones," he said.
	The group received the worst possible sanctions under the 
power of the review board, Buntz said.
	"The decision is irrational because the punishment does not 
even come close to the charges that we were up for," he said. 
	Trimble said the fraternity should look at the year of 
disqualification from IFC as an opportunity to improve internal 
problems in the fraternity.
	"They need to look at this as an advantage," she said. "They 
can use this time to fix some internal problems."

State Department warns students to be cautious in foreign countries

By Jeff Owens
State Press
	Unless languishing in a Mexican jail sounds like a fun idea, 
ASU students should heed warnings by State Department officials 
about the dangers of being arrested in foreign countries.
	The annual spring migration of ASU students to the 
beaches and bars of Mexico presents plenty of opportunities for 
trouble.
	"That's one of the number one countries where Americans 
are arrested," said Nyda Budig, State Department Bureau of 
Consular Affairs public affairs officer. 
	According to the State Department, more than 2,200 
American citizens were arrested abroad in 1995. More than 1,300 
of those arrests involved the use or possession of drugs. Many 
were arrested for violating local laws pertaining to the use of 
alcohol and the behavior related to it.
	"The biggest trouble (for American students in Mexico) is 
drinking and drunk and disorderly conduct," Budig said. "For 
college students and their parents, it can be potentially very 
embarrassing and certainly very expensive." 
	The State Department also warns that "once an American 
leaves U.S. soil, U.S. laws and constitutional rights no longer 
apply. U.S. consular officers can visit jailed Americans to see that 
they are being fairly and humanely treated, but cannot get them out 
of jail or intervene in a foreign country's legal system on their 
behalf."
	An American consular officer at the U.S. Embassy in 
Mexico City said if a student gets in trouble, the Embassy can do 
little to help.
	"If the person is detained, the first thing to do is call the 
nearest American consular agency," he said. "Then you have to 
wait and see what the police do. It depends on the offense. 
Sometimes an apology and a promise to pay fines is enough. But in 
more severe cases, we can't do anything. The main rule is 'Don't do 
anything abroad that you wouldn't do in the U.S.' "
	The Mexican government has increased efforts in recent 
years to stop the flow of illegal drugs, which translates into very 
tough laws from which Americans are not exempt.
	The Consular Information Sheet on Mexico states 
"sentences for possession of drugs in Mexico can be as long as 25 
years plus fines." Another warning reads that Americans have been 
arrested for possessing as little as one-third of an ounce of 
marijuana.
	The State Department warned that students, particularly 
women, should be especially wary of persons who ask them to 
carry a package or drive a car across the border. An unwitting 
courier will still be held responsible for anything in his or her 
possession.
	"To local authorities, ignorance is not an excuse," the 
warning reads.
 	The Department advised travelers to become familiar 
beforehand with the basic laws and customs of destination 
countries and to not engage in action or behavior that may result in 
arrest.
	The  phone number of the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City is 
(525) 211-0042.
	State Department travel information and advisories on 
many countries can be found on the Internet at 
http://travel.state.gov. 

Local bars offer spring break fun within Tempe borders

By Andrea M. Healey
State Press
	Students who can't afford Ñ or just don't want Ñ to get out 
of town for spring break will have plenty of opportunities to "eat 
the worm."
	Many local establishments are offering a variety of 
diversions for students who plan to stay in town, provided they are 
over the legal drinking age.
	Pink E's, 93 E. Southern Ave., is one of many 
establishments that will have St. Patrick's Day entertainment. On 
March 15, the bar will sponsor St. Pratt's day with KUPD-FM 
(97.9) that will include a midget toss with pots of gold given away 
and 75-cent green draft beer from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
	Mill Ave. Beer Co., 605 S. Mill Ave., is having drink 
specials over the entire week of spring break and a March 17 St. 
Patrick's Day celebration. The celebration, co-sponsored by 
KUPD, will offer 98-cent beers and specials on corned beef and 
cabbage. The radio station will also give away concert tickets, 
compact discs and trips. The bar will give away 98 
commemorative T-shirts, according to Rob Wallace, bar manager.
	During the week, Mill Ave. Beer Co. will also offer stout-
beer night Tuesday, a Wednesday wheat- and fruit-beer night with 
the M-80's with no cover charge for ladies. Suite No. 3 will 
perform March 15 and Dead Hot Workshop will perform March 
16.
	O'Mally's, 1250 E. Apache Blvd., will also have a St. 
Patrick's Day celebration with a special trolley that will carry 
patrons from its Glendale location to its Tempe location. There will 
also be a barbecue, green beer and either a disc jockey or a live 
band.
	For students under 21 who do not find the idea of breaking 
federal laws with a fake ID appealing, the Electric Ballroom, 1216 
E. Apache Blvd., is offering a few 18-and-over and all-ages shows.
	On March 10, Tha Dogg Pound will perform in an 18-and-
over show. On March 11, Jason Bonham will perform and on 
March 13, Kicking Harold and Fu Manchu will perform. Both of 
these nights will be all-ages shows. Tickets can be purchased 
through TicketMaster.

