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t i as H OBSERVER Thursday, November 14, 1996* Vol. XXX No. 53 THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING NOTRE DAME AND SAINT MARY'S STUDENT SENATE Panel concludes: O’Hara reply brings mixed emotions Death penalty By RUSSELL WILLIAMS Assistant News Editor fails at goals In a move unexpected by many Student Senate members, Vice By ALEX ORR President for Student Affairs Patricia News Writer O’Hara responded to the Student Senate’s concerns regarding student Since the 1976 re-institution of capital pun rights via a letter delivered to the ishment into the American correctional sys Student Senate late yesterday after tem, there have been 313 executions of indi noon. viduals convicted of violent crimes. Another As a result, Wednesday’s Student 3,000 men and women await their own Senate meeting was devoted to dis deaths at the hands of the state. cussing any further action on this The moral implications of this policy were issue by that group. discussed in the Hesburgh Library Lounge On Nov. 5, a letter autho red by during the Death Penalty FoCum held by Judicial Council President Ryan Amnesty International last night in the Mclnerney and Judicial Council Vice- The Observer/Shannon Dunne Library Lounge. Panelists included Kathleen President Jen Dovidio and signed by The Student Senate addressed a letter from Vice President for Student Affairs Maas Weigert of the Center for Social all members of Student Senate was Patricia O’Hara at its meeting yesterday. Concerns, and Father Joseph Ross, a chap sent to O’Hara. The letter requested lain to Indiana death row inmates. an open forum for discussion of stu Maas Weigert opened things up by outlin dent rights at Notre Dame. ing the penalty’s recent history, as well as The letter highlighted the apparent Letter addresses debunking some of the more common argu de-evolution of du Lac, from 1968, ments in its favor. when it was constructed by students, By RUSSELL WILLIAMS each of the Senate’s concerns, and The most common grounds for support of faculty, and administrators in the Assistant News Editor the following lists the major points capital punishment, the deterrent it provides hopes of promoting community con of that response: would-be criminals, is without grounds, said cerns and community life, to its cur Professor Patricia O’Hara, vice • With regard to Student Senate’s Maas Weigert. She went on to quote rent status as an 82-page booklet the president of Student Affairs, yester concern over the seemi a ter Professor Tex Dutile of the Notre Dame Law Student Senate letter refers to as day issued a comprehensive three emphasis placed on disciplinary School, saying, “There is no conclusive evi being “void of all reference to the and one-half page response to the rather than spiritual aspects of the dence that [capital punishment] deters religious and spiritual life inherent in Student Senate letter delivered Nov. community, O’Hara explains that in potential criminals or reinforces law and the tradition of the Notre Dame com 4 to O’Hara requesting an open-dis- 1989, du Lac contained both “Inform order.” munity.” cussion on student rights in du Lac million about resources and services She then explained that, “the state has the In her response, O’Hara expressed over the last three decades. available within the University com right to use the death penalty, but the state interest in an open dialogue between The letter, distributed to Senate munity, as well as information about does not have a ‘duty’ to use it.” students and administrators. O’Hara members at their meeting yesterday, University behavioral expectations, The killing of criminals is uncivilized in theory, does nothing to preserve the common also wrote that such discussion is was surprising to many Senators student life policies .co- good, and leads, inevitably, to the execution “especially timely,” because the who did not expect such a swift dures.” of the innocent, according to Maas Weigert. Office of Residence Life will be carry- response from O’Hara. O’Hara states that later that year In the letter, O’Hara addresses “And,” she said, “if you know it is likely that see SENATE/ page 8 see LETTER / page 4 see PANEL / Page ' Russo warns of aid scams By MATTHEW LOUGHRAN Assistant News Editor FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION Every year, students place their trust in organizations that search out scholarship money SIX SIGNS OF for them. Every year, some of f ti fa fy those students fall into the trap SCHOLARSHIP FRAUD of trusting fraudulent corpora tions to help them with their 1. The scholarship is guaranteed. tuitions. “Scholarship search organiza 2. The scholarship service will do all the tions have been around for a work. while now,” said Joe Russo, director of financial aid at 3. The scholarship service will cost money. Notre Dame. “A lot of them 4. The scholarship