The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, October 25, Gay and bisexual fraternity opens at University of Minnesota , 1995 --7 The Minnesota Daily MINNEAPOLIS -While fraternities are of- ten grounded in tradition, an addition to frater- nity row this fall is a sign of changing times. Some members of Delta Lambda Phi, a na- tional fraternity forgay and bisexual men, moved into a house on fraternity row in late August. The University of Minnesota chapter of the fraternity is the first in the nation to get a house of its own. Rusty Robertson, the fraternity's president, said having a house helps Delta Lambda Phi provide social opportunities and stability to gay, bisexual and lesbian students. "This is a bold step forward," said Troy Buckmeier, a fraternity member who lives in the house. The building is home to seven fraternity members and pledges, as well as to three straight men, two straight women and two lesbians who are boarders. Buckmeier said he doesn't believe they could have had a house on fraternity row 10 years ago. Some members of the local gay and bisexual community who graduated from the university before the idea of having a house on fraternity row existed, say the idea is "gutsy and crazy" because of the risks involved, Buckmeier said. Those risks include harassment and vandal- ism, Buckmeier said. Some Twin Cities gay men, lesbians and bisexuals have been the target of such hate crimes. But fraternity members said they aren't being harassed and the house isn't being vandalized. Other fraternities on the row are "cordial," Robertson said. "We haven't receivedbad things, but we haven't gotten any warm invitations." Todd Grothe, house manager of a neighbor- ing Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, said the Delta Lamda Phi house on the row doesn't bother him or the other men living in his house. "As far as neighbors they're fine," he said. "They don't spill beer cans in our yard." But Robertson said the fraternity has to deal with a lot of stereotypes within and outside the gay, lesbian and bisexual community. "People think of us as a sex club," Robertson said. "We combat that stereotype on top of standard fraternity stereotypes." Because of such stereotypes, the fraternity has to be cautious, Robertson said. The group established bylaws prohibiting pledges and members from dating each other. The fraternity also has a "strong no-hazing policy," Robertson said. The gay, lesbian and bisexual community is "hazed enough by soci- ety," he added. "There are no sexual under- tones," he said. The fraternity's philosophy is, "Come meet us before you judge us." The purpose of the fraternity and the house is to help serve the gay, bisexual and lesbian community at the university, Robertson said. The gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender offices and organizations on the campus provide education, discussion and events for the commu- nity, Robertson said. But the fraternity and the house offer a different social atmosphere that is often missing from such programs. After going to classes students often don't want to go to another lecture, Robertson said. In talking to the gay, lesbian and bisexual commu- nity Robertson said he thinks "what they want is to meet people socially, hang out ... have fun, laugh, joke and party." The fraternity's social activities are similar to activities of other fraternities, Robertson said. Activities this fall ranged from barbecues and movie nights to a party that more than 200 people attended. The house and fraternity can also provide stability for some students, Robertson said.. It is difficult for gay and bisexual students to always be themselves in the dormitories, espe- cially if they have an unaccepting roommate, Robertson said. - distributed by University Wire Full eclipse darkens skm India Solar eclipse greeted with superstition Los Angeles Times NEW DELHI, India - It was only 8:15 a.m., but the sky was darkening and birds were winging back to their nests. Elderly Hindu priest Sooalal hur- ried to light the sacred fire. "The sun is suffering, and being trubled by demons." explained the barefoot pandit. "We are doing this to soothe its soul." Within minutes, the priest and a circle of fellow Brahmins had a roaring fire going in the indoor h'earth at New' Delhi's Birla Temple and, to the drone of divine chants, were tossing handfuls of roots, herbs, nuts, rice, sugar, coco- nut, dried fruits and millet into the crack- ling flames to restore the natural order of things. Yesterday morning, a total eclipse of the sun sent the moon's shadow racing across 8,600 miles