University of Central Florida STARS The Rollins Sandspur Newspapers and Weeklies of Central Florida 10-27-1994 Sandspur, Vol 101 No 09, October 27, 1994 Rollins College Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/cfm-sandspur University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Newspaper is brought to you for free and open access by the Newspapers and Weeklies of Central Florida at STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Rollins Sandspur by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STARS Citation Rollins College, "Sandspur, Vol 101 No 09, October 27, 1994" (1994). The Rollins Sandspur. 30. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/cfm-sandspur/30 Statue Controversy Movie Reviews and Letters Galore and The Sound Avenger 1894 • THE NEWSPAPER OF ROLLINS COLLEGE • 1995 ROLLINS COLLEGE HESITANT ABOUT RETURNING STATUE TO PEOPLE OF OKINAWA GENE YASUDA President Rita Bornstein said Hamilton Holt, the Rollins presi­ "There is a history of this it. Most students seem to agree Orlando Sentinel Staff Monday in a telephone inter­ dent who accepted the statue in statue atRollins," she said. "It's with sophomore Bethanie Shirk, view from New York, where 1947 from Clinton Nicols, Navy been on display for the benefit 19, who said: "I think it belongs Reprinted with Permission from she was meeting alumni, par­ lieutenant commander and of Rollins students for half a more to the Okinawan people. the Orlando Sentinel ents and friends of the college. Rollins graduate. Holt designed century." We wouldn't miss it even if we For 47 years, a small has stood The hesitancy of Bornstein a special marble niche just for But several students inter­ gave it back" in the Warren Administration and the college's board of trust­ the statue and vowed it would viewed Monday were unaware Bornstein said the trustees Building at the heart of the; ees stems in part from their de­ remain there forever, Bornstein ofthe statue's existence; others See "Statue" - Page 2 Rollins Campus, and Rollins sire to honor the wishes of said. couldn't remember much about College officials expected it to remain there. Now they're not so sure. A century-old bronze sculp­ ture of a famous Japanese peas­ ant philosopher, donated to the Winter Park college nearly half a century ago, is being sought by Okinawans who want it re­ turned to their island. The 200-pound statue of Kinjiro Ninomiya was taken from Okinawa when U.S. ma­ rines invaded the island - 350 miles away from the Japanese main islands - near the end of World War II. In march, Shizuo Kishaba, president ofthe Ryuk>jii-Ameri- can Historical Research Soci­ ety in Okinawa asked college executives for the statue. In exchange, he promised to give Rollins a replica. "Our culture was in danger of being erased," said Kishaba in a telephone interview from Okinawa. Kishaba has been leading efforts to preserve Okinawan history by recover­ ing artifacts taken as the spoils of war. But Rollins says they aren't ready to part with the statue - yet. "We want to do the right thing, but it's difficult to know what it the right thing in this case," S.GJV. Hearings Back on Schedule B/RAYTAYLOR will not begin until October 25. also takes some personal respon- Sandspur There are many reasons float­ sibility. He states, "It has taken After several weeks of road ing around why they have not us a while to get organized, but blocks, the ad hock committee begun. Senator, and co-chair of now we have the basic schedule will begin the hearings to dis­ this ad hock committee Gre­ in place. If all goes as planned, cover whether there was any gory Mullins says, '"Due to Fall we will have the committee re­ abuse of power used against the Break, we had some scheduling port ready by the end of the September 22 article of the difficulties, however now we week." Sandspur. The Senate voted on should be going on without any There have been rumors and major obstacles." Senator Peter October 8 to create this commit­ See "SGA Hearings" - Page 2 tee, however the first hearing Behringer, the other co-chair The Sandspur Volume 101 Issue page 2 SGA Hearings Continued Why Should Anyone innuendoes that the Dean's office has Michael Porco, the Student Govern­ been "tampering" with potential wit­ ment Association President, responded nesses. Several of the key players in to Dean Nielson's memo, withhis own. Believe Anything at All? this investigation have been given road­ It states, "...the committee is not inves­ blocks to prevent them from testifying. tigating a 'grievance', but holding a BY BROOK LOOPE Senator Behringer stated that the Dean 'fact finding hearing.' His memo