Tel Aviv attack shocks UCLA community

Tel Aviv attack shocks UCLA community

Students, profs worry that peace talks may suffer

By Phillip Carter

Daily Bruin Staff

The psychic shock wave of Wednesday’s car bomb attack in Tel
Aviv rolled through UCLA as students and professors spoke out on
the terrorist act that killed 22 people and injured 46.

"I think it was terrible ­ they’re trying to get the whole
peace process together and then this happens," first-year student
Amy Leonard said. "I don’t think terrorism is the answer ­ it
doesn’t solve problems."

The Palestinian group Hamas took responsibility for the bombing
shortly after the blast rocked central Tel Aviv.

"As human beings, we’re outraged at the manner in which Hamas
has decided to act," Iranian Student Group internal coordinator
Saeed Sadeshi said. "We hope that events like these don’t hold up
the Middle East peace process."

Fourth-year international relations student Todd Ruzylo echoed
concern for the peace process, arguing that it suffers from a
disparity between action and rhetoric.

"If (the parties) want peace, they have to act like they want
peace ­ that’s the bottom line," Ruzylo said. "Every bad act
causes fragmentation, which is the antithesis of cohesion ­
and cohesion is what the leaders want."

But the bombing symbolizes the region’s complex politics, and
students acknowledged that the conflict behind the bombing exists
in shades of gray, not black and white.

"The action itself is an act of random violence against
civilians, and it has to be condemned," Muslim Student Association
spokesman Kamran Aghaie said. "(What) leads to these problems is
that the Palestinian population feels that it’s not really getting
a voice in the peace negotiations."

Hamas’ place in the peace process was questioned by Fernando
Vicente, a fourth-year political science student. He said that the
group denied itself a place in the negotiations with its violent
acts.

"I don’t know if they have a role in the international system,
but they’re trying to break apart the peace process," Vicente said.
"(Hamas) considers Arafat to be a sell-out to the Palestinians, and
as long as they’re violent they won’t be politically
legitimate."

Adding a historical perspective to the bombing, UCLA Professor
David Ellenson said that this type of event builds on centuries-old
hatreds among Middle East cultures.

"It simply reinforces the old enmities and stereotypes that both
sides hold against the other," said Ellenson, who teaches Near
Eastern studies. "It creates an atmosphere of distrust that renders
the peace process more difficult ­ but hopefully not
impossible."

To achieve regional trust and tranquility, UCLA’s Hillel
director Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller said that Middle East
peacemakers must go beyond speaking out and take action.

"It’s not enough for Arafat to merely condemn the terror, he has
to act against it," Seidler-Feller said.

He added that the peace process carries too much momentum and
importance to be stopped.

"The sentiment is that a cessation of the peace process would be
granting a victory to the terrorists," he said.

Students fight for continuation of Tagalog

Students fight for continuation of Tagalog

Students given assurances by dean, remain wary of language
course’s future

By Allison Lefkowitz

Daily Bruin Staff

Pilipino American students have taken what they called a small
step in the right direction in their fight to save courses on
Tagalog, the national language of the Philippines.

In the midst of Pilipino American History Month, members of the
Committee for Pilipino Studies met Tuesday with Dean of Humanities
Pauline Yu to discuss Tagalog’s status.

A three-year grant for the class, funded by the Office of
Instructional Development, will expire at the end of this year, and
students have been working to ensure the language’s instruction
will continue at UCLA.

Yu said the students came to her at Tuesday’s meeting asking for
a written commitment that Tagalog be funded on a permanent basis.
But she said she could not give them this commitment because no
elementary language classes are funded permanently, and the funding
is allocated on a year-to-year basis.

"I expressed my agreement that Tagalog is an important part of
the curriculum," Yu said. "We will do our best to ensure that it
will continue after the Office of Instructional Development funding
runs out."

Yu said she could not promise funding for the 1995-96 year
because it is still too early in the year to make such decisions
about the budget. The budget is usually finalized in the spring,
though there have been occasions where it has not been finalized
until fall, she said.

