Ninety-five Years of Editorial Freedom C I be L t tolb 1~Iai1Q Flakey Cloudy and cold with rain changing to snow by the late af- ternoon. Vol. XCV, No. 68 Copyright 1984, The Michigan Daily Ann Arbor, Michigan - Wednesday, November 28, 1984 Fifteen Cents Eight Pages Honor Code: Is it By CARLA FOLZ For the 4,000 undergraduate students enrolled in the University's College of Engineering signing an honor pledge after taking an exam is as natural as signing their names.. Over the last few years, the college has ex- perienced fewer reported cases of cheating than LSA, but do the numbers really mean that fewer students are cheating? While many engineering students say they stick to the code, others have doubts about its effectiveness. THE HONOR Code was established in 1915 to put the responsibility for academic honesty in the hands of the students instead of the faculty. Under the code, exams are given without a proctor and at the end of the test each student must sign a pledge reading "I hae neither given nor received aid on this exam.'' Students suspected of cheating are brought before the Honor Council, a group of students who decide whether the code has been violated. Mechanical engineering Prof. Francis Fisher has chaired the Engineering Faculty Committee on Discipline for the last five years. Fisher said that during each of these years only one or two students were suspended for cheating. AN ADDITIONAL eight to 10 students found keepingo guilty of a minor first offense is usually given a zero on the section of the test involved. The final grade on the exam is then lowered one notch, for instance from a B- to a C - For a more severe violation, a student's entire course grade could be lowered. In comparison, last year the LSA Judicial Council punished 21 of the colleges 13,500 un- dergraduates for academic dishonesty. Twelve students were suspended, two were expelled from the University, four were given an in- crease in the number of credits needed to graduate, and three had their graduation date deferred. Many engineering students feel the Honor* engmneers honest? Code is an effective deterrent against cheating. William Ickes, an engineering senior, said though he has never seen anyone in his engineering courses cheat, his LSA courses were a different story. "I THINK they put the pledge in so it's sub- conscous and reinforces beliefs of what not to do," Ickes said. Other students aren't so sure signing the Honor Code Pledge will keep students honest. Michael Amicangelo, who is working on his second engineering degree from the Univesity, said the Honor Code wouldn't deter him from cheating. "If I'm going to cheat, I'm going to cheat," Amicangelo said. "The oath doesn't mean anything." HE DOES believe that the possibility of being turned in by fellow classmates keeps many people from cheating. A student is required under the code to in- form the Honor Council about any suspected violations. One student, who asked to remain anonymous, said while this obligation may make some students more likely to reveal chaters, he would inform on a suspected violator because of his own moral convictons, not because of the code. Another more powerful motivation for See ENGINEERS, Page 2 Treasu unveils new tax system WASHINGTON (AP) - The Treasury Department recommended yesterday a sweeping overhaul of the income tax system that would finance new rate reductions by eliminating many popular deductions. The Treasury estimated 78 percent of Americans would pay less or the same under the plan. President Reagan said the proposal meets his demand for simplification without being "a tax increase in disguise." He promised to carefully review the thick report and public reaction to it before sending his version to Congress early next year. THE PROPOSAL was unveiled at a news conference by. Treasury Secretary Donald Regan. "This will go a long way to assure any American that the other person is being taxed on the same basis as he or she is," he said. The plan calls for replacing the detailed system of personal income tax brackets with just three steps -15 percent on the first $19,300, 25 percent from there up to $38,100, and 35 per- cent on anything higher. "Under the proposal 78 percent of all taxpayers will ex- perience either no tax change or a tax decrease," ex- planatory material released by Regan said. ALTHOUGH 22 percent of the taxpayers will face higher payments, "more than half will experience a tax increase of less than 1 percent of income," the department study said. It would result in little shifting of the tax burden from one income tax level of individuals to another, Regan said. Ac- cording to the Treasury, those with incomes between $20,000 and $30,000, for example pay 10.3 percent of taxes under present law and would pay 10.2 percent under the proposal. Those between $50,000 and $100,000 now pay 32.8 percent; they would pay 33.1 percent. The plan would also double the $1,000 personal exemptions; increase the standard deductions; slash the maximum in- dividual tax rate now 50 percent to 35 percent; limit to $5,000 the writeoff for interest other than a home mortgage, and wipe out the deduction now permitted for state and local in- come taxes. THE "MARRIAGE penalty" deduction of up for to $3,000 for two-earner couples would be killed, as would the deduc- tion for state and local taxes. Unemployment compensation would become fully taxable; only charitable contributions that exceed 2 percent of adjusted gross income could be deducted. Employer-financed health insurance premiums exceeding 175 a month for a family plan, $70 for singles, would be taxed. Other worker fringe benefits, including group term life in- surance and education aid, wouldbe taxed as wages. On the other hand, the maximum contribution to a tax- deferred Individual Retirement Account, now $2,000 for a worker and $2500 for an unemployed spouse, would be raised to $2,500 each. A two-earner couple could put aside up to Associated Press Big smile Artificial heart recipient William Schroeder waves Humana Heart Institute yesterday in