SPB discusses publicit y, fundin g sexual assault speaker excellent idea to invite her to BY AMY MONTEMERLO Colby for the second successive & RENEE LAJEUNESSE year. Leff and D'Afflittiurged SPB News Editors to endorse their proposal. "Frankly, it's pretty amazing LastMonday, November 3, the that we could get someone of her Student Programming Board quality with such short notice," (SPB) met to discuss upcoming said D'Afflitti. social events on campus. The Leff and D'Afflitti asked SPB meeting began with a short pre- to contribute over $1,000 to assist sentation by Laura D'Afflitti '99 in sponsoring Koestner. The task and Miguel Leff '98, members of force, according to Leff and the Sexual As- D'Afflitti, has sault Aware- already re^ ceived mon- ness Task Photo courtesy of Communications Force. The pro- SPB voted in favor etary donations posal, which of sponsoring from Student More construction on the art museum has some up in arms. focused on Koestner 's lecture HealthonCam- planning for pus (SHOC), Museum additi on prom pts protest Sexual Assault the Dean of Stu- Awareness dents Office. tion from about ten different do- of it. Week, became the mam topic of and the Athletic Department. BYRE^^EL^U]SESSE nors for the expansion of the Mu- In a letter addressed to all those discussion at the meeting. The majority of SPB represen- i News Editor seum>*exp lained , JCplby President concerned about the proposed ad- Leff and D'Afflitti discussed tatives were in favor of sponsor- William Cotter" The purpose of the dition, which Colman sent to vari- the possibility of sponsoring a lec- ing Koestner's lecture. Some mem- Several Colby art students are expansion, explained Cotter, is "to ous faculty members, student ture by Katie Koestner, a speaker bers however, including SPB Cul- vehemently opposed to the pro- display our own rich collection of groups and President Cotter him- oh sexual assault, during Sexual tural Chair Waiter Wang '99, ex- posed two-story addition to the American art" which is presently self, he listed the issues involved. Assault Awareness Week, which pressed someapprehensionabout Colby Museum of Art, and have "very cramped" or held in storage. First, Colman claimed that the addi- _ _ beginsonMonday, November V7. this proposal. Wang stated that, as begun to express this concern over //fiic a s a wonaerrui_.' j i r__i opportunity^ i * « rort^~. tion will partially block the natural Koestner previously spoke on the a social programmer, he is respon- the past week. Art major Devin all of our students and others to see light coming into the painting stu- subject of date rape in. accordance sible for sponsoring new, innova- Colman '98 is urging those con- what the College owns," he said. dio and completely obstruct sun- with last year's Sexual Assault tive speakers to Colby. Wang also cerned to join him in protesting the Colman is opposed to the new light from the sculpture studio. "The Awareness Week. Due to the posi- voiced his discontent over the cost construction that he feels "will have addition, however, for he sees the museum addition willhave a nega- tive response Koestner received of the program, and the fact that a direct negative, unacceptable im- College "pushing the art museum tive impact on existing educational from students last year, and the administration does not aid in pact on the Colby art facility." above art programs for the stu- and teaching facilities, which should Koestner's cancellation of a pre- sponsoring such student health- This construction, which is slated dents." He expressed concern that be given priority above everything vious speaking engagement, the related events, or provide the to begin in the spring and be com- there wasn't any talk with the art else," he said. task force felt that it would be an See SPB on page 4 plete in about a year's time, is the faculty or students about the expan- The addition will also block out- result of a 1.3 million dollar dona- sion, and that no one seems aware See MUSEUM on page d AIDS activist River Huston addre sses Colby students died. Yet, in the end she realized that HIV." Neither response was a com- their poem while others would hoot HIV-positive she ate a pint of Haagen BYJILLMORNEAU she would rather be alone than be fort to Huston. and holler,boo and cheer.Riverknew Dazs ice cream every night. Staff Writer with someone that she didn't love. River began a suicide note. Then that if her poem was a failure there Huston advised her audience to After learning that she was in- the suicide note turned into a poem. was no better place to test it than the "find joy in yourself," and "not to AIDS Activist