Although Yu was unable to make a concrete promise regarding
Tagalog, students who attended Tuesday’s meeting spoke positively
about it and about working with her to keep Tagalog in the
curriculum.

"It will take a little while for things to sink in," said Jay
Mendoza, coordinator of the Committee for Pilipino Studies and a
graduate student in Ethnomusicology. "The meeting really solidified
what Yu will do for us because she funded other languages."

Through the Humanities division, funding for Thai, Hindi and
Vietnamese ­ known as Less Commonly Taught Languages ­
was found earlier this year and the languages will continue to be
taught.

In a letter addressed to College of Letters & Science
Provost Brian Copenhaver, Mendoza wrote "because of (Yu’s)
receptiveness and dedication to offering Thai, Hindi and
Vietnamese, we are confident that Tagalog courses are no longer in
danger of being discontinued."

"We are taking her word that she will find funding for
(Tagalog)," said fifth-year history student Arnold Serrano, one of
about 10 students on the Committee for Pilipino Studies.

In their work to continue Tagalog’s instruction, members of the
committee and the Pilipino American community circulated a petition
signed by over 900 people and researched Tagalog instruction at
colleges including Cornell University, University of Michigan and
the University of Wisconsin.

Instruction of Tagalog as a pilot program provided an
opportunity for the university to see if it should be integrated
into the curriculum, said David Wilson, assistant Dean of
Humanities.

"It has been clear to myself and Dean Yu that this has been a
successful experiment and we should make it a high priority to come
up with a way to continue it," Wilson said. "We intend to find a
way to make it happen."

But despite Tuesday’s meeting with Yu, some students expressed
skepticism about Tagalog’s future.

"I’m hoping everything will work out," said Dawn Mabalon,
director of the Samahang Pilipino Education and Retention project.
"But we can’t be complacent and expect to get everything we ask
for."

Mabalon said the administration before Yu came in was not
working with the Pilipino American community, and students often
met dead ends. But she added Yu has done more for the students and
she hopes there will continue to be a good working relationship
with her.

"Skepticism has a definite role in the campaign for Tagalog,"
Mendoza said. "It keeps us on our toes and without it we wouldn’t
ask critical questions."

Mendoza said skepticism stems from the fact that in past
movements the administration has made promises to students without
coming through.

"But we are really trying to have a good working relationship
(with Yu)," Mendoza added.

Serrano said that although the university has been receptive, he
also wants administrators to understand that Tagalog is only one
aspect of the larger curricular reform issue.

"Hopefully, the success of the Tagalog campaign this week is a
sign that other administrators will be receptive to the idea of a
Southeast Asian minor," Mendoza said.

In an effort to educate the Pilipino American community and the
UCLA community, seven Pilipino student groups came together and
planned Pilipino American History Month for October. Events
included a forum on AIDS in the Pilipino American community, a
poetry reading, film festival and an exhibit in the Kerckhoff Art
Gallery. The month will conclude with a rally on Oct. 27 in
Schoenberg Plaza to address the issue of Tagalog and curricular
reform.

Serrano said the rally was initially planned as a fight to save
Tagalog, though it will now focus more on curricular issues
including a Southeast Asian minor and a Pilipino Studies
program.

"The rally will be a celebration of student power that we can
make changes not only for the Pilipino students, but for the whole
campus," Serrano said.

LaJoye’s ‘Snowflake’ finds solace in hope-laden junk

LaJoye’s ‘Snowflake’ finds solace in hope-laden junk

Former clown’s hometown hero inspires comedy

By Rodney Tanaka

Each snowflake that falls to earth possesses unique
characteristics.

Each performance of Gale LaJoye’s one-man show "Snowflake," also
changes with each new inception. Snowflake mixes physical comedy
with a touching portrait of a homeless man who entertains himself
with the objects strewn about a vacant lot. LaJoye, a former circus
performer, maximizes the possibilities of the props around him.

This "Snowflake" falls on the Freud Playhouse on Saturday.

