Task force aims to improve residences Dolan and Magill slated for $ 1 million summer renovations; Munsell, Ferguson and Dodds to follow in 1997 By Laura Holsen finance, the goal of the newly look like and what quality stan- sonnel including Associate Minor Myers, jr. is committed to new television for Staff Writer their lobby or formed Campus Residence 2000 dard should be set for the Provost Roger Schnaitter, Dean all proposed improvements, basement. Also, work crews is to "recommend the overall improvements. The move came of Admissions Jim Ruoti, Browning said. The group meets began major repairs on Magill The university continues to style and structure of a student after looking at the academic Administrative Assistant to the to discuss various issues of the Hall during winter break. Magill expand its renovation plans for residence hall system to serve building resources and "realiz- President Susan Bassi, program, bringing in ideas from and Dolan will be the first halls the residence halls in an effort to the needs of Illinois Wesleyan ing that students deserve the Associate Dean of Student the major administrative areas. to be improved, beginning this improve the style of student liv- students in the year 2000 and same quality in their housing," Affairs Malinda Carlson and Campus Residence 2000 has summer. ing areas. beyond." Browning said. Assistant Dean of Student begun to implement the "We chose [Magill and According to Ken Browning, The committee's main con- Browning formed the task Affairs Darcy L. Greder to serve improvements. All eight major Dolan] because such major ren- vice president for business and cerns are what each hall should force last fall, organizing per- on the committee. President residence halls received a brand- see RENOVATION p. 2 Beaman case enters appeal process; evidence questioned By Julieanna Lambert that he was asleep in his home in Rockford News Editor when the murder was committed in Normal. The state, Beu said, has overly narrowed The murder case involving Illinois Lockmiller's determined time of death, and Wesleyan alum Alan Beaman has officially the window in Beaman's alibi is so small entered the appeal process. that an amazing set of coincidences would According to Beaman's girlfriend, IWU have had to occur for him to be present at junior Samone Weissman, the Jan. 24 hear- the crime. ing successfully raised questions about the Appellate Prosecutor Linda McClain, circumstantial evidence used to convict who is representing the McLean County Beaman of the August 1993 murder of his state's attorney's office during the appeal, ex-girlfriend Jennifer Lockmiller. claimed that Beaman's motive of jealousy "His family and I left with a very positive still holds up, that his attitude during ques- feeling," Weissman said. tioning indicated guilt and that he did have Beaman was sent to Menard Correctional time to drive to Normal and commit the Center in Chester last spring after a judge murder. sentenced him to 50 years for the strangling According to Weissman, Judge Robert murder of his Lockmiller, 22, a former W. Cook, one of the three judges who must Illinois Wesleyan student who transferred decide Beaman's case, shared doubts about to Illinois State University. the solidity of the conviction, saying that Beaman's lawyer William Beu argued the state had at most shown that Beaman before the 4th District Appellate Court in might have committed the crime. Springfield that the case against Beaman The panel of judges must decide whether was not legally or logically sufficient for a to uphold Beaman's conviction, issue a conviction. remand for a new trial or overturn the ver- Beu maintained that there is a lack of hard dict. The court will hand down their deci- evidence against Beaman, who contends sion within 60 days. Oh, the weather All-male admissiions challenged taining a male-only admis- "The idea of setting up sepa- National Student News Service sions policy. rate but 'substantively com- outside is frightful... Supreme Co)urt Justices parable' education facilities The United States Supreme must decide if a "substantive- for women is no more accept- As temperatures repeatedly dropped below Court heard arguments Jan. ly comparable" program for able than the 'separate but women at VMII is a lawful equal' schools once created freezing this week, Illinois Wesleyan students did 17 in a challenge to the Virginia Military Institute's solution. for African-Americans." their best to cope with the cold. Senior Ed policy of excluding women ACLU attorn eys urged the Founded in 1839, VMI is Schweitzer attempts to get his stalled car thawed cadets, setting the stage for a court to strike doown the male- the nation's oldest military and running again, while sophomore Jen sex-discrimination ruling only policy and issue a deci- college and one of only two later this year, perhaps by sion affirming tthat discrimi- state-supported military Gallagher