£Niriuuuzaire Ninety- nine years of editoria/ freedom Vol. IC, No. 4 Ann Arbor, Michigan- Tuesday, September 13, 1988 Coavriaht 1988, The Michioan Daity . C ,. -,riakt..y .. R,..T,..o ..,.....b,.....,..--. Class Jewish, holiday clash BY MARTIN OTT fMany Jewish students having a difficult time deciding whether to attend the third day of classes or Rosh Hashanah services yesterday were unaware of a University policy implemented last winter term to make their decision easier. In a memo to all department deans, University President James Duderstadt, then provost, asked that all faculty "be as sensitive and ac- commodating as possible" to all stu- dents wishing to observe Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur - the major religious holidays of the year for Jewish students. But a virtual ignorance of any policy- coupled with the prospects of getting dropped from crowded classes and wait lists - compelled many to attend classes. "It's strange for me to be going to Sclass during the holidays," said first year LSA student Katie Sanders. "Judaism is an important part of my life, but I'm afraid to miss my classes because of my heavy class schedule." The new policy was distributed only to new incoming students through the Office of the Registrar last August, said Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs Robert Holmes. "Unfortunately, this means that some students probably didn't re- ceive word," Holmes said. The memo that was eventually distributed to all faculty members stated that wait lists and overrides should not be acted on Monday or Tuesday. to give all students an "equal opportunity" if space became available. It also indicated that it would not be necessary for students to give reasons for their absence on the holidays and that the coincidence of a major religious holiday with the early part of the term creates special See Class, Page 2 Storm sweeps Atlantic islands KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) - Hurricane Gilbert slammed into Kingston yesterday with torrential rains and 115 mph winds, ripping the roofs off buildings, pounding beach- front resorts and spawning flash floods and mudslides. The brunt of the storm, which lashed the Jamaican capital city of 750,000 people, knocked down power lines, uprooted trees and flat- tened fences. On the north coast, 20- foot waves hit Ocho Rios, a popular resort where tourists were evacuated from hotels. Most of Jamaica's 2.3 million people stayed home and boarded up their windows with only minor injuries reported in Kingston. Jamaica-bound flights were cancelled at Miami International Airport. "The eye of the storm moved lengthwise down the island," said Bob Sheets, National Hurricane Center director. "The eye is on the western tip of Jamaica and will be moving toward the Cayman Islands." Sheets said the Cayman Islands has a dearth of sheltered areas. "They're very flat, there's not a lot of Mideast. two, freed. hostages DAVID LUBUNER/Doily MSA president Mike Phillips speaks to about 50 people at a rally sponsored by the Campaign for a Democratic Campus at the Diag last night. About 0people protest 'U' olicies at Diag rally FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Syrian troops yesterday rescued an American engineer who was abducted by gunners in Lebanon, and took him to the U.S. embassy in Damascus, a source close to the Foreign Ministry reported. In Beirut, Shiite Moslem kidnappers freed West German hos- tage Rudolf Cordes yesterday, after declaring that they were ending his 20-month ordeal in response to Syrian and Iranian intervention, an official said. Various sources identified the American engineer, working in Saudi Arabia, as Kenneth Paul Wells, Keith Weiss and Paul. Wells. One source said he went to Lebanon on Sunday to marry a woman whose family lives in Baalbek but was kidnapped by unidentified gunners before he reached his fiancee's home. The U.S. Embassy in Damascus refused comment. But the Christian-run Voice of Lebanon in Beirut gave a different account. The radio said a man identified as Keith Paul Weiss married Nadia Sharafeddine in Baalbek and that three gunners intercepted the newlyweds a few hours after the wedding. The Voice of Lebanon said the bridegroom, "who excels in karate," overpowered the gunners, who are armed with automatic rifles, dis- armed them and took refuge at a nearby Syrian army post, when he was driven to Damascus. The S harafeddines are a well- known Shiite Moslem family in Baalbek, a stronghold of the Iranian backed Hezbollah, or Party of God, an extremist Shiite group that is be- lieved to be an umbrella for various factions holding 18 foreign hostages in Lebanon, nine of whom are American. In Beirut, the An-Nahar newspa- per published a statement signed by the Holy Warriors for Freedom, saying Cordes would be freed in 48 hours. The group, made up of Shiite Moslem zealots loyal to Iran, had claimed responsibility for Cordes' abduction. The statement also said that Iran and Syrian