River Huston fected with HIV, Huston dropped At the suggestion of a friend , she "slam." say nasty things to yourself any- spoke candidly to interested Colby out of college and decided to live decided to read her poem at a poetry After she exposed her raw feel- more." She told the audience that as students in East Quad about AIDS with her father and his fourth wife. contest. The poetry reading turned ingto theslam poetry audience, there a fat aerobics instructor she was ready on Wednesday, November 5. However,Huston'sfatherwasacom- out to be a "slam." At the-"slam", was utter and complete silence. And to take a healing journey. Huston Huston's humorous stories had the pulsive liar and had not told his wife people would get on stage and read then they roared.That night Huston found it rather odd that as a fit, trim audience in hysterics as she pro- that Huston had the HIV virus. The won the poetry contest and walked woman she was ashamed to reveal ceeded to talk about subjects most family spent some quality time to- out of there with the $50 prize. her body naked, but with a much people feel uncomfortable thinking gether and got along fine until That poem and many others de- bigger body she really didn't care. about. More importantly, Huston's Huston's stepmother discovered her veloped into a book, which has cur- Huston realized, "Eating makes you words of advice made the audience stepdaughter had HIV . She asked rently sold thousands of copies. Hus- happy!" realize the most valuable things in Huston to leave immediately, ex- ton learned not to criticize herself. One of the most important parts life. plaining that she needed to protect She told the audience, "If s none of of the lecture that Huston stressed Huston began her lecture by ex- her other 14 year-old daughter, your business what anyone else to the audience was the invention of plaining the reasons for voicing her As a result, Huston decided to speaks, it doesn't matter!" vaginal microbiocides. Vaginal story. She fold the audience that at commit suicide. She could not bear Huston explained thatevenfrom microbiocides are suppositories that the time she was infected with HIV, the grief of explaining to her friends childhood, women are taught to lose a woman puts in her vagina that she had absolutely nothing to lose. that she had the HIV virus. Huston weight and attempt to look beauti- will adhere to the vaginal wall and While she was engaged to be mar- explained that whenever she would ful. According to Huston, our moth- kill all viruses. The partner won't ried, she wasn't sure she was doing teUafriendaboutheryirus,hewould ers influence us in ways that make even know it's there. Huston finds the right thing. Her fiance had.been start crying, and exclaim the unfair- women feel "not good enough." She this form of prevention rather the first; person to approach her and ness of Huston having to die and explained that she used tobea trainer unique because she understands pursue her. Even though he was not leave him, and Huston would inevi- for models. Before learning that she that condoms can be embarrassing quite her type, Huston feared being tably end up comforting the friend. ¦' . - Echo photo byMeknie.Guryamh/ was HIV-positive, she had what she and of ten a nuisance in the heat of alone and reasoned that she wanted Or, the friend would belittle the situ- described as a "Reebokbody." Then, passion. Condoms can often signify someone;;to be witti hilrwhen she ation by sayingy "Oh, you just have AIDS Activist River Huston. when she discovered that she was See RIVERHUSTON on p age2 D ate rap e survivor Ka tie Koestner to speak at Colby Show, and ^Entertainment Tonight. She has lobbied Halberstam to receive Lovejoy BYMTIIEN ^^ Congress for sexual assault policy changes. Ms. Koest- Staff Wrfter ner has spoken to hundreds of thousands of students, Fellowshi p toni ght at colleges high schools and military facilities in 46 Pulitzer Prize winning author David Halberstam will receive the Sexual Assault Awareness Week begins next week states. 1997 Elijah Parish Lovejoy Fellowship Award this evening, November at Colby. On Monday November 17th at 8 PM in the Joining her this year is Brent Sokolow, who will 13, at 8 p.m. in Lorimer Chapel. The Lovejoy Award is an annual award Lorimer Chapel, Katie Koestner will come to speak to perform a dialogue called "He said, she said/' which given to an editor, reporter, or publisher who has contributed to the Colby Students, about date rape and sexual assault will help to give a male perspective on this issue. Last nation's journalistic achievements. Halberstam will receive an honor- issues.