0 ews: 76-DAILY dvertlslng: 764-0554 Crr, tj One hundred seven years ofeditorialfreedom Friday October 3, 1997 tl 1 . ..* .. . i ..... {.!. 1 . . ROTC cadets take the plunge By Reilly Brennan For the Daily Outfitted in army fatigues and climbing gear, Rambo flew down the side of the Dentistry Building yesterday. That's Matthew Rambo, a cadet in the University's Reserve Officer Training Corps, who joined more than 35 my ROTC cadets in an annual training exercise of rap- pelling off the 125-foot-high building "It's primarily a confidence builder," said Army Major Marsha Lunt, who helped train the cadets. She also took the leap from the building's seventh floor. The cadets trained for yesterday's exercise since the begin- ning of the year, and many new ROTC cadets seemed excit- ed but nervous before their plunge. "I'm really excited," said LSA first-year student Melissa Kinney, "I've had three weeks to stare at this building." In addition to rappelling, ROTC cadets must complete two eld training sessions each year. Cadets also go through *tensive training in rifle marksmanship, first aid, military 'drill and fitness training.' Training in basic life skills, such as first aid survival, allows cadets to apply classroom lectures to real-life scenar- ios. Before the group rappelled, chisel-faced cadets first per- fected their techniques on the lawn of North Hall, where ROTC is headquartered. Then, they learned to make tight and secure rope harnesses, called a swiss seat. One ROTC instructor said to the group, "I don't want to see any tears, but - it doesn't hurt it's not tight enough:" From there, the cadets watched as older, more experienced ROTC members gave a dry run, bounding - touching the wall only a few times - from top to bottom. "You can tell the experienced ones by the fewer times they bound. The new ones will bound more and take a longer time to reach the bottom," Lunt said. When it was their time to rappel, a few of the new cadets had twitching hands and shaky feet. ROTC cadet David Paton said the height can be intimidat- ing. "It's kinda scary when you're on the ledge. You're just *oking down," said Paton, an LSA sophomore. "But I'm ready for this." Besides occasioial bouts with wind and balance, all trainees completed the rappelling session with success. See ROTC, Page 5 DPS officer cleared in shooting By Stephanie Hepburn Daily Staff Reporter The Department of Public Safety officer who shot and killed Kevin Nelson on Sept. 23 acted legally, the Washtenaw County prosecutor said this week. The incident will be filed as a justifi- able homicide. The DPS officer's name has not yet been released. Joseph Burke, Washtenaw County chief assistant prosecutor, said the attorney's office reviewed and dis- cussed the case. "We looked over the autopsy report, the police report submitted in writing by the officer and the regular crime scene investigation," Burke said. "We read the interviews by all the witnesses at Northwood. All the information that was submitted corroborated with the officer." According to the prosecutor's office, the officer shot Nelson when he was fatally stabbing LSA senior Tamara Williams. The officer in question approached Nelson and ordered him to put down his knife. Nelson did not comply with the demand, instead con- tinuing to stab Williams in the back. The officer shot Nelson twice with nine millimeter bullets, ending Nelson's life. It was the first time a DPS officer had fired a weapon while on duty. When investigating cases of homi- cide by an officer, investigators look to ensure the shooting is justified. Burke said the Nelson shooting was clearly justified._ "The officer must have reasonable belief that the subject is a danger to other people or the officer," Burke said. "Sticking a knife in someone's back def- initely creates a dangerous scenario." If there is not sufficient evidence, the officer can face serious charges. "Criminal penalties (would) be given," Burke said, referring to cases when an officer is not justified to shoot. "The officer (would) be accused of manslaughter or murder, and most like- ly taken off the force." The prosecuting attorney's office sent a prepared memo to DPS Director Leo Heatley stating that the case was reviewed and that all data favored the officer. DPS spokesperson Elizabeth Hall said the officer will soon be coming back from administrative leave. "The officer was cleared," Hall said. "The case will be likely to be closed in the next few days, and the officer will be able to return to work." The administrative leave period gave time for an internal DPS review, which ruled the officer's actions justified. The officer also received therapy for the stress and traumatic experience of killing a person. Officers can only return to work when the prosecutor's office is satisfied with its investigation, Heatley said. Heatley said the officer followed standard procedure. "The officer did what he was trained to do," said Heatley, adding that stan- dard procedures will not be changed anytime soon. "We will review the poli- cies and procedures to see if they are good enough. There is always room for change, but I can not think of what changes the officer could have done to alter the situation. The officer followed procedure:' Heatley said officers receive exten- sive firearms training. PAUL TALANIAN/Dady Rob Doane, a senior cadet and lieutenant colonel with the ROTC, rappels down the face of the Dentistry School building yesterday afternoon as part of ROTC training exercises. Proposed bills aim to curb assaults By Jeffrey Kosseff D y Staff Reporter an effort to assure increased pro- tection against sexual assaults on state campuses, state Rep. Laura Baird has proposed a package of bills to encour- age colleges and universities to crack down on such crimes. The bill, titled the Campus Sexual Assault Information Act, instructs uni- versity counseling centers to follow specific guidelines when dealing with crimes. If the universities do not Uply with the act, they would be excluded from programs such as the Tuition Grant Program, the State Competitive Scholarship Program and the Tuition Differential Grant Program. "The problem seems to arise when the university attempts to protect ath- letes," said Baird (D-Okemos). The