Ninety-nine years of editorialfreedom
Vol. IC, No. 63 Ann Arbor, Michigan - Wednesday, December 7, 1988 Copyright 1988, The Michigan Daily
'U' picks
interim
engin.
dean
BY STEVE KNOPPER
Engineering Associate Dean for
Research Daniel Atkins will serve as
temporary engineering dean until the
University finds a permanent
successor for current Dean Charles
Vest, University officials said yes-
terday.
Vest will move up to provost and
vice president for academic affairs in
January if the University's Board of
Regents approve his appointment
next week.
The regents must also approve
Atkins' appointment.
Atkins, who has been associate
dean since 1982, said he is
"comfortable with the direction the
college has taken," adding that he
will try to "maintain the momentum
that has started" in the college.
Before Vest became permanent
dean in 1982, he - like Atkins -
served as associate dean, then interim
engineering dean. University Presi-
dent James Duderstadt - like Vest
- held the engineering dean and
provost positions before assuming
the presidency in September.
Vest said Atkins would "certainly
be qualified" for the permanent dean
position, but he added, "We are con-
ducting a thorough search."
In a letter to engineering faculty
last week, Interim Vice President for
Academic Affairs Robert Holbrook
proposed a search committee of five
engineering faculty members, a stu-
dent, an alum, and a faculty member
from another department. Holbrook
asked for suggestions for the com-
mittee by Dec. 16.
University searches usually last
about a year after a position is va-
cated.
Before he was selected, Atkins
had tentatively announced that he
would step down as associate dean to
spend more time with his research
on collaborative technology.
But he decided last week to take
the interim dean position to "try and
sustain the continuities of the col-
lege."
Atkins came to the University in
1972 as an assistant professor of
electrical and computer engineering.
As associate dean, he drew on his
computer architecture background to
build the college's computer system.
Vandals
deface
shanty
ROBIN LOZNAK/Daily
A board erected by the Palestinian Solidarity Committee and the Arab Student League is
defaced with Nazi swastikas.
0.
rep.
calls for
peace
BY JONATHAN SCOTT
Rather than mutual recognition
- the prerequisite for peace in the
Middle East - Israel and the United
States have instead chosen "one-way
negation" in response to the PLO's
recent peace initiative, Professor
Ibrahim Abu-Lughod told nearly 200
people yesterday at the Rackham
Amphitheater.
Abu-Lughod, professor of polit-
ical science at Northwestern Univer-
sity and a member of the Palestine
National Council since 1977, re-
viewed the PNC's recent meeting in
Algiers, stressing the significance of
the PLO resolution that, according
to Abu-Lughod, clearly indicates the
Palestinian people seek "mutual re-
spect, mutual survival, rather than
the alternative - mutual destruc-
tion."
Despite charges from U.S. and
BY LIZ ROBBOY
The Diag shanty and board
honoring Palestinians killed in the
Israeli-occupied territories were de-
faced with anti-Semitic symbols and
statements sometime between late
Monday evening and early yesterday
morning.
A member of the Palestine Soli-
darity Committee - one of the
groups that erected the shanty and
board - said they filed a complaint
with the Ann Arbor police yesterday
and that they also informed the Uni-
versity's Department of Public
Safety about the incident. Public
Safety refused comment last night.
Four large red swastikas were
painted on the board, which was
built Sunday by the PSC and the
Arab Student League. There were
also statements such as: "Kill the
Jews," "Throw the Jews in the sea,"
and "Abu Nidal lives on."
There was a similar statement and
a swastika on the shanty.
The ASL and PSC yesterday also
filed a complaint with the University
under its anti-harassment policy.
Under the policy "destruction of
property in public forums which is
the result of discriminatory behav-
ior... [is] misconduct and subject to
discipline," although a broad range
of speech is tolerated in these public
forums - including the Diag, Re-
gents Plaza, and the Daily.
According to Cindy Straub, the
interim administrator for the policy,
yesterday's destruction "goes beyond
free speech. It's a clear violation of
policy."
If the people responsible for the
act are caught, they could face sanc-
tions under the policy ranging from
a formal reprimand to expulsion.
The PSC and ASL believe that
the board and shanty were defaced by
agree with their desire for peaceful
coexistence and want to "make them
have a bad image."
"We think that this is a sick and
racist act," said Hilary Shadroui, a
member of the Palestine Solidarity
Committee. "Any Jew should be
offended," said the president of the
Arab Student League, Tounci Faical.
"Our immediate concern is find-
ing out who did it," Faical said.
Yesterday at noon, members of
the Palestine Solidarity Committee
and the Arab Student League painted
over the statements on the shanty
and disassembled the board. The
board will be restored and rebuilt
soon, they said.
