Jan 16, 2008 - 04:05:26 CST
MINOT, N.D. (AP) - College students from across North Dakota are planning a skydive to raise awareness about violence against students, and violent sex offenders."Dru's Dive" is named for Dru Sjodin, a University of North Dakota student who was kidnapped and killed in 2003 by a convicted rapist. Her killer, Alfonso Rodriguez, is on death row.
Two other students in the state have been killed in recent years.
Mindy Morgenstern, a Valley City State University student, was killed in September 2006. Her convicted killer, Moe Gibbs, is serving a life prison sentence.
Last summer, Minot State University student Anita Knutson was killed in her apartment. The case is unsolved.
Public relations students in the UND School of Communication are leading the skydive effort, which is planned April 26 in Fargo. Sjodin's mother, Linda Walker, is expected to take part.
Jumps also will be scheduled in other communities until June, said UND instructor Shelle Michaels.
The jump costs $600, which includes the cost of the dive with a licensed tandem master. Any additional money raised through sponsors will go to three anti-violence organizations: Operation FreeFall, SOAR and the North Dakota Council on Abused Women's Services.
The funds directed to the Council on Abused Women's Services will go to the Women's Opportunity Scholarship Fund in the names of Sjodin, Morgenstern and Knutson. The fund's purpose is to help low-income women attend a North Dakota college, university or trade school.
Comments are reviewed for taste, tone and language before posting.
Some comments may be used in the Tribune's print edition.
We value and respect your privacy, but The Bismarck Tribune might
disclose certain information to governmental entities if served with subpoena.