In It I WVIafl Ninety-eight years of editorial freedom Vol. XCVIII, No. 54 Ann Arbor, Michigan - Tuesday, November 24, 1987 Copyright 1987, The Michigan Daily U.s. to deal with Cuban captors WASHINGTON (AP) - The United States offered yesterday to impose a moratorium on the return of Cubans who came here illegally during the 1980 boatlift if Cuban inmates end their rioting at two federal prisons and free all hostages. Attorney General Edwin Meese said the offer was being made in expectation that all hostages seized by the inmates "will be safely released without delay." Meese said the moratorium would be in effect until each deportation case could be reviewed in a "full, fair, and equitable" manner and included "all such Cubans detained in the United States." There was no immediate word on the inmates' reaction to the offer. The Cubans' cases would have been reviewed individually, regardless of the moratorium. But Meese said that "there has been a great deal of apprehension, concern, and tension about fair treatment... The clear statement we've made today... is to alleviate those concerns and let all of them know they will receive fair treatment." Associate Attorney General Stephen Trott declined to say whether the government would loosen re- quirements to allow some of the Cubans to remain in this country. The rioting was sparked by a State Department announcement Friday that Cuba had agreed to accept the return of 2,500 refugees from the 1980 Mariel boatlift, most of them criminals or mentally ill, officials said. 'U' stands by women in slander suit Going home Third year law student Brian Gardner gives a parting glance to his friends, yesterday, before boarding the commuter to the airport. Gardner, like many other students, is heading home for Thanksgiving. Engineering officials work to aise m inorityenrollment By ELIZABETH ATKINS The University's executive officers yesterday reaffirmed their support for two women being sued for slander by a visiting professor in what has become a landmark case testing the University's commitment to its five-year old "Tell Someone" program. The program was designed to en- courage victims of sexual harassment to report incidents. However, this is the first time a complaintants' charge has been challenged with a slander suit, and University officials decided to offer legal aid. The slander suit stemmed from a student who charged that she was sexually assaulted by Dutch author and writer-in-residence Thomas Rosenboom in September. Rosenboom filed a defamation suit against the woman as well as Uni- versity Sexual Assault Counselor Kata Issari. Rosenboom said the women slandered him by telephoning Germanic Languages Department chair Robert Kyes, his boss. Rosenboom will stand trial for fourth degree criminal sexual conduct December 21. He would n o t comment on the case. Although University officials promised legal aid to the student and counselor, on Friday the' University's Board of Regents called for a review, prompted by Regent Neil Nielsen's (R-Brighton) concern about high legal costs and the University's responsibility to provide legal aid in "private litigation." Students, faculty, staff, and community members protested the review saying the University's "Tell Someone" program would be worthless if the University did not "stand behind" it with legal aid. University President Harold Shapiro stymied protestor's fears by reaffirming the University's commitment to victims of sexual harassment. "While we are studying the matter, as the Regents have requested, the University will continue to observe the present practice which is to defend em- ployees who may come under legal attack as a result of the performance of their duties or following existing policy such as the 'Tell Someone' program. "I want to emphasize that the University remains fully committed to combatting racial and sexual harassment and to the 'Tell Someone' program," Shapiro said in a press release. The regents can, however, overturn a decision made by the executive officers. While Shapiro met with executive officers behind locked doors early yesterday morning to review the decision to represent the women, about 30 University protestors pounded on doors and chanted against the regents' review request. See 'U', Page 3 By STEVEN TUCH While many universities nation- wide are suffering low minority retention rates, the University's College of Engineering has a more than 60 percent minority graduation rate. "If you look around the nation you will see graduation percentages that are horrendous for minorities," said Erdogan Gulari, associate dean for academic affairs. Gulari cited Ohio State and Northwestern as examples. Officials pinpoint the success of minority engineers at the University on the Minority Engineering Program Office (MEPO). MEPO helps minority students in academics and finances, and sup- plies counseling to those students who need it. "While we haven't had a high increase in the number of minority enrollment in the last 10 years, we've done well in relation to mov- ing students through the system," said Derrick Scott, director of MEPO. The college's minority enroll- ment rate keeps pace with the University's overall minority rate of 13.5 percent. The difference, See ENGINEERING, Page 2 Investigation reveals wheelchair barriers By CARRIE LORANGER After spending one day in a wheelchair I