BigT For Better or... ...For Worse I enma: First in a five-part series by Andrew Gottesman and Adam Schrager Daily Staff Reporters y still 1 { ' S YJ tf 1 I, ' ,, \f . " , i 4 0 1990 T HE MICHIGAN DAILY Contrary to public perception, Penn State may never be a member of the Big Ten Conference. Though many have labelled it a "done deal," differences in opinion between officials and faculty at Penn State and the Big Ten schools have cast doubt upon the final outcome regarding the admittance of Penn State to the conference. Big Ten presidents extended an "invitation" last December to the University Park, Pa., school to join the conference. But many are not convinced the idea of admitting Penn State is practical or beneficial, and a significant number admit it is too premature to say whether the deal will actually transpire. "My feeling is - at least I hope this is the case - is that it's not a done deal," Minnesota Athletic Di- rector Rick Bay said. "Once (certain) questions are answered, there will be enough information for the presi- dents to take an official vote on whether to add them to the confer- ence." But Penn State officials believe they are only ironing out details before an inevitable "final imple- mentation" of the plan to join the Big Ten, as stated in a Dec. 19 Penn State press release. The conference issued a release the same day, which was identical but for the substitution of unspecified "further action" for "final implementation." Administration, athletic depart- ment, or faculty members from nine of the Big Ten schools believe there is still some doubt as to the finality of the deal. The University of Ill- inois is the only conference school united with Penn State in saying the Nittany Lions will definitely be joining the Big Ten. "If you went to Penn State, what you'd find is they believe they're in the Big Ten," said Walter Harrison, University of Michigan Executive Director of University Relations. "I said to (Penn State Executive Direc- reject tor of University Relations) Roger Williams, 'I want you to know what (University of Illinois President Stanley) Ikenberry is saying and what you're saying is not the same as what we're saying." Penn State's perspective is reiter- ated by Steve Garban, the univer- sity's Senior Vice President for Fi- nance and Operations. "We know that it will have to be done over some period of time," Gar- ban said. "Our feeling is that we're very anx-ious to have this as soon as possible. We look forward to being part of the Big Ten." The Council of Ten, the Big Ten's presidents and ruling board, can admit another school into the conference with a majority vote. The presidents discussed Penn State's inclusion at their bi-annual meeting in December, but disagree- ment is rampant as to whether they agreed to simply investigate the mat- ter or to formally incorporate Penn State. Not only is the status of the deal confusing, but the process creating Penn this problem was equally cloudy. According to all sources, Penn State's admittance to the Big Ten was discussed, after years of specula- tion, at the Dec. 10-11 meeting. The presidents cited Penn State's ability to help the Big Ten spur intercol- '... there are no memoranda of understanding at all. Nothing has happened and that's the honest to God truth' - Purdue University President Steven Beering State the end of that week to decide whether there were any flags [ob- stacles]," Michigan President James Duderstadt said. But the presidents never finished their investigation because of a Chi- cago Tribune story Dec. 15 - four The Big Ten has yet to put the ring on Penn State's finger... and may never do so. Tomorrow: Was it a Presidential initiative or a power-play?" legiate reform, its high academic standards, and the potential for in- creased East Coast exposure as reas- ons which merited the exploration. The Council decided to study the matter further. "What we would do is each of the presidents would go back and touch bases on their campus - with their ADs [Athletic Directors], their governing boards, their faculty reps - over the next several days and we'd then have a conference call at days before their week-long probe had ended - stating Penn State had been invited into the conference. In order to protect Penn State from media and public speculation, the presidents affirmed the Tribune's story and temporarily dropped their investigation. "We did not want them [PSU] walked out on a limb and then sawed off," Duderstadt said. "Ikenberry, See PENN STATE on Sports Monday's back page . .7 spoIT Men swimmers compete in NCAAs Women's Big Ten gymnastics championships Wrestling NCAA championships OPINION Stand up for the First Amendment 4 ARTS You can't wipe Oscars on the side of a couch 5 Ninety-nine years of editorial freedom Vol. C, No. 116 Ann Arbor, Michigan - Monday, March 26, 1990 CopyrightO 1990 The Michigan Daily Protesters demand more child care at 'U' by Eric Phillips Williams: policy approaches code by Noelle Vance Daily Administration Reporter On the Diag Friday, about 150 people demanded that the University provide better child care on campus to students, faculty and staff. The protest, sponsored by the Alliance for Campus Child Care, attempted to raise awareness about inade- quate child care services offered to University. students and employees, said Alliance member Bobbie Simson, an LSA sophomore. LSA junior Vanessa Hansle spoke about the hard- ships she has faced while simultaneously paying for her son's care and her own education. "I work a full time job when it's available just to pay for day care. I have often had to make a choice between going to school and paying for day care. What kind of choice is that?" State Senator Lana Pollack (D-Ann Arbor), the keynote speaker for the march, said as a University stu- dent in the sixties she used to bring her children to ral- lies such as this one. "Child care was an issue then, and that was 25 years ago." "Women are no longer able, willing and sometimes interested in being confined to caring for their children, but this is no indication of a lack of commitment to their children," she added. After the rally on the Diag, about half the protesters, accompanied