In Weekend Magazine: Special Issue: Tip-off 1988-89 Ninety-nine years of editorialfreedom Vol. IC, No. 52 Ann Arbor, Michigan - Friday, November 18, 1988 Copyright 1988, The Michigan Daily _ ..vi Latinos doubt Duderstadt's 'diversity' 'We have to ensure that the rhetoric of the Michigan Mandate turns .into reality.' - Barbara Argumendo, chair of the Hispanic Alumni Council BY JONATHAN SCOTT In response to complaints stem- ming from errors in the University's 1987-88 minority affairs report, Uni- versity President James Duderstadt told members of the Latino commu- nity at the monthly regents meeting yesterday that "no matter how hard we try, we will make mistakes." Anne Martinez, president of the Socially Active Latino Students As- sociation (SALSA), told Duderstadt and the University's Board of Regents she was "very unhappy and dissatis- fied" with the outcome of Monday's meeting with the president. "There was a glimmer of hope when you met with us. You were the 'great white hope' for us," she said. "But when you pushed us away, it hurt. If not you and the Michigan Mandate, then who?" MARTINEZ said Duderstadt failed to see the scope of Latino problems on campus. Of the 85 Latinos cur- rently enrolled at the University, she said, 40 will not get degrees because they are continually discouraged by the administration's lack of concern with Latino problems. "The administration is complacent to let the students carry out the pro- gram of diversity on campus," SALSA member Carlos Manjarrez said. "We want to work with you," he told Duderstadt and the regents. "We don't want to workfor you." Barbara Argumendo, chair of the Hispanic Alumni Council, said stu- dents should not have to bring con- cerns to administrators because administrators are the ones being paid to deal with Latino problems. See Latinos, Page 5 'No matter hard we try, we will make mistakes.' - University President James Duderstadt Regents support 'U Council BY STEVE KNOPPER The University's Board of Regents has reaffirmed its support for the panel that writes conduct rules for stu- dents, faculty, and staff - the same panel some administrators dismissed last summer as "unproductive." Last summer, the regents voted to suspend the Uni- Versity Council until next July unless it could come up with rules to make itself more effective. But yesterday, ithey complimented a proposal by the faculty's Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs and the I. Michigan Student Assembly to reconvene the council. "Whether this works or not, it's hard to say," Univer- sty President James Duderstadt told the regents during their monthly meeting. "I think the important thing is that people are coming to the meeting with good will." MSA PRESIDENT Michael Phillips said the council's student members would still oppose conduct rules, but they would be more willing to compromise. "Students have shown they're ready to come to the table aind still keep their agenda," he said. "Students haven't. sold out." Until now, the council's future was in doubt. When the regents voted to suspend the council, they accused students of stonewalling against conduct rules. But students criticized the regents for not listening to the student body, which has consistently voted against the code of non-academic conduct in MSA-conducted polls. Students said the regents were hasty in dismissing the council instead of making it more effective. In the past, council members have left meetings in frustration because neither side was willing to compro- mise. BUT YESTERDAY, the regents pledged their support for the new council proposal, written by SACUA. chair Beth Reed and Phillips. The proposal in- cludes a mediator to resolve conflicts and a secondary committee, which would vote on rules in case the coun- cil reaches an impasse. Several regents, however, took issue with the pro- posed mediator. "Arbitration is a real nice cop-out, and probably doesn't achieve a whole lot," said Regent Philip Power (D-Ann Arbor). "Things get kicked to arbitrators, and arbitrators split it straight down the mid- die." But Regent Thomas Roach (D-Saline) disagreed. "Arbitration can be a fair, economical, and speedy way to resolve disputes," he said. "Just don't let the arbitrator fabricate the bargain." See Council, Page 5 Urules TA waiver taxfre~e BY LISA POLLAK can interpret the waiver as a non- Months of frustration and sus- taxable fringe benefit." pense ended for University graduate GEO. President Don Demetriades student teaching and research assis- credited University lobbyist Tom tants yesterday, when University of- Butts "with being instrumental in ficials said GSA tuition waivers are convincing the Michigan Congres- tax-exempt under a new federal tax sional delegation that tax waivers won in contracts are not necessarily Although Congress passed its tax compensation." bill more than three weeks ago, the Several members of Congress said announcement was delayed