of Asia, from south of the Iranian capital of Tehran to the island-dotted waters of the Pacific Ocean. Millions on the continent scanned the skies or watched TV broadcasts of the spectacular celestial event, while others, much like their ancestors, fret- ted that the rare darkening of the heav- ens during daytime might presage an earthly calamity. In mostly Muslim Bangladesh, for instance, many people remained in- doors, and pregnant women were espe- cially careful, fearing that exposure to the eclipse might cause fetal deformi- ties or miscarriage. In recent weeks, inhabitants of pre- dominantly Buddhist Thailand, which like the rest of Southeast Asia experi- enced its last total eclipse ofthe sun in 1955, had been busily burning black incense and offering eight kinds of black foods to appease the angry god that ancient myths blame for eclipses.. Rahu, a fierce, four-armed dragon- tailed titan whose symbolic color is black, burns for vengeance against the righteous gods and traverses the heavens in his eight-horse chariot try- ing to devour the sun and the moon, it is said. In New Delhi and Bombay, the streets were eerily deserted yesterday morning as millions of Indians stayed indoors. At the same time, in Kurukshetra north of New Delhi, as many as 1 mil- lon pilgrims bathed in the sacred wa- ters of two side-by-side lakes - a rite considered especially holy during eclipses - and chanted hymns, blew conch shells and rang bells. In Agra, where the eclipse was par- tial, hundreds, of tourists watched the fabled white-marble Taj Mahal slowly take on a steely gray luster in the dim- ming light. In Cambodia, at the temples of Angor Wat, thousands of soldiers stood guard against possible attacks by Khmer Rouge guerrillas as Cam- bodians and an estimated 2,000 for- eign visitors watched the sun vanish against the magnificent backdrop of the 12th-century edifices. In Vietnam, thousands of people wearing sunshades thronged to beaches in the normally tranquil fishing port of Phan Thiet, about 90 miles east of Ho Chi Minh City. Bangkok, Thailand's capital, experi- enced partial darkness, and the city's traffic, always maddeningly slow, groundto anear-halt as motorists peered at the sky. Global temps. to rise in next century Duck, duck, gooseA Klaus Riechert walks amidst his flock of about 150 geese as he leads them over a dike to the Elbe river embankment to have fresh grass yesterday. Riechert, a farmer in a village near Hamburg, said he performs this stroll two times a day to keep his animals in good shape. However, just a few weeks from now, most of them will land in the oven as a traditional German roast for St. Martin's Day (Nov. 11) or Christmas. Student' habit tigger migaine The Washington Post Sea levels will rise and average glo- bal temperature will increase over the next century, but not as fast and not as high as was feared a few years ago, according to new estimates from two scientific organizations that have led the way in warning about the impact of future climate change. But the two reports released yester- day also express a broad consensus among scientists that human activity is changing the world's climate, and that governments can and should act to try to avert some of the consequences. The Environmental Protection Agency,in a186-pagereport,saysthere is a 50-50 chance that heat-trapping "greenhouse gases" building up in the atmosphere because of human activity will raise the sea level at least 5.9inches by the year 2050 and about a foot by 2100. That increase would contribute to an ongoing rise that is apparently occurring as a result of natural pro- cesses, such as land settling, groundwa- ter depletion and climate variability. The total global sea-level rise most likely to result from all these causes over the next century is about 18 inches, the report says. That contrasts dramati- cally with EPA's last report on the issue, in 1983, which projected arise of more than three feet and prompted some states to take legislative action. "The lower estimates have resulted from both a downward revision of fu- ture temperatures and an emerging con- sensus that (melting of ice in) Antarc- tica will probably not contribute to sea level in the next one hundred years," the EPA report states. The projections of future warming have been lowered in part because of action taken by governments to reduce industrial emissions, and in part because ofscientists' improved understanding of the complex interacting effects involved. For example, they now know that certain industrial emissions (sulfates and other aerosols, such as arise from coal-burn- ing