UIndy inaugurates first woman president - University of Indianapolis

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oPI” PAGE 2 THE REFLECTOR APRILS 2006 Failed ports deal reflects culture of fear Sandra Arao Ameny Staff Writer The failure of the Dubai ports deal reflects intolerance and prejudice towards Arabs. The controversial deal would have allowed Dubai Ports World, a company owned by the United Arab Emirates, to operate six major American ports. According to CNN, DP World bought London-based Peninsula & Oriental Steam Navigational Company for $6.8 million, giving DP World the right to operate six major American ports, including ports in areas such as New Orleans, New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia. Three-quarters of cargo containers pass through terminals that are leased to international companies. Some of these companies are based in Denmark, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea and China. So, what is all the fuss over another international company leasing another American port? Politicians who opposed the Dubai port deal have repeatedly pointed out that the deal would have jeopardized national security. They are quick to point out that two of the 911 1 hijackers came from the UAE and that the hijackers attained the funding from Dubai banks prior to the attack. They also are eager to point out that the UAE was one of three nations to give recognition to the Taliban’s regime in Afghanistan. These are not hard points to sell at face value, but one must ana- lyze and be educated about all the facts before writing off DP World and the UAE altogether. The reality is that the UAE has been a necessary ally in the Middle East in the war against terrorism. According to The New York Times, after the Sept. 11 I EDITORIAL Attacks, the UAE cut all diplomatic ties with the Taliban, especially when the Bush administration was calling for Afghanistan to give up Osama Bin Laden. Secondly, the US. Navy uses the port of Dubai, and the U.S. Air Force uses the UAE airfield to launch weapons into Iraq and Afghanistan. If the U.S. labels all Arab countries as threats, even an ally, it will only create more enemies. After the invasion of Iraq and the prison abuse cases, the U.S. image in the Arab world plummeted. Refusing business from a legitimate Arab company and connecting all Arab countries with terrorists and enemies will only tarnish the U.S. image in the international community. After bipartisan opposition in Congress and public opinion ~olls, DP World agreed to a 45-day review and even offered to divert its holdings to an American company. DP World was poised to subject itself to scrutiny and cooperated to show politicians and the American people that it was legitimate and willing to comply with Congress’s demands. Unfortunately, the deal fell apart. What the public tends to forget, behind all the political rhetoric, sound bites and patriotism, is that Dubai was the first place to join the U.S. Container Security Initiative, a program that allowed U.S. Customs to go to overseas ports and check cargo that was bound for America. According to Time Magazine, Stephen Flynn of the Council on Foreign Relations said that DP World is not “a shadow organization of AI Qaeda.” Even Jimmy Carter, who is known to criticize the Bush administration, defended the deal and told CNN that the deal was not a particular threat to U.S. security. Why is it permissible to allow some international companies inside U.S. borders, yet chase other companies away? Are we not undermining national security by allowing any international company, regardless of origin, to lease ports in the U.S.? The reality is that the DP World deal fell apart simply because we were deal- ing with an Arab country. Ironically, the war on terror, highlighted with words like “democracy,” ‘‘liberation’’ and “freedom,” has exposed an uglier side of ourselves that some of us refuse to see: intolerance. We rant and rave about the freedoms we are going to bring to people in Iraq, yet we do not display tolerance and non-prejudicial attitudes. It’s time to wake up. We do not only fear national security breeches. We fear a culture and a people that we do not understand, a people we have equated with nothing but terrorists. In my opinion, the Dubai Ports World deal was blocked by politicians who made decisions on too little, and biased information. Even worse, the public was not adequately educated about both sides of the issue and auto- matically jumped on the bandwagon to support protectionist laws without really understanding that the UAE and DP World are actually legitimate and necessary players in the war on terror. It is unfortunate when politicians can exhibit Anti-Arab sentiment and no one checks them for intolerance or prejudice. What if this were one of us facing scrutiny in a foreign country? Wouldn’t we want to be measured with fairness and respect? Even though it crumbled, the Dubai Ports World deal gives us an opportunity to examine our political conscience. Before we raise our banners of democracy and wave our American flags, we should ask ourselves if we are tolerant