Wednesday, January 23, 2002

by Evelyn Khoo
News Staff Writer

It appears that the enthusiastic renovation at Swat is not
just limited to
the new science center. The men’s bathroom on the first floor
of Beardsley
was completely repainted by vandals during finals week last
semester.

The ITS staff, however, took this act of vandalism in stride.
Instead of
displaying the expected disapproval, they showed an almost
gleeful approbation.

Eric Behrens ’92, manager of academic computing for ITS,
explained, ” As
pranks
go, this was fairly constructive. The men’s lavatory was notoriously

dilapidated and was indeed, in serious need of attention.”

According to Behrens, the men’s bathroom previously had rusty
partitions,
paint peeling off the walls, tiles coming off the floor, and
mold growth
due to repeated overflow from the fixtures. Plans for improvement
had
already been in the works with the Department of Facilities
Management, so
the impromptu paint job was almost a head start for putting
those plans in
action.

“In general, the men of ITS would like to thank the
culprits,” said
Behrens. “The only problem we have is the chartreuse/turquoise

combination–it’s a little visually overwhelming. Also, if
they could have
cracked open a window, since there aren’t any exhaust fans,
it would have
helped cut down on the fumes.”

Although the bathroom has since been painted over, the vandals
left their
mark: the dividers between the stalls remain a bright turquoise.

*****

* The FBI began an investigation into claims of document-shredding
at Enron
yesterday. Agents were called to the company’s main Houston
office to look
into allegations that employees had been destroying important
records and
also to prevent the further destruction of information. Meanwhile,

disgruntled shareholders have filed suit against the bankrupt
energy giant
to stop Enron and its auditor, Arthur Anderson, from shredding
evidence
that may be vital to their pending case.

* John Walker Lindh will arrive in the US today to face trial
on charges of
conspiring to kill Americans and aiding Osama bin Laden. Walker,
an
American citizen who fought alongside the Taliban, has spent
the last 45
days being interrogated in Afghanistan. He will reportedly
be turned over
to the Department of Justice upon arrival and stand trial
in Alexandria,
Virginia.

* Two men accused of plotting to bomb a Los Angeles mosque
and a US
congressman’s office pleaded not guilty yesterday as their
trial got under
way. The men are members of the Jewish Defense League, a militant

organization known for its anti-Arab rhetoric. They claim
that they are the
victims of an FBI conspiracy, orchestrated to generate a high-profile

success in the battle against domestic terrorism.

*****

“Cabaret” auditions
LPAC, 4:00 p.m.

Career Services Open House
Parrish 140, 7:00 p.m.

*****

SPORTS UPDATE

* A news conference held in the Hudson Theater in New York
on Tuesday to
announce the planned upcoming fight between Mike Tyson and
defending WBC
and IBF heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis was disrupted by
a brawl, which
broke out when Tyson charged Lewis as he walked onto the stage.
Others ran
in to separate the two men and a brief melee ensued during
which several
people, including WBC president Jose Sulaiman, were knocked
to the ground.
Following the brawl, Tyson, who suffered a cut on his hairline
but no more
serious injuries, stepped to the front of the stage where
he raised his
arms in victory and then made an obscene gesture. There has
already been
speculation that this incident may endanger Tyson’s chances
of being
granted a boxing license by the Nevada State Athletic Commission,
a license
which he needs in order for his fight with Lewis to go forward
in the
state. Tyson’s Nevada boxing license was temporarily revoked
in 1997 after
he bit Evander Holyfield’s ear. If the Commission grants Tyson
a new
license, he is scheduled to take on Lewis on April 6 at the
MGM Grand in
Las Vegas.

* Despite a strong early performance by Michael Jordan, who
scored 28
points on 13-for-19 shooting and helped the Washington Wizards
hold onto a
46-45 edge over the Philadelphia 76ers at the half, the 76ers
rallied in
the second half to win Tuesday night’s matchup 91-84. The
Sixers’
second-half offensive was led by Allen Iverson, who scored
22 of his
game-high 34 points in that half with just one turnover. The
Sixers, who
had lost the last two games they had played with the Wizards,
are now tied
with Washington in the standings. Both teams’ records stand
at one game
below .500, but Philadelphia has won five of its last six
games while
Washington has lost six of its past seven.

* Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Tony Dungy agreed Tuesday
to sign on as
head coach for the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts, who have
been searching
for a new head coach since firing Jim Mora on January 8, offered
Dungy a
five-year contract worth approximately $13 million. Dungy
was the Colts’
leading candidate for the position ever since the Buccaneers
fired him on
January 14. The deal was finally struck after Colts’ general
manager Bill
Polian visited Dungy at his home in Tampa on Saturday night
and Sunday and
several more discussions were held over the telephone. Dungy
never toured
the colts’ facilities or formally visited Indianapolis prior
to accepting
the offer, saying that he was already as familiar with the
city as he
needed to be from attending the NFL’s scouting conference
held there each
February.

*****

Today:

Women’s basketball at Haverford, 6:00 p.m.
Men’s basketball at Haverford, 8:00p.m.

Tomorrow:

Men’s JV basketball at Williamson Trade, 7:00 p.m.
Badminton v. Haverford, 8:00 p.m.

*****

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The advantage of a classical education is that it enables
you to despise
the wealth which it prevents you from achieving.”
–Russell Green

*****
.
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Editorial Board

News Editors: Karla Gilbride
Pei Pei Liu
Sports Editor: Jeremy Schifeling
Photo Editor: Casey Reed

Staff Writers
News Reporters: Zhiling Gau
Evelyn Khoo
Sanggee Kim
Natacha Pascal
George Petel
Kent Qian
Alexis Reedy

Sports Writers: Shavaugn Lewis
Pat Quinn

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This concludes today’s report.