and cause acid rain) have a cooling effect that offsets some of the warming by the greenhouse gases. But even with the new estimates, the projected rise in sea levels and tem- perature over the next century could result in severe ecological problems worldwide, such as deforestation, dra- matic reductions in agricultural pro- duction in some areas, and significant loss of life due to flourishing of is- eases that thrive in warmer, drier-cli- mates, according to a report released yesterday by a working group of the International Panel onClimate Change. The EPA report's "best-guess esti- mate" for global warming by the year 2100 is about 4 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius)-orhalfthe warming that was projected by some analyses done during the mid-1980s. The IPCC, a group of top researchers from 25 countries, has made similr ad- justments in its temperature projections. IPCC scientists now project a rise of2 to 7 degrees Fahrenheit (1 to 3.5 degrees Celsius) in temperature by 2100. That same panel in a 1992 progress report estimated that a warming of about 6 de- grees Farenheit. (2.8 degrees Celsius) was most likely. Some scientists note that a change of only a few degrees in average global temperature, say 6 or 8 degrees Fahren- heit, can swing a moderate climate into an ice age, or vice versa. Such swings have, in fact, been occurring throughout the planet's history, with accompanying sea-level falls and rises ofup to 400 feet. The new IPCC report projects a total global sea-level rise of from one half foot to three feet over the next century. "I think we're in the same ballpark using different methodologies," said Vijay K. Narayanan of Technical Re- sources International, who coauthored the EPA report. About two dozen climate researchers - most of them authors of previous studies by the National Academy of Sciences and the IPCC - participated in the EPA report. In order to convey the high degree of uncertainty that rQ- mains, they assigned probabilities 0 various amounts of sea-level rise After running 10,000 computer simulations taking into account "thirty-five major uncertainties" that affect the outcome. The report also indicates, along much of the East and Gulf Coasts, it is most likely that there will be about a two-foot rise by the year 2100. But there is a 1 percent chance the sea level will rise The Daily Northwestern EVANSTON, Ill. - For many stu- dents, their time at college is a time of intense studying, little sleep, loud mu- sic, roller coaster emotions, lousy eat- ing habits and partying. These are all things that our culture tells us to accept, and even look for, in a college experience. But these are also behaviors that can "trigger" migraine headaches, to which scientists say young adults are especially vulnerable. Migraine is characterized by intense, throbbing pain usually ononeside ofthe head. Nausea and sensitivity to light and sound are other common symptoms. Dr. Mark Gardner, director of Northwestern's Searle Student Health Services, said the headaches are fairly common."We see about 12-15 students per quarter," Gardner said. "But there are probably many more who never come into health services for treatment." Northwestern first-year student Steve Russell is among the majority of migraine sufferers who have never seen a doctor. "For me, it's lack of sleep or not eating that brings on the headache," Russell said. "I also get a migraine when I've been staring at a computer screen for a long time. I don't consider it an affliction, I just deal with it." "I've had them for most of my life," said Northwestern first-year student Deirdre Warshall. "But they've never really been a big problem. My doctor told me that I was imagining them." But migraine sufferers should visit a doctor to ensure that the headaches are not symptoms of a more serious condition, said Dr. Glen Solomon, director of the headache section of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.Aspirin, IbuprofinandTylenol are the most common drugs used to treat migraines, but a doctor may be able to prescribe more powerful medication, said Dr. Frank Skobieranda, also a headache specialist at the Cleveland Clinic. Ergotamines can be perscribed for use during the onset of a migraine. Beta Blockers can be taken daily for those with severe problems. Some people see an "aura" 15-30 minutes before the onset of a migraine, consisting of"flashing lights, sparkling lights or zigzag lines," Skobieranda said. Several medications can be taken during the aura stage to prevent a full- fledged migraine, Gardner said. Russell said he receives some kind