K Ninety-Two Years of .Editorial PFreedom E lit iga illalg DECLINING Mostly cloudy today with possible snow this after- noon. High today near 30, low tonight in the teens. Vol. XCII, No. 98 Copyright 1982, The Michigan Daily Ann Arbor, Michigan-Friday; January 29, 1982 Ten Cents Twelve Pages LSA may test TAs' English language proficiency By BETH ALLEN It's a familiar complaint-students in lower-level math, language, and scien- ce courses say they can't grasp the material because they can't understand their foreign-born teaching assistants'. spoken English. "Freshmen, in particular, are very snsitive to an accent right at the beginning," said 'LSA Curriculum Committee Member and English Prof. Buzz Alexander. "But the complaint level drops off very quickly within the first few weeks." LSA departments have had difficulty determining whether complaints con- cerning foreign TAs are the result of their poor English or merely the products of impatient students upset with their poor academic performance, Alexander said. PRESENTLY, all foreign-born graduate students must pass the writ- ten English competency exams before they are admitted to the University. LSA Associate Dean for Curricular Affairs Jens Zorn and the LSA Curriculum Committee have been working with the LSA Executive Com- mittee to formulate minimum English competency requirements to remedy the sensitive situation. However, according to a curriculum committee proposal, "English com- petence tests used for Rackham ad- mission are not reliable indicators of a person's ability to speak effectively in' the classroom, and each yearwe find a few sections of important courses that are severely limited thereby. The problem has persisted in spite of widespread recognition of its magnitude." The curriculum committee is working on a college-wide proposal which would require foreign-born teaching assistants who earned their high school diplomas outside of the United States to pass an oral examination. The test would be ad- ministered by a six-member cer- tification board comprised of faculty,' students, and staff. If the students failed the exam, they would be required to take an English course while they are teaching. THE CERTIFICATION board would also have the right to fire a TA if he or she did not pass the exam after taking See LSA, Page 5 EMU begins cuts; House threatens to A WORKER ATTEMPTS to salvage records after the 1950 Haven Hall fire. That blaze, like the December fire in the Economics Building, was set by an arsonist. Econblaze rekindles' emoories of Haven"fi re delay. From staff and wire reports Democratic leaders on the House Ap- propriations Committee' yesterday promised no quick action on Gov. Milliken's 1983 budget, nor on his proposed $225 million budget-balancing cuts for 1982. As the state begins legislative action on its Milliken-backed budget and educational aid deferment plan, Eastern Michgian University began trimming its programs. The first cut of almost $700,000 were approved by the EMU Regents Wednesday. The governor's proposal calls for making the cuts in the final quarter of the 1982 fiscal year and then making them up in the first quarter of the 1983 budget year. CHAIRMAN Dominic "Jacobetti (D- Negaunee), said the powerful commit- tee would probably not finish action on the proposed budget until June or later. He said the 1982 proposals - in which budg9et the governor wants to cut state aid for higher education, community colleges and local governments - would be con- sidered "right along with the budget process." Jacobetti also said he does not, like many of Milliken's spending priorities, including increased money for the arts and cooperative extension services. He advocated that more money be spent on such items as-vocational education. Rep. Gary Owen. (D-Ypsilanti) also said that the lawmakers may insist upon Milliken issuing an executive or- der making the cuts, rather than the current proposal, that the legislature pass a bill cutting 1982 appropriations. AS A RESULT of October, 1981 reduc- tions in state aid to higher education, regents at Eastern Michigan Univer- sity, in Ypsilanti, approved a cut of almost $700,000 from the current budget Wednesday and extended a $600,000 cut See STATE, Page 5 By PERRY CLARK The Christmas Eve fire that gutted the Economics Building last year was not the first to destroy a University facility and its invaluable mterials. On June 6, 1950 the old Haven Hall was destroyed by a raging blaze that was also set by an arsonist. Alvin Kaplan, a 22-year-old student at the time, discovered the fire while on his way to a 4:30 appointment in the old building, He noticed smoke coming from a second floor room, smashed