Wheeler Cowperthwaite

Gegen das Erdbeben tanzen

2010-02-16T00:54:00.000-08:00

Published: February 16th
In: Dresdner Universitätsjournal
Subject: "Shake agaisnt the quake" Haiti benefit concert
English write up:
http://wheelercowperthwaite.blogspot.com/2010/02/dresden-rocks-for-haiti.html
(This portfolio, February 9th)

Tanzen und Feiern bei einem Benefizkonzert für die Haiti-Nothilfe

Am 4. Februar kamen etwa fünfhundert Menschen in den »Bärenzwinger«, um bei »shake against the quake« Geld fur die Haiti-Nothilfe einzunehmen und dann zu spenden.
»Das war sehr gut«, freute sich Dr. TorstenKönig, ein Mitarbeiter des Instituts für Romanistik-Studien der TU Dresden. »Und es war noch besser als erwartet.« König sagte, dass er weniger Gäste, TUDMitarbeiter und Studenten, erwartet hatte. »Schließlich ist Prüfungszeit«, sagte er.
Dieses gut besuchte Benefizkonzert erbrachte 3077 Euro. Das Geld geht zugunsten der arche noVa, eine Dresdner Hilfsorganisation, sagte Dr. König. Haiti ist ein frankophones Land, dem sich das Institut für Romanistik nahe fühlt und, und deswegen ist man besonders gern bereit, zu helfen. König startete mit den Vorbereitungen am 18. Januar, per E-Mail suchte er Mitstreiter. Drei Tage später trafen sich die so zueinander gefundenen Organisatoren, zwei Wochen nach diesem Treffen fand bereits das Konzert statt. »Alles ging relativ leicht«, sagte er. Die Studenten fanden Gruppen und Künstler, die gern und ohne Bezahlung mitmachten.

»Stilbruch«, eine Akustikrock Band, war die erste Gruppe auf der Bühne, die vor dem großen Publikum zu spielen begann. Prof. Silke Jansen sprach anschließend über Land und Leute von Haiti. Dann kam die Funk’n’Soul Band »Staircase Club«, die so laut spielte, dass man diese Musik in seinen Knochen fühlen konnte.

Die Brass Band Banda Comunale, Kelvin Kalvus, Clemens und Theresa, Georg Schuman, GorBeats, der Phil-Fak-Chor der TUD und DJ Subcadia waren auch dabei.

http://tu-dresden.de/die_tu_dresden/verwaltung/dezernat_5/sachgebiet_5_7/uj/bilder/pdf2010/UJ03-10.pdf

(PDF) Or,

http://tu-dresden.de/die_tu_dresden/verwaltung/dezernat_5/sachgebiet_5_7/uj/pdf

2010 -- Issue 03

Menschenkette am 13. Februar 2010 war großer Erfolg

2010-02-15T03:21:00.000-08:00

February 15th, 2010

Written with Steffi Eckold

In Original German

Published online: Feb. 15th, 2010

Published in print: March 2, 2010 in the Dresdner Universitätsjournal

Subject: Human chain formed in protest to Nazi demonstrations on the anniversary of the firebombing of Dresden.

Dresdens Oberbürgermeisterin Helma Orosz sprach am 13. Februar 2010 anlässlich des 65. Jahrestages der Bombardierung Dresdens deutliche Worte: Dresden müsse an dem Tag "zu einer Festung gegen Intoleranz und Dummheit werden". Eine Menschenkette von Postplatz über den Rathausplatz bis hin zur Synagoge solle Dresdens Innenstadt symbolisch vor einem Neonazi-Aufmarsch schützen. Auch 2010 wollten Rechtsradikale den Tag des Gedenkens an die Zerstörung Dresdens und die zahlreichen Opfer missbrauchen.

Der Rektor der TU Dresden, Prof. Hermann Kokenge, hatte die Menschenkette angemeldet, die dann ein eindrucksvolles Zeichen in die Welt schickte. Über 10 000 Bürger - unter ihnen zahlreiche TUD-Mitarbeiter und -Studenten - beteiligten sich an der Gedenkaktion. Die Kette wurde schließlich doppelt so lang wie geplant. Sie reichte vom Postplatz über den Rathausplatz und die Synagoge, die mehrfach umschlungen wurde, weiter über die Brühlsche Terrasse und den Schlossplatz bis hin zur Frauenkirche. Symbolisch wurde so der gesamte Dresdner Innenstadtkern geschützt. Nachdem die Kette geschlossen war, läuteten für zehn Minuten die Kirchen der Dresdner Innenstadt.

Erstmals gelang es 2010, einen Aufmarsch der Neonazis in die Dresdner Innenstadt zu verhindern. Rund 5000 Rechtsradikale - 3000 weniger als erwartet und 1000 weniger als im Vorjahr - waren nach Dresden gekommen, konnten jedoch aufgrund zahlreicher Gegendemonstrationen bereits auf der Neustädter Elbseite ihren geplanten Marsch nicht beginnen.

Online:

http://tu-dresden.de/aktuelles/news/menschenkette132/newsarticle_view

Uni-Journal:

http://tu-dresden.de/die_tu_dresden/verwaltung/dezernat_5/sachgebiet_5_7/uj/bilder/pdf2010/UJ04-10.pdf

Dresden rocks for Haiti

2010-02-09T05:56:00.001-08:00

Note: unpublished

A packed audience shook the Bärenzwinger to its arch Thursday night (Feb. 4, 2010) and raised over 3,000 euros for relief efforts in Haiti in the process.

“It was better than we expected,” Dr. Torsten König , a Romance Studies professor who helped organize the fundraiser, said. He estimated around 500 attendees.

The money was raised for arche noVa, a Dresden-based international aid organization.

König said he was surprised by the turnout: “It’s finals time.”

He sent an email on the 18^th of January appealing to the students and faculty of the Romance Studies program for help to organize a concert to raise funds for Haiti. “They speak French,” he said, expressing a sort of kinship between the French speakers in the Romance Studies and the French-speaking country of Haiti.

The students and faculty met on the following Thursday for the first and last time: they continued to organize the event, find bands, print flyers and get the word out all by email, phone and social networking. “An initiative from under,” he said. And all in two weeks.

The first band, Stilbruch, took the stage at 7:40, forty minutes after the presumed start-time. Stilbruch, an acoustic rock band from Dresden, played to a half-filled room until the singer asked the audience to move up and let in the people behind. After some shuffling, the room was once again packed.

At the midway point in the session the singer/bassist engaged the audience and tried to initiate hand clapping. The hand clapping quickly died. After the band played for just under an hour, the fiddle player, singer/bassist and drum player took bows and walked off the stage, waiting for the room to clear.

A presentation on Haiti came next, lasting for close to an hour and a half. After the presentation, a large portion of the attendees moved back into the warm Zwinger.

A Funk ‘n Soul band, named Staircase Club took the stage and played a foot-thumping Superstition. However, the packed audience wasn’t moved seemingly moved. The set moved on to “Get on the bus.” The band seemed warmed up and the first of the band’s rollicking solos appealed to the emotions of the audience. Although the audience still wasn’t moving, the band was playing loud, was playing hard, was not projecting music into ears but into bones.

Elisa Bartling, the singer, jumped into the third song without preamble, pacing her small piece of the stage. Even though the band was warmed up by the second song, it wasn’t until the third that the audience seemed to come to life, at least a little. Movement did occur in the crowd, although it wasn’t the dancing of later on in the session.

In the fifth song, the bass, a tall, almost goofy, aloof Jens Bellmann stayed in his spot next to the drummer, behind the trombone and trumpet and rocked the audience. Seemingly straight out of Minnesota, he played with a grin and reveled in his playing.

The drummer, Christian Lampe, rocked out with a drum solo in the sixth song, although the audience wasn’t really rocking along. He rocked his own little world, separate from the Haiti benefit concert, separate from his band.

By the end of the last song, the floor had thinned out but the people were dancing to music. The only thing amazing is that they weren’t dancing before.

TU Dresden professor wins highest German science research award

2010-02-05T09:44:00.000-08:00

Note: this is press release originally written in German that I translated to English. Not all of this translation is original: half of the text was previously translated.

Dresden
December 3rd, 2009

The highest German research prize was given to TU Dresden biophysics professor Petra Schwille.

The Joint Committee of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) announced the winners today of the 2010 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize.

One of the ten awards went to Professor Petra Schwille of the Biotechnology Center (BIOTEC) of the TU Dresden.

The prize brings with it 2.5 million Euros and the prestige of winning Germany’s highest science award. The winner may use the money over seven years to pursue her own scientific agenda, no strings attached.

The TU Dresden rector’s first reaction was of delight: “I gave Petra Schwille my sincere congratulations; I was so thrilled to hear about her achievement. This is proof for us that, at our university, brilliant scientists both teach and research, providing an example to inspire other leading scientists.”

Professor Michael Brand, Director of Biotec, said he saw in this commendation a affirmation of effective recruiting policies in the biotechnology field. “Petra’s award demonstrates that we at the TU Dresden have positive accomplishments, can attract the best minds to Dresden, and Petra Schwille showed that a gain in the field of biophysics can be won.”

