Conecuh Ridge not onlywhiskey with state ties

Volume 110, Issue 119

ENTERTAINMENT: Whole Ten Yards a fine sequel, Page 6 OPINIONS: Student rails against ‘concrete jungle’, Page 4

Serving the University of Alabama since 1894Thursday, April 15, 2004

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Working towardthe same goal?

Officials say UP,Healthy Campus not in competitionBy JOAN GARRETTSenior Staff Reporter

The Healthy CampusInitiative and UniversityPrograms may offer similarprogramming but they are notcompeting, officials say.

Vice President for Student

Affairs Margaret King said sheexpects UP and HealthyCampus to work together inthe future to meet the goals ofboth organizations.

UP and Healthy Campus arenot competitive programsbecause the latter has a largermandate while the program-ming of the former is morefocused, King said.

“There is no reason forthem not to be working handand hand,” she said.

Incoming UP President

Kevin Locke said he plans onworking with Healthy Campusbecause he knows theUniversity sees its success as amajor goal.

In the fall, UP will take overthe Tide After Ten film seriesthat brings recent popularfilms to the Ferguson CenterTheater. Locke said he is notsure why his group receivedthe program.

Interim Healthy Campusdirector Shana Foster saidTide After Ten is being given to

UP because Healthy Campusestablishes programs like thefilm series to address an iden-tified student need, then letsother organizations assumecontrol of the initiatives afterthey are up and running.

“We are there for the longhaul because we continue towork with programs,” she said.

UP’s previous film series didnot return this semester. Itmoved to the Bama Theatre indowntown Tuscaloosa last fallafter Tide After Ten received

weekend priority at theFerguson Center. UP’s involve-ment with the Bama Theatrewas later suspended, saidGraham Flanagan, former UPfilms director.

Flanagan is entertainmenteditor of The Crimson White.

Foster said the UP series,which focused more on older,more critically revered filmsthan Tide After Ten’s recentselections, addressed differentaudiences.

“I saw that as a collaborative

effort,” she said.Foster said the two pro-

grams work together becausethey are in the same area ofthe UA bureaucracy.

“We’re all a part of [theOffice of] Student Affairs, andwe’re all working toward thebetterment of students,” shesaid.

Foster said she thinksHealthy Campus’ goals areoften misunderstood because

Police say video evidenceinconclusive, voter fraudcase still inactive By CAITLIN TUDZINSenior Staff Reporter

A year after voter fraud viastolen student identificationnumbers plagued the 2003-04SGA election, UA officials saythey still have not determinedwho was responsible for castingthe fraudulent votes that led tothe initial election results beingthrown out.

University of Alabama PoliceDepartment Capt. Lee Harris said

there is no new information tolead to a status change in thecase, which has been inactivesince May.

Now-retired UAPD Lt. BethTurner said in July that the fraud-ulent votes were cast in three on-campus computer labs, includingsome with cameras. She said,however, the devices in those labshad not been detailed enough toidentify a suspect.

Harris said the video informa-tion obtained from the labs didnot provide information in iden-tifying anyone as a suspect.

“There may have been videoimages, but there’s no new infor-mation that we were able to glean

UA studentwins Jeep onPrice Is Right

Journalismoffice reportsstolen money

A year later, no new leads

UA officials suspect student once employed bydepartment in caseBy KRISTEN TROTTERSenior Staff Reporter

A UA student is suspected of steal-ing more than $3,000 from the jour-nalism department by alteringbiweekly timecards sometimebetween Nov. 25, 2001, and Feb. 28,2004, UAPD Capt. Lee Harris said.

The University of Alabama PoliceDepartment was notified of themissing $3,410 by the UA internalauditor’s office and is investigatingthe case.

Harris said the journalism depart-ment employed the student at thetime, but he could not say whetherthe student still worked there.

“Once the investigation is com-plete, the information will be turnedover to the Tuscaloosa County DA’soffice,” Harris said. “They’ll evaluatethe information we’ve been able toobtain, and decide whether the casehas merit to go before the grandjury.”

If the district attorney’s officedecides to present the case beforethe grand jury, the jury will look atthe evidence and make the decisionof whether there is enough evidenceto proceed with prosecution. That

By JENNY THOMPSONStaff Reporter

Many college studentsspend almost all of theirextra money on springbreak, but this spring, oneUA student won thou-sands of dollars on a gameshow.

Jaketra Bryant, a seniormajoring in biology, wonmore than $23,000 worth ofprizes on the CBS morninggame show The Price Is Right.

The episode of the longestrunning game show in television history will air locally Tuesday at 10 a.m. on CBS 42.

Bryant; her friendLaShondra Jones, a seniormajoring in internationalfinance; and Jones’ aunt flewto California on March 29.Attending a taping of the showwas the first thing the womendid on their vacation.

“To go on the show wasreally Jaketra’s idea,” Jonessaid. “I wouldn’t have pickedthat, but being a friend I wentalong.”

Jones said attending a taping of the show is a daylongprocess because producersbriefly interview all 350

audience mem-bers before theshow.

“They justask your nameand where youare from, butthey are lookingfor how enthu-siastic you are,”Jones said.

Jones saidshe did not realize Bryant’sname had been called untilBryant stood up. Jones and heraunt stood and cheered asBryant made her way to thecontestant panel.

After three bids, Bryantfinally made the closest bidwithout going over, getting achance to play one of theshow’s famous games andmeet Price Is Right host BobBarker.

“He’s been on TV a bunch ofyears,” Bryant said. “But he isnot as tall as he looks on TV. Iam 5-foot-6 and he was onlyan inch or two taller than me.”

Bryant played the game“Line ’em Up,” with a car asthe grand prize. The prices ofthree smaller prizes are shownto the contestant, who must

By HEATHER HENDERSONMetro/State Editor

While Alabama named an officialwhiskey last week partly because of itsstatus as an Alabama-based whiskey,another whiskey also touts an “Alabama-style” spirit.

The Legislature, despite a veto by Gov. Bob Riley, voted to endorse ClydeMay’s Conecuh Ridge, a bourbon, as thestate’s official whiskey. Conecuh Ridgefounder Kenny May, a Troy resident,said he plans to open a distillery inAlabama to produce the bourbon in the

TTaakkee aa bbrreeaatthheerr ——Junior Curtis Calhounbreathes in high purityoxygen at the FergusonCenter on Wednesdayfrom an oxygen parlorbrought to campus by entertainment company,TjohnE. The parlor f ilters oxygen from theair and sends it throughan "aroma station"before it is inhaled.Clients may also wearspecial glasses andheadphones, whichenhance the experienceby promoting states ofdeep relaxation. Inhalingthe pure oxygen is saidto increase energy,endurance and concentration whilerelieving stress.

CW/ Luisa Morenilla

Jaketra Bryant

See PRICE, Page 2 See WHISKEY, Page 2 See JOURNALISM, Page 3

Student Voter FraudInvestigations Around

Country in 2003

University ofCalifornia at

Riverside, April 2003

AuburnUniversity,

October 2003-January 2004

University ofAlabama,

March 2003-May 2003

Senior computer sciencemajor casts 801 votes inSGA election for American

Ninja to show flaws in voting system. Student

pleads guilty to misdemeanor charge,

sentenced to 28 days in jailon consecutive weekends

and three years probation.

Two homecoming electionsheld because of about 40fraudulent online votes.

Investigators narrow down the IP addressused to cast the ballots andits regular users but do not

have enough evidence to make an arrest.

Two SGA elections heldbecause of large numberof fraudulent online votes

cast at on-campus computer labs.

Investigation stalled at endof spring semester,remains inactive. No

arrests made.See FRAUD, Page 2

CW/ Jessica MaxwellLast week the Legislature overrode a gubernatorial veto to make Conecuh Ridge Fine Alabama Whiskey the “official state spirit.”The whiskey, however, is not the only to f launt state ties, as Redneck Riviera claims to be an “Alabama-style” drink.

