Ninety-nine years of editorialfreedom Vol. I C, No. 131 Ann Arbor, Michigan -- Tuesday, April 11, 1989 Copyright 1989, The Michigan Daily It's Official: Fisher is M' USSR ethnic unrest 'continues MOSCOW (AP) - Troops fired shots to disperse a rally yesterday in Soviet Georgia, and the Kremlin sent Foreign Minister Eduard She- vardnadze to try to end a week of ethnic unrest in the southern region. A general strike closed schools, stores and factories, and halted some mass transit in Tbilisi, the Georgian * capital of 1.2 million people, located 1,650 miles southeast of Moscow, residents said. The government newspaper Izvestia reported that cars moved through the capital Monday in a column with their horns honking, headlights on, and with flags of mourning for those killed in the strife. On Sunday, a clash between troops and pro-independence protestors killed at least 16 people and injured more than 100, according to Soviet officials. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Gennady Gerasimov said today had been declared a day of mourning. Without providing details, he said all the deaths announced Sunday were civilians, and they include 10 women and six men trampled when soldiers broke up the protest. The unrest and strike went on yesterday despite a ban on public gatherings, imposition of an 11 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew, and patrols by soldiers in tanks. As many as 1,000 people ignored the restrictions and massed at Tbilisi tate University at midday "to in- form each other about what was go- I ng on and decide what to do next," said Zurab Zhankarashvili, a member See Soviet, Page 5 Coach' NCAA victory brings coach handshake deal BY STEVE BLONDER Michigan already had a baseball stadium named Fisher, and now they have a permanent basketball coach by the same name. Michigan Athletic Director Bo Schembechler sur- prised no one, yesterday morning, when he announced Steve Fisher would have the interim removed from his title, and that he had been rewarded with an open-ended contract worth a reported $500,000 per year. Fisher's base salary i- believed to be in the neighborhood of $90,000 per year with the rest coming from basketball camp, television and radio shows, and other endorsements. "I do this knowing Steve will bring a fresh, new approach to the program," Schembechler said. "This man has my full support and he can count on me. This begins a new, fresh and exciting era of Michigan basketball." To Fisher, the past few weeks has been a dream- come-true beginning with the Wolverines run through the NCAA tournament and culminating in his being named coach. "The dream lives on," Fisher said. "I stated before to pinch me on Tuesday, but I don't want to wake up. This is the culmination of a dream-come-true. It defies description in words. "There is no finer job in America." Fisher also announced that assistant coach Mike Boyd will remain at Michigan as the top assistant coach, and that Brian Dutcher, who was a part-time assistant coach last season, will be retained on a full- time basis. Schembechler had a few choice words for those peo- ple who criticized him for not naming Fisher earlier. "I wasn't going to be pressed and I wasn't going to make an emotional decision," Schembechler said. "I was cool, calculating, and studying this decision from every angle. But it just kept coming up Steve Fisher. "He's my choice and I'm going to do everything I can to see he's successful." Privately, ex-coach Bill Frieder and his supporters had been saying a lack of support from Schembechler contributed to Frieder's decision to leave. No candidate besides Fisher was interviewed for the job, and Schembechler made his final decision Friday afternoon, after talking to, among others, other coaches and University President James Duderstadt. See Fisher, Page 8 DAVID LUBLINER/Daily a press conference Michigan athletic director Bo Schembechler and new head Basketball coach Steve Fisher rub elbows at today. Schembechler revealed the news of Fisher's appointment, which came as no surprise to anyone. Adam Schra r When Steve Fisher walked into Crisler Arena this morning to accept the basketball head coaching job at the Uni- versity of Michigan, he had to feel like someone who had found out about his surprise birthday party before it ever happened. After all, every single media outlet had reported that Fisher had received the job, making the actual naming as shocking as April's bad weather in Michigan. Fisher knew the end of the story, but enjoyed it anyway "I don't suppose it's any secret," Athletic Director Bo Schembechler said on his choice for head coach. "It's a real privilege for me to culminate my search for a new basketball coach by naming Steve Fisher the head basketball coach at the University of Michigan." Shock the world. Fisher, who