Petra Schwille's work has considerably advanced both the development of fluorescence spectroscopy and its application to questions in cellular biology. Ever since she received her doctoral degree, Schwille has been working on the development of fluorescence spectroscopic methods, with which the function of individual protein molecules can be characterized. Most significantly, she contributed to the development and optimization of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS), one of the most elegant, non-invasive methods of recording molecular processes in biological systems. Through a combination of FCS and two-photon excitation, Petra Schwille achieved spectacular insights into cellular mechanisms. In her more recent work, she has tried to establish the FCS method in developmental biology and has already managed to use it in living model organisms such as the zebrafish and the roundworm. Petra Schwille also uses the FCS method to research the interactions between proteins and lipids, for which she has gained international recognition.

Schwille was born on January 25th, 1968 in the town of Sindelfingen. After her Abitur, she studied physics and philosophy at the University of Göttingen. After studying physics and philosophy, she worked with the Nobel Prize recipient Manfred Eigen in Göttingen and received her doctoral degree in Braunschweig. As a postdoctoral researcher she went to Göttingen and to Cornell University. She then returned to Göttingen to the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, where she set up her own independent junior research group. In 2002 she was appointed to chair Biophysics at the Dresden University of Technology.

This is not the first time Schwille’s work has been recognized. She won, in 2003, the “Young Investigator Award for Biotechnology,” from the Peter and Traudl Engelhorn Foundation and the 2004 Phillip Morris research prize. In 2005, she was appointed as a Fellow at the Max-Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics. She became a mother for the third time on November 9th, 2009.

Original German:
http://tu-dresden.de/aktuelles/newsarchiv/2009/12/schwille/newsarticle_view
Translated:
http://tu-dresden.de/aktuelles/newsarchiv/2009/12/schwille/newsarticle_view

TU Dresden enters 2nd phase of Excellence Initiative

2010-02-05T09:40:00.000-08:00

Note: this is press release originally written in German that I translated to English.

The Excellence Initiative, founded by the German federal and state governments, enters its second phase at the TU Dresden this year.

“Built on past achievements, the TU Dresden will foster its graduate schools, excellence clusters and institutional strategies to rise above the competition as an Elite University,” said the Rector of the TU Dresden, Professor Hermann Kokenge, in a press conference.

An important part of the university’s application for the Excellence Initiative was the creation of the Science and Culture Alliance DRESDEN-concept. Founded in 2009, the Alliance elected four senior partners to form four Scientific Area Committees, SAC, reflecting TU Dresden’s strengths: biomedicine/bioengineering, information technology/microelectronics, material/energy efficiency, culture and knowledge. . Additionally, an administrative taskforce regularly meets on issues such as research infrastructure, including IT platforms and research equipment.
Another part of TUD’s Excellence Initiative strategy is the creation of four new departments to manage the university’s fourteen faculties. The new structuring aims to make the university, its research and its management faster, more efficient and more productive.
“The new university organization combines successful corporate structures with the special requirements of a multi-discipline university,” Kokenge said. “We want to coordinate university-wide issues to a better and consistently high standard.”
The university’s 14 faculties will remain semi-autonomous but will be managed by and grouped under four new departments.

The point and strategy of the restructuring is clear. “We’re clearing up the last details,” Kokenge said. “We’ll turn the rudder, in the first half of 2010, in the new direction. Now it’s necessary that all the members of the university work together so that we all can share the benefits of these changes.”

The rector greeted the announcement of further financial backing for the Excellence Initiative, made by the Saxon Minister of Science and Art, Professor Sabine von Schorlemer. The funding will come by means of a Landesfonds, a fund financed by Saxony.
“One reason we didn’t get the Elite University title in the first phase of the Excellence Initiative was, in my opinion, Saxony's reserved handling of the situation,” Kokenge said. The new fund should make it possible for the university to recruit, in competition with other universities on international level, the best faculty members.

The rector was critical of any further job cuts. “We’ve been driving at the absolute limit for years,” he said. The state should now take the chance to develop the student-to-faculty ratio to an acceptable level. “Those who would cut back on education funding to save money put the future of the country at risk.”

Kokenge indicated that the increase in next winter’s enrollments would be accompanied by faculty reductions. “The number of students enrolling has increased by 12,000 since 1998 and at the same time we’ve lost 408 jobs,” he said.
Dresden placed 13th out of 18 universities in a student-to-professor comparison, with a ratio of 72.5 students per professor.

Original German:
http://tu-dresden.de/aktuelles/newsarchiv/2010/1/pk_exzellenz/newsarticle_view
Translated article:
http://tu-dresden.de/aktuelles/newsarchiv/2010/1/pk_exzellenz/newsarticle_view
On the News page:
http://tu-dresden.de/en/news/excellence2010/newsarticle_view

Kamaludeen sentenced

2008-12-12T07:09:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, December 10, 2007

“This is not a life sentence,” Judge Patrick Flanagan told the man convicted of killing Judy Calder today during his sentencing. After a calm composure and looks directed at the ceiling Flanagan looked at Mohamed Kamaludeen, raised his voice in contempt and said: “This is a death sentence. It is the intention of this court that you die in prison.”

Kamaludeen, who killed Judy Calder in his warehouse on Aug. 18, 2007, received 20 extra years on his sentence of life without the possibility of parole for killing Calder with a deadly weapon. He received another nine years for killing someone aged 60 or older. Calder was 64 at the time of the stabbing.

“But that knife, that large butcher knife, was wielded by the defendant in this case, plunged into the helpless breast of Judy Calder,” Flanagan said.

Kamaludeen received four to 15 years for soliciting Calder's death in a 2006 attack at her Incline home.

Kim Calder, Judy Calder's daughter, implored the judge to impose the maximum penalties.

“My mother was almost beaten to death,” Kim said of the 2006 attack. “She was afraid of everything . . . in the last year of her life,” she said.

Kamaludeen showed James Calder, Judy's wife, the van he put her body in, hidden behind printers.

“The defendant acted as if he was a friend of the victim's husband as he gazed into the back of the van where his wife lay dead,” Flanagan said.

Carlos Filomeno, a felon who worked as a laborer for Kamaludeen, said he helped him dispose of Calder's body outside of Elko.

Kamaludeen to serve life without parole

2008-10-24T22:17:00.000-07:00

Friday, October 24, 2008

Jurors handed Mohamed Kamaludeen a life sentence without the possibility of parole Thursday after hearing testimony from Judy Calder’s family and a Canadian inspector investigating a 1993 stabbing that Kamaludeen was allegedly involved in.

Kamaludeen was convicted Wednesday of murdering professor Judy Calder on Aug. 18, 2007 and soliciting for her murder in 2006.

Kamaludeen is also wanted in Canda for the stabbing death of a garage owner in Canada for a ring, necklace and cash. The Canadian Inspector said Kamaludeen coerced a 17-year-old boy into murdering the man and that he told the box to cut the ring off his hand.

Judge Patrick Flanagan set the sentencing for Kamaludeen’s solicitation of murder charge and the two enhancements on his murder charge for Dec. 10.

Kim Calder, Judy Calder’s daughter, said the sentencing “in a sense makes us better able to go on.”

She told the jury during sentencing Kamaludeen took advantage of her mother’s trust. Sniffles reverberated through the audience and jury as Kim Calder continued to speak, her voice trembling when recalling her mother.

“She believed in people,” she said. “He used this very kindness to take advantage of her.”

“It’s nice not to have something hanging over our heads, like the trial,” Carolyn Conger, Calder’s sister, said.

Congertold jurors she had to receive a pacemaker shortly after the loss of Judy.

“This time has been so devastating, the stress so great, my heart has actually stopped working,” she said.

Kamaludeen said he forced the British embassy, which handles citizens of Kamaludeen’s native Guyana to extradite him to the U.S. for the trial. He maintained that he did not kill Calder. While addressing the jury, he kept his eyes locked on an empty witness box.

Detective David Fogarty said Kamaludeen lied to the jury. Kamaludeen planned to travel to Brazil and then walk to his home country of Guyana, he said. Kamaludeen tried to flee when he realized authorities wanted to capture him for extradition, he said.

nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2008/10/24/kamaludeen-to-serve-life-without-parole

Kamaludeen guilty in murder of UNR professor

2008-10-22T22:40:00.000-07:00

Mohamed Kamaludeen was found guilty today of murdering professor Judy Calder and of solicitation to commit murder.

Kamaludeen will be sentenced Thursday, with several members of the Calder family expected to testify.

The jury deliberated for less than five hours before returning the verdict on the Aug. 18, 2007 stabbing death of Calder, a professor in the human development and family studies department of the college of health and human sciences.

Members of the Calder family cried with the verdict.

“He deserved what he deserved,” Calder’s husband, James, said.

In closing statements, Deputy District Attorney Bruce Hahn attacked claims Kamaludeen made after being extradited from Mexico.

Kamaludeen told police that his worker, Carlos Filomeno, stabbed Judy Calder to death and disposed of her body. Kamaludeen also said James Calder wanted him to kill his wife due to a dispute over her will. Kamaludeen said James Calder paid Filomeno $50,000 to dispose of the body.

“These statements are designed to deceive,” Hahn said.

He called Kamaludeen’s claims that James Calder planned to dispose of the body in Incline, “where people are hiking,” ludicrous.

“It’s nonsense,” he said. “He’s far too intelligent.”

The defense implored the jury to look at the big picture.

“What really is the motivation of these four men?” Jay Slocum, the public defender, asked the jury.