See CAMPUS, Page 3

CW graphic/ Joey Dobson and Tiffany Schwarz

guess the correct price of thecar by sliding the right num-ber into place.

Since Bryant made two outof three guesses correctly, shewon a 2004 Jeep Wrangler, apair of lamps, a flatware setand a designer picture frame.Bryant will receive her prizesin six weeks.

Bryant went on to the finalshowcase, where she couldhave won water skis and threepieces of large exercise equip-ment.

Her opponent, a collegestudent from Montana, beather bid by $100 and won ababy bed and minivan.

“I think it hit LaShondrabefore it hit me,” Bryant said.“I was like, ‘I got me somelamps for my apartment,’ andshe was like, ‘You won a car!’”

The women spent the restof their vacation seeingHollywood sights such asGroman’s Chinese Theaterand the Avenue of the Stars aswell as shopping in VeniceBeach.

When Bryant returned toAlabama on April 3, shereviewed her winner’s con-tract.

She picked the color of thecar and the interior and speci-fied that the Wrangler shouldhave a compact disc player.

The manufacturer will shipthe car directly from the facto-ry to a dealership inBirmingham where Bryantcan pick it up.

Being a winner does pres-ent its problems, Bryant said.

“The worst thing aboutbeing a winner is that I can’tgo on Price Is Right for anoth-

er 10 years,” she said.Her contract also bars her

from competing on any othertelevision game show for twoyears.

next year and a half to twoyears.

But Redneck Riviera, awhiskey that surfaced inMarch and that borrows thenickname of Alabama, northFlorida and Mississippibeaches, also claims on itslabel to be an “Alabama-style”beverage.

Its creator, Montgomeryresident Mike Miaoulis, saidhe named the whiskey aftervisiting parts of the RedneckRiviera, particularly OrangeBeach, for more than 40 years.

On the label, Miaoulis hasincluded an explanation forthe name of the whiskey:“Redneck Riviera is a termfondly used for the Alabama,north Florida and Mississippicoasts whose white sandybeaches rival any in theworld.”

Miaoulis said he would loveto open a distillery in Alabamaat some point, but said hehonestly has no clue how tomake whiskey.

However, Miaoulis said thatif the 98.6-proof whiskey,which sells at $14.99 a bottleand sold five cases in Alabamalast month, were selling at1,000 cases per month, hewould see opening a distilleryas a possibility.

“The first intent is for it tosell,” he said.

Randall Smith, productgeneral manager for AlabamaBeverage Control board, saidConecuh Ridge, which hadbeen averaging about 50 to 60cases per month in Alabamasince its emergence inDecember 2002, has sold 41cases in the first two weeks of

this month.May said the public has

shown a good deal of interestin his whiskey since it startedreceiving more publicitythrough the endorsement.

“The effects have been realgood,” he said.

May said his whiskey label,which is made and bottled inKentucky, is the first to have“an Alabama base and anAlabama recipe.”

“We carry a little bit ofAlabama Conecuh Ridgewater up there [in theKentucky distillery] to make itauthentic,” he said.

Conecuh Ridge’s catch storyis the tale of May’s father,Clyde, who bootleggedwhiskey in the mountains ofConecuh Ridge in Alabama.

On the Conecuh Ridge Website, May says the same recipeused by his father to makewhiskey is the same recipeused today to make his bour-bon, which generally takesabout four days to distill.

Smith said that even when90-proof Conecuh Ridge firstemerged, it “really took off”after being featured in a WallStreet Journal story and gainedsome statewide media atten-tion.

“We had trouble gettingadequate supply to cover ourneed,” he said.

Smith said that in the past,he has seen that when a newproduct comes out, particu-larly a high-end bourbon orwhiskey (Conecuh Ridge sellsat $34.99 a bottle), it has tohave something “catchy”about it to succeed.

“Conecuh Ridge does havethe story and tie of ClydeMay’s moonshining and boot-legging and all,” he said. “It

has enjoyed good success for abrand new product with noreal advertising behind it all.”

May said he plans to makethe Alabama distillery into atourist attraction that wouldreflect on the history of thewhiskey business in Alabama.

“Whiskey’s never beenmanufactured legally inAlabama, but it has a very richhistory,” he said.

Better things to do?

Miaoulis said that if heopened a distillery inAlabama, he would not seekan endorsement from thestate.

“I don’t think the stateshould endorse anybody’scommercial venture,” he said.“You wouldn’t want the stateto endorse Hyundai, which weproduce in Montgomery. Thatwould be an insult to Hondaand other industries inAlabama. You would hate forthe state to endorse Troy StateUniversity or any university.

“I think they have betterthings to do.”

This argument against theendorsement mirrors that ofthe Riley administration,which opposed granting thewhiskey the prestige asAlabama’s official whiskey onthe grounds of endorsing a

specific, for-profit product.“The governor does not feel

the state needs to be setting aprecedent of endorsing com-mercially sold product,” saidJohn Matson, Riley’s press sec-retary. “Traditionally the statehas endorsed natural treas-ures such as local animals, [aswell as] long-standing histori-cal events of state, but we’venever endorsed a commercialproduct before.”

Noting Riley’s objections,May, who said he does notdrink alcohol, said he has notencountered many moralobjections to the endorse-ment of his bourbon.

“The manufacturing of dis-tilled spirits is as old as thiscountry is,” he said. “It’s kindof like somebody’s free will, ifthey want to drink it they will;if they don’t they won’t.”

John Giles, head of theAlabama Christian Coalition,expressed concern over thepriorities of the Legislature.

“Why in the world are weconcerned about whiskeywhen we have the people say-ing let’s be better stewards andbring accountability andreform to the state govern-ment?” he said.

“We are strongly in favor ofentrepreneurship and eco-nomic development and freeenterprise, but this is not a leg-islative priority at this time.”

lead us toward finding a sus-pect,” he said.

UA spokeswoman JanetGriffith said in July that a list ofabout 170 student SocialSecurity numbers and birthdates, the former automaticsettings for students’ personalidentification numbers, thathad been e-mailed to TheCrimson White were from thesame list used in the fraudu-lent voting.

Harris said several peoplewere questioned throughoutthe case, mostly for informa-tional purposes, but none ofthe questioning led police tofinding whoever was responsi-ble for casting fraudulentvotes.

Harris said he did not want

to name the specific computerlabs where investigators knewfraudulent votes had beencast.

“In the event that we’re ableto make an advancement,we’d like to keep the names ofthe labs in the case file,” hesaid.

Harris said he was not surehow anyone was able toobtain a list of SSNs and PINs.

After this year’s SGA elec-tion, Harris said he had hopedsomeone might have remem-bered details surrounding thevoter fraud from last year’selection and come forward,but no new evidence has beenpresented to officials.

Dean of Students TomStrong said he had no knowl-edge of additional develop-ments in the case either. Hedid say, however, it was possi-

ble that more information ofwhich he was not aware couldhave been obtained.

“This is just speculation,”Strong said. “So as far as Iknow if there had been cam-eras recording the informationthen it’s possible that some-thing would have beenknown.”

The Office of the Dean ofStudents was initially involvedin the investigation, butStrong said the UAPD washandling it now.

Tonya Beasley, computerlab network coordinator, saidshe does not know anythingabout the progress of theinvestigation.

“I interviewed a couple oflab assistants,” she said. “But Idon’t know what ever came ofit.”

She said that at the time theincident likely occurred, secu-

rity cameras were not record-ing any data because they hadrecently been installed.

Beasley said students nowmust provide login identifica-tion to access the computers.

“[The voter fraud] isn’t real-ly why; it was something wehad been working on forawhile,” she said.

UA Registrar RogerThompson said his office wasno longer involved in theinvestigation.

