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Show ! ' ; i . " - - ' " 'V M - ! .... " i " , .s.,4l'. " :. f - ' -... . " , ; ' s Li : ' ' ' i I He Intercultural Center went up in flames Monday at noon from suspected arson. The building was scheduled for demolition later this week according to University officials. Expected arson Intercultural Center burned Monday A fire, the cause of which was later determined as arson, broke out in the Intercultural Center Monday at about 12:35 p.m. midway mid-way through a United Strike Alliance Al-liance rally in front of the Union. ' The blaze destroyed most of the building. Battalion Chief Dave Berrett of the Salt Lake City Fire Department Depart-ment said the cause of the fire was definitely arson since both ends of the building were burning separately at first and because it was in full blaze when the department de-partment arrived. Elroy Jones, director of Campus Cam-pus Security, was the first to alert authorities to the fire. Mr. Jones was in the periphery of the crowd attending the rally and contacted the local precinct on the two-way radio he was carrying. Under Investigation Concerning the starting of the lire, Mr. Jones said, "The matter is under investigation and we are following all leads." Pres. James C. Fletcher commented com-mented on the fire. He said, "While the vast majority of the University community has remained re-mained non-violent, arson may have been committed in connection connec-tion with the burning Monday of a portion of an unused wooden building. The building was scheduled sched-uled for demolition later this week. Investigation is proceeding with all the necessary cooperation from other agencies. The University Univers-ity is pursuing this matter as vig-orousy vig-orousy as possible." Randy Dryer, president of the Associated Students of the University Uni-versity of Utah (ASUU), after being be-ing contacted about Monday's fire while he was in Washington, D.C. released: "It is indeed deplorable de-plorable that acts of destruction have occurred on our campus. We cannot tolerate this senseless ac tivity and I hope that all students will conduct themselves in a rational ra-tional manner in the future." Dryer, not scheduled to return to the University until Wednesday, Wednes-day, upon hearing of the fire incident in-cident made preparations to return re-turn to Salt Lake City early Tuesday Tues-day morning. Following the fire, the United Strike Alliance hed a press meeting meet-ing in the Union. Jeff Fox, a member of the Alliance, said the Alliance had nothing to do with the starting of the fire and would offer police complete cooperation in any effort to locate those responsible. re-sponsible. The University chapter of Students Stu-dents for a Democratic Society condemns and deplores such individual in-dividual acts of terrorism as the burning of the vacant Intercultural Intercul-tural Center at the University of Utah campus. |