Louisville, Ky. for the camera with registered nurse Lawrence Barker at the See REGAN, Page 3 Charter changes anger MSA By KERY MURAKAMI MSA vice-president Steve Kaplan announced last night that he is writing the Michigan Union Board of Representatives (MUBR) to protest an amendment which would give the board the sole power to appoint students to the board. The MUBR is the controlling body of the Union, consisting of 11 students and 7 non-student members. They make general decisions on the course of the Union such as room appropriations and the retailers allowed to open shops in the basement. The amendment, approved two weeks ago by University Vice President for Student Services, Henry Johnson, would give the chairman of the board the authority to choose a selection committee to in- terview and recommend candidates to the rest of the board. IN THE PAST, an MSA interviewing committee with the aid of two student representatives from the board would recommend to MSA an applicant for each vacancy. The assembly had the power to either accept or reject these recommendations. Last night, Kaplan called the measure a "blatant violation of our regentially-given rights." He said that when the Board of Regents recognized MSA in 1976 they also recognized their constitution. In the constitution, MSA is given the authority to "serve as the appointment body for the selection of . . . student representatives to outside bodies . . . in- cluding but not limited to such all-campus bodies as the Board of Representatives of the Michigan Union." BUT THE chairman of the Union Board, LSA senior Michael Perio. claims that the amendment does not change MSA's authority. "The MSA never had complete power of appointment," he said. "Truthfully, I don't understand why they're up- set." Perigo said that the selection committee guarantees a seat to an MSA representative. And since a unanimous vote is needed to recommend an applicant, See MSA, Page 2 Jf." VJf"{{::: : :'ti"Jf'.. ::":: "": ': ": "::: ": VStV ::" :""::N": ".": ":. .W: K-. -.-.env :.:}}JJ:f.: ..::::':":"':: ;.; _ .tr{. .. " " J:. { }..J{SSS":"i: :"} r}i i :'.r' 't:".:": J: S.i 1... ":{Sl ::"J '{{: J.:: -"V.: .. .': J':::.e ::.v:::::::; : . .N. ..tl ... .. rf .. tQ" h.1. " t. .. .. ; S L. rY.. r.. mot:.. .....:......111 . ........:.. .r.J ...... ..1"".1 ' SS{i: Y,.;J:{S J}::: :S1S ":: .. """ . . . . .: .". ...... }.1.... ... . ..1 . r.. " t t 111 :... ... ..... ... ...... . ". r.:::.. ..........n: :,. .".:..:.: :........::....... :::.V: J.1: ... .... J ....t ... "}..... .. .. ..4 . ... . 4 . 1. . . E y, ... .".... ... :r.. ..:...... 1."... ... ..". .:...1........1........... r....... S....'JJ .. .J 1 ..... ..}.. .t e"'".. ... ....: .... t...... .. ... ........ .........1.. .......... ":."......"::.1::}.. ...... ;;....:.. " J. .. ..... J.... ":VJ." .........:": JJ: ...................................::.1:':: "."... J.. r $: ..............................:.. ... {41............ r.............. :..............................................................N: 1yYf f } ... "r. . ... ................ ................................................. .. ........... Suicide pill proponents face uphill battle By GEORGEA KOVANIS For the students who are requesting that University Health Service stock- pile suicide pills for optional use in event of a nuclear war, the campaign trail is rough. The group is continuing to petition students in order to place its proposal on the Michigan Student Assembly's April ballot. ' But according to some student leaders, it is doubtful that the group will be able to harness large amounts of student support. THE PROPOSAL probably won't cause a tide of anti-nuclear war sen- timent to flood the campus, according to MSA President Scott Page. Students aren't going to rally around this cause, "simply because it isn't going to happen or actually affect students," he said, since Health Ser- vice has said it isn't going to stock the pills. "I think that students here are more concerned with academics," he said. "NOT AS MANY people are talking about it as expected," he said, adding that students aren't becoming suddenly emotionally attached to the group. In the end, according to Page, the group may be able to tap the resources of only about 40 or 50 students to sup- port the proposal. According to Roy Harvey, an LSA freshman who is a group member, about a half dozen to a dozen other students have approached him about joining the group's campaign. However, he said that because the group is in an organizational stage right now, they have been temporarily tur- ned away. THE 12-member group, Students Against Nuclear Suicide (SANS) is being confronted with a variety of student opinions. Some say the proposal is silly, others support it. See SUICIDE, Page 3 Associated Press Morning flakes School children were greeted with a half inch of snow yesterday morning to walk through in Grand Island, Nebraska. 4 4 ,....... ............. ..........r .... .... ... ..xc.. :,v1"".s ". :1..v wYv. .. '} .. .{ .11" . .1 ... Y".:::..... "1 .......... :... ...r 1 . .:". . 11.r.....r. .. ... . ...."..."........ ............*.......ss. ... , ...1 ".J . . , 1 1 O S1} " ."Y . Y": } ToDAY- Extension As the White House turns Michael Reagan, airing the latest round in the first family feud, said Tuesday he wants to sit down with his father and settle their differences "outside the press... so Dad can get on with negotiating with the Russians. The first family feud erupted when Nancy Reagan said in an interview with syndicated columnist Betty Beale that really don't have a whole lot of things to retract because I was really kind of hurt. 4 don't think Nancy has to apologize," Michael said.. "I just want to see this whole thing taken care of, really, in an abkve board type of way, outside of the press. I don't think our type of squabbles belong in the press," he said. similar issues concerning the world arms race. Questions from the audience will be taken at the end of this last Meet the Press of the term. The event is sponsored by The Michigan Daily and the Canterbury Friends. i I I