PsARGO tt tt 1 S watch 1 n Vol. 51, No.4 ^londajJFe^^ Crime Spree at Stockton Homophobic Vandalism Hits Home Stm a Mystery By Thomas Piatt By Jennifer Coffey ARGO STAFF WRITER ASSISTANT EDITOR This week has been one of disappoinunent There has been a flood of for the members of the Gay And Lesbian crimes at Stockton this semes- Alliance and The Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual ter. During the weekend of Support Group , as well as for the students February 9, not only was the and faculty of Stockton who are concerned Argo broken into and vandal- with the rights of gay, lesbian, and bisexual ized again, so was the office of people. the William Gilmore-Lehne, The Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Support Assoc. Professor of History. Group had, for the first time, put together an This was the second Argo information display on a wall in lower F- burglary of the semester. The wing. The display, bearing the words "Love Argo's mail was stolen again In All It's Forms" was designed to educate ^ong Www ii^per tray for the students and staff about the lies, misconcep- printer and a speed ball. The tions, and fear surrounding the issue of sexu- culprits also poured what is ality. Included on the wall was a lengthy list believed to be a bleach and of successful and famous gay/lesbian/bisexu- salt solution into the disc drive al people. Cathy Rabbia, an interning gradu- of two of the Argo computers. ate student in Social Work from Rutgers The smaller of the two com- University who works at the Support Group, puters was destroyed. The said the display was intended "to take the fear photo by Tim Olson other computer was resurrect- out of sexuality and also as a therapeutic tool GALA wall displays senseless violence at Stockton. ed and is currently function- for those students and faculty (who are not ing. out)." becoming more and more close-minded." maintain" tolerance and understanding. According to D'Ambrosio, this was the first Duncan also commented that "Many students Tim Olson, Editor-in-Chief The display was put up earlier this week. time a display had been put up in support of have called (the counseling center), who are of the Argo, said, "I can't By Thursday, it had been vandalized three Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual rights. He had not involved with GALA or the Center, to believe there are people on rimes. Someone had slashed the bulletin with never heard of this sort of vandalism being offer their support and express that this is not this campus who are immature a sharp instrument and scraped "fagots"(actu- right." Rabbia also indicated that several stu- enough to do to something al spelling) into the wall. done to any other group's displays. dents and faculty had expressed concern for like this." "I get frustrated...", said Steve D'Ambrosio, Janis Duncan, the Assistant Director in Counseling at Stockton, expressed concern the acts of vandalism. The gnawed Argo door a Stockton student of 3 1/2 years, "As open- for the vandalism, citing that Stockton makes "When I talk to the field representative reveals that the saboteurs used minded as the administration likes to say the great efforts to "work towards, promote, and ( see VANDALISM, page 2) some kind of crow-bar or school is, it seems that the students here are screw driver to pry it open. They also tried to force their rri way into the editor-in-chief's office. However, the intruders leacher Strike Scheduled for Feb 29 were unsuccessful in that By Tim Olson here for February 29,1996. This is unacceptable to Stockton INSIDE attempt. ARGO EDITOR strike would include three hun- teachers. The threat of strike During the same weekend, dred plus faculty and non-man- comes because of the lack of a A&E 10 Gilmore-Lehne's office was The faculty and non-manager- agerial staff and would have a contract, pay raise increments The big Picture 16 also broken into. One of ial staff here at Stockton have great effect on the Stockton com- for young faculty along with Comics 13 ARHU's portable computers, been working without a contract munity. Ralph Bean, President other issues. Normal pay incre- which Gilmore-Lehne used to since July 1, 1995. On October of Stockton Federation of. ments are awarded to younger Classified 15 make notes for his research, 11, 1995, they held an informa- Teachers said, "A long strike faculty in their first nine years. Earth 9 was stolen. The door of his tional picket to try and get the would be devastating to the col- Article XXIE., of the Council of FYl 5 office was pried open in the message across to the state. lege....the strike would stop NJ State