Papers claim search The Michigan Daily - Friday, October 7, 1988 - Page 5 secret, illegal BY NOAH FINKEL The University inaugurated James Duderstadt as president yesterday, but the way in which the regents selected him is an issue that has not yet gone away. Attorneys for the Ann Arbor News and the Detroit :Free Press are still pursuing a lawsuit filed against the ,Board of Regents last May charging that the secretive ;manner in which the search took place violated 'Michigan's Open Meetings Act. Ed Hood, attorney for the News, and Herschel Fink and Michael Gruskin, attorneys for the Free Press are busy amassing evidence and taking depositions from the regents in preparation for an appeal to Judge Ross Campbell of the Washtenaw Circuit Court. IN MAY, the News and Free Press claimed the board violated the OMA by forming "constructive quo- rums" of four or less regents to interview prospective presidential candidates and then informally interacting with other members of the board. This, said Gruskin, is in violation of the spirit of the OMA. Any gathering of five or more regents must be open to the public. But Roderick Daane, the regents' attorney, denied that his clients violated the OMA. He also said that opening the interview process would scare away appli- cants and would "eliminate the best qualified people from the race." In June, Judge Campbell ruled in favor of the re- gents and denied the newspapers' request to make the selection process public. The Michigan Court of Ap- peals denied the subsequent appeal by the newspapers. At that time, the plaintiffs did not have time to compile all the evidence, so they are appealing again now. "Since you're asking for immediate relief, you don't totally flesh out the argument... Now, we get to flesh out the full facts," Gruskin said. WITH THE APPEAL, the News and Free Press are hoping to accomplish two things: recovery of at- torney's fees and the establishment of a different court precedent on the OMA. Ed Hood, attorney for the News, said his client "has an interest in how the (presidential search) process is run... Judge Campbell ruled that the Open Meetings Act doesn't apply to University personnel decisions. That could set a precedent that would hamper newspa- per coverage." Attorneys for the plaintiffs think that Judge Camp- bell, or a higher court, could reverse this precedent when faced with all the evidence. But Daane disagrees. "My expectation is that Judge Campbell will not change his view... He gave a clear signal that he agrees with the regents." EVEN IF the court rules the regents were in violation of the OMA, both sides agreed the appeal does not threaten Duderstadt's position as president. "Theoretically the court could invalidate the election, but as a practical matter that's not likely," said Daane. Hood said the papers will not ask the court invali- date the election. "The principle is what we're after," he said. Bentsen, Quayle both claim victory in debate BY MICHAEL LUSTIG Both the supporters of Democrat Lloyd Bentsen and Republican Dan Quayle are claiming victory after Wednesday's debate between the vice- #residential nominees. In an ABC News poll, 51 percent of respondents said Bentsen won while 27 percent favored Quayle; 22 percent called it a tie. Communications Prof. Holli Semetko, who specializes in media and politics, couldn't find any winner put of the debate, because, she said, ftey aren't truly debates but rather two press conferences going on multaneously." w Originally, Democratic presiden- tial candidate Michael Dukakis wan- ted four debates, but his Republican rival, George Bush, would only ac- cept two presidential and one vice- presidential contest. Dukakis agreed to the two debates when Bush threat- ened to cancel them all. Dukakis also agreed to Bush's format of a mod- erator and panelists. Any debate helps Dukakis, Sem- etko said. And for the public, she Bikers 'bustle at busy racks BY ROSS TANZER During peak class hours, bikes are chained to streetsigns, bike racks, lampposts, trees, and staircase rail- ings. But bikers say finding a safe secure place to lock a bike is becoming more difficult, and the number of rails is insufficient for the growing population of bike-riding students. "The bike situation is horrendous here. I can never find a parking rail, and I'm always forced to park against some sign or tree. We're just lucky not to be penalized for doing this," said David Kohnstamm, an LSA sophomore who has been riding his bike to class for the last year. But many students say some of the available racks are unsafe and make bike thefts easy. Bike racks in which only one tire is locked to a metal rod in a cement block are completely unsafe, students say. These racks are currently being re- placed, but the process is slow - only several are being replaced each year. ONE STUDENT said her bike was stolen from one of these cement blocks. "My entire bike was simply detached from my tire. And now I'm left with a tube of rubber," she said. Ninety-five bicycles were stolen koff University property last year, said Bob Pifer, assistant director of the Department of Public Safety. He said thefts totalled about $14,595 - based on an estimation of stolen bi- cycle prices - and only $2,797 has lince been recovered. The figures for 1988 thus far are ino better. Forty-five bikes are re- 'orted missing this year. The most updated bike racks are the single loop styles, separately in- stalled three feet apart, but the Uni- versity will not allot much money 'for these newer bike racks which cost $40 apiece, said Ken Wantee, "director of campus planning for grounds. He said these bike racks are :planned and included in the cost of new buildings. h added, "Some debates are better than no debates." The most memorable comment of the evening concerned former Presi- dent John Kennedy. When Quayle, an Indiana senator, said he had as much College Republicans President Larry Jazinski called the remark "a cheap shot," while Navid Mahmoodzad- egan, president of Students for Bush- Quayle '88, said it was "an act of desperation" on Bentsen's part. The debates weren't truly debates but rather 'two press conferences going on simultaneously,' -Communications Prof. Holli Semetko experience in Congress as Kennedy did, Texas Sen. Bentsen retorted: "Senator, I served with Jack Ken- nedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy." Kennedy served 14 years in Congress before he was elected pres- ident in 1960. Quayle has served 12, with the past eight in the Senate. While Bentsen's retort drew laughter and applause from the aud- ience at the debate, republican sup- porters believe the comment will hurt the Democrats in the long run. Both agreed that Quayle was the winner. He came into the debate needing to prove himself and was able to hold his own against Bentsen, Jazinski said. The Republican can- didate also showed that he was pas- sionate and knowledgeable, acting "under tremendous criticism," Mah- moodzadegan said. But Keith Brand, campus coordi- nator for Students for Dukakis, said the debate showed that "the notion of President Bentsen is thinkable while the notion of President Quayle is unthinkable." RUBIN LUZNAK/Doil MSA President Michael Phillips carries a sign protesting the confidetial presidential selection process. Protest Continued from Page 1 protesters." Steingraber said she was treated for a head injury and that she was released in two hours. University hospital officials said they could not comment on patients. While Steingraber lay on the ground, two campus security officers leaned over her - Public Safety Director Leo Heatley draped his coat over her - though she asked on- lookers to "get these cops away from me." At that point, Heatley threw LSA senior Cale Southworth, who demanded Heatley get off Stein- graber, to the ground and said he was arrested for interference. Southworth, a Daily opinion page co-editor, tried to escape, but assistant Safety Director. Robert Pifer handcuffed Southworth and es- corted car. him into an Ann Arbor police Pifer said he arrested Southworth for "assault on police officer who was administering first aid (to Ste- ingraber)." THE CROWD then surrounded the police car to prevent it from leaving. As the car started to back up, it nearly twice rolled over about 10 students sitting behind it. Ann Arbor police officers and campus se- curity officers dragged the protesters away from the car. The Ann Arbor Police arrested Rackham graduate student and Daily opinion staff writer Michael Fischer, who was sitting behind the car, and put him in the car with Southworth. Public Safety Security Supervisor Terry Seames - not in uniform and not wearing identification to indicate he was a campus security officer - dragged several protesters from be- hind the car. Seames would not comment, and campus security offi- cials refused to say whether their of- ficers were allowed to work without visible identification. Though many protesters resisted arrest, Police Staff Sgt. Norm Melby, a commanding officer at the protest, said the police officers only arrested the most active protesters. "ONE OFFICER can only make one arrest in some instances," he said. "And sometimes that means the person who was most frequently warned to discontinue their activi- ties. The protesters were removed from their locations several times before they were arrested." Ann Arbor Police Capt. Robert Conn, the other commanding officer at the protest, said Southworth was arrested for assaulting a police offi- cer, and that Hudson and Fisher were arrested for interfering with a police officer. Conn said no formal charges have been filed against the arrested students, who were released without bond. A BOLD STATEMENT """" i - STwo for $6.95 I Two 10" pizzas with two 1 I toppings for $6.95 plus tax. I I Additional toppings $1.09 I Expires 10/31/88 Ann Arbor stores only. 1 - © One coupon per order. 1 Vaid at paricipating stores only Not valid with any other offer, Prices may vary. Customer pays applicable sales tax. Limited del .sa avar are .udrivers carry less than $20.00. 1988 "" "" "''" P "i"z"""'"I""''" ""D"" ROBIN IOZNAK/Daily Overcrowded bicycle racks have forced people to lock their bikes to railings like this one JAYNE MILLER, the bicycle coordinator for the Parks and Recre- ation Department of Ann Arbor, or- ganizes bike events and tours for the city. "Whenever new property devel- ops, the site plan review board must investigate to see how many loops must be installed. Then they are re- quired to install a certain number of racks," Miller said. Pifer said that students can pre- vent money loss due to bike theft by registering their bikes with the city of Ann Arbor. In 1937 the city passed a law de- manding that all bicycle riders regis- ter their vehicles with the township police. The regents of the University have since adopted this code for all students to follow, said Pifer. But in front of East Engineering. many students are unaware of this code, or do not act on it. "Many bikes still remain unregistered, and that is why so many stolen ones cannot be found," said Pifer. "It's impossible to find a lost bike if students don't know its serial number. If a bike is registered, police can simply look for matching serial numbers." Bike registration entails filling out a form in the city clerk's office with the bicycle's model number. For $2.50, the registered bike is given a personal serial number which is engraved upon the body of the bicycle and remains the same as long as ownership doesn't change hands. 'Two for $6.95 I Two 10" pizzas with two I toppings for $6.95 plus tax. I Additional toppings $1.09 I [ EQExpires 10/31/88 Ann Arbor stores only. ®[W ,A One coupon per order. Valid at partcipating stores only. Not valid with any other offer. Prices may vary. Customer pays applicable sales tax. Limited delivery area. Our drivers carry less than $20.00. 1988 SDom.no s Pizza, Inc. MD - ---------- No one delivers more hot, fresh pizza than we do. In One thing is for sure: Nobody Delivers Better' than fnnn'rrk i7,' qia i Hours: I I