"As a mime performer I ask how I can simplify the performance
and how can I supply all the visual information the audience needs
in order to enjoy the message," LaJoye says. "(The show is)
designed so that no one can predict what’s going to happen next,
and that’s where the surprise elements come, in the physical
performance."

Snowflake, the only character in the piece, is based on a man
named Donald Stenglein. The man everyone called Snowflake became
familiar to LaJoye while growing up in Michigan. Stenglein’s
constant presence in LaJoye’s hometown added a sense of security.
"If you ever left town for a long time and came back, Snowflake
would be walking the streets," LaJoye says.

LaJoye began to form a character based on Snowflake’s
characteristics and personality. "I took elements of what he was
about, his clothing, how he walked, and I touch on his physical
disabilities, but I don’t overdo that," LaJoye says. "He was an
honest and kind person, a person who had a sense of humor, so I
used those qualities when I was putting the show together."

Originally a Christmas show, LaJoye gradually shaped "Snowflake"
into a humorous piece of physical comedy with serious undertones.
"This always stuck in my mind, that Snowflake would never have a
child or family of his own," says LaJoye. "The nature of the
performance is about creativity, the self-worth of the individual,
and the discarded people finding hope together. These are attitudes
that play underneath the performance and are brought out in subtle
ways."

LaJoye expresses these emotions without uttering one word
onstage. His physical prowess was honed through years of training
while his educational path took many turns. LaJoye entered college
interested in pre-law, then became bored and looked toward
architecture. A introductory theater course for his humanities
requirement piqued his interest in performance. He enrolled in mime
training and then in the Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus
World and Combined Show Inc. in 1974. In a whirlwind eight weeks he
trained in the art of clowning, everything from juggling to
movement and clown history.

"You really leave there not knowing any more than when you went
in," LaJoye says. "But you have an idea of which direction to
travel in. You keep moving and find your own path."

The path for LaJoye included a six-year stint with Ringling
Bros. in which he ascended the clown ladder. He became a master
clown and promoted the circus and clowning by giving performances
and lectures. He also operated a one-ring circus inside a Florida
amusement park and produced his own shows. An accident halted his
activities for four years as he recovered physically and
mentally.

Ten years after the accident LaJoye enjoys renewed success. His
current projects, along with touring "Snowflake," includes "a
100-year-old turtle that travels the universe" and the final
performance of the Snowflake character in a new context and a
different show.

The real Snowflake will not experience the new version of his
offspring, as he passed away three years ago. However, he caught
"Snowflake" during its initial run in Michigan. After the
performance, much like the his dramatic namesake, Donald Stenglein
managed to convey his emotions with a single gesture: the thumbs-up
sign.

At the time of the performance Stenglein’s health had declined
due to diabetes. At his funeral one of the ministers giving the
eulogy said, "like snowflakes, where each one is unique and
different, so was Don," LaJoye says. "We tend to think that way
about him."

PERFORMANCE: Gale LaJoye’s "Snowflake" at the Freud Playhouse.
Saturday, Oct. 22. 2 p.m and 7 p.m. TIX: $20 (half price for
children 16 and under), $9 for students. For more info call (310)
825-2352.

Theatricals bring ancient past to the present

Theatricals bring ancient past to the present

Getty theater uses Greek and Roman setting successfully

By Jeana Blackman

A high-pitched metallic sounding wind instrument fills the open
courtyard. Four drummers beat a response and the audience gets
their first taste of the events that are to come. The music,
combined with the Getty’s picturesque garden that serves as the
seating area, instantly creates an atmosphere different from most
other theatrical experiences.

As the spectators sit, they realize they are surrounded by Roman
columns on and off the stage. Director Michael Hackett, a UCLA
professor in the theater department, uses all of this to help
produce a style that hearkens back to ancient theater.

After the opening music reaches its climax, a single actor takes
the stage and Menander’s Greek comedy, "The Woman from Samos,"
begins. Moschion (Jon Matthews) instantly engages the audience with
the events that have led to this very moment in time, where the fun
starts. The set-up is rather complicated, but Matthews handles it
beautifully with energy, wit, and a great storytelling ability.

