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Hoopsters nipped by Cajuns
NLU edges UTSA 78-76 to advance in SLC tournament
Sports, page 8
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Booty call!!
Hundreds flock to South Padre to sun their buns
Features, page 4
Students sing Strauss
UTSA Music Department performs 'Die Fledermaus' with a local flavor
Arts & Entertainment, page 6
March 14,1995
Volume 18, Number 9
Serving the University of Texas at San Antonio Community
Student government election questioned
By Ryan Lambrecht
Editor-in-Chief
Charges of elections violations plagued student govemment (SG) last week as SG released the official results from its candidate elections. SG record¬ ing secretary Mike Godelia called for new elections to be held due to charges of election workers refusing to allow freshmen to vote and workers violating SG election rules by giving information about choices on the ballot.
Godelia said he was approached by three students who are willing to testify about SG election irregularities. If proven, these irregularities would re¬ quire SG to conduct a new election.
Twoof the election violations Godelia alleges concem two female freshmen being told they could not vote. "When [one ofthe freshmen] went to vote, [elec¬ tion workers] told her she couldn't vote because she was a freshman and the elections for the freshmen are in the fall," Godelia said.
"[The freshman] said that she under¬ stood that, but she was voting for execu¬ tive officers and there were some write- in candidates she wanted to write in. She was told she could not vote, period, and she needed to leave."
Mike Godelia
Godelia, SG recording secretary, charges some freshmen were not al¬ lowed to vote and election workers violated SG rules.
Kristi Hall
Hall won the SG presi¬ dency, but the election could be nullified if Godelia's charges are proven.
Cindy Mikeska
Mikeska, SG parliamen¬ tarian and election com¬ mittee chairwoman, said SG's counting of write-in votes was consistent.
Although freshmen representatives for 1995-96 will be elected in Fall 1995, SG provided a separate ballot allowing freshmen to vote for officers only.
The third election violation claimed by Godelia concems a student who was given incorrect information by election workers.
"Another individual will come for¬ ward and say how he went to vole, and he remembered that there were some write-in candidates, but he couldn't re¬ member Ihe names," Godelia said. "He approached the people mnning the table and said, '1 know there are some write- in candidates and I can't remember who they are, and could you tell me who is
ninning as a wnte in candidate?'
"What was told to this genUeman was that there werc no write-in candi¬ dates in this election, period. That gave him the impression that the write-in candidates he had heard of must have dfoR)ed out; therefore, he ended up voting forpec^lehewouldn'thave voted for if given the facts."
Godelia cited that SG's rules state election workers cannot g-ve any infor¬ mation about candidates to voters.
Besides Godelia's charges of elec¬ tion violations, SG's election results were cast into doubt by unclear ballots written for write-in candidates. Several write-in ballots were disqualified by
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weekend.
Alternative media must advocate humanitarian purposes, speaker says
Angela Fairmeadow
StoffWriter
We must use altemative media for h nanitarian purposes—not for one side or the other, but for suffering people. This message was emphasized by Trella Laughlin during a lecture entitled "Women and Media: Criticism and Al¬ ternatives" on International Women's Day Mar. 8. Laughlin talked about her experiences as a woman working in tele¬ vision and film.
This lecture was part ofa series pre¬ sented in observance of UTS A Women's History Week from March 3 Ihrough 10.
Laughlin is in the forefront of the women's altemative press as an Austin nim-maker and producer of the televi¬ sion show, "Let the People Speak."
PriOT to becoming a spokesperson for human rights and producer of this public access television program with 30,(XX) viewers in Madison, Wisconsin, Wash¬ ington, DC and the Los Angeles area, Laughlin had a diversified background that included organ'c farming.
As a representative for the Founda¬ tion for a Compassionate Society, Laughlin emphasizes the need for greater compassion from the media toward women, minorities, homosexuals and the poor by   edia representatives.
Her phii...sophy is that joumalists should be part of the people.
She says she is first and foremost a
political activist. In the 1960s, she was an activist against the Vietnam war.
