Maroon

              The MAROON Vol. 65, No. 17 Loyola University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118 February 12,1987 New law requires all students to report excess aid for taxing By Chuck Lee Assistant News Editor All scholarships that arc in excess of tuition, books, and ccrtain fees, and do not have specified uses, such as for housing, now must be filed by students as taxable income, according to the supervisor of executive tax service with H&R Block. In the past, no tax has been levied against scholarships and grants received by students, said supervisor Cheryl Brondum. The new law went into effect the first of this year. The law does not apply to scholarships awarded before Aug. 16, 1986, Brondum said. All scholarships and grants received after this date will be taxable income, she added. If the scholarship was awarded before Aug. 16, 1986, but the student receives portions of the money in future academic years, then the money will be counted as income as it is received by the student, she said. This means that if an excessive scholarship was awarded for this academic year, but continues to pay student expenses in future years, this year's amount will not be considered taxable income, but the money received in the future will count as such, she said. Graduate students, non-resident alien students and married students will be especially affected by the new law, Brondum said. American students who are married can count themselves, their wives and any children as tax exemptions. Non-resident aliens, however, arc allowed to count only themselves as exemptions, she said. Because graduate students often earn more money than undergraduates, graduate students are more likely to exceed the government's minimum level on taxable income. Married students must combine all income from jobs and excess financial aid, she said. If this total exceeds $5,660, then the couple will begin to owe tax. Dr. E.P. Seybold Jr., vice president for Scholarships and Financial Aid, said he is certain that students will be affected by the new law. He added that it is still unclear how many students will be forced to pay the additional tax. Photo by Mary Rees Word war Lori Maloney and Juliet LeMers square off in a Scrabble tournament Saturday in the Danna Center. Press freedom stifled, Panama journalists say By Chuck Lee Assistant News Editor Panama's government continues to use repressive measures against journalists who speak out against its actions, said two exiled Panamanians who spoke on campus Monday. Roberto Eisenmann, 49, the editorial director of Panama's La Prensa newspaper, and Guillermo Sanchez Borbon, 62, a columnist, told about 120 students and faculty reasons for their exile and discussed Panama's political climate. Both men fled the country after learning of government plots to kill them. The Panamanian government of Manuel Noriega , who leads the country's military, has tried many methods to silence La Prensa , Eisenmann said. Reporters for La Prensa have been subjected to beatings, shootings and jail terms, he said, and La Prensa offices have been attacked by the military. Eisenmann said he received death threats after news reports in the United States claimed that Noriega was involved in drug trafficking and other crimes. Eisenmann was in the United States at the time, studying at Harvard University on a Nieman Fellowship. Eisenmann said he believes the Panamanian government associated these reports with him. He denied any association with the reports. Eisenmann also discussed the U.S. role in Panama, calling it "an unfortunate situation." He said the United States has had a double standard in its dealings with Panama. The Reagan administration has supported press freedoms in Panama at the same time it has supported Noriega's repressive military rule, Eisenmann said. Eisenmann was exiled previously in 1976 after being arrested by the party in power. He spent the next four years in Ecuador and the United States, where he became involved in computer and banking ventures. On his return flight to Panama, he conceived the idea for La Prensa. LU shaping AIDS position statement By Katie Duffy News Editor A special university committee is refining a position statement on AIDS, according to Dr. Joseph K. Kavanaugh, assistant vice president for Student Affairs. The statement will outline what the university's position would be if a student or employee contracted AIDS, Kavanaugh said. He said he could not disclose what apporach the statement suggests because it is still being revised. Jo An Yerger, administrative director of the Student Health Service said that, in preparing the statement, the committee studied guidelines from the American College Health Association and talked to officials at other Jesuit colleges and universities preparing responses about the disease. The committee will meet today, but Kavanaugh said he is not sure if it will finish its work. Kavanaugh said the committee is making changes suggested by Thomas Rayer, the university attorney, after he re-examined the position statement during the semester break. Rayer then will examine the revised position statement, he said. The release of the statement is not late, Kavanaugh said. A committee member told The Maroon in January 1986 that the position statement would be released in a few days. See Taxes/ page 5 See Exiled/ page 5 See AIDS/ page 5