OPINION 4.ARTS
5
SPORTS
* City should house homeless,
no..harass them
* Lingering ol Blue Eyes
* Notre Dame bumps off men's tennis
Ninety-nine years of editorial freedom
Vol. C, No. 133 Ann Arbor, Michigan - Wednesday, April 18, 1990 Tehtg ' 0
Undefined
procedures hamper 'U'
departments
by Noelle Vance
Daily Administration Reporter
The lack of standardized proce-
dures for handling harassment com-
plaints prevents the University from
handling those complaints effec-
tively, say administrators and coun-
selors.
There are no written guidelines
outlining the procedures the Affirma-
tive Action Office follows when it
receives a complaint about a Univer-
sity employee.
Though the University does have
a policy listing steps students can
take when they have been sexually
harassed by a professor or TA, coun-
selors say the policy is not widely
publicized and most students are
unaware of its contents.
"Students don't know how many
times they're going to have to tell
their story, or how long the process
will take, and there are no guarantees
that anything will happen," said Jim
Toy of the Lesbian and Gay Men's
Programming Office (LGMPO).
Said Billy Edwards, also of the
LGMPO: "We've been trying to get
the Office of. Affirmative Action to
put something in writing for years,
but they haven't done it yet."
The University Standard Practice
and Operating Procedures Guide pro-
vides steps for handling sexual ha-
Ha rassrnn'
at the'U
PART THREE: Handling complaints
TOMORROW: The policies
rassment cases and cases of discrimi-
nation filed against a University su-
pervisor, said Jimmy Myers, associ-
ate director of the Affirmative Action
Office. But there are so many offices
which take complaints about other
employees that it is impossible to
describe exactly what the process is,
Myers said.
Affirmative Action Representa-
tive Brian Clapham could not out-
line the procedures which would be
followed in the case of a harassment
or discrimination case filed against
any employee of the University who
was not a supervisor.
When asked how the office oper-
ates without guidelines, Clapham
replied: "It happens. We just do it."
In cases involving a University
employee, Myers said the general
procedures followed by Affirmative
Action begin with a written com-
plaint by the victim. Once a formal
complaint is made, the office begins
an investigation.
The employee's personnel repre-
sentative is contacted if the accused
is a staff member. If the subject of
the complaint is a professor, the Af-
firmative Action coordinator for that
school or college is notified.
None of these procedures are writ-
ten. There are also no guidelines for
the representatives and coordinators.
Usually, they collect written state-
ments from the accused and ask all
witnesses to provide statements on
the incident, Myers said. The victim
provides a list of reprimands he or
she feels would be appropriate.
Typically, the situation is re-
solved by the accused sending a letter
of apology to the victim and giving
reasonable assurance it won't happen
again, Myers said.
The decentralization of the Uni-
versity's offices which deal with ha-
rassment is also confusing to stu-
dents, administrators said.
"We are trying to consolidate of-
fices better," said Darlene Ray-John-
son, discriminatory policy advisor in
the Office of Student Services. The
offices were originally decentralized
so students would be able to choose
where they felt most comfortable,
she said. "We're reviewing to see if
students are using their options."
The University designates seven
main offices to receive harassment
complaints: the Office of the Vice
President for Student Services,
Counseling Services, the Office of
Affirmative Action, the Ombudsman
Office, the Department of Public
Safety and Security, the Lesbian and
Gay Men's Programming Office, and
See HARASSMENT, page 3
'U' employee struggles to receive
compensation in harassment case
by Noelle Vance
Daily Administration Reporter
Blanc McLane thought he knew
the system.
As a member of the University's
Task Force for Sexual Orientation,
McLane had seen the problems other
students and employees had encoun-
tered while working their way
through the administration's bu-
reaucracy.
But he felt with persistence and
patience he would be able to make
the system work.
However, after October 22, 1988,
McLane changed his mind.
