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Big Ben England's own Ben Atkinson is at ECU, telling jokes and playing tennis. Check out the sport's section on page 14. TODAYx? nHigh 80T"L Low S8j fTOMORROW LIFESTYLE Downtown Rampage ! The Jackonuts frightened even jaded ECU students with their 0' Rock's show last weekend. See what you missed on page 10. m The East Carolinian Vol. 69 No. 48 Circulation 12,000 Thursday, September 29, 1994 Greenville, NC 16 pages Football season has a positive kick-off By Tambra Zion Photo Courtesy of Laura Sweet Despite the plastic bags donated by the Athletic Department, trash still adorned the tailgating fields both before and after Saturday's game against Syracuse. "Give a hoot, don't pollute Woodsy the Owl said. The Pirates take on the Golden Eagles Saturday at 4 p.m. in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Assistant News Editor More than 40 hours of prepara- tion and cooperative efforts by Pub- lic Safety, Greenville Police, the Ath- letics Department, gatekeepers and students made Saturday's game a positive beginning for this year's football season. "I enjoyed the game a great deal and thought our young men on the football team gave a very good per- formance. They are obviously get- ting better week by week and we are proud of their achievements said Chancellor Richard Eakin. "I was very proud and pleased to see the way that the game festivities unfolded. I believe that the behav- ior of the fans was exemplary and we are looking forward to continu- ing that fine tradition Despite a few problems, Public Safety Director Teresa Crocker, along with many university offi- cials, believe the game coordina- tion and student behavior were ex- cellent. "I think things went fantastic when we compare it with the first game last year, we're worlds apart said Dean of Students Ronald Speier. "Ididspend timeobserving the student section from the south side of the stands, and I saw very little difficulties other than at times the isleways seemed to be con- gested. I did observe that they took a few students out of the stadium, I suspect that was for some kind of rowdiness or public consumption compared to other games and other events I've been at I think we had a very positive experience Crocker said two fights were stopped, and arrests were made. One lost child was claimed after an announcement, and a few medical emergencies occurred. The total of problems reported included six in- cidents in the stands and one stolen picnic table. "One big problem is that stu- dents wouldn't come in until the game started, which caused a ma- jor backlog at the student gate and also caused a major backlog when people were trying to get to their seats Crocker said. "It's a safety Issue. When you get people on the steps people get knocked around, and people who are intoxicated may fall Public Safety controlled over- crowding by regulating the num- ber of students allowed to enter the stands at one time. "Our main concern is what s going on in the parking lot Crocker said. "Making sure that the lots are safe and that people don't cause a lot of problems Parking and traffic flow are Public Safety's main concerns, Crocker said. Students also need to clean up their tailgating areas instead of throwing waste along the grounds. Approximately 33,000 attended the game, which makes for a lot of trash. "People need to use receptacles and trash bags because it is so ugly out there once everybody leaves Crocker said. Crocker said that she is looking forward to this weekend's game and believes thedepartment looks forward to game days as well. "I thinkfor the mostpart people enjoy working it because it's a different type of assignment than what they do everyday Crocker said. Athletic Director Dave Hart was unavailable for comment. Nat'l, local financial aid default rate down By Jeb Brookshire Staff Writer National statistics show that in the past few years, student loan default rates have dropped sub- stantially. According to an article in USA Today, nationally, the default rate dropped to 15 percent in 1992 from 22.4 percent in 1990. Statis- tics for North Carolina show the statewide default rate at a little over 6 percent. There were 25 schools in North Carolina that had no default. East Carolina's over- all default rate is 3.4 percent. The lower rates can be attributed to tougher oversight, higher penal- ties for non-payment and student financial counseling. This year, any school whose default rate has been higher than 25 percent for the past three years can lose its eligibility to participate in federal loan programs. "These figures are relatively low said Mary Rose Stelma, Stu- dent Financial Aid director. "We pride ourselves with a very low default rate, in fact, we probably have one of the lowest default rates in the state According to Stelma, the de- fault rate, in simple terms, is a percent of people who have taken out a loan and have not paid it back on time. A loan is consid- ered to be in default when it is more than 120 days overdue. There are two types of loans offered at most universities, fed- erally-granted and institutionally -granted loans. East Carolina of- fers both kinds of loans. Federal loans are funded by the govern- ment and institutional loans are funded through the individual university. There are also parent loans. These are loans that a student's parent takes out on be- half of the student from other institutions, such as banks. According to Sherry Speight, business affairs collection officer, of the federally-granted loans at ECU, the Perkins loan has a 4.97 percent default rate. The Nurs- ing and the Health Professions loans have 1.51 percent and 1.58 percent default rates. The Sarah Clement loan, which is an insti- tutional loan, has a 7.38 percent default rate. ECU has several loans that are not in default. They include loans that are given out to students with disabilities, and an ECU loan. The largest and most widely available loan to students at any university is the Stafford Loan. At ECU, the default rate for this loan is 3.4 percent. 