Group attacks anti-
rent control lawsuit
The Michigan Daily-Tuesday, February 9, 1988- Page 3
Gorbachev says
Afghan pullout
possible inl Ma
By PETER MOONEY
The battle over rent control in
Ann Arbor will continue today when
tenant advocates retaliate against a
lawsuit filed by landlords last week.
The suit, filed by Citizen's for
Ann Arbor's Future, says a proposal
to limit the extent that landlords can
raise rents should not appear on the
city election ballot this April because
city requirements for bringing
proposals before voters does not
conform to state law.
But Ann Arbor Citizens for Fair
Rents, the group which collected
signatures to put the proposal on the
ballot, will issue a statement
opposing the lawsuit which they
consider an attempt to divert
attention from the rent control issue.
"I DEFINITELY would call it
stalling and harassment," said
Citizens for Fair Rents member
Vicki Wilson.
The battle will be waged largely
in the courts, as lawyers for the city
and the landlords debate whether the
lawsuit is valid. The hearing date has
not yet been set.
represents Citizens for Ann Arbor's
Future, said the Washtenaw County
Circuit Court should follow the
precedent set in Herp v. the City of
Lansing, which he says requires the
city to follow state law when
certifying petitions.
UNLIKE the state, the city does
not require groups to put their names
on their petitions, to notarize
signatures they collect, or to collect
signatures from 5 percent of the
city's registered voters
But City Attorney Bruce Laidlaw
has argued that the state Home Rule
Act, which delineates powers held by
city governments, only applies to
proposed charter amendments and
attempts to overturn bond issues, not
ordinances such as the rent control
proposal.
The Herp case, rather than
indicating that the city must follow
state law, "clearly indicates the
contrary," Laidlaw said.
If a restraining order is upheld, the
rent control ordinance could be kept
off the ballot even if the city appeals,
MOSCOW (AP) - Soviet leader
Mikhail Gorbachev said yesterday
that the Kremlin would begin pulling
its troops out of Afghanistan on May
15 and complete the withdrawal with-
in 10 months if U.N.-brokered talks
on the conflict reach a settlement.
Gorbachev also said his country
wants no say in who governs Af-
ghanistan or its politics after the
estimated 115,000 Soviet troops
battling Afghan guerillas come
home.
"The Afghans themselves will
decide the final status of their country
among nations," Gorbachev said.
Afghanistan's future "is none of our
business," he added.
Gorbachev's remarks left the
future of Afghanistan's Marxist pres-
ident, Najib, in serious doubt.
The Soviet leader's statements
were the clearest indication yet that
he is moving rapidly to extricate; his
country from the conflict he *.-has
termed "a bleeding wound."
The Kremlin sent troops, tanks
and military hardware into Afghan-
istan on Dec. 27, 1979, and presided
over the replacement of one Marxist
ruler by another.
Doily Photo by DANIEL STIEBEL
The eleventh hour
A group of students tries to cram in a few extra minutes' worth of reading
while waiting for 11:00 classes to begin at Angell Hall yesterday.
'U' chemical weapons
research spurs debate
Attorney Robert Henry, who Henry said.
Students may have to takei
(Continued from Page 1)
"We get so few non-science majors taking
chem. for distribution," said chemistry depart-
ment chair David Curtis, "that it's hard to evalu-
ate how they really do."
But the curriculum committee feels that even
non-science majors must have a rigorous scien-
tific background to be considered well educated.
"Read the New York Times for two weeks and
note the information that's dealt with. It's tech-
nology; it's science. Given that society places
such a heavy emphasis on science - how can
our students be graduating without it?" Griffin
said.
SOME FACULTY fear that Griffin's pro-
posal will either force students to take "less rig-
orous, less substantial" science classes or do
poorly in difficult courses. But the science de-
partments are hoping to avert this problem by
developing courses targeted specifically at non-
science majors.
"I don't think we should make students take
courses and then not give them appropriate
courses to take," Curtis said.
He added that Chemistry 100, being developed
for next winter, "won't be a fluffy course," but
more nat. sci.
will concentrate on the methodology and con-
cepts used by scientists rather than quantitative
calculations. Biology department chair Charles
Yocum suggested LSA offer an integrated course
that would combine elements of biology, chem-
istry, and physics.
"The history department and the English de-
partment don't have 'major' and 'non-major'
courses. Maybe we should think about getting
away from it," Yocum said.
GRIFFIN said the emphasis on improving
distribution requirements is a nationwide trend.
"We're frankly a little behind the times," he said.
Groups debate Fleming's proposal at forum
(Continued from Page 1)
"Research that would kill or maim
human beings shouldn't be going on
at the University. It's morally and
ethically repulsive," Weine said.
