The Towerlight, September 13, 1974

tl19740913-000 "OL. LXIX NO. 2 weatherwood trial ends TOWSON STATE COLLEGE SEPTEMBER 13, 1974 kill charges dismissed By Dave Cochran Robert L. Leatherwood, accused of ibezzlement and larcency after trust in mection with the disappearance of er $15,000 of Student Government Ids, had all charges against him imissed last Thursday in Baltimore .unty Circuit Court. Leatherwood, a former Junior Class esident, was arrested December 4, 72, and indicted May 7 last year. He ls charged with taking funds from ptember 1, 1971, through May 30, 72. Much of that money supposedly me from gate receipts from rock ncerts held on campus. Joseph La Verghetta, the prosecutor � the State's Attorney's office, said at the five month delay between arrest d indictment resulted from a four mth police investigation. The rest of e time was consumed by his office in awing up formal charges. He said special attention was paid in tking sure all the proper parties and tnesses had been named in the in-ztment. He added it was ""not a for andard, pat indictment,"" but one that sesquired extra time and work. Problems on campus La Verghetta also said the trial was t held in the spring of 1973 because of lat he called ""problems"" on Towson's Impus. He cited the fact that that was �e spring after four students took over e college switchboard. The Jackson eal ,ate College shooting, which touched .ePT a grave digging episode in front of lee'nthicum Hall, also was a deciding ctor in putting off the trial. He said, ""I saw no sense in bringing a se M that would have caused .oblems."" He felt the supposed unrest Towson State would have spilled over the County Courthouse. Denied rights nclt i n Judge John E. Raine, Jr. granted npatherwood's motion for dismissal ,eentcause the judge felt Leatherwood was t, pnied his right under the constitution to ,0tespeedy trial. In making his ruling, the ,es d ge said in part, ""I don't see how Ind loPle can remember at this date what be IPpened in the fall of 1972."" Raine went on to say, ""The human pie.am is of such a nature that it is revitable that an extended passage of ine dims the recollection of all in-trivvicluals and I do not believe it is ?asonable to think that the defense can Jt on the same kind of defense, not only to the quantum, but of the quality of IC testimony. , ""In my judgement, the delay here is Ddie constitutional dimension, and lacking 1Y valid excuse for delay."" Raine also felt that the charges ;.ainst Leatherwood had not been lequately explained by the State's of ttorney's office. On June 25, 1973, dideatherwood and his attorney, Robert ceri DiCicco, went to court to obtain a bill particulars, which would have Nutred the prosecutors to spell out the )utrlarges against Leatherwood. II 1 DiCicco unsatisfied Judge Frank Cicone granted the leNo rules broken: motion for the bill which was answered a month later. DiCicco still wasn't satisfied as he wasn't told the exact dates Leatherwood was supposed to have taken the funds. LaVerghetta said that it was not possible to produce exact dates of the alledged crime because it supposedly occurred over such a long period of time, nine months. DiCicco argued that he needed the dates to prepare alibis for Leatherwood. DiCicco said in court last week that since he did not have exact daLA, ""it has put us in an awkward position of trying to prove an out"" for Leatherwood. The prosecutors finally gave dates last Wednesday, the day before the trial began. Witnesses fail to appear When the trial began, four witnesses who had been expected to appear, failed to show up. Pearl Green, who was the bookkeeper for SGA when the em-bezzling was supposed to have oc-curred, was served subpoenas by both sides, and La Verghetta requested that Raine issue a bench warrant for her which he did. The other three witnesses who were not in court did not have their subpoenas served. Ann Seabolt, box office manager at the time of the alledged crime, was suppose to testify for the prosecution. According to DiCicco, she was the link that held the case against Leatherwood together. She is the only person who could testify that she turned over daily receipts from ticket sales to Leatheniodd, among other people, during' the nine month period in question. Her subpoena wasn't served said DiCicco because she had been ill. The state was going to ask for another postponement of the trial but the defense agreed that Mrs. Seabolt was going to say she turned over monies to Leatherwood, so a delay on those grounds wasn't necessary. The other two witnesses were defense witnesses, whom DiCicco said in court were crucial to Leatherwood's case, could not be found. The two were Lewis Olshin, then SGA Vice-President, and Edward (Sonny) Gadsden, then BSU President. Leatherwood, in making his only verbal remark in court, said he had personally searched for Gadsden. Raine stated that he was ""somewhat concerned"" that the two could not be found, but he and the