 "Photo: Lisa Beth Earle/Arizona Daily Wildcat")
 "Photo: Lisa Beth Earle/Arizona Daily Wildcat")
 "Photo: Lisa Beth Earle/Arizona Daily Wildcat")
 "Photo: Lisa Beth Earle/Arizona Daily Wildcat")
 "Photo: Lisa Beth Earle/Arizona Daily Wildcat")
Some of the thousands of Arizona Daily Wildcat issues stolen Oct. 8 were recovered at two sites near West Anklam Road on Friday.
Among the abandoned newspapers was a piece of homework with the names of UA students Nick Kovaleski and Alex Cornell, both undeclared freshmen.
Both students are identified in the Greek Pages as members of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity.
Close to 10,000 newspapers went missing Thursday morning. Initial estimates by Arizona Student Media, the university department that oversees the Wildcat, placed the newspapers’ value at $8,500, including advertising revenue, salaries and production costs.
The Wildcat received several tips Thursday from persons wishing to remain anonymous who claimed that Phi Kappa Psi fraternity members were responsible for the theft.
Wildcat reporters asked Phi Kappa Psi leadership several times during an interview Thursday whether or not members of the fraternity had stolen the newspapers, but the president and vice president of the fraternity would neither confirm nor deny involvement in the theft.
Fred Smith, Daily Wildcat production manager, said he saw approximately 1,000 of the newspapers in the desert near Daisy Mae’s Steak House, 2735 W. Anklam Rd., Friday morning.
Smith said he was looking through the papers at 10:30 a.m. when he saw the corner of a piece of paper sticking out. When he pulled the paper out, he said, he saw that it was someone’s Spanish homework.
“(The homework) was just in with the papers,” he said.
When contacted by phone, Kovaleski said, “I would have no clue at all. I’m in no way involved, and neither is Phi Psi. I have no idea how my homework got out there.”
A second dumping site was found near the corner of Mountain Side Drive and Mountain Side Way in the Twin Hills Estate neighborhood.
The newspapers must have been abandoned sometime in the early morning, said David Musgrove, vice president of the Twin Hills Estate neighborhood association.
Musgrove said the newspapers were not there when he left his house at 6:30 a.m., but when he returned 30 minutes later they were scattered across the street and his yard.
Musgrove contacted the Pima County Sheriff’s Department to report the mess. A deputy was sent to the scene and an incident report was filed.
Adam Goldstein, an attorney advocate for the Student Press Law Center, said a significant number of newspaper thefts are committed by Greek organizations or persons with friends upset about articles appearing in Police Beat-type features.
The stolen edition of the Daily Wildcat contained a Police Beat item in which a woman told officers she thought she had been drugged at a Phi Kappa Psi party.
Phi Kappa Psi leadership has opened an internal investigation into whether or not fellow fraternity members may be responsible for the mass newspaper theft, said Keith Peters, president of Phi Kappa Psi.
“We’re doing an internal investigation to find out if individuals in our fraternity were actually involved. I can’t say at this point if they were or weren’t,” he said. “We’re going to be handling that through an internal judicial board with serious repercussions with any of the people that were involved, if there were any.”
While it is possible that members may be responsible, the theft was not a concerted effort by the fraternity as a whole, Peters said.
“The fraternity itself was not involved in making this decision (to steal newspapers), if members were actually involved, which at this point in time we don’t even know,” he said.
If the fraternity’s executive board finds probable reason to bring charges against involved members, the situation would move forward similar to a court case, Peters said.
Peters added that he did not know what possible punishments within the fraternity might come out of the case.
Also, once you join an organization you represent them at all times. If three Alpha Alpha Alpha's (yes i'm making the name up) beat up a guy on 4th ave. or steal a million dollars they will probably be listed as Joe, steve and mark, members of alpha alpha alpha, were arrested on charges of stealing blah blah blah
If you don't like that then don't join an organization. if they were all on the soccer team that would be on it. or if they were all members of ASUA. it shows how they know each other, and places context on the situation.
you understand that it's different once a proven relationship is shown between suspects right? three guys doing it as a prank or maybe just possibly pulling this randomly together or three guys all members of the same organization is quite different.
It's like they say in initiation - it's for life. you don't represent just in your letters or at your house but all the time. if a fraternity man were to punch a teacher in the face you can bet the dean of students calls his fraternity president to discuss the matter.
and phi psi was not the LOCATION as you put it. in fact there was no evidence of phi psi involvement at their house. it was a link from members of phi psi from their homework in the littered evidence in the desert. you didn't even read the article.
However, I also agree that Phi Psi as a whole cannot be blamed for the actions of a few. I have friends in Phi Psi and they're decent people. But it's a big frat, and I wouldn't be surprised if there are a few miscreants in there as well.
As far as the drug allegations go- I've had the symptoms this girl described just from taking too many shots of vodka. I think it's entirely possible that she wasn't drugged, based on the listed symptoms, and just drank more than she should've. But at the same time, it's important to take all claims like this seriously because you never really know.
And the newspaper theft really just makes the phi psi boys look more guilty. If they didn't really do it, why would they need to hide it?
The facts are relatively straightforward, and they sound bad.
And unfortunately, the Wildcat can't help but report on something that involves itself.
Maybe the coverage could be a little more dispassionate.
But then it'd sound even worse.
Papers stolen. Some witnesses.
Frat homework found with stolen papers.
Frat party alleged to have been location of attempted date rape drugging in said stolen papers.
Frat conducting an internal review of members and their activities/associations related to the incident.
Frat will not comment on record.There may be slight reporting bias, but Wildcat staff do not have a plausible motive for 'framing' a particular frat regardless of how threatened frat boys feel by the mere facts, and they do have reason to be somewhat angry; their paper disappeared. I expect if anyone does some reasonable investigative legwork they can get some of the witnesses to the paper grabbing to identify some people or cars linkable the frat, one or two of those individuals (if not part of some sort of stupid frat vow of silence or something) will not want to fall alone, and eventually the whole story will come out, possibly including the use of date rape drug starting the whole business.
2. it is being investigated for criminal littering, you notice the police only showed up and cared once non-students complained. thanks UAPD way to be there for students. i love to see the good relationship the police continue to keep up with the media. (that is sarcasm for those of you to daft to figure it out)
3. Posting a picture of evidence is not tampering with evidence. So if there were to be a case against the two men implicated, it can still be used. Please don't speak of court particulars if you've never taken a law class.
4. there is no "framing" going on here. while it may not yet be proven that those individuals were a part of this, I'm sure their homework didn't just magically appear there by a stranger. I do think it's wrong though to think both men were involved, obviously it's one sheet with two names so let's not throw around the blame game until there is proof.
5. I don't care for this headline. Linked to Phi Psi implies the entire fraternity. Linked to Phi Psi members would be more accurate and less accusatory to the organization
6. I am disappointed with the people who did this. Of all the ways to dispose of them, you chose to litter in the desert. We get it, you're upset, don't trash our town because of it. Take it to a dumpster out of town, or even better a recycling center. You've taken that rift between Tucson community members and students one step further.The fact of the matter is, we're adults now. That's right every single student here is considered an adult. So grow up. If you're upset with your boss of the company are you going trash his lawn? You need to understand that you aren't in high school anymore. Learn to deal with your problems in a professional and mature way.
1.) Two dudes, concerned about an unflattering item in the morning paper, steal thousands of papers and one of their personal belongings is accidentally dumped along with the papers
or
2.) Reporters somehow get a copy of somebody's homework, steal thousands of their own newspapers and plant said homework in said newspapers in an elaborate scheme to frame a fraternityCome on now.
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