a fire alarm box, and began combing the building, warning people of the fire. WITHIN FIVE minutes of the alarm, firefighters arrived, but it was too late. Before the blaze was brought under control at 9 p.m., the building had been destroyed. University officials estimated the loss at $3 million. Then-Fire Chief Ben Zahn called the fire the worst he had seen since joining the fire department 34 years previously. A crowd of 20,000 gathered to watch, and over 100 students pitched in to help the under- manned firefighters. Firemen poured over 850,000 gallons of water, one-sixth. of the city's reservoir, on the blaze at the rate of 2,500 gallons a minute. The searing heat turned water sprayed on the roof into clouds of steam. FIRE-FIGHTER Chester Brown was on the first truck that arrived at the blaze. "It was going pretty a;od," he said. The fire was "rolling and crackling," and, eventually, he and others were forced outside by the in- tensity of the flames, Brown said. A large contingent of fire-fighting equipment was dispatched to the See OLD, Page 9 'U' adds $2000 to. arson reward General Dozier freed in raid byai nP-cek Itainple ByPERRY CLARK The University will contribute- an additional $2,000 in reward money for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons. responsible for the Economics Building fire, police and University officials said yesterday. Wono Lee, associate director of In- formation Services, said the $2,000 will be added to the $2,000 already being offered by the State Arson Con- trol program. The University's por- tion of the reward will come from the Plant Dept. funds, he said. ANYONE WITH information should call Arson Control collect at 517-322- 0469, or the Ann Arbor Police tipline, 996-3199. Director of Security Walter Stevens said, "We felt the University" could add to the amount in hopes that in- formation could be garnered from someone in the Ann Arbor area. "The investigation is proceeding with vigor and as well as can be ex- pected," Stevens said. He. added that there. were no actual suspects, but that investigators were "checking out many different areas trying to come up with any investigative leads." Raymond Woodruff, commander of the Detective Division of the Ann Ar- bor Police, said he has been satisfied with the progress of the investigation. He said Ann Arbor Fire Dept. person-. nel, police investigators, and officials from the state fire marshal have been working on the case., Officials dispute divestment bill I - - - By BARRY WITT University officials yesterday disputed the constitutionality of state legislation that would require the P University to divest from U.S. com- panies operating in South Africa. The House Civil Rights Committee this week unanimously approved the bill, which calls for all state educational institutions to withdraw , their invest- ments from corporations with holdings in the racially-segregrated country. But some University administrators, who in previous years have refused to divest despite volatile campus protests, believe that the state does not have the constitutional authority to determine how the University will use its money. IN RECENT years, several campus groups have demanded that the Regen- ts divest from corporations with holdings in South Africa, whose policy of apartheid is discriminatory to blacks. The Regents agreed to invest in only those companies that abided by the Sullivan Principles-which ask com- panies to practice non-discriminatory employment policies-but only divested from one firm. Several univer- sities across the country, including Michigan State University, divested en- tirely. Critics of the University's investment maintain that firms with operations in South Africa support a racist gover-, nment. BUT THE bill, which is expected to come up for a vote by the full house late next month, would circumvent the University's reluctance to divest. University counsel Roderick Daane said yesterday that "the legislature does not have the constitutional power to make that decision. Michigan's con- stitution states that the Regents have 'control and direction. of all expen- ditures from the institution's funds.' " But an aide to Rep. Perry Bullard (D- Ann Arbor), the bill's sponsor, said it is within the state's police power to enfor- ce civil rights legislation. Dave Cahill said that just as the state has the power to arrest a suspected murderer within the confines of- the campus, it also can enforce anti-discriminatory legislation. If the legislation passes and receives the governor's approval, the Regents' will then have to decide whether to abide by it or contest the bill's con- stitutionality. REGENTS Thomas Roach (D- Saline) and