The plot revolves around the miscommunication between Moschion,
his father Demeus (Jay Bell), Demeus’ mistress Chrysis (Tress
Sharbough), and their neighbor Nikeratos (Larry Randolph).
Accusations fly as characters act and react based on partial
information.

The comic style of each individual combines to form a production
that is full and exciting to watch. Chrysis is the sentimentalist
while Moschion plays the naive young lover. Demius and Nikeratos
contrast delightfully as the domineering but warm-hearted father
and the clueless, bumbling neighbor respectively. Add in an
all-knowing but cowardly slave (Robert Machray) and a wonderfully
strong comedienne as the cook (Kathy Kinney) and the audience is in
for a real treat.

Everyone in the cast propels the intricate plot forward,
constantly surprising the audience with new antics and further
complications until everything is finally revealed and all is
forgiven.

In the tradition of ancient comedy, there is also a chorus that
enters occasionally and entertains in their costumes complete with
stuffed phalluses. These buffoons, although silent, keep the
on-lookers laughing throughout their routines.

Alex Jaeger, the costume designer, uses loose, flowing costumes
that enable the actors to move around and create a physical as well
as a verbal comedy. The chorus has the best costumes by far. There
are wonderfully oversized bellies, wild wigs and beards, and of
course phalluses for the three women. The two men wear body suits
with a horse’s tail in back and an erect phallus in front. All five
have fake noses that emphasize their bright eyes. Their outfits
alone evoke laughter.

The music adds yet another layer to an already delightful
performance. The neverending beat energizes the crowd and the
actors. It accentuates punchlines, underscores movement, and
provides the tantalizing background to the chorus’ dance.

Hackett’s dramatization of Menander’s comedy, written in the
third century B.C., proves that much of human nature has not
changed over the centuries. Everyone in the audience can relate to
the foibles of each character and laughs at themselves in the
process.

Plautus’ Roman comedy Casina fills out the evening, but doesn’t
fare as well as the first. This is mainly because the plot is
weaker than the first making the play drag on a bit. Part of the
problem is the cold. If you do see this show, bring warm clothing
or you’ll be an icicle by the end of the evening. However it still
has some really great moments that help keep the show alive and
make you forget that you’re freezing.

The plot is relatively simple. Cleostrata (Hope
Alexander-Willis) suspects her husband Lysidamus (Larry Randolph)
of infidelity and cleverly manipulates him out of the woman he
desires. It’s an interesting plot considering the conservative
values of audiences in Rome c. 250 B.C. Yet the plot just does not
have enough devices and twist to sustain it to the end, despite the
entertaining performances.

There is one moment that stands out from the rest of the play.
The neighbor Myrrhina (Loretta Devine) and the maid Pardalisca
(Kathy Kinney) set Cleostrata’s plan into action. They hysterically
warn Lysidamus that the woman he desires has gone crazy and is
weilding a sword waiting to kill the first man who touches her. The
whole scene is hilarious.

The set is the same except that the partition is removed and a
painting of a comical character is exposed. The costumes are the
same style and the women’s makeup is very dramatic. The music is
actually more varied and entertaining in this piece. The drummers
who were previously onstage now sit in the orchestral area, each
with different instruments. They are a lot more musical and more
fun.

In general, "Casina" is more bawdy with blatant sexual
references running rampant. But the language is more lyrical than
in Menander’s comedy. Overall, this was an extremely enjoyable
voyage back to ancient history.

STAGE: "The Woman from Samos." Written by Menander. Playing at
the J. Paul Getty Museum Oct. 20-23 and Oct. 27-30 at 7:30 p.m.
Tix: $35. For info call (213) 365-3500.

Military segregation means second-class citizenship

Military segregation means second-class citizenship

By Lino Zambrano

J.D. Whitlock’s well-intentioned arguments ("Gay activists must
seek ROTC compromise," Oct. 12) to revive Jim Crow segregation in
the U.S. Armed Forces with gays and lesbians segregated instead of
blacks is based on specious reasoning with a potential for
substantial mischief.

