I The Michigan Daily-Wednesday, March 16, 1988- Page 3 's tuition program may -Associated Press Who's next? A billboard along the northbound drive of the Southeast Expressway in Boston shows the last names of the original 13 presidential can- didates with the names of Babbitt, Dupont, Haig, Hart, and Kemp crossed out as they dropped out of the presidential race prior to yester- day's Illinois primary. Reform voter laws says prof. start in By The Associated Press Michigan residents could begin contributing to a college tuition guarantee program by the end of April as a result of a favorable ruling by the Internal Revenue Service, Gov. James Blanchard announced yesterday. Under the program, the Michigan Education Trust, parents can guaran- tee their children free tuition at any Michigan public college or univer- sity if they make payments on their behalf before enrollment. The pay- ments can be made in a lump-sum or in installments. The IRS ruled that people buying into the trust would have no tax obligation, Blanchard said yesterday at a news conference in Lansing. HOWEVER, the IRS also de- termined the trust would have to pay taxes on money earned on its in- vestments, he said. That provision could add 20 percent to the cost of the program, if the trust were to in- vest fully in taxable instruments, Michigan Treasurer Robert Bowman said. The state had hoped that the trust would be tax-exempt as well. "We don't like it, but we can live with it," Blanchard said. The state might seek congressional action to April reverse the ruling or might file a tax court protest, he said. Robert Kolt, Treasury Depart- ment spokesperson said the ruling would not impede the implementa- tion of the program, but might mean that participants either would have to pay a bit more, or extend their con- tracts over a longer period. PRIOR TO the IRS ruling, state officials estimated the payment needed to guarantee tuition for a newborn child at $4,000 to $5,000.' The ruling and decisions to be made on where the trust should in- vest would help determine the actual price of a contract. Kole said the contracts would be offered on a first come, first served basis. The program would initially be limited to a few thousand people. If the child does not enter a Michi- gan college or university, the in- vestment and interest, less an administrative fee, would be returned. Kole said that the program would force state legislators to focus more on keeping tuition levels down when debating state funding for colleges and universities. -Daily staffer Andrew Mills contributed to this report. By JIM PONIEWOZIK Needlessly complicated voter reg- istration procedures, not apathy, may be the reason why many Americans don't vote, University Political Sci- ence Prof. Steven Rosenstone said. "People in this country care as much about election results as peo- ple anywhere else," said Rosenstone, a researcher for the University's Center for Political Studies. The problem, Rosenstone said, is that registration laws require too much effort on the part of voters. In many states, citizens are forced to register weeks before an election, and often must travel considerable dis- tances to do so. Sometimes this means having to take time off from work to register. "For some people, it's easy to take time off," Rosenstone said. "(But) people with less resources are most hurt by the inconvenience." Rosenstone noted that other democracies which have simpler registration procedures - such as Canada, Great Britain, and Austria - have higher rates of participation than the U.S. Also, he said voter turnout in individual states is in- versely proportional to the difficulty of the process. The researcher said he thinks the laws may be deliberately maintained to suppress the political voice of the poor and minorities, who some politicians believe would be likely to vote them out of office. "It's no accident that when (voter registration reform) bills come be- fore Congress, it's Republicans and conservative southern Democrats that are opposed," Rosenstone said. Requirements that voters must register long in advance of elections also hurt the process, Rosenstone said. Rosenstone said he has not yet determined how he will conduct the research, but speculated the study may involve comparisons of voters in the same communities. Some in the study would be registered in their homes and others would have to go out of their way to register. SAPAC film, forum series to explore sexism in ads Students organize to clean graffiti jr --i By VICKI BAUER The second in a series of five weekly lunch-hour films and discus- sions today will explore how sexism in advertising perpetuates violence against women. The series, titled "Bagging the Rape Culture," is sponsored by the University's Sexual Assault Prevent and Awareness Center and focuses on sexual exploitation in society. It be- gan last week with a film and dis- cussion about gender stereotyping and the socialization of children, called "Growing Up With Dick and Jane." SAPAC volunteers who coordi- nated the series hope to educate peo- ple about "rape culture" -society's attitudes and institutions that perpetuate violence against women, SAPAC volunteer coordinator Au- drey Haberman said. "We want people to challenge their own views and help people sttategize ways to confront these is- sues," Haberman said. "We need to change the way society looks at women. We need both men and women to do it," LSA junior and SAPAC volunteer Jo- hanna Soet said. SAPAC Director Julie Steiner said the discussions are an effective way for helping to change society's sexists attitudes in addition to taking action and educating the community. "There will be more pressure to keep tuition down," Kole said. STATE SEN. William Seder- burg (R-East Lansing), chair of the Senate Appropriations Higher