Wednesday October 17, 2001

UA police chief warns against hoaxes

The University of Arizona Police Department is committed to providing professional law enforcement service to this community. The events of Sept. 11 have changed the way law enforcement and the public evaluate and respond to "suspicious and unusual activity."

In the recent days, the FBI and the U.S. Justice Department have placed law enforcement on a heightened alert and with that the general public as well. Since the reports of anthrax have been reported across the country, UAPD has responded to a number of calls of white powder on packages and in buildings. We encourage the prompt reporting of unusual activity, but at the same time, we ask the public to refrain from what weeks ago may have been viewed as "innocent pranks."

It is unlawful for anyone to knowingly or intentionally place a threat via any means of communication. At the same time, anyone who intentionally spreads any substance in an attempt to harass or terrify an individual is also committing a criminal offense.

Responding to hoax calls jeopardizes public safety in many ways, from the police officers and emergency service responders to the public and those individuals who may become involved in an evacuation from a building.

We ask for everyone's assistance to help us maintain the peace and tranquility of the university by maintaining awareness and reporting those situations that are strange or unusual. We ask individuals to pause before engaging in practical jokes and look beyond the immediate situation and how it can be interpreted by others. In addition, to reduce the number of unnecessary calls to suspicious substances, if you are certain of the origin of a substance, and know it to be non-hazardous or if you spill something that could be perceived by others to hazardous, please take a moment to clean it up. This will avoid overtaking emergency response resources and will reduce unnecessary stress and concern of others on campus.

If at anytime we identify an immediate public safety concern on campus, we will, in conjunction with the President's Office, make appropriate notification to the university community.

For any police, fire or medical problem on campus, dial 911. For general information, call 621-8273.

Anthony Daykin

chief of police

Deceased UA junior will be missed

I was deeply saddened to see the cover story on the Wildcat yesterday. What happened to Shannon was terrible, and my deepest and most heart-felt condolences go out to her family. That she was an energetic outgoing person goes without saying. News of this incident really hit home because I not only knew her here at UA, but I also knew her because we attended the same high school in Gilbert. I am sure there are many of us who have been in the exact same situation that Shannon was in, but for whatever reason, we were lucky enough to make it home safely. Unfortunately Shannon did not make it home safely, and she never will.

Earlier this year, two more of my friends were killed while driving back to Phoenix from Los Angeles because the driver fell asleep. I know we are all busy college students and making good time and keeping our schedules is important, but a schedule does you no good if you are not alive to keep it.

I am sure the lesson here is clearly understood, and I know I am now a safer driver because of these events, but it is just so terribly unfortunate that something like this has to happen in order to get people thinking. Goodbye Shannon, there are a lot of people who are going to miss you.

Carlos Ayala

undeclared sophomore

Lee column flawed

In Jessica Lee's need for sensationalizing her story, she glossed over or omitted a few crucial facts. The first is that these protesters were not besieged by police. They came into the mirror lab with bandanas around their faces and baseball bats. This is hardly nonviolent protest. Secondly, in her effort to discredit scientists, she claims that biologists were "unwilling to do false science" and so did not work for Steward Observatory.

The truth is that biologists are specialists in single organisms, organs or populations of a single type of organism. Ecologists actually look at the effects of environment on an organism's population. Furthermore, I know for a fact that Steward Observatory has a team of biologists and ecologists in its employ, specifically for the purpose of studying and predicting the environmental impact of building telescopes in certain areas. To minimize the damage to the environment, the observatory is building the telescope away from the squirrel's habitat.

Furthermore, if this is a sacred tribal site, why did the tribes in the area sell the land? Exactly how sacred is a plot of land if you can put a price tag on it? Finally, as to the observatory's "leasing" of the lenses, this is how universities get their equipment. This procedure is not specific to the UA. Most universities get their supercomputers, particle accelerators, or telescopes in this manner. I believe it is a noble cause to protect the environment and tribal rights, however, people should get their facts straight before attacking learning and advancement of knowledge.

