CAMPUS BRIEFS: Thursday, February 12, 1998

Specter delays Senate vote on judicial nominee The Senate vote on 1974 Law alumna Frederica Massiah-Jackson's nomination to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania was originally scheduled for January 28, but has been delayed. Yesterday, Specter, an influential senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, delayed the vote again so Massiah-Jackson could get a chance to respond to accusations that she is an "activist judge." The charges have been fueled by district attorneys across the state, most notably Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham, who said in December that Massiah-Jackson, a Philadelphia Common Pleas judge, showed an "adversarial attitude" toward prosecutors and police. Conservative senators such as Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.) and Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) have also condemned Massiah-Jackson. But the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People last month blasted such criticism as racist. -- Maureen Tkacik Police say same person likely committed thefts A slew of thefts from campus vending machine over the past few months were likely committed by the same person, police said yesterday. University Police Det. Gary Heller said there have been "over 30" vending-machine thefts in University buildings since November 1, 1997. Detectives from University Police and the Philadelphia Police Department's Southwest Detectives Bureau are investigating the incidents. Heller said he believes many of the thefts are traceable to a single individual. Police received reports of thieves shattering the glass paneling of various machines and removing the cash boxes, often during early-morning hours, a weekend or a holiday. Many incidents occurred in Steinberg-Dietrich Hall, the David Rittenhouse Laboratory or the Moore School. Several other buildings, including College Hall, Williams Hall, Vance Hall and the Nursing Education Building at 420 Guardian Drive have had at least two thefts from vending machines in the last three months. -- M.T.