Sports
5
Arts & Entertainment
Commentary
Football season wrap-up.
SUT opens its final presentation of
the semester tomorrow.
Printed on recycled paper
The Samford Crimson
Volume 75 Number 13
Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama
Wednesday, December 5, 1990
First days of Slagle trial emotional, graphic
By Brian Still
and Eric David
Editors
The trial of William Lee Slagle, 43, for the
September 1989, stabbing death of Rex
Bartley Copeland began Monday with graphic
videotape evidence and emotional testimony
from Copeland’s mother and girlfriend.
Yesterday four former Samford debate stu¬
dents took the stand.
Mike Campbell, Shelby County cfistricl at¬
torney, began his case by claiming Slagle
deliberately killed Copeland Thursday, Sept
21, 1989. He claimed the more than 12 stab
wounds Copeland suffered and Slagle’s flight
will prove his guilL
Slagle fled the Birmingham area soon after
the incident and was heard from only in the
form of two letters sent to the Shelby County
Sheriffs office. The letters claimed self-de¬
fense.
He turned himself in to the Shelby County
Sheriff’s Office in April 1990.
However, Slagle’s defense attorney, Dennis
Balske, said evidence will show Copeland
first attacked Slagle with a knife, thus prov¬
ing Slagle’s plea of self-defense.
The first witness, Emily Copeland, Rex’s
mother, was unemotional as she testified that
none of the knives she knew her son owned
was missing, but she became emotional as
she described the last conversation she had
with her son, in which they told each other, “I
love you.”
Senior Susan Dean. Copeland’s girlfriend,
then testified she had not seen him on Friday,
the day his body was discovered, and won¬
dered where he was. She had left messages
on his machine but he never returned her
calls.
She and Sophomore Scou Barber went to
Copeland’s apartment. that morning looking
for him. ' 'S •
Jim Bentley, courtesy officer for the Hunt¬
ers Pointe apartment complex, was the fust
person to witness the scene in Copeland’s
apartment. He testified he was about to" let
Dean and Barber into the garment when he
saw the blood. He quickly closed the door
Please see Slagle page Z
'Uzbekistan is a
wonderful place to
visit short-term, in
a group...but it is a
tough place for an
individual student
to live long-term.'
Jin) Brown
History Professor
Samford rejects long-term
Russian exchange program;
safety, phones lacking
By T. Hayes
Perdue
Staff Reporter
With the walls
of the world
tumbling down,
Samford Uni¬
versity is striv¬
ing to establish
some type of
link with the
U.S.S.R.
History Profes¬
sor James
Brown and Bi- ^===
ology Professor
Robert Stiles visited Uzbekistan,
which is “one of the most important
of the five Soviet Central Asian
Republics,” according to Brown.
Even with much of the Soviet
bureaucracy no longer present, es¬
tablishing an exchange will not be
easy. .
“You have a problem with Russia
or a country on Russia’s setup be¬
cause their currency is not convert¬
ible,” Brown said. “They do not
have any dollars to pay for any¬
thing.”
In addition, the health conditions
are not suitable, he said.
“JJving conditions there are pretty
rugged,” Brown said.
“We visited some dorms," he sakL
"There’s a major health problem
with how they keep the restrooms.”
Brown said the establishment of
an exchange in Uzbekistan would
only be safe fa white males.
“There’s a problem in Soviet
Central Asia with minorities,”
Brown said.
“We heard
from some
American stu¬
dents that some
Ethiopian stu¬
dents were
killed fa their
clothes.
“Women espe¬
cially have to re¬
strict their ac¬
tivities or re¬
form to a social
code,” he said.
■ ■■ ■ - “I would not
send any ethnic
minority a woman there at all,” he
said. “And only the male student if
he were very mature and self-reli-
anL”
Instead, Brown would rather see
Samford go in what he calls “short¬
term, student groups. “
“Uzbekistan is a wonderful place
to visit short-term, in a group,” he
said. “But it is a tough place fa an
individual student to live long¬
term.”
Brown said going to the Soviet
Union in student groups would
solve the monetary exchange prob¬
lems, make things safe fa every¬
one involved and enable the visitors
to better experience the quality of
life there.
However, at this time, the plans
fa a “short-term student group”
program have not been developed.
Brown said he hopes to start an
exchange soon because of the rapid
transformation the Soviet Union is
experiencing.
City kids
Photo by Andy Ruble
Sophomore Jenny Dunn helps Mimi Welch, 8. tie a ribbon around a bundle of straw behind Lena
Vail Davis Hall last Saturday to remind them that Jesus was bom in a manger. The event was
sponsored by inner city missons.
Student reservist might go to Saudi Arabia soon
By Lisa McNeal
Staff Reporter
Senior Ande Underwood was sex*
to Fl Benning in Columbus, Ga.
Nov. 24 fa training.
Underwood’s friends expea him
to be at Fl Benning fa two more
weeks and then go to Saudi Arabia.
Underwood, a senior psychology
major, joined the army reserves lo
help pay fa his education.
He did not expect to be called up
because his younger brother is al¬
ready in Saudi Arabia, said Sopho¬
more Allen Espy and Sen
юг
Andy
White, two of his Sigma Nu broth¬
ers.
White said Underwood is a “young
man of strong character.”
“[Underwood) would put people
before his own needs,” White said.
“Right now, he’s trusting God and
leaning not on his own understand¬
ing.”
“Ande will be missed here,” Junior
Pairick Howell said. “But I know
he’ll be a good influence on the
other men and women in Saudi
Arabia.”
Underwood is a brother of Sigma
Nu, an R.A. in Crawford Johnson, a
Solo Flight Leader and Student
Recruitment Team Member.
“[Underwood] is over there repre¬
senting me,” Freshman Class Presi¬
dent Tony Derriso said.
“It’s not fair I’m here in school
while he’s had to give up so much,”
he said.
Last week. Sophomore Holly Rae
Henson received a letter from
Underwood stationed at FLBcnning.
He wrote:
"I am convinced that God has a
real purpose fa me here and it is to
set a supernatural example fa a lost
world. Pray that 1 will have
strength.”
He also said he missed Samford
and advised students not to take
anything fa granted.
In the summer of ’89, Underwood
attended basic training and worked
at Beach Project, a Campus Out¬
reach sponsored discipleship train¬
ing program in Panama City.
Cynthia Williams, a fellow Beach
Project member, said she remem¬
bered Underwood coming to Beach
Project, going to basic training, then
returning to Panama City. —
On his return to Beach Project she
remembered Underwood saying
God had placed him in the reserves
so he could have a Christian influ¬
ence on other people.
Underwood’s friends said he
would appreciate support through
letters and prayer.
To write
ю
Underwood, address
cards and letters to; SPC Under¬
wood. JA III, 424193453 109th
Evac Hospital, FL Benning, Ga.
31905, Building 2754.
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