while last month that the new bill would University attorneys and outside allow non-taxable waivers. counsel interpreted the bill, which "This is a victory won on all lev- said the waivers would be non-tax- els: from the TAs getting together to able only if they were not pressure the administration, to the compensation for services. Congress showing that tax-free Some TAs had feared their full tu- waivers don't preclude collective bar- ition waivers - because they are gaining," Demetriades said. guaranteed in the Graduate Employ- The TA waivers have been taxable ees Organization's contract with the since early 1988, when the original University - would be considered federal tax exemption code expired. taxable compensation for services. At that time, teaching assistants But John Ketelhut, interim Uni- faced the possibility of seeing their versity general counsel, said a clause $560 average take-home monthly pay in the tax code allows for non-taxable drop $150 to $200. "qualified tuition reductions." While the University optimisti- "If the students received the waiver cally waited for Congress to re-enact and not a salary, then the waiver the exemptions this year, it paid would be taxable," Ketelhut said. taxes on behalf of the GSAs and "But if we see their salary as billed them for the amounts. Had 'reasonable compensation,' then we See Waiver, Page 5 Voters say "no4F.:.. Going for Blood File Photo Michigan defensive tackle Mark Messner, shown here against Ohio State last year, will be looking for blood in his last regular-season collegiate appear- ance. Today is also the last day you can donate blood in the annual battle be- tween the two schools. The winner will be announced at halftime. Bhutto winls-majorit in Pakistan elect ion KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) - Benazir Bhutto's populist party defeated the right wing in the first free election since a coup ousted her father 11 years ago, and she expressed con- fidence yesterday that she can form a majority coalition. Ms. Bhutto said her Pakistan People's Party "has emerged as the largest single party" in the National Assembly as a result of Wed- nesday's parliamentary election. "Given consultations with different groups and independent people, we are confident that we can get a simple majority," the 35-year-old political leader declared after arriving in this southern city for coalition talks. She would be the first woman ever to lead a Moslem nation. Her party captured 92 seats in the 237- member assembly, compared with 55 for the nine-party conservative Islamic Democratic Alliance. The alliance includes supporters of Gen. Mohammed Zia ul-Haq, the military president killed in a plane crash. 'U' Prof projeCts * conomic slowdown BY MIGUEL CRUZ that he is lip-synching." WITH WIRE REPORTS Hymans' predictions in past year Current economic growth trends have almost always been borne out b, will continue for the next two years, the actual figures, with the exception but at an increasingly slower rate, ac- cording to forecasts revealed yesterday See Outlook, Page 2 by two of the University's top economists. . University economics Prof. Saul i D Hymans and his collaborator, adjunct. lecturer in economics Janet Wolfe, " Yssir Arafat, chair f offered their predictions at the annual s n Liberation Organiz- Conference on the Economic Out- uld be issued a U.S. look, held in the Rackham amphithe- yis t speak at the United Na- afte tions Hymans is the first person to re- See Opinion, Page 4 ceive for two consecutive years the o and the Bobs: Two for the Silbert award, given annually to the mice of one- in more ways than economist with the nation's most ac curate predictions. 6ne'ts7., way' to MSA pay BY KRISTINE LALONDE Students overwhelmingly voted against paying their student govern- ment officers in this week's Michigan Student Assembly elections, while sweeping six Student Rights candi- dates into office. Of 2,200 voters, 92 percent voted 'no' on a referendum that would allow MSA's president, vice president, and treasurer to be paid. "People were uneducated to the reasons why they should compensate their executive officers," said MSA President Michael Phillips, who had introduced the referendum. "People don't know what the executive offi- cers do." Another referendum, to replace the standing Development Committee with a Committee for Health Issues, passed with 85 percent of the vote. In the race to fill nine LSA as- sembly spots, junior Zack Kittrie won the largest plurality with 176 Kittrie ...gets most votes In the engineering college, Inde- pendence party candidates Dan To- bocman, a senior, and Aaron Williams, a junior, won their second terms as representatives. Junior Bryan Mistele of the Practical Party also won a seat. Kittrie, an incumbent, said of the new assembly, "I'm hoping the criti- cal issues will be dealt with by MSA: keeping tuition down, working on decreased classloads, increased aware-