students inducted into Phi Alpha Epsilon - University of Indianapolis

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RELIGION EDITORIAL It’s time to question Religious Right, political morality issues Lucas Klipsch Ediror-iri-Chief What’s happened to the American system of democracy‘? HOW is it that on Tuesday, Nov. 2. President George W. Bush was re-elected by both the popular and electoral votes? 1-11 tell you. The Republican Party has monopolized moral issues with which voters, both liberal and conservative, feel compelled to align themselves. President Bush was reelected fairly. I’m not a conspiracy theorist who thinks that the Republican Party rigs every election and has “stolen” democracy out of the hands of the American people. I just think that the G.0.P has many United States voters gassed. so to speak. They’ve pulled the wool over our eyes, America. They’ve convinced us that not only is Bush the best political presidential option, but that he is the best. no, the only morul option. There are three types of Republicans. There are what I like to call the “real Republicans.” These Republicans believe in actual, Republican principles of free trade, a laissez-faire economy and personal prosperity through hard work and sacrifice. These people are conservative and do not believe that a strong federal government is beneficial to’America as a whole. Although seemingly self-serving, these “real Republicans” actually believe what they say and risk appearing heartless in order to stand up for their apparent me-first ideology. There are the “nai’ve Republicans.” These Republicans have been convinced, through chicanery and manipu- lation, that they, and their less fortunate American peers, will somehow benefit from typically conservative economic itch Daniels, the gova- ject of Indiana, has said that Hoosiers can expect a lot of reform to get our state going again. Daniels Seems to a man who speaks the language of money. He is a very rich man after working for very rich companies. His web site, mymanmitch.com, lists some of his reform plans for the state. He has prom- ised to save our state from its financial Droblems. One area of refotk is in Indiana’s correctional facilities. I know a way that Mitch Daniels can drastically reform the corrections program in Indiana, make our state safer, create jobs, promote social justice and save taxpayers millions. The simplest way for all of these things to happen would be for Indiana to suspend the death penalty. Each death penalty case costs our state millions. According to a USA Toduy article, “The Case Against the Death Penalty” by Eric M. Freedman (1 9971, the death penalty is far more expensive than housing prisoners in jail for life. In many cases, the death penalty is two times more expensive than life in prison. This is because most people facing the death penalty are indigent and can’t afford their own attorneys. The state must provide them with an attorney and, according to law, each death penalty sentence is automatically ap- pealed. Crimes that warrant the death penalty involve more complicated investiga- tions and longer trial times. Limiting these factors would limit a prisoner’s constitu- tional rights. Therefore, the agendas. such as limiting or removing New Ileal policies like Welfare, Social Security and federally funded health- ,.....,. Lair;. determines what makes a good president just astounds me. l‘raditionally Democrats have been Lastly, there is the Religious Right, or as I refer to them, the Religious Wrong. These are exceptionally conservative Rep~lblicans who vote solely according to their religious beliefs Members of the Religious Right are typically fundamentalist, or some variation of Christian, and assert that only through the sanctity oftheir church, and the of their beliefs, will salvation, both political and “everlasting.” be attained. These are the people wiio have ruined our conception of denioclwy. They are deceitful. misrepresentative, and cannot be trusted They’ve naturally, and quite predictably. dominated the Republican party pro-choice, but somehow the religious kight has weaseled its way into p&lic opinion. convincing many of my Democrat peers to join the anti-abortlon bandwagon. Maybe It was Kerry’s mistake in admitting that he was, in fact, pro-choice. It sure didn’t help him u in the Catholic vote (Bush won that vote, accordiag to CNN.com, despite the fact that Kerry i.