Students plan ahead to give themselves break

By Melody McDonald
State Press
	ASU students Ñ next week is spring break. What are you 
going to do?
	Tony Moore is going to Disneyland.
	"I just want to get the hell away from here," said Moore, a 
freshmen undecided major. "It's going to be fun."
	P.H. Schouten, whose declared major is "life," is also 
heading out of state. 
	"I'm going back to New York, back home," he said. "I'm 
going to escape the absurdity of Arizona State. It's crazy here."
	Andrea Roof, a freshmen psychology major, said she will 
travel to Philadelphia to live it up with friends at other colleges. 
	"I'm really not doing anything interesting," she said. "I'm 
just visiting friends at colleges who are not out for spring break." 
	Regardless of where they are going and what they are 
doing, most ASU students said they are just happy to have a break 
from school.
	"I need the break," said Nailah Alsulaihim, a junior speech 
and hearing science major, who will trek around Santa Barbara and 
drive up to San Francisco to visit a friend.
	Anne Coffey, a junior elementary education major, said she 
will travel to Greensburg, Ky. 
	"I'm going home to see my parents," she said. "And I'm 
also going to drive down to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina."
	Other students have decided to steer clear of the sun 
altogether and head for the snow.
	"I'm going skiing at Sunrise," said Robert Williams, a 
junior political science major.
	The Snowdevil Ski and Snowboard Club will also spend 
their break skiing. About 40 members of the club will travel to 
Mammoth, Calif., for four days, said Dawn Bovasso, a club 
member. The group paid $335 for lift tickets, lodging and 
transportation. 
	"It's a really good deal," Bovasso said. 

Health officials: Take care while having fun in the sun

By Andrea M. Healey
State Press
	Visions of days spent relaxing in the sun on the beach at 
Cabo San Lucas, Rocky Point or California beckon as students 
prepare to party over spring break.
	Visions of visits to the dermatologist to have cancerous 
moles removed usually aren't among those daydreams, however. 
	Karen Moses, associate director of health and wellness at 
Student Health, said the sun is the most common cause of skin 
cancer.
	To avoid getting skin cancer, Moses said people should 
stay out of the sun between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. or take protective 
measures to block the sun's harmful rays.
	"You should apply lotion with an SPF (sun protection 
factor) ofat least 15, at least 15 to 30 minutes before you go out," 
she said. "If you're going out in a swimsuit, you should apply about 
an ounce all over your body. You have to use a lot of it."
	Moses added generic, inexpensive brands of sun screen are 
often as effective as brand names.
	When shopping for a sun screen, people should consider 
how long it takes for them to get a sunburn. If it takes 10 minutes 
to burn, a sun screen with SPF 15 will protect the skin for 15 times 
longer, making it 150 minutes before burning occurs.
	Chris Newton, Arizona Cancer Registry data projects 
manager, said the office deals primarily with two types of cancer 
Ñ basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas.
	"Those kinds are usually the kind that are reported to 
doctors," Newton said. "We don't even get the reports because they 
are caught at an early stage and are highly curable Ñ you go to a 
dermatologist, and they basically cut it off, and you're done with 
it."
	The second type is melanoma, which is not as common but 
is important. This type of cancer usually appears like a mole that 
grows. If melanomas reach a certain skin depth, they become 
dangerous. 
	Moses suggested using the ABCD rule when looking for 
suspicious moles:
	- Asymmetric moles: Look for moles with two sides shaped 
differently. 
	- Borders: Look for ragged or irregular borders.
	- Colors: Look for different colors in the mole.
	- Diameter: Look for moles with a diameter of more than 6 
millimeters.
	A mole with any of these characteristics should be checked, 
Moses said. 
	She also cautioned about other ways people can get burned.
	"The sun can go through t-shirts and is reflected off of 
water, so the rays are more intense," she said. "Your part or scalp 
area burns, and when it peels, it's really gruesome looking, so 
people need to protect their scalp."

