JOIN THE DAILY See Today for details £j STE. 43UU 1 aiig SNOW See Today for details Vol. LXXXV1II, No. 89 Ann Arbok, Michigan-Wednesday, January 18, 1978 Ten Cents WPages REGENTS' APPROVAL NE CESSAR Y Dormrent ma jum.4%in fall By RICHARD BERKE increases include a student labor cost Next year's dormitory rates will rise by 7.4 per cent if the Regents ap- prove a recommendation by the University Rate Study Committee next month. This means that dormitory resi- dents may pay up to $150 more to live in University housing. The recommendation calls for no fundamental changes in housing services. The rate hike intended to compensate partially for what Hous- ing Office officials estimate as an 8.2 per cent inflation increase next year. UTILITY COST increases are the largest contributors to higher Uni- versity housing costs next year, according to the committee. Gas, electricity, heat, and steam costs are expected to rise by 20 per cent. Other increase of 12 per cent due to a higher minimum wage and a food cost hike of four per cent. Composed of two voting student members and two voting Housing Office members as well as six non- voting members, the committee annually draws up a proposal speci- fying housing rate increases. In most cases, the Regents have approved the committee's recommendations without amendment. After much debate, committee members decided to give a break to the 200 students living in economy rooms by increasing their rates by only three per cent. "SOME COMMITTEE members said residents in economy rooms shouldn't be given the 7.4 per cent DORM LIVING, 1978 Singles-$2,047.50 Doubles-$1,759.50 rate increase since they don't live in anj ideal situation," said Norm Snustad, Rate Study chairman and acting associate housing director. "Others said those people already pay less for their rooms. .. so we came upon a compromise." The committee 'ecommendation calls for single room leases to cost $2,047.50; doubles to cost $1,759.50; triples $1,552.50; triple suites $1,- 759.50; economy doubles costing $1,478.25; and economy triples $1,- 388.25. Rates at Baits Housing on North Campus will rise slightly more than nine per cent if the recommendation is approved. This increase, greater than in traditional dorms, is part of an effort to bring Baits rates on a par with higher rates charged for the tra- ditional dorms. FAMILY HOUSING units, which have greater costs than the dorms due to inflation, face a proposed 13 per cent rate hike. Rate Study considered pushing for the return of paper towels in dorm bathrooms. The proposal was voted down, however; members said stu- dents are adjusting to using their own towels and it wouldn't be worth $8 more per student to bring them back. The lack of paper towels in dorm bathrooms met with considerable resident dissatisfaction last fall. The installation of soap dispensers in dorm bathrooms also was voted down, with committee members stressing that there was little interest in this relative to cost. RATE STUDY also considered several possibilities for increasing revenue, all of which were voted down or are still under consideration. Housing Office staff members are investigating a Rate Study sugges- tion that the University purchase and rent refrigerators toresidents. Im- plementation of this measure de- pends on whether the venture is determined as profit-making. One consideration is that refrigerator rentals by the Housing Office would cut into University Cellar revenues. Rate Study members also dis cussed the possibility of raising washer/dryer rates, which were already increased this year. Mem- bers decided against this, however, claiming that raising the rates would likely diminish volume -to the point that no added revenue would be generated. reacts to new comp. program By STEVE GOLD Reacting to the Literary College (LSA) faculty's overwhelming approv- al of a new English composition re- quirement Monday, many departments yesterday began considering ways to fulfill their responsibilities under the new plan. The new requirement will call for each LSA department to offer a writing program for junior and senior concen- trators beginning with the class of 1982. The new program also calls for a writing test for all entering students and tutorial English courses for stu- dents not up to the freshman compo- ition level. In the history department, Chairman Marvin Becker is hoping to implement a summer writing program for teaching assistants. He hopes to offer courses such as Historical Classics, Literary History and Composition of History.. Becker realizes the plan "might en-, tail extra work," but says that with the assistance of the graduate students, the history department can "avail itself to a very good idea." No such role is seen for the use of graduate students in the physics de- partment. "We have essentially no upper level courses in which graduate students teach," reports Tris Coffin, the depart- See NEW, Page 7 ( Egyptians demand 'an equal house' for Palestinians at talks i JERUSALEM (AP) - New Middle East peace talks opened yesterday with an Egyptian demand for "an equal house for the Palestinian people" and a low-keyed Israeli call for "concession, compromise and mutual agreement." Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, staking out the middle ground, said the common goal of Egypt, Israel and the United States "and those absent today" - Jordan, Syria, and the Soviet Union - is a just, lasting and comprehensive settlement. THE STRONGLY worded state- ment by Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel contrasted with the Israeli call for compromise, highlighting sharp differences be- tween them, the legacy of the 30-year dispute. Later, at a news conference, Israeli Foreign Minister Moshe Day- an said everything is negotiable. Every Egyptian proposal including Palestinian statehood would receive consideration, he said. "The only thing we do not accept is a kind of ultimatum - take it or leave it. THERE IS no deadlock," Dayan told reporters, "but that doesn't mean we are all doing wonderfully well." The United States, claiming its mantle as mediator, gave qualified support to Palestinian self-determin- ation but also said Israel was entitled to secure borders and true peace. The public speech-making by Ka- mel, Dayan and Vance, in a spacious hotel ballroom festooned with flags and floral arrangements, lasted only 17 minutes. AFTERWARDS, at an even briefer closed session, Egypt and Israel ex- changed position papers on the Palestinian dispute and other key elements of a. settlement and ad- journed for the day. Kamel declined without explana- tion to hold a joint news conference with Dayan and Vance. Dayan held the conference on his own and told reporters the Israeli See EQUAL, Page 7 WZ~ GAZA STRIP r - Daily Photo by ALAN BILINSKY A bright winter sun yielded this light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel view of a Law Quad passageway yesterday. INCREASE MAY STALL NEGO TIA TIONS: Traver Knoll rent hike Rt gers By RICHARD BERKE In an action which could stall settlemept negotiations between striking tenants and their landlady, management at Traver Knoll I apart- ments has announced sharp rent hikes beginning February 1. Rent increases average about 27 per cent, according to Don Green- spon, attorney for striking tenants who label themselves the Traver Knoll I Tenant's Union. Greenspon said the increases have led to a "retrogression" in rent negotiations which began in December 1976 when the rent strike started. striking Fifty-two of the 112 apartments at Traver Knoll I are withholding their rent, demanding better maintenance and consistent rent rates. Fifteen court cases have been heard against landlady Esther Snyder. The tenants were awarded damages in all of the cases. Nearly forty rent cases have yet to be heard in court. TWENTY-EIGHT per cent of the apartments are vacant because the city, acknowledging complaints about upkeep, has prohibited Snyder from allowing any new tenants to move in three of the four buildings in ten ants the complex. Striking tenants say the rent hikes are due to money Snyder is losing because of the vacant apartments and also because of $2,600 she has lost in court. "We can't understand why she (Snyder) wouldn't use money to fix up the place," said Marjorie Lentner, secretary of the Traver Knoll I Tenant's Union. "She's only tried to clear upthings that keep the citybon her back . .. glaring violations, but not much else." SNYDER COULD not be reached for comment. Her attorney,rArthur Carpenter, declined comment on the Traver Knoll situation. Last August, Greenspon presented Snyder with a settlement which included recognition of the Traver Knoll I Tenant's Union, specified the tenants' right to strike, provided for a time-table of maintenance, and called for rent reductions because of inconveniences. Snyder rejected the offer and proposed a $50,000 cash settlement. Tenants rejected her offer, saying it wasn't much of a concession. d A very,' very big deal, Carol Burnis: Female lobbyist in male D.C. II By R.J.SMITH In the hard-nosed world of the professional Washington lobbyist,' Carol Burris seems to be out of place - but only at first. It's not that she isn't hard-nosed, for as president of men generally think we're stupid ? she said in a lecture at East Quad Monday. "We are told continuously by Congress that the solutions to our problems lie elsewhere . . we've iscnvered that when you discuss BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - King Khaled and Crown Prince Fahd of oil-rivh Saudi Arabia have offered to buy the West Bank of the Jordan River and the Gaza Strip from Israel to establish a Palestinian state, an Arab publication said yesterday. The Saudi leaders made the offer to President Carter during his visit earlier this month to Saudi Arabia, the world's leading oil exporter, according to the Middle East Reporter, a usually well-informed daily digest of Arab af- fairs. "THE SAUDIS MADE IT PLAIN to the American presi- "I HEARD NEITHER King Khaled nor Prince Fahd make such a statement," Powell said. State Department spokesman John Trattner said "our policy is not to comment on details of private conversations between the president and the Saudis. I personally see no validity to it but I can't go into details." The Arab publication also said the Saudi leaders told Carter they would raise their country's oil production to "any possibly feasible level" if it would bring about the estal- lishment of a Palestinian state. THE PUBLICATION ATTRIBUTED its report to reli- able travelers it said arrived in Beirut from Saudi Arabia