FRIDAY,AUG.31,2001
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 3A
Sentence: Lawyer says judge gave juvenile benefit of doubt
CONTINUED FROM 1A
Terms of the probation include Scott being on house arrest for six months, needing to perform 300 hours of community service and participating in drug and alcohol counseling.
If the judge decides that Scott has violated his probation, he would return to the correctional facility to finish serving his initial two-and-a-half year sentence, McCalla said.
Bland was killed on Kansas Highway 10 on Sept. 16, 2000, after Scott's car crossed the median and collided with Bland's car.
Scott, who was 16 at the time of the crash, had a blood alcohol content of.15, almost twice the adult legal limit. He had been drinking at the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house before the accident.
The fraternity didn't face any penalties, however, because no evidence proved it provided Scott with alcohol, according to a University investigation.
Brenda Cameron, assistant district attorney who prosecuted Scott's case, said her office disagreed with the judge's sentence reduction.
"We felt the sentence should stay as it
was," Cameron said. "We were adamantly opposed to any modification. We felt like being in custody was the restriction he needed."
The reduction isn't against the law, however. A state statute concerning juveniles does allow for modifications of a sentence, Cameron said.
McCalla, Scott's attorney, said that Scott's probation contract was the most difficult contract he'd seen in his 10 years working in juvenile law.
But in all of McCalla's previous juvenile cases, none of his clients had been involved in a death, he said.
"This case isn't a typical case by any stretch of the imagination," McCalla said.
The numerous probation requirements provide little comfort to Bland's family.
"You expect the court system to protect and be on the side of the victim," Bland said. "It just seems like it's more for the guilty. That's disheartening."
Lisa Bland's siblings said they wanted to know why the judge changed the original sentence she ordered in March during the May and August hearings.
"It makes you wonder what happened in that time," said Yolanda Reyes,
Lisa's sister.
McCalla said there was a legal explanation for the change of sentence.
Bland said he worried about the effects Scott's sentence would have on future drinking and driving cases.
"In juvenile law, we look at things a little bit different than in criminal law. Judge Shelton tries to provide the best opportunities for juveniles to succeed in the future," he said.
"What precedent does this set for the next case?" he said.
Contact Harrison at 864-4810
Timeline of Sean Scott case
Sept.16,2000
Sean Scott goes to the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, 1540 Louisiana St., to meet his brother, Mike Scott.
A fraternity member drives the two to the Wheel, 507 W. 14th St., where Sean drinks. After walking back to the fraternity house Sean drinks more.
Sean is supposed to go to Memorial Stadium with his family to watch the football game. He decides to drive to Lenexa to see his girlfriend instead.
According to Johnson County District Court records:
Sean takes Kansas Highway 10 toward Lenexa. He crosses the median and hits another car about 15 miles east of Lawrence. The driver of the other car, Felicia "Lisa" Bland, dies at the scene.
Dec.6,2000
Sean is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the juvenile division of Johnson County District Court.
March 1,2001
Sean makes first appearance in court. Judge sets bond at $50,000.
Dec. 7,2000
Sean pleads no contest to involuntary manslaughter. Judge orders that Sean be placed in juvenile custody.
March 15,2001
Sean sentenced to 30 months in juvenile corrections facility and two months of aftercare.
May 2001
Judge reduced sentence to probation with condition that Sean participates in 90-day behavior modification program.
August 7,2001
Johnson County District Court Judge orders Sean to serve five years probation for the death.
Minority youth, KU students paired in outreach program
Volunteers needed as mentors, tutors for local teen-agers
Melissa Carr/KANSAN
By J. R. Mendoza Kansan staff writer
Anthony Daniels grew up in an area that was surrounded by poverty and drugs. Instead of heading down the wrong path, however, his kindergarten teacher became his role model and helped get him into a supportive after-school program.
"She put me in something organized and positive," said Daniels, interim assistant director for the Office of Multicultural Affairs.
Multicultural Affairs Project Outreach Program
The program focuses on helping junior high students early in school and runs from Monday, Sept. 10 to Thursday, Dec. 13.
Volunteers mentor and tutor Lawrence junior high school students.
Daniels coordinates the Multicultural Affairs Project Outreach Program, which serves Lawrence junior high school students of color. The program involves KU students volunteering as mentors and tutors. It is sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs and is also financed by Student Senate.