of aura but cannot describe it."I don't think I see lights or lines but I can definitely tell when a migraine is coming," he said. Students with a parent who suffers from migraine have about a 50-percent chance of inheriting the condition, Solomon said. That chance is increased to 75 percent if both parents get them. - distributed by University Wire Catbloic bishops in U.S. condemn sexual abuse of children Only God can absolve abusers, Church leaders say The Associated Press After a decade in which the sins of pedophile priests placed their church on the defensive, U.S. Roman Catho- lic bishops are issuing a forceful pas- toral message that condemns the sexual abuse of children. The bishops, whose church lauds the sanctity of family, declare it is better for families to break up than to leave their young ones at risk. The Associated Press obtained a copy ofthe document yesterday; it is to be formally released tomorrow. In the 'statement, the bishops ac- knowledge their own vulnerability and damaged credibility concerning pedophilia. For years, abusive priests traditionally received counseling but then were sent on to new parishes, where more abuse sometimes occurred. While forgiveness is often seen as charitable and Christlike, all acts of child sex abuse are morally evil and only God can absolve abusers, the bish- ops say in "Walk in the Light: A Pas- toral Response to Child Sexual Abuse." "We emphasize that the community, including the family, needs to call the abuser to accountability," the bishops said. "We need to say: Abusive behav- ior is wrong and we will hold you accountable for it." The statement, developed by the Na- tional Conference of Catholic Bish- ops' committees on Marriage and Fam- ily and on Women in Society and in the Church, was approved by the church's 50-member Administrative Commit- tee. It will be distributed as a booklet to churches, parochial schools and church day-care centers. No one has been able to come up with solid numbers on clerical pedophiles, but experts from every faith say the problem exists in all religions and denominations. "Whenever people, especially men, have authority over children, there's some percentage of sexual abuse go- ing on," said the Rev. Jim Poling, a Presbyterian psychotherapist and au- thor of "The Abuse of Power: A Theo- logical Problem." In one of the most recent examples, four Catholic priests in Washington, "Whenever people, especially men, have authority over children, there's some percentage of sexual abuse going on." -Rev. Jim Poling Presbyterian psychotherapist D.C., were arrested in February and charged with sexual abuse. One of them, the Rev. Thomas S. Schaefer, was sentenced last week to 16 years in prison for molesting altar boys in Washington and Maryland over three decades. A second isto be sentenced in December, and the two others go on trial soon. Because of such cases, the orga- nized groups of victims and the Catho- lic church's own sheer size and num- ber of priests, it is the 60 million- member church that has seemed espe- cially mired in the murk ofpedophilia. Before making their statement, the bishops debated whether Americans would see them as having the credibil- ity to address child sex abuse, say people involved in developing the state- ment. They decided that child sex abuse thrives on silence and that their voices were needed to pierce the victims' isolation, said Dolores Leckey, execu- tive director ofthe Secretariat for Fam- ily, Laity, Women and Youth. "You've got to bring things to light. That's the Gospel, isn't it?" she said. The pastoral statement acknowl- edges the "havoc and suffering" caused by those within the church. "We are compelled to speak, even knowing that the Church carries a heavy burden of responsibility in the area of sexual abuse," the bishops said. "We state firmly and clearly that any act of child sexual abuse is morally evil. It is never justified," they said. Addressing an issue of special con- cern to victims, the bishops empha- sized that abusers need to suffer the consequences of their actions; they urged church workers to become -fa- miliarwith civil reporting requirements as well as church policies. The healing of victims comes first, the bishops said, even at the cost of dividing families to remove abusers. "You can't keep them intact at the cost of children being abused," Bishop John J. Snyder, chairman of the Com- mittee on Women in Society and in the Church, said yesterday. 1.. em S w~b, for Theat and Fine .. neships r. rLffi!UW{ er, Music, Arts Majors :. ;,.y .'4. 1W 1, I' w v v --* v-'-w "_ /u 4- - m \/.i's 1.q I ~7~U7~ SW I