Homophobic hate speech shakes Heights

Trevor Maine
Reporter

Last week the Heights was the site of a fifth campus anti-GLBTIA hate-speech incident in two months.

Graphic, derogatory comments against GLBTIA residents were found written on a whiteboard on the third floor of Peterson Hall, according to Director of Residential Life Patti Klein.

“I would define it as hate speech, and the campus would define it as hate speech,” Klein said.

“I take this very seriously,” said Shirleen Hoffman, director of Safety and Security on campus. “Clearly, [hate speech] is something that can be easily done without being observed, especially in an area that’s not covered by cameras.”

Hoffman said she has now specifically instructed all officers to watch for any suspicious activity that might be related to acts of intolerance.

Old bar, new owner - and no more clowns

The Turf Club, well-known as a haven for live music by its fans in the Twin Cities, recently changed ownership. The club has been a fixture in the Twin Cities for 70 years and in Mark Johnson’s family since 1969. He bought it in 1994 from an aunt, and now he’s passing the business on to the owner of the
Dubliner Pub, Tom Scanlon.

While many have voiced doubt that the club will remain the same, that is exactly the intention of its new owner.

“My hope for the Turf Club is that it will remain as it is now and we will improved it,” Scanlon said.

Most of the staff is staying on with the new ownership, Scanlon said, including longtime bar tender and music booker Dave Ricker.

Editorial: Stop with the hate-speech writings

Just stop. Stop, and think about what you’re doing. What it is that makes you feel the need to act out in such a puerile, angry fashion? We are, of course, referring to the five acts of hate speech against the GLBTIA community in the last two months. The chalkings, the sticker-tearing, the scrawled whiteboard messages. Five times in less than two months. This is a pattern of intentional, malicious behavior.

We know who some of you are. We saw the sign on the door at the party last weekend. It read: “No homosexuals allowed except for lesbians, who must make out to get in.”

Maybe you (or several of you) wrote these recent repulsive messages. Maybe you didn’t. It doesn’t matter; you might as well have written them, because you are supporting and perpetuating such behavior with your intolerance.

Is love in the movies lost?

Within the last week, I managed to sneak out to watch a movie in the theaters. I was sick for, well, all of spring break, so my planned cinema extravaganza was filled with Tylenol PM. Therefore, in order to catch up, I decided I must go out and see the newest Joan Allen/Kevin Costner film, The Upside of Anger.
Now, I don’t typically enjoy Costner films, despite the fact that I keep watching them. I managed to stay awake during Dances with Wolves, made it through Waterworld by laughing hysterically at the dialogue, and for some reason viewed For Love of the Game (with any luck, hypnosis will rid me of the memory of the screen’s worst pair of actors - Costner and Kelly Preston). And this was no exception. Despite a wonderful performance by Joan Allen (really, top notch), the film goes nowhere and stays there, relying on hackneyed clichés in the portrayals of Allen’s four daughters and idiotically asking Kevin Costner to infuse some charm into the show (which is like relying on Liz Taylor for marital advice). However, the movie gave way to a far more dire problem that I noticed leaving the theater - the romance in the film was nearly a back story. Costner’s and Allen’s dating, the whole point of the film, is a footnote (and this is a love story! ). This isn’t like those terrible sports films that shove in a romantic subplot to gain the “date-movie” status. This is a full-fledged, lovey-dovey, should-be-playing-“Moon River”-over-the-end-credits sort of film.
Where has movie romance gone?

Softball picks up steam with four wins

After a rough start on their spring break trip to Arizona, the Hamline softball team is beginning to fire on all cylinders. The Pipers are currently battling atop the MIAC with a record of 7-9 overall (3-1 MIAC) and are sitting in second place in the standings.

Split against Northwestern

The Pipers got their hot streak rolling March 31 with a doubleheader split against Northwestern College.

After losing a close battle in the first game 6-5, where the Pipers were led by Niki Seal and Sara Mickelson at the plate, the Pipers responded with an 8-1 victory.

First-year pitcher Whitney Strid had a great outing for the Pipers, pitching five innings, striking out four and giving up five hits. Strid was backed by strong Piper hitting, led by junior Rachael Young, who had a double and a triple.

Lost in the Crowd: Jordan Koch

Lindsey Anderson, Oracle: I always see you hanging out at the ITS help desk. How long have you worked there?

Jordan Koch: I actually just started there this semester. I like it a lot. Working at ITS is definitely most relevant to what I want to do. I really want to mix biology and computer science - my two majors - and create a career out of it. I am really interested in genetics. My dad always made me watch science shows with him when I was in junior high and in high school. In ninth grade, I did my first research paper on stem-cell research. I guess I’ve been hooked ever since.

I did an independent study my senior year in high school that allowed to learn even more about stem-cell research. It’s just so interesting. I’d eventually like to work as a Fulbright Scholar doing some genetics research. [Biology professor] Presley Martin doesn’t know it yet, but I plan on working with him sometime. He’s even more into genetics than I am. I love how the science faculty is so engaged with the students here.