Ninety-four Years Of Editorial Freedom .:1'1 SirF itIaiQ Balmy Breezy, partly sunny in the after- noon, with a high of 35 degrees. IVol. XCIV-No. 95 Copyright 1984, The Michigan Daily Ann Arbor, Mihigan - Wednesday, January 25, 1984 Fifteen Cents Eight Pages Inflation rate hits Slowest mark in 11years From AP and UPI WASHINGTON - Consumer prices rose 0.3 percent in December and just 3.8 percent in all of 1983, the lowest in- flation rate since Nixon administration price controls more than a decade ago, the government said yesterday. Only used cars and tobacco showed annual inflation of 10 percent or more last year, a sharp contrast from 1979 when the rate for everything soared to 13.3 percent. ENERGY prices dropped 0.5 percent last year, the biggest decline in that area in 20 years and the most significant break for consumers. "Today's news is very heartening, especially, for those on fixed incomes," a White House spokesman said. "We're on the way to sustained growth with low inflation and that's good news for everybody." Natural gas prices were up only 5.2 percent for the year, not even close to 1982's 25.4 percent increase. Gasoline 1> prices~ dropped 1.6 percent during 1983, climbing just 0.1 percent in December. MEDICAL costs, soaring at a double- digit pace in the four previous years, rose 6.4 percent, the smallest advance in a decade, according to the Labor Department's report on the Consumer Price Index. , Martin Feldstein, chairman of the president's Council of Economic Ad- visers, sa.id that by all the key measures of inflation "1983 was an out- standing year." Earlier this month, the 1 government reported producer prices rose just 0.6 percent last year for the best showing in two decades. Analysts attributed the good price news largely to the abundant crops through most of the year and the excess supply of petroleum, which drove down prices for home heating oil and gasoline. THEY ALSO noted the cost of labor rose only slightly, easing pressure on businesses to pass along higher prices to consumers. And the value of the dollar remained strong, which made foreign goods less costly compared to U.S. products. Other reasons for the good inflation performance are intense competition with foreign imports for American spending money and a shortage of cash among those still unemployed or in in- dustries unable to join in the recovery. Even industries without import com- petition are wary about raising prices, afraid they will invite competitors able to offer bargains because their parts and labor are cheap compared to that purchased with the strong dollar. 'U' to sell computers to students, By THOMAS MILLER puter sy University students and staff will organizer soon be able to purchase microcom- pricelistin puters directly from the University at yesterday discounts of up to 50 percent. nounce the Under a deal with Apple Computers He als Inc., the sales of four types of Apple systems c computers, including the Macintosh "We jus model unveiled in New York yesterday, going. tos may begin by early next week. . don't ha THE DEAL is part of a growing demostra relationship between the company and, THE U the University. Just prior to this term, ferent co the College of Engineering agreed to Lisa, the. purchase 800 computers from the com- The Ma pany for substantially reduced prices. price of$ University officials are hoping close percent d ties with the company will make it which re easier for students and professors to $5,500, de purchase and use computers, while Ap- discounte ple is using the deals to. tap a large The Ap student market. close to th Although the University is hoping to "THEl begin taking orders for the computers Macintosh by next week, officials are unsure of ple is notz how much the computers will cost and the HIe to how long the company will take to high scho deliver. Marks GREG MARKS, a University com-S staff ystems manager and chief of the program, said the rg for the computers arrived y and the University will an- he prices next week. o said that delivery of the could take some time. st don't know how fast Apple is ship," Marks said. "We still ave any models to even te with." NIVERSITY will sell four dif- mputers: the Macintosh, the Apple Ile, and the Apple III. acintosh, which has a retail $2,495, will sell at about a 50 iscount, Marks said. The Lisa, tails for between $3,500 and pending on the model, will be d about 40 percent. ple Ile and III will be sold for heir retail value, Marks said. RATIONALE is to help the h and the Lisa, "he said. "Ap nearly as interested izselling ocolleges. They consider it a ol machine." said that students and staff See APPLE, Page 2 AP Photo Shampoo Joseph Valez smacks his friend Sandy Turner with a slushball in Noank, Conn. yesterday. AISA rates its progress behind closed doors By MARCY FLEISHER Fifteen members of the Michigan Student Assembly (MSA) met behind closed doors last night to discuss the results of-a self-evaluation of the group taken two weeks ago by represen- tatives. Although MSA Vice President Jono Soglin said the written survey results revealed "nothing we didn't want anyone to know about;" the members at last night's meeting voted unanimously to exclude a Daily reporter from the their discussion. "PEOPLE MIGHT have been inhibited to speak by the presence of a Daily reporter," said Soglin. "This was an internal meeting. All organizations meet on their own." The three-page survey, written by MSA President Mary Rowland and Judy Lodish, director of Student Organizations, Activities, and Programs, asked members to rate MSA on a seven-point scale. Members were questioned on whether they had enough participation in decision-making and how effective the group is. ALTHOUGH THE representatives gave overall high scores of 2.8 for the level of effort made by the assembly, the group received only a 3.4 score for productivity and an even lower mark of 4.9 for the parity group members have in sharing responsibility. (One was the highest mark on the scale.) Another section of the evaluation asked members to describe their per- sonal experiences in MSA, why they ran, and what they believe MSA is and should be. "Students should be better prepared for what they're