Though the University hadalready planned to require astudent PIN change, he said,the fraudulent voting incidentresulted in the change occur-ring sooner than expected.

Harris said that if studentshave any information involv-ing last year’s voter fraud orthose responsible for castingfraudulent votes, they shouldcall the UAPD at 348-5454.

CAMPUS

Volunteer Services to honor those who do it for free with banquetThe Office of Volunteer Services will hold an awards ban-

quet tonight at 6 to honor outstanding UA volunteers. Awards will recognize two outstanding student organiza-

tions, Caritas winners and students who attended theoffice’s alternative spring break trip as well as VolunteerServices’ publicity committee and program directors.

For more information on the banquet, call VolunteerServices at 348-2865 or visit its office on the FergusonCenter’s third floor.

Memorial service to be held for late students todayA memorial service for late UA seniors Lauren Braddy and

Christin Lancaster will be held today at 4 p.m. in CalvaryBaptist Church.

Braddy, who was majoring in fashion retailing, andLancaster, who was majoring in early childhood education,were killed March 28 in a car accident outside Orlando, Fla.,while driving to Fort Lauderdale to join other Kappa Deltasorority members who were taking a cruise to the Bahamas.

CW accepting applications for 2004-05 reportersThe Crimson White is accepting applications for senior

staff reporters for the 2004-05 edition.Applications are available outside the newsroom on the

second floor of the Student Media Building and are due by 9 tonight. Interviews will be conducted Friday.

For more information, call 348-6144.

STATE

UNA student crowned Miss Fear Factor in Miss USA pageantFLORENCE (AP) — Fear was not a factor for University of North

Alabama student Tara Darby in the Miss USA pageant.Though she did not capture the Miss USA crown after fin-

ishing in the top 10, family members were thrilled when shewon the $50,000 prize in the pageant’s Fear Factor competi-tion.

To win Miss Fear Factor, Darby had to do such things aseat a sea cucumber, grab a flag from a tilted platform sus-pended above water and dangle from a helicopter. The pre-viously recorded event aired Monday night.

Family members said Darby, who took this semester offfrom UNA to prepare for the pageant, signed an agreementpreventing her from telling anyone about the outcome, andthey didn’t know about her prize until they watched theshow.

Her stepfather, Steve Gray, said he was surprised Darbyate a sea cucumber, which has tentacles and a wormlikebody. “She’s pretty peculiar about her eating, anyway,” hesaid. “To tell you the truth, I was kind of worried about that,but she did it. She ate the whole thing.”

LOCAL Rape reported at Skyland apartment complex

A 26-year-old Huntsville woman reported Monday nightthat she was raped by an acquaintance Friday. The reportedrape took place in an apartment complex at 1100 SkylandBlvd. East. There is a 30-year-old suspect in the case.

A shooting damaging the screen and two windows of afront door at 3400 Willow Lane was reported Tuesday. Theshooting occurred between 5 p.m. Monday and 7:50 p.m.Tuesday. No injuries were reported at the unoccupied resi-dence.

Rhesha Smith

NATIONWisconsin college student charged with faking abduction

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A college student accused of faking herown kidnapping last month was charged Wednesday withlying to police in what they suggested was a desperateattempt to get her boyfriend’s attention.

Audrey Seiler, a 20-year-old sophomore at the Universityof Wisconsin, was charged with two misdemeanor counts ofobstructing officers.

Each charge carries up to nine months in jail and a$10,000 fine. Seiler disappeared from her off-campus apart-ment March 27 without her coat or purse.

She was discovered curled in a fetal position in a marshfour days later, and told police that a man had abducted herat knifepoint.

The Crimson White is the community newspaper of the University of Alabama.The Crimson White is an editorially free newspaper produced by students.

The University of Alabama cannot influence editorial decisions, and editorialopinions are those of the editorial board and do not represent the official opin-ions of the University.

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WEB POLLDo you feel confident in President Bush’s handling of theIraq conflict?

• Yes• No

Log on to www.cw.ua.edu to cast your vote.

INBriefWorldthe

NEWS Thursday, April 15, 2004Page 2 • The Crimson White

PRICEContinued from Page 1

WHISKEYContinued from Page 1

FRAUDContinued from Page 1

By MEGAN NICHOLSSenior Staff Reporter

The University’sInterfraternity Council greekorganizations are going tostick with the same Rushschedule used this year ratherthan changing to early Rush,officials said.

Panhellenic Associationmember sororities last yearwere allowed to go back to theearly Rush schedule previous-ly used by both fraternitiesand sororities, while IFC fra-ternities held an informalRush in the summer and a for-mal process after school start-ed in the fall.

At the time, IFC officialsexpressed the wish to changeto an early Rush schedule thisyear, but IFC President WillNorvell said the organizationhas decided to keep last year’sschedule.

“I know we are not going tobe having our formal Rushbefore school starts,” Norvellsaid. “Having it after has actu-ally helped our numbers as faras I know, because it allowssome of the out-of-state peo-ple who can’t get here soon toRush and not as many of theguys might know about get-ting here early.”

Norvell said that though hethought the organization wasgranted permission to haveearly Rush if it so desired, thegroup is not changing itsschedule.

Academic pressure during

the first few weeks of schoolwas the reason UA officialscited last summer when theyannounced Panhellenic soror-ities were returning their Rushto the week before schoolstarts.

Assistant Dean of StudentsTodd Borst said that since fra-ternity Rush is different, thatconcern should not be a fac-tor.

“[Fraternity] Rush is not asstructured,” he said. “So to getthe most out of a recruitmentprocess, they hold variousfunctions through the sum-mer in the surrounding areas,but they have an open house

and things of that nature whenthey come back to school togive those students who haveprobably not heard that muchabout the greek system anopportunity to look at andexamine the chapters.”

Borst said that as far as heknew, IFC fraternities had notattempted to get their Rushschedule changed this year.He said he thought they werehappy with the schedule as itis.

Former UA PresidentAndrew Sorensen in 2000delayed both fraternity andsorority Rush until after thefall semester began in an effortto increase diversity in theCapstone’s traditionally whitegreek system. It also allowedstudents to adjust to collegelife before deciding whether tojoin a fraternity or sorority.The move was widely unpopu-lar in the greek system.

The acceptance ofTuscaloosa freshman Carla

Ferguson into Gamma PhiBeta last fall brought theUniversity’s traditionallywhite Panhellenic sororitiestheir first known black mem-ber. Gamma Phi Beta alsoadmitted half-black studentChristina Houston ofNaperville, Ill., in 2000.

Black student CalvinJohnson of Wetumpka wasadmitted to the Christian fra-ternity Lambda Sigma Phi in2001, a year after the group’sfounding.

Lambda Sigma Phi was lateradmitted to the IFC.

could result in an arrest war-rant, Harris said.

He said the informationwould also be passed on to theOffice of Student JudicialAffairs, which has authority toenact disciplinary actionagainst students ranging fromwarnings to restitution to UAsuspension.

Tim Hebson, associate deanof students and Judicial Affairs

director, said the office hadbeen notified but said hecould not comment any fur-ther on the case.

“The incident is closed withus,” he said. “It has alreadybeen handled.”

According to the Code ofStudent Conduct, when stu-dents are charged with mis-conduct, they receive a privatehearing conducted by thejudicial body within 15 days ofwhen students have beennotified of the charges.

Cecilia Hammond of the

journalism department saidshe had no knowledge of thesituation.

“I haven’t reported any$3,000 stolen,” she said.

Larry Moody, informationsystems auditor of the UAOffice of Internal Audit, whichreported the crime to theUAPD, said he could not com-ment on the case.

Harris could not say whythere was a two-and-a-half-year period between when thetimecard alteration supposedly began and when it

was reported.“That was the time frame

that we were advised of,” hesaid.No other details of the casecould be obtained from theUAPD.“The specifics I’d really like tokeep within the scope of theinvestigation,” Harris said.

