Ninety-nine years of editorial freedom
Vol. IC, No. 91 Ann Arbor, Michigan - Tuesday, February 7, 1989 Copyright 1989, The Michigan Daily
I
City to ask
*voters for
Headlee
rollback
BY NOAH FINKEL
Ann Arbor voters will get a chance to cut the city's
$1.6 million budget deficit in the city's April 3 gen-
eral election.
Last night, the city council passed an 8-2 resolution
to submit a proposal for a partial rollback of the
Headlee Amendment to the voters.
The, Headlee Amendment to the Michigan
Constitution stipulates that property taxes cannot
grow faster than the inflation rate without a special
city-wide vote.
If voters approve the partial Headlee rollback, the
city's general fund stands to gain $600,000 more than
if the city assesses property taxes within the Headlee
restraints. Proponents of the rollback argue that this
will likely solve the city's budget crunch.
The council tentatively approved a proposal in Jan-
uary to send the partial rollback to the voters on the
Feb.-20 city primary ballot, but then agreed to hold off
on the ballot request.
Councilmembers cited a lack of time to build sup-
port for the proposal and an expected miniscule turnout
on primary election day as reasons for the postpone-
ment.. .
But councilmembers said last night it is time to
give the voters the chance to roll back the Headlee
Amendment and cut the deficit.
"We're giving the voters the choice at the proper
time," said Tom Richardson (R-Fifth Ward). Richard-
son said there will be a large turnout for the April
election due to a "hotly contested mayoral race."
Richardson said although "there probably remains
some fat in the city budget," he favors the rollback
because if no new revenue is found, then across-the-
board budget cuts will have to made by the city.
"We should put it to the voters if they want those
cuts," he said.
The city currently has 13 vacancies in the fire de-
partment and 4 positions in the police department that
it cannot fill because of the deficit.
Ann Marie Coleman (D-First Ward) said "one of the
things people expect from the city is good services...
the responsible thing is to put (the rollback proposal)
on the ballot to get the citizens to tell us what they
want."
However, Terry Martin (R-Second Ward) and Mark
Ouimet (R-Fourth Ward) broke ranks with council and
voted against requesting the rollback.
"I do understand the realities of a budget crunch...
(but) the Headlee Amendment was put in place to con-
trol government spending," Martin said.
"I truly believe it is belt-tightening time on the old
city ranch," she said.
LSA faculty
to
vote on
II
racism class
BY MARION DAVIS
At the LSA falculty's monthly
meeting yesterday, Philosophy Prof.
Peter Railton proposed that the LSA
faculty adopt a graduation require-
ment concerning race, ethnicity, and
racism. If approved by the faculty,
University Course 299 will become
a graduation requirement for all LSA
undergraduates entering the Univer-
sity, beginning in fall of 1990.
University Course 299 was
drafted over the past year by a com-
mittee of 20 faculty members from
departments such as anthropology,
biology, economics, English, lin-
guistics, philosophy, sociology, and
others.
"The people who put this to-
gether feel that the study of racism is
important," said English Prof. Buzz
Alexander, a member the of Univer-
sity 299 drafting committee.
Their proposal was sent to the
LSA Curriculum Committee, which
made a few changes in the structure
of the course, but maintained the
basic format of the draft.
The proposal was then sent to
the LSA Executive Committee,
which is making substantive
changes in the structure of the
course, Alexander said. The Execu-
tive Committee's proposal, for ex-
ample, may not provide for an over-
sight committee as does the
Curriculum proposal.
The Curriculum Committee rec-
ommends that an oversight commit-
tee, including seven faculty members
and two students, be established to
oversee the syllabus for the course.
The committee would also determine
whether certain courses should count
toward satisfaction of the graduation
requirement.
Both proposals will be presented
in the next faculty meeting.
In his proposal yesterday, Railton
explained that he was "convinced by
evidence from this campus and oth-
ers, and from society at large, that
racial discrimination and its legacy
remain a significant obstacle to
achieving the central goals of a lib-
eral arts education."
Stressing that topics of this na-
ture are often discussed by students
with potentially hostile or insensi-
tive attitudes, Railton told faculty
the course will furnish a badly
needed forum for students to discuss
questions of race and racism in an
informed way.
"Students are often relieved to
find that topics can be discussed ex-
plicitly in the classroom, where new
information and critical debate can
enlarge their understanding in an at-
mosphere of civility," he said.
The Curriculum Committee pro-
posal mandates that a student take at
least four hours of classes on racism,
which will be taught by teams of
two professors from different de-
partments.
Print Sale DAVID LUBLINER/Dolly
LSA junior Shelia Patterson (left) browses with Engineering Sophomore
Karen Mines yesterday at the African-American print sale in the Union.
The sale is one of many events being held to commemorate Black History
Month.
Governor
BY PATRICK STAIGER
Governor Blanchard pledged to make
education the focal point of his State of the
State address tonight, and said he will out-
line plans to place computers in every class-
room and reward college professors for
excellence in teaching.
But an increase of only one percent be-
low the rate of inflation in the State Budget,
which Blanchard will release Thursday,
means the University will probably not see
a substantial increase in state funding.
The University bases its budget on the
state's allocation and additional revenue,
speech to focus on education
including student tuition. For
this fiscal year, the Regents
approved a budget which asked
the state for an increase of two
percent above the state growth
rate, and included a planned
tuition increase of nine percent.
