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Show Thursday, April 27, 2006 DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE 21st ANNUAL G.O.T.S. Outdoor Equipment Swap Saturday May 6 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. *Bike Gear *Climbing *Ski *Rrversports *Rep's Samples *Clothing REGISTRATION (Sell Things) Friday, May 5 - 4 PM to 7 PM Saturday, May 6 - 8 AM to 10 AM SWAP (Buy Things) Saturday, May 6 - 9 AM to 5 PM 702 Third Avenue Salt Lake City 801/533-8671 wildrosesports.com Fraternity attracts national attention for infringing on First Amendment fraternity, Clark said. Thousands of papers were removed between 9 and 11:30 a.m. from the Union, An attempt by members of a cam- Orson Spencer Hall, LNCO, Milton Benpus fraternity to censor The Daily Utah nion Hall, the Marriott Library, the HPER Chronicle by throwing stacks of papers building, the Art and Architecture buildinto trash bins resulted in a criminal in- ing, the Merrill Engineering building, the vestigation and national media coverage. School of Business and the LDS Institute Members of the Pi Kappa Alpha frater- of Religion as well as other unconfirmed nity, believed to be angry about allega- locations. John Poelman, vice president of the tions against their organization insinuated in a letter to the editor, removed every Associated Students of the University copy of the Nov. io issue of The Chronicle of Utah, said he found a 5-inch stack of from stands at several lower campus lo- Chronicles next to a recycling canister in the ASUU office. cations. After hearing of the report, Associate The University of Utah Police Department was contacted around i p.m. after Dean of Students Annie Nebeker said she Todd Clark, a junior in biochemistry, re- remembered seeing a young man leaving ported to Chronicle editors that he saw a the Union carrying a large stack of The college-age man remove stacks of the pa- Chronicle but did not understand what he was doing. pers outside the physics building. Initially, campus police told Chronicle The investigation proceeded throughout the day as Chronicle editors found pa- editors that they would need an exact pers in several recycling bins adjacent to count of papers missing before they could investigate. the newspaper stands. Later that day, Sgt. Kent Curtis called Ryck Luthi, former associate director of the Union, found surveillance footage news editor Tye Smith and told him an of a man removing stacks from the stands investigation was under way. near the Union Patio after being contactNebeker assured The Chronicle that ed by Chronicle editors. she and Assistant Dean of Students and PKA officials Garrett Clark and Chase Greek Row Adviser Lori McDonald were Harlin visited The Chronicle's office working diligently to resolve the issue. Nebeker also said she recognized that around 6 p.m. to offer an oral apology on the act was an infringement on First behalf of members of their fraternity. They said the PKA members respon- Amendment rights for freedom of the sible removed the papers because they press. thought a letter to the editor written by Sgt. Don Bird told Chronicle represena former member and published in the tatives several days later that a criminal same issue was intentionally run to inter- investigation would be difficult and enfere with their initiation week. The letter couraged disciplinary action to be purreferred to an alleged hazing experience. sued through the university. "It was a knee-jerk reaction, and before In a meeting among representatives we could stop the bleeding, it was done, from the dean's office, The Chronicle and and it was too late," Clark said. the fraternity, all sides agreed to have an The actions of those members did not educational seminar be used as punishreflect the views of the Pi Kappa Alpha ment for the estimated $1,000 in losses Andrew Kirk Chronicle Asst. News Editor REC CENTER peted with the private sector," said Rep. Ralph Becker, D-Salt Lake, who voted to approve bonding for the rec center. Several lawmakers said they didn't like the approach the U DOWN continued from Page 2 ue to the public and that com- Campus Rewards Frequent heartburn symptoms? Can't sleep without a recliner? Unable to enjoy the foods you love? If so, you may qualify as a volunteer in a clinical research study of an investigational medication for heartburn and GERD. Qualified participants will receive study-related office visits, study medication or placebo, lab work, and procedures at no cost. Compensation for time and travel may also be available. To learn more, please call Kristen 801-581-3693 Don't forget to add a side item to complete vourmeal Pie Now, Pay Later! Domino's Accepts Credit Cards Domino's Pizza Campus Rewards large Cheese Pizza scoo Each, plus t o 15071 Hurryt Offer Expires 5/21/06 Valid at these participating locations only Foothill f! 582-5424 1430S. FoolhlHDr. Downtown 0 350-3807 702 S. 700 E. 