Nirlfren Bai
Ninety-nine years of editoria/freedomn
Vol. IC, No. 15
Ann Arbor, Michigan- Wednesday, September 28, 1988
Convrinht 1488, The Michigan Daily -I,-,--.>-----
LaGROC
calls for
MSA action
Skywalk ROBIN LOZNAK/Daily
Nursing professor Dorothy Donabedian walks through the causeway connecting the medical school with the parking lot.
Assaults on the rise near local bar
BY KRISTINE LALONDE
At last night's MSA meeting,
constituents' time was dominated by
members of LaGROC asking for
action be taken in regards to a rep-
orted act of anti-gay discrim-ination
on the diag yesterday.
Mike Deasy, a singer and
guitarist, performed on the steps of
the Diag yesterday afternoon. His
concert included his song "God Hates
Queer". Lyrics from the song repor-
tedly include "God hates queer and so
do I. Say that's the way you were
born as an alliby. "
LaGROC members asked that
MSA revoke recognition of the
group that sponsored the concert,
Cornerstone Christian Fellowship.
They also asked that MSA react to
the manner as strongly as a racist in-
cident.
Mindy Adelman, a LaGROC
member, said "We wish this body
(MS A) to take a stand. We want this
University to take a stand."
LaGROC member Chris
Helzerman said that the University
should take a stand without infrin-
ging on free speech rights,
"Although we recognize free speech
this is on the border of violence...We
intend to approach Duderstadt and
urge him to make a statement on the
part of the University (against such
discriminatory behavior.)"
MSA proposed the withdrawal of
recognition of the fellowship but
tabled the vote until more inform-
ation could be. gathered and the
organization contacted. Recognized
student groups have access to office
space, Union and League facilities
and the right to solicit on the Diag.
MSA representative Bruce Belcher
said MSA does "not recognize
organizations which practice
discriminatory behavior."
In other business MSA discussed
the recognition of the student groups
American Society of Mechanical
Engineers (ASME), the Society of
Automotive Engineer (SAE), and Pi
Tau Sigma, an honorary engineering
fraternity.
The recognition of the groups was
revoked after members took part in a
"Road Rally" eighteen months ago in
which participants were given points
for taking down United Coalition
Against Racism (UCAR) and Black
Action Movement (BAM) posters
and for damaging the shanty on the
Diag.
Assembly members cited the
existence of conflicting accounts of
actions taken by all groups involved
as reason to look further into the
issue.
MSA will try to get all the
groups, the engineering societies as
well as Free South African
Coordinating Committee (FSACC)
,who built the shanties, and UCAR,
together for a discussion of a
resolution to the problem.
MSA Rep. Dan Tobocman,
Engineering senior, said of tabling
the recognition, "A lot of what hurts
MSA's credibility is (that we vote
with emotion and not on the basis of
facts.)"
Also discussed was the allocation
of funds to a women's symposium.
The symposium will include lectures
by former National Organization for
Women (NOW) Elanor Smeal and
Geraldine Ferraro. The symposium
would require $27,000 in funding.
The assembly hopes the executive
offices of the University admin-
istration will provide $20,000 toward
the allocation. The rest of the money
will come from MSA's general fund.
BY NATHAN SMITH
The number of assaults in the area around East
Liberty and Maynard streets has risen signifi-
cantly since 1987, police said. The recent surge
in criminal activity is causing concern among
city police and administrators.
"I'm really disturbed about the actions which
took place over the weekend at the Maynard and
Liberty intersection," Mayor Gerald Jernigan said
at a city council meeting last week. Two
University students were assaulted in the area
September 17.
"We have specifically assigned extra officers
to that area," City Administrator Del Borgsdorf
told the council last week.
Police are at the site every weekend to keep a
strict watch on the area which has continued to
be a trouble spot for assaults.
possible assailants for fear of being labeled racist.
P ol ce officials "Officers need to see clear criminal activity in
order to act," Lunsford said. Fears of internal in-
vestigation and public protest cause officers to be
expresS Concern "very circumspect" when dealing with large
groups, he said. "Officers won't leave themselves
In the area around the Nectarine Ballroom, 38 open to being branded racist."
assaults and two unarmed robberies were reported Though Lunsford says officers want to avoid
to police this year between May 15 to September being called racist, he does not feel the assaults
15, according to Det. Jerry Wright, crime are of a racist nature. He said the groups attack
prevention specialist. members of a' races and sexes at random. "Many
Wright said 28 assaults and one unarmed rob- of the victims have no idea why they are tar-
bery were reported in the area during the same geted," he added.
time last year. But Michael Bender, general manager and part-
Many of the assaults involved large groups of owner of the Nectarine Ballroom, disagrees. He
young Black men attacking, in a seemingly ran- said the atacks ae of a racist nature. Accrding
dom style, idividuals of all races and sexes, ac- to Bender, "95 percent of those assaults have
cording to Deputy Chief Walter Lunsford. But he been perpetrated by Blacks against whites...if
said police are unwilling to disperse groups of See Assaults, page 2
Library offers
look at history
I
Coalition starts
Black arts series
BY MONICA SMITH
One of the largest collections of
state immigration documents, papers
from state legislators, and memories
from the Michigan's past are just a
tiny part of the most exciting his-
tory lesson the University can offer.
