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Show T h e U n i v e r s i t y o f U t a h ' s I n d e p e n d e n t S t u d e n t V o i c e S i n c e "1890 THE ©2006 DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE Sports Page -I Pane ti Page 7 Don't vote We love Big Brother? Air Force zero For "Man of the Year." You should vote this November, though. It's your civic responsibility. Matthew Piper argues that Tim Robbins and his cronies are way off about I9&f s so-called "prophecies." Weather Quote of the day Inside Opinion A&E Vol.116 No. 56 Thursday, October 12,2006 wwvAdallyutahchronicle.com The U soccer team registers its fifth shutout in a row, 2-0 over the Air Force Falcons. "Guys like that are drawn to trouble like fat Dutch kids are to an openjar of mayonnaise. They just can't get enough." -Tom Quinn on criminal athletes SEE FULL COLUMN PAGE 7 J 64/45 *Sunny . • • J f-M /••J Lock it up Thefts in dorms leave students without laptops, prompt ERE to buy safes Ana Breton Chronicle Senior Writer Maybe being glued to your computer all day is not such a bad idea after all. In fewer than two weeks, four different laptops have been stolen from the Residence Hails, said Barb Remsburg, associate director with Housing and Residential Education. On Sept. 24, the first laptop was stolen from a room in the Sage Point dormitory's Building 813. Eight days later, another laptop was taken from the third floor study lounge in Sage Point's Building 811—but it was later returned to the owner. A day later, two laptops were stolen out of an unlocked room in Gateway Heights, Building 807. "Even within a community, crime can happen," Remsburg said-in a written statement that she e-mailed to residents at the dorms. "Our community is the size of many small towns...so protect yourself and your belongings when you are away from your room— even if you are gone for a short time." Several other thefts have been reported this year, including two bikes. One was secured at a bike rack near the Heritage Center, and the other was stored in the bike storage area in Sage Point. Students have also reported items missing from their rooms, including a cell phone and prescription medicine. Although the thefts reflect only a handful of incidents reported this year, in 2005, the U's Department of Public Safety reported 34 burglary offenses in residential facilities—a significant increase from the nine reported in 2004. Remsburg said she does not estimate the number to climb as high this year because most of the incidents in 2005 involved the same individual. The individual, who was a U student with a criminal background, no longer lives in the Residence Halls. This year, although she does not • V:. See T H E F T Page 3 Behind closed doors Greek Row Neighborhood Relations Committee holds closed meetings Rochelle McConkie The Daily Utah Chronicle Once a month since 1987, the Greek Row Neighborhood Relations Committee has met behind closed doors. This committee, comprising Greek Council Officers, chapter presidents, the Assistant Dean of Students and Greek Council Advisers, neighbors from the Greek Row community and police officers, meets together to discuss ways to improve the relations between U sorority and fraternity houses and the surrounding community. Because the group has been designated as a non-policy-making committee, it is allowed to hold closed meetings under the Utah Open and Public Meetings Act, which only protects the public's right to attend a meeting if the group has been defined as a policy-making body. Utah Code (Section 52-4-103, Section (7>(a)(i)) defines a public body as "...any administrative, advisory, executive or legislative body of the state or its political subdivisions that is created by statute, rule, ordinance or resolution..." Robert Payne, an attorney in the University of Utah General Council Office, said, "The purpose of these meetings is to get together to brainstorm about how to make communi- ty relations better—no real policy is made. If policies were being made, the group would go to the Board of Trustees." Assistant Dean of Students and Greek Council Adviser Lori McDonald said that the Neighborhood Relations Committee is a safe place in which students, neighbors and police can exchange ideas. "There is a trust built up within this community," McDonald said. "We can discuss what's working and what's not. In an open meeting, no one wants to say anything if they know they're on the record." Neighborhood representatives are invited to the meetings to discuss current issues, such as noise, trash in front of houses, maintenance issues and other ordinances. Two neighbors are designated to represent the community and are able to call greek members if there are problems. One designated neighbor is a professor at theU. Law enforcement officers are assigned to patrol Greek Row on Friday and Saturday nights. At the meetings, they enforce ordinances and also discuss better solutions to problems. PHC president and Alpha Chi Ome- See C L O S E D Page 3 MEL1NDA HOM-WILLIAMS/77n- Daily Utah Chronicle Maria Ivanova and Eduardo.Santos and other members of the Salt Lake City-based dance group Drugaya Forma dance for the international student and family meet and greet in the Union on Tuesday evening. After the performance, three of the group's dancing pairs taught the audience how to salsa. Friendship % family International Students meet their American hosts Natalie Hale The Daily Utah Chronicle Sachiko Okamoto, a junior from Japan studying at the U's English Language Institute, was worried about meeting her new American family. But as soon as she met Joan and Louis Taylor, the parents of her American host family, she said she felt at ease. Okamoto and the Taylors—who have hosted international students for the 1 past four years—matched up through the U's Friendship Family Program—a 30-yearold program that pairs foreign exchange students with local families. "We think it's a good program; it really gives the students the opportunity to see what an American home is like," Joan Taylor said. The Taylors and Okamoto were guests at Tuesday night's Friendship Family Social, designed to bring together 90 international stu- dents and their American host families. While sitting around a table in the Union lobby bustling with excited tones of introductions, the Taylors and Okamoto discussed the places she had already visited around the Salt Lake Valley and where they thought she should go next. Since Okamoto's arrival in Utah two months ago, she has been rapidly learning the SeeFAMJLESPage3 J Muslim Students Association helps Utah's hungry by fasting Shawn Mansell The Daily Utah Chronicle On Friday, some students will be skipping breakfast and passing up lunch for charity. The U's Muslim Students Association will cap off Muslim Awareness Week with a Ramadan fast-athon event benefiting the Utah Food Bank. Local businesses have offered to pay $5 for every student who pledges to avoid eating and drinking during daylight hours. Muslims worldwide fast from sunup to sundown during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan to practice self-control and focus on charity. In North America, Ramadan began Sept. 24 and will end Oct. 22. MSA president Anwar Arafat, a senior majoring in film studies, said the fast-a-thon provides an opportunity for Muslim students to connect with the larger U community. "We've gotten a lot of good responses from professors and other students," he said. Arafat said several students have already signed on to fast. Jumana Abu-Khalaf, a graduate student in mechanical engineering, said the event brings people together. "We've had Christians, Mormons, Jews and even atheists (participate in the fast)," she said. Jake Madsen, a senior in political science, Spanish and international studies, has been part of previous fast-a-thons at the U. "The fast-athon, for me, even though I wasn't Muslim, was a spiritual experience," he said. Madsen, who serves as president of the U Interfaith Council, said it helped him feel more connected to Islam. "You can learn a lot more about another faith, but when you have a spiritual experience, it makes it less foreign," he said. See F A S T - A - T H O N Page 3 KIM PETERSON/TAr Daily Utah Chronicle Senior Anwar Arafat, president of the Muslim Students Association, and Abdurrahman Hagos, Salt Lake Community College student, explain the details of the third annual fast-a-thon to Julia M. Valenzuela, a senior, Tuesday in the Union Building. |