. "br', 4".RO .W."A.A OPINION Grenada never was a threat 4 ARTS 8 SPORTS 11 Pick your own conclusion at Drood Michigan volleyball team's talent far exceeds results 'PYi9fi '/9'%h:;?Y+.?;,"'"%. }? #'s i %f£kz:tr'- ,", k:Y.+ :s::; :;'zy;'sxv:;:gz;.:x fk:i x : t Ninety-nine years of editorial freedom Vol. C, No. 36 Ann Arbor, Michigan - Wednesday, October 25, 1989 TS V MSA refuses to endorse letter chastising Daily MSA president calls for restrainment of PSC by Josh Mitnick Daily MSA Reporter The Michigan Student Assembly refused last night to support a letter drafted by mem- bers of the campus Jewish community that protests a recent article which appeared on The Michigan Daily's Opinion Page. The groups plan to print the letter as a paid advertisement in the Daily. The assembly was clearly divided over the issue of whether or not an article titled "In De- fense of the State," by Jewish theologian Mark Ellis, was anti-Semitic. The Daily has a policy of refusing to print letters which are racist, sexist, or homophobic. Communications Committee Chair Laura Sankey, who brought the proposal before the assembly, said she felt it was her responsibil- ity to represent the Jewish constituents who brought the issue to her attention. Referring to allegedly anti-Semitic and anti- Jewish articles that have been printed on the Daily's Opinion Page, Sankey argued that the article in question was not an isolated incident. by Karen Akerlof Daily Staff Writer Michigan Student Assembly President Aaron Williams announced last night he would request a restrainment order on the Palestine Solidarity Committee due to misuse of the assembly's name and possible breach of contract. "Members of the delegation have been making presentations and claiming to be the MSA delegation to the occupied territories," said LSA Rep. Ori Lev, who supported Williams' announcement. A restraining order would prohibit the PSC from receiving MSA funds and would hamper the group's publicity efforts. Williams said he would file the order today with the Central Student Judiciary, the judicial branch of the student government. A PSC proposal to MSA last year resulted in the funding for two University students - former MSA Rep. Mike Peterson and third- year law student Donald Blome - to attend a trip to the occupied territories on MSA funds along with other students. See MSA, Page 7 See DAILY, Page 7 Williams LaGROC takes MSA decisioi by Josh Mitnick Daily MSA Reporter The Lesbian and Gay Rights Or- ganizing Committee (LaGROC) ini- tiated a new effort yesterday to force the Michigan Student Assembly to derecognize a campus Christian group which it claims discriminates based on sexual orientation. In filing a complaint with the Central Student Judiciary (CSJ) - the judicial branch of the student government - LaGROC charged that MSA members who voted to recognize the Cornerstone Christian Fellowship (CCF) three weeks ago violated the assembly's constitution. MSA's Compiled Code forbids recognition of groups that practice discriminatory membership policies. to jud The gay and lesbian rights orga- nization is calling on the judiciary to overturn the assembly's decision to recognize CCF and is requesting the resignation of the 21 representatives who supported recognition. The dispute between campus ho- mosexuals and the fellowship has been an issue since last February, when CSJ ruled to derecognize CCF on the grounds that it discriminated on the basis of sexual orientation. By claiming their group had no membership restrictions and there- fore couldn't discriminate, CCF rep- resentatives successfully persuaded the assembly to renew the group's recognition - despite objections made by gay and lesbian students at the meeting. iciary Student groups must be receive official assembly recognition to get MSA funding and use Union office space. LaGROC spokesperson Linda Kurtz said by recognizing CCF, the assembly wasn't representing Les- bian and Gay males at the Univer- sity. LaGROC's legal counsel, James Marsh, said the complaint is an en- tirely new action having no relation to last year's events. Marsh, a third-year law student, cited a provision in MSA's constitu- tion that requires the resignation of representatives who violate policy in explaining LaGROC's call for such extreme repercussions. See LAGROC, Page 2 Soak it in A student spends a lazy few minutes getting a tan in the diag yesterday Minority retention discussion paper focuses on 'U' shortcomings By Marion Davis Daily Minority Issues Reporter "Financial aid has a direct impact on stu- dents' ability to persist in college... Finan- cial aid becomes especially important for students coming from low income families. Since a larger percentage of minority stu- dents come from lower socio-economic backgrounds, it stands to reason that finan- cial aid will continue to be an essential fac- tor in our retention efforts." - from a 1987 University Executive Of- ficers' discussion paper In 1987, a University Executive Officers discussion paper was written with the intent to