Wednesday, September 27, 2006 - The Michigan Daily - 7A
AWOL soldier surrenders
LOS ANGELES (AP) - An Army medic who
fled rather than serve a second tour in Iraq because he
believes war is immoral turned himself in yesterday to
face a possible court-martial.
Army Spec. Agustin Aguayo, 34, turned him-
self in around 6 p.m. at Fort Irwin, an Army base in
the Mojave Desert northeast of Los Angeles, Army
spokesman Ken Drylie said.
"It is the right thing to do" said Aguayo at a news
conference in Los Angeles hours before going to the
base. "I'm not a deserter or a coward."
Aguayo said he expected to face a court martial and
some jail time.
"It's something I can live with," he said. "Some-
thing I can't live with is being a participant of war
anymore."
Aguayo has unsuccessfully fought the Pentagon for
more than two years to be declared a conscientious
objector and win a discharge.
Aguayo, a U.S. citizen who was born in Guadala-
jara, Mexico, said he was not anti-war when he enlist-
ed in 2002. But his military experiences changed his
mind. He applied for conscientious objector status in
February 2004 before he was sent overseas.
He served a year as a combat medic in Tikrit, Iraq,
in 2004 after the military turned down his request.
He then jumped out of a window of his base hous-
ing in Germany on Sept. 2 rather than be forced to
ship out for a second tour with the 1st Battalion, 18th
Infantry Regiment.
"I have come to believe that it is wrong to destroy
life, that it is wrong to use war, that it is immoral, and
I can no longer go down this path," Aguayo said.
After being taken into custody, Aguayo will be sent
to either Fort Sill in Oklahoma, or Schweinfurt, Ger-
many, said John Wagstaffe, an Army spokesman at
Fort Irwin. Army officials would then decide whether
to court martial him, said Wagstaffe.
STADIUM
Continued from page 1A
before interest. That total jumps
to $354 million when interest is
included, according to Pollack.
The athletic department's
goals for the renovation are to
"improve the comfort, safety
and egress of fans in the bowl."
Contrary to Pollack's asser-
tion that the addition of luxury
boxes would effectively cap
Michigan Stadium's capacity
at 108,000, Winters said future
renovations could include addi-
tional seats behind the end
zones.
Adding luxury boxes is more
expensive than adding bleacher
seats, but Winters said the cost
of building structures along the
east and west sides of Michigan
Stadium would pay off in the
long run.
"You're going to build a press
box anyway," Winters said.
"When you add in a floor of
suites or put in suites on that
same press box floor, the return
is extremely attractive compared
to the incremental cost."
The athletic department is
confident that the premium seat-
ing will bring in between $4
million and $5 million a season.
It expects the cost of the reno-
vation will also be subsidized in
part by private gifts.
The price of a luxury suite
will be between $50,000 and
$80,000 per season, depend-
ing on the location along the
sideline, said Winters, citing an
independent market study the
department ordered in 2004.
The athletic department said
it has already received about 50
unsolicited requests to reserve
luxury boxes.
Winters and others in the ath-
letic department said they are
optimistic that the revenue from
the new premium seating will
eventually help finance other
capital improvements of athletic
facilities, most notably Crisler
Arena.
Winters also said when the
design for the stadium renova-
tion is completed, it will not be
the eyesore that many fans are
expecting.
The Athletic Department cur-
rently has two architecture firms
working on finalizing the sche-
matic plans. HNTB Architecture
Inc. of Kansas City is the project
leader, and Kallmann, McKin-
nell and Wood Architects of
Boston are being used as design
advisers. HNTB has recently
been involved in renovations of
football stadiums at Ohio State,
Oregon State, Georgia, Purdue
and Kentucky.
A number of students, fac-
ulty and alumni are concerned
that the athletic department will
not accept public input-on the
plans. That's not the case, Win-
ters said. The department plans
to release its designs publicly a
few weeks before the proposal
is brought before the regents to
allow for a public debate of its
merits.