\ a Catholic). Maybe Americans just don’t like the idea of killing unborn babies. Come to think of it, when worded that way. I don’t like it either. But maybe, just maybe, this new regime of power-hungry religious zealots, such as evangelists Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, have muscled their way to the tops of voter priority lists by using hellfire-andbrimstone-style scare in the past, especially during the 2004 election. and are now trying to infiltrate our minds with their hatred and intolerance. They’ve suc~ssfully skewed our perception of ethics and have attelnpted to hard sell their version of moral values as the only way to conduct life in America. The day after th;election, I was listening to a call-in show on National Public Radio. A man called in and said, essent~a~ly, that he was a liberal Democrat but did not vote for John Kerry because Kerry was pro-choice, and he, the caller, was morally opposed to abortion. So, I thought, you’re willirig to change your vote just because your partj’s candidate doesn’t agree with you on one point? The idea that abortion should even be an issue that tactics and massive guilt trips. Abortion is not the only issue that ha\ been inappropriately laced into our decislon-making process by the religious right. For some reason, gay rights is an issue that, apparently, most Americans feel strongly about. Eleven states passed bans on same-sex Inarriages On 2. a dozen states changed their constitutions in order to deny same-sex couples govern men tal recognition of marriage. Why? What were these voters afraid of? Did they think that if gay couples were married, their children could “safely” walk down the street without two men Or two ing ha~ds? If so, they were wrong. Gay people will continue to be gay, could go to fund more jobs for police officers, which would make lndiana safi:r. The death penalty has been proven in no way to make a state safer. 111 fact, Michigan, with no death penalty and Indiana, with an active death penalty have very similar crime statistics (USA Today). According to Rich- ard Dieter, head oif the Death Penalty hformation Center, the average salary of a new police officer is about $42,000 including benefits. The average $2 million spent on a death penalty trial could pa,y for 48 new officers OR the streets. It also could buy bulletproof vests and improve many crime preven- tion programs. The new officers would effectively make Indiana a safer place. The money saved also could go to provide more jobs in correctional facilities around the state. Ending the death penalty in lndiana would help to promote social justice in our state. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, African Americans make up 12% of the population of the United States yet they comprise 3.5% of all people on death row. According to the Clark County Prosecut- ing Attorney’s Web site (www. clarkprosecutor.org), right now THE REFLECTOR University of Indianapolis 1400 East Hanna Avenue Indianapolis, IN 46227 reflector@uindy.edu ianapolis. It is dedicated to rsity community in a fair and accura alty ney, they receive substandard aide. The death penalty inherently unequal and of a human being in an act of revenge wrong, it could mean an irreversible death to an innocent person. A 1982 Stanford Law Review fou that 3.50 death row convict in the United St actually inno update of the that in the ye two studies, four innocent The new governor, who is a businessman to the core, should be able to nd these demands, e when we’re talking about millions of dollars. If you would like to send Mitch Daniels a letter about ending the death penalty in Indiana, you can write to Of- fice of the Governor, State- house Room 206,200 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46204. Letters to the e ideas and other c The Reflector-, Krann;~ M EDITORIAL CARTOON CORRECTIONS regardless of whether or not it is legal for them to be married. ‘l’hen why were these voters 40 against gay /riurrici,yo’! Why weren’t they againyt homosexuaity in general? They were against gay marriage because the hateful and bigoted religious right has con\ inced them that banning gay marriage is consistent with God’s teachings. So God wants tis cult for gay people to receive spousal employee health benefits and tar breaks’.’ .According to the right, homosexualit4 is immoral. and un-Christian. so wc should punish homosexuals by disallo\i ing the aforementioned benefits that come with marriage. I don’t rccall that verse in Genesis. Besides which. it doesn’t sound very Christ-like to me. This brings me to my next point. The Religious Right. and the Republican Party agendas the) s~ipport, are inconsistent with Jesus‘ leachings and the Bible in general. In Galatians 3:26- 28, Paul says “...for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you a4 u’ere baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. ‘I’here is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer male and female; for all of you arc one in Christ” (New Revised Standard Version). This leads me to believe that God sees [he worth of all people from every ethnicity, race and class. Jesus had compassion for the persecuted, according to Mathew 9:36. which reatls, “When he saw the crowds he had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (NRSV). Yes the Hible makes a point to single out honiosexuals as sinners, but isn’t it the obligation of responsible Christians to “hate the sin. not the sinner’?” I’m not suggesting that I think that homosex~iality equates to sin, but some Christians