University of Missouri, St. Louis IRL @ UMSL Current (2000s) Student Newspapers 8-27-2007 Current, August 27, 2007 University of Missouri-St. Louis Follow this and additional works at: http://irl.umsl.edu/current2000s Recommended Citation University of Missouri-St. Louis, "Current, August 27, 2007" (2007). Current (2000s). 327. http://irl.umsl.edu/current2000s/327 This Newspaper is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Newspapers at IRL @ UMSL. It has been accepted for inclusion in Current (2000s) by an authorized administrator of IRL @ UMSL. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE UM-ST. LOUIS SINCE 1966 STUDENT NEWSPAPER August 27, 2007 www.thecurrentonline.com INSIDE TRAPPED IN RUSSIA: ROXANA CONTRERAS AWAITS COURT HEARING MOHELA LAWSUIT UMSL welcomes new, former students Funding for Cast members from Student detained in Russia MTV's 'Real World' made their debut at last week's Benton- St adler Beach Party, one of the many events of Welcome Physics graduate student attempted to Week. See page 6 export old military coins, medals may be delayed By SARAH O 'BRiEN The issue: By SARAH O'BRIEN residence without one of them accom­ panying her. News Editor A class-action lawsuit News Editor Going Greek "She was initially told for about the has been filed to stop first week that she was basically under The proposed sale of $350 mil­ the transfer of $350 A UM-St. Louis house arrest," Bahar said. lion of Missouri Higher Education million from MOHELA at UMSL student is facing a When the charges against Contreras Loan AuthOlity student loans is un­ to fund Gov. Matt trial in Russia this were brought to the police, the origi­ der attack. Blunt's iniative for UM-St. Louis is home week. If found nal charges included numerous errors A class action lawsuit claims renovations at several to three fraternities and guilty, Roxana conceming the crime and Contreras' that Missouri Senate bill 389, which college buildings in three sororities. Contreras, a personal information. was signed into action by Gov. Matt t he state . physics student "There are some really gross errors Blunt in June. is unconstitutional. See page 7 from Chile, could in the original charges. We're talking The bill allocated $350 million to spend seven about describing one of the medals as renovations for universities and col­ years in a Russian a thirry year anniversary medal of the leges all around Missouri including prison. Great Patriotic War, which was World $28.5 million to renovations at UM­ Contrera<;, 29, War IT, i,sued in 1947, which doesn't St. Louis. was on her way make sense," Bahar said. The lawsuit seeks to completely horne from visi ting The charges also misspelled Con­ halt the sale of the :vIOHELA loans friends in Voronezh, treras place of nationality Chile, as that would pay for the aforemen­ Russia on June 13, when "Santiago. Chili" and charged her for tioned renovations by declaring the she was stopped at cus­ "a willful illegal acquisition of USSR sale illegal. toms for having Soviet era state honors. i.e. the crime under the The suit was filed on behalf of Guido's brings a taste war medals and some old Rus­ article 324 of the Russian Federation Michael McGennis and Aaron lzadi­ sian currency in her luggage. Criminal Code." Moghadam, two Columbia re sidents of Spain to St. Louis Contreras' thesis advisor Sonya Article 324 of and bOITowers from MOHELA, in a Bahar, director of the Center for Neu­ the RFCC states Cole County courtroom. Check out our review rodynamics at UM-Sc Louis said, the illegal acquisi­ One of the la\vyers for McGen­ of Guido's Pizzeria and "Her description, which was maybe tion and selling of nis and Izadi-Moghadam, is John Tapas on The Hill. not too clear because she was just so official documents Lichtenegger, a member of the Uni­ BELARUS terribly upset. was that she was pulled such as the med­ Moscow• versity of Missouri Board of Cura­ See page 9 aside with 10 custom agents all yelling als is punishable tors appointed by former Gov. John at her in Russian." by fines, not seven Ashcroft. According to Bahar, Contreras years in prison. Lichtenegger believes the MO­ ONmEBACK RUSSIA speaks decent Rus ian and studied in Bahar said HELA loan sale could ignite one of Voronezh in 2001 and 2002. Roxana Contreras Roxana Contrera. the largest class action lawsuits Mis­ Ramon "She lived there for a year. She bas never claimed souri has ever seen. • speaks Ru ian. but no~ completely she clid not bu the m dal . uly that Claimants also cite that seUing UKRAINE •Voro nezh fl uently, and she hudn 't ooen to Rus la she did not know it was illegal. MOHELA loans goes against MO­ The fawsuit may