N EW S -The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, May 27, 2003-3
0?P SAPAC petition demands punishment
Co-worker fondles By ""a"""o
this past season, and was chosen as one of the team's "By allowing (Robinson) to continue to represent the
woman, arrested captains for the 2003-2004 year. University on a national level, the University adminis-
awaiting sentence Bernard Robinson Jr. will represent the University Last March, Robinson pleaded guilty to two tration shows a lack of commitment to ending violence
on the basketball court while serving probation for counts of assault and battery for an incident that against women on this campus," the petition said.
A woman at the University Hospi- assaulting a female undergraduate - and the student occurred in April 2002. "Allowing Robinson to continue to play for the
tal last Sunday reported to being fon- staff from the Sexual Assault Prevention and Aware- According to Department of Public Safety reports, University's men's basketball team also sends a
dled by a co-worker. According to the ness Center said they are not happy about it. Robinson was accused of fondling a female student in message to this student body and to the nation at
DPS incident log, the investigating University students associated with SAPAC have draft- a stairwell of West Quad Residance Hall. The student large that the University of Michigan is less con-
officer then arrested a suspect. ed a petition that asks the University's highest officials to escaped and contacted DPS, who arrested and released cerned with the character of its student athletes than
The suspect is now being held in overrule the decision to keep Robinson on the court. Robinson the next morning. with their athletic abilities."
custody at the Washtenaw County jail Addressed to University President Mary Sue Cole- Robinson was initially charged with three counts of But University basketball coach Tommy Amaker has
awaiting arraignment. man and the Board of Regents, the petition, dated May fourth degree criminal sexual conduct. As part of his said that the current consequences are sufficient.
New suspect in
ongoing parking
fraud investigation
Last Tuesday another suspect
involved in an ongoing parking fraud
investigation was identified. Accord-
ing to DPS reports this fraud
involves employees getting unautho-
rized parking discounts.
19, was available for the University community to sign,
including students, staff and alumni.
"We ask that Bernard Robinson, Jr. be stripped of his
captaincy for the 2003-2004 season, lose his basketball
scholarship from the University of Michigan, and be
removed from the University of Michigan's men's bas-
ketball program," said the petition.
The letter goes on to say that maintaining Robinson's
athletic status amounts to its "tacit consent" in violence
against women.
Robinson is the basketball team's 6'6" forward. He
averaged 32.2 minutes, 11.2 points and 6.1 rebounds
plea agreement, the charges were dropped and replaced
with two misdemeaner counts of assault and battery.
He was sentenced to a year of probation, which
requires him to participate in sex-offender screening, to
deliver a presentation to other Michigan athletes about
criminal sexual conduct and to abstain from drugs and
alochol. He was also fined $850 and ordered to have
no further contact with the victim, except for a required
letter of apology.
But to those who signed the petition, the penalties
are hollow if Robinson is still permitted to wear a
Michigan uniform.
"Bernard knows that the consequences for his action
carry a great deal of weight and will not be taken light-
ly," Amaker said in written statement released when the
sanctions were announced.
"We will expect him to fulfill all his obligations as
outlined by the judge," Amaker added. "He will take a
leadership role in sharing this experience with his
teammates and especially with our freshmen players so
they, too, understand the serious nature of this issue.
Sports Information Director, Tom Wywrot, said
nobody in the basketball program was available to
comment directly about the petition.
ca"ln hastemn Older students at 'U' form support group
case dncumented
Kristin Leigh Ostby
DPS was alerted last Tuesday For the Daily
when an insulting anonomous Easter
card was reported by a caller. With the growth in older students
Although the caller was not fright- attending the University, there has
ened by this card he still chose to been an escalating demand to accom-
document it with DPS. modate their needs. Efforts are under-
way to create a support group for these
U' Hospital staff students, tentatively titled "The
mbe Returning Student's Union."
The growth in older students can be
injured by patient attributed to the fact that college stu-
dents are taking longer to finish their
Last Friday at the University Hospi- educations. According to a study in a
tal, a staff member was assaulted by a recent New York Times article, the
Hospital patient. The staff member average student requires five to six
obtained minor injuries from the years of undergraduate courses in
assault, which was reported to DPS. order to complete a bachelor's degree -
a feat that formerly took a standard
School bus hits four years to accomplish.
Sam Martinez, a 32-year-old LSA
Park~ed bus in sophomore, said although the Univer-
front of museum sity is typically comprised of students
between the ages of 18 and 22, it also
educates many students over that age.
Many of these students have diffi-
culty adjusting to life at college, where
most of their fellow students are much
younger than they are.
LSA Academic Advisor
Antoinette Morales said she has
found that most older students -
those who are at least three years
older than the average 18 to 22 year
old student - have outside commit-
ments such as jobs and families.
Martinez said when he came to the
University in the winter of 2003, "it
was tremendously challenging for me.
I am a full-time employee of a major
corporation, I operate (a computer
business), I'm the single father of
three, and I attend college full-time."
Martinez said he felt a gap between
himself and his fellow students, most
of whom were fresh out of high
school, while he himself had "real
world experiences and problems.J' He
said he thought few students would be
able to relate to him.
Morales said she recalls an advising
meeting with one of her older students,
who was "bemoaning the fact that she
felt alienated... There weren't a whole
lot of people her age (in her classes at
the University)."
Afterwards, Morales had the idea to
start a group to help older students net-
work with each other. She sent out a
mass e-mail to approximately 220
older LSA students. Martinez enthusi-
astically agreed to lead the group.
The purpose of the group would be
to assist older students in meeting one
PR OBI
F;$Iy c*i
another and to dissipate the difficulties
of coming to such an expansive univer-
sity, Martinez said.
Martinez added after receiving a
warm response to the idea, students
have had several meetings in which
they started to create their vision for
the organization.
While most group activity is post-
poned until the fall, Martinez said
"several of us have chosen to go ahead
and hold meetings, throughout this
summer and invite those that are able
to join," Martinez said.
The organization is currently plan-
ning for a group cookout sometime in
June, where they hope to "define
(their) intentions.
F
Last Tuesday a parked University Corrections:
bus was hit by a school bus. This ELast week's "Survival Flight" story made several mistakes. Terry Macon has
incident which occured in front of only been a Survival Flight pilot for two years, not 26. He has been a pilot for 26
the Ruthv en museum, was then years. Also Survival Flight flies three missions a day, not a week, as previously
reported to DPS. The accident con- mentioned in the article. Lastly when Macon was asked about his most exciting
tained no reported injuries. mission, aside from the 20 year anniversary he replied transporting the Iraq
- Compiled by Daily News Editor patient to the University Hospital, Survival Flight never flew in kids from Iraq.
Victoria Edwards.