Photos of flying saucers, aliens and artifacts portraying extraterrestrial beings were presented last night to an audience of about 50 curious and skeptical students and community members in the Memorial Student Union Senior Ballroom.

As part of UFO Week, coordinated by the University Activities Board, self-proclaimed UFO specialist and former U.S. military officer Robert Dean raised questions regarding government concealment of evidence of UFOs.

Dean spoke of times of great chaos and change that humanity will encounter, including the collapse of major religions, as a result of a realization that "we are not alone."

"This is the most important issue in the history of the universe," Dean said. "Your government has been lying through its teeth for at least the last 50 years."

Dean was in the U.S. Army for 27 years before retiring and spending 30 years researching flying saucers and alien visitations to Earth.

"These things are silent. They are gigantic. These objects are still flying all over the world today," Dean said.

Dean worked in the Supreme Headquarters of Allied Powers in Europe from 1963 to 1967. During that period, Dean claims he saw boxes of highly-classified material being moved out of Paris, where the headquarters were based. Dean said he believed those mater ials were evidence of alien visitation on Earth.

At that time, Dean said, the military knew of four different groups of extraterrestrial civilizations that had been and were visiting the Earth. By 1976, that number had increased to 12 different groups, he said.

"They (government officials) are afraid of telling you the truth," Dean said.

According to Dean, the government and the military have concealed this type of information because they are resentful to admit that they do not know all the answers to the UFO enigma.

"I think he's kind of wacky," said Ari Hopkins, a political science sophomore who was at last night's presentation.

Jesse Showalter, undeclared freshman, said he believes it is possible that UFOs exist, but he doesn't understand why they would want to watch the Earth.

"I don't think it really matters," he said.

Issues regarding government cover-ups about UFOs and aliens have been of great concern to a lot of people since the alleged 1947 crash of a UFO in Roswell, N.M.

Almost 50 years later, the possibility of life outside the Earth is still a concern to many, students included.

"Aliens and UFOs have always fascinated me because they're unknown. While we fear the unknown, curiosity outweighs the fear," said Heather Laime, undeclared freshman.

"I think there has to be life (on other planets), considering that all these years people have been able to describe what an alien looks like," said Beatrice Meza, psychology senior.

Meza said she believes the U.S. government has come across evidence of life in other planets, but has covered it up.

UFO artist Jim Nichols said, "On the behalf on all citizens of this country, I feel like I would like to know what is going on."

According to Nichols, the government's interest in concealing information about flying saucers is a military strategy. Whoever is able to duplicate the flying saucers' technology will rule this planet, he said.

Nichols also pointed out that, during the 1950s, the government put forth a program to make UFOs a social taboo. Those who publicly announced seeing or believing in flying saucers were labeled as drunks or crazy, he said.

"If there's one thing we can't stand, it is public ridicule," Nichols said.

Some seemed to think that television shows, books and movies inspire curiosity.

"I've seen programs on HBO based on someone's experience and they seemed believable to me," Kim Kosmata, medical technology junior, said.

Trevor Goldstein, political science and sociology senior, said he thinks there is some truth to movies about UFOs. He said, however, that the "history of UFOs go way back before movies."

Goldstein became interested in UFOs while in high school, and he said he has read a lot of books on the subject. In 1990, Goldstein went on a group trip to the Nevada desert to observe the sky for extraterrestrial activity. For Goldstein, there is enough evidence available to convince him that UFOs are a serious issue.

"I'm looking at the cases where people are photographing saucer-shaped, disk-shaped objects. A lot of these (photographs) have been analyzed," Goldstein said.

He said there are thousands of documents in the possession of the government that deal with UFOs.

"People just have to wake up," he said.

Assuming there is intelligent life beyond Earth, the question lies on what attracts them to this planet.

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