The Stetson Reporter

tetso f'brida's Oldest Collegiate tynvspaper i!^idl..3nntJf. IHlu^hiJL- THE WORLD Hurricane wilts to tropical storm NAGS HEAD, N.C—Hurricane Gordon confounded forecasters by gaining strength and turning back toward shore Friday to pound North Carolina's fragile barrier islands with 16-foot waves, but then it turned south and was downgraded to a tropical storm. The center of the storm that killed hundreds in the Caribbean was stalled about 165 miles south of Hatteras at 4 p.m., slowing and drifting south at about six miles per hour. Earlier Friday, wind and waves lashed the islands, washing out the beach road in Kitty Hawk and submerging a state road in Pea Island beneath 18 inches of water. Down the coast, sections of Highway 70 were under water as well. While people living in low-lying areas of the Outer Banks were advised to move to higher ground, they weren't ordered out, said Charlie Hartig, a spokesman.for the emergency management office. Some residents who heard earlier that Gordon was heading out to sea were shocked by its approach. "It's a total surprise," said Rob Florez, "because this morning it wasn'there, and now it's here." Britain seeks more NATO power UNITED NATIONS-Britain introduced a Security Council resolution late Friday that would extend NATO's air-strike authority to Croatia in order to produce safe areas in Bosnia, such as Bihac. The measure was approved tentatively by the U.S., Russia and France, subject to approval by their governments. It is being discussed by the council and may be adopted Saturday, diplomats said. The Security Council was consulting Friday on the latest fighting in Bihac, particularly raids by rebel Serb aircraft From Udbihaif, the Krajiha fegidn of Croatia. Croatian President Franjo Tudjman wrote a letter to the Security Council saying NATO aircraft could fly over his country's territory for a one-week period. Diplomats said arrangements were still not completed between NATO and Croatia and that NATO's North Atlantic Council would still have to review it PLO cops, militants battle GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip—-PLO police opened fire Friday on thousands of worshipers outside a mosque, and clashed with rock-throwing Islamic militants in running street battles. 10 people were killed and more than 120 wounded, officials said. The clash outside the Palestine Mosque was the most serious confrontation between Islamic militants and Yasser Arafaf s PLO-run government since autonomy was established in the Gaza Strip and West Bank town of Jericho in May. Tensions have been fed by a series of suicide bombings and other fatal attacks on Israelis by Islamic militants that have threatened the expansion of autonomy throughout the West Bank. Arafat summoned his top security aides after the clashes Friday, and aides said he blamed Islamic fundamentalists who oppose his peacemaking with Israel for the bloodshed. Palestinian police detained about 300 militants 1 after the clash. No psychiatric test YORK COUNTY, S.C.--A lawyer for Susan Smith, who is accused of murdering her two young children, argued Friday that her rights would be violated if she were given a psychiatric evaluation at this stage of the criminal proceedings. Defense lawyer David Bruck told the court that he had not decided what defense he would use. "Susan right now is like a six-year-old child. She needs to be protected," Bruck said, bidding to delay the evaluation for 90 days while he evaluated the state's case. Prosecutor Thomas Pope, requesting a psychiatric evaluation, presented as evidence Smith's written confession to the murders, in which she stated she was "very emotionally distraught" and contemplating suicide. Experts believe Pope is trying to force Bruck to reveal whether Smith will plead not guilty by reason of insanity, or guilty but mentally ill. Smith, before admitting to the crimes, had claimed that her children were in a car that was stolen by a black man. Compiled by David Gould using PRODIGY® interactive personal service. New alcohol policy still up for debate Angela Furnari The Stetson Reporter- The proposed alcohol policy has been causing much heated discussion on campus. In an effort to find out what students think about the proposed policy, student government held another Alcohol Forum on Wednesday, November 16 in the Elizabeth Hall Auditorium. Administrators, faculty, and staff at the forum included James Beasley, Nancy Jones, Mitchell Reddish and Martin Workman. The policy would change Stetson from a dry campus to a wet campus, but with certain limitations. Students would be limited to six 12-ounce beers, four 12-ounce wine coolers, or four six- to eight- ounce bottles of wine per person of legal drinking age in private rooms. fhe majority of the