do. Then why is this hateful anti-gay niarriage agenda so popular? It seems to me like these Christians are focusing their energy in the wrong areas. While we’re on the topic. as I understand it, Christians believe that it is not a human obligation to judge, but a holy one. In other words, it is God’s job to tell us who’s sinning and who’s not, and to punish sinners accordingly. The Bible repeatedly condemns self- righteousness. In Romans 14:4 Paul said, “Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls” (New International Version). In James 3: 12 James said, “There is only one law-giver and one .judge. the one who is able to save and destroy,” referring to God, “but you-who are you to judge your neighbor?” (NIV). That said, I think it’s pretty apparent that. if given the choice, Jesus would prefer us to be compassionate and loving to our fellow man, regardless of their sexual orientation, rather than hateful and vengeful toward homosexuals as the counter-Christian Religious Right has been. I mean, you only have so much time here on Earth. Why spend it hating and judging, when your own religion compells you to love and refrain from judging others? Don‘t be nai’ve, America. You’ve allowed them to use rhetoric and hate- speech to inspire you to vote a certain way. Don’t let it happen again. They are not practicing what I believe to be compassionate Christianity, and I am personally offended by anyone who considers the Bush administration a Christian administration. They are not. and don’t let them fool you into think- ing they are. Regardless of what you believe, it’s not your place to impress those beliefs upon others, and neither is it the place of the Religious Right to impress their beliefs, however cruel and inconsistent, upon the rest of the country. Artwmork hv Jot Hernande: Staff photographer Luke Thornberry’s name was not included in the masthead. Abby Adragna, not Ben Reed, wrote the story entitled “Professor invited to Jordan seminar.” Amber Liponoga’s name was inisspelled in the masthead. Edi tor-in-Chief.. ................................ .Lucas Klipsch Managing Editor. ................................. Valerie Miller News Editor ..................................... Sports Editor. ................................... Photo E,ditor ..................................... , Room 21 3, or Opinion Editor ................................... Feature Editor .................................... Entertainment Editor. ........................ ........................... ........................ K ger. ......................... Sarah Clough ............................ Jeanne Criswell ..................................................... Becky Nakasone Ben Reed Shelly Grimes Rania Tollefson Amber Liponoga Donna Stollings Brittani Whitmore Francine Ruder
SAGAMORE INSTITUTE ‘Think tank’ Continued from Page 1 Sometimes, he says, it turns out posi- tively. However, he has some concerns about Bush’s second term. “My concern is that ... the Bush administration is going to try to perpetuate their dominance in the system,” he said. “The goal may become the maintenance of control.” He added that because of this administration’s behavior toward power, there will likely be some tension within the Republican Party. “There is going to be some bloodlet- ting. It’s not a party thing, it’s not an ideology thing either,” he said. “[George] Orwell’s whole point was.. .the greatest mistake that they [the totalitarian regime in 19841 made is once they got power, they tried to do something with it.” According to both Clark and Ayres, there will be more events like this hosted by the Sagamore Institute. They are public, and open for all interested in attending. WORLD NEWS “You guys [U of I students] are at a disadvantage. A lot of [the events] on campus seem to be ‘let’s bring in another hypnotist or illusionist’,’’ Ayres said. “The number of public intellectual discussions offered to students [by the university] is not large.” Still, students are welcome to attend any public meeting at the Sagamore In- stitute. An events calendar can be found at the Sagamore Institute home page, sipr.org. Also, Clark has a Web site, indybuzz. blogspot.com, which lists events ranging from foreign policy, to poetry to religion. The next Sagamore Institute scheduled event is on Dec. 8, and will feature a talk by associate fellow Barbara J. El- liot, who will discuss her new book. ;But other events may be added and will be announced when they are planned. More information is available on the Sagamore Institute, via email at info@sipr.org, or via telephone at 3 17- 549-4 156. 