Miami Hurricane, November 15, 1991

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4
WITCH TALES
The Crucible, now playing at the Ring Theatre, is so realistic that it evokes anguish and pain for the audience.
■ Accent — page 6
IT’S TIME
Tomorrow at noon, the battle for No. 1 will take place between UM and FSU at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee.
■ Sports — page 8
NEWSBRIEFS
Awareness week begins
Speakers, debates and voter registration will be happening on campus during Student Government’s Political Awareness Week.
■	At 11 a.m. Monday, the mayor of Miami, Xavier Suarez, will be speaking and holding a question and answer session at the University Center Rock. Suarez will be followed by an open debate at 1 p.m. The subject of the debate has not been announced.
■	An open debate on the topic of abortion will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday. People on both sides of the issue are welcome to discuss their points of view. At 1 p.m., Frank Stuart, professor of history, will speak at the Rock.
■	From noon to 2 p.m. Wednesday, an open panel discussion will be held on the subject of animal rights.
■	At 11 a.m. Thursday, there will be a Republican vs. Democrat debate on issues pertaining to local, state and national events.
■	At 1 p.m., Bernard Schechterman, political science professor, will hold a lecture on peace in the Middle East.
■	"American Foreign Policy in 1991” will be discussed by Michael Krenn, professor of history, at 11 a.m. at the Rock today. It will be followed by a concert given by the Inspirational Concert Choir on the UC Plaza and a political activism rally. A table will be set up in the Breezeway all week to register students to vote.
— PAMELA WILFINGER
Phone system to be upgraded
The Umversity of Miami will be upgrading the current telephone system to the newest AT&T PBX. The upgrading will be taking place in order to reach the software level supported by the vendor, stated Peter Stan-zilis in a memo from Information Resources.
Minor and emergency moves, adds or changes will still be handled while the switch is being made. The upgrading will occur from Nov. 18 through Jan. 3. On the medical campus, upgrading will take place from Nov. 25 through Jan. 3.
— PAMELA WILFINGER
TODAY’S FORECAST
PARTLY SUNNY
and continued mild
HIGH: 82 LOW: 67
Sooro«: National Weather Service
FACE THE FACTS
Over the last 15 years, the University of Miami has played well against Florida State
University both at home and away. The following is a breakdown of games at 'he Orange Bowl and Doak Campbell Stadium:
8 games at the Orange Bowl
Miami FSU
7 games at Doak Campbell Stadium Miami FSU
HtflAM HENflIOUEZ / Or«**: ArtM
Patton fights suspension
By KEVIN BROCKWAY
Contributing Editor
University of Miami running back Martin Patton's attorney is working on last-minute efforts to lift the indefinite suspension imposed on his client that will prevent him from playing in tomorrow’s UM-Florida State University football game in Tallahassee, Fla.
Alan Ross,
Patton’s attorney, met with UM Athletic Director Dave Maggard for Wednesday.
Ross, a former UM football player, said that Patton was unfairly punished by the team due to his arrest. He also says Patton
will be exonerated from all charges.
"We’re pretty confident something is going to be resolved,” Ross said.
“I can’t play in the biggest game in the history of college football,” Patton said. “I can’t even be with my teammates. That’s tough to handle.”
UM Head Football Coach Dennis Erickson said both Patton and Jonathon Harris, also involved in the incident, were suspended due to breaking team policy. Erickson’s team policy has never been defined to the media.
“This is not a decision that was made on whether or not they are innocent or guilty by law,” Erickson said. “That issue is separate from the fact that they violated team policy.”
Patton was arrested early Sunday morning and was charged with resisting arrest with violence, obstruction of justice, battery of
justice, inciting to riot and criminal mischief.
Patton said he was unfairly punished. He said he was concerned about Harris, a good friend, and said he wanted to ride in the ambulance because of the memory of his brother, Anthony, dying in an automobile accident. He said he had to identify his brother in the morgue after not being allowed to ride in the ambulance.
‘Tve been portrayed as the villain,” Patton said. "I would like to believe that you are innocent until proven guilty. The way this thing is coming out, I’m guilty and having to prove I’m innocent. That’s not fair.”
Dave Schneider, 21, a witness at the scene, said Patton was told numerous times to get away from the ambulance and refused. He said that the police tried to j restrain Patton before Patton threw the first punch.
EXPERIMENT IN HOMELESSNESS
CHRISTOPHER CARUSLE/Photo Editor
FACING
REALITY:
Above, University of Miami students sleep in cardboard boxes on the
University
Center
Plaza,
despite the
cold
weather
Monday and
Tuesday
night. At
right,
Suzanne
Gardner
reads during
the
Sleepout, which was part of Homeless and Hunger Awareness Week.
Ogden gets ARA’s facilities contract
By FERNANDO BATTAGLIA
Assistant News Editor
Ogden Allied Services Corporation will replace ARA Environmental Services as the University of Miami’s contractor for facilities administration Monday.
ARA had served UM for over a decade.
“The University decided to take competitive bidding on that contract work,” Victor Atherton, assistant vice president for Facilities Administration, said. “We put it out to competitive pricing to see if we could save a little money.”
The University accepted bids from several companies. ARA, however, was not one of them.
“The new contract, in ARA's opinion, cut the staff tremendously, and we feel the University should be getting the same amount of service,” Richard Smith, ARA southeast regional manager, said. "I would assume it (UM’s decision to accept bids) is for budget reasons.” Smith said ARA regretted losing UM.