NEWS The Crimson White • Page 3Thursday, April 15, 2004

it looks “at the holistic student,not just one aspect of theirlives.”

“The late-night and week-end program is just one part ofHealthy Campus,” she said.

Foster said Healthy Campusalso looks at other areas tohelp improve student life,such as harm reduction. Shesaid the initiative is looking at

issues concerning studenthandbook policies relative tostudent organizations andparking policies around theSEC. She said it was too earlyto go into the specifics of thosereviews.

Locke said he does not thinkHealthy Campus cuts into UPprogramming because the twoare affiliated.

He said he thinks a partner-ship will be forged in the fallbecause both groups have thesame goal of promoting a

healthy campus.Locke said, however, that

UP’s main goal is to bringentertainment programmingto campus, while HealthyCampus does more than justprogramming.

Healthy Campus is not step-ping on UP’s toes, Locke said.

He said his attitude is “themore the merrier” when itcomes to partnering in cam-pus programming.

“We want to partner with asmany organizations as possi-

ble to offset costs of program-ming,” he said.

UP is in the business ofentertaining students becausestudent fees support UP initia-tives, Locke said.

“We program what studentswant,” he said. “We makethem happy because we gettheir money. Healthy Campusis concerned with having ahealthy campus.”

Student Life Editor Nick Beadlecontributed to this report.

JOURNALISMContinued from Page 1

CAMPUSContinued from Page 1

IFC fraternities to keep same Rush schedule“Having it after has actually helped our numbersas far as I know, because it allows some of theout-of-state people who can’t get here soon toRush...”

—WILL NORVELL

IFC President

www.cw.ua.edu

OpinionsPage 4

Editorial BoardChris Sanders EditorLauren Davidson Managing Editor

Jon Gargis News DirectorWill Nevin Opinions Editor

The Crimson White welcomes your view on issues you see on this page, the rest of the paper and in the community. TheCW reserves the right to edit editorial submissions for punctuation, style and length. Libelous and inappropriate mate-rial may be edited for content. Each submission, including e-mail, must include the author’s name, address and phonenumber. Students should include classification and college of enrollment. Hand-delivered letters must be accompaniedby a photo ID. The word limit for letters is 300 words, 800 for columns. For more information, call (205) 348-6144.

Chris SandersEditor348-8049

Lauren DavidsonManaging Editor348-9240

Jon GargisNews Director348-6146

Tiffany SchwarzAsst. Managing Editor348-9240

Charlie GasnerSports Editor348-8057

Graham FlanaganEntertainment Editor348-9241

Luisa MorenillaPhoto Director348-9240

Lauren KingChief Copy Editor348-6146

15April

2004

CW newsroom contacts

University expansion destroying natureBy MATTHEW MIRARCHI

As I was walking from thelibrary toward Rose Towerstoday, I noticed how the plantlife was beginning to bloom asthe birds were singing in thetrees.

However, these sights andsounds will soon be snatchedaway from the wooded areaaround the drained pond ofRose Towers. Lately, smallwhite flags and wooden stakeshave begun to spring uparound this area, indicating itsimminent destruction.

Though students havevoiced their concerns aboutpreserving this area, UA officials seem to turn a blindeye to them. My friends and Icleaned up refuse around thepond before it was drained,but we were rewarded with thedraining of the pond, even

though officials on site told usthe pond was only beingdrained partially for cleaning.

As I walked along the bridgeover the drained pond, Iremembered sloppingthrough hip-deep mud withmy friends trying desperatelyto rescue the wildlife that were“overlooked” by the UA personnel in charge of relocat-ing the pond’s aquatic life.Despite our efforts, many ofthe fish died as their small,pollutant-filled puddlesshrunk into nothingness thatleft them to a slow, suffocatingdeath.

For me, the worst part wasnot cleaning up theUniversity’s mistake, but beinglied to by those on site. I thinkit was my right as a RoseTowers resident and a UA stu-dent to be alerted of what wasto happen instead of the “fly-

by-night” operation thatensued.

Numerous students andRose Towers residents thoughtthe pond and surroundingarea was a nice place.However, that nice place willnow be another slab of con-crete.

Because the University likesbuilding out instead of build-ing up, it’s only a matter oftime before most of the greenspaces on campus are coveredwith parking lots. I fail to seewhy the University wants tobuild residence halls on aslanting slope that will requirea large amount of leveling.

Instead of destroying thepond area, I think there wouldbe enough space to build alarge residence hall, buildingup, not out, where theamphitheater is located.Though I don’t like the

destruction of another area, itwould be less of a loss than thewooded area in front of RoseTowers, because it doesn’thouse raccoons, snakes, birdlife, etc., that the Rose Towersarea does.

Even though I know theUniversity doesn’t care what afew liberal environmentaliststhink and will go right alongbulldozing its way to“progress,” I still think therecould be other ways in whichboth the University and inter-ested students (however fewthere may be) can be satisfied.

All I can do is take picturesof the area before it becomes another part of the concretejungle that is slowly takingover the beauty of nature.

Matthew Mirarchi is a sophomore in the College ofArts and Sciences.

Shining the light of day on Alabama meetingsIn times of eco-

nomic distress, suchas those our state isexperiencing, fiscalresponsibility is inex-tricably tied to openand legitimate deci-sion-making. In Gov.Bob Riley’s 2004 Stateof the State address,he urged legislators towork with him tomake state government moretransparent.

That can only happen wheneveryone, from school boardmembers and county com-missioners to state officials,makes a commitment to freeand open debate on the issuesat hand.

We can no longer submit tothe uncertainty placed uponus when governing boardsshrug at the law and cast shad-ows of doubt on all decisionsratified by boards and com-missions. Public meetings arethe cornerstones of democra-cy, and it is paramount to thesuccess of our state that ourSunshine Law and its enforce-ment reflect the will of thepeople.

If we are to overcome thefinancial hardships that weface, we must put an end topublic waste and promoteaccountability at every level ofthe government. NoahWebster once said, “Wheneverpublic spirit prevails, liberty issecure.” Each time a meetingis held in secret, our chosenform of government is jeop-ardized.

The current Sunshine Law,adopted in 1915, was passedin a simple time when rela-tively few boards even existed.

It allows boards orcommissions to holdsecret sessions whenthe “character orgood name of awoman or man” isinvolved. The excep-tion was intended tospawn candid androbust debateamongst a governingbody’s members.

Instead, it has become anavenue for mismanagementand abuse to run rampant.

The interpretation craftedby the Alabama SupremeCourt last year in AuburnUniversity v. The Advertiser Co.is a far cry from the positionthe attorney general’s officehas historically taken whenbroadly interpreting AlabamaCode Section 13A-14-2 infavor of fair and open meet-ings.

The Supreme Court in theAuburn case held that lessthan a quorum of trusteescould meet in secret, makedecisions in committees andbring them before the fullboard without ever having anypublic discussion. The ramifi-cations of this holding extendfar beyond naming a campusbuilding or bestowing an hon-orary degree, giving any repre-sentative board carte blancheto keep the public in the dark.

House Bill 530, introducedon March 2 by Rep. BlaineGalliher, R-Gadsden, attemptsto address the problems creat-ed by the court’s recent inter-pretation. A similar bill died aslow death last year in theHouse Judiciary Committeebefore it could be debated ineither house, but the Alabama

Press Association, which pro-moted it last year, has taken itup as the only appropriateresponse to the watered-downlaw that remains.

While no bill is ever per-fect, and this one includes anexclusion for legislative com-mittees and caucuses, this billdoes go further than any otherbill to address the recent inter-pretation of the Sunshine Law.I call upon our legislators toanswer the people’s call foraccountability by striking theprovisions of this bill thatwould exempt them from theOpen Meetings Act.