discovered that although the Unviersity complies with state acces- sibility laws, it is by no means easy to maneuver around campus. I Perspective Throughout the day, friends, teachers and classmates reacted with surprise. Strangers tried not to stare. First off, my wheelchair was out of alignment and pulled to the left, which made my usual seven minute walk to my 9 a.m. class in the Freize Building a 20 minute wheelchair odyssey. Dar VanderBeek, director of Disabled Student Ser- vices, cautioned that because I did not have the arm strength of a regular wheelchair user it would be more difficult for me to get around. VanderBeek was right - and I learned to wheel through Nickels Arcade or a building instead of long stretches of sidewalk, because cement is the most difficult to roll on. Some curb cuts in Ann Arbor are also difficult to maneuver over. I was grateful to stran- gers who helped by giving a push whenever the chair got hung up on a curb cut. If these curb cuts are the slightest bit bumpy, cracked or uneven it is difficult to get the small front wheels of the chair over them. In Act 8 of The Public Acts of 1973, the sidewalk ramp law states "... a sidewalk must slope gradually to street level so as to provide an uninterrupted path of travel." Many curb cuts in Ann Arbor do not meet this requirement. Another state law, the Barrier Free Design Law, outlines specific requirements for ramps, bathrooms, doors, and other aspects of a building that all new structures must meet. In my limited time in the wheelchair, I found that although the University com- plies with this law, there is no abundance of access- ibility. One reason for this may be the age of most Uni- versity buildings. The Barrier Free Design Law does not require structures built before 1974 to be accessible by wheelchair unless they are undergoing a change in con- struction or use. A recent survey conducted by Disabled Student Services of 126 University-owned buildings, excluding dormitories, showed that 21 buildings do not provide ramp entrances. Lane Hall does not have a ramp entrance near the front of the building, but it does have two back doors close to the ground. Both have two-inch curbs on them, and when I opened the door, I was staring at two staircases, one going up and the other going down. Deeda Staczak, student services assistant for the Center for Chinese and Japanese studies, said that in the three years she has been working there, she has never had a student or faculty member in a wheelchair. Miriam King, vice-chair of Michigan Commission on Handicapper Concerns, said there is a question of whether discrimination occurs when a student cannot get into a building. She said some people argue that it is a See REPORTER, Page 2 Regents remain secretive' in1 search By MARTHA SEVETSON Daily News Analysis No one knows who the regents are considering to replace University President Harold Shapiro when he leaves in January, and it seems likely that the secret will be kept until the position is filled. A loophole in the state's Open Meetings Act, also known as the "sun shine law," enables the University's Board of Regents to select the University's next president behind closed doors. According to state law, the board must interview candidates in public unless fewer than the quorum of five regents are present. The regents will avoid publicity by interviewing candidates in groups of two or three. The regents, who designed the search process last May, insist that protecting secrecy is a key ingredient to a successful selection. Top candidates may withdraw if their names were publicized, said Regent Paul Brown (D-Petoskey), co-chair of the search committee. But students and many state legi- slators argue that the process should be more open, permitting public evaluation of the top few candidates. "I think that at the point where there are two or three candidates, there should be more public scrutiny as to the next president," said State Senator Lana Pollack (D-Ann Arbor). "The candidates themselves have to be willing to take some risks." LSA senior David Newblatt, chair of the students' advisory committee, agreed with Pollack. But he Daily Photo by SCOTT LITUCHY: Daily reporter Carrie Loranger tries to enter Lane Hall, a building that is inaccessible to wheelchair users. Loranger spent a day in a wheelchair as part of her investigation of the accessibility of University buildings. University astronomer to appear on PBS By KAREN GREENSTEIN Since 1971, University Astron- omy Prof. Nancy Houk has classified more than 130,000 stars into three volumes of catalogue. She will describe her work tonight on the Public Broadcasting Service. The program, entitled "The Ring of the Truth," will air at 9 pm on channel 56. The shnw s the 1at of (Her study) 'will be used long after the rest of our papers are buried in the journals.' -University Astronomy Prof. Rirchard Sears "I could easily hire non-students who would last throughout the study, but I'm committed to using students." Astronomy department chair Douglas Richstone thinks the students are fortunate for the opportunity to work on the study. "It is a very good experience for them." TJ -s i - v~1a hnnt . .. v ..s recognize stars. The second half of the show will exnlore the dark matter in the these bands of light Houk can. obtain such details as a star's temperature, chemical composition.