4r IEUU& Ninety-nine years of editorialfreedom Vol. IC, No. 25 Ann Arbor, Michigan - Wednesday, October 12, 1988 Copyright 1988, The Michigan Daily Campus gays honor AIDS activists 'coming BY LISA WINER The "rap National Gay Rights Advocates sion, the and a magazine entitled, "The out" stori Experience Weekend," declared yes- "I thin terday "National Coming Out Day" mophobi in an effort to increase the visibility other rap of the more than 20 million gay men Sue Bake and lesbians in this country, said a asked to NGRA report. tioned w And Mike Peterson, an Alice and gay Lloyd Resident Advisor, commemo- question :rating the day, attempted yesterday to homopho increase the visibility of gay males "I thin and lesbians on campus with a "gay opinion. rap" in a student lounge. The Lesbian like radi( and Gay Males Program Offices open mi sponsor "gay raps," which are forums one," sai for students and others to share their attended feelings and beliefs about gayness. pened to, "I see a tremendous need for peo- cided to s 'ple to become more aware,"'said Pe- But f terson. "The freshman are very ho- Vigder :mophobic." (homoph The gay rap, which drew nearly 40 help feel people, began with an ice breaker learning that examined how accepting of ho- really he mosexuality the participants were. dice.". out pers," who led the discus- -n told their own "coming ies. nk some more blatant ho- c things came out then in s I've done," said rap leader ker. One participant, who remain anonymous, ques- hy "lesbians look like men, men look like women" - a the rap leaders considered bic. nk that it hard to voice (my) As heterosexuals, we looked cals... I didn't go in with an nd, and I still don't have d one first-year student who the rap because they hap- walk by the lounge and de- stay. first-year student Cheryl said "I know that obia) is wrong , but I can't ing a little prejudice. I think about people who are gay Ips you deal with that preju- blast ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) - Hundreds of demonstrators, demand- ing easier access to experimental drugs for people with AIDS, blocked entrances to the Food and Drug Ad- ministration's headquarters yesterday, prompting police to close the build- ing to arriving employees. Vito Russo, a New York writer who said he was diagnosed with AIDS in 1985, said the demonstra- tors did not want the FDA to top testing drugs, but to move faster and make AIDS drugs available as soon as it is determined they are safe - rather than waiting to judge their ef- fectiveness as well. "The side effect of AIDS is death," Russo said. Montgomery County police, some wearing clear plastic gloves, arrested at least 100 demonstrators - taking more than six hours - for blocking entrances. F DA. Most of the arrested protesters elected to walk to the waiting police buses, where they were handcuffed with plastic ties. A few chose to be dragged and were accompanied by pairs of officers. Four men climbed atop two of the buses and huddled under blankets whipped by a chilly wind. Police did not attempt to remove them until they wanted to move the buses. The police handcuffed the men, who re- fused to leave the rooftop, and dropped them through hinged sky- lights into the compartments below. At least two glass door panels were broken during jostling between surging crowds and police during the early minutes of the protest. Police allowed demonstrators wearing armbands designating them as medical personnel to go onto the buses to check on those already handcuffed and arrested, some wearing lettered shirts saying they had AIDS. 'Associated Press Police arrest 100 AIDS activists protesting the Food and Drug Administration's policy on releasing drugs for AIDS victims. MSA . focuses on 'U' ~Council BY KELLY GAFFORD In an attempt to reconvene the University Council and decrease the gap between students, faculty and administration the chair of the faculty's governing body, Beth Reed, offered comments during the Michigan Student Assembly meeting last night. Last year the University Council - set up to develop rules and regulations governing the University community - disbanded after faculty, students, and administrators in the group were unable to reach a concensus. Julie Murray, chair of the assembly's Students Rights Committee proposed that a mediator be hired to help resolve conflicts that arise between the administration and students. The assembly will vote on this proposal next week. Murray also suggested that all parties involved act upon a good faith effort to complete the task of developing a mechanism for a policy which governs conduct at protests. She said that all participants must be willing to negotiate and consider options other than the ones they initiated. In order for the University Council to reconvene successfully, Murray said, MSA must not work towards eliminting the protest policy. If MSA passes this proposal and U Council reconvenes, students will have a voice in developing rules and regulations governing the University body, said Murray. This "good faith effort" with the