The proposed act wouldclarify existing law by definingwhat a “meeting” is, some-thing only courts have done inthe past.

It would also provide for aframework of clearlydescribed, limited scenarios inwhich a board could exerciseits discretion to go into anexecutive session.

The public would knowwhat to expect from its chosenrepresentatives, and thoserepresentatives would, in turn,know their decisions wereconscionable.

The bill would also providefor civil, instead of criminal,penalties for violations of theact, and residents, the mediaor law enforcement agenciescould bring the case. Mostimportantly, taxpayers wouldnot have to foot the bill forassessed penalties.

The individual board mem-bers, instead of the governingbody itself, would be namedas defendants in a lawsuit andbe subject to civil fines, there-by saving Alabamians count-less dollars that would other-

wise be spent, against yourwill, to defend unsupportableactions of board memberswho chose to act outside ofthe law.

Vexatious litigation wouldalso be curbed by provisionsrequiring the award of reason-able attorney fees at the end ofthe suit to the prevailing party.

You can call or write yourlegislators and encouragethem to support HB 530 andto include themselves in suchan accountability measure. Toview the bill, visit alisdb.legis-lature.state.al.us/acas/ACASLogin.asp.

As a voter, continue to voiceyour concerns at the ballotbox. Demand that your elect-ed representatives embodyThomas Jefferson’s advice that“[w]hen a man assumes apublic trust, he should consid-er himself as public property.”Attend public meetings andsee how your elected officialsmake decisions. Ask questionsand speak your mind.

Does the meeting feel like aformality, merely ratifyingdecisions that have alreadybeen made? Scrutinize thosedecisions.

If democracy is to be pro-tected, then we must be vigi-lant in protecting the publictrust.

Our public servants mustalso strive to remember theyare stewards and the veryembodiment of our will.Freedom and self-governmentare at stake. Alabama cannotafford to wait another day inthe shadows.

Troy King is Alabama attorneygeneral and a graduate of theUA School of Law.

CW/ Reade Loper

Troy King

Bush addressanswers little

Tuesday night saw the interruption of the nation’sprimetime television schedule to bring the countryPresident Bush’s 12th solo press conference. Withthe nation’s eyes watching him, the president gave ashort speech and then fielded questions from thebevy of reporters in attendance. As we are wont todo, we felt obligated to weigh in on the issue-ladenevent.

The speech that opened the affair was a nice one,and by nice, we mean it was filled with quaint andcatchy sound bytes about freedom, justice andpeace — all words that will hopefully lull the elec-torate into a sound slumber. Still, the speech com-manded attention, especially when the presidentbegan to explain away the terror groups in Iraq asmere splinter groups. The groups, while not a major-ity, still pose a dangerous threat to the country andthe soldiers charged with the nearly impossible taskof keeping order.

Bush also explained his commitment to the June 30 deadline for the handover of power to theIraqis. We understand the necessity to stick with thisdate, that anything less would show an Americanweakness to the rest of the world, but we can also seethe situation from a pragmatic standpoint.

Right now, Iraq is a country in chaos. Violence isan everyday affair, and American men and womenare dying every day, becoming ghastly numbers in adeath toll rapidly climbing toward 700. Not only arethe Iraqis too weak to maintain order, but we alsodon’t even know what sort of government we’rehanding power to in a little more than two months.That’s a scary proposition that probably keeps for-eign policy advisers around the world up at night.

It takes a long time for a new government to estab-lish control and a proper bureaucracy, not to men-tion foster a certain sense of legitimacy. Seeing ashow Bush is so committed to an arbitrary June 30pullout date, the Iraqis have only a couple of monthsto do what might take other, better-organized gov-ernments decades to do. The prospects of such aremarkable turnaround seem dim.

Bush also answered questions about his originalpreconceptions of the Iraq conflict when one of thereporters asked him about weapons of massdestruction intelligence, oil fields revenue and theidea that American soldiers would be welcomedwith open arms. The president, of course, artfullydodged most of the question, but he seemed to sayhis reasoning for war was that Saddam Hussein wasa threat and that Bush sought to bring freedom toIraq.

Freedom, of course, is a good principle, but weneeded the tangible WMD threat to bring aggressionto the original cradle of civilization. Where did theweapons go? Were they ever there?

We might never know, but we can never forget thatWMDs were an original reason to enter this war. Wecannot allow the president retroactively to declarethe desire to spread freedom as the primary reasonfor Gulf War part II and to write off the pre-war intel-ligence failures.

Speaking of freedom, Bush also said America hasa responsibility to spread freedom to the rest of theworld. Like we said, freedom is an amazing principleand something worth dying for, but we should notlaunch this sort of pre-emptive mission again. TheIraq conflict has to be our last such military effort, asour “Us Against the World” policy will never standthe test of time.

We might have a vested interest in the rest of theworld, but if we anoint ourselves as the bestowers offreedom to the world, it will serve only to alienatethe United States further and fuel the hatred of thosewho already see America as the globe’s definition ofarrogance.

Iraq wasn’t the only topic of discussion Tuesdaynight, as the president also had to answer questionsabout the 9/11 terror attacks. We’ve read his August 9, 2001, daily briefing, and, quite frankly, theadministration is in no real trouble here.

While the briefing’s title may have been “BinLaden Determined to Attack Inside the U.S.” and itdid reference airline hijackings, there was no action-able intelligence. Therefore, we’d fault the CIA andFBI more in the attacks, because they should havebeen talking to each other and to the president.

In closing, quite a few tough questions were askedin the press conference. Some were addressed prop-erly; others were not. But we’re not sure it mattered.

We’re willing to guess a few people were actuallywatching and critically analyzing the president’sremarks, but more people were probably upset thatthey missed American Idol.

Our View is the consensus of The CW editorial board.

NEWS The Crimson White • Page 5Thursday, April 15, 2004

Anastasio’s album Seis de Mayo is purely instrumental

A disclaimer to any of youPhish fans who are planningon buying lead guitarist TreyAnastasio’s new solo albumtitled Seis de Mayo: Do notexpect a typical Phish sound.

For starters, the album hasseven songs that take up lessthan 30 minutes. Personally, Ican think of a handful ofsongs that Phishplays in concert thatcan take up to 30minutes on theirown.

I also have a hardtime rationalizingpaying almost $20 forsuch a short CD.

But I would expectnothing less from themusic business.

Nonetheless, Iloved the album,plain and simple. It is verymellow yet satisfying for thelistener. But beware: This is apurely instrumental album. Ifyour extent of Phish knowl-edge and preference begins orends with “Bouncing Roundthe Room” or “Sample in aJar,” then you should not buythis album.

On the other hand, if youare a musical enthusiast, thenthe string arrangements willdefinitely satisfy your libido.

Anastasio plays an unusualrole on the CD in the regardthat he only plays an instru-ment on two of the tracks;both times the instrument ofchoice is an acoustic guitar.

The album begins with avery melodic, tropical-sound-ing song titled “Andre theGiant,” which is one of thesongs for which Anastasioplays his acoustic guitar.

The legendary MikeGordon (bass player forPhish) also contributes to thissong, adding an atypical bassgroove that really leads thevibe of the song.

However, the ingredientthat completes this track isthe addition of two differenttypes of percussion instru-ments, one that sounds muchlike a steel drum.

These beats along with theguest appearance by Gordonmake for a very enticing startto the album. The other song

that Anastasioplays theacoustic guitaron is a rendi-tion of a hitamong manyPhish fans:“The InlawJosie Wales.”

This song isvery comfort-ing to the ears.The track isslow, delicate and very satisfy-ing due to Anastasio’s stringarrangements that were lain

so gracefully to thetrack.

As for the rest ofthe album, be readyfor a surprise:Anastasio arrangesand conducts a smallorchestra on theremainder of thealbum.

