Coming out for gay pride
students leam more about understanding during Qay Pride Weeic
FMturM, page 4
Estes captures Open
Players overcome wet weather at Gait IHiiis at Texas Open
Sports, page 7
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Incie*
Sexual liarassment examined from the other side of the desl<
The Plus, page 3
October 18,1994
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RVING THE UNIVEBSrrv Of TE«
Volume 17, Number 21
Student vote on rec center t
tit
Revised rec center proposal on ballot
ay
By Ryan Lambracht
Editor-in-Chief Chari* Rhoad Acting Features Editor
On Oct. 18 and 19 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., students will vote on a revised recreation proposal that would create additional recreation, health, and wellness facilities and programs at UTSA and assesss a fee of $ 1 per semester hour that would be graduated to a nuutimum of $30 per semester.
Pollingplaces will be in the university center, JPL lobby, and Cypress Tower. All UTSA students are eUgible to vote in the election.
A previous recreation center vote in fall 1993 was defeated by a two-to-one margin. Becauseofthisdefeat,arevised recreation center proposal is being submitted for student approval in a new election. The university cannot build a recreation center >vithout the approval ofa majority ofstudents participating in the election.
The new recreation proposal is significantly different in all areas from the proposal on the ballot in fall 1993. The following summaries explain the main points of the current recreation proposal and contrast the current proposal with last fall's.
Racraatlon Facility Faa
The current proposal would create a recreation facility fee of $1 per credit hour persemesterbeginninginfall 1995. By the time the recreation center would open, which is estimated to be between fall 1999 and fall 2000, the recreation facility fee would increase to $30 per semester for students taking six or more credit hours, and the fee would increase to $5 per credil hour for students taking fewer than six credit hours. The current proposal's fee stmcture is different from last year's proposal in that students initially would not be charged a flat $30 per semester fee.
The legislation authorizing the recreational facility fee would allow the proceeds to finance, constmct, operate, maintain, and improve student recreational facilities at UTSA. The most immediate consequences of an affirmative vote would be the creation of the recreational facility fee, but administrators state that the fee is not the most important aspect ofthe proposal on the ballot.
"The referendum is not over whether to pay the fee, it's whether we are going to address whether we need a recreation center, a wellness center, in order to provide for the students who live on this campus," said Bobbie Hemandez, vice
president for student affairs.
"There are now 2,000 students Uving on campus and 3,000 who live very close to this campus and it is becoming very evident that we do not have the facilities to serve these students and build the coimnunity that we need for them. That's why in the planning ofthe institution there has been planning for a rec center in a very consistent and responsible manner for almost three and a half years." Ughting Aii Outdoor Flaida
If the recreation proposal is passed, the university would begin to light all existing outdoor playing fields in fall 1995. It would take the university two years to completely Ught all ofthe present outdoor fields and the new fields the university would add.   Last year the university estimated that it would cost $650,000 to light all of the present outdoor fields, and no estimate has been released on the cost to light all of the outdoor fields in the current proposal. Adding (Mora Footbaii Fiaida, Softball Fiaida, and Outdoor Voiiaybali and Baaicatbail Courta
The new outdoorplaying fields would be located in the vicinity of the current track and playing fields. The university cont. on pg. 2
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studant govarnmant mambara Jamas Pinkard, Miles Simms and Lorraine Schoolcraft put up one of the banners publicizing the vote.
Student government protests late notice
By Ryan Lambrecht
Editor-in-Chief
Yvonne Mulhern
Acting News Editor Cherie Rhoad Acting Features Editor
Due to disagreements with the adminislration. Student Government (SG) has decided il will not work at Ihe polling tables for the recreation center, vole. In a letter sent on Oct. 12 to Karen Whitney, assistant vice presideni for student life, SG president Andy McManus stated that SG would not participate in the election because SG was only give a week's notice about the election and was not consulted in creating the ballot, voting locations, or voting times.
