Vatican decides on Auschwitz convent VATICAN CITY (AP) - The Vatican said yesterday that a convent on the site of the Auschwitz death camp that has offended Jewish groups should be moved and that it would help pay to construct a new prayer center away from the camp. The statement from the Vatican's Commission for Religious Relations with Judaism was the first public declaration by the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy and clearly had the approval of Polish- born John Paul II. The controversy has severely strained Catholic-Jewish relations and resulted in a highly unusual pub- lic split among Catholic cardinals. In its communiqu6, the Vatican{ 'diplomatically but firmly rejected the position held by Poland's primate, Cardinal Jozef Glemp, who has been accused of making anti-Semitic re- marks recently and has called the proposed removal of the nuns "a scandal." In New York, the World Jewish Congress hailed the Vatican's state- ment, saying it would improve Catholic-Jewish relations. "We welcome this very important step in restoring the good word of The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 20, 1989 - Page 3 Neglect may cause deaths in asylums LANSING (AP) - The review of deaths that occur in Michigan psychiatric facilities is inadequate, legislators said yesterday in request- ing improvements from Mental Health Director Thomas Watkins. The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Mental Health asked Watkins to review the process after looking at a list of deaths that occurred over the past year in the hospitals. The state has spent $335,500 since 1981 on mortality research among psychiatric patients in Michigan hospitals. Several guide- lines have been put in place since the studies began. In 1988, 86 mental patients died in state institutions, including 30 whom hadn't been expected to die. The number for 1987 was 70, and in 1986 it was 75. In the first half of this year, 37 have died. In 1988, 85 developmentally disabled individuals died, including 27 unexpected deaths; in 1987, there were 77 deaths; in 1986, 69 deaths. Causes of death include suicide, pneumonia, cancer and complica- tions from AIDS. The committee members had several questions about the data, par- ticularly why autopsies weren't per- formed for some unexpected deaths and for which causes could not be de- termined. For, example, a 55-year old woman died early this year at Clinton Valley Center. Authorities could not determine the cause of death, yet didn't perform an autopsy. Watkins said family members of several patients refuse to allow aq- topsies to be performed, though au- topsies are ordered in every death that is unexpected. Rep. David Hollister, D- Lansing and a member of the com- mittee, noted that many of the "expected" deaths could have resulted from insufficient care, and still should be investigated. The Vatican said yesterday that this Roman Catholic convent of Carmelite nuns, near the Auscwitz death camp in Poland, should be moved to another site, as Jewish groups have sought. the church," said Elan Steinberg, the World Jewish Congress' executive director. "It's time to move on and implement the agreement." In February 1987, Jewish and Catholic representatives agreed in Geneva to move the Carmelite nuns from the convent at the edge of the camp site in Poland. Jewish groups say they are offended by the presence of the convent and a 23-foot cross at the Auschwitz-Birkenau site, where an estimated 2.5 million Jews were killed during Hitler's campaign to annihilate the Jews. The nuns were to be moved by February, but the deadline passed and no prayer center was erected. On Aug. 10, the archbishop of Krakow, Cardinal Franciszek Macharski, an- nounced he was suspending the agreement because Jewish protesters had created an "atmosphere of ag- gressive demands." Glemp fueled the controversy by saying the accord should be renegoti- ated and that the Polish church lacked money to build a prayer cen- ter. The Vatican's communiqu6 em- phasized that the nuns should be moved to the new center. Health & Fitness ] I I New group discusses multi-racial issues POWERHOUSE GYM by Wendy Shanker Discrimination isn't always a Black and white issue, according to the organizers of one campus group. Being a part of a multi-racial family or being involved in a inter-racial relationship often entails living with another kind of prejudice. The Multi-Racial, Multi-Cultural Group was formed as a support group to reach out to students and faculty in those gray areas, said Karen Downing, assistant librarian and coordinator of the University's Peer Information Counseling program at the Undergraduate Library. "It's a blessing to be brought up in two different cultures," recalled Downing, who has both a Black } parent and a white one. "On the other hand, it can be a curse. When you come to the U of M, you are asked to choose, 'What are you?"' She said she noticed the need for the group in March, 1988, when two speakers came to the UGLi to raise awareness on discrimination and racism. One speaker described a similar group in California created for people who weren't only Black, white, Asian-American, Native American, or Latino, but a mixture of these races. Downing said she realized then that "that would be a fantastic thing to have on this campus - something that would help a lot of people." After she contacted the Minority Student Services office and spoke to counselors who have dealt with racial identity problems, she formed the Multi-Racial, Multi-Cultural Group one year later, in March 1989. LSA senior Donovan Grey said he joined the organization because he was looking for an optimistic minority support organization. "A lot of people believe in the 'color hype' - all Black, all white. We get people to see there are gray areas; it may help a bit to break stereotyping." Initial group dialogues have covered multi-racial backgrounds, difficult racial situations, and inter- racial relationships. Future plans include film discussions and involvement with other minority student groups. "One of the problems of being multi-racial is that people see us as a threat," Grey said. "We are looked upon as watering down the purification of the races." This year's first Multi-Racial, Multi-Cultural Group meeting will be on Thursday, September 21st at 12:00 noon, in room 3200 of the Michigan Union. The meeting is open to everyone on campus, of all backgrounds and cultures. For more information, call Karen Downing during library hours at 764-4479. * School Special* $179.00 - Now until May 1, 1990! ANN ARBOR - Open 7 days a week - 6000 Sq. Ft. workout space - Streamline Equipment - CoEducational Facility - Showers, Whirlpool, Sauna - Personal Trainers 2865 Boardwalk 662-2643 [1 Brilliant. Brilliant work. Apple's most powerful personal computers enable you to create it. As your scintillating thoughts pour out of your genius mind, you can instantly edit, organize, revise, THE LIST even cfhange fonts for that perfe ~~C) What you see will be brill 2bKickoff Sale. Come to the Comp -, Sale Hands on Display at the Mic ct paper. .i iant. ~ uter Kickoff higan Union What's happening in Ann Arbor today Il Meetings College Republicans; Mass meeting; Clark Durant; Republican +Candidate for U.S. Senate will speak; MLB Aud.3; 7 p.m. Michigan Economic Society; Mass Meeting; 140 Lorch Hall All Majors Welcome; 4:30 p.m. Latin American Solidarity Committee; Mass meetings; Pendleton Room in the Union; 8 p.m. Hill Street Cinema; Meeting at U of M Coalition; Mason Hall; Asian Students Mass meeting; 2413 6:30 p.m. on the ground floor. With Computer Kickoff prices, you can afford brilliance. "Introducing Objectivism"; a video by Leonard Peikoff; sponsored by the UM Students of Objectivism; Pond Room at the Union; 7:30-10:30 p.m. Furthermore English Composition Board peer tutors availat.e; Angell-Haven and 611 Computing Centers; Sundays through Thursday 7 to 11 p.m. Introduction to Career Planning & Placement; CP&P Library; 4:30 to 5:00 p.m. S A F E W A L K - Nighttime Walking Service; Seven days a week; 102 UGLi; 8 p.m. to midnight; 936-1000 rpfal a v.-n Rae Z Dno Brilliant Options Mac Plus Mac SE* Mac SE/30* Mac IICX All Mac SE models now have Apple's new "Superdrive" to read MS-DOS, OS/2 and Apple II files. Mlacintosh. Dominick's; 6 p.m. Mitzvah Project; meeting; at Hillel, Street; Upper Lecture p.m Bi-weekly 1429 Hill Hall; ; 6:30 Public Service Intern Program Mass Meeting; Rackham Auditorium: 6:00 to 7:30 n.m.