Ninety-eight years of editorialfreedom
Vol. XCVIII, No.90 Ann Arbor, Michigan - Tuesday, February 9, 1988 Copyright 1988, The Michigan Daily
Groups say profs. research chemical weapons
By DAVID SCHWARTZ
At least three University professors are
using University facilities for research that
can be applied to chemical warfare, several
University students contend.
The projects under fire involve research
dealing with nerve gas or other chemical
agents, sometimes called mustard gases,
which can be used in chemical warfare.
The professors working on the various
projects each say their research will not be
used explicitly by the military, although
none deny that the U.S. Army has shown
an interest in their work. The projects are
all funded, at least in part, by the army.
BIOLOGICAL Chemistry Prof.
Isadore Bernstein, whose research has
received the brunt of the criticism, is
currently investigating how mustard gas
causes human skin to blister. By
conducting this research, Bernstein said he
hopes to learn more about diseases that
involve skin blistering.
In documents obtained Friday from the
University's Division of Research Devel-
opment and Administration (DRDA),
Bernstein's project was described as a study
about the "effect of chemical blistering
agents on human and rat cells in culture."
According to the documents, "blistering
agents cause skin blistering and attacks on
the bone marrow, lymph nodes and
spleen."
Bernstein denied that the bone marrow,
lymph nodes, and spleen are affected by
blistering agents.
THE DOCUMENTS also said that if
the agents being researched by Bernstein are
used, they would most likely be used
"against unprotected populations, say, in
the Third World, where gas masks, etc., are
not available."
DRDA Senior Project Representative
David Plawchan defended Bernstein. "He's
dealing with trying to limit and reverse the
effects of chemical agents" which cause
blistering of the skin, Plawchan said.
Among critics of the research being
conducted by Bernstein and other professors
is the Coalition Against Weapons Re-
search. The group is made up of graduate
students, faculty, and concerned community
members whose goal is to inform the pub-
lic about military research being conducted
at the University.
The coalition was formed last year after
the University's Board of Regents changed
their research policy bylaws. Prior to last
April, the Research Policies Committee
(RPC) reviewed classified research projects
to assure that the "end-use" of the research
could not be used to "kill or maim human
beings."
U N D E R the new bylaws, no
committee is charged with reviewing all
military research projects, so the Coalition
Against Weapons Research was formed to
monitor the military research taking place
at the University, Ann Arbor resident and
coalition member Phyllis Ponvert said.
"Our group is very concerned about all
weapons research that is happening at the
University," Ponvert said. "This is just one
example."
All the chemical research proposals cur-
rently under scrutiny began in 1985 or ear-
lier, before the research guidelines were
changed. Because none are classified, the
RPC had no cause to review the projects.
The RPC now functions as an advisory
board to Vice President for Research Linda
Wilson.
Michigan Student Assembly President
Ken Weine denounced the chemical research
projects. "The University has a societal re-
sponsibility to contribute positive things
to society. Research like nerve gas research
is upsetting and unnecessary on campus,"
he said.
WEINE pointed to last year's change,
in the research policy for causing what he
perceives to be problems with the type of
research being conducted at the University.
See 'U', Page 3
Forum
officials'
imput
By STEVE KNOPPER
Staff representatives were notably
absent from yesterday's community
forum on Interim University Presi-
dent Robben Fleming's draft
proposal to deter discriminatory
behavior through academic sanctions.
Two students and two professors
debated the draft before about 50
people at the Michigan Union. Some
audience members, however,
complained that the forum only
represented views that were against
the draft proposal.
Though Michigan Student
Assembly President Ken Weine said
staff members were invited three
weeks ago, only Policy Analyst John
Schwartz, who has been working for
the University since early January,
attended as an unofficial administra-
tion representative.
Fleming, who said he will issue a
revised draft within two weeks, said
last night, "I don't remember any
invitation to come to (the forum).
Maybe through the newspaper, but
See GROUPS, Page 3
Dole
wins
Iowa GOP
caucu~s
Daily Photo by DAVID LUBLINER
Mike Phillips, right, chair of the Michigan Student Assembly Student Rights' Committee, addresses a crowd
at last night's forum on Interim University President Robben Fleming's proposal to impose sanctions against
incidents of racial harrassment.
By KENNETH DINTZER
Special to the Daily
IOWA CITY, Iowa- Vice
President George Bush received a
surprising setback in the Republican
Iowa caucuses last night, placing a
distant third behind the winner,
Kansas Sen. Robert Dole, and Rev.
Pat Robertson.
With 85 percent of the Republican
precincts reporting and t h e
Democratic race too close to call as
of press time, Dole won a decisive
victory, garnering 38 percent of the
vote. Former television evangelist
Robertson took second place with 24
percent of the vote. While Bush, who
was picked in several polls to finish
a close second, receive 19 percent.
The rest of the Republican field
was far behind - Rep. Jack Kemp of
New York with eleven percent, Pete
DuPont with seven percent, and Gen.
Alexander Haig, who didn't
campaign, with less than one
percent.
In the Democractic caucus, with
only 50' pecent of the precincts
reporting, the race for the nomination
was still undecided.
Rep. Richard Gephardt of
Missouri, who was expected to win,
had 28 percent of the vote. Sen Paul
Simon of Illinois received 24
percent. And Massachussets Gov.
