Berkeley prof. talks
environmental lawr
The Michigan Daily - Friday, April 6, 1990 - Page 3
E. Quad display
draws controversy
by Michael Sullivan
Daily Staff Writer
Returning to the school where he
taught the first environmental law
class in U.S. history, University of
California at Berkeley Professor
Joseph Sax traced the theoretical and
historical origins of public trusts for
an audience of 80 University stu-
dents and faculty last night in the
Law School's Hutchins Hall.
The challenge for environmental
law experts, Sax said, is to recon-
struct "the traditional legal system
that was organized in a way to per-
mit - and even encourage - people
to destroy natural resources, so that
it recognizes public rights to these
resources."
Sax used verdicts from a number
of cases to illustrate the concept of
"public trust" - a natural resource
or property administered by the gov-
ernment for the collective well-being
of the people.
He began by quoting from an
early Supreme Court decision by
Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes:
"The roots of private property don't
'run so deep that it can deprive the
right of the state to maintain its re-
sources for the benefit of the peo-
ple."
To illustrate that principle in cur-
rent practice, Sax described a recent
California civil suit. In 1947, the
State of California leased off-shore
oil rights to the Arco oil company.
When Arco discovered substantial oil
deposits off Santa Barbara in 1971
and wanted to build a drilling plat-
form, the State of California refused
its permission. Arco sued.
Though Arco held legal title to
the oil and only an off-shore plat-
form could reach that oil, Sax said,
the court ruled "the California coast-
line belongs to the people of Cali-
fornia and these are inalienable inter-
ests." Despite the lease, the state -
acting as agents of its citizens -
couldn't be held responsible for a de-
cision violating their right to the
coastline.
The Environmental Law Society
(ELS) invited Sax for "some inspira-
tion and a sense of purpose," said
Andrea Seielstad, ELS president and
second-year Law student. "We're try-
ing to keep the environmental inter-
est in the Law School strong," she
said, adding that since Sax's depar-
ture the Law School hasn't had pro-
fessors "with a real commitment to
Joseph Sax, professor of Environmental Law at the University of California
at Berkeley, spoke at Hutchins Hall in the Law Quad yesterday.
the environmental ethic." ronmental law,"' Clark said.
Allan Clark, first-year law stu- Business School senior Bill
dent and ELS member, said Sax was Koski came "to get a taste of the
a particularly good speaker for Earth kind of issues environmental lawyers
Week. deal with," he said, since he plans to
"He's called the 'father of envi- attend law school next year.
by Geri Alumit
Daily Staff Writer
A button located in the lobby
display case of East Quad Residence
Hall which reads "Homophobia is a
Social Disease" has drawn both posi-
tive and negative reaction from East
Quad residents.
The display - sponsored by the
East Quad Residential College Les-
bian, Gay Male and Bisexual Social
Group - includes material advocat-
ing gay and lesbian lifestyles such as
books, magazines and posters.
"Throughout the day I have heard
that people have called and written
letters to the building director or the
Michigan Daily, but overall the reac-
tion to the display has been very
positive," said East Quad Resident
Director David Horste, a senior in
the Residential College.
RC first-year student Heather
Modders said the display should be
bigger and located somewhere else
such as the Michigan Union, "... it
brings people to see that there is a
lot more homosexuality then people
care to think about."
"I personally don't agree with the
lifestyle," said Chris, a first-year
Engineering student who refused to
state his last name. He said of a
magazine cover featuring former Mr.
Universe Bob Paris and his mate
e flexing their muscles, "I am really
e disappointed in him because he has a
great build and he could of gotten
r any woman he wanted... what re-
pulses people, not necessarily me, is
that when people see these big guys
l it seems very vulgar."
l-
it
The display serves three pur-
poses, said Horste. The first is to in-
crease awareness about lesbian and
gay lifestyles. The second is to make
people aware of the existence of the
East Quad Residential College Les-
bian, Gay Male and Bisexual Social
Group. The third is to draw attention
to a dance the group is sponsoring
this Saturday in the East Quad South
cafeteria. Advertisements for the
dance are scattered amidst the various
items in the display.
The display provokes con-
sciousness raising and brings up the
political issues involved, said LSA
junior David Spector. In the center
of the display is the Aids Coalition
to Unleash Power (ACT UP) poste-
featuring a pink triangle against' a
black setting. The caption reads,
"Silence=Death."