Laughlin immersed herself in her present career as an altemative press film maker beginning in Austin in 1980. What sparked it, she states, was the 1980s Ku Klux Klan activism taking place in Houston, Dallas. Austin, and San Antonio.
Feeling it was important for whites to lake on racism, Laughlin launched "Let the People Speak" as an altemative to mainstream media soc ial issue programs, which she claims have abandoned lib¬ eral democracy in favor of the Heritage Foundation philo.sophy--a right wing think tank out of Washington, D.C.
Laughlin feels that "Let the People Speak" fulfills a need for the average person to have a voice, and to confront racism and sexism. She refuses to inter¬ view Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan, or people, she says, who hate women. She says that as an independent, she has the free¬ dom to find progressive people who talk about the needs of "the average, work¬ ing, poor people."
Laughlin utilizes public access tele¬ vision because she says that is the cheap¬ est medium for social activists "and av¬ erage folks." Without public access, for example, it would cost from S2(X) to $3(X) per hour to use a commercial tele¬ vision studio.
Laughlin believes that if a cable com¬ pany is going to have a monopoly, il
should give something back to the com¬ munity. She went on to state that this is what public access is about. "Being heard is the bottom line," she said, "what¬ ever your point of view might be."
Laughlin won her first award for "Co-Madres," which showed the moth¬ ers of those who have disappeared in El Salvador. While filming in El Salvador, Laughlin saw mothers searching for their young sons and daughters in garbage heaps, where they had been thrown after being toriured and killed.
Laughlin again went to a war zone when she traveled to Croatia in 1993 to produce a videotape of a refugee camp. In Croatia Laughlin met Bosnian women refugees who told of mass rapes against them as a tactic of war.
Laughlin ended her lecture by re¬ minding her audience of two tragedies. One was the 1911 incident in which the f riangle Shirtwaist Factory was bumed with women locked inside, because its owners were afraid they would steal .some thread. The other incident took place two years ago in a North Carolina chicken prcK;essing factory, in which workers were bumed to death because the owners, fearful that they would steal rotten chicken paris. had locked the doors.
"We have a lot todo, folks," Laughlin concluded. "Women have said, 'We will not put up with this.'-"
election officials because many voters did not write a position with the write-in candidates' names, did not write the can¬ didates' last names,or grossly misspelled the candidates' names.
The write-in candidates most affected by voter error were Clarissa Arellano, who ran for SG president, and Mike Godelia, who ran for SG recording sec¬ retary. When presented with unclear write-in ballots, election officials had to make judgments on what voters intended to write, and all ballots judged to be too vague were disqualified.
Whether or not a vague ballot was counted was subjective. For example, "Clarissa A," "Clarissa Arendondo," and "Mike Codelia" were counted, while "Christine Arellano," "Clarissa" and "Mike Goliad" were not.
Cindy Mikeska, SG election commit¬ tee chairwoman, defended the judgments made by election officials.
"We put on the ballot that we needed the fust initial and the candidate's last name, and 1 would even take just the last name," Mikeska said. "All we needed was a last name, and if it was even close to the person's name we realized that they were trying to .spell that student's name and we counted it." cent on pg 3
Super fan Tom NIell shows his true colors at Mar. 6 Basketball game
UTSA student runs for city council
Angela Fairmeadow
StaffWrtter
UTSA political science major Rich¬ ard Moore announced his candidacy for Cily Council District 8 last week, prom¬ ising to give greater representation to student concems at City Hall.
Moore launched his drive to fill the vacancy left by Bill Thornton with a mass mailing to 1 .(XX) voters. The race for District 8 isa fairly crowdeu. includ¬ ing candidates Alan E. Thorn Bacon, Bert Cecconi, Ray Hamilton and Robert Marbut.
Moore predicts an uphill battle due to Ihe demographics of District 8. He con¬ tends that Disuict 8 has an older, slightly more wealthy demographic base that reaches as far as N.W. Military Drive. While concenuating his efforts on the west side of I-10, he states that his oppo¬ nents are concentrating theirs jusl south of Shavano Park.