At the SG meeting on Oct. 11, McManus recei ved aletterfrom Whitney notifying him ofthe election and asking him to appoint students to vie w the voting
cont. on pg. 2
Administrators address engineering petition
By Ryan Lambracht
Editor-in-Chief
On Sept 27 mechanical engineering students enrolled in Fluid Mechanics initiated and .igned a petition asking for thc replacement of their Fluid Mechanics profes.sor, Albert Ackermann. Due to the petition, engineering professors Lola Boyce, John Schmalzel, and Ycsh Singh mei with Ackerman on Sept. 28 to discuss die concems raised in the petition. Also, on Oct. 14 Ray Elizondo, dean of the college of sciences and engineering, spoke with two mechanical engineering students who initiated and signed the petition.
In the petition the studente wrote that Ihey initiated Uie petition because of their concerns about inadequate quality and presentation in their Fluid Mechanics course. As an example, students in the petition cited that Ackermann had commented on a pre-recorded videotaped lecture that Fluid Mechanics was not his specialty and he had not been exposed to the subject for six years. siiKe he had completed his master's thesis. A videotaped lecture was presented to the students because Ackermann had out-of- town commitmenu for two weeks. To make up for this, Ackermann pre¬ recorded lectures that were shown during class lime. He also asked engineering profes.sors Jahan Eftekhar. Amir ICarimi, and Alberto Passos to lecture in his absence.
The Fluid Mechanics studente were .upset by this situation, and on Sept. 27 a petition was initiated and signed by 28 of the 38 studente in the class. The next day Ackermann met with other engineering professors to discuss the petition. In a memo lo Boyce he staled that "I can see where (students) had a legitimate concem" and that he was "too optimistic in the amount of maierial that studente could assimilate."
Ackermann later said in an interview that "I realized that I would be out for a number of class periods eariy on in this semester, and in order to compensate for that I planned to malce as many video upes of pre-recorded lectures as I couM. and to fill in thr remaining lectures I decided to ask professodi lo cover for me. IwnhavinglodoqailealtteofpiBmratioB
work for those lectures and I found that the planning, preparation, and scheduling ofthe videotaping sessions, in addition to my regular planning and preparations for my regular lecti ;s, proved to be a bit overwhelming time-wise. I just didn't have enough time to do the quality of lecture that I would have desired."
Prior to the petition studente had not met with Ackermann to ask for his replacement. On Oct. 13 Kini Lawler, a student who signed the petition, met with Ackermann to discuss student concems.
'The discussion that I had with Dr. Ackermann was on the level, student to professor, and I let him know that as a student I did not have a personal thing against him," Lawler said. "I told him that the students felt deserted and betrayed during the two weeks that he was gone, and I told him that that was the motivating factor behind the petition."
On Oct. 18 Lawler and David 2Umora, another Fluid Mechanics student who signed the petition, met with Elizondo. In the meeting the studente voiced their concems about their IHuid Mechanics class and Elizondo said that their class will be monitored lo make sure that things go well in the future.
"What the petition did is to bring to our attention what the studente perceived very early on as a potential problem, and there has been some discussion with Dr. Ackermann and some effort to work with him to get back on track, and that's happening," Elizondo said. "Dr. Ackermann is a part-time insuiictor for us. it is the first lime he has taught for us. and I think he got off to a bad start and it seems to me that the studente now feel that things are going much better."
Lawler and Zamora said they were pleased with the meeting with Elizondo, but Zamor also stated that there were other gre!«ter issues that needed to b^ addressed in the engineering division besides the issues raised in the petition.
"Looking at the whole issue of the petition and what it accomplished, it brought light lo the fact that there is soitiething wrong in the engineering division because this situation shouldn't have happened," Zamora said. "How could a professor be hired knowing that he will not be able to be here for a couple of ciaH lecture*, for two weeksr
NAFTA conference discusses gender issues in Latin trade
By Nancy McDermott
Contributing Writer
The Center for the Study of Women and Gender at UTSA is sponsoring a two day conference, set for Oct. 23 and 24, that will address the issues pertaining to women and the roles they play in the decision-making area of inlemational trade.
The conference, "U.S.-Latin America Trade and Women: Breaking Trade and Gender Barriers" will dlso examine the ways in which international trade affecte women as policymakers, employers, entrepreneurs, and employees, and consumers.
