Ninety-eight years of editorial freedom
Vol. XCVIII, No. 105 Ann Arbor, Michigan - Tuesday, March 8, 1988 Copyright 1988, The Michigan Daily
FBI believes
fliers, threat
may be linked
By JIM PONIEWOZIK
The FBI believes there may be a connection between
a death threat received last week by a United Coalition
Against Racism (UCAR) steering committee member
and white supremacist fliers that circulated around cam-
pus last month, said an FBI spokesperson yesterday.
"There is a similarity in the tone of the fliers and the
call that (the UCAR member) received. They could be
different, they could be the same, and we're looking into
that possibility," said FBI Detroit media representative
John Anthony.
The bureau began an investigation into the death
threat incident in cooperation with Ann Arbor police and
campus security last Friday.
The UCAR member discovered the death threat on her
answering machine last Tuesday night. The message
contained the voice of a male who threatened to rape and
kill her.
The investigation is part of a broader civil rights in-
vestigation which the FBI has been conducting into race-
related incidents on campus since the end of January.
Anthony would not give specific reasons why the
bureau believes the incidents may be related, but noted
that both the phone message and the flier, which said
Blacks "belong hanging from trees," were threatening.
Anthony said the bureau began the investigation in
response to the January uproar over statements made by
LSA Dean Peter Steiner which some students and faculty
Ssaid were racist.
The investigation is a preliminary one to determine if
any of the recent race-related events at the University -
like the death threat and several anti-Black flier inci-
dents - involved violations of federal civil rights laws,
in which case the acts would fall under FBI jurisdiction.
Anthony would not speculate on whether any such
violations took place.
See THREAT, Page 2
Fleming
draft
gets
backing
It's a toss-up Daily Photo by DAVID LUBLINER
Graduate student Mike Brown juggles on the Diag yesterday, in an effort to promote
Michigras, which will be held in the Michigan Union from Wednesday to Saturday. The an-
nual event is sponsored by the University Activities Council.
By MICHAEL LUSTIG
The faculty's governing body
pledged "basic support of the con-
cept" of Interim University President
Robben Fleming's revised policy on
discriminatory acts at their weekly
meeting yesterday.
But members of the Senate Advi-
sory Committee on University Af-
fairs (SACUA) qualified their sup-
port, saying they expected Fleming
to propose soon a policy for faculty
that would be similar to the one for
students.
The nine-member panel agreed, in
a short discussion, to support Flem-
ing's proposal, and quickly agreed
that a parallel proposal applying to
the faculty was essential to its
acceptance of the plan.
Fleming was unavailable for
comment.
"I don't see how we can have a
formal procedure for students and an
informal one for faculty," said Social
Work Prof. Beth Reed, SACUA's
vice chair.
BUT LONG time opponents of
a student code of non-academic
conduct quickly condemned
SACUA's actions.
Law student and anti-code activist
Eric Schnaufer said, "SACUA does
not mean what it says. SACUA
would not endorse a policy in which
tenured faculty could be fired for
racially insensitive remarks in class.
SACUA's endorsement is misguided
and ill-founded."
Former University Council
Member David Newblatt said, "I feel
that the new document is both un-
able to deal with the problem of
racism and and dangerous for the
campus. I don't want to see anybody
endorsing it." The University Coun-
cil, a coalition of faculty, students,
and administrators, has not met offi-
cially since June, when it issued a
statement that it was not capable of
agreeing upon a non-adademic code
of student conduct with academic
sanctions.
AFTER endorsing Fleming's
revised discriminatory acts proposal,
SACUA debated how the equivalent
of an academic sanction could be
imposed on a faculty member found
in violation of a faculty code.
Reed said she was concerned how
the policy would apply to conduct in
classrooms and offices - places
where offensive or harassing behav-
ior -would be punishable under
Fleming's proposal.
A possible sanction against fac-
ulty members could be not allowing
a professor to teach.
'I don't see how we can
have a formal procedure
for students and an infor-
mal one for faculty'
Beth Reed,
SACUA's vice chair
SACUA member Dan Moerman,
professor of anthropology, said the
policy could apply if a statement
was made in a heated discussion
which another person considered of-
fensive.
GROUP members say there is
currently very little that can be done
to a faculty member who commits
offensive behavior.
SACUA Chair Harris McClam-
roch, a professor of aerospace engi-
neering, said "There's a very, very
fuzzy line" between what might be
offensive or-harassing comments or
behavior.
"Our commitment is to make
sure that the academic environment
is as little constrained as possible,"
McClamroch said. But he added that
there have been abuses to the system
that have sometimes gone unpun-
ished.
