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Ninety-nine years of editorial freedom
Vol. IC, No. 116 Ann Arbor, Michigan - Tuesday, March 21, 1989 Copyright 1989. The Michigan Daily
MSA PARTY POSITIONS
Mandatory Class:
v Conservative Coalition: Opposes requirement
a Students' Choice: Supports requirement
Student Power: Supports requirement, but expanded to incorporate other types
of discrimination
4 United Students: Supports requirement
Student tuition increases:
* CC: Lobby for alternative funding sources for the University besides raising
tuition and petition the private sector for a possible MSA scholarship
a SC: Lobby for legislation to require the University's Board of Regents to set
tuition during winter term (rather than in the summer)
W SP: Work with students and administrators to cut costs at the University
US: Lobby on local, state, and federal levels; student participation on University
President James Duderstadt's new task force looking at university spending
Communication with the student body:
a CC: Hold MSA meetings around campus, increase advertising on MSA issues;
officers meet with representatives of student groups, all MSA members have
MTS accounts
i SC: Initiate programs for MSA's Communications Committee: Campus Report
newspaper, the MSA Talks (MTS program), and scientific student surveys
* SP: Hold meetings around campus, post meeting agendas at various locations,
have executive officers from all campus student governments meet monthly.
US: Establish student advisory board to the MSA president, pay for a weekly
column in the Daily, have MSA representatives atttend meetings of student {
organizations
Elections for MSA officers begin today
BY ALEX GORDON
Judgment day has arrived.
Today and tomorrow, students will visit the
polls to choose a new Michigan Student Assem-
bly president and vice president.
Four parties are running candidates for the top
spots: Aaron Williams and Rose Karadsheh
(Conservative Coalition), Rob Bell and James
McBain (Student's Choice), Julie Murray and
Ahmar Iqbal (Student Power), and Zach Kittrie
and Fredericka Bashir (United Students).
MSA elections '89
Each party is also running a number of candi-
dates for representative spots. Nine LSA seats are
up for election, as well as several from the
Schools of Engineering, Business, Rackham, and
other colleges.
Three candidates are running as independents
for LSA representative seats, and a fifth party,
the Abolitionists, is running five candidates for
representative seats in LSA and Business.
Student apathy has reigned in past elections.
Last year, about 2,500 students voted and in
1986, about 5,300 students voted in the MSA
presidential race. Ten years ago the story was
still the same - only about 5,000 students par-
ticipated.
However, in past years students have turned
out in higher numbers to vote on resolutions.
This year's ballot features three such resolutions.
The Public Interest Research Group in Michi-
gan (PIRGIM) is up for its annual attempt at se-
curing student fees for funding. This year, PIR-
GIM is requesting a $2 fee from each student to
be included on tuition bills.
If students pass this proposal, PIRGIM would
collect the fee for two years. Students who do not
support PIRGIM, however, would be able to re-
quest that their money be refunded.
Last year, students narrowly voted down au-
tomatic funding. Previously, PIRGIM received a
refundable 75-cent fee from each student.
The other two ballot issues this year deal with
changes in the MSA Constitution. One would
allow members of MSA's Minority Affairs
Commission to elect their own commission
chair. Presently chairs of all committees and
commissions are elected by the assembly.
The second referendum is a new proposal for
removing MSA representatives from the assem-
bly for legal or ethical violations. The amend-
ment would call for an assembly member being
removed if an investigative committee and two
thirds of MSA representatives recommend it.
The removed assembly member would be al-
lowed to appeal his dismissal to the Central Stu-
dent Judiciary, the student judicial body.
Many see this year's elections as critical. The
new president will have to lead the assembly in
battling rising student tuition and improving re-
lationships with the University's Board of Re-
gents. Earlier this semester, the regents threat-
ened to cut off MSA's funding, but decided to
delay a decision until after the MSA elections.
LASC
protests
bias in
media
BY LAURA COUNTS
"Smile when you vote in a sham
election" was posted on some of the
10 honking cars which circled
downtown Ann Arbor yesterday to
protest media coverage of events in
El Salvador.
Simon Glickman, a member of
the Latin American Solidarity
Committee, said, "It is the
responsibility of the press in a
democracy to get to the bottom of
events that the government is trying
to obscure."
The protest, which ended in the
Ann Arbor News office, was orga-
nized by the LASC, the Michigan
Student Assembly's Peace and Jus-
tice Committee, and the Homeless
Action Committee, as part of
Central America Awareness Week.