In addition to Bernstein, several
other professors are conducting
research that many construe will be
used in chemical warfare. Associate
Research Scientist Oksana Lockridge
is studying the basic molecular
structure of cholinesterase, a
chemical that she believes is a
defense against nerve gas.
Lockridge maintains that her
research, although it has military.
applications, is being done to help
society. "For the general population,
(cholinesterase) would be a defense
against insecticides and pesticides,"
she said.
Associate Research Scientist
Willfried Schramm is researching
"biosensors that would significantly
contribute to the rapid and simple
detection and identification of
conventional toxins and
biochemically active substances,"
according to documents from DRDA.
S C H.R A M M said, "I am not
working on anything that has an
effect on humans."
MSA Peace and Justice
Committee Co-Chair JackieVictor
said the discovery of an antidote to
nerve gas, although created with a
defensive motive in mind, would
give the United States or some other
nation a first-strike capability. Victor
said having an antidote would permit
a country to attack using nerve gas
without fear of similar retaliation.
"Usually, when defensive weapons
are built, it's part of offensive
strategy," Victor said.
DRDA Project Representative
Neil Gerl criticized those who are
angry about the chemical research.
"You have people who pick at key
words - they see 'nerve gas' and
they think it's bad," he said. "It's
just got the wrong buzzwords ;in
there."
POLITICAL SCIENCE Piof.
Raymond Tanter, who has called
himself a "defender of academic
freedom," backed the researchers.""I
don't think people should sit ;in
judgment of others and say, 'Do this
kind of research, but not that kind Af
research,"' he said.1
Tanter's research project
examining alternative forms of armns
control outside of formal treaties Was
rejected in 1985 under the old
research policy guidelines.
(Contiaued from Page 1)
that's about it." He said he would
receive a report about the forum,
which he would add to other
comments he has received on his
draft.
"Fleming has taken so much pride
in writing this document," Weine
THE ST
What's happening in Ann Arbor today
Speakers
Michael Schoenhals -
"The Propaganda Appara-
tus," brown bag lecture, noon,
Lane Hall Commons Room. Center
for Chinese Studies.
Dr. Michael Prisant -
Department of Chemistry,
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"Studies in Transition State Spec-
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Dr. Joel Cooper - lung
transplantation- techniques, 8:00-
10:00 a.m., Catheine McAuley
Health Center Education Center
Auditorium.
Rabbi A. Jacobovitz -
Question and answer session on
the philosophical connection be-
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8:30 p.m., Pond Room, Michigan
Union.
Ken . Cousino - professional
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room1014 Dow building. Bring
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Meetings
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Center for Eating Disorders
- Support group meeting, 7:00
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Rd., Suite 13. For further informa-
tion call the Center for E a t ing
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Hebrew Speaking Club -
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Film profile of South Africa's free-
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University Band and the
University of Michigan
Percussion Ensemble - joint
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rium.
said. "It seems like he could have
been here to represent it."
Weine said he left messages for
Fleming and Vice President for
Student Services Henry Johnson
yesterday to remind them of the fo-
rum, but they did not return the calls.
"Frankly, I think it's just a
mistake" that no other administrators
were present, Schwartz said. "I think
I pretty accurately represent what
views the administration may have
about this policy."
Schwartz said that while "there's a
lot that's not good about the
proposal... it's a difficult task to
eradicate discrimination from any
society. Unfortunately, the
University is not excluded from that.
Because society has chosen not to
deal with discrimination problems
doesn't mean the University doesn't
have to deal with the problems."
But, said Rob Bell, panel member
and vice chair of MSA's Student
Rights Committee, Fleming's
proposal "violates very seriously the
First Amendment rights of people in
this community. It allows for
punishments of the written or spoken
word."
Philosophy Prof. Peter Railton,
chair of the University's Civil Lib-
erties Board, a committee of students,
staff, and faculty members, said
conduct codes at other schools
"permit quite broad powers to
university administrations, which
may have a chilling effect on civil
liberties."
But members of the audience
objected to what they said were one-
sided views expressed on Fleming's
draft. "I was kind of disappointed,"
said Julie Steiner, director of the
University's Sexual Assault
Prevention and Awareness Center.
"The panel was made up of people in
opposition, though they had different
reason for opposing it."
MSA, at the forum, also
distributed its proposed alternative to
Fleming's draft. The proposal,
completed Sunday by the Student
Rights Committee, would impose
absolutely no University punishment
on non-academic conduct unless a
student is convicted by civil courts.
It would also involve a mediator
for student complaints, and an Office
of Discrimination Prevention and
Awareness for counseling and
education.
Are you between the ages of 18 and 24? You may qualify for a fellowship to
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