Michael Dukakis had 21 percent.
Among other Democratic
contenders, Rev. Jesse Jackson had
ten percent of the tally, former
Arizona Gov. Bruce Babbit had nine
percent, and former Colorado Sen.
Gary Hart received one percent.
Sunday, Robertson predicted that
he would do better than the third
place predicted by polls. He said, "It
won't show up in the polls because
many of my supporters are
Democrats crossing over to the
Republican party for the first time."
He added, "Third place would be
great, but second would be terrific.".
Bush, conceding defeat in Iowa,
had already left the state for 'New
Hampshire, where the next primary
takes place Feb. 16.
The Democratic race, was as close
as the candidates expected. During a
rally for his suppporters on Sunday,
See GEPHARDT, Page 2
Pele gatesm
sc rambl
to get out
the vote
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -
Campaign rhetoric took a back seat
to car pools yesterday as months of
campaining ended and supporters. of
the presidential candidates turned to
the crucial task of getting people to
the caucuses on a frigid and snowy
evening.
"That's the guts of what happens
in this state in terms of this caucus
process," said Pat Mitchell, who
runs the Iowa campaign of Illinois
Democratic Sen. Paul Simon. "It is
so different than a primary, we're no
longer trying to find new people;
we're trying to make sure our people
See IOWANS, Page 2
LSA seeks to i
By LISA POLLAK
Studying the natural sciences is not a top pri-
ority for most LSA non-science majors.
And, the argument goes, why should students
need a rigorous science background when they
have no intentions of pursuing it?
But evidence that non-science majors leave the
University with deficient knowledge of the bio-
logical, physical, and laboratory sciences -de-
spite fulfilling natural science distribution re-
quirements - has prompted LSA to consider
strengthening these requirements while develop-
ing science courses aimed at non-science majors.
CHEMISTRY Prof. Henry Griffin, LSA
curriculum committee chair last term, has drafted
a proposal for discussion that would increase the
standard number of required science credits from
nine to 12. Three credits each of physical and
life sciences courses, including one laboratory
course, would be required under Griffin's plan.
LSA Assistant Dean for Curriculum and Long
Range Planning Jack Meiland would not specu-
late if such changes will be approved. But the
committee's suggestions have been received fa-
vorably by the LSA executive committee - the
college's governing body - in discussions this
year.
"The discussions have been productive," said
Griffin, who is still developing the proposal. "It
is very likely that we will see these changes, or
.mprove nat. se
more modified changes, in the natural science
distribution requirements by next year."
Currently, students can choose any natural
science courses offered to fulfill their distribution
requirement.
BUT a study being conducted of 1986 LSA
graduates' distribution elections shows that
"concentrators in the social sciences and humani-
ties tend to avoid courses with real natural sci-
ence content, and thus are never confronted with
what the natural sciences are all about," said
Special Assistant to the Dean Lawrence Mohr,
who is heading the study.
About 80 percent of LSA students are non-
science majors, Griffin said.
"We don't have percentages, but the data do
show it's rare for an LSA non-science major to
take a lab course," Griffin said. "If a student, in
120 hours at the University, graduates without a
lab... I'd say there's no way we can be claiming
this as an education."
"The natural sciences are alien to most of our
students," he added. "LSA means literature, art,
and science."
LSA students were required to take a lab
course until 1975, when a graduation requirement
commission rescinded the requirement as part of
its goal to make course selection more flexible.
HISTORY Prof. Raymond Grew, head of
the 1975 commission, said "we were concerned
i. distribution
that freshmen were taking survey courses they
already had in high school to fulfill distribution,
courses that weren't of much interest to them."
Mohr could not name the most popular sci-
ence classes among 1986 non-science graduates.
But Griffin said his data show that many non-
science majors elect one-credit geology mini-
courses to fulfill distribution - and "there are
mixed feelings on the value of those courses
among the curriculum committee."
A recent geology department review of the
mini courses, however, called them challenging
and thorough. Prof. Robert Van der Voo, chair
of the geology department, said the average LSA
student takes only one minicourse as an under-
graduate.
"Some take two or three. But no one uses
them to fulfill all of distribution," he said.
But the major discrepancy between the science
education of LSA science majors and non-science
majors seems to be the intensity of their courses,
said Charles Judge, director of LSA counseling.
JUDGE SAID the sciences "for non-science
majors" are less rigorous than the standard sci-
ence courses. But non-science majors don't elect
the standard courses because they're afraid to
compete for grades with pre-meds and science
majors.
See STUDENTS, Page 3
Alleged Hare Krishna solicits
donations in residence halls
By RYAN TUTAK
Residents of Mosher-Jordan resi-
dence hall were approached last night
by a solicitor, who students claimed
was a Hare Krishna member, accus-
ing students of "having too much
fun."
A man whn p 1h Antifir himePlf
she would not give him any money.
She said the man also asked for do-
nations to help hungry children in
Detroit.
Alice Lloyd dorm resident Ellen
Buchman, a first-year LSA student,
also reported that members of the
Annilichinn nrnicnet cnlicitpAr nntri-
only to read in the University of
Notre Dame student newspaper that
the Appalachian Project was a front
for the Hare Krishnas' operation in
West Virginia.
The Appalachian Project is affili-
ated with the Hare Krishnas, Chosed
Rm
I