President Hafez Assad had "guaranteed" that the problem for Mohammed Ali and his brother, Abbas, who are jailed in West Ger- many on terrorist charges, will be resolved. It added that the decision to re- lease Cordes "does not in any way mean the abandonment of Mujahed (holy warrior) Mohammed Hamadi. "He remains in our heart and mind. but we will take legal and ju- dicial ways to release him. If these fail, then we shall be obliged to again resort to violence," it con- cluded. BY STEVE KNOPPER At 7 p.m. yesterday, it looked like the rain had can- celled the first protest sponsored by the newly formed Campaign for a Democratic Campus. But 10 minutes later, the rain stopped, a rainbow appeared, and about 50 people gathered on the Diag to express discontent with three new University policies they say repress student rights. The University's Board of Regents voted in July to accept former Interim President Robben Fleming's proposal to deputize two public safety officers; suspend the University Council, a nine-member committee of students, faculty, and staff which creates rules for student conduct; and ratify a new policy that places limitations on student protest. In a speech during last night's 20-minute rally, Michigan Student Assembly President Michael Phillips said the new protest policy was "vague and ambiguous," and asked students to express their "disagreement and disapproval about things" to the re- gents before their meeting this week. "All the administration does is try to cream over the top of a lot of problems, such as racism and sexism," said Phillips, the only speaker at the demonstration. "They're telling people, 'If you've got the power, and See Rally, Page 2 Makin haste to rid waste List of closed beaches grows MEARS, Mich. (AP) - Author- ities combed beaches across three southwest Michigan counties yes- terday as medical debris continued to wash up on Lake Michigan's shore- line, forcing the closing of several public beaches. Hypodermic syringes, vials with traces of blood, pills, surgical gloves and other used medical supplies be- gan washing ashore in Oceana Coun- ty on Friday and Saturday, prompting the closing of the beaches at Charles Mears State Park in Pent-water and Silver Lake State Park in Mears. The U.S. Coast Guard ordered Grand Haven State Park in Ottawa County, about 45 miles south of Pentwater, closed about 8:30 a.m. yesterday after three syringes and a, surgical glove were found. The beach was opened three hours later after authorities searched the shoreline. , Meanwhile, Gov. James Blanchard and Attorney General Frank Kelley announced yesterday the formation ofj an interagency strike force to invest- igate the extent and causes of the il- legal dumping. The strike force includes representatives of the De- partments of Public Health, the DNR and state police. Petty Officer Don Johnson of the U.S. Coast Guard at Muskegon said some medical debris had been sighted in the Whitehall-Montague area of Muskegon County. Officials at the state Department of Natural Re- defense director, said yesterday that cleaning up the beaches has been a slow process. The machine which the county uses to remove debris from the sand covers only about one- eighth of a mile in an hour. "Every time the waves go up, up pops another needle," Merten said. Between 100 and 150 syringes were among the five barrels of medi- cal waste that have been collected along Oceana County's 23-mile shoreline, said Oceana County Sher- iff Fred Korb. A dump truck filled with debris-laced sand also was being held for examination by the state Department of Public Health and the state police crime lab. Local authorities planned to meet with state and federal officials from the Environmental Protection Agen- cy to develop a cleanup plan, Korb said. The dumping was compared with similar contamination of beach- es along the East Coast this summer and in Lake Erie near Cleveland last month. JOHN MUNSON/Uaily Graduate student Corey Dolgan and LSA senior Tim Hawkins sing about Michigan - its golden plains, its sparkling waters, and its toxic waste - to launch PIRGIM's vote drive. Students sing to clean upstate environment BY VICTORIA BAUER Most musicians travel from club to club when performing on tour. But folksingers and environmen- talists Corey Dolgon and Tim Hawkins will travel to the worst toxic waste sites in Michigan to help educate voters about a $660 million Pnvirnnmental Rond nnearine on nated sites, said Andrew Buchs- baum, program director for the Pub- lic Interest Research Group in Michigan. PIRGIM is leading the eight-month campaign. The remaining funds will be spent on other projects such as recreational parks and cleaning Great TLakes. that the environment should be top. priority in the state," he said. In past years, the Michigan legis- lature has spent $12 million annually on the environment, cleaning up less than ten sites a year. "It would have taken literally thousands of years to clean up the etntP " cal PRC UM irin -tn-r Pi: