Area leaders, Harter discuss probe

Steve Carp

Friday, May 8, 1998 | 7:21 a.m.

From the Rev. James Rogers' perspective, the two hours he spent on the UNLV campus Thursday were worth it. He didn't have to ask for anything because the president of the Las Vegas chapter of the NAACP already had received what he was seeking.

Rogers had demanded the university investigate allegations that athletic director Charles Cavagnaro may have used derogatory and insensitive remarks toward UNLV black athletes. Wednesday, the chancellor's office initiated its investigation into the matter.

"I'm very pleased," Rogers said. "Our main concern was that there be an investigation into these allegations and that has been acted on.

"I'm very confident that this will be handled properly."

The meeting, which drew representatives from the local black community including Assemblyman Wendell Williams (D-Las Vegas) and local talk show host Pat Cunningham to President Dr. Carol Harter's office, also included several UNLV coaches and administrators.

"It was a wonderfully useful meeting," Harter said of the discussion, which went beyond the situation involving Cavagnaro to include diversity issues as well as communication and joint ventures between the university and the community. "Our visitors have faith in the inquiry and that it will be brought to closure.

"Everyone pledged themselves to continued growth and dialogue to interact more between UNLV and the (black) community."

Cavagnaro was not asked to attend the meeting. That was fine with Rogers.

"He didn't need to be here," he said. "The people he (Cavagnaro) answers to were here, and that's what's important."

As for the investigation, Rogers was going to monitor the situation closely.

"We will wait and see what the inquiry reveals and we will come to the conclusion that either these things were said and will be dealt with or they weren't said and we will move on," he said.

Football coach Jeff Horton, who was participating in a social function sponsored by the Fiesta Bowl in Arizona, said it was important to fly back to Las Vegas to participate in the meeting.

"There's a need to establish a better dialogue with some important members of the community," he said. "I thought some very good things came out of it, like more communication and more sensitivity."

Defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill, who flew back with Horton from Phoenix to attend the meeting, agreed.

"This is a way to try and bring some closure to it," McNeill, who is black, said. "I've been involved in football for 19 years and UNLV is one of the most diverse universities in the nation. I was glad to come back for this. I think it's real important that people talk things out."

Basketball coach Bill Bayno, who had pushed for the meeting with Rogers and the NAACP, also came away with a sense of accomplishment.

"Anytime you have an open forum where issues are discussed and steps are taken to address them is good," he said. "I walked away feeling so much better about our university and our community. We need to do more of this."