Monday, April 14,2003
Since 1900
University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Volume 104 Psue 131
Marines rescue seven American POWs
Juan O. Tamayo
Knight Ridder Newspapers (KRT)
ABOARD A C-130 OVER IRAQ — Sunday, on
her 21st day as an Iraqi prisoner of war, Army
Spc. Shoshana Johnson thought that she and six
other American prisoners of war would be killed
because their guards were afraid of the ever-ap
proaching American attacks.
“We were a hot potato,” said Johnson, 30, an
Army cook from El Paso, Texas, with six-inch
braids. The POWs were moved through six hold
ing places in the last six days alone, she said. “It
was getting to the point where I believed they
were going to kill us.”
Instead, a squad of Marines stormed into the
room where they were being held, rescuing the
last Americans known to have been captured
by Iraq.
A few hours later, the POWs were telling of
their ordeal: of being overwhelmed by Iraqis in a
firefight where their weapons jammed from the
sand. One of the POWs said villagers had held a
knife to his throat and had beaten him and a fel
low captive with sticks.
At one point, a U.S. bomb sent the bricks of
their prison showering down, and one of the pris
oners, Chief Warrant Officer Ron Young, 26, of
Lithia Springs, Ga., reached through a crack that
had been opened and unlatched his cell door. But
guards thwarted the escape.
“I was asking them if they were going to kill me,”
said Pfc. Patrick Miller, 23, of Park City, Kansas.
His guards assured him they would not, Miller
added, “but I still didn’t believe them, so I
Turn to War, page 7
Rescued
POWSpc.
Shoshana
Johnson,
right, is
escorted to a
C-130
transport in
Numaniyah,
lraq,en
route to
Kuwait, on
Sunday.
Juan Tamayo
Miami
Herald
Cultural expression
Performers
Aum
Duangdee
(left) and
Pimrux
Prompalit
(right) from
the Thai
Student
Association
danceda
traditional
Thai lullaby at
International
Night in the
EMU
Ballroom on
Sunday night
Danielle
Hickey
Emerald I
A world of celebration
Annual International Night
festivities drew a sold-out
crowd of 700 Sunday night
Roman Gokhman
Campus/City Culture Reporter
The EMU was overrun Sunday
night as members of the University
community came out in force to de
molish cultural misconceptions at the
40th Annual International Night.
More than 700 students, staff and
community members were lucky
enough to buy their tickets early
enough to find seats in the EMU Ball
room — the event sold out by 6 p.m.
“I spent all my efforts looking for
our performers, which are from all
over the world,” International Night
organizer Rihito Okonogi said. “It’s
big, big, big.”
Romance Languages Graduate
Teaching Fellow Tanya Flores, who
attended the performance, said that
what American students saw Sunday
night, international students see
every day.
“Hearing two to three languages on
a daily basis is a reality for a lot of us
on campus,” she said.
Several dancing groups took the
stage to entertain the crowd with sal
sa dancing, Balinese, Thai and
Nepalese dancing, and Thai and
Turn to Night, page 5
Primary results
appoint 10
to positions
Fifteen percent of University students logged on
to vote in the ASUO primary elections last week
ASUO elections
Kira Park
Freelance Reporter
In an unbelievably close race for ASUO Executive, Maddy
Melton and Eddy Morales edged out Christa Shively and
Greg Bae by only 21 votes in the primary election Friday
night. Several ASUO election insiders predict campaigning
for the general election will be nothing short of intense.
The primary results identified, for the most part, the two
tickets that will compete in the general election. In the few
cases where one candidate won more than 50 percent of the
vote, he or she was elected outright and will not appear on
the general election ballot.
Now, students likely will be exposed to ASUO candidates’
passionate efforts to earn votes, as campaigns for ASUO Exec
utive and Student Senate positions become increasingly in
tense in the days leading up to next week’s general election.
Melton and Morales said their campaign is reaching out to
all students. Both candidates are first-generation college stu
dents, and they said access to education is their primary pri
ority. They worked together in the ASUO this year as co-mul
ticultural advocates and said their proven ability to
communicate successfully makes them best suited for the job.
Shively and Bae also said they plan to win votes in the
general student population. With campus involvement be
tween Shively and Bae ranging from the EMU Board to Delta
Sigma Phi and OSPIRG, the candidates said the diversity of
their combined experiences is what makes them most qual
ified to fill the ASUO Executive position.
In the finance senator positions, Adrian Gilmore and
Turn to Elections, page 8
University Housing allows evicted student to return
Although freshman Richard
Brooker fought for weeks
to get the eviction reversed,
the decision came too late
Caron Alarab
Safety/Crime/Transportation Reporter
The pressures of finals week can be
a real stress for any student. But finals
turned out to be extremely difficult for
freshman Richard Brooker when the
University forced him to move out of
his residence hall room during the last
week of winter term.
The week prior, Brooker was issued
a summary eviction — an immediate
notice of ejection, without trial —
based on drug-related charges that
were quickly dropped in a Eugene
court. After weeks of protesting the de
cision, Brooker has finally had the evic
tion removed — a resolution that, in
his opinion, came too late in the game.
“I’m here to learn,” he said. “And if
they really had my best interest at
heart, I don’t think they would have
forced me out the week of finals. ”
In late February, the Eugene Police
Department charged Brooker with pos
session of less than an ounce of mari
juana as well as manufacturing and de
livery of controlled substances after of
ficers gained access to his Thornton
Hall room in Bean Complex and con
fiscated various drug paraphernalia.
A few days later, Brooker pleaded
guilty to possession at his arraignment,
which resulted in a $400 fine and a six
month suspension of his driver’s li
cense. However, the more severe
charges, which were the basis of the im
mediate eviction, were dropped. The
dropped charges prompted Brooker to
question why certain officials were so
hasty to remove him, he said.
“It seemed like they were making
the situation as difficult for me as pos
sible,” he said.
Although she was unable to com
ment on any student’s case specifical
ly, Residence Life Director Sandy
Schoonover said summary evictions,
though rare, are issued based on the
safety of the community, not on good
or bad timing.
“We’re always very concerned
with students’ academic endeav
ors,” she said.
Since his eviction, Brooker said he
has worked with the Office of Student
Advocacy to determine his rights and
arrange a meeting to plead his ease.
Brooker said he had an informal
meeting with Student Judicial Affairs
Director Chris Loschiavo early Friday
afternoon to reiterate his innocence,
remove the eviction from his record
and cancel a SO-foot ban from campus
residence halls. At Brooker’s request,
Student Advocacy Director Hilary
Berkman also attended the meeting,
which lasted about an hour.
Because of federal and state law,
Turn to Eviction, page 5
Weather: Today: H 60, L 40, cloudy, chance of showers / Tuesday: H 63, L 40, chance of showers, light wind I Oil Tuesday:
University students lobby in Salem against increased OUS autonomy