1. NEW GENDER COURSES lNew courses to address gender Jessica Elston Opinioii Editor Ever heard of-a science course with out laboratory work? How about a math course withoiitdoingasinglemath prob- lem? Well, now one exists: Gender and Ethntcity in Math and Science. Sandra Davis, assistant professor of biology, and Krystina Leganza, associate professor of mathcmatics & computer science, will be offering the new course next semester. Students can receivecredit for taking the course in both math and/or science. The course is also waiting on approval to fulfill the social inquiry requirement. Leganza previously taught acourse at Ball State University about gender issues inmatheniatics, but she wanted theclass to expand. “Last spring, I saw an ad for a curriculum workshop at the University of Wisconsin focused on women’s issues. and I thought, ‘This would be the time to design my women in math course and offer it here’,” Leganza said. Davis overheard Leganza talking about the workshop when they were in the mailroom. “I hadactually gone to the same workshop before.” Davis said. The two began talkMg and decided to combine their knowledge and teach a joint class for both subjects. “1 had always wanted to get more into math,” Davis said. The course was designed partly from the previous course Leganza had taught at BSU and from other courses Davjs and Leganza had read about. Leganza had a mentor when she taught at Saint Mary of-the-Woods who included historical biographies in her course. “She would tell the kids what to read and then they would come in and have a discussion,” Leganza said. “As a mathematician, I’m not used to doing a discussion course and 1 thought, ‘It’s boring if everybody reads the same thing. What are we going to talk about?”’ At BSU, Leganza decided to change the discussion pattern of her mentor by not using the biographies in the textbook. She plans to do the same for the course here. “I would tell the kids ‘next week these are the three people we’re going to talk about. You come up with your own sources’,”Leganza said. “That way everyone might read a different author and would have a different slant on the person’s life.” The course will not be biographies about women and minorities alone. Leganza said the course will range from Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, dies in Paris Critical Care Unit / Michael Matza Kriigh Ridder Newspapers RAMALLAH, West Bank - Black smoke from burning tires draped Ramallah’s skies in a curtain of crepe Thursday, and black flags sprouted atop power lines at the entrances to refugee camps as the city that had been Yasser Arafat’s last home prepared to bury its leader and welcome his successors. Palestinian police, patrolling on foot, wore black armbands in mourning, and Palestinian leaders seemed particularly awkward about ushering in a new era without the man who’d held all the reins of power with an iron fist. At the investiture of the Palestinian Authority’s new interim president, Rauhi Fattouh, officials didn’t know what to do ritually cleansed, perfumed and wrapped inawhiteshroud - wasflown from Paris to Cairo on Thursday. A quick funeral service. attended by scores of foreign dignitaries, was to be held at a tightly guarded military base near the Egyptian capital on Friday before Arafat’s body was to be flown to Ramallah for burial. The brevity of the Cairo ceremony - no longer than 30 minutes, officials said -was intended to ensure that Arafat was buried before sundown. Arafat will be laid to rest on his right side, with his face pointing toward the Muslim holy city of Mecca, beneath a stand of pine trees inside the battered compound that’s been destrciyed by the Israeli airmy. Palestinian crews have been working around the clock to push away a mountain of crushed cars that had littered the area for three years, since they were run oveir by Israeli tanks. , and. in a departure from Muslim tradition, he’ll be buried in a concrete box so his body could one day be moved to Jerusalem. It was evident that Palestinians were grappling with a world without Arafat. At Fattouh‘s swearing-in inside the 88seat Palestinian legislature, Legislative Council Speaker Hassan Khreishe cited the wrong subsection as he read from the Palestinian basic law putting Fattouh in power. Legal Committee Chairman Ziad Abu Zyad piped up to correct him. Zyad later said that he wanted the first use of the law to be letter-perfect. Under Palestinian law. elections for a permanent president must be held within 60 days. Fattouh will share power with Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia and Palestine Liberation Organization leader Mahmoud Abbas. with a large portrait ofArafat, which had Arafit had wanted to be buried in “‘rhis is a difficLllt period, a transition Photo hy Burhtrrci Davidson, Knight Ridder Tribune tobemovedfromachair. One lawmaker Jerusalem on the disputed holy site that period, and I hope the system will not Several mOUrnerS took to the Streets Of Ramallah, moved it behind the podium. Then he propped it against the speaker’s rostrum. Finallv. a tall lawmaker lifted the portrait oncehelldthe biblicalJewishtemplesand now holds AI Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest :shrine after Mecca and Medina. break down,” lawmaker Hanan Ashrawi West Bank, on Thursday, Nova 11, after hearing said of the Palestinian Authority’s