Deane Baker (R-Ann Ar- bor) yesterday both reaffirmed their commitment to the University gover- ning board's autonomy. Roach said he would not support legislation that for- ced the University to pull out of major Michigan companies such as General Motors. Baker, who has not seen the bill, said the University has a "fair program" for its dealings with companies in South Africa. "(The Regents) look to the best interests of the University, but the legislature often looks at the best in- terests of the individual (legislators)," Baker said. ' Bullard said the legislation's chances are good, but "by no means a sure thing." He said he hopes to have sup- port similar to that of Las.t year when the legislature passed a bill requiring banks to certify they are not making loans to South Africa or South African corporations before they can receive state deposits. Some conservative memlers of the legislature disapprove of the legislation because it singles out South Africa for violating human rights, while ignoring countries with worse records, such as the Soviet Union, according to Rep. Alan Cropsey (R-DeWitt). From AP and UPI PADUA, Italy - Police commandos stormed a second-floor apartment and rescued kidnapped American general James Dozier from under the guns of his Red Brigades kidnappers yesterday. in a "textbook" operation that dealt a stunning blow to Italy's feared leftist . terrorist gang. The raiders smashed down the door of the "people's prison" and pounced on a gunman pointing a pistol at the U.S. Army officer's head, Italian authorities reported. "IF THEY hadn't been. so fast, the story would have had a different en- ding," Interior Minister Virginio Rognoni said. Five Red Brigades tef-rorists-three meri and two women-were arrested at the five-room Padua apartment where Dozier apparently had been held since his abduction from his Verona home Dec. 17. The lightning raid ended a 42-day or- deal for Brig. Gen. Dozier, 50, the highest-ranking Americin atthe NATO base in Verona,'40 miles west of here. DOZIER, FOUND bound, gagged, in stocking feet and a blue warm-up suit, was whisked to Padua police headquar-. ters and then to a hospital at a NATO base in nearby Vicenza for examination. Officers there said the first thing he asked for was a barber, who shaved off six weeks' growth of beard. "I never lost hope of being freed," he was quoted as saying. Dozier .feeling 'just marvelous' Police officials said not a shot was fired in the entire operation, which took but 90 seconds from, the moment 10. crack commandos wearing masks and bullet-proof vests burst down the door to the time a stunned Dozier, being freed from his bonds, cracked a smile: "STUPENDOUS operation," said Dozier, who told officials he thought he was about to die. "Just marvelous ... I feel very good, very good indeed." President Reagan ,made a two- minute telephone call t Dozier, and sent a congratulatory telegram to Italian officials. TODAY- Portly pets POODLE TOO pudgy? Cat too fat? -Dr.' Howard Pawdee, the Nathan Pritkin of the pet set, says he has the cure. Pawdee, a veterinarian who operates an "obesity clinic" at the East Side UncivilACLU? The ever-vigilant Moral Majority has labeled the American Civil Liberties Union. the Number 1 enemy of civil rights. In its Jan. 25 newsletter, the religious fun- damentalist organization cited the recent federal court decision striking down the Arkansas creation-science law as an example of the ACLU "running roughshod over the will of the people of Arkansas." It claimed the ACLU was not recognizing the Legislature and the governor as -- -- -^1- of .th... .. rnL.. ..,.4 'rhn. TIl ir ~ t ,a of athoA.,! wca hours in a dispute over'a $128 hotel bill, but won freedom in return for her promise to perform at a nightclub in Old, Montreal. It all started when Simone arrived from Paris on Tuesday and checked into the Park Regent Hotel while con-. sidering an offer to sing at George Durst's nightclub, Le\ Bijou. "She said a club owner would pay her bill," said hotel manager Carel Folkerman, "but when we called Dur- st, he said 'absolutely not.' ". Police were summoned. And when Miss Simone called Durst from the police station and demanded that he free her, the nightclub owner areed-providing she ive three shows aRt his iclubhnext Torquay, Phillips, 62, has been ripening bananas for 44 years for a fruit importer. He says he has had to turn down 45 applications from people who wanted his post because they were too young. "After all, it's a man's job," he said. The skill of a banana ripener, according to Phillips, lies in spotting rogue bunches that ripen after only two or three days instead of the normal four. On the inside I I. I