University Council will send a message to the University Board of Regents that Bylaw 7.02 requiring the University Council is workable and should be reinstated, said Murrary. Futhermore, the recent deputization of campus security officers shows the need for more student input in the implementation of rules on campus, stid MSA members. The assembly yesterday passed a resolution against campus security using semi-automatic weapons on campus. See MSA, Page 5 Peace Corps volunteers frankly assess experience BY ANGIE CHEN On October 14, 1960, John F. Kennedy stood on the steps of the Michigan Union and proposed the idea of the Peace Corps to a cheering student audience. Since then, Peace Corps volun- teers have been helping developing nations around the world. Today, more than 5200 volunteers serve in over 60 nations in Latin America, the Carribean, Africa, Asia and the Pacific. They work in a variety of fields, from agriculture to engineer- ing, business management to natural resources. The Peace Corps has a recruiting office at the International Center on campus. They are looking for skilled Americans willing to dedicate two years working in a developing na- tion. Students like Linda Zurick, LSA senior, are interested in the Peace Corps for "the experience, and the introduction to a different culture." Bob Zofkie, Engineering senior, says, "I've pictured it as my last chance to do something productive for the world." But would-be volunteers must re- alize the dedication and commitment that is required. "The first thing I try to do is discourage them," says David Cohen, volunteer and University alumnus. "The Peace Corps is not something you play around with. You don't sign up unless you're sure." The experience can be rewarding, but it has difficulties as well, volun- teers say. Sometimes, they are placed 'The first thing I try to do is discourage them.... The Peace Corps is not some- thing you play around with. You don't sign up unless you're sure,. - David Cohen, volunteer and University alumnus. in countries whose governments may be committing human rights viola- tions. But, said one volunteer who served in Paraguay, "You have to ask (yourself) 'Are you going to quit be- cause of that?"' Melissa MacKenzie, former vol- unteer, feels that the Peace Corps is sometimes used as a political tool. As an example, she cites the rising number of volunteers in Central American countries such as Hon- duras. "Sometimes, volunteers are placed there not because that country needs them, but because the U.S. govern- ment feels that it needs a greater American presence there," she says. Maintaining one's health can be a major problem for :a Peace Corps volunteer. Cohen contracted malaria last year. He almost died on New Year's Eve. "But that was my fault," he says. "I went on holiday in West Africa and caught it there." Despite that, Cohen is extending his two-year stay to three years. Other volunteers have different feel- ings about the Peace Corps. One of them is David Longseth. Longseth was assigned to teach En- glish in Morocco, and he withdrew from the Peace Corps after two months. He felt that his work was not making the impact he had hoped to make. "Morocco didn't need English teachers," he says. "They needed more concrete, more tangible help. I got very little support from the trainers, the staff, from the Peace Corps itself." He also had little sup- port from the Moroccans. "In Mo- rocco, there's a certain attitude against developing. It's 'leave every- thing into Allah's hand."' ALEXANDRA BREZ/Doily Law students held a candlelight vigil last night to lobby the Supreme Court's ruling in a case it will hear today. Group holds civil rights vigil BY VICTORIA BAUER Rights Act, protects women and mi- statute as an effort to merge the A small group of law students norities from discrimination in pri- statute with Title VII of the1964 held a candlelight vigil last night to vate contracts. The statute was last Civil Rights Act concerning em- voice their concerns about the U.S. upheld by the Court in 1976. ployment discrimination. Supreme Court's ruling of a civil If the court reverses the statute, Victims of discriminaton must rights case that it will hear today. channels for filing discrimination file a suit within six months of the The vigil, held in front of the Ann cases could be limited, Anderson incident under Title VII. But under Arhn - A rn Rnli r enrt o,. an,,i i t,,n e,.tt-ta th: n. ..... - ;: nn .:m ,:m:. an Algerian protests subside as prices fall ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) - Protesters stayed off the streets yes- terday after a week of violence that killed more than 400 people, but the young men who led the revolt against economic hardship remained angry and impatient. Tanks and soldiers guarded areas Algiers during the night and govern- ment stores sold the food to all com ers at subsidized prices. Butter that was available only on the black mar- ket last week, at $4.30 a pound, could be had for $1.75. No official casualty toll has been released. but reports from hosnital. I