enough to refrain from stereotyping a group of people as terrorists. We should challenge ourselves to recognize that not all Arab countries or companies are a threat and consider the possibility that the entities may be legitimate business partners and necessary allies in the war on terror. Protests at U.S. soldiers’ funerals spark legislation, enrage editor Valerie Miller Editor-in-Chief Members of the small congregation of Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., have made headlines recently for their anti-homosexual protests across the country at soldiers’ funerals. Their actions have been so offensive that a number of states, including Indiana, have passed, or are in the process of passing, legislation restricting where and when people can demonstrate at a funeral. Before 1 go into an all-out tirade about why these people are lunatics, I should tell you a little more about the congregation, the protests and their logic (or lack thereof). According to both the church’s Web site (www.godhatesfags.com - yes, this is really the name of their Web site and with that, I could probably end this editorial right now, but I will continue) and various news sources (ABC News, CNN, USA Today, etc.), the church was founded and is still led by 76- year-old pastor Fred Phelps. Most of the congregation is comprised of his family members, which includes (to date) 13 children, 54 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Although the church has the word “Baptist” in its name, according to MSNBC, it is not affiliated with a larger denomination. The group first gained notoriety by protesting at the funerals of AIDS victims in the 1990s. Since then, they have made it their mission to spread their hate-filled doctrine by protesting at the funerals of slain American soldiers, as well as other places like the funerals of the West Virginia coal miners. Their protests at soldiers’ funerals have sparked the most controversy and led to most of the legislation. They believe that soldiers are evil because they die defending a country that tolerates ho- mosexuality. This is faulty logic at best, and really it is just plain stupid. Members of the group have (to date) interrupted more than 100 soldiers’ funerals (including some in Lafayette, Evansville and Elkhart) by standing near the funeral or memorial service of a fallen soldier with signs that say despicable things like “God Hates You,” “Thank God for 9/11 ,” “God is Your Enemy,” “God Hates Fags” and “You’re Going to Hell” and chanting equally offensive phrases. Not only are the adult church members doing this, but they take their kids, too! One picture of the protests shows a woman with her nine-year-old son, both of whom are holding similar signs and smiling. NINE YEARS OLD! Phelps and his followers show no remorse for their actions and plan to continue them. When asked by ABC News how he would respond to a widow who asked him to leave, he replied, “No. Some maudlin widow. Look, you’re partly to blame for him being dead, woman.” Yes, this heartless, uncaring man said these exact words. Not only do they believe this crap, they choose to share their message at a time when people are grieving the loss of a loved one. LEAVE THEM ALONE! Fortunately, some motorcycle-riding veterans have formed a group called the Patriot Guard to try to protect the grieving families. This group comes to funerals where the congregation is protesting and blocks them from the view of the family members with their bikes and American flags. As the family members and other mourners come by, the group revs their engines to drown out the cacophony of protestors. These patriots, heroes in my opinion, do this out of the kindness of their hearts in order to spare these families further anguish. God bless them. When I first learned about this socalled church, I was appalled. First of all, they should not be called a church. They are more like a cult. The definition of a cult, according to dictionary.com, is this: “a religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false ... under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader.” Also, they are NOT, I repeat, NOT Christians. They give Christians a bad name by doing this stuff and causing people to generalize that all Christians are like this. Remember how they seem to fit the definition of cult? Well, here are a couple definitions of “Christian” that they don’t fit into: “professing belief in Jesus as Christ or following the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus” and “showing a loving concern for others.” This group comes nowhere near following the life and teachings of Jesus. If they bothered to read more of the Bible than just what they want to read, they would notice that Jesus spent a lot of his time with people who were rejected by society, including lepers, Samaritans and tax collectors. They pick a few choice words from the Bible, mostly from the Old Testa- ment, paste them together and call it doctrine. They do not teach the Word of God, but rather a polluted, false form of it and they use ridiculous logic to justify it. They say that the only hope