Slocum pointed out that James Calder never went to Judy Calder’s hotel room at the Nugget, instead calling and leaving a message saying he would wait at the Starbucks. Slocum said James Calder paid $15,000 of Kamaludeen’s gambling debt and rented him a car, which Kamaludeen used to flee to Mexico.

Hahn questioned Slocum’s reasoning behind James Calder’s payoff of Kamaludeen’s debt.

“Why would he waste $15,000” if he knew Kamaludeen was fleeing to Mexico?, Hahn asked.

nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2008/10/22/kamaludeen-guilty-in-murder-of-unr-president

Prosecution set to finish in Calder trial

2008-10-21T08:13:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Mohamed Kamaludeen, the man accused of killing University of Nevada, Reno professor Judy Calder, attempted to have her killed at least once before, a former employee of Kamaludeen testified Monday.

“[Kamaludeen] stared referring to Judy as white trash,” Raymond Patterson, the former employee, said.

Patterson and Kamaludeen had just returned from a delivery trip in California when Kamaludeen told him Calder fought against the civil rights movement in the 1960s, Patterson said.

Patterson testified in Washoe District Court that Kamaludeen asked him if he had ever killed anyone.

“I told him no,” Patterson said. “I couldn’t hurt anyone like that.”

Kamaludeen then asked Patterson if he would kill Calder for him, he said.

Calder was reported missing on Aug. 19, 2007 by her husband James Calder. Hunters found her body in eastern Nevada on Aug. 28, 2007. Her body was identified by dental records.

Mohamed Kamaludeen faces charges of murder with a deadly weapon of a person aged 60 or older and solicitation to commit murder in the Aug. 18, 2007 stabbing.

Prosecutor Bruce Hahn said he hopes to finish his case today.

Kamaludeen’s Debt

In September 2004, Kamaludeen signed a contract with Calder. According to the contract, Calder would give Kamaludeen $150,000, which he would then pay back during a 24-month period with $2,200 interest every month.

As of August 2007, Kamaludeen had also lost more than $350,000 to the El Dorado, said Linda Doria, the credit collections manager. Other area casinos said he owed a collective $63,000.

Darrol Taylor, who had worked with Kamaludeen, testified that Kamaludeen told him that he put up a $25,000 reward for any information surrounding Calder’s disappearance.

In a recorded interview with police, Kamaludeen told a detective during a taped interview he held Calder in high esteem.

“She’s the best woman I know,” he said, seeming to choke up.

“I would do anything for her,” he said. “Judy’s like a mother figure to me.”

Later in the tape, he said Calder’s husband James told him about troubles Calder had at the university.

“She’s a very hateful person,” he said. “Most female hates her.”

The detective asked Kamaludeen what he thought happened to Calder, listed as missing at the time.

“I think somebody killed her,” he said. “I think a lot of people hates her.”

Earlier in the week

In testimony on Thursday, Carlos Filomeno detailed his role in Calder’s murder and accused Kamaludeen of stabbing her in the chest four or five times.

Filomeno said Kamaludeen gave him money and drove him to Wal-Mart to buy jogging suits and a knife. When Filomeno returned with too small of a knife, he said Kamaludeen sent him back inside.

The next day, at Kamaludeen’s business, Filomeno said he heard a soft voice cry “help.” He said that when he turned around and walked toward the voice, he saw Calder hit the ground. Blood poured from her chest and nose, he said.

Filomeno said Kamaludeen then took him to dump the body in eastern Nevada. They went to Arizona the next day, Filomeno said.

Michael Duda, who was manager at Big O Tires in Chandler, Arizona, said Kamaludeen bought four brand new tires for his work van. The replaced tires had only 10,000 miles of wear, out of a lifespan of 70,000 miles, he said. Kamaludeen kept the old tires.

Filomeno said he pushed the old tires out of the van one by one when Kamaludeen asked him to.

nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2008/10/21/prosecution-set-to-finish-in-calder-trial/

Alleged accomplice says he feared man charged with professor’s murder

2008-10-20T22:07:00.000-07:00

Friday, October 18, 2008

The alleged accomplice in the murder of professor Judy Calder testified Friday that he feared Mohamed Kamaludeen, the man charged with her murder.
Kamaludeen faces one count of murder with a deadly weapon of a person aged 60 or older and one count of solicitation to commit murder in the Aug. 19, 2007 murder of Calder, a professor of Human Development and Family Studies. Hunters found her body near the Nevada-Idaho border on Aug. 28.
Police arrested Carlos Filomeno, the alleged accomplice and two-time felon, on Aug. 30 on unrelated charges. He said he wanted protection from Kamaludeen.
“He might end up killing me too,” he said.
The pair then traveled to Arizona to drop of equipment for Kamaludeen’s company.
Filomeno said he called Kamaludeen once or twice after dumping Calder’s body.
He said Kamaludeen called Calder’s phone multiple times after he dumped the body, each time hanging up.
Michael Duda, former manager of Big O tires in Chandler, Ariz., testified that Kamaludeen bought four brand new tires for his cargo van, despite the old tires only having 10,000 miles on them.
Duda said Kamaludeen kept the four old tires. Filomeno testified Thursday that he pushed the tires out of the van incrementally during the return trip to Reno.

nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2008/10/18/alleged-accomplice-says-he-feared-man-charged-with-professors-murder/

Alleged accomplice details role in professor’s murder

2008-10-17T12:48:00.000-07:00

Thursday, October 17, 2008

In Thursday’s testimony, alleged accomplice Carlos Filomeno said Mohamed Kamaludeen stabbed Judy Calder in the chest five or more times, stashed the body in his van, let her husband look inside the van with the hidden body and dumped her corpse a few miles outside of Jackpot, Nev.
Kamaludeen, the defendant in the murder trial, stared at his table, his hands cross-hatched across his forehead, while Filomeno spoke.
Filomeno, an illegal immigrant and convicted felon, was arrested Aug. 30 on parole violation. His arrest led to his testimony about the murder of Calder, a University of Nevada, Reno human development and family studies professor.
Calder’s husband reported her missing Aug. 19. Hunter’s found her body eight days later along old Highway 93.
Kamaludeen faces two charges: murder with a deadly weapon of a person aged 60 or older and solicitation to commit murder. Filomeno faces no charges related to Calder’s murder.
Bruce Hahn, the chief deputy district attorney prosecuting the case, said Filomeno has no deals, promises or guarantees from himself or the state.
Filomeno said in testimony that he watched Mohamed Kamaludeen stab Calder four, five or more times in the chest. Filomeno said he was in the bathroom when he heard a soft cry for help
He walked towards the open door separating the building’s office and warehouse when he saw Kamaludeen stab Calder in the chest.
Katherine Raven, a forensic pathologist, testified that two stab wounds penetrated the heart. One wound cut through Calder’s bone.
Filomeno said Kamaludeen told him not to touch the body and he stood still for a few minutes.
“I scared,” he said. “I don’t know what to do.”
Kamaludeen put the knife in a black garbage bag.
“Carlos, please, can you help me clean the blood?” Kamaludeen asked, according to Filomeno.
Filomeno wiped up the blood with paper towels and a wet rag, he said. A three-foot puddle of blood pooled around the body, he said. Blood streamed from Calder’s chest and nose, he said.
Filomeno said Kamaludeen gave him $40 to give to his roommate to borrow the steam cleaner to clean up the carpet in the building’s office. He drove the van alone, leaving Kamaludeen at Imaging Technologies.
Defense attorney Jay Slocum questioned Filomeno’s actions, asking why he did not go to the police when he drove away from Kamaludeen in safety.
Filomeno said he worried about going to the police because Kamaludeen knew where his mother lived.
“I don’t know what’s going on in his mind,” he said.
Filomeno drove back to Imaging Technologies and cleaned the carpet in the office, to clean up bloody foot prints, he said.
Kamaludeen and Filomeno put Calder’s body into a large cardboard box lined with plastic and a blanket. Kamaludeen shrink-wrapped the top of the box. They moved it into Kamaludeen’s work van, he said.
Kamaludeen opened Calder’s Lexus and turned the car on, Filomeno said.
“Carlos, drive this for me,” Kamaludeen said, according to Filomeno.
Filomeno said he followed Kamaludeen and parked the Lexus on Evans Street. Kamaludeen dropped him off where he was staying, told him to take a shower and be ready.
Filomeno said Kamaludeen and James Calder talked about Kamaludeen’s trip to Arizona. Kamaludeen opened the back of the van to show James Calder the items to be taken to Arizona. Calder left and Kamaludeen took Filomeno with him to Kamaludeen’s house, he said.
They drove the van on Interstate 80 east for four to five hours in silence, Filomeno said.
“I was scared every time he moved,” Filomeno said, like he was talking about buying a pack of cigarettes.
Kamaludeen and Filomeno dumped the body 20 feet from the road and put the box back in the van, he said.

nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2008/10/17/alleged-accomplice-details-role-in-professors-murder/

Murder Trial Begins

2008-10-17T12:43:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Jury selection ended Monday in the murder trial of the man accused of killing University of Nevada, Reno Professor Judy Calder.

Mohamed Kamaludeen, also known as Rickey Barge, allegedly stabbed Calder in the chest in August 2007, according to court documents.

The trial will start at 9 a.m. Wednesday with opening statements.

Calder’s husband James Calder of Incline Village reported her missing on Aug. 19, 2007 to the Sparks Police Department. He became worried after calling her several times without answer.