explore means for improving minority re- cruitment and retention at the Uni It cited financial aid and car ronmaent as two of the crucial are, versity must address in order t goals for minority retention. Recently, Office of Financial, tor Harvey Grotrian praised the U increased financial support for mi dents. "Our packages are very c and sensitive to the University's g ating a multi-cultural, diverse env Grotrian said. "The family incomes and asse to be lower among minority stude than among families of non-mi dents... And this [financial need]i erman vorn in er his election, Krenz ned East Germany's allegiance nmunist orthodoxv despite versity. npus envi- as the Uni- o meet its Aid Direc- [niversity's inority stu- ompetitive foal of cre- ironment," ts continue nt families nority stu- is reflected in the allocation of financial aid." But the discussion paper pointed out the biases in the University's Uniform Method- ology formula - used by Financial Aid to determine parents' ability to contribute to education costs - which have a negative impact on minorities. For example, according to the report, a Spring-Summer savings expectation is used in aid package calculations. Minority stu- dents are less likely to find employment dur- ing the spring and summer, and when they do, their wages are often considerably lower than the norm, the report said. As a result, they frequently "fall short of the expected Spring-Summer savings from earnings." The paper recommended the establish- ment of specific "classification parameters" for summer income based on actual amounts, rather than a statistical prediction. This way, the University would be able to notify students when they fall below ex- pected summer earnings. LSA senior David Maurrasse, a financial aid recipient, said he was treated unfairly by the University's rigid Spring-Summer finan- cial aid assessment procedure. Maurasse said his 1989 financial aid was based on his 1988 spring-summer earnings. Because he took classes in the Summer of 1989, Maurrasse had no Spring/Summer earnings. Still, the University calculated his aid package based on his income level . from the previous summer. The University has not implemented the procedure outlined in the 1987 recommenda- tion. Grotrian pointed out that students, can apply for a re-evaluation of their financial aid. But under the current system, students are- unaware that they have not met the summer earnings expectations until after they return in the fall. By this time, most grants are no longer available. According to the report, the Office of Fi- nancial Aid has some procedures to correct these biases, but its ability is limited by fed- See MINORITIES, Page 2 New East G President sv BERLIN (AP) - Egon Krenz warned East Germans on Tuesday to stop street demonstrations, but 7,000 marched in East Berlin after dark to protest his election as president. Police directed traffic out of their way. The ritual election by the customarily docile parliament was made dramatic when 26 members voted "no" for the first time. In a speech afterward, Krenz said continuing weeks of pro-democracy protest could cause a "worsening of the situation, or confrontation." On Monday in Leipzig, more than 300,000 people marched in the largest protest of the nation's 40- year history. Aft reaffirn to Con the reform sweeping through the Soviet bloc. He also promised to investigate charges of police brutality against pro-democracy demonstrators earlier this month. Krenz was in charge of police at the time. Officials admitted for the first time Tuesday that police had attacked peaceful protesters. In a report carried by the official news agency, the government said: "There were instances where security officials exceeded their authority and illegal acts were committed against some of those detained." Relaxation takes on a i meaning by tan Hoffman Daily Staff Writer Move over, valium. Go home, Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Today's hippest way to relax requires a flotation tank. Opened last January, the Peak Performance Center, located near Briarwood at 2865 Boardwalk, offers two flotation tanks for the ultimate in relaxation. Floatation tanks were first developed 30 years ago to test the effects of total sensory deprivation on humans. The tanks are sound-proofed pod-shaped structures with a hatch door that prevents light from reaching users. In- side the temperature is 93.5 degrees - normal skin \ temperature. n The X8,500 tanks hold 125 gallons of water and are saturated with 1,100 pounds of Epsom salts. The salt buoys users near the top of the tank, allowing them to breathe freely and keep their muscular effort to a mini- mum. 4 These features create an unique environment virtually Bakker gets 45 years for bilking followers CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Fallen television evangelist Jim Bakker was sentenced to 45 years in o rison and fined $500,000 on Bob" after his reputation for1 sentences, particularly in sentences. harsh drug I TltT____ Aft _____ __.v____-_-1 I