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Ninety-nine years of editorialfreedom
Vol. IC, No.97 Ann Arbor, Michigan - Wednesday, February 15, 1989 Copyright 1989, The Michigan Daily
Corp.to
pay for
Bhopal
disaster
NEW DELHI, India (AP) -
Union Carbide Corp. agreed yester-
day to pay $470 million to the gov-
ernment of India in a court-ordered
settlement resulting from the 1984
gas leak at Bhopal that killed more
than 3,300 people in the world's
worst industrial disaster.
Activists in Bhopal denounced the
settlement as a betrayal of the
20,000 victims who still suffer from
exposure to the deadly gas that es-
caped from a pesticide plant on Dec.
3, 1984. The government had sought
$3 billion in damages.
Chief Justice R.S. Pathak inter-
rupted a government prosecutor's
routine argument when the court re-
convened after lunch, and ordered the
U.S.-based multinational company
to pay the damages by March 31,
attorneys for the government and
Union Carbide promptly agreed.
"It was apparent that there was an
out-of-court agreement between
Union Carbide and the government,"
said a court official who spoke on
condition of anonymity. "For such
an order there should have been ex-
citement, but there was no murmur
even."
"It wasn't entirely out of the
blue," said another source, who also
spoke on condition of anonymity.
Patnak, citing "the enormity of
human suffering," said a settlement
was needed to "provide immediate
Faculty policy
Ion
harassment
is amended
BY MARION DAVIS
An 18-member committee has
released a revised draft of a Univer-
sity policy which, if approved,
would provide explicit guidelines
regulating faculty and staff discrimi-
nation and harassment.
Interim Director of Affirmative
Action Mary Ann Swain, who
chaired the committee that drafted the
original policy, said the new draft
represents a variety of viewpoints
and is an improvement over the old
draft.
"We got an awful lot of people
thinking they have a good way to do
things," Swain said.
"I think it addresses all of the
concerns and comments that have
been received," said Affirmative Ac-
tion Program Director Virginia
Nordby, a drafting committee mem-
ber. She said the comments the
committee received were very helpful
in making the draft a good policy.
The policy has been through sev-
eral revisions since it was first pro-
posed in July.
The Senate Assembly established
the re-drafting committee in Decem-
ber to make changes that would
make the policy more clear and con-
sistent. The policy was then sent
back to the original drafting
committee for revision.
Genetics Prof. Peter Smouse, a
member of the re-drafting commit-
tee, said that although the revised
draft is not a carbon copy of the draft
endorsed by the Senate Assembly in
January, it is similar but for a few
minor changes.
"I think we've reached the point
that we have to put (the policy) in
place," Smouse said, adding that the
true test of the policy will be to see
it in action.
"We got an awful lot of
people thinking they have
a good way to do things"
-Mary Ann Swain,
Interim Affirmative
Action Director
But several "substantive" changes
were made to the original version of
the policy, according to a memo sent
to Assembly members by the re-
drafting committee.
In the Assembly version, for ex
ample, appeals on decisions were to
be made to the University president.
But under the revised policy, appeals
would be made to the vice president
of the appellant's department.
See Faculty, Page 2
JESSICA GREENE/Dolly
Strumming at the Ark
John McCutcheon plays to a packed audience at the Ark. Children relax to the music up front.
and substantial relief."
More than 2,000 people were
killed almost immediately when the
white vapor of methyl isocyanate
seeped from a storage tank at the
plant operated by Union Carbide's
Indian subsidiary and drifted over
nearby shantytowns and into Bhopal.
The leak occurred shortly after
midnight, and some victims died in
their sleep. Others, blinded by tears
and gasping for breath, tried to flee
but collapsed in death.
More than 20,000 people still
suffer from exposure to the gas and
victims continue to die at a rate of at
least one a day, according to a gov-
ernment gas relief board. It says the
death toll has reached 3,329.
Pathak, speaking for a five-judge
Supreme Court panel, ordered Union
Carbide to pay $470 million to the
Indian government "in full and final
settlement of all claims, rights and
liabilities related to and arising out
of the Bhopal gas disaster."
He also ordered all civil proceed-
ings transferred to the Supreme
Court, and eliminated all criminal
charges.
Taylor out for season
and Pelinka to guard
L
Calip
Student groups
combat AIDS
BY STEVE BLONDER
Bill Frieder has been telling
everyone who will listen, and then
some, about his backcourt problems
this season.
The guard position became even,
weaker yesterday, when arthroscopic
surgery revealed Kirk Taylor had a
totally torn anterior cruciate
ligament and partially torn medial
and lateral meniscii.
In laymen's terms, Taylor will
require further reconstructive surgery
and then must undergo a year of
rehabilitation before being able to
play basketball, according to trainer
Dan Minert. Minert refused to make
a prognosis on Taylor's basketball
future.
"I feel badly for Kirk, not for
me," Frieder said. "He was really
just starting to come into his own.
This will probably cost me three or
four victories and maybe a better run
in the NCAA tournament, but that's
meaningless to me."
Frieder also said yeaterday guard
Rumeal Robinson may need off-
season surgery to repair ligament
damage in his right thumb.
THE TASK of spelling Robin-
son, and providing the necessary
defensive and shooting help, now
rests squarely on the shoulders of
sophomore Demetrius Calip and
Rob Pelinka, who is in his first
'M' hopes
season at Michigan.