College Locals states, LFSubliminal 14 same mianner as the Argo Unfortunately, the informational teaching and if teaching is "Normal increments shall be paid Newsmonger 5 door. Gilmore-Lehne com- picket did not work and the stopped, there will be a great to all employees eligible for such mented on the situation by Stockton Federation of College inconvenience to the students." increments according to the WierdButTrae 5 saying that the situation is "a teachers have scheduled a strike The state's proposed contract ( see STRIKE, page 2) weird coincidence." The ARGO, page 2 February 19,1996 NEWS Survivor^s Circle Support Vandalism shows Group Meetings on Campus fear and ignorance By Rachel Heath ARGO GUEST WRITER (continued from page 1) al„,fear and ignorance," Rabbia Are you a survivor of emotional, physical, or involved in an abusive relationship, and effects of from the Department of Social also noted that she had not seen sexual abuse? Are you currently involved in an the trauma may play out in your day to day activi- Work at Rutgers, I will discuss such acts of homophobic van- abusive relationship? You are not alone! Statistics ties in various ways that you may not even be with her the experiences both dalism at Rutgers University, show that there were 53,321 domestic offenses aware. positive and negative, and in Camden campus, which she reported by NJ police in 1992; from 10-20 percent The Counseling Center has formed the particular, this very homophobic attends, of children have sexual contact with an adult Survivor's Circle, where survivors of abuse can and hostile atmosphere at Stockton police were notified (someone they know) before age 18; one in three meet in a safe, supportive and confidential envi- Stockton." This atmosphere, of the repeated and directed acts women and one in seven men will be sexually ronmental to share feelings, receive understanding Rabbia explained, "indicates of vandalism and have taken assaulted; and one in four tens and young adults and support, and to examine the ways we are that not only are gay, lesbian, photos of the damaged display. are involved in relationships involving physical, affected by the trauma today. It is not necessary to and bisexual people unsafe, but Unfortunately, they have no emotional, or sexual abuse. (Gathered from litera- have a long history of abuse...if you have been ver- also sends a clear message that leads on possible offenders. ture available at The Atlantic County Women's bally or emotionally abused, are in a domestic vio- we are not as far along as we Lieutenant Mangiello has put it Center.) Abuse happens everyday, to all different lence situation, or have experienced any type of thought we were...In this type of quite simply, "It's strange that kinds of people: rich or poor, young or old, it does abuse, this group is here for you. activity there is a great deal of people can't leave well enough not discriminate. Survivor's Circle will meet on Mondays, fear, not specific to homosexual- alone." It is important to understand that if you have February 26, March 11 and 25, and April 8 and 22 ity, but to sexuality in gener- experienced abuse, in any form, you are not a vic- from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm in room N-114. The tim, but a SURVIVOR. Whether the abuse hap- group will be facilitated by Janis Duncan, LCSW pened just once or over several years, a person can of the Counseling Center and Rachel Heath, a suffer serious damage of his or her emotional and senior Social Work student and intern at The physical well-being. Although you may think that Atlantic County Women's Center, For more infor- X you have worked through issues surrounding you mation, please contact the Counseling Center, H abuse, you still may be in danger of becoming Room J-204, 652-4722. ARG0 1 s w a t c ^ g The Richard Stockton Goilege of New Jersey Winters, Stockton Pomona, New Jersey 08240 Phone (609) 652-4560 • FAX (609) 748-5565 Senior, is Published The ARGO is not an official publication of Stockton College, but is published independently by suidents of Stockton College. PRESS REUËASE EDITOR - IN - CHIEF Tim Olson Slapering Hoi Press, the flighty, OB the page, the poems Jen Coffey small press imprint of The are lean and plainly spoken, but ASST.EDITOR Dory Lewis Hudson Valley Writers' Center, is they are alive with surprises and ART DIRECTOR Rob Tillisch proud to announce the publica- bright maneuvers. The truth of a A & E EDITOR tion of Muscle & Bone by Paul- fine combination of deftness of EARTH CO-EDITORS Christina Stummer and Victor Winters, a senior at craft and ease of expression." Kimberley Clough Stockton.