state asked DiCicco to sum up what their testimony was expected to be. . Gadsden supposedly present Gadsden supposedly was going to tell the court that he was present when $6,000 from the Guess Who concert, now allegedly missing, was put in the SGA safe. He was also going to say, according to DiCicco, that the Black Student Union often put monies in the SGA safe for which they received no receipts. Olshin supposedly was going to elaborate on Gadsden's second point, Robert L. Leatherwood during his TSC Senate days saying that the SGA's practices for receiving monies from organizations was very loose. No receipts were ever given to clubs that put monies in the safe. La Verghetta said he would not except DiCicco's summation of their expected testimony because there were people in court who were just as in-volved as Olshin and Gadsden. The prosecutor argued that John Hunt and Joe Widmyer, former class presidents, were both present after the Guess Who concert, making Gadsden unnecessary, and Rick Danoff, then SGA Treasurer, was more qualified than Olshin to speak on SGA money matters. DiCicco Still contended that the two could add valuable insight into the working of SGA funds. Towerlight locates Olshin TOWEBLIGHT located Olshin, now a third year law student at Temple University and a Marine lieutenant, at his apartment in Philadelphia. He was found by means of the city telephone directory. He told us, ""To the best of my knowledge, I have not received any court served subpoenas to testify. I received a letter from the attorney (DiCicco) about four to five days before the trial to testify as a character wit-ness."" He said he was not aware that-he was going to have to talk about financial policies of SGA while he was in office. He also said that he has not seen Leatherwood recently. ""The last time I saw Bob was sometime last year and there was no indication to me at all that I was to testify on the merits of the case."" TOWERLIGHT was unable to reach Gadsden by phone, but he is living in Greenbelt, Maryland, and attending night classes at Towson. ,-siGA treasurer Fortis' conduct valid over y Bryan Harness � Rudy Forti, Towson State College e, � PA Treasurer, has become involved in Linfhat some felt may have been linfestionable conduct this summer in a siesntroversy arising from his em-arPYment as an advertising salesman for 0. rvin Associates of Wilmington, d oelaware. Dot Ervin Associates is publishing the ndwson State College student directory ,ntis October, as well as several other liege directories in this area. wi Towson's directory is being printed CO"" of charge, and will be paid for 00rough advertising revenue. Nearly nei,000.00 worth of ads need to ba 3old in erdder to cover publishing costs. [rid To be solicited by publisher Livl The ads were not necessarily in-sled to be sold by students. It was idpulated in the contract signed last ItOring between Ervin Associates and id e SGA, that ""all advert.sing included ngithin the directories shall be solicited in, the publisher."" nil The contract was sigiled April 16, w04. Former SGA President Eric 0 !thoff, along with then President-Elect ecirling, did most of the pre-signing regotiating with Ervin and Associates. and both signed the document, as did Treasurer-Elect Forti. David Nevins, SGA Vice-President, explained that Forti signed the contract la last April because it was a two-year agreement, which was negotiated during Danoffs term, but would encompass all of Herling's administration as well. After the contract signing, it was agreed in a meeting with Dan Caneen, a representative of Ervin Associates, that Forti and four members of the American Marketing Association would sell ad-vertising for the directory and collect a commission of twenty percent. The AMA salesmen, however, grew discouraged in the early going and dropped out. Forti stayed with the job until July, and then he also gave it up. No conflict of interest Konrad Herling, SGA President, said recently that he sees no conflict of in-terest in Forti, an SGA Executive, being. employed for the summer by a firm that has a contract to do business with the SGA. ""There was a substantial amount of time between the signing of the contract and the planning of an advertising drive for the directory. That shows there was no conflict of interest,"" said Her/ling, adding, ""It's after the fact, it's way after the fact, it's not as though he (Forti) said, ""I'll sign this contract, so I can get a job with the directory."" Dan Caneen of Ervin Associates, also stressed that to his 'knowledge Forti -had shown no in-tention of working as an ad salesman prior to the contract signing. He also dispelled speculation that Forti had been hired full-time by Ervin Associates, Testimony not necessary Now a week later and out of court, DiCicco says that Olshin's and Gadsden's testimony was not necessary. He also says that he was aware that Olshin was attending classes at Temple, but had no address for Gadsden. After