Feature
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Successful Speech
Graha111 Lives On
Palomar's speech team overcomes obstacles to reach the top Page 9
New dance class features techniques of famous dancer Page 1 3 Martha Graham
Friday, December 13. 1991
Palomar College, 1140 West Miss1on Road, San Marcos CA 92069-1487
Volume 45, Number 13
Recent racist attacks Co-national champions spark campus concerns Verbal assault results in two-year suspension By Sean Fitting Staff Writer An incident of racially based verbal abuse on Nov. 20 has resulted in a two-year suspension of a Palomar student. He will appeal the decision before school officials later this month. A white student yelled inflammatory comments and threatened violence against an Afrikan American student in front of the Handicapped Services building, according to witnesses. The confrontation ended with pushing and shoving, in front of the Stu.dent Services building. "I wouldn't call it a real fight, no bloody noses or anything," Director of Student Activities Jim Bowen said. It was broken up by the Campus Patrol, Vice-President of Student Acu vi ties Dr. David Chappie and staff from Veterans Services. Bowen disciplined the instigator, a middle-aged man, by suspending him for two years. Bowen said that last July the same two students had been involved in a similar incident. Names of the involved cannot be disclosed because it is a disciplinary action and therefore confidential, according to school regulations. This was the second incident involving racially based verbal abuse last month at Palomar. On Nov. 15 a former Palomar student came on campus and began yelling obsceniues and racial slurs at any minorities including members of the Palomar football team he saw in front of the Student Union. According to witnesses the man yelled 'nigger' and other racist epithets. Bowen said this resulted in a scuffle in front of the Student Services building. The fight was broken up by the Campus Patrol, who escorted the perpetrator off cam-
'This was not a matter of free speech. This was a matter of verbal abuse.' Jim Bowen, student activities directQr pus. Bowen said the Sheriff's officers picked up the man on Mission Road shortly after a student called 911. Campus Patrol Officer Rick Sanchez, who escorted the man off campus, said that he thought it was an isolated case and didn't think the man was linked to any racist organizations. "I don't think it is the Klan or anything," he said. Bowen described the perpetrator as "an older man, not a young punk." Bowen said, "To the best of my knowledge there have been only three incidents," of racial violence in his 18 years at Palomar. Bowen spoke with the minority students who were the subjects of the verbal assaults. These students, according to Bowen, think the incidents were isolated and are happy with the swift action. "This was not a matter of free speech. This was a matter of verbal abuse," said Bowen. "Verbal abuse, if nothing else, is against the rules and regulations of student behavior." In response to these incidents, Robert Jenkins, vice-president of Afrikan Ameri(see RACISM • page 7)
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There was no stopping the. Palomar College CcaeiS fOotW team 011 ~'7 a they clinched an Elks Bowl victory from the ChabOt C~ G14M11atlin.T'IIe team travelled 400 mlles north to Merced' College to p1ay the pme, but it diet not slow dowu Choo-Choo Walker(number one) aad the rest the team from being named the California stateduunpioosand national co-c:hampioas. See the story and highlights of the game in S,_.ts OD page 14.
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Recall effort mounted agai~st student government officials By RomanS. Koenig Editor-in-Chief A recall campaign has been mounted against the four student government representatives who were found with beer cans on campus last month. Although a petition for recall is being circulated around campus, know one in the Associated Student Government or the Student Activities Office knows who initiated the appeal. So far, according to ASG Treasurer Anthony Montroy, 100 students have signed the petition. According to the Student Activities Office, approximately 300 signa-
check the article ... with us. They must be REACTION: Students respond to ASG believing everything they read. representatives' action on pages 1oand 11. "I think The Telescope took our apologies and then took the article that they wrote and discredited our apology as much as they for a recall election. According to ASG President Erik John- could," Turk also said. "You consider yourson and Senator Tom Turk, an article printed self (The Telescope) the watchdog of the in last week's edition of The Telescope blew ASG, right? Well, I think that's one watchthe incident out of proportion. They claim dog that needs to be put to sleep. "This (the article) is pretty sensationalthere were inaccuracies in the story that may ized, really. You know, college and beer go have led to hasty judgements of the four hand in hand," he added. officials by students signing the petition. The four ASG officers, Johnson, Turk, "I feel that the people that are passing the Montroy and Senator Lowell Kepics, sent a petitions are doing the other students a letter of apology to The Telescope for public disjustice," Turk said, "because they defireading and were given two years probation nitely haven't taken the time to come and
by Palomar College after beer cans were found in a trash can outside the student government office. According to Montroy not all of the cans found were empty. Roy Vick, a Custodial Services nightshiftsupervisor, said that cans were also found in a paper bag inside the ASG office along with those in the trash can. The focal point of the disagreement surrounds a paragraph in the story stating that the student officers did not know it was against school regulations to have alcohol on campus. The representatives said they were misquoted. "You've made a generalization here that (see RECALL • page 2)