The Torch, April 22, 1994

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CAMPUS MAIL
University Archive
Volume 86
Issue 26 JLt^ Friday
April 22,1994
Valparaiso University
VU approves
parking rule
As offall, students will each be allowed
to park in only one lot on campus
By Stephanie Walta
University Senate Correspondent
On Wednesday, University
Senate passed a new discrimina-tion
policy and a parking propos-al
that would color-code parking
lots and allow each student to
park in only in the one lot on
campus that matches the color of
his or her parking permit.
The proposal on color-coded
parking was comprised of
three parts:
A) Student parking would
be restricted through the use of a
color-code system. Specifics are
to be worked out by VUPD
Chief Ed Lloyd and Physical
Plant Director Fred Plant.
B) The completed plan
would go back to CCPC and
University Senate for approval.
C) Upon approval of such
a plan, Chapel Drive would be
closed.
Though Part C would not
go into effect until Parts A and B
are completed, Senate's discus-sion
centered on Chapel Drive.
The transition towards a
pedestrian campus has been dis-cussed
for the past few years.
Proponents said the long-term
goal is to have a more beautiful
and safer campus for students.
"A campus is a place
where thought takes place ... you
need a place to walk and think,"
said Paul Contino of Christ
College.
After thorough discussion,
the parking proposal passed.
Many faculty and students
spoke out against the discrimina-tion
policy changes. Some hesi-tated
to include religion and sex-ual
harassment in VU's policy
against discrimination.
Education professor
Gerald Speckhard argued vehe-mently
against the proposal. He
said that sinceVU is a private,
church-related university, it has
the right to discriminate based
on religion.
"Unless we discriminate,
we may not maintain a signifi-cant
Lutheran student body," he
said.
William Wagner, VU's
legal counsel, said, "To put reli-gion
in here hides the fact that
we do discriminate on that
basis," he said.
Wagner said his main con-cern
was that VU might create a
contractual agreement by the
new policy that it would then be
unable to violate.
More of those present sup-ported
the policy.
Theodore Ludwig of the
theology department said, "The
question should come up of
'why is it not there?' This is a
Lutheran university, but we are
open to having a diverse student
body."
"When I applied to VU I
certainly did notice the lack of
the word 'religion,' especially
because I am not Christian," said
Mollie Sandock of the English
department.
She and others present said
excluding the word gives a bad
impression. In the past, it has
been excluded primarily because
some administrative positions
and theology department posi-tions
have Lutheranism as a pre-requisite.
Many scholarships
and grants are based on the stu-dent
being Lutheran.
University Senate finally
passed the proposal with some
minor revisions.
illfllf.
□ Local News 2-4
WSIW: 2
Q World News 5
□ Arts and Entertainment insert
'W&FISIISt. 6-7
□ What's On at VU 8
:II:1II1I11II!I!:: 9
^8^^^^RSM "111 11-12
Preparing for fall
Students register for fall semester classes this week at Kretzmann Hall. At the Office of the
Local man confesses to arson
Valparaiso native says he burned down 23 buildings
in the past 15 years, including VU's Heimlich Hall
By Paul Cook
Editor-in-Chief
After confessing to setting
23 fires since 1979, including
four at VU, Johnny Lee Maynard
is being held in Porter County
Jail on $50,000 bond.
Maynard, 36, of Valpa-raiso,
confessed to police this
week he was responsible for the
Feb. 19, 1993 blaze that heavily
damaged Heimlich Hall and
destroyed its third story.
A cause and origin team
composed of local fire and police
personnel, investigators from
USF&G Insurance, and VU
police officers initially thought
arson was the cause of the
Heimlich Hall fire.
The fire appeared to have
started at separate locations on
two floors of the building, sug-gesting
it was set intentionally.
The team later found the appar-ent
second point of origin had
been caused by falling debris.
VUPD Chief Ed Lloyd
said the team then called in a
specialist in electrical fires from
USF&G, who found a wire
burned through at the fire's point
of origin. Since officers had
found all the building's doors
locked, the team assumed the
fire was electrical.
"Maynard told us he
slammed the door after he
entered," said Lloyd.
At the time of the fire, stu-dents
said the west rear door of
Heimlich Hall — the door
Maynard said he entered through
— was warped and not locked.
But since it was locked when
police checked it, the possibility
of arson was discarded.
"Since no accelerants, such
as gas or fuel oil, were found, we
could only come to the conclu-sion
that the fire started from
within," said Lloyd.
Maynard told police he had
used hairspray and a lighter to
start the fire, burning wallboard
through holes in the walls.
"It would operate as a
torch, leaving no evidence what-soever,"
said Lloyd.
The team had identified the
correct point of origin, but the
fire was not initially caused by
an electrical short, Lloyd said.
"The fire caused the elec-trical
short instead of the short
causing the fire," he said.
After setting the fire,
Maynard told Lloyd, he exited
through the self-locking front
doors, hid in the bushes, and
returned shortly after to watch
the fire.
VU has filed a suit against
Maynard for class B felony
arson. Lloyd said there is no
doubt Maynard is the culprit.
"He walked us through the
building, and told us what he did
when he entered it, and he was
on target," Lloyd said.
Heimlich Hall was insured
See ARSONIST, page 4