6A
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY OF DAILY KANSAN
WFDNESDAY OCTOBER 11.2006
CRIME
Parents of missing woman plead for help in finding her with Internet
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BURLINGTON, Vt. — The parents of a missing University of Vermont student made an impassioned plea for help in finding their daughter in a video posted on the Internet on Tuesday, as the search intensified for her.
"I beg of everyone that hears this broadcast, if they know anything at all about where my daughter, Michelle, is today, or where she might have been Friday night, Saturday morning, they tell us instantly," John-Charles Quinn said in the video posted on the Burlington Police Department Web site.
Michelle Gardner-Quinn, 21,
of Arlington, Va., disappeared
Saturday as she walked from
visiting for the weekend.
downtown to her campus dormitory. She has not been heard from since. She was reported missing Saturday when she failed to meet her parents, who were in town visiting for the
"I think she's a fighter. I think she's resourceful," her mother, Diane, said in the video. "We pray that she's alive."
Federal agents and National Guard
received a number of helpful leads that have sent the investigation in a specific direction"; police said, but did not elaborate.
Police previously said that one
I think she's a fighter.I think she's resourceful. We pray that she's alive."
pilots met with local police, state police detectives and sex crimes investigators about the search.
DIANE GARDNER-QUINN Mother of missing woman
"Over the past 24 hours we have
Quinn was last
lead they were pursuing involved a man in a white Subaru-style hatchback who reportedly tried to offer a woman a ride home around 20 minutes after Gardner-Quinn
seen. Officials don't know whether that man was involved in the disappearance of the senior.
Daniel Fogel said in a campuswide e-mail that police and security patrols had been increased on campus and in dormitories and all "campus life safety systems" had been tested and found to be operating.
University of Vermont President
"As this very serious situation continues to unfold, I write to express both the University's distress about an apparent threat to one of our own, and our firm resolve to do all we can to assist the ongoing investigation, support the family, and keep our community fully informed," Fogel wrote.
"It's sad," said friend Abby Carpenter, 20, of Greenwich, Conn., crying as she held a lighted white candle. "I wish they could find her."
ACCOUNTING (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
"We can't supply enough students to satisfy the market," Heintz said. He added that companies were so aggressive in their recruiting because they were afraid they wouldn't have a chance to hire the students once they graduated.
Allen said that when he spoke with one of the "Big Four" accounting firms on campus, that firm said they could hire every one of the tax accounting students this year.
Wyer said their "sourcing" techniques weren't aggressive, it's just "business as usual," and that there was always a demand for students.
"We understand that human resources are our primary asset," Wyer said. "We want the best kids that are motivated, smart and energetic."
It's not all about the money, according to Wyer. Even though it's standard at Pricewaterhouse Cooper for recent college graduates to make
in the mid-$50,000 range, her firm and others offer attractive geographic locations for their employees to work.
After he graduates next December, Terrill will be thrust into tax season working 60 to 70 hours a week until April 15. But before he graduates, he has to complete this semester and finish another internship at CBIZ next semester in which he'll make around $25,000 to spend on his wedding. When he starts full time in January 2008, he'll be making around $55,000.
"I wouldn't say the job search was easy, but it was straight forward," Terill said. "For me the important thing was that I started early."
Kansan staff writer Jack Weinstein can be contacted at jweinstein@ kansan.com.
Edited by Brett Bolton
Heisler said none of the subjects of the article ever got angry and tried to kick him and Sheeler out. One of the biggest obstacles they had to overcome, he said, was making sure the families understood the story they were trying to tell.
SPEECH (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
Heisler said they would discuss aspects of reporting the story, including the process he and Sheller went through to research and present it. He said it was good that Maj. Beck was attending the event as well because it would offer the subject's viewpoint, rather than just those who reported it.
their editor. She said it was going to be a powerful program that may suffer because they will arrive while the University is out of session on fall break.
"We told them we wanted to go through the whole process," he said. "But, all they had to do was tell us to leave and we would have."
Shaw said she hoped there would be a good turn out from both students and members of the community.
Susanne Shaw, professor of journalism, said a former journalism student had helped the school get in contact with Sheeler, Heisler and
Sheeler and Heisler will most likely discuss how the story was researched and written, Shaw said. The prize-winning photos will also be shown. Beck is expected to discuss how he became involved with the story and how important the forging of relationships is when writing a story.
Kansan staff writer Mark Vierthaler can be contacted at mvierthaler@kansan.com.
Edited by Brett Bolton
T-shirts.
"Allies have to come out and be supportive of queer rights. They too may also be stigmatized by their peers," Ta said. "It is a struggle for everyone."
COMING OUT (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
Ta said that the, "Gay? Fine by Me" T-shirt project began at Duke University three years ago. That year the Princeton Review named Duke the college most unfriendly to gays in the United States. Students adopted the T-shirt project to combat homophobia and the message has subsequently spread to other college campuses. The LGBT Resource Center and Queers and Allies started the program here last year in conjunction with National Coming Out Day.
Ta said students at the University would celebrate National Coming Out Day this year to commemorate the 19th anniversary of a march in Washington, D.C., by LGBT individuals in 1987.
Jonathan Pryor, Queens and Allies director and Columbus senior, said that even though programs and events like National Coming Out day existed, the environment at the University could still be challenging to the established gay and allied community as well as those who are
just coming out.
Ta said he had known some students at the University who had faced discrimination or prejudice.
"KU is a friendly environment for the most part, but you always get your one or two people who would say something." Ta said.
In addition to raising awareness and protecting the rights of the LGBT community, Pryor said one of his goals with the event and Queers and Allies events throughout the year was to make the community more accessible and welcoming to allies.
"We are trying to change the support of allies in Queens and Allies and make it more supportive for allies to join us," Pryor said. "It is not always easy to stand up for the rights of an LGBT person as an ally."
More information on the coming out process and the LGBT community will be available at the event as well as on the Queens and Allies Web site, www.kuqanda.org.
Kansan staff writer Courtney Hagen can be contacted at chagen@ kansan.com.
Edited by Mindy Ricketts
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