Oral Roberts to wed Linda Lovelace

TULSA, Okla. - As Oral Roberts University prepares to hand out diplomas to its Class of 2008, Anna Siebring, a junior, will be mailing out applications to transfer to another school. Siebring, a government major, is among many students having second thoughts about staying at Oral Roberts after six months of scandal at the evangelical Christian university.
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She and others fear the furor will reduce the value of any degree they earn there. Some graduates worry that they will have to try twice as hard to market themselves to potential employers after Saturday's commencement.

"The reputation of the school means a lot," Siebring said. "I want to be proud of the school that I went to, but I could definitely not say that about the school right now."

During the past school year, TV evangelist Richard Roberts, son of school founder Oral Roberts, resigned as president after being accused of misspending university funds to live in style. Also, it was disclosed that the school was more than $50 million in debt.

Among other things, Roberts and his wife were accused of spending school money on shopping sprees, home improvements and a stable of horses for their daughters. They are also alleged to have sent a daughter and her friends on a Bahamas vacation aboard a university jet.

"We have a bright future. Most of the students are excited the picture has changed quite significantly," Green said. But "it doesn't happen overnight."

Green's money has been used to eliminate about half the school's debt and is going for numerous renovations to the dated, 1960s-era campus, known for its 60-foot-high bronze sculpture of praying hands.

Improvements include a microwave-refrigerator in every dorm room, a picnic area that can accommodate 50 students and new wiring in the dormitories. Money is also being set aside for recruitment and for the awarding of scholarships to retain students.