by two Ann Arbor policemen, marched to the Fleming Administration Building to deliver peti- tions calling for better child care to President Duder- stadt. However, the marchers were not allowed to go to Duderstadt's office. Instead, they were channeled into the regents' meeting room, where director of University Re- lations Walter Harrison addressed their concerns. One protester shouted at Harrison, "We don't want to meet with somebody in PR, we want to meet with somebody who makes policy!" See CHILD CARE, Page 2 The newest policy proposed by University President James Duderstadt is one more step in President James Duderstadt's movement to- wards a code of non-academic conduct, Michi- gan Student Assembly President Aaron Williams said yesterday. The policy would regulate the forms stu- dents could use to express their opinions in all areas of the University campus. Duderstadt announced the policy last Thurs- day at the University's Board of Regents meet- ing. He said a six-member committee of stu- dents, faculty and staff will formulate the pol- icy. But Williams said MSA - which is re- sponsible foir appointing student members to University committees - may not appoint students to the committee. "We feel it's another policy further reducing freedom on the campus," Williams said. Williams said MSA was concerned the admin- istration was implementing policy after policy until it had enough to build a code. "The University administration is going to be here a lot longer than we are," Williams said. "The policy-forming committee is one more step towards a code." Any policy regulating students' expression needs to be broad, said Assembly member Michael Donovan, an engineering senior. "We should try to be as tolerant as possi- ble. The administration wants a simplistic pol- icy on a complex issue," he said. Donovan said that while he personally thought the shanties had lost much of their meaning and had be- come nothing more than "piles of wood" he understood students had a broad range of views on the issue. "We cannot have Duderstadt just come out and say this is the policy... (though that) seems to be the current trend," he said. "If he can't get what he wants, he says this is what it's going to be." The decision to form a policy followed ex- pressions of concern by members of the Uni- versity's Board of Regents that the shanties were "unsightly." The shanties have been erected at different times in the last four years by various campus student groups to focus students' attention on the issues of racism, discrimination, and op- pression. Since their construction, the shanties have been battered, burned and destroyed; students have called them unsightly; and the issues for which they stand have been hotly debated within the campus community. Today, an anonymous group of students is even calling for the shanties' complete removal. The shanties are not beautiful because the struggles they represent are not beautiful, said Zeid Zalatimo, an LSA sophomore and mem- ber of the Palestinian Solidarity Committee which constructed a shanty on the Diag, to support the Palestinian peoples' struggle for an independent state. "Shanties in refugee Palestine are not built strong and sturdy. They're temporary. We could build a nice condo on the diag, but it would give a misleading facade," he said. Charles Dudley, MSA student rights' chair, criticized the new policy as an attempt to stop students from communicating. "The Diag situation is a unique situation. That's where most of the messages back and forth are going to maintained. The University doesn't want students communication on the Diag," he said. This man and child were among the people who held a rally on the Diag on Friday in support of child care. Regents approve projects to help University women Child care center for University Hospital employees to be completed within two years Tenure review period extended for faculty who must provide care for dependents by Diane Cook Daily Women's Issues Reporter The University's Board of Re- gents unanimously approved the de- velopment of a University Hospitals child care center Friday. Executive Director of University Hospitals John Forsyth said the cen- ter has been a priority for hospital administrators for about three years. Women comprise 77 percent of the hospitals' work force. hospitals may utilize the facility, which will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and cost $90 per week. Regent Thomas Roach (D- Saline) expressed concern that the center's hours may prevent employ- ees who need nighttime child care. "We have an awful lot of single parent homes, that's what the statis- tics tell us," he said. "We have to be sensitive to that." Project construction is estimated at $2.4 million. Forsyth said the center is particu- larly attractive to employees because they will develop the child-care pro- grams. "The program is built and defined by the employees," he said. The curriculum will be develop- mentally based, focusing on the in- dividual social, cognitive and physi- ca1 neA nf the chilrran The facil- by Diane Cook and Donna Woodwell Daily Staff Reporters The Board of Regents unani- mously approved a new policy al- lowing faculty an extension of their tenure review period for childbirth or other dependent care responsibilities at their monthly meeting Friday. University President James Dud- erstadt said the policy is an example of new legislation for the increagine She added that the new policy is "one of the ways we are recognizing the changing demographic changes. It will further the overall case of af- firmative action... (and) compliment efforts for recruitment and retention." The policy, which resulted from a faculty initiative, was reviewed by faculty governance, deans and the executive officers before it was presented to the Regents. sponsibilities, only the "excess hours of writing books which is likely to be drained" by family care responsibilities. In case of childbirth, a woman can petition her Dean's office for an automatic tenure extension. In all other cases of dependent care, the Dean has the right to deny the request. Vest said it isn't likely that requests will be denied.