Friday, April 19, 2002

By Jeremy Schifeling
Gazette Section Editor

According to Borough Police Chief Brian Craig, Benjamin Reid Ramsayer, a naval
officer
stationed in Groton, CT, was charged on Thursday with sexually assaulting a
student here in
December.

A Delco Times article on the arrest said that Ramsayer, 20, was also “charged
with
aggravated indecent assault, reckless endangerment, indecent assault, indecent
exposure,
open lewdness, unlawful restraint, simple assault and disorderly conduct.”

The affidavit filed in the case says that the student, who had been drinking
at a PACES
party the night of the assault, was followed to her dorm by Ramsayer – a guest
of another
student. In her room, she resisted Ramsayer’s advances but lost consciousness.
When she
awoke around 9 a.m., she noticed a used condom in her bed.

Although the student went immediately to Worth Health Center to report the
assault, nearly
two months elapsed before the police were notified.

The Times article quotes Chief Craig as saying, “The case was referred
to an assistant dean
at the college and wasn’t reported to us until Jan. 24… Things were made more
difficult
because of the delay.”

When asked about the nature of the delay, Craig told the Gazette, “I don’t
know why it took
so long… We tried to be as sensitive as possible to the victim.”

Ramsayer is currently free on $25,000 bail – of which he posted 10%. His preliminary
hearing is scheduled for May 13.

—————-

by Evelyn Khoo
Gazette News Reporter

The Orientation Committee for the class of 2006 has big plans to revamp and
revitalize
freshman orientation. The committee, which consists of six frosh: Christopher
Ward, May
Miller-Ricci, Eric Golynsky, Lisa Spitalewitz, Sarah Walsh and Nick Malakhow,
beat out two
others with their new concept of creating a competitive orientation atmosphere,
styled after
the Olympics.

According to Miller-Ricci: “We felt that the problem with our orientation
was that there was
no incentive to go to the activities. We think that adding a competitive element
will
provide that incentive to go.”

“We’re not entirely sure yet, but we’re thinking of making the CA groups
work as teams,
where they get points for participating in events, playing in a scavenger hunt
and relay
races, etc. We think this would be a great way to let the members bond,”
says Miller-Ricci.

To substantiate the competitive climate, the group suggested a giant scoreboard
in Sharples,
for freshmen to keep track of their points.

On a slightly more serious note, the group also expressed the need for more
workshops. “We
want a lot of different workshops on different aspects of adjusting to school
life at Swat;
for example, how to choose classes,” says Miller-Ricci.

Chirag Chotalia ’04, a member of the OC selection committee, expressed support
for these
fresh, new ideas: “We were really pleased with their enthusiasm, as well
as their almost
complete reconceptualization of what orientation should be – they have lots
of really
substantive ideas, so the committee was confident that they’d do a great job.”

Despite their seemingly boundless energy, the team is not unaware of the difficulties
facing
such a change.

“This is a whole new idea and it seems like a lot to organize. Also, the
fact that it’s new,
we’re not sure how successful it will be,” says Miller-Ricci.

However, they continue to be optimistic.

“We have the whole summer to work on it! And you never know what might
happen,” says
Miller-Ricci.

They also see their relative youth as something that might aid them in their
planning,
rather than an obstacle to overcome.

“We just went through it and so we remember it all very well and we’ll
be able to organize
activities from the perspective of a person going through the experience,”
says
Miller-Ricci.

However, the work is already starting to mount for the new OC.

“We have to get the CA applications out before the end of the school year
so we’re rushing
to get them out by next week!,” exclaims Miller-Ricci.

Another new idea from the group: reading applications without the names of
the applicants,
to prevent bias in the selection process.

“We know it’s really hard not to be biased, but we think that this is
very important,”
explains Miller-Ricci. The group wants the CAs to play an integral role in their
vision of
orientation, as active members of CA groups, participating alongside members
in games and
helping to build group cohesion.

*****

from the Swarthmore Police Department

* On 4/15/2002 at 4:45 p.m., Officer Kline responded to a call of a shoplifter
at the Co-Op
in the 400 block of Dartmouth Avenue. Officer Kline was met by store personnel
who reported
they had stopped an individual who had left the store with merchandise in his
coat pocket
and did not pay for it. The individual was taken to the Swarthmore Police station,
his
identity was verified, and he was issued a summary citation for retail theft.

* On 4/15/2002 at 9:59 p.m., Sergeant Stufflet was monitoring traffic on Yale
Avenue at
Dickinson Avenue when he timed a vehicle traveling 49 mph in a 25 mph zone.
The car was
stopped and an odor of intoxicants was detected as the sergeant was requesting
the operator’
s documents. An open bottle in a brown paper bag was also observed. The operator
was asked
to exit the vehicle and given several field sobriety tests which he failed.
He was then
arrested and charged with driving under the influence.