getting into before running," said Lodish, in her recom- mendation to the group. MSA SHOULD try to bring itself "closer to the students and the Univer- sity comm'unity," the recommendation said. r After last night's meeting, Soglin said the group would eventually like to poll the entire student body's opinion of what issues MSA should address. Soglin also said a transition commit- tee would be set up to help familiarize new members with how MSA works. "We wasted time at the beginning of the year because people weren't orien- ted enough," Soglin said. Members also suggested holding in- formational meetings before MSA elec- tions so "those running for MSA will know more about what it means, to be a representative," said MSA member Paula Bass. "The group also discussed the possibility of members doing social things together. . . in order to become friends as well," Bass added. In other survey results, the average response for questions on "responsible participation" was 3.6 and 3.7 on decision-making participation. "I'm glad we had a meeting to discuss the results," said Soglin. 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" , .... y:.v:.?": : ::::: ;. _::::.}:: :. ............. v:}:^::.} ::::. _.}: ii:: :ii: :::i:?-}ii. v:"}ii}}ii}::{J}iii>i:{:v:i:X -:::: ::::? ?}:"? }:":}}::i:{}},;:-:?:??+::Ci :C}::C:t}: }:"i:-i:4:iL}"i. ."r. i::"}i.:..... nv ::::}}hv vr: --" .. .... ................. :...: .... .......: "::.::. ::::.::::. : ": :" ....:..:: n"::. -....... ...... -.....:::::. : : - v:::::::: :.::::::::: -:...... .. ... .. .. ...... ... ... .. ..... ...........................................)i{;:>.:i::"ii i: i{:i:_ Yi i'w:3:L ":i: l}: 'Beleher's holdings ruled OK By ERIC MATTSON Ann Arbor's city attorney yesterday ruled that Mayor Louis Belcher's part-ownership of the Down- town Club does not create a conflict of interest with his vote to develop the property as office space. Two city councilmen, Larry Hunter (D-1st ward) and Lowell Peterson (D-1st ward), have accused Belcher of a conflict of interest because he purchased the building 18 months after the city council voted to develop it into office space. The property is located at 110 N. Fourth Ave. BELCHER, HOWEVER, says there is no conflict because he approved the development plans before he had any interest in the building. He said that the councilmen's charges were too strict because many City Council actions may later affect individual councilmembers. Hunter and Peterson say they want to see the building developed into low income housing for city residents. They were hoping charges of conflict of-in- terest would trip up Belcher's plans to convert the club into office space. If the city attorney had ruled in their favor, the development plans for the site may have had to go before City Council again. CITY ATTORNEY R. Bruce Laidlaw, however sided with Belcher. "To a certain extent, almost every important ac- tion taken by the City Council will impact some coun- cil members differently than it does others, and to that extent there is a 'conflict'," Laidlaw said in a, report issued yesterday. "I can find no law that would, restrict a council member from participating in the development of a parcel of land which was previously the subject of council action," the report said. Hunter and Peterson say that the Downtown Club can be turned into low-cost housing for around $200,000. Belcher and his partners, however, say the conversion would cost even more than it would to turn it into office space, which they estimated to be about $2 million. Laidlaw also cleared Belcher of conflict charges stemming from his purchase of another building at 310 S. Fifth Ave. Daily Photo by BRIAN MASCK Winter wonderland Children pose for pictures on the edge of frozen lake Michigan near the south pier breakwater outside of Grand Haven. Judge cuts Liuzzos' bill for court costs By GEORGEA KOVANIS The family of slain civil rights worker Viola Liuzzo will not have to pay an $80,000 bill for the government's court costs that they expected to when they lost their court battle last May. After reconsidering his earlier order, U.S. District Court Judge Charles Joiner this week sharply cut the Liuz- zo's tab for government court costs by more than $76,000 to $3,645.30. IN HIS EIGHT page opinion released this week, Joiner said the initial bill was excessive and would discourage people from filing suits against the government. The children of Viola Liuzzo brought a $2 million lawsuit to court last March charging that the government was responsible for'the 1965 death of their mother. In May, Joiner ruled against the family and ordered them to pay the government court costs which included witness expenses, video-taped despositions, and court reporter costs. Shortly after that decision, the Liuz- zo's filed a motion asking the judge to reconsider the order. See JUDGE. Page 3 ..... .,,"v.,v:: ".vv :t::^ w . :r:: ):::: :,;:v:{":}iv ::}{:....::{.;.{ "::t{:v:n Yi?} .... ........................ .v . .:,.....;...... .... f TODAY CRISP quickly HIS IS THE DAY of decision for anyone still carrying around unwanted -classes on their schedule. After today, dropping a class will cost pear at Campus Meet the Press today at 4 p.m. The session, held in the Michigan Union's Kuenzel Room, is sponsored by The Michigan Daily and Canterbury Loft. More pre-graduation'notes GIVEN THAT commencement will be moved outside to Michigan.Stadium this April 28 (provided the ground motion. (If Coach Bo Schembechler has any graduates in the class this year, those students could be exempted from the wave, since such conduct likely would upset him.) By the way, kick-off for commencement activities is 1 p.m., moved back from the scheduled started time of 10 a.m. No word yet on television coverage or Goodyear blimps. Q The Daily almanac would bear arms against another country. * 1921-Prof. Raph Aigler, chairman of the Board in Con- trol of Athletics said, "Any statement that the (board) has definitely decided to build a bowl of 100,000 seating capacity at some future time is incorrect." * 1912-100 forestry students planned to leave the Univer- sity for Cornell, to follow departing forestry Prof. Filibert Roth. i I I i i