No, that was not amisprint, and youdid read the descrip-tion correctly: The

majority of the new TreyAnastasio album is classicallybased music.

Classicalmusic is nottypical com-ing from aman whohas playedin one of themost popu-lar jambands in thepast twod e c a d e s ,but that is

what makes Anastasio such amusical genius.

It is not a particular genreof music that Anastasio loves,but purely music itself and theself-expression that one cancreate through the power ofsong.

For this reason, no matterwhat Anastasio comes outwith in the future, I have faithit will be solid music.

So while I would not rec-ommend this CD to those ofyou who like the faster rock’n’ roll side of Anastasio, ifyou appreciate good musicalarrangements, then you willenjoy listening to Seis De Mayo.

I needed to kill time. OnMonday night, I was anxiouslyawaiting the stroke of mid-night, so the release of the KillBill: Vol. One DVD would beofficial and a copy would restsafely in my possession. Theonly 24-hour storethat would be sellingthe movie was Wal-Mart, which workedwell for me.

Ten p.m. and twomore hours untilTuesday, where Iwould finally comeface to face with thebeautiful bright yel-low casing — Whatcould I do to pass thetime?

Impatience crawledpainfully throughoutmy body until I realized therewas indeed a movie theaterright across the street fromWal-Mart, and movies are usu-ally about two hours, right?

I like movies, and I had notyet seen The Whole Ten Yards.This would have to suffice.

Though I have not quite seenThe Whole Nine Yards (this

film’s predecessor) in its entire-ty, I’ve seen plenty enough tobecome familiar with all thereturning characters, so Iwouldn’t be completely lostbefore watching. To be honest,if one had not seen a single

portion of the firstfilm, I think he or shewould be all rightwatching the sequel.

The WholeTen Yards reunites uswith Oz (MatthewPerry), the wacky,paranoid dentist whofinds out that anaging Hungarianmobster (an unrecog-nizable Kevin Pollak)has been releasedfrom prison and isafter retired hit man

Jimmy the Tulip (Bruce Willis),for murdering one of his sons.When Oz’s wife (NatashaHenstridge) is kidnapped bythe mobster, he rushes down toMexico to find Jimmy to warnhim and ask for his assistancein retrieving his wife. Madcapchaos and silly cat and mousegames ensue.

This movie actually sur-prised me quite a bit on severaldifferent levels. When I heard asequel to the first film (whichwas only a moderate domesticsuccess) was being released, Imust say I was a tad baffled asto why; the trailers (mostly justpuny TV spots) made it looklike a sure-fire pile.

But truth be told, the movieis pretty funny thanks to a

handful of funny performancesand a script with fresh dialoguespread out nicely to accommo-date the entire film.Surprisingly enough, unlike thefirst one (from what I saw),there are not too many differ-ent characters and subplots tomix up our focus and forgetabout the central stories. Itsimply focuses on Oz, Jimmy,their goals and the nasty old

wise-guy villain.Speaking of funny perform-

ances, Pollak comes awfullyclose to owning the wholemovie with his handful ofscenes as the vicious old gang-ster hell-bent on pluggingJimmy in the head.

Smothered in prostheticmakeup and disguised with anover-the-top Hungarianaccent, Pollak is wild and hilar-ious for every moment he is onthe screen. H i scharacter feels like he belongsin one of those big budget, star-studded 1960s comedy rompslike It’s a Mad Mad Mad MadWorld or Casino Royale. Thisguy Pollak is a riot and alsoquite the chameleon; I didn’teven figure out it was him untilabout an hour into the movie.

I also like Willis as a comedicactor. Even his stuff in betweenand during the action in theDie Hard movies was reallyfunny. Here, his timing is greatas the sinister but sensitive for-mer hit man.

When his wife (played by theunderused, fetching AmandaPeet) startles him by grabbing

his arm, Jimmy replies, “Honey,if you ever grab me like thatagain, I’ll stick a knife in yourface.” A frightened Peet standsfrozen and put in her place.

Willis’ partner Perry evengenerates some laughs as thescaredy-cat nice guy who even-tually has to man up and atleast try to save the day.

Perry has always had a knackfor timing, sarcasm and physi-cal comedy, as we have all seenon his show Friends … I mean,as you have all seen on Friends.I don’t watch that girly crap.

Anyway, surely if you likedThe Whole Nine Yards, you’ll besatisfied here with Ten. But ifyou didn’t see the first one, likeme, you should enjoy a fewlaughs.

Like that time when Willisfinds an embarrassed Perrywith his wife in the bathroom,or when Lucy Liu slices BossTanaka’s head off for calling hera half-Chinese half-JapaneseAmerican whore at the Yakuzacouncil meeting.

Oh, wait. Wow, that’s my bad.Sorry. I just have a disease, andI can admit that now.

Whole Ten wins, but Kill Bill haunts my brain

Ben Flanagan

C ATCHING FLICKSWITH FLANAGANS

EntertainmentThursday, April 15, 2004 Page 6

Courtesy/ Warner BrothersMatthew Perry stars as Oz in The Whole Ten Yards, a mob comedy co-starring Bruce Willis, AmandaPeet and Kevin Pollak.

Phish’s lead guitarist throws inmany surprises on solo album

Kurt McMahanSOUNDBOARD QUALITY

Find out what’s

happening in sportstoday, Page 7.

198.875, didn’t even make itpast its regional qualifyingmeet to make it to the champi-onship.

Call it parity, or call it incon-sistent judging. Whatever it is,Alabama isn’t making anyexcuses and is happy to be inLos Angeles.

“Every year there is a teamthat had a close call, and thisyear that was us,” Alabamacoach Sarah Patterson said.“We’re excited to be here anddo not take it for granted.”

Neither is senior Jeana Rice,who won four first-team andone second team All-Americahonor last season. So far thisseason, she has smashed hercareer-best all-around scoreand was named SEC Gymnastof the Week three times.

Needless to say, she said sheplans to make the best of herlast time competing in colle-giate gymnastics.

“We are going to take whatwe learned at the SECChampionships and apply it tothe nationals,” Rice said.

The only thing that may hin-der some of the gymnaststonight is the use of the podi-um. After a vote among ath-letes and coaches, UCLAdecided to employ a podiumto highlight performances andadd new depth to the televi-sion coverage.

Some of the gymnasts arenot used to the podium, hav-ing given it up years ago intheir days of club competitionbefore college.

“I think for our team it isabout half-and-half in terms ofwho has competed on podiumbefore,” Rice said. “I think itwill be good for the fans, sowe’re excited. So many of theathletes, when they come over

from USA Gymnastics, the firstthing they love is the teamatmosphere, and that will bedifferent with the podium. Idid not vote for it, but I think it

will be fine.”Rice and the rest of the

Crimson Tide will face offagainst Arizona State,Michigan, UCLA and Utah at

9 CST tonight in the prelimi-nary round. If the Tideadvances, the team will com-pete in the Super Six finalsFriday at 9 p.m. CST.

Tomorrow:

• Results from day one of the Gymnastics NCAAChampionships

• Complete coverage of the Alabama women’s softballgame at Birmingham-Southern

SportsThursday, April 15, 2004 Page 7

UA gymnastics team seeking redemption in L.A.

CW/ File Senior gymnast Jeana Rice will close out her Alabama career this week in Los Angeles at the NCAAchampionships. Rice is one of the most decorated athletes in Crimson Tide gymnastics history.

By MAGEN HUGHESSenior Sports Reporter

LOS ANGELES — Parity is theword of the week at the 2004NCAA Women’s GymnasticsChampionships.

This season proved to beone of the toughest seasons toearn an invitation to thenational championship, andlast season’s runner-up,Alabama, barely advanced toits 22nd consecutive champi-onship.

“So many teams that arereally good didn’t make it tothe national championships,”Georgia coach SuzanneYoculan said. “Parity is whateveryone wanted, and now wehave it. I think that it’s terrific.It means that you have to beon every step of the way.Things have changed a greatdeal, but it is in the best inter-est of the sport.”

