Ninety-seven years of editorial freedom
VOLUME XCVII - NO. 83 ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 1987 COPYRIGHT 1987 THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Nat.
sc
By MARTIN FRANK
Second of a two-part series
The first step in the University's
planned overhaul of its natural science
departments is obtaining necessary fund-
ing, while the final phase is one that an
administrator says he probably won't see
in his lifetime.
Peter Steiner, dean of the College of
Literature, Science and the Arts, said the
funding is primary to rebuilding the
chemistry and physics departments that
were ranked 30th and 19th, respectively,
in 1980.
. departments
"We have recognized the fact that the there definitely could be a second and third
sciences have been underfunded, and we stage," said Steiner.
are in the process of reinvigorating the The University has committed itself to
(chemistry and physics) departments," improving its natural science departments
Steiner said. in the next 20 to 30 years. One of the
IN 1986, the administration granted first steps is the recent construction of a
both departments $500,000 in addition to new chemistry building, scheduled to be
their base budgets to hire new faculty completed in 1989 at a cost of about $40
members, renovate the buildings, and million. In the future, the department
increase office space. may get an underground chemistry library
"If the departments can utilize their connecting the Chemistry and Natural
funding wisely, they can make a case for Science Buildings.
further incremental funding. We have THE NEW chemistry building, said
given them enough for a first stage, but Steiner, will be a necessary step in any
to moi
attempt to attract faculty. He added that it
should enhance research capabilities and
attract graduate students.
Faculty seem hopeful the im-
provements will have positive impact.
Chemistry Prof. Arthur Ashe said, "(The
new building) will be a big help in
attracting new faculty. Facilities are
crucial to getting the best people here and
keeping them."
The building will provide the de-
partment with new undergraduate teaching
laboratories and three floors of research
area, as well as "the best auditorium that
Jernize
the college will have," said James Cather;
LSA associate dean for Administration
and Curriculum. The auditorium will seat
approximately 500 people.
"It is much more difficult to teach in
an old building in front of 300 students
hour after hour. Even if you're the
greatest actor or actress, it is tough to
keep their interest if you don't have
visual aid like they do in some of the
newer buildings, so your flexibility is
reduced in a building like this," said
See NATURAL, Page 2
FSACC*
members
recount
Forsyth
march
By DAVID WEBSTER
Six students who participated in
Saturday's "march against fear and
intimidation" in Cumming, Ga.
recalled last night the sense of
comraderie and unity they exper -
ienced and the overt hatred they en -
countered.
The students shared their
thoughts on the march with an aud -
ience of about 50 at a meeting of
the Free South Africa Coordinating
Committee (FSACC).
"Just looking at this event I
hope a lot of people are inspired to
move against racism," said David
Fletcher, an LSA junior and
FSACC member who took part in
the march. Fletcher and six other
University students marched in
Cumming as a contingent repre -
senting FSACC.
The students said the racist at -
titudes exhibited by many Cum -
ming residents were strikingly sim -
ilar to the attitudes of supporters of
South Africa's policy of racial
segregation.
The students said they were
moved by the event in which
people from across the country
came together and joined hands to
demonstrate against bigotry and
racial segregation.
"I hope it's not an event, I hope
it's a movement, and I hope it con -
tinues on a national level," said
See VIOLENCE, Page 3
State
may
grant U top
funding spot
Gov'.'s budget favors
weighted increases
Daily Photo by SCOTT LITUCHY
Sesquicentennial
Marian and Ray Vorce of Ypsilanti dance at a party held last night at the League Ballroom celebrating
Michigan's 150th anniversary, Partygoers dressed in period costumes.
LANSING (AP) - Michigan's
15 public colleges would get
varying amounts of state money,
with the University of Michigan
leading the way as the state's
"flagship university" under Gov.
James Blanchard's proposed budget,
officials told Booth News Service.
"We believe there are different
roles and missions for the uni -
versities, that it costs more to run
an engineering school than to teach
accounting, for example," State
Budget Director Robert Naftaly told
Booth. "The past practice of annual
across-the-board increases must be
replaced."
UND ER the proposal to be
unveiled tomorrow, Michigan State
University, Wayne State Unive -
rsity, and Michigan Technological
University would be in a second tier
for state money, Booth said. The
state's other 11 public four-year in -
stitutions would follow.
The state funding increases
would vary according to a college's
program offerings, student enroll -
ments, and other factors.
The funding formula concept
was at the heart of a 1984 report by
the Governor's Commission on the
Future of Higher Education, which
also urged that duplications of
course offerings be eliminated and
that educational programs fit Michi -
gan's economic strengths.
