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Mfichigan Daily
New Student Edition

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EDITORIAL STAFF:

Welcome to the University -of Michigan and the Michigan Daily..
When you picked up this edition of the paper, you probably wondered how we
can put out such a big newspaper every day, but you have been somewhat
misled. The fact is that we've worked all summer to bring you this special
edition filled with all the information you need for a complete introduction to
the people, events and issues which surround campus life. And in the fall, we
will continue ;to briftg you complete coverage of University, local, national
and international news-although not quite 70 pages worth. We hope you en-
joy your first brush with the Dailyand your upcoming University stay.
We would like to thank all the writers who contributed to this issue,
especially the Daily spring-summer staff who wrote most of the articles.
Without their help, you wouldn't be reading this.

Editors-in-chief
DAVID GOODMAN.

Cover Photo


Managing Editor
EILEEN DALE
KEN PARSIGIA
BARB ZAHS

GREGG.KRUPA
rs
Y
N
MIKE TAYLOR

Credits,
AFTER THE FACT
All photos by John Knox
SIDELINES
Cover: Peter Serling
A. Freeberg, A. Freeberg, J Knox
THE FINER THINGS
Cover: Andy Freeberg
A. Freeberg, J. Knox, A. Freeberg, A. Freeberg
CITY COUNSEL
Cover: Andy Freeberg
A. Freeberg, A. Freeberg, J. Knox
YOU AND THE 'U'
Cover: John Knox
J. Knox, A. Freeberg, A. Freeberg

Arts Editors
OWEN GLEIBERMAN

SUE WARNER SHELLEY WOLSON
Co-Editors-in-Chief

STAFF WRITERS: Michael Arkush, Rene Becker, Richard
Berke, Lenny Bernstein, Brian Blanchard, Bruce Brumberg,
Mitch Cantor, Donna Debrodt, Eleonora diLiscia, Marianne
Egri,. Josh Gamson, Steve Gold, Sue Holtman, Elisa Isaacsonl,
Margaret Johnson, Carol Koletsky, Paula Lashinsky, Marty
Levine, Mitch Margo, Sheila Middlebrook, Dan Oberdorfer,
Mark Parrent, Judy Rakowsky, Martha Retallick, Keith Rich-
burg, Julie Rovner, Beth :Rosenbeig, Dennis Sabo, Amy Saltz
man, Steve Shaer, John Sinkevics, Liz Slowik, R.J. Smith,
Pauline Toole, Sue Warner, Jeffrey Wolff, Shelley Wolson
PHOTOGRAPHY STAFF
ALAN BILINSKY..... ............Co-Chief Photographer
ANDY FREE BERG .................... Co-Chief Photographer
BRAD BENJAMIN.............Staff Photographer
WAYNE CABLE'.....................Staff Photographer
JOHN KNOX.Staff Photographer
PETER SERLING ...... ... Staff Photographer

SPORTS STAFF
BOB MILLEW ......... Sports Editor
.PAUL CAMPBELL........ ...... Executive Sports Editor
ERNIE [)UNBAR...... . ......... Execulive Sports Editor
HENRY ENGElIAfARU1YI)...........Executive Sports Editor.
f I(h I:1JI))C... ......... ....... Executive Sports Editor
CU SHWAT...................Executive Sports Editor
NIGHT EDITORS: Jeff Frank, Gary Kicinski, Geoff Larcom.
Brian Mhrtin. B rian Miller. Bily Neff. I)an Perrin. Dave
Renharger. Billy Sahn. Errol Shifman. Jamie 'l'urrier. B ob
Warren.
ASSISTANT NIGI'T EDITOTS: Jeff WBake. Elisa Fr\ve. Pete
Leininger. Liz Mlac Eric Olson. Kevin .osehorough. Diane
Silver. Ton Stephens.
DESK ASSISTANTS' Ken Chotiner. Cliff ouglas. Bob Emory.
Al l''anger. Lisa Kaplan, Gary Levy. Scott Lewis. Bill Tchomp-
soil, BOb Ward.
BUSINESS STAFF
NANCY GRAU ............... .... ...Business Manager;
DENISE GILARDONE ....S......,..........Sales Manager
SHELLEY SEEGER,, ....... O........Operations Manager
LISA CULBERSON ......... ........ Display Manager
JOANNE SCHNEIDER.,..... Classified Manager
DENNIS RITTER..,.. .....National Advertising Manager
PETE PETERSON ................., Advertising Co-ordinator

