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Show »•••••' 4i Wildcats face 3-1 loss See page 6 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2006 Then • WEBER STATE Annual Greek Festival arrives on campus UNIVERSITY Signpost See page 5 wsusignpost.com Parking passes stolen, forged SU football player could be charged with parking-pass forgery By Maria Villasenor news editor | The Signpost Since the fall semester began, about three "A" parking lot passes have been snatched out of several cars on Weber State University - most recently one was taken Sept. 12. In two other cases, students allegedly put up forged "A" passes on their rearview mirrors. CUITURE CLASH Pacific Islanders mourn death of Tongan king "It's not commonplace, but it does occur in the vicinity of 20 to 30, especially at the beginning of the year," said University Communication Interim Director John Kowalewski, of forged passes. "Hie incidents tend to occur at the start of a semester or at peak parking times when few spots are available, he said, and it's an issue WSU Parking Services takes very seriously. Most recently, a player on the WSU football team allegedly forged an "A" pass and was caught Sept. 13 in the A-6 parking lot. According to Kowalewski, disciplinary action is being taken on the football player, who was cited for theft of services. Charges are pending, but they have not been filed. The individual is still on the team, and Kowalewski said coaches consfder such legal issues on a case-by-case basis. "It's premature to speculate on what would occur if charges were filed," he said. The pass that player allegedly created was a red "A" on white paper with "WSU" also written in. The pass looked "obviously forged," according to Sgt. Robin Helton of the WSU Police Department. There were a few cases this semester where people have reported stolen "A" passes to her department. In some cases, people have accidentally left their doors unlocked, but all that was stolen was their parking pass. If those owners of the parking permits know the number on their pass, they can report it to Parking Services, who can watch for the stolen pass. Reach WSU Parking Services by calling 626-6533, or the WSU Police Department at 626-8925. You can reach reporter Maria Villasenor by calling 626-/655. Layton blaze threatens homes Students worry traditional culture might be lost with king By Deborah Ramsay sr. news reporter | The Signpost The people of Tonga lost their King, His Late Majesty King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, on Sept. 11, 2006, and some Pacific Islanders said they wonder if their traditional life will be lost along with him. "The two ways are clashing," said Peni Fiuangaihetau, a Hawaiian Tongan Weber State University freshman and red shirt defensive end for the football team. "If we had the American system, we would have lost our ways a long time ago." Tonga's constitutional hereditary m o n a r c h y and isolation has kept the tropical island's population of a little over 110,000 strongly influenced by their Polynesian traditions. P a c i f i c ( I UIM"H si(..\m->7 Islanders have a Eveni S. Taflti culture of respect. "It'sa way of life," said Lokahi WeisbarthTafaoimalo, a Hawaiian Samoan WSU freshman majoring in criminal justice. "You have respect for your elders, your culture, and for fellow Polynesians." Fiuangaihetau agreed, explaining how children are taught at a young age to learn to respect using what he described as a "toueh love" J T l ' l K ) [!R|{ f M l t f M i ; i . •.-(•< J-.f i i !_•,./ • i_ .L " approach to LokahiWeisbarth- d ^ d l i n e . Tafaoimalo Fiuangaihetau and Weisbarth-Tafaoimalo believe American Samoa and here on the mainland are examples of the troubles Tonga could face if Tongans start to lose their cultural identity. "American Samoans are becoming more what they see on TV and MTV," Fiuangaihetau said. Many Pacific Islanders have left their island homes in search of better economic opportunities here on the mainland. One of the sacrifices made tofitin becomes the loss of the daily influence of the Polynesian culture. "It's diluted here, not like back home," Weisbarth-Tafaoimalo said. "Most don't know the ways: They swear in front of girls and talk back on the phone to their parents." "In Hawaii, most people stuck to their own people," said Crystal Harris, a WSU junior majoring in broadcast journalism, who lived in Hawaii for three years. "Not all the Islanders got along with each other, but they did think that they were better than whites, who they called 'Howlies.'" Fiuangaihetau and WeisbarthTafaoimalo had a different experience in Hawaii where both grew up. They felt Hawaii was a place with open doors, food to share and everyone was called auntie or uncle out of respect. All agreed life in Utah is different. See facific