On that day, an incident occurred
which would send him on a two-and-
a-half year struggle with the Univer-
sity administration and would con-
vince him that the University is not
handling harassment cases effec-
tively.
"I was in the basement of the
Grad library reading a book while
using the bathroom when there was a
knock on the stall door. The man
identified himself as a campus safety
officer and said 'Can I have a word
See MCLANE, page 2
MSA clashes
over CCF
recognition
Lithuanians
await Soviet
reprimand
USSR to reduce gas supply
by Daniel Poux
Daily MSA Reporter
The Michigan Student Assembly
continued the debate over whether to
re-recognize Christian Cornerstone
Fellowship (CCF) last night, setting
the stage for an assembly battle over
the new Student Group Bill of
Rights.
The assembly derecognized CCF
in the fall of 1988 after a series of
controversial CCF-sponsored cam-
pus events. Members of the Lesbian
and Gay Men's Rights Organizing
Committee (LaGROC) charged that
the group discriminated against ho-
mosexuals, and pressured the assem-
bly to revoke their recognition of the
group.
Since then the assembly has re-
voked and restored the group's
recognition several times, as La-
GROC and CCF have continued the
battle in the assembly's courts.
Last month MSA's Court of
Common Pleas ruled that the
assembly improperly recognized
CCF last October, and nullified the
religious group's recognition. CCF
appealed the case. The issue cur-
rently stands before the Central Stu-
dent Judiciary (CSJ), MSA's highest
court.
Members of both CCF and La-
GROC spoke at last night's meet-
ing.
LSA senior Stu Duncan spoke
for the religious group, and said
CCF has no membership policy, so
it cannot be accused of discrimina-
tion. More importantly, Duncan
added, no homosexual has ever tried
to join CCF, so there is no basis for
any discrimination charge.
"It's obvious that those who
don't want to recognize CCF are try-
ing to hurt people who believe
strongly in their religion and the
Bible," Duncan said.
Third-year Law student James
Marsh, who has represented La-
GROC in the ongoing MSA court
battle, said the assembly cannot rec-
ognize CCF, because it must adhere
to its constitution and the Michigan
Mandate.,
"CCF can believe anything they
want, but the assembly can't recog-
nize them because of their discrimi-
na tory membership policies," Marsh
said.
"MSA recognition is a privilege,
not a right," he said. "We cannot
keep religious groups off campus,
but we can limit the amount of ben-
efits we give them, based on their
discrimination, not their religious
beliefs."
But many assembly members
wanted the group recognized. "I want
CCF to be recognized because I
think it's just not fair to throw
groups off campus because of their
Christian beliefs," said MSA Engi-
neering representative and Engineer-
See CCF, page 3
MOSCOW - The Soviet gov-
ernment said it was tightening the
tap on Lithuania's natural gas sup-
ply yesterday and may cut oil and
gasoline to the republic for its re-
fusal to rescind pro-independence
laws, Lithuanian leaders said.
There was no immediate notice-
able change in the amount of natural
gas used to heat homes and fuel
kitchens in Lithuania. But word that
supplies were being cut caused
concern among Lithuanians, who
flooded the Lithuanian government
with phone calls.
Officials in Lithuania said they
were told of the reduction in a tele-
gram from the Soviet Union's gas
network. There was no official an-
nouncement from Moscow.
President Mikhail Gorbachev on
Friday gave Lithuania 48 hours to
repeal several laws backing its
March 11 declaration of indepen-
dence. He said if Lithuania refused,
the Kremlin would impose an em-
bargo of goods that it exports for
hard currency.
Lithuania depends on Moscow for
oil and gas, which are the Soviet
Union's biggest earners of hard cur-
rency.
A telegram sent to Lithuania's
gas authority yesterday said:
"Implementing the orders of the
government of the Soviet Union and
those of the state gas concern.. .
supplies of natural gas to the
Lithuanian Soviet Socialist
Republic will be sharply reduced
from the 17th of April."