BLANCHARD will propose
that all colleges in the state receive
a 3.4 percent inflationary increase
for the 1987-88 fiscal year, the
news service said. Above that, a
pot of $15 million would be divided
among the colleges depending on
how they fit into the funding
formula, Booth said.
The funding model would have
to be in place and higher education
funding increased for several years
before the colleges achieve levels
comparable with universities in
their peer groups, Naftaly told
Booth.
Michigan schools currently fall
in the middle of the pack when
compared with spending levels as
their nationwide counterparts, bud -
get officials said.
Past attempts to tie funding to a
statistical formula have been bloc -
ked by lawmakers whose districts
included schools that would have
been on the lower end of the fun -
ding scale. Officials expect similar
opposition this time.
Reagan quizzed
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Reagan, silent
for weeks on the Iran arms sale scandal, answered "all
questions" yesterday from an investigative committee
about authorizing secret weapon shipments to Tehran,
the White House said.
Reagan met for 76 minutes with the three-member
committee he named Nov. 26 to probe the actions of
the National Security Council staff following
disclosure that profits from secret arms sales to Iran
were diverted to contra rebels in Nicaragua.
It was the first time Reagan had discussed the Iran
initiative with any outside group.
"In the course of the meeting the president
answered all of the panel's questions," a White House
statement said. "The wide-ranging review included the
development of policy in relation to Iran, the factual
history of the president's role in the Iran initiative,
and the U. S. foreign policy process in general."
It was not known if the president cleared up
confusion resulting form contradictory statements by
current and former White House aides about when he
first authorized arms shipments to Iran.
Robert McFarlane, Reagan's former national
security advisor, has told Congress that the president
had given prior approval for the first Israeli shipment
See REAGAN, Page 2
I . -- - - - I
'Velvet Canadian'"
billboard loses lease
By JEAN LOMBARD
After 12 years, a billboard that offended
women's advocacy groups by*.advertising
whiskey using a sultry blonde woman in a
black velvet dress has been removed.
A spokesperson for Central Advertising,
owner of the Black Velvet Whiskey bill-
board, said the lease was not renewed. The
billboard, located above the Main Party
Store on Main and W. Ann Streets, now
promotes radio station WIQB.
The original ad featured a woman in a
black velvet dress urging readers to "Feel the
Velvet Canadian." Many people found the
sign offensive, sexist, and exploitative.
"It's using women's bodies as a com-
modity and promotes using violence against
women," said Andrea Walsh of the Uni-
versity's Women's Crisis Center.
The billboard inspired many protests and
was defaced several times during its 12-year
run. But Mike Love, manager of the Main
Party Store, said the protests increased whis -
.key sales.
"The idiots messing it up didn't realize it
helped our sales of Black Velvet. As far as
I'm concerned, someone in the crowd was
working for Black Velvet," Love said.
The last time the billboard came into the
spotlight was March 7, 1985 when two
women spray painted the billboard and were
arrested.
"We spray painted the billboard, were
caught, arrested, and booked on a felony,"
recalls Jennifer Akfirat of the Assault Pre-
vention and Awareness Center.
Akfirat was later sentenced to community
service work and fined $1,000.
The local Black Velvet billboard is not
the only one which caused outrage; one in
Cleveland which has also been a target of
protest, Akfirat said.
Daily Photo by SCOTT LITUCHY
This radio billboard has replaced a controversial
whiskey advertisement.
'M' wrestler critically injured
By DOUGLAS VOLAN
University wrestler Mike Mur-
doch was seriously injured late Sa-
turday night when the car he was
driving was hit by a pickup truck
near his Montrose home.
Murdoch, a freshman, was
rushed to Saginaw St. Mary's Hos-
pital where he was treated for in-
ternal and head injuries.
A ,'rdin o tr o hnc-niml .,C-
of the pickup were treated for minor
injuries and released.
According to police reports,
Murdoch's vehicle crashed with the
pickup truck as Murdoch attempted
spot at 150 pounds, and has a record
of 11-15 following Friday's meet
against Michigan State University.
The Wolverines, in spite of the
INSIDE
20,000 march in Georgia for
civil rights to fight a rising tide
of racism in the United States.
OPINION, PAGE 4
Just when you thought there
would be no other bands coming
out of Athens, Ga....
ARTS, PAGE 5
The men's and women's swim -
'The kids really feel for him. We can go on, but he's
foremost in our thoughts right now and will be until
his condition improves.
T T t"1 '\ 1
I
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- WArPCtlino c~rh Ip Re khr