w 4vrtgan 71vili 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 w - =