South of the Border Disorder;Officials: Pack your smarts for Rocky Point fun

By Patty King
Special to the State Press
	During spring break one year, Mary Weil sat in a Rocky 
Point restaurant as a rowdy group of college students roared by in a 
truck.
	"We were talking about college kids and how they behave 
and the minute that happened, some kid came by and mooned us," 
she said.
	Weil, a Tempe resident and the author of a Rocky Point 
travel guide, said students must temper their fun with safe, 
responsible behavior. 
	"The college students go down (to Rocky Point) for spring 
break, and they leave their brains at the border," she said.
	Puerto Pe–asco, Mexico, or Rocky Point, is a small coastal 
town 60 miles southwest of the Arizona border. Thousands of 
Arizona college students flock to the town's beaches each year 
during spring break.
	Weil, who has visited Rocky Point once a month since 
1992, said she considers drinking and driving to be the riskiest 
behavior in which students engage. Students need to realize that if 
they are injured in an accident, medical help cannot arrive as easily 
as in the United States, she said.
	Jean Herges, manager of regional supervisors for Samaritan 
AirEvac, a Phoenix air ambulance service, said in U.S. cities such 
as Phoenix, patients can usually be in an operating room within 15 
to 20 minutes of an accident.
	However, in cases requiring air transport from Rocky Point, 
the flight time for one of Samaritan AirEvac's planes is 40 to 60 
minutes each way, Herges said.
	Additional time can be lost as students try to figure out who 
to call in an emergency and wait for a local ambulance to transport 
a patient to a local hospital, said a Puerto Pe–asco physician who 
specializes in emergency medicine. The physician, who preferred 
not to be named, said a patient also must be stabilized at a hospital 
prior to being flown to Phoenix. He added that the entire process 
could take one to two hours. 
	The doctor also said two or three serious accidents 
requiring air-evac services occur each year during spring break.
	"Usually, they are trauma Ñ people in a coma, people with 
spinal cord injuries or people with exposed fractures or internal 
bleeding," he said.
	The accidents are often caused by drinking and driving or 
sports activities such as water-skiing or all-terrain vehicles, he said. 
	Radawna Michelle, ASU Department of Public Safety 
crime prevention coordinator, said sexual assault is the biggest 
danger students face during spring break trips to Rocky Point. The 
dangers of date rape increase exponentially in situations where 
large amounts of alcohol are consumed, she said.
	Behavior such as moving from party to party in hotels and 
on the beach or socializing with strangers can be contributing 
factors, she added.
	Women who choose to drink can protect themselves against 
sexual assault by drinking in moderation, Michelle said. In 
addition, they need to trust their instincts and remove themselves 
from uncomfortable situations. 
	"If that means you're with a group of female friends and 
they leave you, go with them," she said. "Don't leave yourself 
alone."
	Michelle also said students need to guard against theft.
	"(People) do things that they wouldn't necessarily do back 
on campus Ñ leaving money lying around, leaving wallets with 
credit cards right out on the beach (or) leaving vehicles unlocked, 
for instance," she said. "People need to keep a close eye on their 
belongings." 
	Taking drugs into Mexico can also be detrimental for 
students, Michelle said.
	"The Mexican government takes their law enforcement role 
very seriously regarding illegal drugs," she said.
	Ricardo Hernandez Lecanda, third consul of Mexico at the 
Mexican Consulate in Phoenix, said the penalty for bringing illegal 
drugs into Mexico is 10 to 25 years in prison with no parole, 
according to the Mexican Federal Penal Code. Persons who sell or 
distribute drugs can receive an additional 10 to 25 years, he said. 
Illegal drugs include marijuana, cocaine and heroin.
	Lecanda added that the laws apply to all of Mexico, 
although local police in Rocky Point might be more lenient in 
enforcing them to avoid offending the local tourist trade. However, 
students traveling in Mexico also risk arrest by the federal police, 
or federales, who patrol highways and visit towns. 
	"(To them), you are a potential criminal, and you are going 
to be treated as the potential criminal you are," he said.
	Weil recommends that students also obtain Mexican auto 
insurance, which they can purchase in the Arizona towns of Ajo 
and Why or at the border.
	"American insurance is of little value in Mexico, especially 
if you are in an auto accident," she said.
	Insurance must be purchased for each day that the person 
will be in Mexico, she said. Prices are based on the value of the car 
and can run from $10 to $15 a day.
	Weil added that students should prepare themselves well 
for the trip as well as their stay in Mexico.
	"Make sure that your car is going to be in working order 
and that the oil's checked, and all the fluids are checked," she said. 
"Make sure, ... before you go, that your belts are all new."
	Students should also bring items such as one gallon of 
drinking water per day per person, tarps or umbrellas for shade, 
toilet paper, tire pumps, jumper cables and long-sleeved shirts and 
long pants to protect them from the sun. 
	"It's a safe place to go if you use your common sense," 
Weil said.

