FEBRUARY 26,1993 — THE DECREE — PAGE 3
‘Rashomon’ gives glimpse
of different sides of truth
CLASH OF VIEWPOINTS — Alan Felton (left) and Todd Wa
ters battle over Julie Salkeld during the play Roshomon in Coltrane
Theatre, produced as part of last week’s Symposium. (Photo by
Beth Sherrard.)
By CECILIA CASEY
Can three or four people tell
different accounts of the same
event and all be right? That is,
could all four be telling the truth?
In watching the play, Rashotnon,
a person cannot help but ask that
question, not just because the
drama re-enacts foiir different ac
counts of one man’s murder but
due to the outstanding acting of
the key actors.
The play starts with a disheart
ened priest, played by John
Heame, arriving at the Rashomon
gate. The priest has decided to
leave his monastery after having
to give testimony in police court
concerning a Samurai who was
murdered. Then a woodcutter
(Sam Bell), who also had to give
testimony at the court, and a
wigmaker (Carol Gay) join the
priest and begin to talk about what
has happened. The story is re
vealed through the woodcutter’s
telling the wigmaker what was
said in the police court.
The woodcutter starts with the
bandit’s account of the murder.
The bandit, portrayed very well
by Todd Waters, has killed a
Samurai (Alan Felton) after the
bandit had raped the Samurai’s
wife (Julie Salkeld). The bandit
said the wife had asked for a
chance for her honor to be re
stored, therefore the bandit and
the Samurai had to fight.
The Samurai lost, the wife ran
off, and the bandit was arrested.
No questions would have been
asked if it were not for the wife’s
saying that she had killed her hus
band after he had rejected her be-
Pell grants fall victim of deficit
(CPS) — College students
who expected rapid improve
ments in financial aid under f*resi-
dent Clinton’s administration will
be disappointed by the most re
cent news coming out of the
offer much financial aid immedi
ately because of budget deficits.
“I don’t want to bear sad tid
ings,” Riley said at a meeting of
the National Association of Inde
pendent Colleges and Universi-
nation’s capital. (NAICU), which represents
Education Secretary Richard about 1,600 private colleges. But
Riley said budget jjroblems will
prevent the government from iti-
creasing the current $2,300 Pell
grants to individual students right
now.
In addition. President
Clinton’s play to let students work
off college debts through com
munity service, the proposed Na
tional Service Trust Fund, likely
will be phased in gradually over
a period of time, rather than
launched in a massive program.
White House assistants said.
Press Secretary Dee Dee
Myers said the new administra
tion is facing a deficit that is $60
billion to $ 100 billion higher than
it was last year when Clinton pro
posed the National Service Trust
Fund. The president “had to re
consider a lot of his options based
on the higher deficit numbers,”
she said at a Feb. 4 news confer
ence.
Riley didn’t make too many
friends on the collegiate level in
one of his first public appearances
when he warned that his depart
ment will probably be unable to
that’s exactly what he did.
Raising the maximum grant to
needy college students from
$2,300 to $4,000, as recent pro
posals have suggested, is “not
possible under the current circum
stances,” he said.
During, his.camp^gn, Clinton
promised to increase dramatically
the amount of financial aid for
higher education. Clinton also
said one of his top priorities was
to give any person, regardless of
income, the opportunity to go to
college. Working in public ser
vice after graduation would be a
means of paying off college loans.
But Riley said those plans will
have to be phased in more slowly
than the new administration had
anticipated.
“I don’t like it — you don’t
like it,” he said at the meeting.
Riley’s sobering news came on
the heels of a congressionally
mandated report that called for a
plan that would require about $7
billion in government funding to
enable every college student to
get some form of financial aid.
According to reports in The
Washington Post, the Education
Department has been one of the
most neglected in the federal gov-
emment, and some of its comput
ers are so outdated they are nearly
useless.
Riley said he recendy learned
that his department’s budget defi
cit was $6(X) million worse than
what he had expected because of
miscalculations. Part of the
department’s shortfall stems from
debts incurred during the last two
years when $2 billion more was
doled out in college grants than
was available.
cause of the rape.
To further the confusion, a
medium (Debbie Rithman) speaks
for the Samurai, who claimed that
the bandit ran off right after he
refused to kiU the Samurai as his
wife had asked the bandit to do.
The Samurai claims to have killed
himself, and that his wife never
loved him.
After the woodcutter gets
through telling these accounts to
the wigmaker, he goes on to tell
his own version of the murder,
which is that the killing was an
accident after the Samurai and the
bandit fought, not in defense of
the wife’s honor but because she
provoked the fight.
The scene with the medium
was one of the best that the
Coltrane Theatre and Vaughn
Schutz have produced in three
years. The sword fight in the first
act also was well worth seeing.
The stage was impressive and
well worth seeing, due to the pat
terned lights which projected
shapes like bamboo leaves.
Jean Almond, who was in the
audience, said, “It was wonder
ful. I thought that the actors
showed great skill and the fight
was breathtaking.”
Bonnie Kane said, “I had al
ways wanted to see Rashomon
live, and I was happy to see it so
well done. I also like the lights
and sound, and Jim Singleton did
a wonderful job choreographing
all of this.”
Student Government Association
ELECTIONS!!!
Dates to Remember:
March 1 Campaigning begins
March 15 SGA Open House
March 16 Candidate Forum
March 17 ELECTIONS!
Remember — Your vote makes a difference!
Campus Security Log
Feb. 11 — Attempted robbery near Spruill Building. At
approximately 10:45 p.m. a female student was assaulted in an
attempted robbery by an unknown assailant. She was walking
toward the north end of campus. The case is under investiga
tion.
Feb. 14 — Larceny, North Hall. A North Hall resident
reported the theft of a ^ess from the laundry room. There are
no suspects at this time.
Feb. 19 — Larceny, Nash Hall. A Nash Hall resident re
ported the theft of a designer shirt and sweat pants from the
laundry room. There are no suspects at this time.
Feb. 22 — Vandalism, Bauer Athletic Field. On Feb. 20
some unknown persons vandalized the baseball field, causing
over $1,500 worth of damage. The case is under investigation
by the Rocky Mount Police Department.
Crime prevention tips — All students are encouraged to
walk in groups or call Security for an escort at 977-7374.
Students are urged to remain with their laundry.
(This information was compiled and provided by the Direc
tor of Campus Security. Anyone with irformation about any of
: the above dimes should-contact Deborah Pittimn at 985r
5180.)