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On Wednesday, Chronicle Editor in Chief Steve Gehrke and Eric Hu, a Pi Kappa Alpha member appointed by the fraternity's executive council to negotiate in the place of President Chase Harlin, reached a new agreement that requires the fraternity to submit information for a pamphiet that will then be distributed throughout Greek Row and campus. The fraternity also agreed to pay a fee that would fund production costs. The Student Press Law Center and The Chronicle of Higher Education both printed articles about the incident, giving the dispute national exposure. The letter to the editor that initiated the crime was written by Aaron Hornok, a senior in economics and a former member of the fraternity. It recounted his experience during initiation in which he said new members were forced to stay in a room and urinate in a communal bucket. He also wrote that a fight broke out when harassment of the new members intensified. After publication, administrators investigated the alleged hazing and found no grounds for disciplinary action. a.kirk@ chronicle.utah.edu was taking of paying back the requested bonding via student fee increases. "It's a significant per-student increase in fees...and we'd be committing students for the next 30 years," said Rep. Roger Barrus, R-Centerville. Rep. Michael Morley, RSpanish Fork, said he was concerned about the way the U planned to pay back the bond as well. "If the students are that willing to participate in their education, then we probably ought to raise tuition and use those funds where we prioritize the need," Morley said. "If we were to fund the other buildings in this sort of fashion, there would be an outcry against it, yet because this is something that was a brainchild of the student council, it seems to be OK." Morley said the process through which students and administrators were seeking funding for the project was unfair. "We (would be) circumventing the legislative process by basically approving a bond and leapfrogging over many other state priorities that have been up here trying to make a case for their particular need—some of them for three or four years," he said. Barrus added that some committee members felt not all—or even the majority of—the nearly 29,000 students on campus would use the rec center, leaving most fee-paying students to subsidize a project that benefits the minority. Morley said the U is already getting substantial funding for other projects, including the ongoing Marriott Library renovation and the addition of a west wing at the University Hospital, which was both presented and approved at the committee's final meeting in fewer than 10 minutes. Some lawmakers said the rec center would have had a better chance of passing if U repre- USo Deserve This! Hard Day at School, Work, or Play? Pamper Yourself & Bring Your Friends. $18One-Hour Massage* *w/Any Spa Treatment! STUDENT CLINIC HOURS: M-F 1pm-9pm SAT 9 a m - 6 pm SUN 10am-6pm HEALING MOUNTAIN MASSAGE SCHOOL 455 South 300 East; Suite 103 Salt Lake Gty,UT 84111 (Free Underground Parking via 500 SOUTH) Book Your Appt. Now: 355' J sentatives had named donors. "I think if they would have come with substantial private investment, there probably would have been a better reception for it," Morley said. Young clarified in an August 2005 meeting with the Utah State Board of Regents that part of the facility would be paid with outside donations, so the net fee increase per semester, per student, would have been $47, not $60, according to the meeting's minutes. But when lawmakers asked Poelman and ASUU President Ali Hasnain who the donors were in a committee meeting Jan. 26, they said they didn't have names. Young said he told the Legislature several times that the U would not have begun the project until they had necessary donations, but Young added that he wasn't worried about obtaining them because "the university has always overraised money and we always get at least what is promised, if not more." Barrus downplayed the donor issue and called it a "chicken or the egg" phenomenon. He said lawmakers sometimes wait for donors before they appropriate funding to a project, but donors likewise tend to wait until the Legislature appropriates funds before they promise donations. Rep. Wayne Harper, R-West Jordan, said the U's rec center proposal was in "direct competition to the private sector" and suggested the U go through Gold's Gym or 24 Hour Fitness to build a facility. Young disagreed with that approach. "Privatizing is not an optionIt's not a good idea," Young said. "These companies have expressed no interest in doing so. Gold's Gym actually supports the rec center because they realize everywhere else it's happened, students have developed lifelong habits and joined their gyms in much higher percentages." Poelman said the U gave up on the rec center because the push was hurting other U projects. "It's dead this year. We'll wait and strategize for next year," Poelman said "It is not unfamiliar for a project to get stalled, but for such a simple request it was surprising." Projects often take years to pass through the Legislature. Five years ago, U administrators approached lawmakers, asking for money to make seismic renovations to the Marriott Library Their plea was struck down without much debate for two years in a row. They explained that an earthquake could destroy much of the library, including its resources and documents, before the motion passed in February 2005, giving the U $48 million to complete the project. s.gehrke@chronicle.utah.edu |