5,049 students use the Stafford loan here at ECU, bor- rowing 20 million dollars. These figures are for the 1993-1994 aca- demic year which ended on June 30. However the money does not always arrive on time. This can cause problems for students that depend on these loans to pay for their college. According to Stelma, freshmen by law, can not receive their loans until the first thirty days of school are past. "I feel that first time borrowers should be more informed because I felt like I was being left in the dark. It's not like I am borrowing lunch money, I am taking a loan out on my future said Adam Eckhardt, a freshman at ECU. "I was frustrated when I found out that the loan wouldn't be released until 30 days after the semester. I guess I what really scared me was that I didn't know about the de- ferment This can be a comment senti- ment among students. Depend- ing on the number of applicants, the processing time could simply take longer and often the student is the last one to know. "The fact that the money from Air Force Cadet outruns 1,900 to break record By Laura Jackman Staff Writer The ECU Pirates are not the only people fast on their feet. Cadet2nd Lieu- tenant Jill Metzger set a national record in August for being the fastest woman in the ROTC program. ROTC Leadership Laboratory, held Tuesday, Sept. 20, Metzger received the Fleet Foot Award and the title of Fastest Female in the 1994 Field Training Camp for running the mile and half in eight minutes, 28 seconds. Metzger was selected out of 2,100 applicants to be one of the 1,900 ca- dets to participate in the Field Training the Stafford loan has not arrived on time doesn't really bother me personally said Stephanie Fritz, a sophomore at ECU. "I have other loans and grants that have helped me out, but I know people who are in the red be- cause their money isn't here A sense of panic may set in for first year students who did not anticipate await. However, the only problems that have surfaced so far have surfaced from banks that have changed their computer programs, which will increase the process- ing time. "I don't think that these de- lays are abnormal Stelma said. "There has been nothing unusual about this year so far ff Program that takes place every summer. She was stationed in San Antonio, Texas at the Lackland Air Force Base for her four-week training from July 22 to Au- gust 18. Cadets from detachments all over the country attended the camps, located in San Antonio as well as Panama City, Florida and Dover, Delaware. There they were involved in a series of workshops and seminars in addition to rigorous training. Each week the cadets were tested on their physical fitness as well as their group leadership skills, time manage- ment and problem solving techniques. Metzger not only excelled in all as- pects of her testing, but she was also awarded the title of Distinguished Gradu- ate, which placed her at the top five per- cent of her class. "Jill was involved in a very physically challenging environment said Lt. Col. Myrick, Commander of the Air Force de- tachment 600. "We are very proud of her Metzger said that the award came as an honor and a surprise to her. "I share the award with everyone at Lackland because without their support, I couldn't have achieved what 1 did After graduating in December 1995, Metzger plans to stay in the Air ForceI definitely plan to make a career out of this she said Mom and Pop boost ticket sales By Tambra Zion Assistant News Editor Moms and dads will be arriving in bulk this weekend to share a few days of ECU football, food and fun with their children. Around 3,000 parents are expected to attend Parents Week- end, an annual university event. After seven years of practice, Par- ents Weekend committee members know how to run the show smoothly, offering something for everyone on the weekend agenda. "Our parents are our biggest sup- porters of ECU said Laura Sweet, chair of the Parents Weekend Com- mittee and assistant to the dean. "It's really an event that almost makes your job seem worthwhile, seeing parents come back and they're just as proud of ECU as alumni are There are several events, and par- ents may choose to attend any or all of them. Those arriving on Friday can register in Mendenhall between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Friday night, families have the choice to see Beverly Hills Cop HI (the show is free) in Mendenhall or to see The Capitol Steps, "the only group in America that attempts to be funnier than Congress Tickets for TheCapi- tol Steps are on sale at the central ticket of fice in Mendenhall. The price is $15 for adults and $7 for students and children Parents had the option of pre-pur- chasing reduced-rate tickets for Saturday's game against Southern Mississippi and tickets for the pre- gamepicnic. Registration will be held again Saturday at 9 a.m so parents who have not done so can pick up tickets and registration packets. We the Dean of Student's Office are responsible for ensuring that the activities go as planned and dis- tributing information about activi- ties throughout the weekend said Ronald Speier, dean of students. "I think it's great to have parents onto the campus and seeing it's a pretty, beautiful campus. It ought to be a nice weekend. Parents can see where their sons or daughters go to class, where we have student activi- ties, construction sites, the game, the program before the reception with the chancellor. All of those are very See PARENTS page 6 2 The East Carolinian September 29, 1994 ECU encouraged to clean up Republicans get heat for threatening President Clinton Missouri University College Republicans are under investi- gation by the Secret Service, the FBI and MU police for distributing a threatening flier believed to be created by someone not affiliated with the group. An unknown person(s) replaced the group's original flier with a picture of President John F. Kennedy on a coroners table next to a picture of President Clinton with the caption, "He's no JFK But there's still time Steve Peters, vice president of the College Repub- licans was the first one to hear about the tampering when a caller informed him that the flier was in bad taste. He thought the call was a joke until Secret Service Agents contacted him. Peters had no idea that the group's fliers had been replaced throughout campus with the threatening pictures. Actors: beware of falling props An actor performing in Evita, brought new meaning to the term break a leg when he suffered a broken arm after being hit by a falling prop. Two actors were actually struck while on stage when a screen, which was supposed to be lowered, fell and interrupted the show for more than two minutes. Off-season streaker graces UNC Library Two bare bottomed students ran through Davis Library this month with only sandals on their feet and cloths around their heads. Streakers traditionally run on reading day and during exams to let their tensions lose. One library employee believed the streakers should not be punished, but admits the activity is not conducive to studying. Get paid to eat in the name of research Whether you are a sworn meat-eater, a strict vegetarian or one of those grapefruit juice-drinking dieters, researchers at the University of Michigan Medical Center have a deal for you. UM officials are paying $1,000 a week to do little more than sit around for seven days and eat what they are given. Researchers are hoping to discover how a person's diet can enhance or hinder his or her health. There are drawbacks, however, participants mustgive tissue samples from their smaD intestines on three separate occasions. Compiled by Tambra Zion. Taken from CPS and other campus newspapers.