The two groups constructed the
board and repainted the shanty on
Sunday partly in response to a
wooden bus - honoring Israeli
schoolchildren killed in bus exploded
by Palestinian terrorists -- erected
last month by the pro-Israel group
Tagar.
The groups said they also hoped
to "educate people" about the tragic
effects of the Arab-Israeli conflict
and promote co-existence between
Middle East peoples and religions.
Keith Hope, Tagar president,
yesterday called the statements and
swastikas "extremely offensive."
Hope said he wanted to see the board
repainted and replaced on the Diag.
Students, faculty and administra-
tors have all expressed indignation at
yesterday's defacement. Straub said
that more than 25 people have
lodged complaints with her office.
Despite complaints and angry
phone calls, however, the University
will not change its policy toward
shanties according to Vice President
of Student Services Henry Johnson.
"This is a very serious incident
and we are very serious about trying
to find out who did it." Straub said.
RUSNLuyNAK/Daily
Ibrahim Abu-Lughod, a member of the Palestine National
Council, discusses peace ,prospects for Palestine last night
at the Rackham Amphitheater.
See PLO, Page 3 extremist Arab groups who do not
International body
debates democracy
BY KRISTIN HOFFMAN
Participants in the second day of the All-
Democracies Conference - an international fo-
rum at the Gerald Ford Library on North Cam-
pus- debated the purpose, path, and viability of
an international association to spread and
strengthen democracy around the world yesterday.
Politicians, professors, diplomats, and busi-
ness people from Asia, the Pacific, Latin Amer-
ica, the Carribean, Western Europe, North
America, and Central America continued their
discussions, a day after the four-day conference
was opened by former U.S. Presidents Gerald
Ford and Jimmy Carter.
Participants debated the creation of an interna-
tional institute to house and facilitate the work of
the association, discussed whether or not criteria
for joining the association should be defined at
the outset, as well as the make-up of the
association.
A Swiss representative proposed an advisory
board of "eminent persons" to lend credibility and
quality to the association at the outset, while a
member of the Australian parliament, Jim Carl-
ton, suggested a mass popular movement of vol-
unteers, akin to Amnesty International or Green-
peace.
The group, Carlton said, needed a "zingy
name," and should be packaged: "Everybody
knows what McDonald's is."
One of the more striking speeches was made
by the representative from Trinidad, Eustace
Seignoret. He said that larger democracies should
not be threatening smaller ones in the name of
national security, a point also raised by the
representative of Sri Lanka. He wondered what
action would be taken by the association if inter-
vention in the internal affairs of a small democ-
racy by a larger one occurred: "Would there be
silence?" he wondered. "Embarrassed silence?
Would association members say 'My country,
right or wrong?"' He suggested that the group
should use its influence to hold larger democra-
cies to the principles of democracy.
Prof. Akio Watanabe of Tokyo University
warned against attempting to export democracy,
calling this an "arrogant attitude." He advocated
the use of example and encouragement to foster
democracy.
Enrique Fernandez, from the Dominican Re-
public, said that the. work of the association
would be most needed in non-democratic nations.
He noted that many associations and forums al-
ready exist, and he questioned the uniqueness of
the new group. He said United States sees drug
trafficking and terrorism as impediments to
democracy, while to developing nations external
debt is their greatest obstacle.
Paul Widmer, of Switzerland, suggested
scholarships for students in "awakening" democ-
racies to study in more established ones.
Many participants stressed that democratically-
oriented groups within non-democratic nations
should also be encouraged to join.
The representatives signed up for three work-
ing groups that will meet this morning.
JOHN MUNSON/Doily
Dominican civic leader Nimian Marie chats with former
President Gerald Ford yesterday during the All-Democracies
Conference at the Ford Library on North Campus.
Gorbachev arrives
MSA retains power to
derecognize groups
BY KRISTINE LALONDE
The Michigan Student Assembly
reserved the power to de-recognize
student groups at last night's weekly
meeting. Over the past year, the is-
sue of de-recognition has surfaced
the Central Student Judiciary said the
resolution was illegitimate according
to the assembly's compiled code -
their governing rules. According to
the rules, MSA must receive prior
approval from CSJ to pass this
of CSJ.
Engineering Representative Dan
Tobocman disagreed. "People (are)
fighting to keep their power as a
'kangaroo court' on Tuesday nights,"
he said.
in United
NEW YORK (AP) - Soviet
leader Mikhail Gorbachev arrived in
New York yesterday and said he
hoped his luncheon discussions with
President Reagan and President-elect
George Bush would lead to an
"expansion of cooperation" between
States e
"grand gesture," such as a reduction
of Soviet troops in Czechoslovaki4
and Hungary, said an anonymou$
American official. He said that it
could possibly be considered as-a
public relations move.
Gorbachev's purpose is to per=