I Page 2 -The Michigan Daily-Friday, April 1, 1988 Tenants rally for rent control IN BRIEF By PETER MOONEY Chanting "Fair rents! Fair prof- its!" about 30 tenant activists yesterday protested a local realty company accused of evicting tenants in retaliation for taking the company to court last year. The protesters also supported the rent control proposal on Monday's city election ballot in front of McKinley Properties' office on North Main Street. THE RENT control ordinance, which will appear on the ballot as Proposal C, restricts city rent in- creases to 75 percent of the inflation rate and costs associated with utili- ties, property taxes and capital im- provements. The protesters accused McKinley Properties of refusing to renew the leases of two tenants, Leslie Riester and Martha Perkins. The two, who also organized the Pittsfield Village Tenants Union at the McKinley- owned Village Townhouses apart- ment complex, said the company did not repair a hole in the exterior of their unit and refused to pay rent until repairs were completed. THE TENANTS say they were awarded four months free rent by a district court judge last fall. Steve Falcone, property manager for McKinley Properties, refused to comment on why the leases were not renewed. Ann Arbor activists, clergy, and politicians gave speeches at the rally. Cathy Cohen, a University graduate student and member of the United Coalition Against Racism, said high rents in Ann Arbor dimin- ish the University's diversity. "There are students of color who cannot af- ford to live here," Cohen said. HIGH RENTS contribute to homelessness, said Rev. Joe Sum- mers of the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation. "Pittsfield's (the apart- ment complex) actions are part of the process that results in people living in the street," Summers said. To protect tenants who challenge their landlords, City Councilmember Jeff Epton (D-3rd Ward) promised to propose a "Just Cause Eviction" Or- dinance. The ordinance would pro- hibit landlords from discriminating against tenants who protest inade- quate maintenance. GEO Continue4.from Page 1 GEO leaders presented him a list of proposals that have been imple- mented at other universities. These included, either giving out-of-state graduate students in-state status, changing the tuition waivers to fel- lowships or scholarships, or increasing the assistants' salaries. Duderstadt said the University is trying to fight the problem by lob- bying Congress to protect the tu- ition waivers, as well as considering internal measures. He also said the University can- not take the same steps as many other schools because few others have collective bargaining contracts with teaching assistants. Robert Holbrook, associate vice president for academic affairs, explained that if the University changes tuition waivers to scholarships or fellow- ships they may be interpreted as employee benefits by the I.R.S. But, he added in an interview, this may be remedied by basing the scholarships on merit. He added that the administration would consider all solutions in try- ing to reach a solution before Congress reviews the tax bill this summer. Housing Continued from Page 1 race. iler resume includes serving on the Planning and Historic Landmarks commissions, as well as a 1974 run for City Council. Potts said her concern for the community, which she demonstrates through involvement in a variety of commissions, will make her an ef- fective councilperson. Potts is a self- employed potter. RICHARDSON'S political background includes leading a drive to defeat-a proposed single-room-oc- cupancy (SRO) housing facility on Liberty Street for low-income Ann Arbor citizens. Richardson, who attended Harvard College and the University's law school before becoming an attorney, said he isn't against low-income housing, but called the Liberty We've Got You Covered 721 S. Forest 1700 Geddes Flexible Terms 520 Packard 543 Church * On Central 813 E. Kingsley Campus Street Project impractical. Richard- son said the new project would be no different from the Downtown Club - a building in which, until four years ago, low-income people in Ann Arbor lived. Richardson called it a "rat-infested flophouse." Potts, a leading a supporter of the Liberty Street project, said she would seek to increase the amount of affordable housing in the city. Responding to Richardson's criticism of the project, Potts said she "thinks there has been all kinds of strange things said and misinfor- mation passed around." She added that the project would be run by the Salvation Army and the people liv- ing in the project would have jobs. RENT CONTROL also di- vides the candidates. Potts supports rent control, which appears on the April 4 ballot as Proposal C. "I regret that we have to have rent control," Potts said. But, she said, the lack rental housing has raised rents beyond the ability of many to pay. Richardson counters that rent control will make the situation worse by encouraging conversions of rental housing to single family homes or condominiums. Current tenants won't vacate their rent con- trolled apartments, Richardson said. "Having a well below market rate apartment will make it much easier to stay around," he added. Richardson also criticizes the planning commission, of which Potts