stall in five or six. years," Bahar said. Bahar was asked to send a charac­ HELA's purpose, which is to offer the $28.5 million The customs agents took away her ter reference letter to the police inves­ student borrowers loans with stable Benton-Stadler reno­ I Roxana Contreras has been living in an passport and told Contreras that she tigator to vouch for Contreras. "So and low interest rates. vations from going apariment in Voronezh, Russia since might face jail time. thought OK, fine, I'm going to get ev­ forward. Blunt's plan June. Her trial is set for Tuesday, Aug. "They also told her not to contact erybody to write a letter," Bahar said. was due to take ef­ 28 in Ramon, 1 a.m. St. Louis time. her consulate," Bahar said. That was Faculty members from the physics fect Aug. 28 "one of the most terrifying and dis­ department, the chancellor of UM-St. See MOHELA LAWSUIT. page 12 What the law says: turbing things" about Contreras expe­ Louis and colleagues from all over the rience with the customs agents. world sent letters to Nikolai Serenko, Article 324 of the Russian "They said they wanted to try and the Russian police investigator who FACULTY PAY RAISES Federation Criminal Code reads, help her without involving the police," had dominion over Contreras' case. Tritons kick off "Illegal acquisition or sale of official Bahar said. "We didn't know if it was After they received the letters, Se­ documents which grant rights or at that moment that they wanted a renko began to threaten Contreras with soccer season release from duties, and also of bribe," Bahar said. extending an already tedious investi­ Faculty could see 3 government awards of the Russian Contreras did not contact her con­ gation. Bahar and her colleagues re­ The women's soccer team Federation, the RSFSR, and the USSR, sulate until a few days after being told ceived letters from Valdes saying "no open this year's season shall be punishable by a fine in the that she could not leave Voronezh. noise" about Contreras situation for at home with a tie and a amount of 100 to 200 minimum "They've been very sweet and help­ fear that such letters would do more percent salary raise win. wages, or in the amount of the wage ful," Bahar said of the Chilean consul­ harm than good. salary, or any other income of the ate, Sergio Valdes. "But they haven't After the investigation was com­ See page 14 or By JUSTI MONTAGUE convicted person for a period of one to really been able to do too much as far pleted, Serenko became convinced : Aver~ge Faculty · . as I can tell. They've given her a lot of that Contreras was not guilty of delib­ two months, or by corrective labor for Assistant Copy Editor Salary Com~arison '-} ~ a term of up to one year, or by arrest conflicting advice." erately breaking Russian law. ON THE WEB for a term of up to three months." Valdes told her she would have to The University of Missouri sys­ stay with her friends in Voronezh and tem faculty may be receiving a larg­ UM-St. louis: See CONTRERAS, page 12 advised that she could not leave their er sal ary in the near fu ture. • Professors: $90,300 Recently, Brady Deaton, chancel­ • Associate Professo.rs: $66,500 lor at University of Missouri-Colum­ • Assistant Web poll results: bia proposed a plan called "Compete Professors: $57,400 Have the past few weeks Missouri" which will help the UM of intense heat caused Rolla's Missouri Miner may pursue legal action system raise faculty salaries. St. Louis University: you to believe in global Former UM President Dr. Elson • Professors : $99,800 warming? Floyd had, comparatively by cam­ • Associate Professors: By SARAH O'BRIEN The Mis- pus, one of the lowest salaries among $67 ,500 souri Miner, university presidents in the state. In • Ass istant Professors News Editor the student contrast, Dr. Barbara Dixon, presi­ $57,900 UM-Rolla's newspaper The Missouri newspaper of UM-Rolla, dent at Truman State University, a UM-Columbia: Miner may be engaging in lawsuit may pursue a made an estimated $190,850 in the • Professors: $100,700 against its university for alleged censor­ ·Iawsuit against . 2005-2006 school year to Floyd's • Associate Professors: ship. the university $87,501 per campus. Problems arose when UM-Rolla's $68,500 and the stu­ Hanis-Stowe State . College'S • Assistant Professors: Student Activities Finance Board, or ..... _ .......... _ ....... aa ... __ dent govern­ President Dr. Henry Givens, Jr. was $56,600 SAFE, cut the newspaper's budget from .... --- .. ..." .. _.. ..... ment after the paid $175,000; and Dr. Carolyn Ma­ -.~-~ .-..,-,----..,.""",...,-. .. ", around $30,000 to $13,000 because stu­ ..,; Student Activ· ..............