The telegram was signed by an
official named Mochernyuk, identi-
fied as the acting general director of
the Soviet Union's western gas net-
work.
The text of the telegram was
broadcast on official Lithuanian ra-
dio, which was monitored by the
British Broadcasting Corp. in Lon-
don.
Western reporters have been
barred from staying in Lithuania to
report on the political crisis.
The telegram also was read to the
Lithuanian Supreme Council legisla-
ture yesterday by speaker Alexandras
Abisalas. Lawmakers were meeting
to discuss a response to Gorbachev's
ultimatum.
Opening the discussion, Lithua-
nian President Vytautas Landsber-
gis called the republic's decision
"irreversible," the Tass news agency
said.
Teresa Juodenienie, a secretary for
Premier Kazimiera Prunskiene, said
in a telephone interview the Lithua-
nian government had received no of-
ficial notification about a cut in nat-
ural gas, leaving officials wondering
if the message was just another
effort to put pressure on the Baltic
republic.
But it apparently was having an
effect on Lithuanian consumers.
After the announcement in the
legislature, Ms Juodenienie said the
premier's office received many
telephone calls from upset citizens.
She quoted them as saying, "Why
aren't you doing something to nego-
tiate with Gorbachev?"
Lithuanian residents had been
forming long lines at gasoline sta-
tions in recent days to fill up for
what they feared might be the last
time.
Ms. Juodenienie said the gov-
ernment also had received a warning
from the Druzhba, or Friendship en-
terprise that supplies oil to Lithua-
nia, saying deliveries of oil and ga-
soline would be curtailed beginning
today.
Lithuanian journalists quoted of-
ficials as saying Monday the repub-
lic had enough natural gas to last
about two weeks. But they said if an
embargo were imposed, ethnic Rus-
sian factory workers would be
thrown out of work and the Kaln-
ingrad area of the Russian republic
to the southwest would suffer as
well since the line serving Kalin-
ingrad passes through Lithuania.
Pigeon patrol JOSE
Jeff Franklin, an employee of Capital Clean, began his "pigeon patrol"
yesterday by cleaning the windows of the Law Quad, later moving on to
sixteen other campus buildings.
New MSA reps., officers take seats
by Daniel Poux
Daily MSA Reporter
The students elected in the
Michigan Student Assembly's
spring elections took their seats last
night, glad the election was over and
ready to get to work.
New MSA president Jennifer Van
Valey called the meeting to order,
and took the first step in fulfilling
one of her main campaign promises
by establishing an Environmental
Affairs Commission. The new
assembly voted to create the com-
mission, and if students approve the
commission in the fall, it will be
added to MSA's constitution.
New vice president and LSA first-
year student Angela Burks shared
Van Valey's said she one of her first
concerns would be to increase minor-
ity involvement on MSA's commit-
tees and commissions.
Many of the new representatives
were new to the assembly, and sit-
ting in on their first meeting as
MSA members.
LSA junior Paula Church, one of
the new representatives, said she ran
for MSA because she is concerned
that many student groups are not
getting the support they need on
campus.
Engineering sophomore Brian
Johnson, another of the new MSA
members, also got involved because
of concerns over student groups.
Johnson said he was involved in
several Christian groups on campus,
and wanted to work to make sure re-
ligious groups were not discrimi-
nated against.
Still, while the new elected offi-
cials were assuming many new re-
sponsibilities, they were still regular
students.
"To be honest, right now, all I'm
thinking about are my final exams,
said Burks.
Citizens protest missile railway to pass through Ann Arbor
by Elisabeth Weinstein
Dailv Staff Writer
missiles around the country, in an attempt to
make their lnctinn harder to ninnoint in
the height of a seven story building and spills," Hannah-Davies said, and added two
weioh three-and-a-half times a fnl freiicht of those derailments nccrred in Ann Arhnr.
Dr. Arthur Vander, University physiol-
nov nrnfpeqnr' cair th,'r twini -1A