The next day he visited her hotel room and found her laptop, clothes and diabetes medication. He then called her office and local hospitals and jails before notifying police.

Her body was found one week later off of Highway 93 between Wells and Jackpot. Calder’s body was identified by dental records.

Kamaludeen, a former business associate of Calder, allegedly stabbed her in the chest as she walked into a Reno warehouse. Kamaludeen owed Calder money.

Mohamed Kamaludeen

He was listed as an owner of the warehouse, Imaging Technologies.

Police arrested Carlos Filemino Aug. 30, 2007 for violating his probation. Filemino, who worked for Kamaludeen, told police he bought a set of knives and three sweat suits with money Kamaludeen gave him.

Filemino told police he helped Kamaludeen clean up the area where Calder was murdered and helped dump Calder’s body.

Carolyn Conger, Calder’s sister, flew in from Santa Monica, Calif. to be at the trial.

“[The family is] eager for this to be resolved,” she said.

nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2008/10/14/murder-trial-begins/

Abizaid outlines foreign policy issues

2008-10-09T16:30:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Gen. John Abizaid outlined the four strategic issues that the next president will face.

He spoke Wednesday night to a crowd of 400 students, faculty and members of the public in the Joe Crowley Student Union ballroom, part of the Nevada Speaker series. Abizaid, former commander of the United States Central Command, commanded troops in Afghanistan and Iraq and has an intimate knowledge of the Middle East and its challenges.

al Qaeda and the rise of Sunni extremism

“Al Qaeda knows how to attack the U.S. and Europe on their own soil,” Abizaid said, citing various bombings throughout Europe and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The Al Qaeda movement is held together by extremist ideology and connected by the Internet, Abizaid said.

“They’re not a bunch of crazy people in caves,” he said.

The Al Qaeda is made up of a large number of parts, and the suicide bombers and training camps are only one element, he said. Attacking one part of the organization merely pushes the terrorists to another part of the organization. To effectively handle Al Qaeda, the United States must attack it from all sides.

The fight against Al Qaeda will be a long one, Abizaid said.

“They don’t think in five second sound bites,” he said. “They think in 500 years.”

Al Qaeda is committed to not letting go of the United States, he said. Even though they aim to push the United States out of the Middle East, the terrorists will not walk away from the United States, he said.

Iran and the rise of Shia extremism

“Iran wants to be the state with the most influence in the Middle East,” Abizaid said. “[They’re] determined to extend their power.”

He said Iran must be contained, not conquered. Even though Iran must be restricted, the people of Iran are not the ones to be worried about.

“It’s a crazy government, not crazy people,” he said.

Arab-Israeli Conflict

“The Arab-Israeli conflict requires involvement early in an administrations term,” Abizaid said.

The next U.S. president must bring the Israelis and Palestinians to the peace-talks table, he said. The only way to broker peace is for the next president to start talking as soon as possible.

America’s continued dependence on Middle Eastern oil

“Oil exportation from the Middle East fuels the global economy,” Abizaid said. “The United States is the protector of the oil exportation.”

The next president must deal with America’s dependence on oil in a broad sense, he said. The tendency during this campaign has been how to deal with oil dependence in a small sense.

America needs to develop other ways of providing energy to stop its dependence on oil from the Middle East, he said. The money that America sends to the Middle East for its oil often finds its way to terrorist organizations, he said.

nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2008/10/06/abizaid-outlines-foreign-policy-issues/

General to speak on foreign policy

2008-09-30T10:54:00.000-07:00

Monday, September 29, 2008

Gen. John Abizaid, the former commander of the U.S. Central Command, will give a presentation about foreign policy Wednesday.

The four-star general, who oversaw operations in Iraq, will present “The Foreign Policy Challenges of our Next President” at 7 p.m. in the Joe Crowley Student Union Ballroom for free, said Meghan Wagonseller, Associated Students of the University of Nevada director of public relations.

Abizaid will talk about the future of relations with Iran, North Korea and terrorism around the world, said Sundance Bauman, Flipside Productions’ contemporary issues chairman.

The general was scheduled to speak last year for The Joe opening, but the engagement fell through when Abizaid had to go to Washington, Bauman said.

The Northern Nevada International Center asked Abizaid to speak, Bauman said. Flipside provided the venue.

University of Nevada, Reno President Milton Glick will introduce the general. A question-and-answer session will follow the speech. Bauman said he expects about 700 people at the presentation, half of them students and faculty and half the general public.

“He wants to convey to young people what his experiences are,” said Carina Black, the executive director of the Northern Nevada International Center. “He’s been wanting to do this for a really long time.”

The next president will face problems from the area Abizaid commanded, political science professor Leonard Weinberg said. Abizaid’s area of command included substantial oil supply areas and hot spots of terrorist activity.

“His take on what the next president is likely to confront is very important,” Bauman said.

Abizaid headed U.S. Central Command from July 2003 until May 2007 according to UNR’s office of Media Relations. Central Command covers the 27-country region between the European and Pacific commands. He also oversaw operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the Army Times.

Abizaid served for 34 years in the Army and rose from infantry platoon leader to four-star general. He served in Lebanon, Bosnia, Kurdistan, Grenada, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. He studied at the University of Jordan and has a master’s degree in Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University. He is fluent in Arabic.

A protest area will be set up outside of the student union during the event because Abizaid’s speech about foreign policy is “very controversial,” Bauman said.

“People will protest anything,” said Lauren Kohler, the Flipside special events chairman. “We’re preparing for the worst.”

http://nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2008/09/29/general-to-speak-on-foreign-policy/

University president answers students’ questions in open forum

2008-09-23T20:49:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

University of Nevada, Reno President Milton Glick answered questions today from students on topics ranging from the upcoming football game with University of Nevada, Las Vegas to how budget cuts will affect the university.

About 42 students came and went during the one-hour Pizza with the President session. Glick said the group had a high turnout with a low energy level.

Glick answered questions in an informal forum while students ate pizza, cookies and sodas provided through the event.

“This is really my chance to hear from you,” Glick said.

Glick explained he would eat his salad while talking. He said he was jealous of the students and their pizza because his diet restricted him to salad. Students listened to the president from couches and chairs arranged around the Graduate Student Lounge. More chairs were brought in during the course of the event to accommodate students as more attended.

A senior economics major asked what steps the university is taking to lobby the legislature about raising the tuition rate.

Glick said the Nevada Assembly leadership is supportive of raised tuition rates and senate leadership is open to the possibility.

“We have alternatives,” he said.

A nursing student asked about proliferation of online classes, saying most of her classes are online. Glick asked the students who have a majority of online classes to raise their hands. Only one student, an accounting major, did.

Glick said he does not think online classes are the wave of the future.

“If you can’t get to the university, we want to bring the university to you,” he said.

A member of the audience asked what the university is doing to decrease the amount of time it takes students to graduate to four years.

“Most students are still on a four year degree,” Glick said.

The university is considering lowering the required amount of credit hours to graduate from 128 to 120, he said.

Students change their majors two to three times on average, he said, increasing the time it takes to graduate.

“I still haven’t figured out what I want to do when I grow up,” he said.

One student asked about the chatter flying around campus surrounding the possibility of cutting majors. Glick responded that in one worst-case scenario, the university will cut some programs.

“We don’t want to degrade every program so we may have to eliminate a few,” he said. “If we have a $30 million budget cut, we have to stop doing some things.”

When asked about the upcoming football game against Las Vegas, Glick said it will be a tough game.

“It’s too close to call,” he said. “I hope we whip ‘em.”

http://nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2008/09/23/president-answers-stude
nts-questions-in-open-forum/

Getchell’s future up to legislature

2008-09-23T08:12:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

The future of Getchell Library is in the hands of the Nevada State Legislature, which will decide whether to pay $10.5 million for renovations or allow the building to mothball.

The legislature will make its decision during its 2009 session. The plan calls for renovating 155,000 square feet of the existing 177,000. If the legislature approves the funding, renovation would start in 2010, said Stephen Mischissin, the interim vice president of facilities services department.

Getchell Library was built in 1962, and the building needs to be brought up to today’s building codes, he said.

The plan calls for a new sprinkler system, fire alarms, ramps and elevators in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, he said.

“They’re life and safety upgrades,” he said.

The University of Nevada, Reno submitted a Capital Improvements Project request to retrofit the library for another use to the Board of Regents, who sent it to the Nevada Public Works Board.

Paul Neil, director of the university core curriculum office, said the old library would be turned into a student services building and an informal learning space. Student Success Services, currently in the Thompson Student Services building, might move to the Getchell space.

The first floor of the old library would house student advising and the academic skills center, he said.

The Thompson building might be turned into an academic space. The philosophy department may move from E.J. Cain Hall to the Thompson building. The English department may extend its offices into the Thompson building.

The middle level of the basement may be removed and the space turned into rehearsal and studio spaces for the art department, Neil said.

Retrofitting the Getchell Library space will postpone the need for more expensive buildings, Ron Zurek, Vice President of Administration and Finance, said.

The renovations will cost about $58 per square foot, he said. A new building would cost between $400-$500 per square foot.

http://nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2008/09/23/getchell%e2%80%99s-fut
ure-up-to-legislature/

Campus housing to open University Inn as res hall next fall

2008-02-26T13:29:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, February 26th, 2008

The University Inn will open as a residence hall for returning students for the upcoming fall semester, housing officials said.

