College Clips
Published June 6, 2007
Convicted professor charged for seeking murder
Former University of Texas engineering professor Gary Lamar Wise, 61, who has already been in jail for two years for stalking and deadly conduct toward former colleagues at the university, now faces charges of solicitation of capital murder against the same colleagues he used to harass.
According to a police affidavit, Wise had generated a "hit list," which included former UT President Larry Faulkner, College of Engineering Dean Ben Streetman, his ex-wife Stella Wise and two other professors. He gave the list to a fellow inmate whom he believed was a gang member.
Before Wise's departure in 2000, there were numerous complaints against him by colleagues regarding overly aggressive behavior and by students for violently and sexually charged lectures that had little relevance to course curriculum.
"He needs to be kept in jail, because he's a threat to other people." Streetman said.
Streetman was the first name on Wise's list. In arranging the murders, Wise requested that Streetman be shot in the face with an AK-47 so he would have a closed-casket funeral.
— The Daily Texan
(University of Texas)
Senior prefers teaching pole dancing one-on-one
Polin' Around, a pole and exotic dancing academy run by California Polytechnic University senior Selene Marcum, has recently received increased attention.
Marcum, who said she has pole danced since she was 16, provides both private and large group instruction sessions, but prefers to teach private lessons in which she can keep a more discriminating eye on students and customize dances to better appease potential clients.
"I don't want to be put out as 'girl on pole,'" she said. "I want to make sure men don't think I'm a stripper. I'm not going to make you take your clothes off with $1 bills. Women are naturally sexy creatures. I have to convey that this will help bring that out and it's nothing weird. You'll be comfortable."
— The Mustang Daily
(California Polytechnic University)
Syphilis outbreak strikes San Diego State
An outbreak of syphilis at San Diego State University might have subsided, according to Student Health Services Interim Director Thomas Wilson, because no new confirmed cases have been reported since daily student screenings ended May 30.
Michele Ginsberg, chief of epidemiology for the San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, said the exact number of syphilis cases in SDSU is hard to determine because patients with confirmed cases might not identify themselves as students.
E-mails were sent to students, as well as parents and faculty, as early as May 2 to warn of the outbreak. Posters and flyers were also posted around the campus to warn students.
According to Parents of Kids with Infectious Diseases, a non-profit pediatric organization, students with e-mail filters prohibiting the instance of the word "penis" or "vagina" were directed to a portal where they would be directed to information about the outbreak.
"The important thing is to get tested so it can be caught early and treated fully and to tell past sexual partners," Ginsberg said.
— The Daily Aztec
(San Diego State University)