Ninety-eight years of editorial freedom Vol. XCVIII, No. 127 Ann Arbor, Michigan - Thursday, April 7, 1988 Copyright 1988, The Michigan Daily Gay Greeks endure heterosexual life By JIM PONIEWOZIK This story is the first in a two-part series. Chris' fraternity is having its formal :his weekend. Like most of his fraternity brothers, he plans to attend, and to bring a date. But Chris' date will likely turn more heads than his brothers', because his date is a man. Chris, who asked that his last name be withheld, is one of many students within the Greek system who has to reconcile be- ing gay with the heterosexually-oriented fraternity environment. But unlike many of them, Chris has "come out" (admitted his homosexuality) to his brothers. "(Coming out) wasn't a cakewalk; that's for sure," Chris said. "I didn't feel comfortable coming out to the house. No one ever does." CHRIS SAID he decided to come out to the entire house when word of his ho- mosexuality had leaked after he told two of his fraternity brothers, who are also gay. But he said his decision was also motivated by a desire to end his double life. "I finally decided, 'To hell with it, I'm not going to hide this anymore. It's hypo- critical,"' he said. It was partly a result of Chris' experi- ence of coming out to the members of his house that he decided to form Gay Greeks, an organization for gay and lesbian frater- nity and sorority members. The group is intended to provide support for gays, who might easily feel alienated in the fraternities, many of which emphasize "traditional" male activities, including het- erosexual relationships, Chris said. "(THE GROUP WANTS) to get people who are gay to feel comfortable coming out," said Chris. "There are a lot of people in houses who are gay and who aren't out." The organization, which held its first meeting last month, is currently composed of about 10 members. Chris said lesbians are also welcome to join the group, but they have thus far received no response from sorority members. Lesbian Advocate Billie Edwards of the University Lesbian and Gay Male Pro- grams Office said the group's name might discourage lesbians from joining. "In Ann Arbor, the language generally used is 'gay and lesbian'... I don't think (the name 'Gay Greeks') tells me that I am welcome as a lesbian," she said. Chris said the name was chosen because it was shorter and therefore easier to re- member and publicize than "Gay and Les- bian Greeks," but stressed the group does not intend to exclude females. CHRIS, and other members of his house, said the members have given mixed reactions to his coming out. He said that the majority of the members have been supportive, but that others now treat him with less respect. "Some of them talk to me as though my opinion isn't as worthy, or anything I say can be discounted because I'm gay," Chris said. Chris' roommate, "Bill," who asked not to be identified, said that while Chris' ho- mosexuality doesn't bother him personally, it has changed several of his brothers' atti- tudes toward Chris. "They don't talk to him as much," Bill said. "He eats in the room a lot now... People joke with him (about being gay). Sometimes I think it's just joking and sometimes I think it's not." BILL SAID he is "somewhat both- ered" by the change in some of the mem- bers' attitudes toward Chris, but added that "I think I'm like that (toward Chris) in some ways, too." He said he probably would be bothered if Chris brought a lover back to their room. The president of Chris' house said he doesn't believe most people's attitudes to- ward Chris have changed. "I'm very proud for the people in my house for not going by stereotypes," he said. But even he admitted that Chris' deci- sion to bring a date to the formal has dis- turbed many members. "There's quite a controversy," he said. "I've heard the com- ment, 'It's fine, as long as he's not sitting at my table."' Other Gay Greeks members have said the reactions to their coming out have ranged from support to harassment. One member, Mark Chekal, said members of his fraternity, Triangle, have ostracized him since his coming out. He said he believes a member was responsible for a threatening message he found on his answering ma- chine earlier this term. See Gays, Page 5 Remaining U.S. troops arrive in Panama I PANAMA CITY, Panama (AP) - Giant cargo planes loaded with soldiers, arms and helicopters landed almost hourly yesterday as the United States completed deployment of 1,300 extra troops to Panama. The country's Defense Forces chief, Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega *appeared to be seesawing on whether to accept mediation in Panama's pol- itical crisis. Late Tuesday, the government sent a communique to news organiza- tions conditionally accepting a med- iation offer by Monsignor Marcos McGrath, the Roman Catholic arch- bishop of Panama. BUT THE statement linked any talks to a "national dialogue" begun Monday by Noriega's supporters. The dialogue was boycotted by the church and Noriega's opponents. Within hours, the government's press office withdrew the communi- que without explanation. The church said yesterday that McGrath's offer to mediate between the government and its opposition was in no way linked to the "national dialogue." IT SAID it was still awaiting a reply from the general, who is under indictment in the United States on drug trafficking charges, Noriega, the chief of the 15,000-member Defense Forces, is the power behind Pan- ama's civilian government. The opposition, which has been seeking Noriega's ouster for more than 10 months, planned a "march against hunger" yesterday afternoon, but it fizzled out in the face of a heavy police presence. The march was designed to protest a deteriorating economic situation that has left thousands of Panaman- ians penniless. The church is feeding about 10,000 families a day in the Panama City area and says conditions are worse in other parts of