1990-09-26

              I An interview with Governor Perpich |-----------------------------------------------Page 6
Readers react to'Mixer on the Move"
 ------------------------------------------------- Page 22
i
Senator Durenburger: Resign
 ---------------------------------------------------Page 15

P.O. Box 1285 Saint John's University Collegeville, MN 56321

The Record

VoCume CUT, 
Official Student 9{etuspaper

Non-profit organizati US Postage pi-Saint John's Univers

Septem6er 26,1990

Recent alums stationed with troops in Gulf

By Paul Sadler & MattMcKinney

Staff Writers

Five former SJU Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC)membershavebeen stationed in Saudi Arabia with the Persian Gulf forces. Tom Huot '88, John Mullon '87, Mike Reilly '88, Steve Vollert87,andMiJceWalz'89are currently participating in "Operation Desert Shield" with other U.S. troops. In addition, Keving Burke '90, currently in field artillery school, is petitioning the army to have his orders changed to active duty in Saudi Arabia.

"These men have a true sense of patriotism and duty," said Lt. Col. Norman Hansen, SJU chair of military science. "They understand the broad picture of defending world freedom."

Gary Reiling, a civilian in charge of military supplies, echoed Hansen's statement. "These men know their mission and know why they are there," he said.

Lori Walz, CSB senior, was married to Mike Walz for about a month before he was sent to Saudi Arabia. From letters he has sent, she knows he is located 60 kilometers south of Kuwait. "I'm scared of the uncertainty," Walz said.

The soldiers were called to duty almost immediately following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. According to various new sources, Saddam Hussein, Iraq's leader, apparently had been planning the invasion as early as 1986, in part to boost Iraq's economy after a long period of borrowing from Kuaitduring Iraq's eight year war with Iran.

"Hello from the ashtray of the world," wrote on of the five Johnnies in a letter to PauletteAllickson, a military personnel technician. "The conditions are tremendous, the heat reaching 120 to 130 degrees with 20 to 35 mph winds. Most of the training here occurs at night" He also mentioned the annoying animal life in the desert, including "camel spiders and desert vipers."

When asked for the soldiers location in Saudi Arabia, Allickson said that "security is very tight and the location is considered classified information."

Another letter from one of the soldiers revealed a somber mood: "So, another school year has begun for everyone at SJU and with it, I imagine, the peace and tranquility of the summerhas come to an end as well. As I recall, however, the start of the school year at SJU seemed to explode withpositiveenergy, excitement, and potential. In fact, the only times when I felt more alive was when I marred, and when my two children were born," he continued. "All of us in the 82nd (airborne division) get used to the possibility of death. But all of us want to live, either for what we have now, ore want to accomplish."

Don Talafous, OSB, SJU professor of theology, developed a personal relationship with Huot, one of the five. "He is a mixture of physical toughness and human  sensitivity,"  Talafous  com-

mented. "He is a good leader."

"Hardcore," is how Steve Bushman, principle drill instructor at SJU, described Huot. While serving in the ROTC program at SJU, Huot was the senior cadet commander and led the RangerChallengeTeam toa2ndplace finish at a national competition.

The current senior cadet commander, John Weidner, commented about the Iraq situation: "I hate to see it happen, yet we are there to uphold the values."

Graduates of the ROTC program at SJU are initially commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant. For five SJU alumni and others choosing a military career, six to twenty week s in a branch school mustbe completed after college graduation.     ____           ._________

Also see: Counterpoint on page 19 for related opinions on the Gulf crisis

One percent fee assessed to ValhDine charges

By D.A. Sipe

Staff Writer

A new billing process implemented this year by the student accounts office has been received with some confusion and might ultimately mean students will be paying more to charge with their Vali-dine identification cards. Although the new plan does not include any additional fees, its aim is the uniform and systematized calculation of finance charges.

In previous years students have been given the option to choose from one of three payment plans: a "Standard Payment Plan" and two variations of a

"Monthly Budget Plan," one financed through SJU, the other by Academic Management Services (AMS).aprivate finance company. Under the Standard Plan a student may choose to pay each term's charges in full before the commencement of each semester. A student who opted to pay through AMS, for example, was charged a one-time fee of $45. While those who chose the SJU monthly plan agreed to pay part of their bill each month as well as an additional service charge which varied according to thenumberof payments and the dollar amount rendered each month.