proposed policy, however, deals with the consumption of alcohol at registered socials. At socials, students would be limited to four beers rather than the six allowed in private rooms. Students would also be given wristbands to identify that they are of legal drinking age, and those who brought alcohol to the social would be given a punchcard, which they would present to whoever was in charge of the bar when they wished to get a drink. Socials would be on a "bring-your-own- beverage" basis, and organizations could incur financial penalties, as well as loss of social privileges, for violations of the policy. When SGA President Michael Holbein opened up the forum on Wednesday night, he emphasized that, "This policy in no way started in student government, or is "a product of student government." He said, "We were given this policy along with several other deciding bodies, and.were asked to give a recommendation on it, so we've come to you for your position on this."': Holbein said that he wanted students to keep in mind that the policy is a proposed policy. "Anybody who's told you it's worthless to discuss it, it's already been decided on, has no idea what they're talking about, because it has not been decided. You can ask any of these people here. They have not decided what they're going to do." One student wanted to know why the proposed policy only allows four beers at socials, but allows six beers in private rooms. Jones said that the Alcohol Task Force had to come up with some sort of a number of beers to allow students at socials to bring. In doing so, they took into account that people of different weights and physical makeups metabolize alcohol at different rates, and that the average social usually lasts about four hours. Thus, they decided that people could safely metabolize one drink per hour. Students also wanted to know why the proposed policy is limited to beer, wine coolers and wine. Reddish responded to this question by saying that the reason for this is basically because of enforcement. He said that if students are allowed to drink mixed drinks about the only way people can tell what they're drinking is to go around and sniff people's drinks. Concerns were brought up about the enforcement of the policy. Serge Desir asked if Public Safety is going to turn into a cam- . pus "Gestapo." Workman answered, "I think the answer to your question is no, Arts festival brings 50?000 to DeLand 'K -. ■ <. 3 . "1 "•* '. fa '• ^ * ? -y. ^p^°~ * . Reporter photo by Sean Richter Despite the rainy weather, thousands came to downtown DeLand to visit the Fall Festival ofthe Arts this weekend. Stetson approves new requirements Angela Hamel The Stetson Reporter. Last Monday, the university faculty met to discuss proposed amendments to the minimum graduation requirements, which have become necessary due to Stetson's new calendar. Under the new requirements, a minimum of 120 hours, with a grade point average of 2.0 ("C") in all course work, will be necessary for a degree. In addition, 45 of those credit hours must be earned from Stetson University. However, these changes will not affect those students graduating in any Commencement during the calendar year 1995. Those students graduating in the calendar year 1996 will need a minimum of 123 credit hours. Students graduating in the calendar year 1997 and thereafter will be subject to the minimum 120 hour requirement. . A.L. Wehrle, the university registrar, said that the absence of Winter term will typically mean a somewhat longer Christmas vacation. The lack of a Winter term will also cause our current thirteen-week semesters to stretch to fifteen weeks. Certainly this will be an adjustment to students and faculty. Senior research projects will be conducted either in summer sessions orduring the regular semester. And those students who wish to study abroad will have to check to see that semesters abroad will not overlap with Stetson's new calendar. Students should be sure to check with their respective schools to see what adjustments have been made to their minimum requirements, as they may differ from the university's newly set minimum requirements. there's not going to be a campus Gestapo. When Public Safety enforces the regulations passed within the alcohol policy,'we try to have probable cause to do thai to know that there is an infringement before we take action." Another student was worried that people would start partying off- campus and going around the city drunk. He said that the proposed policy seems like the university's attempt to take the blame off themselves and put it on fraternities. "The university does not desire to force students to go off-campus to drink. ...I don't think to say if s the university's responsibility if students decided to go off-campus to