Editorial: Taking back ASASU

	Take hope, ASU.
	Eleven students have expressed interest in running for the 
Associated Students of ASU presidency. Interest in the other 
offices, including senate seats, is also high.
	ASASU is an organization in turmoil. It is a ship that 
desperately needs to be righted.
	The events of the past year have tarnished student faith in 
their government more than ever before. But now would be the 
worst time for students to turn their back on the process.
	Students must take back their student government.
	Most on the Third Floor have forgotten what they are 
supposed to be doing. Politics and power have become the sole 
motivator for many student politicians.
	Holding office in ASASU is seen as a resumŽ-builder. 
Titles are seen as something to be paraded around, for every 
student to gape at.
	This has to end.
	To begin with, these are the things that ASASU needs to 
change:
	- Involvement with students.
	Students must feel a kinship with their student leaders. 
Student leaders should make every effort to interact with the 
student body.	
	But right now, the only time student leaders are seen 
rubbing elbows with the students is when they're running for re-
election.
	The only way ASASU will know what student concerns are 
is if they are out talking to the students. Rather than staging events, 
perhaps ASASU officials should just walk down from the Third 
Floor, go out into the MU and just talk with passing students.
	- The student-Legislature link.
	ASASU has much potential, but nowhere is the potential 
higher than in its lobbyist role.
	It isn't enough for ASASU to know what student concerns 
are. It must actively voice those concerns to Arizona lawmakers.
	The only way to do that is to aggressively lobby the 
Legislature.
	ASASU must make it a point to talk to legislators regularly 
Ñ whether by picking up a phone and calling them, or going down 
to the Capitol to mingle.
	It's not enough to merely have the ear of the governor, the 
regents or the state Legislature. ASASU must use it.
	- Competition.
	In order to have a healthy democracy, one must have 
contested political races. This is what we are hoping for this 
semester.
	It is doubtful that all 11 presidential hopefuls will make it 
through the petitions process. But it is clear that ASU students will 
have a decent choice for ASASU president this semester.
	Only when races are contested are candidates forced to 
campaign. To do that, they must give thought to the issues facing 
the student body, and come up with intelligent solutions.
	More importantly, voters need a choice other than whether 
or not to vote.
	- Student involvement.
	This, ultimately, is the only way that ASASU is going to 
change.
	Unless students take an active role in ASASU, it will 
remain a highly-politicized organization. One that is not receptive 
to student input and concerns.
	Unless students show that they want student government to 
work for them, nothing will change.
	Let this spring be remembered as the year that the student 
body finally took back ASASU.

Column: Athletes, sexual assault go hand in hand

Liz Montalbano
Columnist

	Since I've been a columnist at the State Press, I've written 
three columns that had something to do with rape.
	I didn't want to have to talk about it again. I thought I'd 
exhausted the issue last semester when a rash of date rapes struck a 
chord of fear in the women of this campus.
	But now it seems I have no choice.
	The arrest of three ASU basketball players for allegedly 
sexually assaulting two women in the Sonora Center serves only to 
prove my theory that male athletes and degradation of women 
seem to go hand in hand.
	Last semester Mike Tyson's return to boxing was hotly 
debated. I was of the unpopular opinion that a man convicted of 
rape should not be allowed to walk down the street, let alone stand 
in the boxing ring and get paid millions of dollars to throw a few 
punches.
	This semester, Magic Johnson has been stealing headlines. 
The HIV-positive basketball player's return to the court after a 
brief retirement has brought him more kudos than scorn. People 
seem to conveniently forget how Johnson contracted the virus Ñ 
by indiscriminate sex with scores of women, even while he was 
personally and sexually involved with a woman who is now his 
wife.
	Sure Johnson didn't rape them Ñ those women were 
probably willing to sleep with him, or any other basketball player 
or sports figure who happened to ask. 
	Professional athletes, like rock stars, get laid. Period.
	One can speculate that it's the same with male student 
athletes. I'm not saying every single male athlete runs amok 
screwing every woman he sees, but someone who plays on, say, 
ASU's basketball team has an easier time meeting women than a 
guy who spends his time examining paramecium under a 
microscope in the Biology Department.
	The ASU basketball players involved in the incident have 
not been convicted, so of course, I must reserve judgment on their 
guilt or innocence until all the facts are in and have been examined 
thoroughly in a court of law.
	Even then justice may not be served, since men convicted 
of sexual assault usually are not handed the sentences they deserve 
anyway.  
	But the athletes' guilt or innocence is not the point.
	An incident that could lead to such an arrest should never 
even come close to occurring, especially when those accused of the 
crime are under public scrutiny.
	Male college athletes, especially at a school like ASU who 
recruits them carefully to assemble a winning team, are prize 
possessions. The men involved in the incident, though not yet 
actually playing on the basketball team, are considered its future.
	To put it bluntly, they are the ones expected to bring in the 
bucks for a struggling ASU basketball program in years to come.
	They are the ones who have a shot at big-time fame in the 
NBA.
	Even if they're not convicted of any crime, the arrests could 
deal a fatal blow to their reputations.
	In a perfect world.
	More realistically, conviction or no conviction, nothing will 
happen to them at all.
	It's no secret that men, especially men in positions of 
authority or fame, or who possess substantial financial worth, can 
easily get away with sexual harassment, assault or rape.
	Mike Tyson is just one example. Sen. Bob Packwood and 
O.J. Simpson are a couple of others.
	Athletes especially are exonerated of guilt for such crimes. 
After all, with all that testosterone racing through their veins, it's 
no surprise they feel the need to have sex every once in awhile. 
And the woman (or women) were probably asking for it anyway.
	Male athletes often consider themselves invincible. On the 
professional level, they're famous, they're rich and they have their 
pick of beautiful women with whom they can frolic. What more 
could a man ask for?
	And college athletes at schools with big athletic programs 
are much the same. Many are paid or given preferential treatment 
by their schools, their faces are splashed across ESPN and ripe 
college women are lining up for their attention and affection.
	But no male athlete, professional or college, should treat 
women with anything but the utmost respect.
	And if it is proven that any of them do, they should be dealt 
with accordingly.
	Male athletes at other universities have been accused of 
rape, but rarely are there solid convictions. And even if there are, 
the accused still get off the hook on some technicality or another.
	Sadly, rape and the sexual assault of women is still an 
excusable crime. If you're an athlete and a lot of people are 
depending on you for their financial gain, it's even more 
forgivable.
	This isn't how it should be, but in a society where the 
almighty dollar reigns supreme, where men are allowed to abuse 
women but women who fight back are sentenced to prison terms, 
it's just the way it is.
	And unless someone sets a precedent against it, it's going to 
be that way forever.

