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
Tuesday, March 31, 1998
Volume 2, Number 107
NEWS IN BRIEF
1) Barandes, Mikkelson resign from Student Council
2) World news roundup
SPORTS IN BRIEF
1) Golf overcome by Ursinus, Muhlenburg
2) Today’s and tomorrow’s contests
WEATHER FORECAST
Today: Still sunny and hot. High near 90.
This could be an all-time record high for this date.
Tonight: Cooling considerably. Low around 55.
So NO LONG PANTS (another attempt at social engineering).
Wednesday: Clouds rolling in, rain possible. High of 70.
NEWS REPORT
1) Barandes, Mikkelson resign from Student Council
At 6:45 p.m. yesterday evening, Student Council representative Laura
Barandes ’99 resigned from Student Council. SC had planned to discuss
impeaching Barandes at yesterday’s meeting, after SC co-Chair Ryan Peterson
’00 last week expressed concern that Barandes overstepped her
constitutional power as Student Council Observer to the Board of Managers.
At the last Board of Managers meeting Barandes made available to Board
members what many students felt were overly-biased information packets
about Phoenix coverage of the distribution of Holocaust revisionist
pamphlets and the controversy which followed.
SC announced at the outset of the meeting itself, attended by over 70
students, that Barandes had resigned. A council member then read Barandes’
letter of resignation. Barandes told the Daily Gazette that “I am done with
the whole matter and if my decision to resign helped at all to defuse any
of the tensions, I am completely satisfied. Student Council just is not
worth it.”
Barandes’ resignation was preceded by the resignation of SC member
Christian Mikkelson ’99 on Sunday. In his letter of resignation Mikkelson
expressed disillusionment with the SC political process, stating “I have no
doubt that after leaving school I will look back on my time in student
government as one of the worst experiences I had at Swarthmore.” He also
said that he found impeachment “entirely, entirely, inappropriate” in this
situation, arguing that Barandes had not grossly overstepped her duties as
Student Observer to the BOM.
After reading Barandes’ letter, SC allotted thirty minutes to listen to the
responses and thoughts of the many students who had attended the meeting to
address this issue. One commonly addressed topic was representation and how
directly SC members needed to represent students. Several students also
said they hoped that the SC would send some form of indication to the Board
of Managers that Barandes’ packet did not necessarily reflect the views of
the student body.
After a student requested that the SC members state how they would have
voted on the issue of Barandes’ impeachment had she not resigned, all ten
remaining members spoke. Each indicated some reasons for his/her potential
decision. Nine members stated that they would have favored impeachment,
while the tenth member favored censure rather than impeachment.
Discussion was still lively at the end of thirty minutes and Peterson moved
that the other agenda items be postponed to later meetings so that the
current topic could be discussed with the large number of concerned
students in the room. SC voted in favor of this motion. Discussion
continued on the same issues for the next two hours.
According to co-Chair Ashwin Rao ’99, Barandes and Mikkelson will not be
replaced on SC this semester. With ten remaining members, the council still
has a quorum, and the Constitution only requires new elections if there are
six or more weeks remaining in the semester.
At yesterday’s meeting Peterson and Rao also announced plans for the
formation of a constitutional working group to address certain
typographical errors, vague phrasings, and omissions in the Constitution
which have been brought to light by the current controversy. According to
Rao, the exact role and makeup of this work group will be discussed at next
week’s SC meeting. Like other working groups, he said, the constitutional
working group will probably consist of only SC members.
*****
2) World news roundup
MID-EAST PEACE PROCESS DEADLOCKS AS PROTESTS CONTINUE IN WEST BANK
Presidential envoy Dennis Ross is returning today, after another attempt to
revive Middle East peace talks has failed. After speaking to Israeli Prime
Minister Netanyahu, Palestinian President Arafat, and the foreign ministers
of Syria and Egypt, Ross decided that it was time to return to the United
States, and suggested that the U.S. might soon retire its role in the peace
process. Meanwhile, thousands of Arabs celebrated “Land Day” with protests,
marches, and the burning of Israeli and American flags. One group of
protesters in the West Bank stoned Israeli police, who responded with
rubber bullets.
KENTUCKY BEATS UTAH TO WIN NCAA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
The Kentucky Wildcats used a furious second-half comeback to defeat the
Utah Utes 78-69 in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Monday night. After
trailing by 10 points at halftime, Kentucky (35-4) outscored Utah 47-28 in
the second half. The comeback represented the largest halftime deficit ever
overcome in an NCAA championship game. Utah (30-4) had ridden its
overwhelming defense to the final, beating national title favorites Arizona
and North Carolina along the way, but the Ute defense could not prevent the
Wildcats from shooting over 50 percent from the field. Kentucky’s Jeff
Sheppard, voted the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player, had 16 points in
the game. The NCAA championship was Kentucky’s second in the last three
years.
IN OTHER NEWS…
The House Republican leadership is being criticized for placing four
campaign finance measures under a special suspension of rules, where
amendments are prohibited, debate is limited, and a two-thirds majority is
required for passage; the measures would allow the state to examine the
citizenship of voters and would prohibit unions from spending workers’ dues
on political contributions. … The Supreme Court heard arguments yesterday
concerning an appeals court’s ruling that a woman infected with HIV is
covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act because she cannot bear
children. … Judy Buenoano, dubbed the “Black Widow”, was electrocuted in
Florida’s “Old Sparky” yesterday morning, making her the first woman
executed in Florida since 1848. … Wedding bells are ringing for the
17-year old actor Macaulay Culkin, star of “Home Alone”, who announced
Monday his engagement with stage actress Rachel Miner.
*****
SPORTS UPDATE
1) Golf overcome by Ursinus, Muhlenburg
The golf team fell to both Ursinus and Muhlenberg yesterday in a home
tri-match. Ursinus and Muhlenberg tied at 337 and Swarthmore followed with
401. Two first-years, Matt Kaufman ’01 and Josh McKinley ’01 led the Garnet
with scores of 81 and 99 respectively. Tim Schofield ’99 posted a 107 and
Pat Donaghy ’98 posted a 114.
*****
2) Today’s and tomorrow’s contests
TODAY
Baseball hosts Washington in a 3:00 p.m. game.
Women’s lacrosse travels to Johns Hopkins for a 3:30 p.m. game.
Softball hosts Beaver for a 4:00 p.m. game.
Volleyball hosts Textile in a 7:00 p.m. game.
TOMORROW
Men’s lacrosse hosts Drexel in a 4:00 p.m. contest.
Women’s JV lacrosse hosts The Academy of the New Church at 4:00 p.m.
*****
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The Daily Gazette
Board of Editors
Mary Elizabeth Alvarez
Ross Bowling
Massey Burke
Fred Bush
Steve Dawson
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Elizabeth Weber
Staff Writers
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Nathanael Stulman
Maureen Vernon
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This concludes today’s report.
Copyright 1998 by The Daily Gazette. All rights reserved.