In May, the athletic depart-
ment added a vote on its initial
plans to the regents meeting
agenda after the speakers list
was closed, provoking opublic
outcry.
There is no doubt that the
renovation of Michigan Sta-
dium will be a divisive issue,
but Winters - who graduated
from the University in 1986 and
by his estimate has missed just
two home football games since
1971 - said the outcome of the
project will be positive for every
fan.
"It's going to be a big change
for everybody," Winters said.
"But I think the fans will see a
tremendous improvement,'
* DIAG
Continued from page 1A
anyone the right to assault him,
to throw ashes on him or to write
on him," Brown said. "If they do
these things then they are guilty
of a criminal assault."
Yesterday's crowd was even
bigger than Monday's - at
midday it reached well over 100
- but it was more restrained.
LSA senior Jujhar Gahley,
who came back to watch Venyah
for the second day, said the
crowd was not nearly as feisty
as on Monday.
"Yesterday there was a
dynamic, a give-and-take, but
today there are just people
standing around listening," LSA
senior Michael Kozlowski said.
Although Tuesday's appear-
ance by the East Lansing-based
preachers garnered less taunt-
ing and shouting than Monday,
it did generate strong emotional
responses from many students.
Amanda Dine, Brad Ver-
murlen and Ashley Wynne, all
members of Campus Crusade
for Christ, came to the Diag
eager to challenge Venyah with
their own interpretation of the
Bible.
After the crowd chanted "let
her speak" for several minutes,
Venyah was forced to suspend
his anti-gay diatribe and listen
to Dine, whose small figure was
helped to the front of the crowd
by other students.
With her Bible held in front
of her and a slight quiver in her
voice, Dine proceeded to read
aloud a verse from the Bible that
said all people sin.
Venyah shot back at her with
a booming voice and his finger
in her face.
"I am not a sinner," he said.
"It is you who are the sinner!"
A few moments later, Dine
separated from the crowd, try-
ing to hold back tears.
"I just tried to approach him
because I felt he was going about
it the wrong way," she said. "He
is just feeding the crowd's anger
and making them angry about
Christianity."
Similar scenes occurred
throughout the day as passion-
ate students took turns stepping
to the front of the crowd to chal-
lenge Venyah and Lemieux's
interpretation of Christianity.
After a spirited exchange
when LSA junior Sean Moberg
quoted a passage of the Bible
and Lemieux called him a sin-
ner and said he was doomed to
hell, Moberg left the crowd vis-
ibly distressed.
"This man is a false prophet,"
Moberg said. "He preaches a
gospel of hate."
A few minutes later, Moberg
knelt down on the Diag to pray.
Gahley, who is a sihk, said he
thought people were getting so
upset because they care deeply
about their faiths.
"But he doesn't listen, he just
keeps repeating his own spiel,"
Gahley said.
LSA freshman Chad Biss-
inger did not verbally confront
Venyah or Lemieux. Instead,
he spent more than five hours
standing on the Diag holding a
sign that read "Do what makes
you feel good" and passing out
papers that read "Hate is not a
religious value."
Bissinger said he felt com-
pelled to come to the Diag today
even though he is not a Chris-
tian.
"I feel like someone has to say
something," he said. "I am not a
Christian, but it is a moral belief
I have that people shouldn't hate
each other."
Not everyone who came to
hear Venyah and Lemieux yes-
terday came to confront them.
LSA freshman Ryan Ha eagerly
approached Venyah with a copy
of yesterday's Michigan Daily
with Venyah's photo.
"Will you autograph this?"
Ha asked.
Venyah declined.
"The only signature you
need is God's signature in your
Bible," Venyah said.
Alex Hollingsworth, a senior'
at Eastern Michigan University,'
said he heard about the preach-
ers from his friends who attend
the University of Michigan and
decided to skip class today to see
Venyah and Lemieux speak.
After Venyah turned over the
public preaching to Lemieux,
Hollingsworth spoke with him
one-on-one for nearly an hour.