tentative steps tow;ird - greater democracy. news Of Palestinian leader YaSSer Arafat’s death. overhead, putting it on a ledge against the chamber’s front wall. Arafat’s body - in Islamic tradition, Israel refused. Instead, his giave ~ 1 1be 1 Iii1ecI wlth earth taken from the AI Aqsa compound (c) 2004. knight KidderiIribune In- tormatiori Services CHARTIY DONATIONS Campus-wide charity donations are meant for more than the holidays Lucas Klipsch Editor-in - Chief “Education for Service,” the Univer- sity of Indianapolis motto, takes on a whole new meaning during the holiday season. Several campus organizations have begun various charities, including coat drives, canned food drives and even a drive for eyeglass donations. The Ecumenical and Interfaith Pro- grams department had a worship service last Wednesday, Nov. 10, called “Count Your Blessings.” The service invited people to donate various items for the Julian Center and the Holy Family Shelter. The University Community Eucharist service will be tonight at 9, and attendants are urged to continue the donations. “We’ll be collecting things through Thanksgiving break,” said University Chaplain Rev. Dr. Lang Brownlee. “We hope people come to the service because it will not only be about counting our blessings, but also what we can do to help others.” Besides the charitable donations orga- nized by the Ecumenical and Interfaith programs, there are also several coat and food drives going on around campus. Several groups also are gathering towels and other toiletries for the Horizon House, a homeless shelter. Circle K, an organization dedicated to volunteer service, will be working at LutherWood. Luther Wood is a temporary foster care facility for children. On Dec. 4, Circle K will be volunteering there, helping to wrap presents for the children, purchased by Luther Wood. Next semester, Circle K will be participating in several other charities. “[Next semester] we’re going to do a Cinderella project,” said sophomore Susan Decker, Circle K president. “We’ll collect prom dresses for girls who can’t afford them. 1 did it (with Key Club] in high school, and I had almost 400 dresses donated.” Last Saturday Circle K went to St. Vin- cent DePaul to help sort donated food. Although not necessarily charity, every January the Ecumenical and Inter- faith Programs offers a service learning opportunity called Appalachia Service Project (ASP). This year’s class counts for two credit hours, and will be Janu- ary 9- 15. The class entails a trip to rural Appalachia, and will involve home im- provement projects. Students interested in signing up can contact Brownlee at 3 17-788-3382. The holiday season, from October to January, seems to be the most popular time for charities. But it doesn’t have to be th,at way, according to Brownlee. “I wish we had that spirit of giving all year round of course,” he said. “But during the Christmas and Thanksgiving seasons we do have that spirit, and I’m grateful for that.” Participating in charitable events means different things todifferent people. “I like the theme that [when we give) we d’on’t just sit back on our laurels and thank God, but with what God has given us, we have an opportunity to share and give to others,” Brownlee said. “I think the best part of coming to- gether for any charitable organization is that you’re helping someone.” Decker said. “You’re making a difference, be it a smille, apresentorwhatever, you’re helping that person in their time of need.” Students interested can donate to any given charity on campus. The eyeglass donations, by the University of India- napolis Lion’s Club, are being collected at the Hub at Schwitzer Student Center. Circle K, and many other campus organizations are conducting charity events and welcome volunteers. Several Campus organizations are helping to collect coats, food and other various items for the Julian Center, the Holy Family Shelter and Luther Wood foster care services. These donations will be taken throughout the holiday season to the desi g nated s he1 t er s and charities and is a way for students to give back to the community around U of I. EDUCAllON MAJORS!!! Let us help you build a great resume. Let us teach you how to teach swim lessons. We are located at 146th Street and S.R. 37 in Noblesville. Bring a couple of friends to carpool. Hours are flexible and pay is great. You don’t have to be a great swimmer. We need people who love preschoolers and want to help them learn to love the water. We have had several of our teachers placed in local schools as a direct result of their experience with us. You don’t have to be a P.E. major- El. Ed. or P.T. is great too. We will train you. Call Shari or Katie at (3 17) 773-7399. ‘\
Page 1: VOLUME 83, ISSUE 5 Winter sports Se
Page 5 and 6: THE REFLECTOR PAGE 5 SPURl% NOVEMBE
Page 7 and 8: CONCERT REVIEW Rock band shows up l

students inducted into Phi Alpha Epsilon - University of Indianapolis

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