He believes that there exists an "invasion of privacy" when the
genitalia of heterosexual service personnel are exposed to the view
of homosexuals as well as heterosexuals in the showers or living
quarters.

As a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces, I would like to offer
some observations.

It is my sense that there are tens of thousands of gays and
lesbians on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces ­ perhaps
several hundred thousand.

It is likely that by now, J.D. Whitlock has had gay servicemen
sleeping and undressing in the same small berths with him and has
taken showers with several, if not dozens, of gay servicemen.

So why would J.D. Whitlock remain unaware of this "invasion of
privacy?" I suggest there are two possible reasons.

1.) Most of his gay servicemates who shower with him or see him
undressed do not find him sexually interesting. I do not say this
to be unpleasant. Constant exposure to naked bodies in
circumstances inappropriate for sexual contact results, in varying
degrees, in sexually desensitizing the gay and lesbian service
personnel in the inappropriate surroundings ­ much as male
gynecologists become sexually desensitized in professional
surroundings.

2.) Those homosexual service personnel who are not sexually
desensitized simply keep their eyes and their hands to
themselves.

Lifting the ban on openly gay and lesbian service personnel in
the U.S. Armed Forces would leave intact prohibitions against and
punishments for sexual expression in specifically designated areas,
e.g., barracks or naval vessels.

How servicemen and servicewomen, heterosexual or homosexual,
express themselves sexually elsewhere, on their free time, is their
business alone, not that of the U.S. Congress nor even that of
their fellow service personnel.

Several nations have lifted all prohibitions against the
complete integration of openly gay and lesbian service members in
their armed forces, e.g. France, Canada, Australia and the
Netherlands. None have reported any impairment of military
decorum.

The right to bear arms in the armed forces of the nation, on an
equal basis with one’s fellows, is an essential attribute of
first-class citizenship. Jim Crow segregation for gays and lesbians
in the U.S. Armed Forces would institutionalize second-class
citizenship in the United States.

Zambrano is a 1994 alumnus of the UCLA School of Public
Health.

We cannot compromise upholding of civil rights

We cannot compromise upholding of civil rights

By Ali Beck and Jùlio C. Rosa

In "Gay activists must seek ROTC compromise" (Oct. 12), J.D.
Whitlock appeals to the fears and prejudices of people who are
misinformed about the issues surrounding gays in ROTC. He paints a
picture of gay military personnel as being unfit to live with
straight service members for fear that they will be unable to
control their actions. At first glance, his points may appear
logical, but a closer look reveals the flaws and lack of knowledge
at the base of his argument.

He suggests we begin by integrating gays in the military in the
same way gays are integrated in society. As was proven by the Out
List that ran in the Daily Bruin on Tuesday, gays are everywhere.
We are staff, students, faculty and alumni and we are all protected
under Title IX, the university’s nondiscrimination clause. Indeed,
gays should be integrated as they are in the "UCLA society." Gays
in ROTC should have the same civil rights as gays in all other
segments of UCLA.

J.D. (who should come out with his name) also suggests that we
should integrate gays in ROTC as men and women are integrated. The
reason men and women are separated does not derive from their
presumed inability to control themselves sexually, but rather from
our societal structure which separates people by sex from a very
young age.

In using this argument, Whitlock ignores the fact that gay men,
lesbians and bisexuals were brought up in the same way as
heterosexuals, using facilities designed for people of their
gender. He implies that living in close quarters with gays would
lead to sexual harassment, again buying into the myth that gay
people are unable to control themselves sexually and will
essentially make advances toward anyone of the same gender.

Indeed, sexual harassment is a problem in the military, but the
vast majority of it comes from the heterosexual male population,
not the gay population. Should we therefore ban straight men from
ROTC? The answer is clearly no. We each have the right to be judged
on the basis of our actions, not by factors such as our gender and
sexual orientation. The UCLA nondiscrimination policy guarantees us
this right, yet the ROTC program continues to bar gay, lesbian and
bisexual students from participating.