Each has distinct strengths to go
with their lack of experience.
"Calip is a fairly good ball
handling guard, but we will be hurt
defensively with him on the floor
because he's under 6-feet. He has
worked hard in practice... and he has
really hung in there, considering he
hasn't played much," Frieder said.
Calip, who was academically
ineligible for the Big Ten last year,1
has been averaging 0.1 points per
game, having seen limited playing
time in conference play. But still,
Calip feels he can overcome his lack
of game experience.
"Obviously I'm excited, and I
Taylor
-..out for season
need to turn that excitement into
productive excitement," Calip said.
"I'm always self confident, and my
confidence will grow as I get playing
experience."
CALIP played an instrumental
role in Michigan's double-overtime
See TAYLOR, Page 11
BY STACEY GRAY
AND NOELLE SHADWICK
Several student groups concerned
with increasing awareness of AIDS
are working together as part of the
Michigan Coalition Against AIDS
to sponsor lectures and programs
around campus.
Members of the Health Law So-
ciety, Michigan Cares, Lesbian and
Gay Rights Organizing Committee
and a medical student group will
sponsor a lecture by Public Health
Prof. Dawn Smith on women, chil-
dren and AIDS next Monday.
The lecture is the first to be
sponsored by the coalition, which
recently formed to provide more ef-
fective AIDS information to the
For more AIDS coverage, see
page 5.
Overview of campus AIDS
research
AIDS education programs at
University Health Services
and University Hospital
campus community.
The coalition will help coordinate
programs so that one group's activi-
ties do not conflict with another's.
"There hasn't been a lot of coor-
dination," said Bill Asyltine, a
member of the Health Law Society.
"People have been planning events
and not really telling people about
See AIDS, Page 5
MSA committee tries to contact constituents
BY ALEX GORDON
Every term each student pays $6.32 to
fund the Michigan Student Assembly, yet
many have no idea what it does. Composed
of representatives from each school at the
University, MSA is more than Tuesday
night meetings, battles with the
administration, and bi-annual elections.
To understand what MSA does, "you
have to look into the committees and
committee work" said Communications
Committee chair Rob Bell, an LSA
sophomore. There are 12 committees,
ranging from Health Issues to Budget
Priorities to Minority Affairs.
Most MSA members say committee
work is the foundation of the Assembly.
"Ninety percent of what goes on is com-
mittee work," Bell said. Beginning with
today's feature .on the Communications
Committee, The Daily will periodically
highlight the work and ambitions of the
MSA committees.
Communications
Committee
The riders of the Pony Express used to
risk their lives and limbs delivering mail to
residents of the old West.
Since those days, there have been nu-
merous improvements in transmitting
messages - from the Carrier Pigeon to the
telephone to the fax machine. Yet commu-
nicating today can still be as difficult as it
was in 1850.
The MSA Communications Commit-
tee's mission is to increase communication
between assembly members and the con-
stituents they represent. But that task can
sometimes be as difficult as getting a letter
delivered safely from St. Louis to San
Francisco in 1850.
Times may be changing for MSA,
though. MSA recently set up a CONFER
program on the University's MTS system,
initiated a two-week publicity drive, con-
ducted a scientific survey of students, held a
safety symposium, and revamped the MSA
monthly Campus Report.
LSA Rep. James McBain said he hopes
students will offer ideas for the assembly
on the CONFER program. The program,
which is accessible to students through
normal MTS accounts, already features dia-
logue on issues, suggestions, and even
gripes about MSA members.
Laura Sankey, a Music School
representative, said she wants administra-
tors like University President James
Duderstadt to participate in the conference.
MSA has attempted to start CONFER pro-
grams in the past but Sankey said the ef-
forts have failed because MSA representa-
tives never participated.
"MSA, Students working for YOU" is
the slogan of a publicity drive that the
committee began last week to increase
MSA's name recognition around campus.
The drive includes posters, signs on dorm
cafeteria tables, banners, and bus signs.
In addition, MSA members are meeting
with dorm councils as part of the drive.
Communications Chair Rob Bell said these
sessions have "really brought out what the
real problems are." At a recent meeting at
Mosher-Jordan hall, McBain said the ques-
tion asked by most students was what
MSA does with its money.
The Communications Committee is
trying to take a more targeted approach than
in the past towards increasing campus
safety. Tomorrow night will be the first of
a two-part Safety Symposium to "gather
student input on safety issues," said LSA
Rep. Gretchen Walter.
See MSA, Page 2
Carnations and condoms team up
for St.
Valentine's
BY KATHLEEN GRIEM
Some University students gave candy
to their Valentines yesterday. Some sent
roses. And some gave condoms.
Are condoms as romantic as roses?
Probably not. But the University Health
Services and Planned Parenthood believe
that their annual Valentine's day camnanin
Hershey's kisses, a Valentine's
assorted safe sex brochures, an
red carnation. Maize and blu
were also available, two for a do
"We don't want anyone to
we're promoting sex," said Cara
UHS contraceptive education c
"This nroaram is directed at tho
Day campaign
Day card, ages. "It seems like you get a lot for a
d a pink or dollar."
e condoms The campaign, which raised over one
ltar. hundred dollars for Planned Parenthood's
think that AIDS education program, was scheduled to
lyn Paden, celebrate National Condom Week. Na-
oordinator, tional Condom Week was started ten years
se students ago at the University of California at
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