University Daily Kansan / Monday, February 4, 190
5
Joseph J. Lies/KANSAN
Jennifer Casolo describes the accusations brought against her by the Salvadorian government for allegedly aiding the FMLN rebels.
Woman tells about El Salvador arrest
By Patricia Rojas
Kansan staff writer
Jennifer Casolo looked at the knives and bullets that lay on the ground.
"I'm innocent," she told the national police in El Salvador. They did not believe her.
Casolo, a U.S. citizen, was arrested in November 1989 in El Salvador for allegedly helping the FMLN rebels, a guerrilla group opposing the government. She spoke Friday to about 50 people at the First United Methodist Church, 946 Vermont St., and told the following story:
It is Nov. 25, 1989. Casolo, 29, is at home with two Salvadoran ladies. There is a 6 p.m. curve in the town. At 4:30 p.m., the football game.
"Who can it be?" Casolo wonders "Death squads? Military? FMLN? Probably the only possibilities."
She is scared. She runs to the telephone and picks it up.
"Someone is at the door; hold on," she says out loud, trying to trick the caller at the door.
"Who is it?" she shouts.
"The Armed Forces," they answer.
"Call the embyss," she thinks. "If I'm going to be killed, I want somebody to know who did it."
Time is running out. The person is still at the door. She needs a plan, and she needs it fast.
She shouts again, "Excuse me You mind coming back in the morning?"
It does not work. The Armed Forces climb over the roof. Soon she sees about 25 heavily armed men in her garden.
They come in and take her outside
She looks down and sees a hole in the ground. There are about eight bags inside. She sees knives and bullets and wire.
"Did they set me up?" she thinks.
"Good possibility. Were the weapons here before I moved in? A possibility."
Casolo has lived in this house for six months. When she moved in, the house had been vacant for two months.
They arrest Casolo and her friends
They take her into an interrogation booth. A lieutenant walks in. He asks Casolo to give him a name of an accomplice.
"I don't know," she says. "I'm innocent."
She hears some screaming. It is coming from the booth next door. Casolo closes her eyes. She starts crying.
The lieutenant sends an officer next door to stop the beatings.
Her captors taunt her. Is she not tough enough? Is she crying for her terrorist friends?
She says she would cry the same for anyone else.
The interrogation continues, but in a different tone.
At 3 a.m., the lieutenant tells her to get some rest. Who knows who else will interrogate her tomorrow, he says.
Casolo said Friday that the military was responsible for many of the crimes in El Salvador. But the killings stopped if they had the will, she said.
Casolo went to jail for 18 days. She was released because of lack of evidence and was forced to leave El Salvador.
Monday
The University Placement Center will conduct an Interview Preparation Workshop at 2:30 p.m. at 149 Burge Union.
■ The Recycling Task Force will meet at 5:30 p.m. at the Regionalist Room in the Kansas Union
■ The KU Accounting Club and IRS will meet at 6 p.m. on the fourth floor of the Kansas Union
Hispanic-American Leadership Organization will meet at 6:30 p.m. at the Walnut Room in the Kansas Union.
Tuesday
GLSOK, 864-3091. For a confidential referral, call Headquarters, 841-2345.
*Watson Library will conduct a tour at 3:30 p.m.*
The Gay and Lesbian Students of Kansas Support/Discussion Group will meet. For details call the KU information center 864-3036 or
The KU Accounting Club and IHS will have Volunteer Income Tax Assistance meetings at 9 a.m. and the fourth floor of the Kansas Union.
Wednesday
■ The KU Flying Club will meet at 7 p.m. at 2002 Learned Hall. New members are welcome.
- Watson Library will offer a library tour at 3:30 p.m.
KU ACLU will meet at 6 p.m. at Alcove B in the Kansas Union.
Commuters Club will meet at 5:30
Thursday
p. m. at Alcove G in the Kansas Union.
Saturday
The St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center will meet at 6 p.m. at 1631 Crescent Road.
slow group runs are open to anyone of any experience level.
Sunday
KU Triathletes will meet at 11 a.m. in front of Wescoe Hall. Long.
Emergency sirens to resume blasts after month of silence
Bv Amv Francis
People walking near Joseph J. Pearson Hall or Waltson Library may get a surprise at noon: a three-minute siren blast.
Kansan staff writer
The sirens are situated on the tops of both buildings. They are two of 16 used in the Lawrence area by the Emergency Preparedness Office.
The blasts are a test to ensure that the sirens are operating. They usually are sounded the first Monday of every month, but because of bad weather on the first Monday of January and the Persian crisis later in the month, the sirens were not sounded, said Paula Phillips, assistant coordinator of the preparedness office.
"We didn't want them to misinform people about what was going on." Phillips said.
The sirens are used to give two alerts. A wavering tone with a varying pitch is used for the attack signal. A steady tone is used for the
severe weather signal. Both signals seem to rise and fall in tone because the siren rotates when sounded. But you can an audible difference, Phillips said.
To ensure that all the sirens are working, the preparedness office calls people near the sirens. The KU station is one of the places called
Burdell Welch, KU police representative, said, "It's an experience. It's not unusual to see the students walking with their hands over their ears."
After three minutes, a code is typed into a computer to turn the sirens off. Another code is used to sound them. The sirens can be switched on or off by a prepared office or by a police dispatch. But the preparedoffice
usually starts the sirens, Phillips said.
But not all the students have really noticed the sirens.
Nina Bay, Creek Coeur, Mo,
sophomore, said, "I don't really pay any attention to them. I haven't really noticed them."
It costs $566.14 to have the sirens tested once a month. That will be doubled to $1,112 in March. Phillips said.
The sirens might be noticed more in March. Only the attack signal is used now. Both signals will be sounded twice a month from March through July because that is the severe weather season for the area.
Thursday, Friday or Monday,
February 7, 8 & 11.
When you place your message you will become eligible to win one of the following prizes:
- A $25 Gift Certificate to Fifi's
A $25 per person.
One large rose from the Flower Shoppe
or be dressed on Erb 14.
to be delivered on Feb. 14
●Lunch for two at the Prairie Room in the
*Lunch for two at the Prairie Room in the Kansas Union
Raisers Only
● A $10 Gift Certificate from the KU Bookstores
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Macintosh The Power to Be Your Best at KU.
bring you
Messages from the Heart
Have a message for your Valentine published in the Kansan
Here's how it works:
Place your Valentine messages through Macintosh computers at one of two locations:
*Kansas Union, Level 4, February 7, 8, & 11; 10am to 2pm
*Burge Union, Level 2, February 7, 8, & 11; 10am to 2pm or come to the Kansan Business Office at 119 Stauffer-Flint Hall,
February 4 & 8, from 5am to
or come to the Kansan Business Office at 119 Stauffer-Flint Hall,
February 4-8 & 11, 8am to 5pm
Pick one of 7 designs, place and pay for your ad. It's that easy!
Messages will cost $5/inch, and can be up to 4" tall.
Messages will appear alphabetically in the Kansan Feb. 14.
Meg, Mon, and Stephie
You guys are great.
Glad we roomies.
Love, Roseman
Jeanne,
Can we make it
through another
semester? I hope so.
Love, Tom E.
You're My Valentine
IBM
FUN
DAY
PS/2
Fun, food and
Fun, food and freebies.
Come see the IBM PS/2 line of computers on the 5th floor of the Kansas Union. 9 AM to 3 PM, Tues., Feb. 5th.
Play with the computers,check out the latest deals,get some free gifts and
HAVE SOME FUN!
IBM and PS2 are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation