Miami Hurricane, March 22, 2002

              ‘Canes end season in first round loss
page 5
Rearview Mirror to perform tonight
ACCENT page 7
Star player status merits exemption
OPINION page 11
The Miami H
Coral Gables, Florida
Since 1927
Volume 79, Number 40
WWW.THEHURRICANEONLINE.COM
___ Firiday, March 22, 2002
Academics for athletes come under fire
Ernesto Londorio and Margarita Martin-Hidalgo
Of the Staff
Surfacing allegations that a universe ty disciplinary appellate committee went soft on a football player who got caught cheating twice in separate class es taught by the same pmlessor, have once again thrust into the spotlight the rocky marriage between stringent ath letic programs and academics
Miami New Times recently reported that the Honor Councils appeals committee composed of the Provost, Vice President for Student Affairs and a student representative overturned the sanction recommended by the student run Council, which advised that UM wide receiver Andre Johnson be suspended for two semesters beginning this fall.
Had the punishment been upheld, the national champions would have stepped onto the field on August 31 for the first game of the season shy of their Rose Bowl co-Most Valuable player.
The Honor Council’s Selections and Appeals Committee suspended fohnson tor the upcoming summer sessions. fohnson did not reply to a request for an interview.
(ohnson's first academic foul play occurred on September 21 during a sociology exam for a class taught by
adjunct professor Thomas Petersen, a retired Miami-Pade Juvenile Court judge and former chief prosecutor for the Miami Dade State Attorney's office.
Petersen confronted Johnson after two students alerted him of the possibility that the player and two of his field mates may have swapped answers. The three tests, which got handed in at the same time, were identical.
The teacher briefed football coach l,arry Colter about the incident. Coker said he would discuss the matter with Johnson and the team as a whole.
“I want to work with these students in every possible way,” wrote Petersen in a memo obtained by New Times, “and I certainly don’t want to jeopar dize their athletic eligibility or their standing within the university if there is an explanation or resolution that is fair to the other students who took the test"
In mid-December, Johnson handed in an essay on No Matter How Tout/ / Shout: A Year in the Life of luvenile Court, a book by Pulitzer award winner Edward Humes.
“Even a cursory reading of this paper clearly shows it to be a copy of a pnimotional description of the book," wrote Petersen in a complaint addressed to the Honor Council.
fohnson said he was oblivious to the
source of the report since his girlfriend had written it. He was the first student IVterson referred to the Honor Council.
Petersen told The Hurricane all the information that pertained to him printed by New Times was accurate.
“I hope something positive will come out of this,” Petersen told The Hurricane. “It may be a good opportunity to reexamine the marriage between academics and athletics,” he added.
(ohnson’s case did not shock faculty members interviewed by the Hurricane.
“What I read mirrors what colleagues have told me from other departments," said a professor in the College of Arts and Sciences who spoke on condition of anonymity. That is, the source said, that academic standards
RUSSELL W0JTUSIAK / Photo Editor
THE PRICE Of GLORY: Allegations of preferential treatment plague Andre Johnson and student athletes.
for student athletes-particularly those in demanding sports programs are lower than for those who are not.
A former professor from the English department, who taught several football players-including fohnson-told The Hurricane “most of them are at a 10th grade reading and writing level.”
The source said that during the three years he taught at UM, assistant coaches sometimes inserted “direct and indirect pressure" to give student athletes who performed poorly a passing grade The professor maintained that although his colleagues at UM were
well aware that this trend was not exceptional,“every time I brought it up, they made a point that I needed to change the subject.”
The professor said he often fie+t the need to “slow down the pace of the class" in order to keep some student
athletes on track at the expense of the more diligent students.
The highest scoring football player he taught earned a C+. “And trust me when I tell you, I was not a tough grader," he said.
“Some teachers seem more lenient with athletes than others," said Gregory Tabor,a lunior mat«»ring in sports management. 'There’s definitely a double standard."
Tabor added he feels he is more likely to get a better grade in a class with many athletes.
Several pmfessors, including the former faculty member, also expressed concern over what they perceive to be a “systematic problem" in the priorities of the athletic programs. Some fed the athletes are being cheated out of their education.
"They’re being exploited," said the English professor.
During practice a couple of weeks ago, Coach Larry Coker declined to comment on the johnson case, he said the episode was behind them.
“We are here to go to school, to get an education," he said.“As long as I’m here, that’s going to he our philosophy," he added.
There is the perception among many faculty members that the academic
See HONOR • Page 2
Students cope with parking pains
DAVID EPP0LIT0 / Hurricane St;#
ON THE GRASS: Students are allowed to park on the green surrounding the University Center while construction of the new Pavia Garage takes place.
Jaclyn Lisenby
Hurricane Staff Writer
DAVID EPPOLITO / Hurricane Staff
RECEIVING HONORS: Jose Diaz taps President Shalala for the second highest honor society on campus
Mortar Board taps President Shalala
UM students find the creation of the new Pavia parking garage a blessing and a curse.
While 198 spaces were lost by closing the Pavia lot tor construction, 214 spaces have been added by placing concrete space markers on the lawns surrounding the UC, the I.owe Art Museum, and the Behavioral Medicine building,
Mother of
By Rebeca Oliveira
Hurricane Staff Writer
Kristin Cooper was a sophomore in college when she came home for winter break in 1995. On New Year’s Eve, her parents, Andrea and Mike, went out to a party. When they got home, they found her laying in the living room, Alanis Morrissettc’s“You Oughtta Know" booming from the speakers. She wasn’t breathing.