*****

* Six people have been confirmed dead and several others remain unaccounted
for after an Amtrak train derailed yesterday evening near Crescent City in
northeast Florida, just south of Jacksonville. Fourteen of the train’s 39
cars derailed, with seven flipping over on their sides. Of the 468 people
on board, 93 were reported injured, with 20 of these airlifted to nearby
hospitals. The train was bound for northern Virginia and was carrying
several senior citizens and families returning from Florida vacations.
According to CSX Corp., the company that owns and maintains the train
tracks, the particular stretch of track was inspected yesterday morning and
found in good condition. The National Transportation Safety Board is
investigating the train’s data and voice recorders to try to uncover the
cause of the crash.

* In a 54-46 vote, the U.S. Senate yesterday denied President Bush’s
proposal to allow oil companies to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge in Alaska. Bush’s administration and many Senate Republicans had
promoted the bill as way to bring the U.S. “greater energy independence”
and better national security by reducing dependency on crude oil from
overseas. Democrats argued that the bill would encourage the Bush
administration to continue to expand drilling and weaken environmental
protections. According to White House spokesman Ari Fleischer, the
administration may revive the issue of ANWR drilling in a conference
committee in order to rework and incorporate an earlier energy bill passed
by the House into one that would be accepted by the Senate.

* 87-year-old Mohammad Zahir Shah, the former king of Afghanistan exiled
for 29 years, returned home to Kabul yesterday. Although Zahir Shah is not
returning as royalty and has no plans to reclaim the throne, many officials
and Afghan citizens view him as a potential uniting figure to help heal
ethnic and political divisions within the war torn country. Foreign
Minister Abdullah Abdullah said, the king would play a “fatherly role”
in
“promot[ing] national unity.” Though Zahir Shah’s arrival sparked
only a
modest amount of attention and celebration from Afghan citizens, several of
the feuding warlords joined together in meeting the king at the Kabul
airport and accompanying him to his new home in a show of loyalty.

*****

Today:

“Demonstrations: More Than Just Entertainment?” Physics and Astronomy
Colloquium
with Catherine Crouch, Engineering & Applied Sciences, Harvard University
Dupont 133, 4:00 p.m.

“Late Wittgenstein and Mysticism”
by Richard Raatzsch, University of Leipzig
Papazian 324, 4:15 p.m.

Spring Student Dance Concert
Pearson-Hall Theatre – LPAC, 4:30 p.m.

Admitted Students Weekend – Host Matching
Hicks Mural Room 312, 5:00 p.m.

Shabbat Services and Dinner
Bond Memorial Hall, 5:30 p.m.

Anime Club Showing
Kohlberg 330, 7:00 p.m.

Swarthmore Christian Fellowship Meeting
Kohlberg 115, 7:30 p.m.

Film: “Red”
Kirby Lecture Hall – Martin, 7:30 & 10:00 p.m.

Talent Explosion
Upper Tarble, 8:00 p.m.

International Club Movie Night
Kohlberg 116, 8:00 p.m.

Senior Recital: Karina Kacala
Lang Concert Hall, 8:00 p.m.

Vertigo-go Show
Mephistos – Willets, 9:00 p.m.

Rose Tattoo Cafe
PACES, 9:00 p.m.

Saturday:

16 Feet Toe Jam
Lang Concert Hall, 4:00 p.m.

Spring Student Dance Concert
Pearson-Hall Theatre – LPAC, 4:30 p.m.

Admitted Students Weekend – Host Matching
LPAC Lobby, 5:00 p.m.

Film: “Broadcast News”
Kirby Lecture Hall – Martin, 7:30 & 10:00 p.m.

Annual Earthlust Sleepout
Parrish Beach, 8:00 p.m.

Sunday:

Celebration of Mass
Bond Memorial Hall, 11:00 a.m.

Protestant Worship
Bond 2nd Floor Worship Room, 4:00 p.m.

Class of 2003 Housing Lottery
Lamb-Miller Fieldhouse, 7:30 p.m.

Orchestra 2001 – “Gunther Schuller at 75: An American Genius”
Lang Concert Hall, 7:30 p.m.

Higher Ground Meeting
Kohlberg 115, 9:00 p.m.

—————–

MCCABE MILE!!! APRIL 21!!! 10:30 PM!!!

The Mccabe Mile, a longstanding spec weekend tradition, will be held in Mccabe
basement this
Sunday (April 21) beginning at 10:30 PM. Come run, cheer, and/or ogle the few,
the brave,
the proud who participate in these 18 crazy laps around the stacks. No registration
necessary; just show up for a study break and a good laugh.