Whitlock brings up a concern voiced by many who have not fully
informed themselves of the issues surrounding ROTC on campus,
namely, that students’ scholarships will be taken away from them if
the program is dismantled. First, we would like to point out that
the proposed phasing out would allow students currently in ROTC to
finish, and would simply cut off new admissions to the program.
Second, Whitlock seems to conveniently forget that under current
ROTC policy, any student found to be gay will have his or her
scholarship taken away automatically and can be forced to repay any
money received.

Since when do we allow this sort of blatant discrimination to
exist? If a program on campus did not allow Latina/o students to
participate, for example, would we say that it should be allowed to
continue this policy because it benefitted students of other,
non-Latina/o races? We doubt it. In addition, the annual $100,000 –
$150,000 that pays for ROTC operations on campus could be used to
set up scholarships open to students of all sexual orientations,
targeting groups currently served by the ROTC program.

Whitlock suggests that because ROTC follows the policy of a
national institution, it is therefore a national issue, not a
campus issue. Yes, discrimination in the military occurs
nationwide, and had Whitlock done his homework, he might know that
there have been several campaigns in recent years to change the
Department of Defense policy regarding gays, lesbians and
bisexuals. Though these movements have been worthwhile, they have
been unsuccessful and the new "don’t ask, don’t tell" policy allows
the "witch hunts" and purges of gays to continue as usual.

Faced with this fact, it is time for us to look at the
discrimination occurring in our own neighborhood. The truth is, we
have the power and the obligation to protect the rights of UCLA
students, regardless of whether it affects national policy. David
Mixner, by founding the Freedom Project, has demonstrated his
commitment to assuring that UCLA upholds its non-discrimination
policy for all students at all times, not when and where it is
convenient.

Whitlock commends Leland Kim, the UCLA junior and Army Reserves
sergeant as a "top-notch" officer. We could not agree more, and the
courage Kim displayed in coming out should serve as an example to
those around him. If you truly believe that Kim is an outstanding
service member, stop restricting him in order to appease the fears
and prejudices of others. Judge him based on his actions. Let him
serve.

An institution which would deny him this right because of his
sexual orientation has no place on a campus committed to upholding
the civil rights of its students.

Beck, a second-year film, theater and television student, and
Rosa, a fifth- year sociology student specializing in women’s
studies, are the co-chairs of GALA.

UC reaffirms protection of gay, lesbian rights

UC reaffirms protection of gay, lesbian rights

The following message in honor of Coming Out Week was delivered
by UC President Jack Peltason Oct. 13:

I appreciate this opportunity to affirm the University of
California’s commitment to seeing that our campuses continue to be
communities that welcome the strengths and contributions of the
diverse individuals they embrace, regardless of race, sex, sexual
orientation or any other personal characteristic.

At the most basic level, this commitment is reflected in the
university’s longstanding concern about protecting individuals
against discrimination. UC policies are very clear in this regard,
and we work hard to see that their spirit is encouraged and
respected throughout the university community.

Beyond these basic protections, I want the university’s lesbian,
gay and bisexual community to know that I consider it essential to
ensure that broad discussion and consultation occur on issues
important to you, including such matters as whether benefits should
be provided for domestic partners on the same basis as spouses of
employees.

Members of my senior staff and I have met with the UC Lesbian,
Gay and Bisexual Association to discuss this and other issues of
concern, and we plan future meetings as well. I have also asked my
staff to review the Academic Council’s important reports and
recommendations on benefits for non-spousal domestic partnerships,
and to follow closely legislative developments at both the state
and the national levels.

The dialogue we have begun will continue in the spirit of study,
consultation and debate that is one of our great strengths as a
university. I want to thank the members of the UC Lesbian, Gay and
Bisexual Association for their constructive role in this dialogue.
And I also want to take this occasion to thank the members of the
university’s lesbian, gay and bisexual community for the many
contributions you have made, and will continue to make, to the
University and its important missions.

Jack Peltason is the President of the University of
California.