See LASC, Page 2I
ARENA
party
wins
elections
in
El Salvador
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador
(AP) - Alfredo Cristiani, who has
tried to end memories of his right-
wing party's links to death squads
that killed thousands of countrymen,
was recognized as the victor yester-
day in the El Salvadoran presidential
elections.
Fidel Chavez Mena, candidate of
the incumbent Christian Democrats,
conceded and told a news conference,
"I have called him personally to
congratulate him and express my de-
sire that God illuminate him in
governing the country."
Cristiani, of the Republican Na-
tionalist Alliance, or Arena, will
take over from President Jos6
Napoleon Duarte on June 1. Al-
though Duarte was one of the United
States' top allies, he was unable to
end nine years of civil war with left-
ist rebels that left 70,000 dead.
In Washington, the State De-
partment said it was prepared to
support the new Salvadoran govern-
ment, but only if it protects democ-
racy and human rights.
"Our relationship with that new
government will depend on its
adherence to democracy and respect
for human rights, the twin pillars of
our approach to El Salvador," said
department spokesman Charles
Redman.
Asked whether the United States
accepted the results, White House
Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater
said: "I'don't think we've reached a
judgement about the validity" of the
results.
U.S. Ambassador William
Walker denied an Arena .victory
See Election, Page 2
Protestors display signs during a car caravan organized by the Latin American Solidarity oA UiNE.Thy
protest was part of Central American Awareness Week.
Students
BY VERA SONGWE
Second of a two-part series
Recently 12 student leaders at the Uni-
entral American Forum
focus Guatemala
versity of San Carlos, Guatemala, received
death threats made in the name of a newly
formed death squad. In this country, stu-
dents, like most of the population, are for-
urge public
bidden to criticize the government.
"People hear about El Salvador and other
Central American countries and talk about
it but often forget about Guatemala," said
Ingrid Fey, a member of Women for
Guatemala and an LSA junior.
Guatemala is Central America's largest,
most populous country and one of the most
complex. It has a centuries-long history of
almost uninterrupted rule by a military
caste and a small economic elite.
Guatemala, even more than El Salvador,
is a garrison state. In comparison with the
armed forces of El Salvador, the degree of
power that the Guatemalan military exer-
4
to help end
cises in the country it purportedly protects
is truly astounding. More than any other
Central American country, the Guatemalan
military is the most important part of the
country's political system.
"I think it is really important for stu-
dents here to realize that we can put pres-
sure on the U.S., to make the rulers of
these countries respect the basic human
rights of their citizens," Fey said.
Internationally isolated after almost 30
years of de facto military rule and facing a
badly deteriorating economy, the army de-
cided to turn the government over to civil-
ians. In late 1985, Christian Democrat
human rights abuses
Cerezo Arevalo was elected to a five-year
term. Cerezo's backers say there is much
more political freedom in Guatemala today
than there has been in decades. Neverthe-
less, many believe that the political eco-
nomic system and violence that has existed
for so long cannot be changed quickly and
that Cerezo will have accomplished much if
he completes his term and hands his office
over to another elected civilian.
"The military is making sure that any
change that is too radical is not allowed to
take place," Fey said.
Throughout his term, Cerezo has main-
tained only a tenuous grip on the presi-
dency in even the best times.
In September, 1988, with the enactment
of the 1989 fiscal year foreign aid bill, the
congress granted $9 million in nonlethal
military aid to Guatemala. It stated that
U.S. funds were provided to encourage
progress "with the understanding that the
countries defence forces will respect the
human rights of the citizens of Guatemala."
"We need international attention and it
does make a difference. We can obtain the
release of student leaders we really have to
make the most of the freedom we have in
this country to help people get their basic
human rights," Fey said.
City privacy law
passes first reading
BY KRISTINE LALONDE
The Ann Arbor City Council
passed the first reading of an
ordinance that would strengthen the
rights of local tenants at last night's
weekly meeting. But the passing is
only a step towards the council's
final vote on the proposed ordinance.
"This is an excellent first step
along the way in eventually having a
much needed ordinance in Ann
Arbor," said Elizabeth Radcliffe, a
member of the Tenants Privacy
Coalition, which drafted the
ordinance.
The ordinance would require
landlords to give tenants a 72-hour
written notice and obtain tenant
permission before entering the
dwelling. The ordinance also
contains clauses regarding sexual
harassment of tenants.
"From my perspective the reason
fnr tic nrr non no ci the ,. an 4'.jc. ,,
"There are very legitimate issues
that have been raised," said
councilmember Kathy Edgren (D-
Fifth Ward). I think we all, in
passing this, agree there is a
problem that needs to be addressed."
The proposal passed 8-3.
See Privacy, Page 3
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