CAROLYN ISRAEL
A dvertising
OWEN GLEIBERMAN
Arts Editor

.1i

BOB MILLER
Sports Editor


Tenant laws face court

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By RICHARD BERKE
Though two tenants' rights referen-
dums met a decisive April victory, their
future is now in jeopardy because of a
court appeal questioning their validity.
Voters approved the City Charter
amendments-which faced virtually no
outward landlord opposition-by a 61
per cent margin.
THE "TRUTH in Renting Act"
prohibits landlords from including
illegal and unenforceable clauses in
=, their leases. Also, it requires them to
give their tenants specific information
about their legal rights.
The second referendum, entitled the
"Fair Rental Information Act,"
requires the city to pay for a tenants'
rights booklet consisting of three sec-
tions: one written by impartial authors
selected by the mayor, one written by
pro-tenant attorneys, and one written
by pro-landlord attorneys. All city lan-
dlords are required to distribute the
booklet to their tenants.

In April, 12 citizens filed an appeal
against the amendments, complaining
of objectionable wording and anti-lan-
dlord tone.
GLORIA FLEMING of the Lansing-
based Michigan Landlords Association
said the suit was filed primarily over
doubts of the referendums' con-
stitutionality.
Flyers distributed before the election
by the Washtenaw Property Owners
Association called the referendums
dangerous for local property owners.
"They (the proposals) compromise
everyone's rights of free speech and the
right to contract freely," the flyer
stated. "Everyone should oppose the
attempts of a few to dupe the local
government into usurping these rights
from all of us."
IN JULY, Washtenaw County Circuit
Court Judge Patrick Conlin ordered
there be no arrests or prosecutions for
violations of the law until the suit is set-
tied.

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.=t" ,.

But Paul Teich, attorney for the
Michigan Student Assembly Housing
Law Reform Project and co-author of
the amendments, said the effect of the
laws hasn't been seriously crippled.
He said the University Off-Cmpus
Housing.Office has tailored its sample
lease, used by several landlords, to
comply with standards called for under
the Fair Rentral Information Act. The
sample lease contains a notice similar
to one suggested under the amendment
which states:
"SOME OF THE things yotir land-
lord writes in the lease or says to you
may not be correct representations of
your rights."
"We've heard that a number of lan-
dlords have been complying (with the
laws) and the city seems to be acting in
good faith to start the booklet," Teich
stated. "I'm optimistic about the quick
resolution of the case in our favor."
Teich conceded, however, that
resolution of the case could take years.
SPECIFICALLY, the Truth in Ren-
ting Act requires that at the start of
each lease term, landlords give tenants
a notice stating that:
* certain clauses the tenant signs
may be illegal, therefore unenfor-
ceable;
* tenants have rights and obligations
which may not be described in their
leases, such as the right to' withhold
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
vol. LIX,No.1
Thursdy,September 7, 1978
is edited and managed by students at the University
of Michigan. News phone 764-0562. Second class
postage is paid at Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109.
Published daily Tuesday through Saturday morning
during the University year at 420 Maynard Street,
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109. Subscription rates: $12
September through April (2 semesters); $13 by mail
outside Ann Arbor.
Summer session published through Saturday
morning., subscription rates: $6.50 in Ann Arbor;
$7.50 by mail outside Ann Arbor.

itruggle
rent and live in a dwelling in need of
repairs;
" tenants can get detailed infor-
mation on their legal rights and duties
by contacting their own lawyer, a free
legal aid service, or a Tenants Union
lawyer.
Tenant advocates were surprised last
spring when organized opposition to the
ballot proposals did not surface, as Ann
Arbor landlords have been known to put
up strong fights against tenant
proposals. In 1975, local landlords.for-
med "Citizens for Good Housing" and
pumped more than $50,000 in a last.
minute media blitz to soundly defeat a
rent control proposal.
At election time landlords said they
weren't concerned enough with the
referendums to "bother fighting
them."
DEMOCRATIC POLITICANS were
generally more supportive of the tenan-
ts' rights proposals, while city
Republicans didn't like the fact that
putting the amendments on the City
Charter put them out of reach of City
Council. -t
Republicans also questioned a tenan-
ts' rights booklet resulting from a voter
directive, since Council adopted a
revised booklet last December.
Jona than Rose, co-author of the
referendums and attorney for Campus
Legal Aid said, however, the Council's
booklet resulted from partisan squab-
bling. Because'of this Rose said, ad-
vice in the booklet met ruch com-
promise.
The voter initiatives camge ,t. atime
when the legality of clauses,,- e
leases has been questioned. A :
October by the Public Interest lesear-,
ch Group in Michigan reveal., that
most Ann Arbor leases examined con-
tain "illegal, unenforceable, or abusive C
clauses.

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REFRIGERA TOR RENTALS
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