is "just for you." would make promises that are The Observer/Katie Kroener just outrageous and cannot be 5. You are a finalist in a competition you Notre Dame participated in a nationwide video teleconference on col taken seriously.” never entered. lege diversity last night in 101 DeBartolo Hall. The New York Attorney General’s office has lodged a 6. The scholarship sevice needs your complaint against one such credit card or checking account number Live nationwide forum organization, Academic Investm ent Money (AIM) of in advance. New York City, for alleged targets college diversityfraud. The Federal Trade One major complaint, in addi by the Observer to AIM ended tion, by students against AIM with a promise of contact from By BILL UNIOWSKI ethnic, religious and sexual Commission (FTC), the govern ment agency that regulates was that the service requested AIM’s “legal office.” News Writer groups. Rodney Cohen, director of trade and polices businesses for checking account numbers and A member of the financial aid withdrew funds directly from office called AIM in order to In an effort to increase diversi urban programs and outreach fraud, has released a warning students accounts without speak with a customer service ty awareness, over 200 colleges development for the Center for to students about how to avoid clearing a signed check. This representative. He spoke with and universities nationwide took Social Concerns, said that the potentially fraudulent scholar corresponds directly to another one of AIM’s operators and part in the Multimedia Campus purpose of the teleconference ship search organizations. of the problems cited by the gave her information designed Diversity Summit, a project of was “to provide open dialogue, The FTC guidelines seem to FTC. to make him look like a very the Institute for Public Media honestly and with candor, for point to many of the practices Other student complaints poor candidate for financial aid. Arts in Durham, N.C. students and faculty.” that students claim are utilized against AIM range from not $he returned with a promise of The teleconference, broadcast Cohen also cited a recent sur by AIM in soliciting clients. receiving awards to being up to $1,500 in scholarships from DeBartolo Hall last night, vey by the Princeton Review that AIM charges a fee of $96 for ignored during attempts to get and asked for his checking was aimed at evaluating the pre ranked Notre Dame among the its services. It says that it will help with the search process. account number in order to sent state of relations between 13 in institutions with the worst guarantee “up to $1,500” in $tudents were told to call only deduct AIM’s $96 fee. college students and brainstorm race relations. scholarships for students. The during certain evening hours to One student complained of ing what can be done to improve The first part of the summit, a search service says that it will reach high officials in the orga relationships between different do all work involved in finding nization. Multiple calls placed see DIVERSITY / page 4 scholarships for the student. see SCAMS / page 4 page 2 The Observer • INSIDE Thursday, November 14, 1996 In sid e C olum n W orld at a G lance Learning the Tuesday’s clash threatens Bosnian peace process SARAJEVO Tuesday’s clash at nearby Koraj Hundreds of Muslims threatened Muslims and Serbs clash showed how peacekeeping troops are today to arm themselves and reclaim Confrontations erupt as Muslims threaten to still needed to stomp out outbreaks of reclaim their former homes from the Serbs. former homes now in Serb territory, a fighting and appeared to dash hopes art of American and Russian troops have moved day after a similar confrontation in to calm the situation. that the NATO-led force patrolling erupted into the worst fighting since Bosnia would be leaving anytime soon. CROATIA the Bosnian war ended a year ago. Bosnian Serb police and Muslims complaining Some 800 angry Muslims massed fought with automatic weapons and today at a checkpoint manned by U.S. Koraj rifle-propelled grenades at Koraj in an and Russian peacekeeping troops near exchange that left one Muslim dead YUGO. Celic in northeast Bosnia, leaving open (Serbia) and unconfirmed reports that several We all do it. We’re all Lori Allen guilty. If complaining the possibility of renewed fighting over E GO V IN A on both sides were wounded. Saint Mary’s were a sin, the Saint a village near where Serbs and Bosnian The fighting at Koraj, once a pre Mary’s and Notre Dame News Editor Muslims clashed Tuesday. ovemi dominantly Muslim community now in campuses would As today’s demonstration grew, Serb hands, came after a standoff encompass an entire level of hell in Dante’s international mediators in Bosnia Monday when Muslim refugees from announced the suspension of the Koraj pushed from Celic into Gajevi, a Inferno.

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