Starts Monday, Sept. 10 and ends Thursday, Dec. 13.
Volunteers spend an hour on a Monday, Tuesday or Thursday afternoon with the students.
Contact the Office of
Contact the Office of Multicultural Affairs at 864-4351 for more
"It's to help students get on track in regards to attending college and KU in particular," Daniels said. "It's a critical intervention stage."
Carmen Vieray, Hutchinson junior, said she volunteered because she wanted to help Lawrence youth and planned to participate again.
There are no set number of volunteers, and any KU student is encouraged to serve as a mentor or tutor, Daniels said. Organizations can also adopt a school. Students volunteer for an hour on Monday, Tuesday or Thursday afternoons. Before they start volunteering, they will go through training at the office, Daniels said.
Daniels said it was important to get the families of students who participated in the program involved. There will be a kick-off party for program recipients and their parents next month.
"Parents should encourage their students," Daniels said. "They can become a resource for their own students."
Debra Danielson, office specialist for the Office of Multicultural Affairs, said her son went through the program while in junior high and that she was encouraging her daughter to participate as well.
Daniels said the junior high students would be brought to campus for visits and to attend a football game.
Contact Mendoza at 864-4810
"We want to make it fun for them," Daniels said.
Department of theater and film to bring bit of Africa to campus for Labor Day
By Eve Lamborn
Kansan staff writer
A one-woman show and an African drumming workshop are coming to campus this weekend as part of the department of theater and film's fourth annual Labor Day Festival.
John Staniunas, artistic director of the department's Performance Resource Center and Laboratory, said he invited a different performer to the University of Kansas each year for the festival.
"The spirit of the festival is to bring in performing artists who would not normally be seen on campus." Staniunas said.
He said the festival brought attention to the artistic process as well as the artist.
"We celebrate the work of art, and also the artist's work." Staniunas said.
1ms year Tanya Shaffer, a Lawrence native, will perform "Let My Enemy Live Long," a solo show she wrote based on her two-week journey up the Niger River in Africa. She will perform at 7:30 tonight and 7:30 p.m. tomorrow in Murphy Hall.
"I hope to show the complexity of relationships across divides of culture, race, class and especially economics," she said.
Shaffer, who lives in San Francisco, based her show on journals she kept while she volunteered in Ghana.
"The people I met were complicated, flawed, vital, alive," she said. "And I learned a tremendous amount from them."
Kofi Anang, a native of Ghana, provides African music to accompany the show. He will conduct a West African drumming workshop at
"The spirit of the festival is to bring in performing artists who would not normally be seen on campus. We celebrate the work of art, and also the artist's work."
John Staniunas Artistic director of the department's Performance Resource Center and Laboratory
10 a.m. tomorrow in Murphy Hall.
The festival also includes a panel discussion at 3:30 today at the Sunflower Room in the Burge Union. It features Shaffer; Peter Ukpokodu, chairman of African and African American studies; Tamara Falicov, assistant professor of theater and film and Latin American studies; and Evan Winet, visiting assistant professor of theater and film.
"We hope to make people aware of issues such as culture, diversity, and how things are viewed from different angles and lenses," Ukpokodu said.
The drumming workshop and discussion are free to the public. Regular admission for the show is $12 and $6 for students and senior citizens, and are on sale at the box office in Murphy Hall.
Contact Lamborn at 864-4810
THANK YOU SIGMA NU
The Men of Sigma Nu have made a significant financial contribution and pledge to support TIPS training at KU TRAINING INTERVENTION PROCEDURES FOR RESPONSIBLE ALCOHOL MANAGEMENT Contact Watkins Memorial Health Center at 864-9570 for more information about TIPS, BACCHUS and GAMMA
Someone else's trash may be your treasure
If you want it,you can find it. Check out The University Daily Kansan classifieds. We're also online at kansan.com
Domestic violence shelter needs a helping hand!
If you are interested in volunteering as an advocate for battered women and children, come to one of our informational meetings.
- Tuesday, August 28, 2001, 7-8pm United Way Building 2518 Ridge Ct.
- Saturday, September 1, 2001 10-11am United Way Building 2518 Ridge Ct.
For more information, call Meredith at 865-3956