"If you get over his issues
of approach and just listen, he
makes a compelling case," Hol-
lingsworth said. "I don't know
if I am in complete agreement
with him, but I think he is a good
guy, and to him this preaching
is an act of love."
LSA junior Joe Martin did
not see Venyah's preaching in
the same way.
"They are taking my faith and
hijacking it," Martin said.
Martin debated Lemieux for
nearly a half hour yesterday
afternoon.
Although Martin describes
himself as a "confused Chris-
tian," he said he felt the need to
confront Venyah and Lemieux
because of what people might
think about Christianity from
listening to them.
"On this campus, a lot of the
time it is not OK to be Chris-
tian," Martin said. "Then you
have these guys who reinforce
the negative things that people
on this campus think Christian-
ity is. I can't confront people
like Bush and Falwell who abuse
my religion, but I can confront
these guys."
However controversial their
methods may have been, Venyah
and Lemieux generated a good
deal of conversation.
There were numerous conver-
sations about the preachers and
their methods.
"They sparked a lot of dis-
cussion - strangers talking to
strangers," Hollingsworth said.
"It is the kind of thing college
should be, but isn't."
BAND
Continued from page 1A
fident that we'd push through the
season for the sake of the band,"
Iwrey said.
He said most of the allega-
tions were not discussed with
him before he received the let-
ter.
"The letter implies that I was
warned on numerous occasions
that I may be removed, and this
is 100 percent false," he said. "At
no point did they imply to me
that my behavior was such that
it might lead to my dismissal. I
thought I was doing fine."
Iwrey met with the staff on
July 20 to discuss the allegations
but couldn't persuade them not
to fire him.
According to a September
report by Daniel Washington,
the associate dean for faculty
affairs at the music school, staff
members "did not go into the
meeting of July (20) planning
to remove (Iwrey) and that if he
had shown a sliver of awareness
that he needed to change, he
would probably not have been
removed."
But Iwrey said the exact oppo-
site happened.
"I could not have been more
apologetic or conciliatory in
that meeting," he said. "I said
on countless occasions 'I will
do whatever it takes to make
this situation right.' They made
it clear from what they told me
that nothing I said was good
enough."
The next day, Iwrey received
another letter from Nix, this time
informing him that he would be
dismissed as drum major.
"All of us feel that you are
valuable as a student and mem-
ber of the band, just not in the
position that requires more
humility, awareness, respect for
authority, and professionalism
than you have proven to natu-
rally and publicly exude in this
role," Nix wrote.
They offered him an opportu-
nity to return to the band as a
regular member or rank leader.
Iwrey made a number of
requests but said he would return
to the band regardless of wheth-
er they were met. But Iwrey said
the staff told him he was in no
position to make demands, and
chose to kick him out of the
band altogether.
Nix, who declined to be inter-
viewed for the article, informed
the other band members via e-
mail that Baghdadchi would be
replacing Iwrey. He didn't offer
any explanation for the switch.
Two months later, most mem-
bers of the marching band still
don't know what happened to the
man they elected drum major.
To an extent, neither does
Iwrey.
In an attempt to find out, he
made two Freedom of Informa-
tion Act requests, asking for
all the e-mail correspondence
regarding his removal from the
drum major position.
Both times, he said he was
told public interest was best met
by not sharing the information
but was not told why.
Iwrey continues to seek rein-
statement.
In August, he filed a griev-
ance with the School of Music
refuting Nix's allegations.
He has a meeting with the
associate dean and dean of
the School of Music tomorrow
afternoon.
"I'm hopeful that the School
of Music will realize that the sit-
uation was not handled ethically
and professionally, and this will
come to a successful and happy
conclusion," Iwrey said.
THE BLAME GAME
In the July 19 letter, Nix
wrote that he had told Iwrey not
to pursue former U.S. President
Gerald Ford as a speaker for a
special band event.