bundles up against the snow while June. nation based on gender is ille- schools which remain exclu- stepping outside the library for a cigarette break Officials of the American gal. sively male. The other is the "The Court Wednesday. Low temperatures are expected to Civil Liberties Union testified should inte- Citadel in Charleston, S.C., last week that the constitu- grate VMI into the 20th cen- which will probably be continue. Jeff Millies/The Argus tional guarantee of equal pro- tury," said Janet Gallagher, affected by the Court's rul- tection precludes the pub- director of the ACLU ing. licly-funded VMI from main- Women's Rig;hts project. Conference on Pfeiffer hall struck by vandals academic freedom By Melissa Pikul floor. return of the missing items. The message Staff Writer "The motivation seemed to be bore- board and a bag containing all the stolen planned in Minn. dom. Anyone who had the time to do pens were placed in a third-floor bath- such a thing must have been lacking room on Tuesday An unknown group of culprits calling night. something better to. do," Brackett said. Miller said that she found her message themselves the "Ha Ha Bitch Bandits" From the statements on many of the boards and hall decorations in her National Student News Service recently vandalized all three floors in a signs, the vandalism did not appear to be wing's bathtub, although all of her signs midnight run on Pfeiffer hall. an attack on the hall itself, Pfeiffer Hall have still not been returned. Concerned about the erosion of student The vandals wrote "Ha Ha Bitch Director Niki Handlin said, but rather a Both Brackett and Miller said there liberties in an age of political correctness, the Bandits" on all the doors with message general complaint about the lack of have suspicions about which residents Minnesota Association of Scholars (MAS) boards, stole every message board pen, activities on Illinois Wesleyan's cam- were responsible for the vandalism. No took and vandalized hall signs and hung has joined forces with the Minnesota State pus. formal action will be taken though, said University Student Association (MSUSA) to up paper signs proclaiming dismay at Some of the signs also mentioned that Miller, because the lack of events on campus, said Anne the R.A.s only have host a conference on student academic free- the bandits planned to go to Student speculations and nothing can be proven. dom in St. Paul on Feb. 17. Brackett, third floor resident assistant. Senate meetings, said Miller. "It's hard Sheri Miller, an R.A. on the second to pinpoint who did it," "The freedom of students to learn has been "I was really disappointed in the Handlin said. She and Darcy L. Greder, neglected in recent years," said Dan Ritchie, floor, added that they took most of the behavior of the students and in their lack assistant dean of student affairs/residen- MAS president and an English professor at second floor signs and decorations down of respect for the other students in the tial life, decided not to punish Pfeiffer as as well. The Jan. 21 acts Bethel College. History professor Paul Bushnell did not appear hall," Handlin said. a whole for the acts of a few. to be aimed at any particular person or Brackett Student academic freedom has been threat- speaks at "Evelyn at Eleven" on posted a sign requesting the ened throughout academia, according to Ritchie, who cited numerous examples, Wednesday. As part of the "Credo" including the University of Minnesota's series, faculty members share their Course on racism causes controversy attempt to revoke official recognition for the personal beliefs, values and commit- The course, proposed by "marathon meeting" in which straightforward," Cazenave school's Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship. ments. Jeff Millies/The Argus Members of MAS and MSUSA have National Student News Service sociology professor Noel A. attendees were working on a said. "There is not a good grown increasingly concerned about "reports Cazenave, has been approved catalog deadline. reason for them to turn it MAS is affiliated with the conservative "White by the sociology department "This particular topic gen- down." of students keeping their thoughts to them- National Association of Scholars. Ritchie Racism," a new selves in the classroom" for fear of ridicule class proposed at the but has not yet been accepted erated a great deal of discus- Members of the committee said MAS "has become a leading voice University of Connecticut, because of the need for more sion, and since they were not were divided on the issue. or reprisal. responding to academic perspectives that "Because they see professors as has generated much discus- information, according to the getting anywhere, it was "I have no problem with 'almighty reflexively denigrate the values of Western curricula grade givers,' students wonder sion by the College of Liberal and courses com- tabled," Wright said.