Joseph P. Marotta

physics and astronomy senior

Community needs to support cops, not protesters

Since the Mirror Lab invasion (that's exactly what it was) the other day, I've heard a lot of b.s. about how people need to support the criminals, I mean, protesters. They were just standing up for a cause and trying to help the little squirrels (never mind the well-known fact that the squirrel population has gone up since the telescopes built). Who cares if they hurt two people, damaged property, and that their actions fit the description of felony rioting to a tee.

I have a better alternative to supporting these criminals, we need to support the police.

I know it's hard to do, since police represent "the man." They represent authority, and all young people are supposed to hate authority.

These brave men and women put their lives on the line every day to protect people they have never even met. These are the people who need our support. And if you think that university cops aren't putting their lives on the line when they go to work, then you need to remember the sacrifice made by UAPD Cpl. Kevin Barleycorn, who lost his life in the line of duty. The police need our support, not a few potheads who think hurting people and smashing property is good for a few red squirrels.

So the next time you get a ticket, don't be angry that the cop caught you. Be angry that you were dumb enough to do the crime, and be thankful that the police are doing their jobs and protecting the campus community.

Anthony W. Nelson

criminal justice junior

Mt. Graham needs to become more industrialized

Why not just start squirrel ranches and owl farms on the mountain and be done? Further, the Apache could have a gambling casino on Mt. Graham, and thus get something out of this. I've heard that owl and squirrel meats are very tasty and owl feathers make great down for blankets.

Let's have industrial development on Mt. Graham! It would be a wonderfully scenic site for a nuclear power plant, which could have its waste depository inside the mountain.

Better yet, clone red squirrels and pygmy owls - then there'll be as many as you want. Sell them as pets, those that don't get turned into burgers. Same as puppies and chicks.

Tatiana Covington

physics senior

Patriotism as old as America itself

I am writing in response to Michael Hojjatie's letter (yesterday) about "newfound" patriotism in America. Patriotism has been alive since the country was founded in 1776. Just because people don't announce it to the world every day of their life doesn't mean that they don't feel it.

Have you ever noticed how "The Star-Spangled Banner" is played before all sports events? That is patriotism. It happens every day of every year. People display flags in their backyards all the time, especially war veterans. I myself have always been, and will continue to be until the day I die, patriotic. Now, an awful tragedy has happened in America, and thousands of innocent lives were lost.

But right now is the perfect time for America to unite, to bring out the flags, to attach them to cars and windows and signs and wherever else they feel like

it - to let the world know they cannot break us. And let me tell you something else.

You should be damn proud that you live in America and were able to write the letter that you did, Mr. Hojjatie, because in a lot of other countries, you would have been executed for that. America is one of the few countries where we have the right to free speech, to choose our friends and our lovers and our enemies and so forth.

We have the right to get a higher education. Women are allowed to drive. We have religious freedom.

There are so many definitions to the word freedom, and all are exercised freely every day.

And right now you should take a moment and say thank you to those men and women who have died to make the rights that we have in America, like wearing Abercrombie and Fitch or watching MTV, or hell even binge drinking possible because we all have the right to do with our bodies what we choose.

I am not a feminist, nor a radical; I am simply an American and DAMN PROUD OF IT! Think about that the next time you see a flag displayed.

Linda Ashcraft

history sophomore

Lee's column "heavy-handed"

While it's true that no one expects columnists to be evenhanded, Jessica Lee's column (yesterday, "Go tell it to the mountain") is one of the most heavy-handed diatribes I've ever seen the Wildcat print.

Ms. Lee evidently feels no need whatsoever to examine both sides to the story but basically gives us a press release from the protesters.

If she had done some research, even a little, she would have discovered that not all (or even most) of the Native Americans opposed the telescopes.

Many of them welcomed their opportunity to contribute to science in this way.

Many of them also welcomed the positive economic impact of the telescopes. Furthermore, the observatory does not belong to UA but to a research consortium of which UA is a member. I could go on (there are many other holes in the story), but I'll refrain.

There are many resources Lee could have used to find out more - web pages, articles in the Wildcat. She could have interviewed Dr. Cusanovich, former VP of Research, for UA's side of the story, or his successor. Instead, through laziness, ignorance, or perhaps just the desire to win her case, she apparently did none of this. We, the readers, deserve better.

Gordon Zaft

electrical and computer engineering graduate student