But the tuition increase was
based on an optimistic six per- Blan
cent state growth rate. If the
University increases its spending by $51
million next year, according to the budget
approved by the Regents, the state's 3.5
percent growth rate would have to be cov-
ered by an 11 percent increase
in tuition.
Traditionally, University ad-
ministrators request funding far
in excess of realistic expecta-
tions, and then take what the
state provides and make up the
difference with tuition increases.
Basing the University budget
on state growth marks a slightly
Robert Holbrook. "What we said about the
budget in October was what wdhoped to
work with in Octob2r. Obviously, this is
February."
The Governor's address will include
proposing a S50 million plan to put a com-
puter in every classroom in the state, and a
new Teaching Excellence Fund to reward
college professors, according to B lanchard's
Press Secretary, Tom Scott.
Scott said Blanchard will propose some
increases in higher education spending.
Some proponents ofincreased education
See State, Page 2
chard
different strategy.
"We're waiting to see what the governor
says, and go from there," said Associate
Vice-President for Academic Affairs
City officials search for ways to reduce waste
BY KRISTINE LALONDE
Second in a three-part series
Bill Weinert started his new job yester-
day. Topping the list of things to do left by
the Ann Arbor City Council was an admo-
nition to "Take care of the city's landfill
crisis."
The city is running out of room for its
garbage, and officials hope to implement a
program that will reduce the volume of
waste disposal by 90 percent in the next 11
years.
Weinert, as the city's manager for waste
recovery and reduction programs, is in
charge of managing this multi-million dol-
lar program.
Many waste reduction projects must be
implemented if the city is to reach the 90
percent goal. City officials stress that their
immediate focus is on recycling, compost-
ing and waste reduction.
Most Ann Arborites will have little
problem adjusting to recycling; the city al-
ready has the highest recycling participation
rate in the state.
"There's a general overwhelming sup-
port for comprehensive recycling," said
councilmember Liz Brater (D-Third Ward).
Twenty-five percent of all single family
households participate in recycling on a
monthly basis. Nearly half of the house-
holds participate at least once a year.
Mike Garfield, the Environmental Issues
Coordinator for the Ann Arbor Ecology
Center, which runs the Recycle Ann Arbor
Program, said the center has difficulty
meeting the demand for recycling.
"People are calling us like crazy these
days." he said. "We are so besieged with
calls we can't keep up with it."
Task force members hope increased
recycling participation will reduce waste
volume by 25 percent by the year 2000.
To achieve this percentage the group
proposes recycling education programs, ad-
ditional drop-off stations around the city,
and an increase in the number of curbside
pick-ups.
The Ecology Center, however, wants the
city to go a step further and has proposed a
city ordinance requiring citizens to recycle.
The ordinance would require residents to
save their recyclables; Garfield said al-
though the ordinance would impose a max-
imum fine of $25, it would be an educa-
tional rather than punitive measure.
"Even though there would be penalties,
they wouldn't be meted out very often," he
said. "The reason to have fines is really an
See Waste, Page 2
Polish govt. may
.legalize Solidarity
House vote may halt
congressional pay raise
WARSAW, Poland (AP) - The
government's top delegate to historic
talks with the opposition opened the
first session Monday by offering to
legalize Solidarity if the union
agrees to economic and political re-
forms.
Interior Minister Gen. Czeslaw
Kiszczak, seated opposite Solidarity
leader Lech Walesa, called for the
opposition to participate in Poland's
government.
Fifty-seven delegates from the
government, the opposition and the
Roman Catholic Church gathered for
the talks at the ornate Council of
Ministers Palace, the building where
the Warsaw Pact was created.
The delegates met for about three
hours and issued a short commu-
state-run news agency PAP reported.
Walesa blamed Poland's eco-
nomic and political crisis on a lack
of freedoms, but said he sensed the
government was ready for change,
state-run TV reported.
Known as the round table, the
talks are the first between Solidarity
and the government since the union
was suppressed by the martial-law
crackdown in December 1981.
"If we work out at the round
table...a confirmed consensus on the
idea of non-confrontational elections
as well as support for planned
political and economic reforms, there
will be an immediate possibility" to
allow more than one trade union to
exist at a given factory, Kiszczak
said.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The
speaker of the House, Jim Wright,
caved in yesterday to opponents of a
51 percent congressional pay raise,
conceding "the majority has spoken"
in demanding a vote that will likely
keep senators and representatives
from getting any increase.
Wright had planned to let the
raise take effect tomorrow, then have
the House vote the day after to scale
it back to 30 percent.
Yesterday, however, after oppo-
nents won a dramatic vote to keep
the issue alive on the House floor,
he relented and said the chamber will
vote today.
One leading opponent of the
raise, consumer advocate Ralph
Nader, said wright's capitulation
$135,000 under the proposal.
The raises,were recommended by
a presidential commission. The
commission, formed in 1967, meets
every four years to recommend pay
levels.
A House vote will require coordi-
nation with the Senate, which voted
95-5 for a more complicated rejec-
tion measure last Thursday that in-
cluded a plan to roll back the in-
crease for Congress and the executive
branch officials.
The turnaround came after pay
raise opponents mustered a 238-88
majority against a House Democratic
leadership motion to adjourn.
"The chairman of the House
Democratic Caucus, Bill Gray, D-
Pa., said members feared a vote to
hike.
A weekend Gallup poll indicated
overwhelming public opposition to
the pay raise.
Walesa
.opens formal talks
Politburo, said if Solidarity were le-
galized, it "cannot return to old ruts,
becoming the source of anarchy and
tensions."
Walesa "accepted all of Kiszczak's
64