Ninety-eight years of editorial freedom Vol. XCVIII, No. 126 Ann Arbor, Michigan - Wednesday, April 6,1988 Copyright 1988, The Michigan Daily Hijackers capture Kuwaiti airliner NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) - Arab hijackers yesterday forced a Kuwait Airways jumbo jet to land in north- eastern Iran, threatened to blow it up and demanded that Kuwait release 17 pro-Iranian prisoners. They later re- leased 25 of the 112 passengers. Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) said without elaboration that 24 women were released early today after negotiations with Iran's deputy prime minster, Ali Reza Moayyeri. Among the other passengers were three members of Kuwait's royal family and a passenger with a U.S. passport, on a flight from Bangkok, Thailand, to Kuwait. The hijackers warned the Kuwaiti royals would be "in imminent danger" if Kuwait re- fused to free the prisoners, IRNA reported. See Hijacking, Page 2 U.S. sends armed fores to Panama- Self -defenseDolly Photo by JESSICA GREENE LSA junior Alyson Lichtenberg practices self-defense against the "Space Invader" at a workshop led by the Adventure Spirit Training Women's Empowerment Program. The activity was sponsored by the UM Sexual Assault Center as part of Rape Prevention Month. PANAMA CITY (AP) - The first of an extra 1,300 U.S. troops were sent to Panama yesterday to in- crease security for American soldiers and citizens in the face of a political and economic crisis. A C-141 Starlifter carrying the first contingent of soldiers from Fort Bragg, N.C., touched down at Howard Air Base, just outside Panama City. Nearly 50 flights were expected. The reinforcements and a squadron of 26 helicopters were intended by the Reagan administration as a signal to Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega, the de facto ruler whom Washington has been urging to step down. The buildup, ordered last week to counter what the Pentagon called Noriega's "heavy-handed tactics," will increase American forces along the 50-mile-long Panama Canal to 11,800 troops. Noriega is head of the 15,000-member Defense Forces. The action followed reports of ha- rassment of U.S. citizens by Pana- manian soldiers and the temporary arrest of several American reporters during a police raid on opposition headquarters in a Panama City hotel. The Panamanian government has repeatedly accused the Reagan administration of preparing for an invasion and said Panama's army had begun training several hundred civil- ian volunteers in guerrilla warfare. In Santa Barbara, Calif., where President Reagan is vacationing, his chief spokesperson denied Monday that the president is considering military action or that he would urge further economic sanctions o n Panama. U.S. sanctions imposed in Febru- ary have produced the gravest eco- nomic crisis in Panama's history. The country's banks have been closed for more than a month and the gov- ernment has been unable to pay either its debts or its employees. Yesterday, editions of state-run newspapers carried a communique from Panama's Health Ministry that ridiculed the new American troops, calling them potential AIDS carriers and a threat to public health. The U.S. deployment is scheduled to be completed by Friday. The units arriving include an Army battalion of military police, a company of Marines, three Air Force air base ground defense units, two squads of guard dogs and their han- diers and an Army aviation unit. The U.S. Southern Command, which has its headquarters near Panama City, had about 600 security personnel among its 10,000 mem- bers before the Reagan administration stepped ,up its campaign to oust Noriega early last month. The primary task of U.S. military personnel in Panama is to safeguard the canal until its handed over by treaty to Panama at noon on Dec. 31, 1999. ent control draws record vote By PETER MOONEY polls. "More people voted on Proposal C than the pro-rent control Citizens for Fair Rent in The successful anti-rent control campaign, led anything else," Northcross said. 1988. The period covered by the documents ends by Citizens for Ann Arbor's Future, produced the Citizens for Ann Arbor's Future, a landlords' March 19, so any money spent in the last two highest turnout for a city election in 10 years, group, covered the city with its message in weeks of the campaign is not included. helping Republicans to gain control of City mailings, newspaper ads, and television Some suggest the high turnout for the rent Council. commercials. control issue affected City Council races, Thirty-three percent of registered voters took In spreading their anti-rent control message, producing a 6-5 Republican majority, which ends part in Monday's election, far exceeding the ex- the group was able to raise funds dwarfing those three years of Democratic dominance. * pected turnout of 20 percent, City Clerk Winifred of Ann Arbor Citizens for Fair Rent, which sup- Republican Mayor Gerald Jernigan said the Northcross said yesterday. ported the proposal. huge Republican victory was caused by a high Proposal C, to institute rent control, was de- According to election financing reports sub- turnout among anti-rent control homeowners. feated by a two-to-one margin - 16,652 votes to mitted to the Washtenaw County Clerk's Office, These voters may have opposed Democratic