Rod Aeschlimann, director of Residential Life, Housing and Food Service, said ResLife is planning for a June opening so summer conference groups can use the inn for housing.

The inn will house up to 297 students, Aeschlimann said.

A University Inn double room will cost as much as a double Canada Hall room at $5,090, Aeschlimann said. A single room in the University Inn will cost $5,990, $100 more than an Argenta double. A single or double premium room will cost $6,390.

The rooms will include a private bathroom for each unit.

A double room will range from 220 to 260 square feet. Single rooms will range from 150 to 200 square feet, and premium doubles will have 350 square feet and some will have two rooms. All the units will have extra large closets, Aeschlimann said.

The University Inn should accommodate students over winter break, he said, at a cost of $445.

“We hope to provide winter break housing for all resident halls,” Aeschlimann said.

The renovated inn will include Americans with Disabilities Act upgrades, a new lobby and a new key and building entry system. New emergency lighting, sprinkler system, fire alarms and a new corridor ventilation system will be included, making sure the inn meets fire code regulations. A new sprinkler system will be installed in the parking garage.

General improvements include new carpeting, interior painting, new furnishings and a laundry room located on the third floor. The laundry room will house 16 sets of washer and dryer units, facilities supervisor Bill Jacques said.

University Inn residents will access their rooms and enter the building using their WolfCards, he said.

Students will swipe their WolfCards to open their room doors and will use their cards to enter the building.

“We want to make the security that the residence halls provide available to as many students as possible,” Jacques said.

The University Inn will also feature community assistants and Canada Hall will switch to CAs at the beginning of the next semester, said Jerome Maese, associate director for ResLife.

“Community assistants are there to provide service and information for residents and resident assistants are there to provide the transition into the college environment,” he said.

RAs and CAs will both assist with the needs of the residents and provide a safe and secure environment, he said.

nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2008/02/26/campus-housing-to-open-university-inn-as-res-hall-next-fall/

The Guide: Living lessons

2008-02-05T08:17:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, February 5th, 2008

During college years, students may be presented with an unfortunate dilemma: a horribly small dwelling or a large pad with roommates whom you may or may not get along with. The students who choose to have roommates may be asking for more than they can handle. Picking the right roommates means the difference between hell on earth and a nice place to live.

“When you find a good roommate, keep them,” said Jerome Maese, associate director for Residential Life.

Picking roommates:

Look beyond friends and find people you can be compatible with, Maese said.
Finding someone with similar habits and patterns works well, he said. Opposites also complement each other well.
Finding someone who can pay his or her share of the bills is vital.
If one rents a room, investigating the roommates provides a level of financial and physical security, he said. Pick a six-month lease until you know you and your roommates are compatible, he said.
“You can put up with a lot of stuff for six months,” he said.
Asking questions and being honest with the answers helps prove whether two people can live together, he said.

Questions to ask:

1. Finances: How much will each person pay? When? How will utilities be split? What can both parties afford?
2. Lifestyle compatibility: How much noise is acceptable? How much cleaning must be done? Partying or studying?
3. Boundaries: What kind of boundaries will there be in the roommate relationship?
4. Comfort level: Do both parties feel comfortable and safe with each other? Can both parties easily communicate?

Communicate:

“Setting up lines of communication is always better than setting up ground rules,” Maese said.

Set up a meeting at least once a month between roommates, he said. Ask if anything over the past month bugged your roommates in an open forum.

Universal rules:

Buy your fair share of toilet paper.
Don’t stink up the kitchen. Smelly cooking infiltrates each person’s room.
“Cleanliness and using other people’s stuff without asking” form the basis of most arguments between roommates, Maese said.

http://nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2008/02/05/the-guide-living-lessons/

Stores to open by fall

2008-01-29T08:52:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, January 29th, 2008

Union working on contracts for Asian-themed, Italian eateries

Kéva Juice and Starbucks will be joined by sandwich shop Port of Subs Tuesday, Chuck Price, the director of the Joe Crowley Student Union said.

“All the shops should be open by next fall,” Price said

Port of Subs opened two months after the grand opening of the union. Price said shops opening after the grand opening is a good thing.

“As traffic patterns develop, more places will open up,” he said.

Also opening by fall 2008:

First Floor:

Wolf Package, opening late spring, will provide student mailboxes, printing and copying services and a cell phone store.
Kaplan Test Preparation, which provides learning materials and test preparation, should be open by late spring, Price said.
Silver State Schools Credit Union, opening after spring break, will provide an ATM in the credit union and a second ATM on the second floor. The union is still in negotiations with Wells Fargo and Bank of America to get ATMs from each respective company in the union, he said.
The University of Nevada, Reno is negotiating with an unnamed optical store.

Second Floor:

Tahoe Creamery, a high-end ice cream parlor, will open after spring break.
The Board of Regents approved a plan for Baja Fresh to join the second floor food court slated for an opening next fall, Price said. Baja Fresh is a chain of pseudo-Mexican fast food eateries.
The university plans to help the opening of an Asian-themed eatery and is currently in negotiations, he said. The Union will bring the plans for a pizzeria/Italian eatery to the Board of Regents in February. The eatery should open by fall, Price said.

Third Floor:

A non-alcoholic sports grill, with 3,210 square feet should open by next fall, Price said. Current plans for the grill feature billiard tables and arcade machines. The university is in negations with three different companies, he said.

Price said he hopes the restaurant to be a location where “students under 21 can hang out in a sports grill atmosphere.”

http://nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2008/01/29/stores-to-open-by-fall/

Advantage Cash renamed, WolfBucks reign supreme

2008-01-29T08:46:00.000-08:00

January 29th, 2008

Note: Never ran

Res Life renamed Advantage Cash allowing it to be used at all eateries in the Joe Crowley Student Union.

“We wanted to try to combine the two programs,” said Penny Leathley, manager of the Campus Card program.

Advantage cash turned into Food Bucks and can be used at any one of the eateries on campus. The Overlook, DC-Store, Downunder Café, the Northside Café (inside of the Fitzgerald Student Services Building,) Jot N Java (formerly Barista Brothers) and Las Trojes Mexican, in the Anazri Business Building still offer a five percent discount and no tax on purchases made with the new FoodBucks, WolfBucks, RolloverBucks and Bonus Bucks, according to a Res Life, Housing and Food Services poster.

Rollover bucks can only be accrued by resident hall students. Leftover swipes, part of the residence hall meal turn into “RolloverBucks.” Leftover swipes originally turned into Advantage Cash. Instead of turning into Advantage Cash, leftover swipes now turn into RolloverBucks. RolloverBucks cannot be used in the new student union and can only be used in the Overlook, DC Store/Café, Northside Café and Jolt N Java. WolfBucks, and the counterpart BonusBucks, can be used in all of the eateries on campus, the bookstore offering a no-tax discount, the libraries, parking services, Student health services and the Campus pharmacy.

The Guide: Going Grad

2007-11-13T08:29:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, November 13th, 2007

Life after college can seem daunting to students, whether it’s working or lying around in their parents’ basement. For those who want to go to graduate school, whether it’s right after graduation or in a few years, here are some tips on getting prepared.

Step 1 – Get experience

Working in the field clues students into what the rest of their life after graduate school will look like, Patricia Wilson, professional and graduate school planning coordinator, said.

Professional schools, such as medical, dental and law school, require prior experience in the field of study, she said.

“Volunteer, intern, or work,” she said.

Investing time and money into a degree without seeing what life after a master’s degree is like is just silly, Wilson said.

“You should find a professor doing research you’re interested in,” Wilson said. “Ask him if he needs any extra help with research. The worst thing he can say is ‘No.’”

Programs usually require 18 credits in the desired field of study, said Mike Peters, graduate school coordinator.

Step 2 – Do the research

Researching the schools, the programs, the faculty, the applications and the tests is key, Wilson said.

“Figure out if the school is for you,” Peters said. “Talk to some grad students in the program.”

Students need to find a program just right for them, Peters said.

Almost all programs require the Graduate Record Examination, or GRE, Peters said.

“Figure out when you’re going to take the test,” Peters said. “And be prepared for it.”

According to the GRE Web site, the test costs $140 to take with results in 10-15 days.

Students can register and pay for the test online. The Sylvan Learning Center on West Moana Lane administers the test electronically.

Students need to figure out what each program is about and the research the faculty does in the area, Peters said.
Step 3 – Apply early

Sending in applications early means the difference between being accepted and being denied.

“By the time the application deadline rolls around, half the slots for incoming graduate students are taken,” Wilson said

Meet the criteria the school wants, she said.

“Graduate and professional schools are competitive,” Wilson said. “People seem to forget that.”

Students need to ask for letters of recommendation from faculty sooner instead of later.

“Professors go on sabbatical, retire or move before students can ask for letters of recommendation,” Peters said. “It’s hard to say how great a student was when you can’t remember them.”

Career development has a letters of recommendation service. The service compiles and sends out student’s letters of recommendation.

“It only costs $20 to send up to five letters out to 10 schools each,” Wilson said. The fee goes toward paying for the program.

Applications represent the only time students have complete control over their fate, Peters said.

“Make it polished and give the school a reason to accept you,” he said.

The application has to be perfect, Wilson said.
Step 4 - Get Funded

Prospective graduate students should apply for every type of funding available, Wilson said.

Most schools offer scholarships, teaching assistant and resident assistant positions, Peters said.

Students need to apply early enough to become a TA, Wilson said.

