Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG.
The Daily Gazette
Swarthmore College
Thursday, March 5, 1998
Volume 2, Number 94
NEWS IN BRIEF
1) Lou Basenese suspended, petition started
2) Upcoming movies on campus
3) World news roundup
SPORTS IN BRIEF
1) Swarthmore hires new head football coach
2) Men’s lacrosse loses to Messiah
3) Today’s and tomorrow’s events
CORRECTION
In Tuesday’s Daily Gazette, part of the Student Council notes were
inaccurate. The idea of changes to the budgeting of club sports was brought
up informally, and was not tabled, since it was not officially on the
agenda. Also, Budget Committee already funds club sports.
WEATHER FORECAST
Today: Should see a little sun. High near 50.
Let’s see some bright colors out there today.
Tonight: Clear. Low around 30.
Pretend you’re happy, if only for one day.
Friday: Finally, a sunny day. High of 45.
If you get the feeling that we never see the sun anymore, you are not far
off. In Swarthmore during the months of January and February, it rained
nearly three out of every four days (42 out of 59); this is more than
double the usual number of rainy days. However, since rainfall per day was
very light on average, total precipitation is only 25% above normal (7.49
inches).
NEWS REPORT
1) Lou Basenese suspended, petition started
On Wednesday afternoon, the College Judicial Committee released its report
on the case involving Mark Dingfield ’01 and Lou Basenese ’00. The CJC
found Basenese guilty of intimidation as well as violence and assault, as
defined in the Student Handbook. Basenese has been suspended and banned
from campus for the remainder of the semester. The report also states that
Basenese will be on probation throughout the ’98-’99 school year and will
be required to perform community service “related to the nature of this
incident before being permitted to return to the College.”
Friends of Basenese are starting a petition claiming that the CJC’s
decision is unjust. According to Cassidy Westbrook ’00, the petition is
“not about whether Lou’s actions were right or wrong.” Rather, the
petitioners are disturbed that, for “very similar crimes in the past, there
were different [and less harsh] punishments given by the CJC.” Basenese’s
friends will be collecting signatures in Sharples today. Westbrook hopes
the CJC can be convinced to re-examine past incidents and consider whether
anything about this case was different enough to warrant a harsher punishment.
The earlier cases cited by the petition included one where a student urinated
on another student’s door and then prevented her from calling public
safety, and another where a student apparently bit off a portion of another
student’s ear. In both cases, according to the petition, the students in
question were given lighter sentences than Basenese was. It is
unclear from published reports whether or not these earlier incidents were
premeditated, as Basenese’s allegedly was.
Dingfield and Basenese were unavailable for comment.
*****
2) Upcoming movies on campus
CYCLO Thursday, 3/5 10:00 DuPont
A young man who drives a pedicab in Saigon gets involved with criminals.
Directed by Ang Hunh Tran (The Scent of Green Papaya); banned in Vietnam.
(Drama, 120 minutes, 1995: Vietnam)
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES Monday, 3/16 10:00 Kirby
Wisecrackin’ guys in rubber turtle costumes eat pizza, battle the Shredder.
Special guest appearance by Vanilla Ice! (Martial arts/kids, 93 minutes,
1990)
LENINGRAD COWBOYS GO AMERICA Wednesday, 3/18 10:00 DuPont
A group of Finnish musicians and their manager seek to make it big in America.
(Comedy, 78 minutes, 1989: Finland)
HARD BOILED Wednesday, 3/18 10:30 Kirby
A policeman works with an undercover officer to track down gunrunners. Chow
Yun-Fat stars in this John Woo action extravaganza. (Action, 127 minutes,
1988)
*****
3) World news roundup
ALBANIANS ALLEGE SERB VIOLENCE IN KOSOVO
A dozen villages in the Drenica region of Kosovo were attacked by Yugoslav
military forces in an outgrowth of violence that left nearly 30 Albanians
and Serb police dead in fighting last weekend, according to an Albanian
information service. The Serbian police claimed to be looking for attackers who
wounded two policemen. Police targeted two extended families with links to
paramilitary groups fighting for Kosovan independence. Emergency talks will
be held on the Kosovo crisis in London on Monday.
HOUSE PASSES BILL FOR VOTE ON PUERTO RICAN STATEHOOD
After 12 hours of discussion, the House of Representatives passed a
bipartisan bill, 209-208, that would allow Puerto Ricans to vote in a
plebiscite by the end of the year on whether they want to become the 51st
U.S. state, an independent nation or continue their present status as a
U.S. commonwealth. In a statement released by the White House, President
Clinton called the House action a “victory for democracy and against
exclusion.”
IN OTHER NEWS…
Last fall’s election results for mayor of Miami, Florida have been
overturned due to evidence of absentee ballot fraud; a new election has
been ordered within 60 days. …A bus bombing in Colombo, Sri Lanka blamed
on Tamil Tiger rebels killed at least 28 people and wounded over 250 more.
… The stepdaughter of Nicaraguan Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega accused
him of molesting her, during a time when Ortega was president of Nicaragua.
… An arbitrator ruled that Golden State Warrior Latrell Sprewell must be
reinstated and his one-year suspension for attempting to strangle his coach
must be reduced.
*****
SPORTS UPDATE
1) Swarthmore hires new head football coach
On Sunday, Al Bloom and the Athletic department offered the position of
head coach of the football team to Peter Alvanos of University of Chicago.
He accepted the position on Monday, March 2nd. Alvanos will be the 16th
head coach in the college’s 117 years of football history. The position
was left vacant when Karl Mirren resigned last fall.
A 1988 graduate of Drexel University, Alvanos left his job as defensive
coordinator at Chicago to take the helm of Swarthmore’s Garnet Tide.
Alvanos has previously held assistant coaching positions at both Redlands
and Lehigh and is anxious to begin rebuilding Swarthmore’s ailing football
program.
*****
2) Men’s lacrosse loses to Messiah
The men’s lacrosse team lost to Messiah College last night 14-4 . Michael
Llyod ’01 posted one goal and one assist. Steve Shin ’98, Marcus Shin ’00
and Mark Dingfield ’01 each score one goal. The team is now 0-2 for the
season.
*****
3) Today’s and tomorrow’s events
TODAY:
There are no events scheduled for today.
TOMORROW:
There are no events scheduled for tomorrow.
*****
Interested in reporting or writing for the Gazette? Just want to tell us
what you think? Contact the Board of Editors at
gazette-management@student- publications.swarthmore.edu
Got a news tip for us? E-mail
gazette-news@student-publications.swarthmore.edu.
Want to contact our sports editors? E-mail
gazette-sports@student-publications.swarthmore.edu.
The Daily Gazette
Board of Editors
Mary Elizabeth Alvarez
Ross Bowling
Massey Burke
Fred Bush
Steve Dawson
Lorrin Nelson
Cathy Polinsky
Elizabeth Weber
Staff Writers
Josh Bess
Joseph Genereux
Aarti Iyer
Tamala Montgomery
Nathanael Stulman
Maureen Vernon
Weatherman
Rafi Dowty
The Daily Gazette is published Monday through Friday by an independent
group of Swarthmore College students. Technical support from the Swarthmore
College Computer Society is gratefully acknowledged.
To subscribe to the Gazette, free of charge, send e-mail to
requests@student-publications.swarthmore.edu with the words “subscribe
daily” as the subject of your message. Use the words “unsubscribe daily” to
cancel a subscription.
Back issues are available on the World Wide Web at:
http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/org/daily
This concludes today’s report.
Copyright 1998 by The Daily Gazette. All rights reserved.