Raine's ruling, DiCicco said, ""I know my client is very, very happy to get it over with."" Appeal planned La Verghetta plans to file an appeal within 30 days. He said he feels the ""judge is in error"" that ""his in-terpretation of the law was incorrect."" He also feels that adequate steps were not taken to find Olshin and Gadsden. The appeal will be made in the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, and will be filed by Attorney General Francis Burch's office. VETS to meet The first meeting of the Towson Concerned Veterans will be September 20, 1974 at 3:30 in the Tiger's Lair. Discussion of the new bills still pending and ways to help move that legislation out of congress, and election of new officers .due to transfers will be the major items on the agenda. Also to be discussed will be programs to help the veterans on campus, as well as in jobs and career related areas. It, is hoped that members from placement and the financial aids office will be present for this first meeting of the new year. summer saying that his employment will end at the end of the summer, and won't necessarily be renewed next year. Hired after Forti himself said that ""it was not a conflict of interest. The fact is, I was hired after the contract was signed, the job was offered to me months after the contract was signed. ""I don't see that there's any conflict.. .because I didn't have to get the (SGA) contract with that company,"" he added. Bob Wolfe, Assistant to the Vice President for Business and Finance, also said that he felt ""there really wasn't any way any conflict could have taken place,"" since three or four other students were supposed to handle the job as well. In furthering his support of Forti, SGA President Herling said, ""I know no deal was made, but I see the problem, with everything going on in government these days, you have to make an extra effort to be cautions, and Forti's ac-tivities may appear questionable in this time when it's so important that people have confidence in their government,"" he commented. New dean dies By Bryan Harness Dr. Lavinia Hammond, selected to take the place of the retired Vice- President for Student Services, Dr. C. Richard Gillespie, died August 20, 1974, from cancer. She was 31 years old. ""Your accomplishments to date and the respect and affection that you have earned from so many promises a remarkable contribution at Towson State College. I am delighted you are joining us,"" Towson President James L. Fisher. wrote Dr. Hammond when he offered her the position June 19th. Ph. I). from California Dr. Hammond obtained her B.S. in 1965 from Coppin State College, in Elementary Education and Social Science. She went on to eventually obtain a Ph. D. from the University of California, Berkeley, where she wrote a thesis on ""Need Achievement and Fear of Failure as a Function of Reward and Punishment in Black Mothers and their Sons."" She worked from 1969 until recently as an Assistant Dean and Graduate Advisor, as well as a lecturer, at Berkeley. She also counseled drug addicts in Los Angeles, in addition to working in youth prgrams both on and off campus. In eulogizing Dr. Hammond, president Fisher said, ""There is no real eloquence for sorrow or for sympathy. Like love, words make less of those feelings. But it is aprt of our way to attempt to honor life and immortality with words we know are so much less than the reality they describe."" Eulogyer ""Indeed the memory of Lavinia Hammond presents this almost perfect paradox to me as I attempt to humbly acknowledge the sorrow we share at her death and the sustenance we gain from her life. ""As I think of Lavinia, I call to mind the warmth of her presence, the courageous yet compassionate in-telligence of her words and her beliefs and the way she inspired any group of which she was a member w all a sense ot human goodness and renewal. These things and more she brought to those of us, students and staff alike, at Towson State College who had come to know her and who had so looked forward to her presence and leadership in our com-munity. Personally, I think of the hours we spent in my office in a proces,s of mutual discoverty testing ;our -7-con-victions and beliefs and becoming in-creasingly excited at the prospect of working together. ""Of course, mine was only a proportionately small insight, a glimpse of the relationship that existed between Lavinia and so many of you, but,i1.. was enough for me to know that, for a deserving few good people-life reserves some of these perfections we all seek. ""At times such as this we all recall other times of personal loss and what comes after. I thought of my mother who died as a young woman, almost two 'decades ago, in the full bloom of life, and I thought of the truly special richness that has been mine since her death. I never see a blooming flower, or feel a spring rain, or read a poem, or meet a human being in need, or laugh with others in the full zest of life that I