Upcoming Workshops

In room 200 of the Thompson Building, from noon to 1 p.m.

Paying for professional and graduate school, Nov. 13
Writing that personal statement, Nov. 14
Getting letters of recommendation, Nov 20

http://nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2007/11/13/the-guide-going-grad/

Wolf Perk closes

2007-11-02T20:18:00.000-07:00

Friday, November 2nd, 2007

The Wolf Perk in the Jot Travis Student Union sold its last cup of coffee Friday afternoon.

“Students can still get coffee at the Overlook,” said Chris vonGlahn, resident district manager for Chartwells Food Service. “It’s a different brand of coffee.”

VonGlahn said the Wolf Perk is looking to move into the Manzanita Room, beneath the Overlook.

He said if the new Wolf Perk location is approved, it could be open in time for next semester.

For now, students can get coffee at the Overlook, Starbucks in the Joe Crowley Student Union and Barista Brothers in Getchell Library.

http://nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2007/11/02/wolf-perk-closes/

Dems use pizza to represent candidates in caucus simulation

2007-10-30T13:21:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, October 30th, 2007

The smell of free pizza wafted through the Jot Travis Student Union Auditorium Thursday night as groups of students and community members vied to represent the best pizza.

The University of Nevada, Reno Young Democrats hosted the “mockus” and used pizza to show students and the public how the Jan. 19 Democratic caucus will work.

“Nevada will have extraordinary power in choosing the next presidential candidate,” Jill Derby, the Nevada Democratic Party chair, said.

Derby said the vote of every single caucus participant “counts big time.”

“(The caucus) is democracy in the raw,” she said.

Carole Anderson took over the proceedings, said people can register to vote at the caucus and need to be registered Democrats to participate come Jan. 19.

Anderson explained the math behind the proceedings, helped with a head count and then asked the crowd to form into groups based on favorite pizza types. The mockus organizers used the pizza toppings to represent Democratic presidential candidates.

Jack Homeyer, one of the event organizers, said anyone can submit a “plank” for the Democratic party’s platform. The platform is a statement of beliefs and the plank comprises a part of the statements of beliefs in the platform.

After head counts of each group, those with too few members were asked to join other groups or recruit to make their group “viable.”

Each group broke into a deafening roar when someone joined them. The people in the defunct pizza groups joined the remaining groups.

Three of the four delegates from the “Pepperoni” group gave heartfelt speeches as to their lifelong allegiance to pepperoni pizza and the pizza’s dominance over all other varieties.

Mike Wiwchar, a 23-year-old pharmacology major, said he thinks the caucus is a pretty simple process and that the mockus went smoothly.

Joseph Kay, a 59-year-old political science major, said the Democrats put on a good mockus.

“I came here because I want to be a temporary chair at my precinct caucus,” Kay said. “I also wanted a T-shirt.”

Rachel Miller, the UNR Young Democrats president, said she thought the mockus had a very good turnout.

“It’s really important to educate yourself about the caucus,” Miller, 20, said.

Miller said if Nevada’s Democratic caucus does not have a good turnout the state will lose its early caucus Democratic position.

http://nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2007/10/30/dems-use-
pizza-to-represent-candidates-in-caucus-simulation/

Nevada plays host to both the and Democratic early caucuses this year

2007-10-30T13:09:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, October 30th, 2007

Nevada holds the caucus to send delegates, or people from the state representing a candidate, to the respective party’s national conventions. The most supported candidate at the convention becomes that party’s presidential candidate. A presidential caucus groups registered voters of the same party by their geographic precinct.

The first step’s the same but the parties split soon after:

Step 1: Getting to the caucus

Call or visit the Web site for the Washoe County headquarters for the party you want to caucus for. Both caucuses are Jan. 19. Republicans start at 9 a.m. and Democrats start at 11 a.m.
Democratic process
Step 2: Sign in

You must be a registered Democrat to sign in. You will then check a box for a candidate you lean toward, or check uncommitted.
Step 3: Electing a chair

The caucus members elect a permanent chair to lead the caucus.
Step 4: Delegates

The chair announces the number of delegates, or people who go to the county convention representing their candidate. The number of delegates is determined before the caucus and is based on the number of registered Democrats in the county.
Step 5: Viability

The chair does a head count of the participants and tries to match the number with the number of caucus members signed in. The number of people who attend the caucus help determine the viability number, or the number of caucus members a presidential candidate needs for at least one delegate.

If the precinct has one delegate, then the candidate must be elected by the whole precinct.

If the precinct has two delegates, viable candidate groups must have 25 percent of the attendees.

If the precinct has three delegates, viable groups must have 20 percent of the attendees.

If the precinct has four or more delegates, viable groups must have 15 percent of the attendees.
Step 6: Alignment

The chair announces the number of participants needed for a candidate or group to be viable.

The chair gives the participants 15 minutes to get into groups based on noncommitment or presidential candidate.

The chair announces which groups have enough members and which do not.
Step 7: Realignment

Groups with not enough members are given time to try to recruit more members to make the group viable. Already viable groups are allowed to try to convince members of nonviable groups to join their viable group.
Step 8: Giving Out Delegates

After the groups have settled and nonviable groups have disbanded, the chair allots delegates to each remaining group based on size.

The group then elects a delegate for the county convention.
Step 9: Results

The chair calls the state party and reports the caucus results. The caucus repeats on county and state levels before delegates are sent the Democratic National Convention.

http://nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2007/10/30/
nevada-plays-host-to-both-the-and-democratic-early-caucuses-this-year/

Achoo? Flee from the flu

2007-10-23T16:34:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007

Sniffles, heavy breathing and non-stop coughing ring through lecture halls as colder temperatures slam the university. Students stay in bed with high fevers and feel horrible.

“Feeling like you want to die” marks the flu, Carol Scott, director of Sports Medicine Fellowship, said.

The flu can be a crippling blow to grades, but with proper hand washing, free flu shots, exercise and enough sleep students can ward off the flu blues and trade in their slippers for some running shoes.

When to get flu shots

Must present a valid student ID when getting a flu shot.

All flu shots are free, Carol Scott said. The flu shot does not immunize against all forms of the flu, and proper hand washing is the best way to avoid getting sick.

Flue shots are available anytime during the week at the Student Health Center from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. or 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays.
Flu shots will also be provided on campus during the following days in these locations

Wednesday, Oct. 24, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m

Fitzgerald Student Services building
Thursday Nov. 8, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Fitzgerald Student Services building
Thursday Nov. 29, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Crowley Student Union, Grad Student Lounge
If anyone has a severe allergy to eggs then he or she one cannot have the flu vaccination
How to avoid getting sick

Wash hands after using the restroom, coughing, sneezing or being in a crowded area.

Avoid touching nose, mouth or eyes with hands.

“Regular hand washing is the best way to keep from getting sick,” Scott said.

Exercise regularly – Exercise helps relieve stress and keeps the immune system healthy, Scott said.

Sleep regularly – The immune system needs rest to function properly. Not getting enough sleep equates to a weakened immune system.

Eat healthy – eat less fast food, more fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean meat.

Things that weaken the immune system

Stress suppresses the immune system. Stress can be reduced by relaxation and exercise.

Smoking suppresses the immune system. Scott said smokers should either decrease the amount they smoke or quit.

Urban Myth

No credible study says vitamin C helps in preventing the cold or the flu, Scott said.

http://nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2007/10/23/achoo-flee -from-the-flu/

Secular director visits

2007-10-16T08:20:00.000-07:00

Nontheists are the only minority in the United States still looked down upon in society, said Lori Lipman Brown, the director of the Secular Coalition for America.

“From claiming that we’re immoral, depraved and unethical, to making atheist military heroes invisible . . . Americans are not shy about admitting that they feel comfortable treating nontheistic Americans as less patriotic, less respectable and less deserving of equal treatment than any other minority,” she said.

Brown spoke to a crowd of 30 students and members of the public Tuesday in the Jot Travis Student Union’s Pine Lounge as a part of the Nevada Speakers Series put on by Flipside.

Brown said she is best known for “making sex legal” by authoring a bill to overturn Nevada’s sodomy laws during her tenure as a state senator. The sodomy laws classified consensual sex not for the purpose of procreation as a felony, she said.

Brown now works as the director of and lobbyist for the Secular Coalition of America. Some of her recent fights include trying to remove a Department of Defense spending bill amendment that would allow military chaplains to try and recruit soldiers to the chaplain’s religion, she said.

“The chaplains who lobbied for this amendment claimed that their particular religion required that they work at all times and in all places to save all non-Christians,” she said.

Brown said she also fought against religious hiring discrimination in the federal Head Start bill. Religious hiring discrimination happens when a church refuses to hire qualified people because they do not hold the same religious beliefs. The Head Start program gives grants to organizations to help lower-class children and families, according to the Head Start Web site.

If Congress stripped the bill of its religious hiring discrimination protection, a single mother could be denied a job because of her unmarried status, Brown said.

She said she lobbied against repeated attempts to strip the Head Start bill of protection against religious hiring discrimination.

The Head Start bill passed with its protection against religious hiring discrimination intact when Congress restarted the program for the first time in six years, she said.

In addition to the Head Start bill, Brown and others currently are working to investigate and correct the issues of President Bush’s faith-based initiatives.

“Those who believed they were following the administration’s wishes began a concerted effort to shift social service grants away from proven secular organizations,” she said.