Liz Montalbano is an M.F.A. student studying creative writing.

Letters to the Editor

Letter: Latest rape accusation calls for proper, decisive action

	Once again, a horrible violation of a human's basic right to 
control his or her body has been committed. As a society, we have 
become so desensitized to rape, indeed, any kind of violence 
against other humans, that the State Press's headline about the 
alleged rape of two women by three basketball athletes at ASU 
inspires little to no shock. Hearing about rape or brutality on the 
news allows us to distance ourselves from the reality of the horror. 
This time, it hits a little bit closer to home. This time, we can, as an 
ASU community, show that this is simply not acceptable.
	One of the many aspects of this scenario which disgusts me 
is that three ASU athletes are responsible. As a sport-obsessed 
culture (recall the Super Bowl hype), we prize our athletes above 
all else. Athletes in the limelight can do no wrong. Unfortunately, 
many male athletes abuse this power, assuming a type of 
superiority that exempts them from responsible behavior. 
Whatever happened to heroes, let alone role models? I don't think 
Bruce Jenner was on the Wheaties box because he degraded and 
raped women. Because so few people seem to be worthy of 
admiration anymore, we look at our athletes as gods. Maybe it is 
time to look elsewhere.
	In addition, these three basketball players, Thomas Prince, 
Rico Harris and George "Gee" Gervin, represent ASU in 
everything they do. Clearly, this is of little or no importance to 
these boys. Their identity as ASU athletes did not motivate them to 
represent the University positively. Instead, they felt it gave them 
sanction to physically and mentally coerce and violate others. 
These three athletes have been given everything by the University 
Ñ money, support, prestige and truly, an identity for three people 
that otherwise may not contribute much positive to this world. 
	I support collegiate athletics, but I do not support the 
blatant abuse of this privileged position. It seems that we forget 
that an institution of higher education is for learning. It is not about 
sports or any other extracurricular activity. Those are simply the 
perks that we, as students, have as opportunities. ASU can show 
that it values its integrity as an academic institution by refusing to 
allow Prince, Harris and Gervin to play basketball here ever again. 
	If we can unite as an ASU community to oppose the 
participation of these three in sport, we take one small step toward 
recognizing both the true responsibility of the school and that the 
crime of rape should always lead to punishment. My heart goes out 
to those two women, and I hope their justice is served.