the coun- try. PANAMANIANS began a run on the banks in late February after Noriega supporters removed President Eric Arturo Delvalle from office, and closed on March 4. The country's economic crisis has been exacerbated by the freezing of Panamanian depos- its in U.S. banks and sanctions im- posed by Washington. The new soldiers arriving at Howard Air Force Base, just outside Panama City, included members of an army aviation battalion from Fort Ord, Calif., and military police and security specialists from Fort Bragg, N.C. and Fort Mead, Md. They were ferried to Panama by a fleet of C-141 Starlifter and C-5 Galaxy jet cargo planes. The aviat- ors brought 26 helicopters, including seven powerful AH-1 Cobra gun- ships. LT. COL. Rick Dodge, com- mander of the 230-member force from the 123rd Combat Aviation Battalion of the 7th Light Infantry Division, said he had not been told how long he would be in Panama. "Right now we're going a week at a time," he said. The new soldiers joined more than 10,500 American military personnel already based in Latin American country to protect the Panama Canal until it is turned over to the Pan- amanian government by treaty at the turn of the century. Daily Photo by JOHN MUNSON Raising the roof Jim Hough, an employee of Home Service System, works on the roof of his boss' new home. Hough, from Howell, Mich., said the task was part of his job, but also a favor for his boss. Applicants criticize length of [RA hiring process By LIZ ROHAN After two months of applications, interviews, and mostly waiting, next year's resident advisors found out this week that they were chosen for one of the 110 residence hall positions. And some of the 250 students who applied for the positions found themselves without housing. Many of the applicants - both those who were chosen and those who were not - said the selection process took too long. "The best locations are gone and getting a house is out of the question," said David Gold, an LSA sophomore who did not arrange for fall housing in anticipation of being an RA. "It cuts down on alternatives. It seems it is possible to start the process earlier so that those of us who didn't get a position could find out when housing is still available." University Housing Administration refused to comment. Each applicant had the option to sign a residence hall lease in the mid-March residence hall room lottery. If chosen to be RAs, their lease would automatically be cancelled. Some applicants knew they did not want to live in a residence hall unless they were RAs, so they did not sign a lease; nor did they sign a lease off-campus in anticipation of getting an RA position. LSA sophomore Jeff Cohen, who did not get an RA position, does have a place to live in the fall but had other criticisms of the application procedure, which he called "a long, drawn out process." Cohen said he repeatedly tried to contact Housing Administration for explanations, but he said his calls were not returned. See RAs, Page 3 Speaker links Bond may impede tenants' appeal genocide, 'no nukes' themes By ELISSA SARD Solving Germany's pre-World War II social and economic crises by practicing genocide followed the same logic as building nuclear arsenals to prevent nuclear war, according to Robert Lifton, who closed the year-long Talking Meds Noon Lecture Series yesterday. * Lifton's speech, titled "Beyond Genocide: Direction of Hope," stressed learning from historical mistakes, particularly the mass murder of Jews in Nazi Germany. People should realize that "nuclear holocaust is still only potential," he said. The common theme Lifton used to tie the two issues together is "trauma and cure." The Nazis under Adolf Hitler claimed the Jews were the root of Germany's "trauma," the poor social and economic conditions in Germany prior to World War II. Genocide - the "cure" proposed by Hitler - began a . - -enlxi ti:n ;n1 ci i t By PETER MOONEY Two tenant activists who have accused their landlord of breaking the law by refusing to renew their lease received a setback this week when Circuit Court Judge Henry Conlin refused to lower their $6,000 appeal bond. The bond - a set sum of money proving that the litigants can afford to lose their appeal - may prevent the tenants from exercising their right to appeal, the tenants' lawyer, Jonathan Rose, said. Leslie Riester and Martha Per- kins, residents of Village Town- houses, said McKinley Properties is violating the Tenants' Rights Act by retaliating against them for a rent strike they helped organize last year. The tenants said McKinley decided not to renew their lease because of their activism. "MACVTNIT'V WANTq to ant the Michigan Tenants' Rights Act - forbidding landlords from evicting tenants who protest poor mainte- nance - only applies during the life of the tenants' current lease, not fol- lowing the end of a lease period. Rose said Alexander based his judgment on the Frenchtown Mead- ows case tried in Monroe, and he wants to challenge this precedent. In the earlier case, a circuit court judge ruled that retaliatory eviction is ille- gal only in the middle of a lease. HE SAID THE BOND must be lowered to facilitate their right to an appeal. If the tenants do not meet the bond, they retain their right to appeal but may be evicted based on the original court ruling. McKinley's lawyer, Graydon El- lis, responded that it would be inap- propriate for Conlin to overrule the original judge's determination of bond. Perkins said they refused to pay their rent because of a missing roof over- hang in the kitchen and a hole in the exterior of their unit that needed re- pair. The Pittsfield Village Tenants' Union, which Riester and Perkins helped to form, joined the rent strike in April. See Tenants, Page 2 INSIDE PLO offices at the UN should not be closed by the US Congress. OPINION, Page 4 It's opening night for Gilbert and Sullivan's The Gondol ers. ARTS, Page 7 The fight to save Tiiwr stvainm11 ,. _.