Then there was defendingchampion UCLA’s coach,Valerie Kondos-Field, whopraised this season for exem-

plifying parity.“When you look back at all

of the national champi-onships, the team that hit bestthat night has won. Parity isgreat for the sport. It is notnecessarily healthy to havejust a few teams at the top.Parity is extremely healthy forcollegiate gymnastics.”

The odd thing is, there werevery few differences amongthe invitees from other years.In fact, the powerhouses —Alabama, Arizona State,Florida, Georgia, UCLA andUtah — are once again in thechampionship.

What differed this year fromother years is that the scorescontinued to bounce from oneextreme to the other. Alabamafailed to score a 198.00 orabove, but two other teamsscored a sky-high 198.875. Tenteams scored at least a 198.00once in their seasons, but onlysix made it into the champi-onship.

Stanford, the other teambesides UCLA to score a

Auburn questions NCAA tacticsThe Associated Press

BIRMINGHAM — Auburn officialsquestioned whether the NCAAviolated its own bylaws byallowing the university’s for-mer compliance director to beinvolved in an investigation ofthe basketball program, TheBirmingham News reportedWednesday.

Auburn expressed concernsover Director of EnforcementDave Didion’s role in at leasttwo meetings with the NCAA,including the formal responseto the accusations lastDecember, The News said.

The university said Didionharbored animosity towardthen-coach Cliff Ellis thatcould have affected his han-dling of the investigation,according to documentsobtained by The News.

Auburn also argued that anNCAA bylaw prevents a formeruniversity employee frominvestigating his old school. Atone point, the NCAA told theschool Didion would beremoved from the case but hecontinued to play some role inthe investigation as late as

October 2003, according toAuburn.

Auburn, which presented itscase to the NCAA Committeeon Infractions in February, isstill awaiting a ruling. The uni-versity offered to self-imposesanctions, including the loss ofat least one scholarship, butdidn’t detail its proposedpenalties in the response tothe NCAA.

Didion left as Auburn’s com-pliance director after Elliscomplained about his work.He conducted some of the ini-tial interviews over allegedviolations in the recruitmentof former high school stand-out Jackie Butler in 2001.

“In light of reports byAuburn's staff of considerableanimosity by Didion towardEllis, Didion’s continuedinvolvement in this investiga-tion is questionable,” Auburnsaid in its December response.

Auburn assistant coachShannon Weaver and his attor-ney brought up Didion’s roleduring Auburn’s hearing, butthe Committee on Infractionsstaff cut off the argument, TheNews reported.

By BUDDY HUGHESSenior Sports Reporter

HOOVER — A blast byAlabama center fielderBrandon Belcher powered theCrimson Tide to a 5-4 victoryover UAB in front of a crowd of3,834 at the Hoover Met onWednesday night.

Things looked bleak forAlabama (22-13, 4-8 SEC)going into the top of the sev-enth inning. UAB (14-18, 2-9Conference USA) had shutdown Alabama’s hitters sincethe second inning.

But catcher Charlie Lyonslegged out an infield single,putting him on first with oneout. Second baseman AllenRice followed with a single justout of the reach of UAB short-stop Josh Miljavac. Thatbrought up Belcher, who washitless coming into the at-bat.Belcher hit a towering shotdown the right field line thatstayed just fair enough to rico-chet off the foul pole 340 feet

away from home plate.The home run was a shot in

the arm for pitcher BrentCarter, who pitched the lastthree innings for the win.

“It definitely gave me aboost of confidence,” Cartersaid. “You always like pitchingwith a lead more than you dofrom behind.”

Carter got a win in relief inhis first relief appearance ofthe year, striking out four ofthe last five batters to securehis fifth win of the season.Carter was ready to go whenAlabama baseball coach JimWells called on him.

“I was really looking forwardto coming in and maybe get-ting a confidence booster outof [the relief appearance],”Carter said.

The Tide struck first, puttingnumbers on the scoreboard inthe top of the second. Walks tofirst baseman Zac Welch anddesignated hitter Carlos Sosaput runners on first and sec-ond. Left fielder Ryan Beagle

moved the runners along witha perfectly placed sacrificebunt down the third base line.

That brought up Lyons,fresh off the disabled list.Lyons had not had a hit sinceValentine’s Day, but he camethrough with a clutch two-outline drive single to center field,bringing in Welch and Sosa.

UAB cut into the Tide’s leadin the bottom half of the thirdinning.

Blazers shortstop JoshMiljavac pounded the balldown the right field line overthe head of Alabama rightfielder Gabe Scott. Miljavaccrossed the plate a couple ofbatters later when first base-man Daniel Hill doubled intothe gap in left field.

The score evened up in thenext inning. UAB fell in love

with the right field line as cen-ter fielder Sam Clark tripled offthe right field wall, just likeMiljavac did the inning before.

A couple of batters later,right fielder Cole Helms drovea single to left to bring in Clarkand tie the game at 2-2.

UAB grabbed the lead with atwo-spot in the bottom of thesixth. Once again, it wasMiljavac sparking the Blazers’offense. After being hit byDowns, Miljavac stole secondand advanced to third on aninfield single by Helms. Bothwould score on a scorcheddouble into the right field gapby Hill.

Rivalry week will continuefor the Tide this weekend asAuburn comes to Tuscaloosafor a three-game series at theJoe starting Friday at 6:30 p.m.

SPORTS Thursday, April 15, 2004Page 8 • The Crimson White

Belcher’s homer puts out Blazers’ fire at Hoover MetJunior pitcherBrent Cartersaw his f irstaction on themound since

April 3 inWednesday’swin over in-

state rivalUAB. Carter

pitched three-and-two-thirds

innings and won on the

strength of aBrandon

Belcher homerun.

CW/ File

Women’s tennis gears up for SEC TournamentBy CASEY MONTGOMERYSports Reporter

The Alabama women’s ten-nis team clenched its regular-season finale Tuesday againstSouth Alabama, 4-3.

The Crimson Tide will travelto Nashville, Tenn., for the SECTournament today.

“It was a great match to playat the end of the season,”coach Jenny Mainz said. “Itwas really our last chance toplay a ranked opponent tohelp us get ready for the SECTournament.”

The win over USA was also afirst for Mainz and her team. Itwas the first time Alabama hasbeaten the Jaguars duringMainz’s seven-year tenure.

Tuesday was also senior dayat the Hank Crisp IndoorFacility for the women’s tennisteam. The lone senior, MillieBegovic, was honored.

While Begovic is the only

player not returning, Mainzfeels like the loss will be large.

“Millie played an integralpart of the team,” Mainz said.“She brought leadership andexperience, and was great atshowing the newer andyounger players the ropes. Itwill definitely be a loss for allof us.”

The Tide has drawn Auburnin the first round of the SECTournament. This will be arematch for the in-state rivals,as Alabama lost to the Tigers,4-3, four days ago at Auburn.

“We will be ready and weshould have beaten them thefirst time,” Mainz said. “I thinkif we do things we need to, itwill put us in a good positionto play them.”

The Tide also has recentwins against Arkansas andMarquette, both 5-2. In therematch against Auburn,Mainz said she hopes forRobin Stephenson and Ashley

Bentley to play well.“Robin and Ashley have

been great team leaders andkey players all year, but it isstill a team effort and everyoneis going to have to step up tothe challenge,” Mainz said.

The Tide may have lost aclose match to Auburn earlier,but Mainz said she and herteam feel confident about thetournament and their draw.

“I’m not discouraged, nor isthe team,” Mainz said. “Thereis some reassurance in thatthey were close matches.”

Though the Tide drew ateam that has already beatenit, Mainz remains confident.