was a member, for making it difficult for a developer lacking con- nections or insider status to make headway with the city bureaucracy. "Potts lists as her greatest ac- complishment helping to concoct this lengthy planning process," Richardson said. But Potts says the current process is essential to maintain quality con- struction. "We worked for years to get quality construction standards. I don't think we've been too tough," Potts added. AND DESPITE any difficul- ties developers face getting projects approved by city council, the down- town has seen an explosion of con- struction in the '80s. Budnick said the building stan- dards in Ann Arbor raise the cost of homes and rents. Council-police relations again di- vide the candidates. Richardson wants to focus efforts on fighting drugs by creating special patrols to assault drug hotspots. But Potts said the council must work with the police department to address concerns about police rela- tions with the community and their effectiveness in fighting crime. BUDNICK suggests reducing. enforcement of "victimless crimes," such drug possession and prostitu- tion. He says he would refocus ef- forts on violent offenses. One of the few issues that unite Potts and Richardson is the roads millage, proposal D. Both support the referendum, agreeing thatAnn Arbor's roads are in dire need of resurfacing. Taxes are a bete noire to city Libertarians, however. Budnick adamantly opposes the roads mil- lage, saying that budget cuts in un- necessary items would leave enough money left over to fund road repair. Compiled from Associated Press reports Senator meets with Meese WASHINGTON - Republican Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.) met yesterday with Attorney General Edwin Meese and expressed "deep concern" on behalf of Congress about problems at the Justice Department in the wake of resignations of two of Meese's top aides. Meese's meeting with Thurmond, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, was the strongest signal to date of growing bipartisan concern in Congress over whether the attorney general, the focus of an 11-month criminal investigation, can continue to run the Justice Department. "A number of people on Capitol Hill have expressed deep concern about the problems at the Justice Department," Thurmond said in a statement after the meeting. "I went today to talk to the attorney general to express these concerns to him." Strike quiets Panama City PANAMA CITY, Panama - The government shut its doors yesterday for the long Easter weekend and left thousands of public employees without paychecks for the second time in a month, facing a bleak holiday. The streets of Panama City, filled with anti-government demonstrators in recent days, were eerily quiet, virtually abandoned by pedestrians and vehicles by midafternoon. With government offices and ministries closed and most businesses and industries shuttered by an 11-day-old general strike, the largest congregations of people were found in welfare agency food lines. Major supermarkets and drug stores and a few small shops were open in the capital, but most merchants observed the anti-Noriega strike. The groceries and pharmacies reopened Wednesday, reportedly under heavy government pressure. Palestinians call for riots to mark Shultz' visit to Israel HERODION, Occupied West Bank - Leaders of the Palestinian rebellion called yesterday for riots during the vist of Secretary of State George Shultz next week, and Israel's prime minister vowed to crush the uprising. Soldiers shot one Palestinian dead, bringing the Arab death toll to at least 124 since violence began Dec. 8 in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, where 1.5 Palestinians live. An Israeli soldier has also been killed. Israeli officials said they would lift a three-day closure of the occupied territories at 3 a.m. today as scheduled. Treasurer refutes report on cost of guaranteed tuition LANSING - It will likely cost between $5,000 and $7,000 for parents to sign up their newborn child in Michigan's guaranteed tuition program, state Treasurer Robert Bowman said yesterday. Bowman refuted a report by a Senate Republican researcher who questioned the program's financial soundness and claimed parents would have to pay $7,000 - $10,000 to guarantee four years of college tuition in the year 2006. "It seems alittle too high to me," Bowman said at a news conference called to discuss the mixed blessings of a written Internal Revenue Service ruling on the program. Bowman admitted the IRS requirement that the Michigan Education Trust fund pay federal taxes on its earnings will increase the program's cost roughly 20 percent over initial estimates. EXTRAS It's that time of year again. Turn this paper over. Now! As you scan this, if people facing you are tilting their heads to one side and laughing hysterically, don't panic. You see, today is April Fools Day, which means that, aside from the strange odor hanging about the Diag, it's time for our annual attempt at wit, humor, and all-around joviality. In short, it's time for our April Fools Back Page Fun-o-Rama. As soon as you finish this, run - don't walk, don't pass "Go," and don't even read Bloom County - run to the back page. But be forewarned: it's upside down. To conclude, allow us to quote