"We definitely would’ve liked to keep the contract. We’ve been here for 13 years,” Smith said. "UM is an important costumer.”
"Ogden had the best one (bid), and they have a wonderful track record. They clean a lot of universities,” Atherton said.
Atherton said he did not expect
the change to have a negative impact on campus, students or faculty.
"We are not anticipating any major problems — that doesn’t mean something won’t happen. We are all going to need to help them ip this transition," Atherton said. "Anything we can do to help them, we should do. We need to understand that some things may get missed.”
Ogden has started trying to adapt to UM.
“A consultant was hired to study the specific needs (of UM),” Charles England, project manager for Ogden
Please see page 2/ARA
Trustee member once contributed to Duke campaign
I By ALLETTA BOWERS
News Editor
University of Miami Board of Trustee member Frank Smathers Jr. contributed to David Duke’s U.S. Senate campaign last year. However, it is unclear whether Smathers has given to Duke’s current campaign for governor of Louisiana.
Smathers, who has been on the Board longer than anyone else, contributed approximately $285 to Duke’s campaign in 1990, according to an article written in The Miami Herald last June. He was among 14 other Duke supporters from Florida, who donated a total of $4,785.
Duke is a former imperial wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.
Smathers did not deny or confirm any contributions.
"I did not necessarily contribute to his (Duke’s) campaign,” Smathers said. “I do not remember if I gave money to his campaign.”
“When the opponent is a corrupt crook, of course Duke will be supported," Smathers said.
Tsitsi Wakhisi, professor of jounralism, said Smathers’ contribution was brought up in a meeting on Monday between President Edward T. Foote and members of the Woodson-Williams Marshall Association, a group made up of black faculty members to assist the administration in the recruitment and retention of African Americans.
"Foote said Smathers political beliefs did not impact on the boards collective decision on hiring of minorities,” Wakhisi said.
Foote could not be reached for comment.
Ray Goode, chairman of the UM Board of Trustees, said Smathers’s decision to contribute was a personal one.
“I can’t say anymore than if anyone else had contributed to the campaign,” Goode said. “I have not seen the slightest bias.”
Luis Glaser, executive vice president and provost, said Smathers’ contributions do not reflect on the University and, while he disagrees with Smathers, he said it has never caused a problem.
"Personally, I think very little of David Duke, but, as a private citizen, Smathers, or anyone else, has the right to contribute to any legitimate campaign that he wants,” Glaser said. "He doesn’t speak for the University.
"There are all kinds of people here that do all kinds of things, but this is a place of free expression. Mr. Smathers does not force his opinion.”
Other faculty members and students agreed.
"Mr. Smathers is entitled to his opinion. It is not one that I share, but that is his privilege,” Rosemary Helen-brook, associate director of Helath Administration, said.
“That is his business,” Winston Warrior, former president of United Black Students, said. “I hope if his personal views agree with Duke’s, it doesn’t affect decisions made about minority students at UM.”
Trenesia Greensmith, junior, said it is “reprehensible” that a UM trustee gave to the campaign of Duke.
“I would suggest that the University make a state-, ment to the effect that this man’s decision is a misjudg-I ment or at least a poor judgment and that the University does not agree with it,” Greensmith said. "They will have to do this in order to hold on to their credibility.”
Smathers said Duke wants to be fair to all minority groups.
"Everybody’s talking about what a racist David Duke is, but what he wants is that everybody is treated fairly,” Smathers said. “(He) wants to be fair to Chinese, blacks, Hispanics and whites.”
Anthony Barthélémy, associate professor of English, said Duke can hide his racism.
"The ability of those who are supporting naked racism to find ways to code it is amazing,” Barthélémy said. “Duke has learned those codes from George Bush. If it were not a shameful anti-human philosophy, we wouldn’t need codes. But they need to cover their shame.
“The University ought not to tolerate this. There is a difference between freedom of speech and racism.”
Edwin Edwards is running against Duke. The citizens of Louisiana will go to the polls tomorrow to vote in the runoff election.
Graduate student Megan Northland contributed to this story.
Smoking starts fire in residence hall
By PAMELA WILFINGER
Staff Writer
A comforter accidentally caught fire on the sixth floor of Pearson Residential College early Wednesday morning, according to the Department of Public Safety reports.
Captain Pablo Gonzalez of the Coral Gables Fire Department said he spoke to the student who owned the comforter and has ruled the fire was accidental.
According to Gonzalez, the student had been smoking while he was cleaning his face with alcohol. When he flicked his cigarette into a cup-ashtray that contained a small amount of the alcohol, the cup fell onto the comforter and ignited.
"We were in the room, and we looked outside and we saw flames. Someone’s comforter was on fire in the hallway,” Jen Cohen, freshmen, said. She lives next door to the student whose comforter caught on fire.
It is unknown as to how the comforter was moved from the dorm room to the hallway.
Fire fighters from Station Two of the Coral Gables Fire Department were called. And when UM Public Safety Officer Rita Shove arrived on the scene, she said she was told the fire had already been extinguished by Eliseo Rodriguez, a maintenance man from the Department of Residence Halls.
Officer Shove and Sergeant Abraham Fernandez said they found many students were still in their rooms on other floors. They were told to evacuate immediately.
Pearson Residence Coordinator Lisa Bardill said a report would be made on the incident, including students not evacuating the premises when the fire alarm went off.
| Total estimated damage was under $100.