Nix wrote that Iwrey then
overstepped his authority by
asking Bruce Madej, associate
athletic director for communica-
tions, about Ford's availability.
Iwrey maintains that although
Nix told him to focus on other
candidates, he did not forbid
him from pursuing Ford.
Nix's letter also accused Iwrey
of encouraging scalping football
tickets. While speaking to new
band members, Iwrey suggested
they buy football season tickets
- which band members don't
need - and sell them. Iwrey
admits to this and has apologized
for the incident. He considers it
his worst mistake, he said.
Nix's letter also said that
Iwrey spoke in a "biting, arro-
gant and offensive" manner with
the mother of a prospective band
member.
The woman had implicitly
insulted Iwrey's height, he said,
by saying she was glad there was
no height requirement for the
drum major. Iwrey is 5' 9".
Iwrey said that although the
question annoyed him, he and
the woman had a friendly dis-
cussion. "We shook hands, and
we wished each other an enjoy-
able summer," he wrote in his
grievance.
Nix also criticized Ivrey's
casual demeanor, writing that
he frequently used inappropriate
language while serving as drum
major.
"After being told it is not
advisable in your role to say
phrases like 'what the hell' and
'pissed off,' you asked a staff
member if Professor Nix would
be pissed off if you knpcked
on his door when he was on the
phone," Nix wrote.
But Iwrey said his la uage
fit the occasion.
"I don't find that choice of
language at all inappropriate,"
Iwrey said. "At no time did I get
the impression that freshmen
were insulted, intimidated or
offended."
Iwrey also allegedly made
sarcastic observations about the
program that cast the band in a
negative light, including {saying
"Professor Nix is intimidating"
The letter also cited a few
instances where the staff disap-
proved of Iwrey's behavior prior
to his election as drum major.
At a 2003 women's basketball
game where Iwrey was perform-
ing, he commented on the racial
make-up of the Dutch national
basketball team. He said the
team was surprisingly white and
remarked that there must be no
black people in the Netherlands.
Iwrey admits to making this
comment, but said that it was not
intended to be racist. He wrote
a letter of apology to the Michi-
gan cheerleading team, one of
whom overheard the comment
and complained. He said he
thinks this incident is no longer
relevant.
"This happened three years
ago," he said. "To even bring it
up is pointless."
At the 2005 Rose Bowl game
against Texas, Nix instructed
members of the band not to use
the "Hook 'em Down" gesture,
which is Texas's classic "Hook
'em Horns" signal turned upside
down.
In the letterNix accused lwrey
of making the sign. Iwrey denies
it, saying that it was anothe- band
member caught on tape.
"You could simply review a
tape of the (game) to prove my
innocence," he wrote.
the michigan daily
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For Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2006
ARIES
(March 21 to April 19)
This is a good day for serious discus-
sions with partners and close friends.
Both parties are trying to get to the bot-
tom of things. You want truth and clari-
fication.
TAURUS
(April 20 to May 20)
You can accomplish a lot at work
today. You're willing to look for new
solutions to old problems. Answers
appear where you least expect them.
GEMINI
(May 21tto June 20)
You're extremely resourceful today,
especially ina creative way. You see new
ways of doing things, and you also see
fresh ways of using existing material.
Work with what you've got!
CANCER
(June 21 to July 22)
Family conversations are serious but
revealing today. Put out some energy to
cleanup areas near laundry, plumbing,
bathroorm and garbage areas. Yeou want
to get rid of junk!
LEO
(July 23 to Aug. 22)
You have a very penetrating mind
today. You're able to see the subtext of
things. (You see beneath the surface of
something.) Nobody can fool you today!
VIRGO
(Aug. 23to Sept. 22)
You might see new uses for existing
possessions that you now have.
Similarly, you might see new ways of
making money within an existing sys-
tem. Keep your eyes peeled.
LIBRA
(Sept. 23 to Oct. 22)
You're extremely convincing today.
You have your facts, and you see new
ways of applying them. Because of this,
others are impressed with what you have
to say.