that people (specifically homosexuals) have is “to listen to the preaching of West- boro Baptist Church.” This direct quote from their Web site is not a message of hope. If they were trying to witness to people about being a Christian, they would tell them to turn to the teachings of the Bible for hope, not the teachings of Westboro Baptist Church. You don’t need to take a critical thinking course to figure out that the idea that God kills soldiers because there are homosexuals in America is ab- surd. That’s like saying I + 1 equals 594. They use the story of Sodom and Go- morrah to justify this. Anyone who has even casually read the Bible will know that God destroyed Sodom and Gomor- rah because of the things the people of these cities did - things like trying to attack visitors to the city. Thw. Not other people - the people who actually committed the sins. God does not pun- ish people for things they didn’t do. Another of their teachings is that God is a God of hate. They basically teach that if you do not believe every- thing they say, God hates you and you are going to hell. Well, 1 have read the Bible too, and I have a number of verses to directly refute these false claims. Here are just a few verses to keep in mind: “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God because God is love.” 1 John 4:7-5 (NIV). Another verse says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ.” Romans 3:23-24. All have sinned. ALL - including you, 8 Freddie. Here are a few more verses that not only show the love of God, but the sin these people commit by hating others. “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.” 1 John 2:9; “If anyone says ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he bas seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.” 1 John 4:20; and finally, “Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in Him.” 1 John 3: 15. Read that, you crazies. I’m sure they don’t like to be told they are lying murderers stuck in darkness. But, hey, I’m just quoting the Bible. While I’m sure that I am now going to hell for calling them out, I realize that hating them is not the answer either; in fact, it only makes things worse and directly contradicts the verses I just quoted. The Bible also says (a quote from Jesus) “Love your enemies and ; pray for those who persecute you.” Matthew 5:44. SO although the members of, this congregation may be hateful and i& norant, we should not hate them, for that makes us no better than they are. We 1 should pray for them and feel sorry that, their lives are so consumed with hate. And while I hope they change their ; beliefs and leave the grieving soldiers’ families alone, I also realize that under the U.S. Constitution, they have the right to free speech, just like every : other American. However, I won’t be ’ surprised to see a new Web site called “godhatesvaleriemiller.com.” That’s ; OK, I’m changing my name soon ; anyway.
Travel grants awarded at Presidential Inauguration Ruth Shirley Sta8 Writer Ten students were chosen to reflect President Beverley Pitts’ presidential inauguration theme, “Passport to Possibilities,” as ambassadors of the university in four different countries. Each student was selected through an application process in the travel grant program, “Passport to the World,” to receive $4,000 in an open-ended grant, so they can explore the country chosen in their application essay. The winners were announced during the Investiture Ceremony on March 29 and participated in a luncheon with Pitts and the Athens campus Chancellor and Vice-president, Visilis Votopoulos. Pitts and the committee wanted to celebrate in a unique way, while showcasing “what is good at the University of Indianapolis: our students,” said Inauguration Committee Chair Monica Woods. They wanted to honor the statement in the university mission that says the university is committed to fostering “international relationships and programs that promote intercultural understanding, awareness, and appreciation,” as well as “campus culture that embraces and celebrates human diversity.” More than 80 students applied for the travel , grants. The ten winners are required to use the grant between May 2006 and August 2007 and to write , an essay within a month of their return describing their travel experiences. The planning of the trips and completion are being advised through Mimi Chase, Director of the International Division, and ’ the Office of International Relations. , Representatives from the host universities will greet the students, but that is the only pre- determined aspect of their trips. The recipients are encouraged to take side-trips and visit surrounding s countries, according to Woods. Some students have s specific goals to achieve, and others will spend 1 their gralits “as a tourist but also as a learner of life, if you will,” Woods said. Three students chose Stellenbosch University in South Africa as their destination: sophomore Hilary Foltz, senior Todd Harrington, and senior Mboone Umbima. Graduate student Molly Schiel chose the South America campus in Belieze. Foltz, an elementary education major from . Dyer, Ind., also is going with a clear goal in mind. She will be volunteering at the Christel House-a school for impoverished children funded by Chris- ; tel DeHaan. “I just believed that I should do it,” Foltz said. ‘‘I think it will really help me as 1 teach later on.” , Her trip is tentatively scheduled for the summer “ of 2007. ‘ School ofAdult Learning student Harrington of . Anderson, Ind., who will graduate this year with ~ a degree in liberal studies, is looking forward to . going to Africa. While in South Africa, he plans to go on a safari, possibly visit aneighboring country and visit the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, which documents the history of the blacWwhite Photo b~ MeRm Komlunc Ten students from the University of Indianapolis were awarded $4,000 travel grants on March 29 at President Beverley Pitts’ Inaguration. The grants will allow the students to travel to South Africa, Belieze, China, Taiwain or the university’s sister campus in Athens, Greece. segregationist Apartheid government which fell in the early 1990’s. Harrington plans to travel this August. Schiel, a graduate student and B.U.1.L.D tu- tor studying human biology, plans on working closely with the host university in the anatomy and anthropology department. She will work with the faculty there as a teaching and laboratory as- sistant, as well as do independent research for her thesis. According to Schiel, the school does casework for South America and she will be assisting in the cases, gaining more experience in that field. She also plans to visit the Transvaal Museum, which houses many important skeletal collections. Schiel will travel in February 2007. Umbima, from Nairobi, Kenya, chose South Africa out of curiosity and planning for the fu- ture. “It’s the New York of Africa. It’s very mod- ern,” Umbima said. She also considers it a place to relocate after completing a master’s degree. Umbima plans to travel this August. Another destination for four students is Greece, through the UTndy sister campus in Athens. The students traveling to Greece are freshman Ross Atteberry, sophomore Ryan Davis, freshman Phyllinga Jackson and junior Kelli Norton. Atteberry, a history major from Westfield, Ind., chose Greece primarily for its historical importance. While in Greece, he plans to see the ancient sites, such as the Acropolis, study the Greek military and explore the Mediterranean Sea. In addition to Greece, he hopes to spend time in another European country in cities such as Paris or Rome. Attebeny is considering using the grant towards the Odyssey in Athens Study-Abroad program. He plans to travel this summer. For international relations major Davis, from Indianapolis, this grant is his first opportunity to travel outside the United States and explore Europc, where he hopes to complete graduate school and possibly work. He plans to travel early this summer. Jackson, a Spanish and elementary education major, chose Greece so she could explore the various facets of the country, and to also experience a new and different place. She said “[when you travel], you get an education of others.” It’s so different but the same.” Jackson is undecitled about her travel time. Norton, a School forAdult Learning! student. i3 studying organizational leadership and will tentatively graduate in May 2007. She said Greece has ALL I 3120 MADISON AVE.0 INDPLS, IN 46227 (317) 786-3128 Student Specials $5 for 5x10 $10 for 10x10 $15 for 10x15 $20 for 10x20 $25 for 10x25 $30 for 10x30 always held her fascination-Greek mythology, food and architecture. Also. because she plans to have ajoh in the service industry, she wants to experience a s much cultural diversity as possible. “It‘s an opportunity for me to see how people out side of the United States live, how they study, what interests them, where they go when they let their hair tiown,” Norton said. Norton has not yet planned a travel date. Junior Andrea Buchler, a Spanish teaching major from Fort Wayne, Ind., is traveling to Belize. Shc chose Belize to improve her Spanish by being immersed in it and toexperiencetheculture, which is a diverse mixture including Creole, (iarifunan, and Mayan. She plans to travel in May and stay at the host college. Galen University, in a program with other international students. Hilary Conklin, a senior psychology major from Rushville. I d . will travel to Taiwan, Republic of China. While in Taiwan, Conklin plans to stay with her friend. Teichan and her family. Accord- ing to Conhlin, Teichan attended Ulndy for a year as an intern;itioii:il student, and the two became friends. ”She hac. aln,ays been thankful to my family [for] teaching her [about] American culture,” Conkli ti wid. K>an llallett is running for ISG Vice I’reAIent for the 2006-2007 school year. I le IIX been a member of ISG for two
Page 1: Second annual UIndy drag show. See
Page 6 and 7: APRIL 5,2006 FINAL FOUR SPECIAL SEC
Page 8 and 9: APRIL 5,2006 FEATURE THE REFLECTOR
Page 10: August i.s- I. r , - ? * to uiardy

UIndy inaugurates first woman president - University of Indianapolis

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