Ninety-nine years of editorialfreedom
Vol. IC, No. 104 Ann Arbor, Michigan - Friday, February 24, 1989 Copyright 1989, The Michigan Daily
Divestment
case
dropped
in
state court
Greenthum b ROBIN LOZNAK/Daily
LSA senior Christen Martinez works on a project for her Biology 301 class in the greenhouse attached to the Natural Science building.
BY PATRICK STAIGER
The Michigan Supreme Court
ruled yesterday to end the Univer-
sity's six-year battle with the state
over a law requiring state colleges to
divest from companies operating in
South Africa.
Because the University's Board of
Regents already divested the holdings
from South Africa last October re-
quired by the state law, the court
ruled that the state's case was moot.
The University still holds large
investments in South African
operating companies not included
under the state law. These companies
include General Motors, Coca-Cola,
and International Business Machines,
which though have said they have
divested, still maintain indirect ties
to the country for profit.
Michigan Attorney General Frank
Kelly dropped the state's case against
the regents last October after the re-
gents divested. But in November,
State Rep. Perry Bullard (D-Ann
Arbor) said he wanted to continue
the case because the University could
reinvest at any time.
The Michigan Court of Appeals
ruled early last year that the law
violated the University's constitu-
tional autonomy and said Michigan
didn't have a public policy favoring
South African divestiture.
Regent Veronica Smith (R-
Grosse Ile) said, "I am pleased the
Supreme Court reached that decision
and I think it is a victory for the
University."
Brett McRae, counsel to the
House Judiciary Committee headed
by Bullard, said the Attorney General
agreed to continue with the case if
the regents ever decided to reinvest
its controversial stocks.
"It's regrettable that the Univer-
sity waited so long to divest. The
regents could have taken action a
long time ago, on their own,"
McRae said. "But better late than
never."
The regents decided to divest all
but $500,000 of its $50 million in-
vested in South African operating
companies in 1982 when they first
sued the state over the law, saying it
interfered with University autonomy
given in the 1963 state constitution.
Student activists and anti-
apartheid groups demanded that the
University divest from South
African-operating companies since
1969, in order to pressure American
companies to withdraw from South
Africa in protest of its apartheid
government.
In its decision, the Supreme
Court emphasized it was not sup-
porting the argument of either side
in the case, which could set an am-
biguous precedent for University au-
tonomy.
See Divest, Page 2
'GEO settles for
14% pay raise
BY SCOTT LAHDE
University graduate student
teaching assistants have a new con-
tract that gives them a 14.5 percent
salary increase over the next two
years.
The Graduate Employees Organi-
zation settled tentatively with the
University late Wednesday night af-
ter about five weeks of negotiations.
GEO bargaining spokesperson
Stefan Koch said the increase was
"acceptable," and more than ex-
pected. The increase prompted the
bargaining team to scrap its current
efforts to limit class sizes and abol-
ish the "ten-term rule."
The University has opposed all
GEG-proposed policies to limit class
sizes and ban the ten-term limit for
TAs.
"We were very concerned in get-
ting a salary increase," Koch said,
because the University would not
offer the salary increase during 1986
bargaining.
The University offered a salary
increase of 9 percent for 1989-90 and
5.5 percent for 1990-91 because its
"aim for the last couple of years was
to increase financial aid packages for
graduate students," said Coleen
Dolan-Greene, assistant vice presi-
dent for academic affairs.
University officials will deter-
mine the costs of the salary increase
when they formulate next year's
budget.
The GEO Steering Committee
has yet to decide whether they will
recommend the agreement to its
1,800 members.
The current GEO contract expires
March 1, and the new one will go
into effect when it is approved by a
membership vote.
Late Monday and Wednesday
nights, GEO members bargained the
University's counterproposal. "The
membership is not satisfied with the
University's proposal submitted
Monday," GEO President Don
Demetriades said during Wednesday's
membership meeting. "And we
strongly support class size (policies)
See GEO, Page 2
Rice and Robinson star as
Michigan beats OSU 89-72
BY ADAM SCHRAGER
SPECIAL TO THE DAILY
COLUMBUS - "Our players
have good memories," said Ohio
State coach Gary Williams after last
month's 99-73 Michigan drubbing
* of the Buckeyes in Ann Arbor.