act requires public and private universities to establish a sexual assault licy in order to inform victims of sible university and legal sanctions that could be placed aainst the offend- er. The policy would also inform the victim of available sexual assault edu- cation programs and medical services. Tlhe Campus Sexual Assault Information Act In order to participate in many finan- cial aid programs, colleges and uni- versities must develop a policy that: * Informs rape victims of the univer- sity's sexual assault programs * Informs victims of sexual assault education programs N Informs victims of procedures for filing a complaint within the universi- ty and in the courts Informs victim of legal rights * Informs both parties of the result of an interdisciplinary hearing Establishes a written sexual assault information policy Sarah Heuser, interim director of the Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center, said the bill would not have a great impact on the University. "We already do most of those things outlined in the bill because there is a federal law that applies to all state uni- versities and sets guidelines," Heuser said. The Headlee Amendment to the Michigan constitution prohibits the state legislature from interfering with the governance of universities. Baird's bill does not make it illegal for colleges to disregard the act. If they do, they lose funding for programs. "It avoids the problem of the Headlee Amendment," Baird said. "It affects the funding sources." The bill's main purpose, Baird said, is to allow sexual assault victims to press charges within both the universi- ty and the court system. Some univer- See ABUSE, Page 5 By Peter RomerFriedman Daily Staff Reporter The alcohol-related death of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology first-year student Monday, who was pledging Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, is cast- ing ramifications on many college campuses. Yesterday, the national chapter of Phi Gamma Delta, popularly known as FIJI, said it plans to ban alcohol from all of its 125 chapters by July 1, 2000. Hoping to clean up its image, the national chapter is stressing education, moderation and alcohol-free behavior. "Alcohol leads to a litany of social ills, such as date rape, and needs to be done in moderation,' said Douglas Dittrick, president of FIJI's national govern- ing board. "We want to make a climate that can reduce this." Although FIJI administrators say they intend to ban alcohol from local chapters, fraternity members at the University say the ban may not work effectively. "I'm of two minds,"said Jeff Hurlbert, president of the University's FIJI chapter. "Anything that (curbs) under- age drinking is good. It's against the law, but it's unrealis- tic for one fraternity do this unless all of the others do it. College is about experimenting with new things" A member of Phi Delta Theta, one of two other campus fraternities that plan to ban alcohol by July 2000, said drinking in fraternities is natural. "There's absolutely nothing you can do about it," said LSA senior Jeff Goldberg, a member of Phi Delta Theta. "If you put 26 guys in a house together, they're going to booze." Ken Tanner, president of the Interfraternity Council, said banning alcohol won't lead to responsible drink- ing. "It's a policy that a lot of fraternities are introduc- ing," Tanner said. "By banning the alcohol, they aren't addressing issues of responsible drinking, they're try- ing to eliminate (drinking), which is unrealistic." In one month's time, two 18-year-old students have died as a result of alcohol poisoning at fraternity hous- es nationwide. The first came in late August at the Louisiana State University campus and the second occurred on Monday at MIT. "The death (at MIT) should compel all students to look at how they use and deal with alcohol;' said Bill Martin, executive director of FIJ's national chapter. "It should compel fraternities and sororities to see the kind of behavior they allow, condone and encourage. They should remain in control of themselves, rather than being in positions where alcohol is controlling them." Buzz Portnoi, a Phi Delta Theta member, refuted Martin's claim that more control is needed. He said that fraternities exist as a way to supervise underage drinking that inevitably occurs. "We give supervision so that less trouble occurs, Portnoi said. "Underage people drink, whether or not an authority says it's okay. We act as an authority. If I were a betting man, I'd say that if there's a frat, there's bound to be a keg somewhere." FIJI, Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Nu are all working See FIJI, Page 5 FIJI plans to ban alcohol by 2000 New U' students fit distinct profile I Who: No. 6 Michigan (3-0) vs. Indiana (0-1 Big Ten, 1-3 overall Where: Memorial Stadium (cap. 52,354) Comparison shows 'U' first-year students unique among peers By Ken Mazur For the Daily As the most recent class of the "lead- ers and the best" fall into the rhythm of their first semester at the.University, a comparison with their peers around the country reveals the University's first- year students are unique among the national class of 2001. According to statistics from the University's Admissions Office, acade- mic records of students in Ann Arbor continue to rank among the strongest of the nation. "I think the reputation of the University attracts the best kids,' said Marilyn McKinney, admissions office national average score of 21. Sixty-four percent of the University's incoming class also ranked in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating class. The University also meets or beats the national average in other areas. Across the nation, minorities com- prised 23.2 percent of first-year stu- dents while making up 30 percent at the University. Asian-American students make up the majority of that figure, with 11 percent. First-year LSA student Jannette Godbey said she was struck by the diversity of the campus when she visit- ed prior to making her final enrollment decision. "Walking around and hearing all kinds of different languages was really cool," Godbey said. "It seemed like no matter what your background, you could find a niche to fit into." - '1 I I~~M At-i