Islanders page 4 VOLUME 69 ISSUE 16 WAR IN IRAQ Two speakers highlight the path to war and prisoner torture Small aucience listens to U.S. Constitution week event By Jennifer Landers correspondent | The Signpost Constitution Week continued on Sept. 13 with a discussion about the War in Iraq, and only four Weber State University students showed up to hear about one of the most pivotal issues facing the United States today. In its second week, Coordinator Leah Murray, WSU political science assistant professor, arranged for Bill Allison, WSU history associate professor, and Nancy Haanstad, WSU political science associate professor, to share their knowledge and perspectives on the War in Iraq with students. Allison, who once taught at the Air War College, a U.S. school that prepares senior leaders for the U.S. military and the U.S. Department of Defense, began the discussion by talking about how the plans for the War in Iraq were in progress since the late '90s. Allison continued to talk about secretary of Defense D o n a l d flexible and fast" military that could M1UKU LiK.H MUGGINS Thunderstorm quells wildfire A fire started on the hills of Layton's east bench Sept. 14 around 1 p.m. The flames burned above several homes and filled the sky with smoke as far north as the Weber State University campus in Ogden. "It actually came really, really close to a number of houses/' said Leigh Huggins, WSU alumni who majored in electronic engineering technology. Huggins lives in Layton, but his house was far away from the fire. He said he was able to stand on his rooftop to take pictures and watched as the "teeny puff smoke" grew to a large fire which firefighters extinguished at about 6 p.m. "As soon as the thunderstorm moved through, it got a lot better/' Huggins said. " I t put it down quite a bit." A little bit before 4 p.m., Huggins said he saw rain and wind temper the fire, although there were still a few hotspots. The wildfire caused several homes to be evacuated, and a strip of Highway 89 was closed. Initial reports stated a woman started the fire in her backyard to burn dry wood she was concerned would catch fire. "Americans need to be more attentive tO what's pening to the Constitution- "mad dash to Baghdad." _ Nancy Haanstad Acco rd ing to Allison, associate professor the military knew they could do it, but then what? Allison emphasized, that, while the military is trained to defend, they are not trained to rebuild. Even though the United States was able to rebuild after World War II, this was not the case with the Korean War, the Vietnam War or the Gulf War I, to name a few. Allison said the U.S. military needs to study post-war conflict resolution if there is a next time. "Folks, there will be a next time," Allison said. Nancy Haanstad took over by discussing the civil liberties issue of torture and its effect on the U.S. Constitution. Haanstad went on to discuss how the Bush administration's torture tactics during the War in Iraq has violated the Eighth Amendment and undermined the U.N. Convention Against Torture and the Geneva Convention. "Americans need to be more attentive to what's happening to the Constitution," she said. Haanstad said Americans should define themselves by their traditions and not their enemies, and to be careful how they treat prisoners to ensure the safety of their own soldiers if they should fall into the enemy's hands. See War page 4 SOURCE. LEIGH MUGGINS Emergency preparedness critical for campus Safety measures start individually By Stanley Aaron Smith correspondent | The Signpost school hours, and said an earthquake of that magnitude would be a worst-case scenario at WSU. The way someone handles an "We are overdue for a large emergency is in large part due to earthquake," said Cathy Diehl, emergency how prepared for it that person is. preparedness manager for WSU. She Preparing for an emergency on is WSU's first full-time emergency Weber State University's campus is preparedness manager. the responsibility of students and In the San Francisco earthquake staff. 100 years ago, 3,400 people died. That If there were a major earthquake is roughly half the student body who at WSU, how prepared does anyone might be on WSU's main campus any think they would be? How prepared given weekday. would WSU administrators be? How According to WSU Vice President of much should students rely on WSU if Facilities Management Kevin Hanscn, they were on campus? students would probably not want to Officials at WSU have considered a 6.0 earthquake happening during See Emergency page 4 Impact of emergency situations Earthquake Severe winter weather Mudslides, landslides High winds Thunderstorms Fire, structural or wild-land Civil disturbances, violent, criminal or hazardous-material issues Water- or sewage-line problems * Power outages * Minor |