Education Subcommittee which is currently working on next year's budget, said the decision will not have an effect on the appropriations this year. "The trust won't affect appropria- tion decisions at all," he said, due to the significant time lag between when people begin contributing and when those children enter college. By CATHY NICHOLS In hopes of scouring away at stu- dent apathy, two students have orga- nized a "Scrub-it-Out" campaign to clean University grounds of racist and sexist graffiti. Residential College senior Jacob Seagull and RC junior Rebecca Gessler began the campaign in re- sponse to racial tension on campus, recently manifested through fliers and graffiti offensive to minorities and women. "If you're fed up with racism, do something about it. If you see racist graffiti and you simply walk by, you are approving of it. Our campaign gives students the tools to fight racism," said Seagull. Last night, Seagull and Gessler received an endorsement and $500 from the Michigan Student Assem- bly, which will be used to provide cleaning materials to students. The supplies will be available at library circulation desks, in bathrooms of most University buildings, and at front desks of residence halls. Seagull and Gessler also intend to establish a hotline for informing University maintenance services of offensive graffiti. Director of Uni- versity Business Operations John Weidenbach supports the hotline be- cause it would help the maintenance department eliminate graffiti riore efficiently. The campaign has been endorsed by Hillel, the United Coaltion Against Racism, the Lesbgian end Gay Rights Organizing Committee, MSA, and the Sexual Assault Pre.- vention and Awareness Center. Seagull and Gessler said they plan to organize a mass meeting to recruit students who want to help. Doily Photo by ROBIN LOZNAK Rep. Richard Gephardt of Missouri, a Democratic presidential can- didate, speaks yesterday at the Detroit Building Trades Council about his trade policy. Detroit was Gephardt's first step on a two-day bus tour which will take his campaign to Kalamazoo, Hastings, and Lansing today. EXPERIENCE KIBBUTZ For the summer, semester or year! Greeks Continued from Page 1 ordinance would be interpreted as not affecting the Greek system. But he said he would support changes to exclude the Greek system if necessary. "We assumed that because people are members of a house it is basically owner-occupied. But it could be amended once it's passed," he said. Lisa Russ, leader of Students for Fair Rent and a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, said she would support amending the proposal. She said the referendum is aimed at private landlords, not nonprofit organizations like fraternity and sorority houses. Gephardt Continued from Page 2 at the plant to "help me on the 26th." Joe Collins, a millwright at the Jackson plant for the past 23 years and a member of the local 953 UAW, said, "We like the fair trade work Gephardt's done, which essen- tially keeps us going." Collins said if he had to vote today, he would vote for Gephardt. Later Gephardt strolled through downtown Marshall, where he vis- ited a hardware store, a neighborhood cafe, and a gourmet coffee shop. He also stopped at the "Copper Bar" where- townspeople applauded as he autographed a wall. He ended the day by addressing the Calhoun County Democratic Party Executive Committee in Battle Creek. Gephardt said in an interview yesterday that he has fond memories of attending the University's law1 school. KIBBUTZ ULPAN Israel's most popular He- brew study program, for two, three or six months. Univer- sity credits available, UNIVERSITY PROGRAMS Study in English at an Israeli University and experience the unique lifestyle of a kibbutz. Earn full academic credits. PROJECT DISCOVERY Participate in an inspirational archeological dig while living on a kibbutz. TEMPORARY WORKER Personalized kibbutz placement during your stay in Israel. What's happening in Ann Arbor today -~ Contact: Idit Bechor 973-0038 Yafet Ozery 661-1000' IilkM 663-3336 _ _ _ __ _ , tt Speakers David Brion Davis - "The Ambiguities of Removal, Deliver- ance and National Identity," 4:00 p.m., Hutchins Hall, Law Quad, Room 100. Leon Irish -"Foundation for the Development of Polish Agriculture," noon, Commons Room, Lane Hall. Hans Rudolf Lerche - "On the Optimality of t h e Repeated Significance Test," 4:00 p.m., 451 Mason Hall. Coffee will be served at 3:30 p.m. Prof. Harold Kohn - "Crack and Drug Problems," 3:30 p.m.,- Room 1541, Chemistry Building. Prof. Samuel Gorovitz - "Organ Replacment and Gene Therapy: How Far is too Far?" noon, South Lecture Hall, Medical Science Building II. Raymond Westbrook - "Theft in Biblical and Cuneiform Law," 4:00 p.m., West Conference p.m., International Center. Stilyagi Air Corps - "The Science Fiction Club of the U of M," 7:30 p.m. Outing Club - 6 p.m., Crofoot Rm., Michigan Union LSA Student Government - Weekly mtg. 3rd floor chambers, Michigan Union, 6 p.m. U M A S C - University of Michigan Asian Student Coalition, gay/lesbian workshop, 7 p.m. Room D, Michigan League. Furthermore Sexism in Advertising - 1987 film "Still Killing Us Softly." A lunch hour discussion on sexual exploitation. Noon - 1 p.m., Mason Hall Rm. 2444. Open Mike - The Ark. University and Campus bands - concert at Hill Aud, 8 p.m. UAC/Laughtrack - Gary Kern, 10 p.m., U-Club. Zoe Elesky - representative G be t~hdplw utI i 010 IA o*r.-l*Wejw)v" Print or type legibly in the space provided, the copy as yOU would like it to appear. 1 (ACTUAL SIZE OF AD) NAMEP PINT NIGHT, A pint of beer at the price of a glass! 8 Different Choices of Draft Beer The perfect combiration! ADDRESS __ II I PHONE Mail or bring in person with payment to: The Michigan Daily F 420 Maynard Make checks payable to: The Michigan Daily rKIf I