Jennifer Wesely
Graduate student
Recreation management and tourism

Frieder responds to allegations against athletes

By Damian Shaw
State Press
	The three athletes associated with the ASU men's 
basketball team who allegedly held two women captive and 
sexually assaulted them last week will not be back with the team if 
the charges are true, according to Coach Bill Frieder. 
	"If a felony has been committed then they won't be back," 
Frieder said Monday night on his weekly radio call-in show on 
KTAR (620 AM). "If there is a tragedy here, then we need to do 
the right thing. We can't accept certain things in our program."
	Thomas Prince, Rico Harris and George "Gee" Gervin face 
several separate charges ranging from unlawful imprisonment, 
kidnapping and sexual assault to aggravated assault, threatening 
and intimidation. 
	The players, who are not eligible to play this year because 
they did not meet academic requirements, were considered the 
cornerstone of the Sun Devils' future. 
	"If these kids don't come back, and right now it seems they 
won't be, next season's going to look real bad," Frieder said, adding 
that, "when it's all over, I don't think everything will be dropped."
	Frieder's daughter, Laura,  is currently a freshman at ASU, 
a fact that he said makes the allegations especially troublesome. 
Above and beyond his concern for the future of his basketball 
team, Frieder said he was most concerned for the families of the 
individuals involved.
	"I feel saddened by the situation," Frieder said. "I feel bad 
for all the parents involved and I feel embarrassed because it's my 
basketball program."
	Frieder said he checked the backgrounds of the three 
players before they came to ASU and found that they all had clean 
records. 
	"We checked and none of those kids had ever had any kind 
of record or any kind of anything with the law," Frieder said. 
	The three players in question have not been practicing with 
the team and do not travel with the team due to their ineligibility. 
Frieder said they will no longer be allowed to use the team weight 
room. They also will not be able to practice at the University 
Activity Center on their own, as they had previously been allowed, 
Frieder said.  

Seven Sun Devil wrestlers to head to NCAA tourney

By Dan Miller
State Press
	The 15th-ranked ASU wrestling team fell short of its goal 
at the Pac-10 Championships over the weekend, but ASU Coach 
Lee Roy Smith said that his team will use that disappointment as 
incentive for the NCAA Championships in two weeks.
	"People are going to remember Ñ and the wrestlers will 
remember Ñ what they did at the NCAAs before they reflect on 
the conferences," said Smith, who will take seven wrestlers to the 
NCAA Championships at the Target Center in Minneapolis March 
21-23. "Bakersfield had an exceptional tournament. The 
tournament was determined in the semis. They did a great job of 
winning the close ones."
	ASU, which was the defending champion, finished second 
with 138.5 points, 16.5 behind host Cal State-Bakersfield Sunday 
night. 
	"We didn't accomplish what we went there to do," Smith 
said. "But we can make up for it at the nationals."
	Three of ASU's five finalists won individual Pac-10 titles. 
Seniors Markus Mollica (167 pounds) and Steve St. John (134) and 
junior Danny Felix (118) each claimed top honors for the Sun 
Devils.
Two Sun Devils Ñ sophomores Matt Suter (158) and Casey Strand 
(190) Ñ took seconds, while sophomores Shawn Ford (126) and 
Aaron Simpson (177) wrestled back for thirds. Each of the seven 
automatically qualified for the national tournament because they 
finished in the top three of their respective weight classes.
	 Of the 41 Pac-10 wrestlers invited to the NCAA's, 11 are 
wild-card entries determined by coaches in an extensive selection 
process immediately after the tournament. ASU heavyweight 
Danny Faqir, who finished fourth, narrowly missed a wild-card 
invite, but has been designated as the first alternate in the 
conference. If one of the 41 wrestlers can't compete, Faqir would 
get the call, Smith said.
	"I thought we might be able to get between six or eight 
through (to the NCAA's) so we're right in there," said Smith, who 
took seven wrestlers to the NCAA's last year and placed fourth.
	Mollica, a three-time All-America and the defending 
NCAA champ at 167, defeated Oregon State rival Chad Renner, 
13-7, in the final. Renner is one of only two men to beat Mollica 
(30-2) this year.
	"He wrestled an exceptional tournament," Smith said of 
Mollica, who became the first wrestler in conference history to win 
four consecutive titles. "He looked in post-season form."
	Mollica, who is ranked No. 1 in the country and will be the 
top seed at NCAA's, recorded a pin and a major decision on his 
way to the finals. He was deadlocked at 4-4 with the fourth-ranked 
Renner midway through the second period, before scoring on a 
takedown and three-point near fall to break the match open.
	"Markus just prettty much dominated from that point," 
Smith said, adding that Mollica's flurry opened a cut under 
Renner's eye.
	Ford, a walk-on last year who struggled at times this year, 
rose to the challenge at Pac-10s, Smith said. After losing his first 
match to Oregon's John Taylor, he won a 22-8 major decision over 
Boise St.'s Aaron Swisher, then decisioned Cal Poly-San Luis 
Obispo's Gail Miller, 6-4, in the consolation semis, setting up a 
rematch with Taylor for third place.
	"The second match I changed my strategy a little," said 
Ford, who avenged the loss by beating Taylor, 3-2. "I took a 
different angle in attacking. I did less of the tieups and more from 
the outside."
	Ford, who was ranked third in the conference in the 
preseason, has only been in competitive wrestling since his 
sophomore year in high school. He will be making his first 
appearance at NCAA's.
	"It proves that hard work pays off," Ford said. "I want to set 
an example for other walkons that come to the program. They can 
make it into the lineup and into the big tournament."
	Smith said Ford, who also lost to Taylor on Feb. 9 in dual 
action, adjusted to his opponent well.
	"He was really playing into that guy's hands and he 
corrected his problems," he said. "He did a good job of following 
his game plan."
	Meanwhile St. John, who spent over half the year 
recovering from major knee surgery, defeated Oregon State's Oscar 
Wood, 7-3, in the final for his second career championship. He is 
15-3 since returning to competition.
	"I think he's paced himself just right," Smith said of the 
fifth-ranked St. John "He wasn't ever really in jeopardy of losing a 
match. He had each of his matches under control."
 	Felix, ranked seventh in the country, celebrated his 22nd 
birthday Sunday with a 12-4 major decision over Oregon's Kevin 
Roberts in the finals. It was his third conference title in as many 
years.
	 "He broke the match open with a first-period takedown," 
Smith said, adding that in the process Roberts rolled his ankle and 
took over two and half minutes to recover. "It was a very 
dominating performance."
	Suter, who beat Bakersfield's Mickey Ritter in the 1995 
Pac-10 finals, lost to Ritter, 2-1, in double-overtime. The eighth-
ranked Sun Devil lost the coin flip before the second OT and Ritter 
scored on an escape.
	"It was a very frustrating loss for Matt. He didn't wrestle 
the match he wanted to wrestle," Smith said. "He's got to just take 
that frustration and use it as a positive to get ready for the national 
championship and he's capable of doing that."
	Strand, a natural 177-pounder who has been wrestling up 
all year, lost 8-4 to third-ranked Paschal Duru of Cal Poly-San Luis 
Obispo in the finals. He will be making his first NCAA 
appearance. 
	"He did an excellent job of wrestling with the strategy that 
is critical to have success at that weight class," Smith said. "He was 
able to put together a real consistent perfomance all the way 
through the tournament."
	Simpson lost a tough semifinal match to Bakersfield's 
Derek Scott, whom he narrowly beat earlier this year. Then he 
wrestled back to defeat Cal Poly's Mike French by injury default in 
the consolation final.	
	"Aaron allowed him to dictate a little more of the match 
than he normally would but he can gain from that experience," 
Smith said of Simpson, who will make his second straight NCAA 
appearance.
	Smith added that ASU should benefit from wrestling its 
conference championship last weekend because the majority of the 
conference meets are not until this weekend.

