The Barometer Online

The United States has a great policy of being innocent until proven guilty. However in rape cases, it often seems as though the victim is guilty until proven innocent, and that is what determines the outcome of the trial. On Feb. 28, OSU student Melchor Avila, 28, was acquitted on charges of raping and strangling another OSU student.

On Feb. 26, 17 people - students, faculty, Barometer staff, Mike Fetterley from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission and Lt. Jeff Lanz of the Oregon State Police - sat down in the conference room of the Barometer to discuss alcohol in media - the second installment of a series on "isms" in media.

It was 1:30 a.m. and I was on the phone with an ex who now lives in Kansas. "One of my friends from OSU - I won't tell you who - called," he said. "This might sound weird, but it was about you." My sleep-deprived brain wondered what he was talking about. "All he wanted to tell me was that he saw you walking around campus the other day and couldn't believe his eyes.

On May 20, 2006, in my hometown, my friend Melissa was found dead. She had committed suicide after a long battle with depression. She was a person who experienced a large amount of pain in her life but she was very optimistic about life and potential for the liberation of the oppressed.