Tuesday, October 6, 1998

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, October 6, 1998
Volume 3, Number 20

NEWS IN BRIEF

1) Hate speech still a concern for campus support groups

2) AIDS Walk fundraiser raises over five hundred dollars

3) World news roundup

4) Campus events

SPORTS IN BRIEF

1) Today’s and tomorrow’s contests

WEATHER FORECAST

Today: Sunny. High of 66.
66…that’s the same number of papers and exams I have this week.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy. Low in mid 30s.
And mid 30s…the number for which I’ll have to get extensions.

Tomorrow: Partly cloudy. High of 69.

*****

NEWS REPORT

1) Hate speech still a concern for campus support groups

Hate speech has once again become an issue on campus as several homophobic
and anti-Hispanic incidents have already occurred since the start of the
academic year. This semester there have been five incidents involving
homophobic remarks. These incidents have included derogatory and often
explicit homophobic remarks written on the door of a senior living in
Wharton, a shuttle flyer in Tarble, and on a chalking that was left over
from the Pterodactyl hunt last semester inside the tunnel near the field
house. The Swarthmore Queer Union flag outside of the SQU room was also
written on, and two weeks ago, the announcements on the SQU board on the
first floor of Parish were taken down. According to IC intern Katrina Clark
’01, SQU has asked the deans to develop a systematic response for future
incidents. So far, the only resolution adopted is that anonymous chalkings
will be erased if considered to be hate speech by the deans, although this
issue is still being discussed. Public Safety is also now supposed to keep a
record of hate incidents, including photos of the evidence, something that,
according to Clark, has not been a consistent practice before.

Hispanic Organization for Latin American Awareness has also faced hate
speech this September. One of the Historias posters near the bell tower was
written over with degrading remarks. Also, in reply to an Historias
advertising broadcast sent to Haverford, a broadcast was sent to the HOLA
room computer at 11:48 p.m. on Friday, September 24, containing a profane
remark toward Puerto Rico. IC intern Karla Lopez ’01 called Public Safety
immediately after the broadcast was received and was told to call the
computing center at Swarthmore. Public Safety said they might mention the
incident to the deans. In response to the broadcast, HOLA Community
Outreach Representative Elida Salcedo ’00 commented, “We don’t have a
system to support us when somebody actually does something against
us…somebody invading our safe space.”

*****

2) AIDS Walk fundraiser raises over five hundred dollars

A crowded concert fundraiser for Swarthmore’s AIDS Walk team was held last
Friday at the Women’s Resource Center. The concert, which featured
Elizabeth Nickrenz ’99 and the Awful Din among others, raised $547, at last
count.

Fundraiser organizer and Awful Din member Bjorn Dittmer-Roche ’01 was
pleased with the turnout. “I would estimate over 100 people came,” he said.
“We were really surprised. We were expecting… not more than 75.” Karina
Kacala ’02, AIDS Walk team organizer and captain, placed the count even
higher. “Throughout the course of the evening maybe 150 to 200 [people
showed up],” she said.

According to Kacala, this is the first AIDS Walk team Swarthmore has had.
Besides the fundraiser, the team has attempted to raise funds by going
door-to-door in the ville of Swarthmore. They have also set up tables in
Sharples to register more people for the eight-mile walk, which will be
held on Sunday, October 18, starting at the Philadelphia Art Museum.

*****

3) World news roundup

WORLD BANK, IMF MEET TO DISCUSS CRISIS

Members of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund convene in
Washington this week to debate strategies for combating the global economic
crisis. Experts fear that the crisis, which began in Asian markets and more
recently took root in Russia, will soon spread to Brazil, which is
threatened with a deepening recession and 18% unemployment. The IMF may
soon face a crisis of depleted funds; although $90 billion has recently
been donated by member governments, use of the money has yet to be approved
by the United States Congress.

MILOSEVIC AGREES TO WITHDRAW TROOPS

Russian President Boris Yeltsin announced yesterday that he had
successfully persuaded Yugoslavia to accept United Nations missions
intended to confirm the withdrawal of troops from Kosovo. Military experts
reported that most Yugoslav forces had been ordered back to their barracks;
however, officials remain wary of trusting Milosevic, who has occupied
Kosovo since 1989. In that time, 500 Albanian villages have been reported
destroyed and 250,000 refugees have fled their homes. US envoy Richard
Holbrooke warned that UN threats of air strikes remain in effect pending
the further withdrawal of Serbian troops.

IN OTHER NEWS…

The House Judiciary Committee voted yesterday to recommend an impeachment
inquiry into allegations against President Bill Clinton… Iraqi Vice
President Taha Yassin Ramadan declared Monday that Iraq will resume
cooperation with arms inspection teams only if the UN agrees to lift
sanctions… Hundreds of Nigerians have been reported killed in continuing
ethnic clashes, which arose in late September from disputes over oil-rich
land… Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, departed yesterday for the
Middle East, where she intends to lay the groundwork for an October 15th
summit between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian
Authority Leader Yasser Arafat. . . An Amnesty International report,
scheduled to be published today, will criticize the US criminal justice
system for human rights violations.

*****

3) Campus events

Biology Dept’s Career/Grad School Night
Kirby, 7:00 p.m.

“Say Amen Somebody: the History of Gospel Music”
Kohlberg 228, 7:00 p.m.

Ballroom Practice
Upper Tarble, 9:30 p.m.

Educational Resources Group
Bond, 7:00 p.m.

*****

SPORTS UPDATE

1) Today and tomorrow’s events

Today

Field hockey hosts Washington at 4:00 p.m.
Women’s soccer visits Wahington at 4:00 p.m.

Tomorrow

No contests are scheduled for tomorrow

*****

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