Women's tennis pounds Huskies

By Dan Miller
State Press
	After being idle from competition for the last two weeks, 
ASU women's tennis coach Sheila McInerney described her team 
as "eager" to battle Washington Monday. 
	That may not have been a strong enough word.
	The Sun Devils surpassed McInerney's expectations and 
pancaked the Huskies, 9-0, at Whiteman Tennis Center.
	 "I think they were better than the score indicated," 
McInerney said of Washington, which failed to win a set against 
ASU (4-4).
	Each time the Huskies threatened, ASU quickly erased their 
hopes. Sun Devil sophomore All-America  Reka Cseresynes 
defeateted Kathering Costain, 6-4, 6-1, in a deceptively close 
match at the No. 1 singles position. Cseresnyes was the last Sun 
Devil player to finish her match.
	"We played really long games. I was the last one off (the 
court). I was like, 'Oh my gosh, the others must be really playing 
well,'" Cseresnyes joked. "I really enjoyed playing again today. I 
think the last two weeks  helped everybody."
	Cseresnyes said she was able to effectively pass Costain, a 
serve and volleyer.
 	"I could go crosscourt or angle down the line. I like to be a 
little bit under pressure when I have to go for a shot," she said. 
Cseresnyes, a baseliner, even got in some serve-and-volley work 
herself.
	"I've been working a lot on my volleys the last two weeks," 
she said. "I think I've improved a little. It's been going pretty well."
	ASU sophomore Stephanie Lansdorp overcame a close first 
set with Paige Stringer to win 7-5, 6-2 at No. 2 singles and 
freshman Katy Propstra avenged a loss to Kori Sosnowy at the 
Pac-10 Indoors with a 6-3, 6-3 triumph at the third spot. Then the 
powerful pair teamed to down Costain and Sosnowy, 8-4, in 
doubles action.
	Freshman Alison Nash made an impressive return to action 
at the No. 4 slot after missing the last three weeks with a pulled 
stomach muscle. Nash, who clocked Kari Luna, 7-5, 6-1, said her 
muscle is 100 percent.
	"It felt fine," she said. "I played well today. I was coming to 
the net a lot more. It's nice to be back." 
	Nash initially injured the muscle during ASU's first dual of 
the year against Pacific (Jan. 17).	
	ASU junior Anna Moll torched southpaw Erica Stoloff, 6-
2, 6-1, at No. 5 to continue the onslaught.
	"I just mixed it up," Moll explained. "She didn't like the 
high balls to her backhand. I kind of found her weaknesses and 
used them to get an advantage."
	Sun Devil senior Julie Coppinger made it a clean sweep at 
the sixth position with a 6-0, 6-4 trouncing of Jennifer Radford. 
Coppinger, who has been plagued with everything from a pulled 
muscle in her rear to shin splints and a sore shoulder, said she is 
finally back at full operating capacity. The turnaround helped her 
easily adjust to Radford's pesky two-handed forehand and 
backhand.
 	"I was just keeping the ball deep," Coppinger revealed. 
"She really liked those angles. That's not really my game."
	McInerney reached into her bag of tricks and whipped out 
two new doubles pairings Monday. The first-time tag-team of 
Cseresnyes and Moll  dropped Stringer and Karin Costi, 8-2, at 
second doubles.
	"We live together. We go to practice together. At first it 
looked pretty hard because we were going to play doubles together 
that's another thing we're going to do together, but it hasn't been a 
problem," Moll jested. "We haven't had any communication 
problems. For now, it looks pretty good."
	So does the new team of Nash and freshman Torey Pratt, 
which destroyed Luna and Lindy Irving, 8-3, at No. 3.
	"It was interesteing because we played so well together for 
the first time," Nash said.
	Added McInerney:  "Sometimes you have to make changes 
to get better." 