—————–

LIBRARY WORKSHOP – IT IS NEVER TOO LATE

The softball team was defeated yesterday by Division II Philadelphia University
by a score
of 9-1. The Garnet’s lone run came in the second inning, when Val Marone ’05
scored on a
Katey O’Donnell ’03 single. The loss drops the team’s record to 0-22 on the
season. There
are still four chances for the softballers to record a win in 2002, however,
with
doubleheaders scheduled against Franklin and Marshall on Saturday and Haverford
next Tuesday
before the season comes to an end.

*****

With 15 minutes remaining in the women’s lacrosse game at Western Maryland
yesterday, severe
thunderstorms forced the contest to be put on hold. Following a delay of an
hour and 36
minutes, the game was ultimately canceled and will be made up in its entirety
next Thursday,
April 25.

*****

The women’s ultimate team will be holding the “the first frisbee tournament
at Swat EVER!”
this Saturday, according to team member Anna Stratton ’04. The history-making
competition
will feature Penn, Bucknell, and Haverford, and will take place on the Cunningham
fields
from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Additionally, the event will be part of a jam-packed
club sports
weekend, so the Warmothers are encouraging fans to check out the men’s and women’s
rugby
squads, who will also be playing on Saturday.

Here is the team’s Saturday schedule:
Swat v. Penn, 10:00 a.m.
Swat v. Bucknell, 11:45 a.m.
Swat v. Haverford, 1:30 p.m.

*****

* The long-anticipated return of Peter Forsberg, who missed the entire regular
season
because of foot injuries, could not have come at a better time as he had two
assists in the
Colorado Avalanche’s 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Kings in last night’s
first game of
the Western Conference quarterfinals. Elsewhere in the West, the Chicago Blackhawks
edged
the St. Louis Blues 2-1 with the help of a tie-breaking goal by Alexander Karpovtsev,
who
had scored only one goal in the entire regular season. In the Eastern Conference,
the
Montreal Canadiens started their first trip to the NHL playoffs in four years
with a 5-2
upset of the top-seeded Boston Bruins, and the Toronto Maple Leafs rallied in
the third
period for a 3-1 win over the New York Islanders.

* After finishing last season with a record of 68-94, the team’s worst in 17
years, and then
getting off to a 3-12 start in 2002, the Milwaukee Brewers have fired manager
Davey Lopes
and replaced him on an interim basis with bench coach and long-time friend Jerry
Royster.
Lopes was in the final season of his three-year contract and had a record of
144-195 with
the Brewers. The 54-year-old former Dodger had commented earlier in the week
that not even
New York Yankees manager Joe Torre could have done a better job with the Brewers,
who have
not had a winning season in ten years and rank 21st in the Major Leagues in
payroll. On the
day of his dismissal, however, Lopes adopted a stoic attitude, saying that he
had no
complaints and commenting that “At least one good thing came out of it.
One of my best
friends gets the opportunity to manage.” Royster, who had played with Lopes
in the Dodgers
organization in the 1970’s, notched a win in his managerial debut last night
as Richie
Sexson homered twice and drove in a career-high seven runs to lead Milwaukee
to a 7-5 win
over the St. Louis Cardinals. Brewers’ general manager Dean Taylor has said
that Royster is
a candidate for Lopes’ permanent replacement but that he would prefer someone
with more
Major League managing experience.

* The Washington Redskins are set to sign a contract this morning that would
send former
Philadelphia Eagles’ linebacker Jeremiah Trotter to Washington for the next
NFL season.
Trotter would join strongside linebacker LaVar Arrington and weakside backer
Jessie Armstead
in the team’s linebacking corps. Barring any complications, the deal will be
signed for
seven years and will void to four seasons with minimal playing time. Should
the Redskins for
some reason fail to nail down this contract, however, as has happened on numerous
occasions
in the past when a deal seemed imminent, Trotter has also expressed an interest
in pursuing
a job with either the Houston Texans or the Green Bay Packers.

*****

Today:
Golf at Widener, 1:00 p.m.
Baseball at F&M, 3:30 p.m.

Tomorrow:
Women’s ultimate hosts Swat Tournament (Penn, Bucknell, Haverford), 10:00 a.m.
Women’s rugby hosts Bucknell, 11:00 a.m.
Track and field at Widener, 11:00 a.m.
Men’s rugby hosts Lafayette, 1:00 p.m.
Women’s lacrosse at Ursinus, 1:00 p.m.
Baseball hosts Gettysburg (DH), 1:00 p.m.
Softball hosts F&M (DH), 1:00 p.m.
Women’s tennis hosts Western MD, 1:00 p.m.
Men’s lacrosse hosts Haverford, 1:30 p.m.

Sunday:
There are no contests scheduled for Sunday.

*****

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“No problem is so formidable that you can’t walk away from it.”
–Charles Schulz

*****
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