In an interview las t week with The Record, Dave Keller, SJU director of stu-

dent accounts likened the old system to a broken car that was in need of a tune up. According to Keller the major deficiency was that the university "did not have~a system set up to implement finance charges." In other words, there was no established standard finance charge assessed to all students; rather, a separate service charge had to be calculated for every individual student. More specifically, those students who opted for the Standard payment Plan were "escaping" without being levied any service charge because they had paid their bill prior to any incidental costs incurred after the term had begun (i.e. the purchase of text books on the Vali-dine).

Richard Bresnahan, SJU potter and owner of the pottery studio beneath Joe Hall, checks one of the chambers in his wood-burning kiln. Done only a few times each year, the kiln firing lasts nearly a week, (photo by Paul Wegner)

Consequently, some students under the Standard Plan would not pay their monthly bill until as late as die end of the term. In effect, these students had slipped through the cracks of the SJU billing process because they were not considered tobeunderthemonthlybill-ing plan that automatically assessed the service charge to a student's bill.

New amendments to the billing process include a finance charge of one percent monthly (12% annual rate) assessed to all students automatically. Furthermore, every student is now required to formally choose a payment plan and sign a "Payment Agreement and disclosure Statement." Although a student is actually able to choose from any of the three plans, the new "Payment Agreement" provides for the choice of either of the two revamped St. John's plans and excludes AMS.

A student under any plan who pays his monthly bill, however, will not be charged a finance fee on the previous balance; instead the fee is assessed to the dollar amount remaining. For example, consider a student under the Monthly Budget Plan who owes $2000 plus an additional $300 in Vali-dine charges for the month of October. That month the student will receive a bill for $2300 but will only be assessed a finance charge of $20 covering the previous balance of $2000. At this time the student has the option of paying either $ 1000 or $ 1300; if the student chooses the latter, a finance charge for the items purchased on the Vali-dine will be avoided, and the student will receive a bill the following month for $1000 plus a $10 finance charge. The only difference is that those students under the Standard Plan will now be assessed the finance charge monthly.

See Vali-Dine   page 4

Moore fills new position

By Louise McNamara

Staff Writer

Maurice Moore assumed the role of Coordinator -of Minority Affairs on September 17, filling anew position at SJU and ensuring continued work on thecultural diversity issue at St. John's.

For less than a year, the duties of this

position*

b e f on

being ere

ated   be-]

longed

Jerom<

O'LearyJ

OP,   for-]

merassis-|

tant to the

president.|

O'Leary

quit   the

post   last'

spring. As Maurice Moore

reported

intheMay3,1990 issa&oiThe Record, O'Leary cited "philosophical and professional differences between himself and the University, as well as health-related concerns," as reasons for his departure.

"Establishing goals for deepening of cultural awareness was part of Jerry's job. His wide reading and his ability to get to know students allowed him to gain a real personal solidarity and bond with the cause," said D ietrich Reinhart, OSB, SJU dean of thecollegeof arts and sciences. However, O'Leary was jug-See Moore page 3

To Record readers:          ;.

Welcome back! As the new publish? ¦  , there area few changes

aware.

First; we are using a new layout-procedure which gives us a flexible and; ¦what v/e believe to be a more profes~;: sionallook.      ¦  ¦::

Sec6nd, \y ehave established an editor rial board which will guidethe policies; and direct!on of The Recofdi Editorials supported by the board, consisting of the editor, associate editor^: managing editor* news editor, and counterpoint editpr, will be printed unsigned andwui constitutetheopiri-ion of The Record. Editorialswithout tfie support of the board will be printe^t: with the author's name.   ¦.

Third, in: an attempt to cxparicl our coverage beyond! Saint John's, \yehaye'; subscribed to the College Press Serv-ice; afeature that will offer our readers; riews from- cpllege campuses from around the country.   ; ¦ :

It is our hope that these changes will improvebur coverage andbetter serve ^e;irucorrriational nbeds of our readers.- A

Michael G, Atkins

Editor:'; -: '"-:.. :v": v'\. ^:' 'x^.v:'"