Well, after last night's 89-72
Michigan victory in Columbus,
Williams hopes his team contracts a
new disease called Michiganamnesia,
or forgetting all about Michigan.
Glen Rice scored 30 points to
lead the No. 13 Wolverines, who
with this victory recorded their sixth-
straight 20-win season under coach
Bill Frieder, while giving the
Buckeyes their second-worst loss of
the season.
"We were upset after our loss to
Indiana," Rice said in reference to
last Sunday's controversial one-point
defeat in Bloomington. "We took it
out on Ohio State... and it's not
over yet."
In one of his better games of the
season, point guard Rumeal
Robinson scored 16 points and
tallied nine assists. Robinson, who
has been criticized for being an out-
of-control player, ran the fast break
with precision, combining driving
layups with a wide assortment of
fancy passes.
"The player-of-the-game in my
mind is Rumeal Robinson," Frieder
said. "He made great decisions in the
open court and just played a great
all-around game."
"Rumeal Robinson... he's a great
player," his Ohio State counterpart
See Rice, Page 8
.Financial woes close State
movie house indefinitely
BY JUDITH ABRAMS
After 57 years, the State Theater closed its doors to
the public last night because of financial problems.
Hogarth Management, an Ann Arbor-based real es-
tate company, will purchase the theater on Feb. 28
from its current owner, George Kerasotes Corporation
of Springfield, Illinois. Kerasotes sold the theater be-
cause it was no longer economically viable, said Roger
Hewitt, Hogarth general manager.
Hogarth plans to re-open the theater's two upstairs
screens while converting the first floor into retail
space. Retail businesses should open in the fall and the
company hopes to restore the upstairs theaters within a
year, Hewitt said.
The five students standing in line last night had
mixed reactions to the State's closing.
"I'm bummed. It's so convenient and I don't have a
car to go any where else," said graduate student Paul
Pappas.
But James Williams, a member of the Cinema
Guild, was glad to see it go.
"Well, I never really liked the theater anyway," said
the LSA junior. "Maybe this will boost attendance at
See State, Page 2
ROBIN LOZNAK/Daily
Hop In
Laurie Dingle stocks shelves at the new Hop In on South University. The store will be open 24 hours
a day starting next Tuesday.
Council approves implementation
of solid waste task force report
Senate committee
'rejects John Tower
INSIDE_
WASHINGTON (AP) - The
Senate Armed Services Committee
voted yesterday to reject John
Tower's nomination as defense
secretary, splitting 11-9 along party
lines as it handed President George
Bush the first major defeat of his
administration.
* The full Senate is expected to
and suggested Tower was held to too
high a standard.
In Tokyo, where Bush was
attending the funeral of Japanese
Emperor Hirohito, White House
spokesperson Marlin Fitzwater said
the president was sticking by Tower,
and "there's no consideration of any
change.neriod."
Why do you sit where you sit?
JusticeCn risler Arena,
See Opinion, Page 4
Buddy Guy's bent a few strings
and broken a few egos in his time,
See Arts, PageS
The Michigan hockey team faces
Miami-Ohio this weekend, but
eyes next weekend's playoffs at
BY KRISTINE LALONDE
In response to a growing solid
waste problem, the Ann Arbor City
Council unanimously approved a
resolution to establish four new re-
cycling centers and a compost waste
facility by this summer.
But many councilmembers voiced
concern over money constraints on
the program's implementation.
"We really do have a budget crisis
in the solid waste department." said
councilmember Kathy Edgren (D-
Fifth Ward).
Four recycling
centers to open
revenue flow that we had when we
(implemented) the task force."
Because the council did not fore-
see the budgetary problems the
completion dates for the recycling
centers and the compost facility were
pushed back. Councilmember
Thomas Richardson (R-Fifth Ward),
the hill'e cnnnncr cirI k-eis c ;'
pickup per household. If the one-can
limit is exceeded, a fee will be
charged.
The result of such a fee may be
increased incentive to recycle and
less garbage output.
Some councilmembers disagreed
proposing a variable fee because it
was too specific.
"To not name other things is to
be exclusionary," said councilmem-
ber Ann Marie Coleman (D-First
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