use alcohol, that either legally or morally the burden is placed entirely upon the institution because I think it's an individual decision to do that and ifs a privilege that's granted upon the university's property for people to use alcohol," said Beasley. "It's not a right; it's a privilege that is granted." Beasley also talked about how the university attempted to provide not only the safest, but also the most educational, environment in which students of legal age who wish to W9 J J® ©j® inter activities? speeches Angela Furnari The Stetson Reporter! This Winter Term, there will be some interesting activities offered, two of which are the Bookfeast and a speech contest. The Bookfeast is being sponsored by the Winter Term Committee, and will take place on Thursday, Jan. 5. The event will consist of four groups of 15 people, each discussing a different book. The first book is As We Are No ivby May Sarton, a book which deals with an older woman's struggle to keep alive in a nursing home. The book has been noted "to challenge our compassion and imagination where the old are concerned." The second book, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood,is said to illuminate "some of the darker inter connections between politics and sex ...Just as the world of Orwell's 1984gripped our imaginations, so will the world of Atwood's handmaid." The TurnerDiariesby Andrew McDonald (William Pierce) is the third book. It is a novel that takes a controversial and very disturbing look at a race war during, the 1990s, and the results for America into the 21st century. The book is the fictional diary of main character Earl Tumerwho is a participant in the war. The final book in this group of four is Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi. The author, Egypt's former director of public health, was imprisoned in 1981 for her insistence on breaking taboos surrounding frank public discus- .sion of the intricacies of sex, of the problems of girls and women, and the relations between men and women, production and labor. The novel deals with the passionate testimony of Firdaus, a character based on El Saadawi's own case studies of women prisoners suffering from "mental afflictions." Students and faculty can sign up and receive their books beginning Friday, December 9 in Room 207 of Elizabeth Hall. Those receiving books are expected to attend and partici-. pate in the discussion group on Jan. 5 from 3:30-5:00 p.m. The speech contest is also being sponsored by the Winter Term Committee. The theme for the contest is "Americans Confront the 21st Century: Hope or Despair?" Speeches should be 10-20 minutes in length, and entrants must submit a detailed outline to Dr. Susan Wilson, Chair of Winter Term, at Room 207, Elizabeth Hall by Dec. 7 at noon. The Winter Term Committee will review the outlines, and select three students to present their speeches in the Elizabeth Hall Chapel during Winter Term. The date for the presentation will be determined after the winning speeches are selected. Prior to the presentation, the students must practice their speech with Dr. Susan Wilson. The three students whose speeches are selected for presentation will each receive $100. Stop by Room 207 in Elizabeth Hall for more information about either of these events. Information for this article was submitted by Dr. Susan Wilson. Organizations join to help local family Ten student organizations at Stetson University dug deep in their pockets this month, raising $1,124 to help a DeLand family devastated by a traffic accident that claimed two of their children while the father awaits a heart transplant. Tom and Marilyn Rose lost their daughter Lacey, 12, and son Benjamin, 9, after an accidentSept. 30 at the intersection of U.S. High way 17 and State Road 15A. Tom Rose has been waiting for several months for a heart transplant. The couple has one remaining child, Rachel, 8. Stetson senior sociology major Jason Welch of Palm City learned of the family's needs through the Volusia County Sheriff's Office, where he works as a volunteer, and through newspaper reports. He collected $400 from the fraternity he serves as counselor, Delta Sigma Phi, and then widened the plea because student response was so good. Eventually students from eight other Greek social organizations (Alpha Tau Omega, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Lambda Chi Alpha, Phi Sigma Kappa, Delta Delta Delta, Alpha Xi Delta, Pi Beta Phi and Alpha Chi Omega), and the African American Student Association, added to the check Welch forwarded to the Rose family. A trust fund has been established for the family through Barnett Bank. Donations may be mailed to the Rose Family Trust Fund, P.O. Box 4365, DeLand, Fla. 32723-4365. Compiled /ran Stetson University Press Releases.