do not think of her. Her beautiful memory has been for me an inspiration every day of my life and so it will always be. And so she lives today. She lives ""It is with this surety then that I say to you that Lavinia lives. She lives as the wise and caring counselor and teacher to a legion of students and colleagues. She lives as the sister Who serves as a model for what .is good and happy. She lives as the daughter who more than honored proudly loving parents. She lives as one whose life was precious and special to those who knew and loved her, and she stands as the test of our ability to care and live outside ourselves. ""The paradox remains. No words can fully suffice. Yet I think of the words that Tennyson gave Ulysses, ""Though much is taken, much abides."" Fisher expands campus Expanding upon the internal campus community in his annual address to the faculty, Towson State College President James L. Fisher told the group of the school's growth from its poor record in 1968 to its present national reputation for excellence. Fisher spoke about the general faculty condition which appears threatened due to an abundance of qualified college faculty which would ""face the reality of a static market and of static enrollment in which the lack of expansion and growth spell out shrinking opportunity in choice of jobs."" Faculty must also continue to be knowledgeable, learned and com-municate this to the students. Remin-ding the group of Dean Kenneth Shaw's speech last Spring concerning retooling, adopting specialties to broader disciplines, sabbaticals, and exchange possibilities with other instiutions, he emphasized how crucial these matters were ,if the college was ""to retain our viability in a static situation."" Cooperation with any group that carries the support of the faculty was reaffirmed by the college president, although he reminded the faculty of the Maryland community's slow moving process In recognizing their con-tributions. This is seen in the pay situation as the promised average salary increase was lowered from 17 percent to 12 percent. The promised 5.6 percent which was supposed to have been retroactive to September 1973 was eliminated. Praising the academic program, . Fisher listed such plusses as: 1- credit for experience program in which over Information available One in ten Black people in the United States is reported to have the trait of Sickle cell anemia. The college Health Center, in an effort to inform students of current health problems, has literature displayed concerning the facts of Sickle Cell. For more information call: 462-1588 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. For free testing and counseling, go to the Provident Hospital, 2600 Liberty Heights Avenue in Baltimore. 100 students have earned to date over 500 credits; 2 - college-in-escrow which offers high school students the op-portunity to experience college level courses; 3 - a second bachelors degree program; 4 - off-campus centers operating in 16 locations serving 2,000 students; 5 - directed independent study program; 6 - travel studey courses; 7 - experimental courses during the mini-mester; and 8 - the Arts and Sciences Major and the Optional General Education Program which provided the student with many possibilities. Fisher spoke of the continued in-crease of minorities at TSC with the present fall class between 10-15 percent Black, an increase of eight times since 1969. The goal is a 14-15 percent Black student population by 1980. Studies made last year clarified the composition of TSC staff and faculty, according to Fisher, who said that ""the glaring and subtle inequities will become the basis for the redress of whatever discrimination exists on campus."" Extension of the college's influence outside the community has also become a major goal of the administration. Fisher reports this has been accomplished through the Special Services Depart-ment handling space reservations for approximately 3700 events attended by over 200,000 persons, the efforts of the News and Publications staff and the Development Office of the College, the Alumni Program, and the Business and Finance Division. Fisher called for special attention to be paid to the part time student whom he said had ""experienced a pervasive and belittling pattern of discrimination by virtually all of American higher education."" In 1972, approximately one-half of the students in post-secondary institutions of higher education were part-time students. University status was also brought up by the college president who said that he would ask the Academic Council to oversee a method in which all avenues of campus opinion would be pursued. Fisher asked that all opinions be in Wore January, 1975 when the legislature convenes. Ending with a point about prospects. Fisher emphasized ""the real measure of our vision will be the extent to which our ideas and practices take root and spread through an admiring, critical, and always uncertain public."" "