has more tournament wins this season alone (six) than ex- coach Bill Frieder did in nine years (five), admittedly will make things dif- ferent than they were under his predec- essor. After the problems that Frieder had with the "Athletic Director," it is understandable why this nameless power figure would want a change. "Steve Fisher will bring a fresh new approach toMichigan," Schembechler continued. "He has my full support. He can count on me. I'm looking forward to a new, fresh, exciting era of Mich- igan basketball." See Rib, Page 8 Students rally to demand 3 action from'U' on racist fliers A BY MICHAEL LUSTIG Leaders of several student groups yesterday called on the University administration to respond to the sur- facing of racially-derogatory fliers on campus and the faculty vote which rejected a proposed required class on racism. The student leaders spoke at a back again," as long as such actions persist. - University Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Charles Vest and Vice Provost for Minority Affairs Charles Moody have released statements deploring the appearance of the fliers. Vest's secretary said the Provost was in 'The University hasn't been as public as it should be with how it is handling the incidents.' Barbara Ransby, UCAR member "The University hasn't been as public as it should be with how it is handling the incidents," United Coalition Against Racism member Barbara Ransby, a Rackham graduate student, said after the protest. She said the Tell Someone pro- gram is one way in which the Uni- versity encourages people to come forward, but she added, "we're not sure what happens once someone is told." Rackham graduate student George Liu, a member of the University of Michigan Asian Student Coalition, challenged University officials to take the lead in fighting racist atti- tudes and attacks. Jocelyn Sergeant of the Minority Organization of Rackham echoed Liu, demanding that the University "take steps to secure the safety of the entire population," which, she point- ed out, includes people of color. Zeid Zalatimo of the General Union of Palestinian Students men- tioned the first racist flier which ap- See Protest, Page 2 rally in front of the Fleming Ad- ministration Building, which about 50 students attended. Rackham graduate student Cathy Cohen, a member of People Orga- nized for Women, Equality, and Rights, said it is unfortunate that the University permits an environment in which racist fliers and attacks abound. She warned that protests "will be brought back and back and meetings all day yesterday and was not aware of the protest. An open meeting with Vest and Music School Dean Paul Boylan, head of the newly-formed Task Force on Campus Safety and Security, has been planned for Thursday evening. Students are invited to discuss their concerns about the recent incidents with administrators, the secretary said. Jernigan admits city can't make 'U' pay for damage Members of several campus groups - including the United Coalition Against Racism, the Black Student Union, and the Minority Organization of Rackham - protest on the Diag yesterday to demand that the University administration take specific action against the racist fliers found on campus last week. Groups gear for abortion case BY NOAH FINKEL Ann Arbor Mayor Gerald Jernigan acknowledged yesterday that the city cannot force the University to pay for the damage resulting from the NCAA basketball championship celebration on South University Ave. After. Michigan won the champi- flfl h1n rlt ate fn..nA n n.. tention to charge the University for the cost of damage to the city, Uni- versity President James Duderstadt said last weekend that the University will not pay. Though he realizes the University is not legally responsible for the damage, Jernigan said he will still send it a tabulated bill. WASHINGTON (AP) - Both sides in the abortion rights dispute are mobilizing to battle for the state legislatures that will decide the highly charged issue if the Supreme Court, reshaped by Ronald Reagan, re- treats from the 1973 decision legalizing abortions. "We are the majority," proclaimed Molly Yard, president of the National Organization for Women after a rally Sunday sponsored by abortion rights activists attracted at least 300,000 people to the nation's capi- tal. Police officials determined the 300,000 figure; 26. The ruling could significantly alter the court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which gave women the right to an abortion. If the justices, as expected, restore to the states some powers to regulate abortions, the high-stakes battles for state legislative control could have a pro- found impact on the ongoing battle to control the re- drawing of House districts to conform to next year's Census. The national Republican and Democratic chairs al-