THURSDAY
JUNE 25, 1998
NUCLEAR TESTING Internationals speak out...4
WHERE TO EAT Chartwells' food court 9
STEVEN SAYS
BRIAN GORELL
Quayle vs. Gore fight 5
UCO sax player 10
SPORTS New women's soccer 7
SUMMER FESTS Hot weather, hot music...11
The Student Voice Since 1903
Anti-drug law may deny convicts student financial aid By Mark A. Schneberger StaffWiller
U
CO potheads who receive
financial aid may have a new reason to just say no. They could be barred from getting federal aid, if a bill recently passed by federal lawmakers in both houses of Congress is signed into law. The bill, aimed at reducing drug use among young adults, would make it impossible for UCO students to receive federally backed loans if they are convicted of drug offenses such as smoking a joint or possessing drug paraphernalia. It could also mean that students would lose their work-study jobs if found guilty or if they plead no contest to charges.
President Clinton has yet to approve the bill. UCO students, such as senior Craig Bailey, thought the anti-drug legislation should have been passed years ago. He said he feels students should be stripped permanently of their financial aid eligibility after conviction. "The way I understand it, financial aid comes from our tax dollars. And if those druggies are using my money to buy crack or pot or whatever, they should not be able to have it," Bailey said. "I say take all (the aid) away forever." Congress' anti-drug law is similar to the federal three-strikes rule for felonies. Students would be disqualified from receiving financial aid for one year if convicted of a first offense; two years after a second conviction and indefinitely
after a third. The bill's passage comes at a time when UCO drug arrests are decreasing, according to figures released from the UCO Department of Public Safety. Capt. Christopher Wooldridge said there were five drug possession arrests last year, on campus, as compared to eight such arrests in the 1996-97 academic year. "That's not bad at all," he said. "They're going down." Yet, last year's arrests are still up significantly compared to one arrest in 1995-96, according to police records. Legislators who proposed the bill claim arrests should continue dropping if the bill is approved. However, some students feel the bill shouldn't be signed by Clinton in current
form because it is too restrictive and does not address a greater threat to the campus community—underage drinking. "You can get drunk every night and maybe hurt someone in the process, but you won't get (punished)?" said Jennifer Hansen, a sophomore. "That's' not justice, that's stupid." UCO already has adopted its own sanctions against students who violate the school's drug-free policy. Under the sanctions, students could be expelled or required to enter into a drug rehabilitation program if caught using or possessing drugs. However, no sanctions specifically relate to financial aid,. said Sheila Fugett, director of Student Financial Aid. "Anything we do will be in line with federal guidelines." she said.
High court rules on school sexual harassment case
Campus AAUP named Chapter of the Year
By Jim Hulsey
By Jim Hulsey
s
StaffWilier
chools such as UCO cannot be held liable for a teacher's sexual harassment of a student, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday. The court made its ruling based on a 1993 lawsuit filed by a 15year-old Lago Vista, Texas student who was found having sex with a 52-year-old teacher. In the suit, the student alleged the school district knew or should have known the teacher was capable of harassment because two other students had complained that the teacher made sexually suggestive comments to them in class. In a five to four vote, the court ruled that the Texas school district could not be held liable for damages under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits sexual harassment and discrimination by institutions that receive federal aid, because school officials did not know that a teacher was having sex with a student,, said a story by the V See COURT, Page 3
StafflifriMr
Stretc Students prepare for a workout during Anne Blasdel's session of the Bill Evans Institute of Dance last week in the Health and Physcial Education Building last week. (Staff photo by Beth Moxley)
he UCO chapter of the American Association of University Professors received national recognition as the 1998 Chapter of the Year. Being chosen from among 600 chapters during the organization's annual meeting in Washington, D.C., "thrilled" the UCO chapter, said Dr. Tom Guild, professor of general business. Guild served two years as president of the UCO chapter and was the 1997-98 state organization president. In April, Guild became the first Oklahoman ever elected to the AAUP National Council. In attributing the chapter's success over the past five years, Guild credited successive chapter presidents: Dr. James Bidlack, assistant professor of biology; Dr. Gayle Kearns, assistant professor of occupational and technology V See AAUP, Page 3