She said she also fought against the anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment brought before Congress last year because of its theological implications.

“We must not impose a theological definition on a civil contract,” she said.

Brown ended her speech with an appeal to the members of the audience.

“And vote,” she said. “You are living in a state where many races are decided based on a handful of votes.”

http://nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2007/10/16/secular-director -visits/

AP week shows history

2007-10-09T07:19:00.000-07:00

To walk, skip or jump down the golden path in journalism, one must have a developed voice, Associated Press correspondent Brendan Riley said.

“The golden path in journalism is your voice,” said Riley, who’s been stationed in Carson City since 1972. “Our higher-ups keep on telling us to develop our voice.”

Riley, along with Martha Mendoza, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and Ellen Hale, AP’s vice president for corporate communications, spoke to a large crowd last Wednesday night in the Reynolds School of Journalism.

The speakers came to campus as part of an AP exhibit in the RSJ atrium.

“We think it’s important for journalism and communications students to learn about the legacy and history of AP in understanding the broader role of the media today,” Hale said.

Mendoza won a Pulitzer Prize for her work on a team that uncovered the deaths of hundreds of civilians during the Korean War at the No Gun Ri Bridge.

Mendoza most recently covered the friendly-fire death of former NFL player Pat Tillman in Afghanistan.

“I like it when I make a palpable difference,” Mendoza said. “But when I hear the Pentagon is launching an investigation, it doesn’t do much.

However, when I got a call from one of the survivors of the No Gun Ri killings when U.S. army soldiers shot South Korean civilians, that’s what really made me feel.”

She said 40 new versions of a story in an eight-hour workday are common.

“When you’re working for AP, you’re always on deadline,” Mendoza said.

Riley answered questions of a lighter note.

Riley works in close proximity to a couple of Las Vegas newspaper correspondents and said he finds the thrill of keeping his stories secret until they hit the wire fun.

“In trench warfare among reporters, we don’t tell each other what we’re working on,” he said.

Riley said he finds his entire job to be a hoot.

“Journalism is the most fun I can have and still make money,” he said. “Even the grind is fun.”

Bob Felten, a journalism professor, said he could have talked with the speakers for hours.

“I appreciated how both (Martha Mendoza) and Brendan Riley talked about how much fun their work is,” Felten said. “It reminded me of my days as a reporter and the fun I had then.”

Chris Dudash, a 20-year-old journalism major, said he thought the lecturers shared a wealth of information.

“I thought the speakers were interesting and intriguing,” Dudash said.

http://nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2007/10/09/ap-week-shows-history/

Greek Perception

2007-10-07T22:29:00.000-07:00

Wheeler Cowperthwaite
Staff Writer
Note: Never ran.
Note: Dated: Sept. 8 2007

“Animal House,” “Van Wilder” and “Old School” conjure images of horses killed by heart attacks, uncontrolled drinking, surprise-filled pastries and Will Ferrell’s disastrous run down to the quad.
For Greeks on campus, this stereotype of Greek life represents a problem. Incredible drinking and outrageous parties are the crux of the stigma, campus Greeks said.
Cody Wagner, 22, president of Sigma Phi Epsilon, said dealing with non-Greek’s preconceived notions is always a battle.
Wagner said he wants to talk to non-Greeks who have open minds so they can see what Greek life is about.
A majority of incoming male freshmen have misconceptions about fraternities, said Gary Schott, 21, current president of Sigma Nu
“Kids are always looking for the Animal House,” Schott said.
Michael Pennington, 35, chairman of the Alpha Tao Omega Alumni Association, said ATO used the animal house stereotype to its advantage.
“We would correct people about the negative aspects of the stereotype and use the positive aspects to bolster our reputation,” Pennington said. “We had a party at the beginning of the school year with 700 people.”
“It’s hard for [Greek members] to get away from the stigma,” said Tiffany Pack-Baleme, a 27-year-old finance major not involved in Greek life. “It’s not like TV helps.”
Another non-Greek, Crystal Pack, echoed Pack-Baleme’s message.
“When someone says ‘Greeks’ I think of immature behavior, drunkenness, sex and no regard for grades,” said Pack, a 23-year-old international business major. “I don’t think of them going out and doing community service.”
Philanthropy or community service, contrary to Pack-Baleme’s vision, is one of the main tenets of Greek life, according to the University of Nevada, Reno Greek Life Web site.
“People get caught up in the stereotypes,” Ryan Kenney, 22, Phi Delta president, said. “[People] fail to realize the good Greeks do on campus”
Sigma Nu raised over $10,000 last year for St. Jude Research Children’s Hospital Schott said.
Sigma Phi Epsilon raised an estimated $2,000 for charities last year Wagner said.
Sigma Kappa Theta raised an estimated $6,000 for charities last year and did 900 hours of community service.
Robin Reaney, president of sorority Kappa Alpha Theta, said, “The positive aspects of Greek life aren’t highlighted.”
Though Greeks emphasized a changing image, Jake Wiskerchen, a founding member of SigEp, said many of the fraternities are making the same mistakes they did during his tenure.
“They throw parties during dry rush, act irresponsibly during tailgaters and emulate the behavior of ‘Animal House,’” said Wiskerchen, 29.
When it comes to academics, Pack said she thinks Greeks do not care about grades.
However, Reaney said, “Academics is one of our main priorities.”
Pennington said raised GPA standards are a positive trend for the fraternities.
Sally Morgan, director of student conduct, said ten years ago the IFC started a program of scholarship recognition awards.
“Academics has been a major goal of the interfraternity council for the past ten years,” Morgan said.

Another year and another rush

2007-10-07T22:16:00.000-07:00

Another year and another rush
By Wheeler Cowperthwaite
Tuesday, September 4th, 2007

A new wave of policy enforcement, increased vigilance from police and a fight for more participation in Greek life mark the yearly return of fall rush.

Rush week kicked off Thursday for the fraternities and sororities. The sororities finished Monday and the fraternities will end rush week Sept. 13.

The sororities are expecting at least 250 pledges, said Kate Rice, 21, of Delta Gamma. Most of the fraternities are optimistic about this year’s rush, as well.

“We’ve seen a bigger turnout so far,” said Jeremiah Todd, president of Lambda Chi Alpha.

Sally Morgan, the director of student conduct, said Greek participation in new student orientation is stronger than ever.

The Greeks have also been working with an alcohol-free rush week during the past few semesters.

“We’re stepping up enforcement (of Fraternal Judicial Council rules) from last year,” said Nate Digangi, chief justice of the Fraternity Judicial Council.

The Fraternal Judicial Council didn’t exist until last fall, said Digangi, 24. Because of the judicial council’s existence, enforcement can be stepped up.

“This is the first semester that we’re playing a major role in the Interfraternity Council,” he said.

Digangi said he plans on patrolling fraternity row to make sure all the frats are obeying Interfraternity Council and Fraternal Judicial Council bylaws.

“I hope to have nine FJC members checking up on the fraternities during rush week,” Digangi said. “I expect four or five members to work the parties and events.”

In the past, the university was the only entity doling out punishment, Digangi said.

“(If a violation is found) we file a complaint with the FJC,” Digangi said. “Then we compile evidence about the infraction. We can write a letter to their national headquarters or revoke their charter.”

Sgt. Kevin Stein, of the University of Nevada, Reno Police Department, is not too worried about this year’s rush.

“The fraternities have gotten better over the years,” Stein said.

He said UNRPD will be making sure that no one is doing the “Reno Shuffle” – where someone stumbles and staggers down the street while inebriated – down fraternity row.

“We are more vigilant in the rush areas,” Stein said.

UNRPD is required to make a docket for every call, Stein said. If a student is cited or arrested for minor in possession or minor in consumption, the case also gets forwarded to Sally Morgan, the director of student conduct.

“We’re not here to get people in trouble,” Stein said.

“We’re here to maintain the safety of the people.”

http://nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2007/09/04/another-year-and-another-rush/

Associated Press exhibit visits Reynolds School of Journalism through Oct. 5

2007-10-07T22:11:00.000-07:00

The Associated Press exhibit “Breaking News: How the Associated Press Has Covered War, Peace and Everything Else” is on display in the Reynolds School of Journalism atrium Tuesday through Friday.

The exhibit displays various AP pictures and the “story behind the story,” said Zanny Marsh, communications director for the College of Education, College of Liberal Arts and the Reynolds School of Journalism.

“The exhibit has the ability to tell the story of modern history from a different perspective,” she said.

The exhibit is composed of a series of giant AP photographs with the story behind the picture as well as the events that caused them.

On Oct. 3, Ellen Hale, Martha Mendoza and Brendan Riley will speak in Reynolds School of Journalism room 101 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. as part of the exhibit’s presentation.