No classes are necessary - just a
trip to Bentley library.
THE BENTLEY Historical
Library, built in 1973, houses the
Michigan Historical Collection,
which has been around since 1935.
The library, named in honor of
Alvin Bentley, a former U.S. Con-
gressmember and University regent,
holds a diverse collection of material
dating from the 17th century to the
present. The holdings* focus on the
history of the University, the state,
and the communities of Michigan.
Bentley's collection is unique
from other University libraries be-
cause its holdings largely consist of
manuscripts, personal papers, and
diaries. It has 35,000 linear feet of
manuscripts and archives, 55,000
volumes of printed material and over
500,000 visual and photographic
items.
The library, located at North
Campus on Beal Avenue, provides
access to original materials which
allow researchers to do their own
work and analysis. "That's the fun
part of history, we do keep rewriting
history," said Bill Wallach, assistant
director of Bentley.
Wallach stresses the importance
of students using original materials
! in their regerch "Tt challenges
U.S. Congress and Senate. It also
includes information about Tom
Hayden and other activists. .
"Politics touches just about every
aspect of our lives," said Wallach.
The library is impartial in its
collection, he said, and it is
"important to document undercur-
rents of dissent."
The library also houses a
fascinating collection of war-related
records.It houses a particularly
strong Civil War collection, with
the original letters and diaries of
soldiers.
"WE'RE ACTIVELY trying
to establish material on the Vietnam
vets, through diaries, photographs
and the continuing experience of the
Veterans," said Nancy Bartlett, Ref-
erence Archivist.
Bentley also houses a large col-
lection on the diverse ethnic back-
ground of the state. The heritage of
Michigan's Blacks is represented in
the antebellum papers of Sojourner
Truth. The collection also holds the
papers of abolitionist Nathan
Thomas and the papers of several
Urban league chapters in Michigan.
In conjunction with the celebra-
tion of the 150th anniversary of the
University, Bentley organized a col-
lection entitled "150 Years of Stu-
dent Life At Michigan." The
collection includes photos of every-
thing from the "junior hop" to the
1932 Big Ten Championship foot-
ball team. There is also an excerpt
from the 1864 University Constitu-
tional Provisions laws and by-laws
which states, "No student
BY SHEALA DURANT
Tonight the William Monroe
Trotter House will host the premiere
reception for the Black Entertain-
ment Series.
The series is the product of a
coalition of three Black student per-
forming arts groups: Black Theater
Workshop, Students in Support of
Black Entertainment, and the
Minority Music, Theater, and Dane
Association at the School of Music.
In past years, "while there was
cooperation between theater groups
there was no consolidation of ef-
forts," said Roderick Gailes, coordi-
nator of the project and president of
Students in Support of Black Enter-
tainment.
The series, which is starting this
year, will "provide opportunities for
talented people to perform who
might not perform otherwise,"
Gailes said.
It will bring in talented perform-
ers from across the country to help
produce events and conduct work-
shops on topics including acting,
costume, and set design.
Three theater performances will
also be a part of the series: "Black
Pavanne" at East Quad, October 9;
"Rhapsody in Black," a concert fea-
turing a panoramic view of Black
music and contemporary dance, in
the Michigan Union Ballroom; and
Langston Hughes' "Black Nativity",
from November 30 through Decem-
ber 4 at the Mendelsohn Theatre.
The idea for the coalition and se-
ries was born after a group of about
10 students from the three theater
groups attended the National Black
Arts Festival in Atlanta, Georgia.
Gailes said that meeting Black
professionals such as playwrite and
co-founder of the Negro Ensemble
Company, Douglas Turner Ward,
actress, Cicely Tyson, dancer,
Katherine Dunham and filmmaker,
Spike Lee served as ;n inspiration
for them.
Gailes said the series will provide
more opportunities for Black stu-
dents to get together socially, and
will offer the entire campus an ex-
pression of other cultures. He
stressed that the series will be "an
enlightening experience for every-
one, not just minority students."
The reception will be held from
7:00-8:45 p.m. in the Trotter House,
which hosts several minority func-
tinns-
ALEXANDRA BREZ/Daily
Call for unity
Kimberly Smith, a first year medical
crowd of students at a mass meeting
Coalition Against Racism) yesterday.
group of speakers who addressed the
campus. See Story, Page 2
student, speaks to a
for UCAR (United
Smith was one of a
issue of racism on
NASA studies satellite problem,
shuttle to launch tomorrow
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - A new NASA
launch directorate met yesterday to clear the shuttle
Discovery for its liftoff tomorrow, hearing an opti-
mistic assessment of the $1.5 billion spacecraft's
readiness - while dicussing a possible problem with a
sister snatee vsem
not replicated aboard Discovery. Delivery of the $100
million satellite is Discovery's main mission in
NASA's long-awaited return to space, and the space
agency would not likely launch without being sure
there was no problem.
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