"The nature of this poster repre-
sents anything in society outsideof
the acceptable mainstream that does
not try to defend itself... to insure
their survival is to make sure they
are not ostracized and the more expq-
sure they have like this, the less
likely it is that they will be ostra-
cized," he said.
Horste said the East Quad Resi-
dential College Lesbian, Gay Mae
and Bisexual Social Group affords
gays, lesbians and bisexuals the op,
portunity to be around other people
who are of their own sexual oriental
tion.
Senior Pledge Program close to '90 goal
by Anders Ramsay
The 1990 Senior Pledge Pro-
gram- A Class Act - has collected
$66,000 from 1,860 graduating se-
niors, since it began soliciting dona-
tions March 13.
* The Senior Pledge Program,
which began in 1987, encourages
graduating seniors to make a donation
to their respective school. This year's
drive will end in approximately two
weeks when the less than 100 remain-
ing students have been contacted.
Class Act's campus-wide goal is
to collect $75,000. "We will defi-
nitely pass the goal within the next
two weeks," said Julie Prohaska, as-
sistant director of the Annual Giving
Program. Prohaska projected a total
campus-wide pledge of around
$82,000.
But the amount donated by the se-
niors is of lesser importance than the Prohaska said alumni partially finance dents' pressed financial situations
act of donating. "The main purpose of current students' education, and upon "We really don't focus a lot on th
the program is to raise awareness, to graduation, those students will be students making large pledges," sh
allow students to understand the im- asked to support other students. Pro- said, stressing "the focus in this pro
portance of giving to their school," haska said the purpose of the program gram is on participating at whateve
said Cristin Clauser, an engineering is "to get (graduating students) into level people can afford to participate.'
senior and one of the three co-chair- the habit of donating each year." The
people of the program's student advi- program has been successful in this The Business School, the Schoo
sory committee. respect as an increasing number of se- of Pharmacy and the School of Natu
"One of the reasons that alumni niors have been making higher dona- ral Resources each have independen
give is because the better the school, tions. pledge programs. Together they hav
the better their degree, the more their collected approximately $7,500. Th
degree is worth. And they care in- But not all seniors look positively Business School and the School o
tensely about keeping the reputation upon the program. Some find it ap- Natural Resources' pledge program
of the University of Michigan top- palling that the school is asking them are still in progress.
notch," Prohaska said. for donations when they have little or
Over 100 million dollars - close no personal income. "It really angered Although private universities often
to 12 percent of the University's total me when they called and asked for use senior pledge programs as a bas
educational budget - was financed money when they know that I already for future alumni donations, the Uni
with private donations in 1988-1989. owe the university thousands of dol- versity of Michigan is one of the firs
Explaining that the University's lars, said LSA senior, Lisa Noble. public universities with this type o
financing relies on a "donation cycle," Prohaska said she is aware of stu- program.
Environmental gallery educates students
by Evan Guttman
A car which gets 24 miles per
*gallon performs better than a person
'on a standard American meat-based
diet.
This and other environmental in-
formation was available to Univer-
sity students yesterday at the Earth
:Day Environmental Research Poster
-Gallery in the Electrical Engineering
;and Computer Science (EECS)
:building on North Campus.
: Researchers from the Engineer-
ing, Natural Resources and Public
#Health schools gathered to display
:their environmental research. "The
purpose of the event is to promote
an awareness among engineering
students about the sound environ-
mental research taking place at the
University," said Irwin Weingarten,
chairperson of the Engineering Earth
Day Committee and Engineering ju-
nior. "We want to wet their appetites
in pursuing careers in these fields,"
he said.
Steve Schneider, science writer
for the Center for Great Lakes and
Aquatic Sciences, said the University
is the first institution of higher edu-
cation to use an interdisciplinary ap-
proach to solving the crisis of the
Great Lakes. Since 1952, the center
- composed of nearly 30 scientists
and staff- has conducted studies on
the impact of toxic substances and
thermoelectric power plants on the
Great Lakes.
Gregory Keoleian, School of
Natural Resources research fellow,
said he attended the program to make
people aware of the products they
use. Keoleian is developing a
methodology to compare products
based on the length of their life cy-
cles, and their impact on the envi-
ronment.
"The goal of engineering design-
ers, managers, policy makers and
consumers should be to minimize
the cumulative life cycle risks and
impacts in order to achieve effective
and sustainable resource and envi-
ronmental quality management,"
Keoleian said.
The Project for the Integrated
Study of Global Change was also on
hand to inform students about their
investigation of the effects of human
population growth on the environ-
ment.
Chemical Engineering Professors
Thomas Thornton and Philip Savage
displayed their research on oxidation
in super-critical water - a new
technology which converts hazardous
organic chemicals present in aqueous
waste streams to harmless com-
pounds such as carbon dioxide and
water.
re
Trotter House
If
s*
5hosts multi-
n
- cultural festival
st
f by Tim Gammons
Trotter House will host the Sev- "special recognition of their work
enth Annual Spring Festival tomor- with minority organizations on
row. The event, titled "Colors in campus, including Trotter House,"
Bloom, Seeds of Tomorrow," will Eng said.
showcase a wide array of performers. Trotter House named for civil
"Students and members of the rights activist William Monroe Trot-
African, Asian, Latino and Native ter - is a part of the University's
American community participate in Housing Special Programs Depart-
singing, dancing and acting. People ment. It was developed to meet the
from different cultures will be shar- needs of the University's diverse stu-
ing their talents," said LSA senior dent body.
Barry Eng, a coordinator of the pro- "We are a multi-cultural center.
gram. We promote cultural, social, and ed-
"We added 'Seeds of Tomorrow' ucational programs for minority stu-
to the program's title because many dents and the community," said
children from the community will be Eng.
performing," Eng said, and added Other coordinators of the festival
Ann Arbor children between the ages are John Hunt and Crystal Gardner,
of 6 and 13 will participate in the who were assisted by staff members
festival. Kevin Ramon and Delro Harris.
The Tagumpay Filipino Culture
Ensemble will perform dances while The festival will take place Sat-
classical music pieces will be per- urday from 6- 8 p.m. at Trotter
formed on the viola and cello by Ja- House on 1443 Washtenaw and is
son Chan and Katherine Smith. Lati- open to the public.
tia Tardy will perform a flute solo.
The U of M Asian Student
Coalition will present "Point of
View" - a production dealing with /
minority issues. Maria del Carmen
Y Grupo Espana, a Latino student
group, will present musical perfor-
mances while a Native American 3g Sa- e-.994126
group will also perform dances.
The program will conclude with " "
the presentation of the annual Trotter STATE COUPON
House award. "The award is given to WEEKEND SPECIAL
a minority organization on campus COMPACT DISC
that has shown support for Trotter
House, a group that uses us and
helps us out. They're also judged on 8 09 9
their work within the community," _I
Eng said.
This year's award will go to the Limit1
Minority Affairs Commission for l" ... ...
'E. German Parliament
i.meets for the first time
EAST BERLIN(AP) - East Ger-
many's first freely chosen parliament
'declared the nation a democracy yes-
terday and began building a political
system that will lead it to unifica-
tion with West Germany.
The lawmakers, elected March
w18 in the nation's first democratic
ballot, convened for the first time
:and formally dismantled the Com-
Imunist system that ruled four
decades.
Meeting in the Palace of the re-
public built by the former Stalinist
regime, the 400-member Parliament
,began rewriting the constitution to
:mirror that of West Germany.
The new legislature and the gov-
ernment it creates could be East
Germany's last as a sovereign state
because of the moves toward unifica-
tion with West Germany.
The Parliament empowered
Christian Democrat leader Lothar de
Maiziere, whose party holds the
most seats in parliament, to build a
new government from the 11 parties
represented in the legislature.
Dr. Sabine Bergmann-Pohl, a
Christian Democrat, was elected
president of Parliament and urged
that lawmakers "do justice to our re-
*sponsibilities and that we soon sit in
a common German Parliament."
room negotiations.
"Forty years of difficult times
have ended in this moment," said
Lothar Piche, the oldest member of
Parliament. "God support our
German fatherland."
The first thing the 390 lawmak-
ers in attendance did was elect
Bergmann-Pohl to be Parliament's
president.
Others seeking the post were
outgoing Communist Premier Hans
Modrow, who leads a rebuilt pro-
democracy party that finished a dis-
tant third in the March elections. He
finished third in the voting for Par-
liament president, behind Social
Democrat Reinhard Hoeppner.
The Parliament also created an
office of president to be a ceremonial
head of state and abolished the old
Communist collective body, the
Council of State.
Bergmann-Pohl will serve as head
of state until a president is elected by
Parliament.
De Maiziere will likely be the
premier, or prime minister, and will
lead talks in the coming days on
forming a new Cabinet.
If de Maiziere is successful in
bringing together the disparate po-
litical groups, Parliament will then
reconvene April 11 and vote on his
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