Hale worked as a journalist for almost 30 years before becoming AP’s Vice President of Communications, journalism professor Deidre Pike said. Mendoza won a Pulitzer prize in 2000 for investigative reporting. Riley has been an AP correspondent living in Carson City since 1972.

http://nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2007/10/02/briefly-2/

Journalism 203 Print Assignment: Coal Plants

2007-10-07T21:38:00.000-07:00

The air reverberated with tension Friday afternoon as a stunning blow was dealt to seven environmental groups seeking to stop coal power from advancing in Nevada.
The State Environmental Commission denied a petition brought by an organization of seven environmental groups Friday, Sept. 7.
Seven organizations, led by the Western Resource Advocates, brought the petition against six coal power plants in the process of being given permits.
The power plants are designed for placement in White Pine and Lincoln counties.
As a comprise, the Commission voted to have an agreement signed by the power companies seeking permits. The agreement will request the power companies to make the power plants so carbon capture technology, a process of taking carbon dioxide from a power plant and putting it into the ground, can be easily attached after the plants have been built.
Representatives from the three companies seeking to build the plants, Sierra Pacific Resources, Sithe Global Power, and LS Power Company said carbon capture technology will not be available in a way that does not cost too much until at least 2017 and more likely 2020.
Commission’s legal authority
A representative from the Attorney General’s office said the commission did not have the right to stop the permitting process of the coal fired plants.
The commission recognized its right to regulate green house gas emissions but did not create any regulations. The commission did not ask the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection to draft any regulations pertaining to green house gasses.
Drafting green house gas emission regulations could take up to 18 months, Leo Drozdoff, the director of the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, said
“Drafting green house gas emission regulations in 18 months is a conservative estimate,” Allen Biaggi, Director of the Department of Conservation and National Resources, said.
When green house gas regulations would be ready for approval by the commission, the legislature would already be back in session, he said.
Reasons for rejecting the petition
The Commission rejected the petition because of the proposed limits on green house gasses, the state’s reliance on natural gas and imported electricity, electricity transmission lines, economic impact on White Pine and Lincoln counties and the timeliness of the petition, John Walker, Executive Secretary to the Environmental Commission, said.
The level of regulation for green house gasses the petitioners proposed was impossible to be met by coal fired power plants, Walker said.
“The proposed limit on the production of carbon dioxide was ridiculous,” he said.
No coal fired power plant in the world could meet the emission standard the petitioners proposed, he said. Coal power plants produce twice as much carbon dioxide as gas power plants.
According to the petition filed with the Commission, “no more than 1,100 pounds
of carbon dioxide pollution per megawatt-hour can be emitted.”
The 1,100 pounds of carbon dioxide standard is based on the amount of carbon dioxide a gas power plant produces, Kyle Davis of the Nevada Conservation League, said.
“We want to stop coal plants completely,” he said.
During the hearing, Commissioner Pete Anderson expressed his disagreement with the proposed 1,100 pounds standard.
“The standard for carbon dioxide production proposed in the petition is not based in science,” Anderson said.
Although the Davis said only gas-fired plants should be built, the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada said the state is 75 to 80 percent reliant on natural gas to meet its energy needs.
According to written testimony from the Public Utilities Commission, natural gas prices are volatile and affected by a number of factors outside of Nevada’s control.
To pick up the slack from gas powered plants, Nevada imports over half of its power needs, Gov. Jim Gibbons wrote in a letter to the commission.
“Estimates put the cost of power importation at $1.5 billion annually,” Gibbons wrote. Gibbons called Nevada’s use of imported energy “expensive and unpredictable.”
To transmit renewable power
According to written testimony submitted by LS Power Development, developers of a proposed 1,590 megawatt coal fired plant in White Pine County, the electricity transmission line that would link renewable energy in eastern and northern Nevada to southern Nevada would not be built unless developers built a coal fired power plant with it.
“It takes a large scale power plant to pay for transmission lines,” Biaggi said.
The power transmission line would allow power created by renewable energy sources in northern and eastern parts of the state, such as geothermal, wind and solar, to be brought to the Las Vegas power market, Gibbons wrote.
The petition was late
In 2007, the legislature passed SB 422 which creates a registry for tracking green house gas emissions, Walker said.
“The legislature already made legislation on the issue,” he said.
The petition was brought after the each of the power companies spent 20 million dollars on the permitting process, he said.
“The petition was brought too late,” he said.
The power plants would bring economic benefits to the residents of White Pine County, Todd Koch of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Northern Nevada, wrote in a letter to the commission.
“[The petitioners] asked the Commission to turn its back on the economic needs of White Pine County,” Koch wrote.
The White Pine County Commission is too centered on the economic impacts of the proposed power plants, Bob Fulkerson, State Director of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, said. “The White Pine County Commission is blinded to the environmental damage the plants could cause.”

Journalism 102 final: Travis Rice Feature Piece

2007-06-22T20:00:00.000-07:00

Travis Rice tied his waist-long hair into a bun, rolled a cigarette and opened the window of the truck.
“Just for the record, I’m only driving this truck until my car gets out of the shop,” he said. “I know this stands for everything I’m against, but I have to get around somehow.”
After he lights up he starts out on a trip to go pick up letters from the Reno courthouse. He drives around awhile looking for a parking space, driving past multiple spots and citing that the truck is too big to fit. He finally backs up into a 15-minute loading zone and plants the wheels on the sidewalk.
Travis Rice, 32, has an eclectic past: he studied in London, interned for former Senator Richard Bryan in Washington, D.C., lived off the grid in Maui, lived in Africa for a summer, became the first male Education Manager for Planned Parenthood, interned in a psychiatric hospital and lackeyed for Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie.
Rice was born in Long beach, Calif. and moved to Nevada when he was three months old. He played football for most of his High school career and toured different colleges trying to recruit him.
“I weighed 260 at the time and the coach at UNR said that he’d get me up to 300 before the end of the year,” Rice said. “He said he was going to make me gain 40 pounds in six months. We [the prospective football players] were cattle to him.”
Rice decided to take a “talent” scholarship to Willamette University in Oregon. During the summer of his junior year in 1995, Rice had his first eye-opening experience: London.
“The pub is the place to hang out,” Rice said. “You take the whole family down there and everyone has a beer and talks.”
Rice found gaping contrasts between the United States and the United Kingdom.
“Isms are openly talked about there,” he said. “They have communists and socialists sitting in their Parliament.”
After London, Rice finished up his education in Oregon and during the summer after his senior year he interned under former Senator Richard Bryan. Rice soaked in the different culture of the capital, marking that he was called a “hippie,” motioning that his hair, at the time, was only down to his neck.
“Cocaine was rampant,” Rice said. “All the interns would go down to the bar in their suits and drink and snort cocaine.”
After his internship in D.C., Rice moved back to Reno. Rice stayed in Reno for most of the summer and nearing Fall he boarded a Greyhound bus with a Hawaiian friend, went to San Francisco and boarded a plane to Maui.
“I jumped on a Greyhound bus with a hand drum, backpack and my bicycle in a box,” Rice said.
Rice lived in Maui for eight years, eventually meeting his wife. He lived off the grid, worked multiple jobs, set up an entrepreneurship program for kids, restored sand dunes and created a safe haven for Hawaiian children.
“Domestic violence was still a large part of the culture,” Rice said.
Hawaiian children weren’t just being protected from abuse parents or siblings for methamphetamine, better known as crystal meth, hit Hawaii before it became a problem anywhere else.
“Me and a big Samoan buddy of mine chased a meth dealer out of the parking lot of the safe haven we set up,” he said. “We wanted the kids to have at least one place where they wouldn’t be solicited to buy drugs.”
Rice moved to Southern Malawi in Africa for the summer after deciding to move out of Maui. He set up computer labs, generators, helped create education plans about HIV and built a pump house so that the villagers could get more than one crop a year. He also noted that corn was the main crop of the villagers.
“The UN would send shipments of corn seed that would have a higher yield but it wouldn’t produce seeds to use for the next season,” he said. “The UN wanted the villagers to be dependent on them.”
HIV was epidemic when Rice entered the country.
“Some men believed that if they had sex with a virgin it would cure them of HIV,” he said. “That’s why we started the education programs. We had to let the people know what about the disease.”
Rice taught the villagers to plant marijuana to help those infected through their last days and to plant and eat garlic to help get their immune systems stronger to live longer while infected.
“Aspirin is gold there,” he said. “I came with a couple of Frisbees, which they threw away, a few soccer balls and a bunch of aspirin.”
Some soccer balls became so worn and torn that they couldn’t be repaired any more.
“They stuck about 200 condoms together in a ball, held them all together with rubber bands and suddenly they had a brand new soccer ball to play with,” he said.
After his stay in Africa, Rice moved back to Reno. He managed to become the first male Education Manager for Planned Parenthood.
He designed and continued innovative education campaigns teaching boys to “be a man.”
After his tenure at Planned Parenthood, Rice started up school again in the pursuit of a master’s degree in social work. For the program he interned at the West Hills Psychiatric hospital.
“I met God a few times at West Hills,” he said.
Even though he met God on multiple occasions, he found a single reoccurring problem: the same people were coming in time and time again.
“It’s a revolving door,” Rose Gramalia, Rice’s manager, said.
The problem goes deeper than just the same patients coming in time and time again.
“We’re putting on band-aids and putting out fires,” Gramalia said.
After Rice’s tenure at the psychiatric hospital he became the intern of assembly woman Sheila Leslie and was put in charge of researching a bill on housing for the homeless.
Rice worked with Officer Patrick O’Bryan on setting up a wall of pictures taken by homeless people in Reno.
“Those photos really made a difference,” O’Bryan said.
Rice was put in charge of making the presentation to the Health and Human Services committee.
“She told me to do the research and make the presentation and to work with Officer O’Bryan,” Rice said. “I had no idea of what I was actually supposed to do.”
Rice was also instrumental in maintaining order during the tent city on the steps of the Capital.
“Everything I’d done before led up to me be able to make that presentation,” Rice said. “That experience changed my life.”