I ~
Ninety-seven years of editorial freedom
VOLUME XCVII - NO. 100 ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19,1987 COPYRIGHT 1987 THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Racist
jokes
aired over
'U' radio
Students protest
WJJX broadcast
Daily Photo by JOHN MUNSON
Robert Sellers, a second year graduate student, plays a tape of a controversial WJJX radio broadcast. Frank Cianciola, Director of the
Michigan Union, left, listens in.
By EUGENE PAK
More than 30 students descended
upon the studio of campus radio
station WJJX to demand the can-
cellation of racist and sexist broad-
casts on one student disc jockey's
program.
The disc jockey, Ted Sevransky,
an LSA sophomore who uses the
name "Tenacious Slack" on his
weekly show, hosted a program
containing a series of racist and
sexist jokes on Feb. 4, including
"Who are the two most famous
black women in history?... Aunt
Jemima and motherfucker," and
"Why do black people smell?... so
blind people can hate them too."
After listening to the tape, LSA
senior Ernie Robinson shook his
head and said, "I don't even want to
hear that tape anymore."
According to students who had
taped the program off the radio,
Sevransky has two other people,
"Miami Mike" and "Shamalama
Asbuhi" (a derogatory slur against
West Quad's minority council) call
in with these jokes.
THE STUDENTS had hoped
to protest as Sevransky began his
program, but when they arrived
neither Sevransky nor any WJJX
staff member was present. A note
was found at the office warning the
station manager that students would
be protesting the program. The
station did not broadcast anything.
The student protesters had pre-
pared a typed statement against the
program, part of which stated: "We
view this as another example of the
increasing upsurge of racist inci-
dents on this campus. We are
especially appalled at this latest
outrage of institutionalized racism
in that University funds not only
support the station but its programs
are channeled through University
halls and the Union."
Over the phone, LSA senior Jim
Lamb, WJJX's program manager,
said Sevransky "likes to talk a great
deal on the air," and he had only
learned about the content of Se-
vransky's program Tuesday night.
WHEN LAMB arrived at the
station and heard the tape of the
program, he immediately fired
Sevransky, stating that "he is no
longer a part of WJJX, and will
never be."
"Personally I've listened to a few
of the things Ted has done ... (but)
none that have gone nearly this far
See, STUDENTS, Page 3
Regents to discuss
By ELIZABETH ATKINS
The Board of Regents will discuss plans
today to build a new 1,000-car parking structure
for the University Medical Center, including an
idea that would spare the University Terrace
housing complex.
Although the regents in December ten-
iatively approved a plan to destroy the Uni-
versity Terrace, they decided to study an alter-
native building site on the northeastern side of
East Medical Center Drive -overlooking the
Huron River.
"Nothing has been presented that would
show us that the alternative site would be
better," said Regent Thomas Roach (D-Saline).
The alternative plan would cost $5 million
more than the $10.2 million cost of the
University Terrace site and would involve
complicated architecture to accommodate the
steeply-sloped landscape. The structure would
al. ?block the hospital's view of the Huron
River.,
STerrace
University Terrace residents strongly oppose
the destruction of three of their 11 buildings
which would be razed in August if the regents
approve the plan. The complex is considered
relatively inexpensive and conveniently located
by the single and married graduate students who
live there.
Because Ann Arbor already faces an extreme
housing shortage with a vacancy rate of less
than 2.5 percent, the residents argue that finding
See REGENTS, Page 2
Speech
program
closed to
students
By SCOTT BOWLES
An executive committee has
temporarily halted admissions to
the University's Speech and
Language Pathology division to
,examine the program's efficiency,
but students enrolled in the
'departmen fear the moratorium is a
step toward its elimination.
The six-member executive
Vtcommittee of the School of
-education voted to place a
noratorium on the division last
:Oonth. Officials say there is no
teason to assume that the program
is going to be eliminated.
Lisa Levine, a first-year graduate
student in the Pathology
Pepartment, said she and her
classmates received a more
.pessimistic message.
"What we were told was that the
moratorium is a precursor to the
elimination of the program," she
said. "(The moratorium) has been
set, which means that when
potential graduate students apply to
See STAFF, Page 2
CAAS offers
summer study
in west Africa
By HEATHER ROSE
Under an extraordinary Uni-
versity program, students can spend
summer term 1987 traveling
through six west African countries
learning about their culture, his-
tory, arts, politics, and economies.
The Center for Afro-American
and African Studies (CAAS) is
sponsoring the program, which
runs from July 1 through Aug. 15.
Students will depart from New
York and travel through Senegal,
Gambia, the Ivory Coast, Ghana,
Benin, and Nigeria.
"This is an unusual experience,"
CAAS program representative Shir-
ley Clarkson said. "There aren't
many courses for American students
in Africa."
Jemadari Kamara, a University
professor and director of Afro-
American Studies at the Univer-
sity's Flint campus, will teach the
course. Lectures will be given by
Kamara and local African university
professors, and will focus on West
African societies in transition and
their contrasting approaches to
government. They will also delve
into specific features of the nations
visited.
Kamara will be accompanied by
teaching assistant Raouf Mama, a
graduate student in English from
Benin.
Debra Graddick, an admin-
istrative assistant for CAAS, has
just returned from Africa, where she
went through the program's itin-
erary. She said her experience in
Africa "helped me to grow, as a
black person and as an individual in
general."
"It is always in the back of your
mind that you must go home to
find out about yourself and your
people," she said.
Graddick said the program's goal
is to "expose students to as much
as we can of the African ex-
perience." Students will live in ho-
tels and in dormitories of local uni-
versities, so they can interact with
See PROGRAM, Page 2
INSIDE
Hallelujah! Nobody's crying
over the resignation of White
House aide Pat Buchanan.
OPINION, PAGE 4
A freshman vocalist "wades"
into a solo performance.
ARTS, PAGE 5
Michigan graduate Eli Zaret left
netroit to fnllnw the Rio Annle
Doily Photo by JOHN MUNSON
Debra Graddick, administrative assistant for the Center for Afroamerican and African Studies, stands in front
of two masks which are part of the Dr. Eva Jessye Music Collection on the first floor of the West Engineering
Building.
MSA asks students to,
Nursing shortage
hurts 'U' hospital
vote on
By MARTHA SEV
Students will be
support either a volunta
funding system or a ref
for PIRGIM, the Pub
Research Group in Mich
The Michigan Studen
passed a resolution la
night to add the ques
PIRGIM funding
VETSON group, used to be financially sup-
asked to ported by students who pledged $2
ry checkoff on their Student Verification Forms
fund system during class registration. But since
lic Interest the Board of Regents axed that
iigan. privilege, the group has been
it Assembly searching for funding sources.
te Tuesday One proposal was a new positive
tion to the checkoff system, whereby students
By EVE BECKER
A nationwide shortage of nurses
is affecting both the University
Hospitals and the School of
Nursing, officials report.
The University Hospital has 180
positions to fill, according to
Laurita Thomas. a hospital official.
wide dropped 8 percent last year.
Pennington attributes the decline
in the number of nurses to increased
employment opportunities for wo-
men. Because nursing has tradition-
ally been a "woman's job," more
women in male-dominated pro-
fessions' means relatively fewer
....:.