SCORPIO
(Oct. 23 to Nov. 21)
This is a fabulous day for research of
any kind. You will dig deep, looking for
answers. Nothing is too much trouble,
because you want the truth.
SAGITTARIUS
(Nov. 22 to Dec. 21)
Conversations with friends are power-
feel but reveoling. Secrets could come out
today. Alternatively, someone might
show you how to do something in a new
and better way.
CAPRICORN
(Dec. 22 to Jan. 19)
You could be blown away by discus-
sions with bosses, parents and VIPs
today. People mean business! Unless
you know what you're talking about,
take a back seat.
AQUARIUS
(Jan. 20to Feb. 18)
This is an excellent day for study and
research of any kind. In particular, phi-
losophy, religion and politics intrigue
you nsow.
PISCES
(Feb. 19 to March 20)
Research into insurance matters, debt,
taxes and anything having to do with
inheritances and estates can be produc-
tive today. You might also learn a lot of
information about somebody else's
wealth or income.
YOU BORN TODAY Your outer exte-
rior is cavalier, sophisticated and outgo-
ing; privately, you can be quite different,
even shy. You have high personal stan-
dards, and you work hard to achieve
them. You're multitalented and some-
times have difficulty choosing a career.
Nevertheless, many of you are very suc-
cessful. The year ahead could be one of
the best years of your life. Expect a mir-
acle!
Birthdate of: Avril Lavigne, singer; A
Martinez, actor; Slhaun Cassidy,
writer/former teen idol.
SPELLINGS
Continued from page 1A
Mary, is a sophomore at David-
son College in North Carolina.
"Over the years, we've invested
tens of billions of dollars in tax-
payer money and basically hoped
for the best," Spellings said. "We
deserve better than that."
The admonition drew a vari-
ety of reactions.
David Ward, president of the
American Council on Education,
was the only member of Spellings'
commission to vote against the
group's recommendations.
But he said Spellings' speech
eased his concern that she was
poised to enact some one-size-
fits-all standards.
"She was saying were very
good, but you can't be compla-
cent," Ward said. "That is so
much better than saying, 'You're
lousy and, by God, we're going
to stick it to you.'
"I personally feel I can bring
a lot more people into the tent
after this speech," said Ward,
whose umbrella council is the
major lobbying voice in higher
education.
The United States Student
Association liked the news that
the federal government planned
to simplify, and speed up, the
process of getting financial aid.
But a prominent faculty voice
said the basis of Spellings' agen-
da is all wrong.
The American Association of
University Professors says the
emerging vision of higher edu-
cation is only a marketplace,
focused on outcomes and skills.
Developing a love of learning
and civic virtues, the group says,
"are marginalized to the point of
irrelevance."
On the Hill, with midterm
elections nearing, the response
was predictably divided. Demo-
crats said the speech was lip ser-
vice; Republicans said Spellings
was on target.
The Bush administration's
new challenge to colleges -
more data, more accountability
- comes from the playbook of
No Child Left Behind, the law
governing the first 12 grades.
Spellings wants to have a Web
site that would allow people to
compare one school to another,
right down to the typical salaries
of graduates. But there has been
little legislative support, so far, for
spending money on a system to
track college student data.
She offered cash ince tives
to colleges that report how their
students are doing.
Her commission said Con-
gress should raise Pell Grants
to cover 70 percent of in-state
tuition costs. They cover less
than half now. Spellings said it's
too soon to commit.
"That's the most important
thing," said former North Caro-
lina Gov. Jim Hunt, who served
on the commission, about the
Pell Grants. "And that's th fed-
eral government's responsibil-
ity. I hope that they get in there
and do the first down payment
on that."
Spellings said she'll hold a
summit in the spring to go over
all the recommendations. Many
of the commission's ideas, such
as new visa rules for foreign stu-
dents, got no mention.
- Anne VandgrMey
and The Associated Press
contributed to this report.
2006 KingFeaturesS yndicate. Inc.