tuesday, october 28, 2003
news
the university daily kansan
3A
Martin trial delayed in Costa Rica
By Katie Nelson and Lindsay Hanson knelson@kansan.com and thanson@com Kansan senior staff writers
GOLFITO, Costa Rica — Three years after University of Kansas student Shannon Martin's death, those seeking the truth about her murder will have to keep waiting.
The trial was scheduled to begin yesterday, but the threejudge tribunal overseeing the case delayed the hearing for at least four days after forcing one of the defense attorneys to withdraw.
Private defense attorney Luis Venegas initially represented suspect Kattia Cruz, 28. During that time, Cruz gave statements to
investigators accusing two men, Rafael Zumbado, 52, and Luis Castro, 32, as suspects instead of herself. Sometime later, Cruz and Venegas parted ways, but Venegas re-entered the trial last Wednesday when he filed to instead represent Zumbado.
The tribunal judges decided after an hour and a half of deliberation that Venegas' representation of Zumbado creates a conflict of interest because Venegas never sought or gained Cruz's permission. Now, the trial is delayed to give Zumbado time to find a new private attorney or public defender.
Martin was stabbed to death May 13,2001,while visiting Costa Rica to gather specimens for a biology thesis about tropical ferns. The
23-year-old from Topeka died one week before she was supposed to graduate with honors.
Martin had been in the town of about 18,000 people the spring and summer before while studying abroad.
Zumbado, Cruz and Castro are three locals accused
Martin
of attacking Martin after she left a bar in Golfito, a Pacific coast port town 105 miles south of San Jose.
Martin's autopsy showed she was stabbed 14 times. Her body was found by people leaving the bar at about 1 a.m. near a dark airport frontage road behind the bar and about 100 feet from her host family's home.
Martin's mother, Jeanette Stauffer, was slated to be the first to testify in the trial yesterday. She, along with her husband Brad Stauffer, several interpreters and Larry Thomas of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation are in Gifflito for the trial.
"What a fiasco," she said of the delay.
Sumo for the trial:
Stauffer said the trial delays were costing her an extra $3,000 to $4,000 in hotel, flight and other costs.
This is Stauffer's 11th trip to the country in the two years since her daughter's murder.
Edited by Joey Berlin
Fraternity men punished for prank
By Abby Mills
almills@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Chi Omega and Phi Delta Theta withdrew from this year's homecoming activities after some cans from their team's 'can'struction creation were found to have derogatory remarks written on them.
Of the six cans with writing, some had benign phrases, such as "Quinton's at 8:30" or "I like corn" written on a corn can. Others were marked with derogatory phrases, such as "get a job."
The team voluntarily did not compete in activities beginning Thursday after finding out about
the cans Wednesday evening.
"It has been dealt with appropriately," said Jane Tuttle, assistant to the dean of students. "They took complete responsibility for their actions."
Twelve teams collected nearly 7,000 cans for the Oct.15 event,a thousand more than were collected last year. Teams arranged the cans into structures that reflected the homecoming theme. Jayhawk Generations: Bringing Back the Classics. The cans were then donated to area food pantries.
Homecoming Committee members found the defaced cans while taking down structures after the event had been judged.
said Elizabeth Ault, Topeka sophomore and co-chairwoman of daily events on the committee.
After the cans were discovered, they were brought to the dean of students office with Tuttle, who said she did not know what would happen to the cans next.
Nick Blasi, Springfield, Mo., senior and president of Phi Delta Theta, said the team took the action seriously.
"We wanted the committee to understand we don't stand for that," he said. "We didn't want to bring negative publicity to the committee."
Blasi said that within 24 hours he and Chi Omega president Ashley Horstman had found which
members wrote on the cans and punished them. Horstman did not return phone calls.
Three members of the fraternity admitted involvement in the incident. Blasi said part of their punishment included community service to help make up for what they had done.
Blasi said the fraternity would continue to participate in homecoming in the future and in other community service projects.
projects
"I think we learned from the actions of this year," he said. "I don't anticipate this behavior being a problem in the future."
- Edited by Doyle Murphy
Environmental studies to move
By Amber Bylarlay
abylarley@kansan.com
kansan staff writer
The Associated Press
Though the environmental studies program has existed since the 1970s, it has not offered a graduate degree option.
The environmental studies program was reviewed in 2001 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a graduate degree program was approved.
State law requires that native artifacts be salvaged and identified before land is altered forever. The Dexter site is believed to be one of many temporary Indian encampments in the area and was probably occupied by several different native groups over thousands of years.
new bridge at this spot early next year. The current bridge that spans Grouse Creek has some structural problems, said Alan Grunder, an engineer for the department.
Meanwhile, a search for a full-time program director is being conducted, said Deborah Snyder, administrator for the environmental studies program.
The degree wasn't offered because the program didn't have a full-time director or enough space.
The Kansas Department of Transportation commissioned the archaeological team after a surveyor checking out the ground found an artifact.
space. The move to Snow Hall which will take place during winter break, satisfies the space requirement.
Moving to a larger building may help the environmental studies program create a graduate program.
Erin Mink, Fayetteville, Ark., senior and an employee at the program's office, said the office's location created difficulties.
The Kansas Department of Transportation plans to put in a
The program is located in the Burton house at 517 W.14th St., near Stephenson Scholarship Hall.
"Most people don't have any idea where the program is located right now," Mink said. "It's hard to point out to students where we are and I think that problem will get better."
"Most people don't have any idea where the program is located right now."
be the site of a new bridge. A team of archaeologists employed by the Louis Berger Group, an archaeological firm based in Marion, arrived about two weeks ago to study the patch of ground near the banks of a southeast Kansas creek.
The location in Snow became available when the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science program moved to Eaton Hall.
The new location will help the environmental studies program expand and be more accessible to students, Snyder said.
DEXTER — Archaeologists are searching for signs of the distant past in the clumps of soil taken from an area that is destined to
The move into Snow will give the program more room and provide an electronic classroom for students.
Erin Mink
Fayetteville, Ark., senior
State
The electronic classroom will provide students with computers, computer overhead projectors and a digital imaging camera that works like an overhead projector. Snyder said.
The on-campus location will also give students more access to the program's resources, such as the library and faculty members.
Mink said the change had both benefits and drawbacks. Being on campus would help the program's accessibility, but the office's atmosphere wouldn't be the same after the move, she said.
Artifact found near Kansas creek bed
be the site of a new bridge.
"I am pretty excited it is going to be more visible, I think it's a good thing for the program," Mink said. "But on the other hand I'm going to miss the homey feeling of the building. It doesn't really feel like an office right now."
Snyder said the new location in Snow would appear less home-like, but the office's atmosphere would remain similar.
"I don't think the homey atmosphere is because of the bricks and mud." Snyder said. "It's the space the students themselves feel comfortable in, something I can say with confidence we'll be carrying with us to the new location."
Edited by JJ Hensley
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