Linda Schott, Director of the Center for the Study of Women and Gender, discussed some of the goals of the conference.
"The first goal is to explore this topic (the role of women] that no one has explored." Schott said. 'There has been a lot of conversation about inlemational trade...and aboul San Antonio's role, bul no one has talked about women's roles. We are initiating this part of the discussion, and we are initiating it at a national level ... We expect a lot of attendees to be regional, but we alio have people coming in from [other states]so there ic a lot of focus coming in
from around the counU7. The second goal is to showcase the Center for the Study of Women and Gender...focusing on women, and [to show] that we are committed lo the community and Ihal wc can offer something of real value."
The conference begins on Sunday, Oct. 23, at the Plaza Club located al 100 West Houston Street, and continues on Monday at 9:00 a.m. at the Institute of Texas Cultures. Confirmed keynote speakers include: Ann Hughes, Deputy Assisunt Secretary for the Westem Hemisphere, U.S. Department of Commerce; Claudia Serwer, Senior Adviser for Latin America, Office of U.S. Trade Representative; Susana Valdez, Associate Director for Public Liason, The While House; and Mario Jose Rino, Consul General of the Republic of Argentina.
"We tried lo make it a balanced conference in that we tried to represent women's issues: to represent the intereste of corporate America, and the intereste of labor...exploring the intereste of women in inlemational trade from all those perspectives. One of the things we really hope to do is get peo|rie talking to each other (that don't normally talk to each other)—we think that if we can get that kind of conversation it can be very productive," Schott staled.
A foUow-up booklet with poUcy
recommendations will be issued after the conference and mailed out to legislators. Two hundred conference panicipanls are expected. The press and follow-up booklet are expected lorcach over 2(X),(XX) people in Ihe South Texas region and over 5(X) national policymakers in Washington DC
Schott believes the conference has sfiecial significance for siudents. She staled that it will provide a great opportunity for students to hear high level speakers and meet women (and men) who have attained prominent positions in government and in business.
"Five to len years from now students are going to be affected by these free trade agreemenis. Those going into business thai are going to work, in a corporate position where they're interested in international trade, certainly Ihis is a excelleni chaiice for them to get to meet some of these people."
The cost of the two day conference is $25.00 for studente, which includes the Sunday night reception. If .studente want to come as part of a class, or attend just a portion of the conference (without attending the reception), they can do so free of charge. Pre-registration is encouraged for those attending the full two day conference. For information or to register, contact 691-4876.
Apartheid opponent speaks
By Yvonne Mulhern
Actinfi News Editor
Before sanctions were imposed on South Africa, "Skilled jobs existed for whiles only. Blacks could not move from a rural or an urban area to another. No marriage or sex across the color line," explained Helen Suzman, a fonner South •Mrican Parliameni member Suzman, who opposed apartheid and was twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, gave a speech entitled "South Africa's Govcrnmeni of Natiimal Unity" last Tuesday. Oct 1 1. which was followed by a reception m the Regents room of the John Peace Library.
Suzman is also the author of "In No Uncertain Terms." a book of memoirs detailing her struggle toenfranchise black voters in South Africa. Topics covered in Suzman's lecture included sanctions on South Africa, and the role of women and non-whites in Soulh African politics.
Beiore sanctions were implemented, people were classifed at birth into a particular racial category; while, black, or mixed-race, also known in non- derogatory terms as "coloured." For example, the Registration Act "deiennined what category each Soulh African fell into and effecting school, lifestyle, and sexual relations oulside marriage."
Non-while women in rural areas are married under autonomy law, which means the wife may only teke one mate while her husband is polygamous. They are also classified as perpetual minors, which means they remain under the jurisdiction of their nearest male relative.
"Politically, black people had no vote at all. They were barred from having any say before 1990," Suzman said. The dat set for the firsl democratic election was Apr. 27, 1994. Apart from an airport bombing in which two people were killed and several others wer^ injured, the election was conducted peacefully.
In 1979 Suzman was the only member of the Progressive Party to retain a seat for 13 years as well as being tf> only female member for six years.