—SPORTS- Game, set and championship The men's and women's tennis teams cruised to a pair of ACC tournament titles this weekend in THE CHRONICLE Georgia. SEE SPORTSWRAP, pgs. 4 and 5 For many gay DSG overturns Class of students, coming 2002 presidential election out to friends is H Three candidates violated commission agreed. Although Weinstein garnered 20.63 per­ the first step in Duke Student Government's cent of the votes, he was found campaign by-laws, and two guilty of tying a banner to a being open about tree in front ofthe Marketplace will be removed from bal­ shortly before the elections their sexuality. lots in the new election. were scheduled to begin. Candi­ dates are forbidden from adver­ By MAUREEN MILLIGAN tising within 150 feet of a Coming Out The Chronicle polling station. at Duke After receiving complaints In the commission's official BRIAN DENTON, far right, serves as advisor to Gothic Queers. about the top three vote-getters ruling they concluded that the for sophomore class president, banner "would have an undue Duke Student Government At­ effect on the election and the torney General Adam Berg was other candidates." Friends no matter what? forced to remove two candidates Weinstein was also found from the race, sanction another This is the first story in a she was out ofthe closet. with their peers' newly- guilty of taping fliers to the and overturn the election. three-part series examining This seemingly facile decla­ declared orientation, said Seth ground, another act prohibited the experiences of homosexual ration of sexual preference was­ Persily, Trinity '96. "It was a In the new election, to be held by DSG by-laws. students and their identities. n't easy for Haggerty. Indeed, difficult thing for most of my Tuesday, Trinity freshmen Jared Berg said Blitzer complained many students wait a long time friends who had known me as Weinstein and Courtney Spenee early in the campaign period By JOSH HARKINSON to tell their friends they are straight for the last two years will be removed from the ballot, that members of Weinstein's The Chronicle queer, and often don't do so until to understand," he said. and Nick Durham will campaign staff had torn down other candi­ on a reduced budget. ne weekend early this well after they graduate. Yet for For Colin Rork, a Trinity dates' fliers and replaced them year, Trinity senior many, college is the time to junior who came out his The punishments resulted with his own. At that time, We­ Aileen Haggerty called reevaluate their identities, and sophomore year, the fear of his from complaints filed by engi­ instein was directed to reexam­ O ine the by-laws. up Trang Nguyen, Trinity '98, looking inward, students often friend's reactions was eventu­ neering freshman Drew En­ a close and long-standing feel the need to express some­ ally outweighed by his desire sign, campaign manager for "It was a pattern of sloppy friend, to make plans for the thing that their friends couldn't to create an open relationship Trinity freshman Adam Blitzer, control," Berg explained. weekend. Tm bringing a assume and wouldn't imagine. with those closest to him. "I on the morning ofthe elections. Weinstein disagreed and said In the complaint Ensign, DSG friend," she told her, then stut­ Coming out can be hard, didn't want to establish these he was disappointed with the vice president-elect for academ­ tered and added, "Well, um,. said Haggerty, because most long-term friendships that I ruling. "I feel it is ridiculous," he ic affairs, directed the election she's my girlfriend." people assume their friends could have for a lifetime on a said, adding that he did not be­ commission to access a website Nguyen didn't pause before are heterosexual, unless false premise," he said. lieve the infractions were seri­ where he had posted pictures of she said, "That's awesome! strong indications are provid­ Many queer students wait ous enough to warrant his re­ the various infractions. That's really cool!" And then ed to the contrary. until after their freshman moval from the race. "I made an Haggerty answered a barrage Acquaintances sometimes year to come out—once they "It was not a level playing honest mistake as a freshman in of questions, and suddenly, have a hard time empathizing See FRIENDS on page 4 *• field," Ensign said. a class election," he said. Late Thursday, the election See ELECTION on page 5 > Gothic Queers bridge-painting stirs opposition, counter-protest By KATHERINE STROUP Holland said many of the anti-gay The Chronicle messages had been painted over before The annual celebration of Absolutely GQ members returned. "It is very encour­ Fabulous Queer Family Love Week is a aging to know that there are so many time when Duke's queer community is people out there on campus who won't