When Andrea leaned in to check for a pulse, she saw a gun between Kristin's legs and a pool of blood behind her body. She was dead.
Mike and Andrea thought Kristin had killed herself because of a bad breakup a few months before. They | didn’t find out the ruth until the next
according to the department of parking and transportation.
However, students said that these spaces are somewhat difficult to get to and it takes more time for students to find a space, or rather, a way to get to a space.
“It’s annoying and problematic.*! have to get here fifteen minutes earlier,” says student Danielle Minervini
Curbs have been lowered in some
day, when a police detective reported what he had found in Kristin’s jour nal: she had been raped, and had been suffering from clinical depression.
This was the story Andrea Cooper brought to the Eiamingo Ballroom on Wednesday night “Kristin’s Story,” her lecture about rapt1 and depression, brought to light not only her daughter's story, but opened venues for other sexual assault victims to seek help.
“It was amazing. She’s a very strong woman," said Lucy Evans, a junior who attended the talk. “It was very encouraging: very comforting.”
“It’s a topic we really haven’t covered well enough on campus," said Igniter Brack, Assistant Director of
places to make easy access to the temporary parking, hut since it is only temporary, entrances are not all clearly marked or easy to find.
Students are finding the construction to be an inconvenience, but complaints are relatively few. Eor now, they are swallowing their complaints in hopes of a better parking alternative next semester.
“We really need the garage,” says freshman Richard Hargett. “It’s
Business Services.
The lecture covered options for victims of rape and depression, information tor friends and family, as well as various contact numbers, books and websites. Cooper also gave warn ing signs of clinical depression and what friends and family can and should do to help.
“The things she said were very applicable with the situation here at UM,” said Mike Johnston, member of Pi Kappa Alpha. “She was very honest, very open and very sincere.
“I really think the University should endorse more programs like this tor a lot more topics."
Andrea Cooper began “Kristin’s Story” in 1998 as a way to help cope witfftier loss. Since then, she has spo
about time we made some steps toward fixing the parking problem on campus. It’s just too had they have to ruin the grass. It’s not very nice, aesthetically.”
“I only have trouble on Mondays when I come to school later in the day,” says commuter student Yolanda Ossa. “But I had that problem before the construction started. But I could usually find a parking space by the counseling center and now I can’t."
English professor Natasa Kovacevic says,“I have a faculty tag, so it doesn’t affect me as much, but the Writing Center lot, where I usu ally park, is much busier now.” ' The parking problem affects commuter students much more than dorm residents, they said.
On-campus resident Lily Baca said that the construction hasn’t affected her at all, because she doesn’t have to commute.
“I go out on weekends and come home at night, when parking is not a problem anyway. I just park at Eaton, where I live," Baca said.
The garage will have 561 spaces, more than twice as many as the old Pavia lot offered. It will be equipped with two blue light phones and a 24-hour security guard and is expected to open in August 2002.
ken to over 50,000 college students. The National Offices of Delta Delta Delta and Alpha Chi Omega, Andrea's and Kristin's sororities, respectively, pay for ten annual talks on college campuses all over the country.
“I’ve been waiting two years for this," Brack said. “I was thrilled we had this experience tonight "
With a nearly full room, most people were very satisfied by Cooper’s information. However, this was not the case for all the attendees.
“It was probably most helpful to people who were not victims or didn’t know anything," said Stacey Seigel, a junior.
“I thought there were a lot of issues she didn’t address." said Kelly Spear, a sophomore. *
By Danielle Scott
News Editor
At 9:25 Wednesday morning in the middle of a meeting about commencement, President Shalala was surprised in her office by being tapped for Mortar Board, the second highest honor society on campus
“What an honor. Do we have initiation on my schedule?"Shalala said.
“Shalala exemplifies everything we stand for. It’s an honor to have her,” Mortar Board president Lilly Guallar said.
“ Thank you. I’m thrilled. I was very surprised,” Shalala said.
Mortar Board secretary Ben Young and member lose Diaz, were on hand to welcome Shalala into the club.
With three dings on the triangle by Guallar, a short welcome speech by Young, and the tapping of the mortar hoard on Shalala’s head by Diaz, she became an official hon orary member. Vice president of selection, I.isettc Vila, was in charge of organizing the tapping.
“It went really well," Young said.
“Onlv 23 studentsiave been cho-
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sen to join the new Kappa Tau chapter of Mortar Board," Young said.
Mortar Board. Inc. is a national honor society that recognizes col lege seniors for distinguished ability and achievement in scholarship, leadership, and service. It began in 1918 as the first national organiza tion honoring senior college women.
Members must exhibit scholarship, leadership and service and must have excelled within and outside of the university, Guallar said. To he considered students must also have above a 3.4 GPA and he a second semester junior.
The UM Mortar Board chapter organizes book drives, scholarships for students, and trips to elementary schools.
“We like to inspire kids to make it because we’ve made it," Guallar said.
Their first annual scholarship of $500 went to sophomore Dave Fenster for his academic career, and work inside and out of the class-
See SHALALA» |>age iP
rape victim warns of dangers