can- 8,015. Citizens for Ann Arbor's Future spent didates - several of whom supported the contro- The controversial issue drew city voters to the $92,262.61 compared to $4,947.60 paid out by See Turnout, Page 2 TO EAT OR TO PROTEST? .Pia rules only allow loud rallies between noon and one By STEVE KNOPPER Planning a protest on the Diag? Take a number, fill out a form, and cancel your class at noon. The rules governing use of the Diag, revised in the fall to limit the number of exceptions granted, state that loud rallies can only be held between noon and 1 p.m. All events which "generate a high level of noise or activity" must be registered with the Student Organiza- tion and Development Center which distributes "Diag authorization forms." "WE'VE BEEN rigid about the ,whole thing," said SODC Student Services Associate Brad Borland. Student groups can obtain megaphones from the SODC or request power for a speaker system through the University's Plant Department for at least $50. Non-amplified groups, however, can protest when- ever they want, as long as they don't make too much noise. Last Friday's Hash Bash, for example, was unregu- lated for at least four hours because it was relatively quiet. "Many would deem it a success," Borland said. "They got their point across." BUT STUDENT leaders say the rules unfairly limit protests. Ralliers cannot always make their point without amplification, especially when few people are around to listen. "Basically, (the rules) are just censorship in our eyes," said Michigan Student Assembly President Mike Phillips, an LSA junior. "One of the main reasons for the rule is to make people choose between lunch and protest. A lot of people choose lunch." Rackham graduate student Barbara Ransby, a leader of the Free South Africa Coordinating Committee and the United Coalition Against Racism, which has orga- nized many recent Diag protests, said the noon protest rule is "an inconvenience. It's the one hour of free speech on campus." BUT VICE President for Student Services Henry Johnson said the rule has nothing to do with regulating protest; instead, he said, it is enforced so people can study without being disrupted by background noise. Faculty members with offices near the Diag have praised the revised rules. "They're just trying to pre- serve an environment where protest can occur, but also an environment for research and classes," said Wendy Lougee, head of the Graduate Library. "It's always hard when you're striking a balance." Harris McClamroch, chair of the faculty's Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs, said he has received complaints from people in Mason Hall and the School of Natural Resources about the noise level in the Diag. Until the revision, rules in place since the mid '70s allowed groups to negotiate exceptions, such as an all- day concert sponsored by Michigamau last year. Pulitzer winner credits friends By LIZ ROHAN William Bolcom finds that he gets by with a little help from his friends. The University music pro- fessor last Thursday won the Pulitzer prize for a set of piano pieces he composed called "Twelve Ne w Etudes." But without two inspiring colleagues he might never have cre- ated the prize-winning pieces. An internationally-known com- poser, Bolcom was the first runner- up for the 1985 Pulitzer Prize and had written an original set of twelve etudes in 1966. He was inspired to begin a second set in 1983 after his friend, modern American pianist Paul Jacobs, died of AIDS. But hearing Canadian pianist Marc Andre-Hamelin play the unfin- ished pieces at a concert in San Francisco motivated him to finish the etudes - which he did in 1987. "They are interpretatively difficult pieces which are at the same time poetic. If you can play these, you can play anything," Bolcom said. School of Music Dean Paul Boy- lan said that each of Bolcom's pieces is a classic form of music in a con- See Pulitzer, Page 3 Doily Photo by JESSICA GREENE University music professor William Bolcum wins the Pulitzer Prize for compositions inspired by the death of a close friend. 'U' student researches cancer cells, prepares for med. school By DAVID SCHWARTZ Suzie Merkle, like many other University, students, goes to class, exercises, and spends free time with her friends. But unlike most, Merkle spends 10-15 hours a week in a lab with doctors conducting research on cancer cells. Though Merkle is completing her third year at the University, she has senior status because of the number trying to accomplish. "Doing lab work really helps you see your long-term goals. People in undergrad get all caught up i n worrying about tests, and grades. That's not what being a doctor is all about; it's about helping people," she said. Since coming to the University, Merkle has tried to diversify herself dren. MERKLE described working with physically and mentally handi- capped children as a "rewarding" ex- perience. "It's really nice being able to mainstream the handicapped peo- ple" with others who aren't handi- capped, she said. Though undecided about what type of medicine she will practice, Merkle hopes to enter a field in which she can work with children. soe reason for.S.troop iq-. OPMNNPage 4 Bright Lights, Big City: See- Michel J. ox sto coke. See Michael J. Fo~x lose his wife,_Se M Jhal .FoxsnMWtmore cek a,:.. am.. I I I