very visible. But last Thursday, someone stand for such ignorance," he said. apparently attacked the most overt But because National Queer Aware­ symbol of this visibility—the bright ness Week coincided with Blue Devil Days pink paint on the East Campus Bridge. this year, some students expressed con­ Late Thursday night, anti-gay slogans cern that the pink bridge and its slogans appeared on the otherwise fuschia bridge, might deter prospective freshmen. first painted this previous weekend. By "Some parents might have a prob­ Friday afternoon, a group of Gothic Queers lem," said Trinity freshman Tim Bain. members and supporters had repainted "Parents might be a little leery of send­ the bridge, responding with such state­ ing their kids to a school where there's ments as "I eat your hate for breakfast" such a large display, where they perceive Silas Holland, a Trinity sophomore and such a thing as normal." GQ officer, said there is often a backlash But Trinity senior Neelam Pathikonda against the semesterly bridge-painting, said the University should not be worried which happens once in the spring and once about deterring P-frosh. "If recruits are in the fall for National Coming Out Week. going to be ready for the real world, then "I try not to let it bother me," he said. they are going to have to accept that peo­ DAN UMBEL and the Blue Devils tost to Virginia 8*7 yesterday in the AGC tou mament finals, Duke held The point ofthe week is to reassert our ple are different," she said. a 7-5 advantage midway through the fourth quarter but the Cavaliers scored three unanswered goais, presence on campus and show students Holland added that people always com­ including Tucker Radebaugh's game winner with just under two minutes left in the game. It marks the that they are not alone. If people don't plain about the somewhat abrasive color. third straight time Duke has been knocked out of tie ACCs by Virginia. SEE SPORTSWRAP, p. 3 like it, tough." See BRIDGE on page 15 > • GPSC CRAWLS TOWARD NEW OFFICE SPACE SEE PAGE 3 • VIRGINIA DERAILS WOMEN'S LAX IN ACC SEMIS SEE SPORTSWRAP, PAGE 6 THE CHRONICLE • PAGE 2 WORLD & NATIONAL MONDAY, APRIL 26,1999 NEWSFILE NATO promises economic aid for allies FROM WIRE REPORTS President Clinton urged Boris Yeltsin to accept a peaceful solution to the Kosovo crisis • Venezuelans vote for new constitution By TERENCE HUNT Voting in a nationwide referendum Sunday, Venezuelans urged the Russian leader to press ing ships at sea. Associated Press overwhelmingly endorsed the centerpiece of President Hugo Milosevic to accept a peaceful so­ Defense Secretary William Chavez's agenda for a "social revolution" in Venezuela—his WASHINGTON — In a sum­ lution to the crisis. Cohen said the allies agreed it proposal for a new constitution. With 80 percent of the votes mit-ending show of solidarity, On the central issue of forcing was important to cut down the counted, 88 percent cast ballots in favor of forming an NATO leaders promised military Milosevic's forces to withdraw supply of fuel going to Yu­ assembly to rewrite the constitution, and 82 percent protection and economic aid to from Kosovo and allow hundreds goslavia's "war machine." He said approved the terras Chavez has laid out for electing the Yugoslavia's neighbors for stand­ of thousands of ethnic Albanian the NATO leaders expected rec­ assembly's members, according to the National Electoral ing with the West against Slobo­ refugees back to their homes, ommendations from their mili­ Council. Some 11 million Venezuelans were eligible to vote, dan Milosevic. "If Mr. Milosevic Clinton said, "The alliance leaves tary officials "in a very short pe­ but most stayed away from the polls, with the abstention threatens them for helping us, we Washington more united even riod of time" on the exact steps rate at 60 percent, the electoral council said. will respond," President Bill than it was when we came here." that might be taken. Clinton promised. The 19 NATO leaders agreed The NATO leaders agreed to • Lott declares Social Security bill dead Before winding up the three- in their 50th anniversary sum­ intensify air attacks against Yu­ Congress will not act this year to revitalize the Social day meeting with his allies in the mit to move toward an oil embar­ goslavia. But there was no agree­ Security system because President Bill Clinton has failed to military operation against the go to hinder Milosevic despite ment—and scant public discus­ iead the way, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott said Serbs in Yugoslavia, Clinton tele­ Russian objections and French sion—of the possibility of Sunday, Lott, R-Miss., also predicted Congress will add as phoned Boris Yeltsin Sunday and misgivings over forcibly search­ introducing ground forces.