also Dr. James Sire will challenge stu­ ask why they believe their parents or said that he had to get his permission to says that if the hearings "suggest an dents, faculty and staff at Rollins to their professors, going on to get to subpoenas anyone in his office. Dur­ infringement of free speech", the infor­ ask themselves "Why should anyone the heart of what would justify be­ ing the same breath, he explained that mal grievance will be the probable so­ lution pursued. believe anything at all?" at a lecture at lieving in a meaning of life, the Bible, he of course would give it to him, and Some students have commented con­ 7 p.m. on Wednesday, November 2 at the Koran, etc. invited him to work with Penny cerns about these delays. Many believe the Hauck Auditorium. The question, Dr. Sire has given lectures and Schafer, the Assistant Dean of Student Activities, to work out an opportunity that the Senate has been, "dropping the which serves as the title of his talk, seminars in English, comparative to testify. ball". Senator Behringer disputes these grew out of a lecture he gave at religion and philosophy at over 200 Dean Nielson, the Dean of Student statements because he feels that there Harvard titled "Is Christianity Ratio­ colleges and universities in the are several things that go into commit­ United States, Canada and Europe. Activities in a memo to Michael Porco nal?" According to Dr. Sire, some says that if the Senate has a grievance tee hearings, and that he did not even He holds a Ph.D. in English from the students wrote the question on one of they should go through the grievance realize all the obstacles. More impor­ University of Missouri and has writ­ the posters promoting the event. policy already set by the school. That tantly, Chris Smith the editor-in-chief "You can't ask a more basic ques­ ten several books including: Dis- grievance policy would have the Sen­ of The Sandspur stated "If the hearings tion," Dr. Sire, author, lecturer and cipleship of the Mind (a response to ate go through him to file an informal are held professionally, they will be senior editor of InterVarsity press, both the secular loss of faith in rea­ grievance. If the matter were not re­ very effective. This may be the catalyst said in a recent telephone interview. son and the onslaught of mindless solved in a manner acceptable to the to change the role of S.G.A. and give students a check on administrative de­ "It gets beneath any other question Christianity), Who Should Anyone parties involved, then the matter would cisions that have a direct impact on and is fundamental, foundational." Believe Anything All?, and Scrip­ become a formal grievance and go ture Twisting: 20 Ways the Cults through the Provost's office. Some student life. Then, S.G.A. will be in the Sire said the interactive lecture and position to fulfill its charter and goals discussion challenges the audience to Misread the Bible. students have commented that they feel this would be counter-productive on the campus, and every aspect of the "STATUE" because the possible grievance could college life will benefit." See "Believe" - Page 3 be against people in his office. CONTINUED would consider returning the 3-foot-tall statue if Kishaba can meet two condi­ tions: Prove that the people of Okinawa genuinely want it; and guarantee that the statue will be used for educational pur­ poses by displaying it in a museum or public place. "We're not saying we'll never return PARTY RtYOND it, but so far we have not received an official government request for its re­ turn," said Bornstein, who expressed con­ cern that Kishaba may be acting indepen­ Y0t/R WIDEST SCREAMS! dently. She suggested that it is possible the UNIVERSAL S Okinawans may not want the statue be­ cause it was most likely created on the main islands of Japan and delivered to Okinawa when it was annexed in 1879. Whether Okinawans view the statue as their own or as a foreign work is irrel­ evant, some Japanese historians said. "It may have been imposed upon the Okinawans, but nevertheless, it is a part of their history," said Tetsuo Najita, chair­ Hi _A-1 man of the history department and a Japanese history professor atthe Univer­ ¥MU sity of Chicago. "[The statue] is a good way for them to remember their past. Even unpleasant memories must be re­ membered." Furthermore, Najita said, the teach­ ings ofthe philosopher Kinjiro Ninomiya are well-known and respected through­ out Japan, including Okinawa. A peasant sage, Ninomiya preached self-sufficiency to farmers in the 1830s, urging them to become literate and fend j for themselves rather than depend on "big government," Najita said.