"It is interesting lo note," Moore said, "that the other candidates are basing their candidacies in a section of town in which the average annual income per person is over $ ICX),(XX)."
Claiming that one of his opponents has raised more than S10G,(XX) in cam¬ paign contributions, Moore asserts that in a local city council race the need to spend so much on a campaign may call into question the strength of one's argu¬ ments.
Moore's pledges to his constituents
include safer neighborhoods, upgraded roads, a water plan, promotion of com¬ mercial crowth. and protection of San Antonio's military bases from closure.
MiKire entered the political arena, he said, "because I could no longer sit around and not t;ike on thc responsibility Ihat 1 was asking of others."
Twenty-nine year old Mcx)re is a gradu.iteof McCollum High School. He developed his leadership and manage¬ ment .style during his four year tenure in thc US Navy, which included serving aboard the USS Nimitz. After his hon¬ orable discharge in 1990. he retumed to sch(X)l on the Montgomery GI Bill.
Believing strongly that UTSA stu¬ dents arc capable of changing govern¬ ment for the better, Moore feels that his voter base will be through and around UTSA.
Mcxire says hisconstiluentsare young college graduates who see a need to bring control of the city govemment away from the moneyed interests and back to a community-based organiza¬ tion.
M(K)re prom iscs to tackle the Edwards Aquifer water problem as the first item on his agenda, asserting that San Anto¬ nio has yet to come up with a compre¬ hensive plan in 30 years.
Claiming that thc Applewhite reser¬ voir andother aspects of the 205O Project wca" unallractive, Moore states that it was still a comprehensive plan. He feels that Ihe studies made for the 2050 plan
Richard Moore swears In as a candidate for City Council District 8
should be developed into an alternative plan, rather than sink more tiioney inin studies.
"The people of San Anionio aie iioi going to suppon Applewtme." NU-.m. asserted. He went on to say iIkii Applewhite opponent, Kay 1 urncr. h\< done a disservice to San Anionio - iioi by organizing politically and dereaiing a questionable plan, but by failing to conic to grips with the seriousness of the i. ir cumstances.
Declaring that San Anionio icsidenl^ have aright to feel secure in their home-; Moore stated that economic piosporiu and social responsibility aiedifliciill Ir achieve if citizens do not feel proiecied He is a strong supporter of iieighlv" hood watch programs.
Moore is excited about the hroacien ing of the business base around U IS.A. Although it will mean increased activity in the university, M(X)re say.s. he [ircfci s tosee more commercial rather ihan resi dential development.
Harkeningbacktothe Bush-fcn (nn emor campaign that he worked on. Moore says he sU"cmgly supports Hustis philosophy that we should all strive to make Texas a great place for residents and tourists alike, and a place ol op|H)i tunity as well.
"The reestablishmeni of personal commitment shouid bc a major piiority in the life of every individual." Moore said, adding that personal resix)nsibiliiy should be an individual as well as a national goal.
"We hve in a demcxracy." M(H)ie said, "and a democracy din's not woik unless its people participate. Also, laws are only as effective as the willingness of people to follow them."
Moore does not believe that the pow cr of student participation in ttie demo cratic process shouldbe underestimated. "At UTSA. there are 17.(KX) of us ^ 17,000 suong. If half of us can bc mobihzed, we'll win."
Moore believes that voting is the key todemocracy. "Democracy only works if people participate," he emphasi/ed. "It is important for younger [wople to realize the voice dial they have. And Ihe only way that wc can p<i.s«ibly affect our govemment—and tell them what we want—is with that vote."
When asked about voter turnout, he responded by .saying, "Students need to realize what a powerful force the can be. The tumout is typically 20 pt.vcnt of the registered voters, and what that means is probably less than 12 perceni of Ihe people are determining who their leaders are. That is disastrous in a de¬ mocracy."