See SACUA, Page 2
ELECTIONS TO BE HELD MARCH 22,23
h
a;l
MSA hopefuls begincampaigns
By RYAN TUTAK Because this year's election meet- of MSA's external relations com- NINE LSA and four Rackham
The Michigan Students Assem- ing was not mandatory, only 28 of mittee and LSA junior, is the vice- school seats are open, as are two each
>ly's spring elections have officially the 40 candidates came to set the presidential candidate. in the engineering and business
>egun. ballot. Election Director Colleen The Common Sense party has 19 schools. The Schools of Nursing,
Last night candidates met in the Tighe, an LSA junior, said that in candidates, including five current Natural Resources, Art, Architecture,
issembly chambers to set ballot the past, candidates absent from the representatives. Cheryl Tilles, chair Medicine, Pharmacy, and Law each
spots for the elections of the MSA
president, vice president, and half of
the assembly seats.
The elections will be held on
March 22 and 23.
THREE PARTIES and eight
independents are competing in the e-
lections. Only 26 of the 52 assembly
seats are open because MSA held e-
lections last fall for the other half to
ease the transition of new members
into the assembly.
initial meeting had inadvertently
broken election rules later in the
campaign.
"(Candidates) need to know the
rules... to run a decent election that's
fair for everyone," she said.
THE STUDENTS First party
has 21 candidates, with four incum-
bents. Michael Phillips, chair o f
MSA's student rights committee and
LSA junior, is the party's candidate
for president. Susan Overdorf, chair
of the budget priorities committee
and LSA junior, is the presidential
candidate. Richard Nemeroff, Inter-
fraternity Council executive board
member and LSA junior, is her run-
ning mate.
LSA seniors David Hart, pres-
idential candidate, and Brian Pearl-
stein, vice presidential candidate,
formed a two-member party, Dis-
solve, initially named Out with
MSA.
have one opening.
Eight students will vie for the
seven seats on the Public Interest
Research Group in Michigan
(PIRGIM) Board of Directors, mark-
ing the first time board members will
be chosen through MSA's elections.
Because students are funding the
environmental lobbying group
through MSA, the assembly is
monitoring the election of the PIR-
See ELECTIONS, Page 2
Abbott wins Sullivan Award
Union to
By MIKE GILL
with staff reports
Michigan pitcher Jim Abbott won the 58th James
E. Sullivan Award, presented to the United States'
outstanding amateur athlete of the previous year.
"They picked the worst athlete up here," said Abbott
while receiving the award. "Baseball players usually
don't get that much respect."
"I am surprised and overjoyed for Jim to receive
such a prestigious award," said Michigan baseball
coach Bud Middaugh from his home last night. "He
certainly deserves it.
"I'm very happy that other people feel the same as
we do here. It's a tremendous thing for him, U-M, his
family, and everyone associated with the program.
It was the first time a baseball player won the
award
Abbott was in Indianapolis last night to accept the
award from last year's winner, heptathlon world record
holder Jackie Joyner-Kersee.
Last season Abbott compiled an 11-3 mark with a
2.08 ERA in 86 innings pitched for the Wolverines.
The record earned him All-Big Ten Second Team hon-
ors and Third Team All-American recognition.
Over the summer Abbott became the first U.S.
pitcher to win a game in Cuba -in 25 years. Later, he
carried the flag for the U.S delegation in the Pan-
American games and pitched in relief against Canada to
clinch a spot in the gold-medal game and a slot in this
year's Olympics.
The award was another in a long list of kudos the
junior pitcher from Flint, Michigan has received.
Earlier this year, Abbott was named the recipient of
the 1987 Golden Spikes Award - the Heisman Trophy
of college baseball.
Just last weekend Abbott was awarded with the
Academy Awards of Sport, an award given by the
American Sports Academy located in Alabama. The
award is given to. an athlete for his courageous perfor-
mance. Last year's winner was former Pittsburgh
Steeler running back Rocky Bleier, who was injured in
See ABBOTT, Page 8
host local
battle of
the bands
By ROBERT FLAGGERT
MTV will continue its ongoing
search for the best band in the
country by holding a regional
contest for Great Lakes area college
bands tonight at the Michigan
Union.
Hosting the Energizer
Rock'N'Roll challenge will be Ann
Arbor's own The Difference, who
will be competing with three
regional rivals to win a chance to
compete in MTV's Spring Break
finalist competition in Daytona,
Florida on March 14.
The event, which starts at 7:30
p.m., will be judged by local
celebrity Carey Carrington of Ann
Arbor radio station WIQB, and four.
out-of-town guests, including John
Post, owner of Nola Recording
Studios (used by artists U2), and
Jeffrey Zahn, music director for
ABC's hit sitcom "Who's the Boss."
Festival shows the
best of the 16 mm
By JOHN SHEA
Here's a test for you:
Where can you find North
America's oldest and most presti-
gious 16mm film festival?
taining.
Well. Can you think of it? If
you can't, you're thinking too hard,
because the answer is right under
your nose.
Tt'cI-here Tn Ann Arhnv-r
W; Mm *11, - ll. -10im II.Ollilr---.!!:p3 lyN'll, e.,. -, % Itl fVvIO.0#*131-lAl'WAl