Dead Kennedy's lead singer Jello Biafra' This "is a work of art... that some people may find shocking, repulsive, or offensive. Life can sometimes be that way." So go laugh your nose off. I I "Maximum Spac *Immediate for minimum pr Occupancy * WP Pay rk ent WPa Heg Call For More Information (313) 761-1523 543 Church St., Ann Arbor, MI 48104 )rice Tokers Continued from Page 1 the view of a particular organization. But the granting of a permit should no way be considered as an endorse- ment of this group's aims," said In- terim University President Robben Fleming in a written statement. Mark Amicone, an LSA sopho- more and NORML member, said the group is not sponsoring the bash. "Smoking is still illegal, so we don't advocate smoking," he said. "We just want the laws to be changed so that people can make their own decision." After a few speakers speak on the legalization of marijuana, "people will just hang out and whatever," Amicone said. After a few years of well-attended Hash Bashes, the number of people taking part in the fest began to dwindle. In 1983, the "bowl was beat," hitting an all time low of 25 smokers. FREE PLAY Pt B *e 25 C.d * 2 PHp *a Anni Arbor's "nyIsat * 0 ht ot ol al osale * 0 * 25n Cauh ndvry *N254 op *d EAnn Aro' HOnlH IantrlFolsi * 0eeeeeees eeeeeeeeeeeeeees e9 LaGROC Continued from Page 1 should wear what they would nor- mally wear. Denim was chosen as the means for students to express their views on gay rights because "it's some- thing everybody has," LaForest said. Therefore, he said, it forces stu- dents to think about their stances because anything they wear today could be interpreted as a statement. "If (students) are really upset about this issue, then (Blue Jeans Day) is doing what it's supposed to do, which is raise awareness," LaForest said. An informal LaGROC poll con- ducted after last year's Blue Jeans Day showed that 40 percent of stu- dents who were aware of the day purposely avoided wearing denim. Students, asked yesterday how they would observe Blue Jeans Day, gave mixed reactions, many saying they wouldn't alter their dress pat- terns one way or another. But some students said they felt offended by LaGROC's request. "It's not a matter of whether I See LaGROC, Page 3 UAC / VIEWPOINT LECTURES PRESENTS A Jewish survivor of the - infamous Auschwitz externmination camp and a former Nazi Youth leader join together to discuss the horrors of Hitler's Germany. In one of the most unique and controversial presentations in the history of the lecture circuit, Helen Waterford and Alfons Heck ini, tnna+h r o ranr ni+ \Alr-.-IA 1 Ix n, A r.- L ar+tne r e5~ S~eC,~\0 AOW SHOWI,, NN\ THE E T 6 March 31, Apri 1 &2 am. ...-__- e__ a oe . Vol. XCVIII -No. 123 I; - - _ , The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by studer.s it the University of Michigan. Subscription rates: January through April - $15 in Ann Arbor, $22 outside the city. 1988 spring, summer, and fall term rates not yet available. The Michigan Daily is a member of The Associated Press and the National Student News Service. Editor in Chief...................REBECCA BLUMENSTEIN Collins, Michael Fischer, Robert Flaggert, Andrea Gacki, Managing Editor........................MARTHA SEVETSON Timothy Huet, Juliet James, BrianJarvinen, Avra News Editor.......................................EVE BECKER Kauffman, Preeti Malani, David Peltz, Mike Rubin, Mark City Editor.....................................MELISSA BIRKS Shaiman, Features Editor..........................ELIZABETH ATKINS Todd Shanker, Lauren Shapiro, Chuck Skarsaune, Mark University Editor..........................KERY MURAKAMI Swartz, Marc S. Taras, Marie Wesaw. NEWS STAFF: Vicki Bauer, Anna Borgman, Dov Cohen, Photo Editors..........................KAREN HANDELMAN Ken Dintzer, Sheala Durant, Steve Knopper, Theresa Lai, JOHN MUNSON Kristine LaLonde, Eric Lemont, Michael LustiS, Alyssa PHOTO STAFF: Alexandra Brez, Jessica Greene, Ellen Lustigman, Dayna Lynn, Andrew Mills, Peter an i'ney, Levy, Robin Loznak, David Lubliner, Danny Stiebel, Lisa Lisa Pollak, Jim Poniewozik, Aaron Robinson, iza Sard, Wax. Micah Schmit, Elizabeth Stuppler, Marina Swain, Melissa Weekend Editors.......................STEPHEN GREGORY Ramudell,Lawrence Rosenberg, David Schwartz, Ryan ALAN PAUL Tutak, Lisa Winer. WEEKEND STAFF: Fred Zino. Opinion Page Editors.............JEFFREY RUTHERFORD Display Sales Manager..........................ANNE CALE SOUTHWORTH KUBEK OPINION STAFF: Con Accibal, Muzammil Ahmed, Sarah Assistant Display Sales Manager......KAREN BROWN Babb, Rosemary Chinnock, Brian Debrox, Betsy Esch, DISPLAY SALES STAFF: David Bauman, Gail Belenson, Noah Finkel, Eric L. Holt, Joshua Ray Levin, Roderick Lauren Berman, Sherri Blansky, Pam Bullock, Jeff Chen, MacNeal, Jr., I. Matthew Miller, Michael Schechter, Steve Tammy Christie, Milton Feld, Lisa George, Michelle Gill, Semenuk, Sandra Steingraber, Mark Williams. Matt Lane, Heather MacLachlan, Jodi Manchik, Eddy Meng, Sports Editor.........................................JEFF Jackie Miller, Shelly Pleva, Debbie Retzky, Jim Ryan, Laura RUSH Schlanger, Michelle Slavik, Mary Snyder, Marie Soma, Associate Sports Editors...................JULIE HOLLMAN Cassie Vogel, Bruce Weiss. AnDAM C ri-l ER NATIONATS: Valerie R yer C C v v t , , , . 5 ~