Softball to host game at 'invisible' stadium

By Damian Shaw
State Press
	Sun Devil Club Stadium. It's the home of the Sun Devil 
softball team and it's located on campus. The problem is, nobody 
knows where. 
	"It's not on campus directories; it's not on campus maps; it's 
as if we're invisible," said Coach Linda Wells.
	Wells said she often fields phone calls from spectators 
seeking directions to the stadium. 
	"That's unfortunate because we have a very good team. It's 
very entertaining; it's family-oriented and it's a lot of things that I 
think people are looking for in a sporting experience," Wells said. 
	Fans will get to use a map and compass once again at 5 
p.m. today when the Sun Devils (10-6) take on North Carolina (12-
3-1). Wells said she isn't sure why the stadium was built behind the 
football practice field. 
	"Why would you put a varsity field behind a practice field 
and behind a band field," Wells asked rhetorically. "And (since) 
they did do that, why don't they put up signs that would help 
people find it if they were looking for it."
	To get to Sun Devil Club Stadium, fans should turn east on 
Sixth Street off of Rural Road. Immediately, fans should turn left 
and head north through the parking lot adjacent to the football 
practice field. Once heading north, fans should follow the parking 
lot drive to its end, and then turn right down a narrow road that 
leads around the football practice field and ends up at the softball 
stadium.  
	Wells said the battle to get the stadium on ASU maps is an 
ongoing one. 
	"It took me two years to get it on the student hand book 
map," Wells said. "It's there now, but I'm not sure if it will be there 
in the future.
	Hopefully, North Carolina will be able to find the complex. 
Designated player Lisa Dacquisto said she doesn't know much 
about the Tar Heels, and she doesn't care. 
	"We just go out there and play as hard as we can, regardless 
of who we're playing," Dacquisto said. "I think if we play our best 
we have the talent to beat anyone."
	If all else fails, look for the lights. 

ASU baseball to host Grand Canyon

The 10th-ranked ASU baseball team (13-5) will play Grand 
Canyon University at 7 tonight at Packard Stadium.
The Sun Devils lost their series against Stanford, two games to one 
over the weekend in their Six-Pac debut. ASU will embark on a 
10-day, seven-game road trip starting with Six-Pac foe California 
this weekend. 

ASU police reported the following incidents Monday:
- Someone broke into Life Science C-Wing and stole unspecified 
property.
- A student was arrested for alleged disorderly conduct at 606 
Alpha Drive.
- Two students were arrested for allegedly being in possession of 
marijuana. 
- Two men and two women were contacted while trespassing in 
Sun Devil Stadium. The four were advised of trespassing laws and 
left the area.
Tempe police reported the following incidents Monday:
- A woman was charged with aggravated assault after allegedly 
striking a police officer. The officer was placing her son under 
arrest for a probation violation when she struck him, causing the 
officer to fall to the ground.
- A woman was arrested and charged with aggravated assault after 
allegedly getting into a fight with her ex-boyfriend. The woman 
walked into her ex-boyfriend's bedroom, where she saw him in bed 
with anther woman. She grabbed a knife out of the kitchen, and 
returned to the bedroom, where a brawl ensued. In the fight, the 
man received a 1 1/2 inch cut.
Compiled by State Press reporter Garin Groff