“We were very pleasedabout drawing Auburn,”Mainz said. “We’ve said that ifwe could play any matchesagain, it would be them andVanderbilt.”

The Tide is coming off sev-eral wins, but it had an SEClosing streak before that, drop-

ping close matches toVanderbilt, Kentucky, LSU andAuburn late in the season.

Alabama will play Auburn at1 p.m. today in Nashville. If theTide wins, it will face theVanderbilt Commodores inthe second round.

SPORTS The Crimson White • Page 9Thursday, April 15, 2004

Many UA educationmajors say they wantto stay in Alabamadespite poor salariesBy ALEX WADDELLStaff Reporter

Providing teaching oppor-tunities for education majorsand other majors interested inteaching, the UA CareerCenter hosted the 2004 SpringUA-Recruitment of EducatorsDay on Wednesday at theFerguson Center.

Representatives from morethan 70 school districts acrossthe Southeast, includingAlabama, Florida, Georgia,Louisiana, Mississippi, NorthCarolina and Tennessee, inter-viewed students, currentteachers and UA alumni forteaching positions.

A representative for theSioux Falls Public SchoolDistrict in Sioux Falls, S.D.,also attended.

The majority of educationmajors in attendance special-ized in elementary education.

Most education majorsinterviewed by The CrimsonWhite said they feel fairly com-fortable about finding a joband that the education jobmarket seems to be thriving.

Senior Bethany McCay saidthe chances for getting ateaching job were good if theperson is willing to relocate.

All but one student inter-viewed wanted to teach inAlabama.

Many said they did not evenwant to venture outsideTuscaloosa even though

Alabama has a reputation for low teachersalaries in public schools.

Senior Kristy Sizemoreexpressed the general studentconsensus about staying inAlabama.

“This is where I was bornand raised,” Sizemore said.

“It’s not about the pay — it’sabout the children, aboutmaking a difference in a child’slife.”

UA career adviserGeorgia Buettner said thoughshe does not have the statisticsto prove it, she thinksAlabama’s pay for schoolteachers is lower than most ofthe surrounding states, espe-cially Georgia.

According to research by theNational EducationAssociation, Alabama ranked40th for the average salary ofpublic school teachers in2001-02 at $37,194, which is85.4 percent of the nationalaverage.

Georgia’s average salary was16th at $44,073, which is97.3 percent of the nationalaverage.

Senior Ashley Elrod, who isoriginally from Illinois, saidshe would definitely be willing

to relocate if a good enoughjob opportunity arose.

She said the Georgia schoolrepresentatives would presenta pay scale and benefits pack-age during the interview,whereas Alabama representa-tives did not.

“The reason that Georgiaoffers that is because they aremore proud of what theyoffer,” she said.

Susan Cowles, events coor-dinator for the Career Center,said the market for educationjobs is good.

However, she said many UAstudents will turn down

opportunities in other statesbecause they want to stayclose to home.

“A lot of schools that come

to this event have a lot of jobopenings,” she said.

“It [depends on] being ableto go where they are.”

NEWS Thursday, April 15, 2004Page 10 • The Crimson White

Future teachers interview for jobs

CW/ Elizabeth FrenkelTuscaloosa County Schools representative Rita Thomas interviews Danalinn Roberts, an elementaryeducation major, during the UA-RED event Wednesday in the Ferguson Center Ballroom.

“This is where I wasborn and raised. It’snot about the pay — it’s about the children,about making a difference in a child’slife.”

—KRISTY SIZEMORE

Senior education major

Check out what’s happening

on the entertainment scene

today,Page 6.

Check out ourWeb site’s new

look Monday atwww.cw.ua.edu.

NEWS The Crimson White • Page 11Thursday, April 15, 2004

By JAY COHEN The Associated Press

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — One per-son was killed and anothercritically injured Wednesdaywhen a man dressed in a whiteT-shirt and boxer shorts stole avan and a truck and went on athree-county rampage, appar-ently seeking pedestrians tohit, officials said.

The suspect, identified asAbdullah El-Amin Shareef, 25,was charged with one count offirst-degree murder and threecounts of first-degree attempt-ed murder stemming fromincidents in which five pedes-trians were struck, officialssaid.

Shareef was being heldwithout bond and was to betransferred to Raleigh’sDorothea Dix Hospital, thestate’s mental hospital, afterprocessing Wednesdayevening, officials said.

Police and witnesses saidthe string of incidents beganshortly after 7 a.m., with thetheft of a city van inFayetteville.

It ended with the Shareef’sarrest a little over two hourslater in Fuquay-Varina, morethan 40 miles north.

Lonel Bearl Bass, 56, ofLinden was pinned under thevan, and later pronounceddead at Cape Fear ValleyMedical Center in Fayetteville.

His son, Scott Bass said hisfather was hit outside a con-trolled hunting area he co-owned in rural CumberlandCounty, as he headed inside tofeed dogs. The assailant stole

his truck, Scott Bass said.“Why? Because if he wanted

a truck he would have gave itto him,” Scott Bass said. “Hewas just that good of a person.All the guy had to do was tellhim.”

Gary Lee Weller, 55, was air-lifted to UNC Hospitals inChapel Hill with severeinjuries after being struckwhen the van went over a curb

near a Fayetteville intersec-tion. He was in critical condi-tion Wednesday. Police said amotorist found him lying in

the road.Also attacked in

Cumberland County wereDavid McCaskill, who was

struck as he walked his dogs,and Robert Fortier. Neitherman suffered life-threateninginjuries.

By KATHRYN TUGGLEStaff Reporter

Delta Delta Delta sororitymembers will flip some burg-ers and make some strokes oftheir pen today for very sickchildren with their Cookoutfor Cancer and letter writingcampaign to benefit St. JudeChildren’s Research Hospital.

Since 1999, Tri-Delta hasenlarged its Children’s CancerCharities philanthropy to sup-port St. Jude on local and

national levels. St. Jude is the largest center

in the United States forresearch and treatment ofpediatric cancer and othercatastrophic childhood dis-eases.

In 2002, Tri-Delta raisedmore than $2,000 for St. Judewith its cookout and letterwriting campaign.

Philanthropy chairwomanKate Christopher, a juniormajoring in public relations,has worked closely with St.

Jude to raise much-neededfunds.

She said the sorority’snational partnership with St.Jude has provided an endow-ment of more than $1 millionfor a “teen room” at theMemphis, Tenn., hospital.

“It is a wonderful placewhere teens can go to escapethe rigors of daily treatmentand have some time to them-selves,” Christopher said.

For the letter writing cam-paign, chapter members will

mail letters to family andfriends asking for contribu-tions for the hospital.

All donations will be collect-ed until tonight’s cookout andthen sent directly to St. Jude.

St. Jude treats children whomeet medical requirementsregardless of a family’s abilityto pay.

Physicians and scientists atSt. Jude have pioneered treat-ments that have helped thesurvival rate for childhoodcancer patients increase from

20 percent in 1962 to morethan 70 percent today.

On average, 4,300 childrenare undergoing treatment atSt. Jude at any given time.Because St. Jude is a nonprofitorganization, it costs morethan $923,000 to keep the hos-pital running each day.

Melissa Baer, Tri-Delta’s vicepresident of public relationsand a junior majoring in pub-lic relations, said the hospital’swork deserves their support.

“We feel that it is good to

give back to an organizationlike St. Jude that never turnspatients away,” Baer said.“Anyone in the world can seekcare from St. Jude, and this isjust one way we can help tochange lives.”

The Cookout for Cancer willbe held today from 4:45 to 7 p.m. in the backyard of theTri-Delta house. St. Jude repre-sentatives will speak on behalfof the hospital. Plates are $5,dine-in or to go.

NEWS Thursday, April 15, 2004Page 12 • The Crimson White

St. Jude to benefit from Tri-Delta cookout

One pedestrian killed, another critically injured in stolen van rampage