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Vol. Cl, No. 23
Ain Arbor, Michigan -- Monday, October , 19C0
LSA faculty to
vote today on.
diver sity class
req uirement
by Melissa Peerless
Daily Staff Reporter
After almost three years of debate, the LSA
General Assembly today will decide whether to
include a course on racial and ethnic issues as a
graduation requirement.
The faculty will consider four proposals. The
proposals, three drafted by the LSA Curriculum
Committee, and a fourth by another group of
faculty members, are similar to a plan defeated
99-50 last April and another defeated 140-120 in
1989.
Proposals A and C would require students
take a class dealing with racial and/or ethnic in-
tolerance in American society. Proposal B would
require students to take a course which examines
the culture of a group which is discriminated
against in any society.
The faculty proposal stipulates that students
take one of several classes that deal with the con-
cept of ethnicity and racism throughout the
world.
Chemistry Prof. Thomas Dunn plans to vote
against the proposal. He feels that "mature, inter-
ested students will take these type of courses
without compulsion." He said University stu-
dents acknowledge the problems of racism and
prejudice and "won't avoid things."
Carl Cohen, professor of philosophy, also
plans to vote against the proposal because he said
proponents of the requirement are overestimating
the degree to which the courses will influence the
thoughts and actions of students.
When asked to make a prediction about to-
day's vote, Cohen said "I really don't know."
The diversity courses could be used as a tool
to advance a political agendas of instructors, he
added.}
Ruth Scodel, Greek and Latin professor, is
See VOTE, page 2
*Students
join7000
for Earth
* meeting
by Daniel Poux
Special to the Daily
More than 20 University students
joined 7,000 students from around
the world at the University of Illi-
nois Champaign-Urbana campus this
weekend to ignite environmental ac-
tivism and establish a worldwide
student environmental activist net-
work.
The conference called
"CATALYST" featured prominent
speakers, a march across campus,
and workshops for student leaders to
hone grass roots organizational
skills. The Student Environmental
Action Coalition (SEAC) sponsored
the conference.
Prominent actor and long-term
environmental activist Robert.Red-
ford kicked off the conference Friday
evening with a speech in the Univer-
sity's Assembly Hall.
Redford blasted the Bush adminis-
tration for failing to follow through
on its promise to be the
"environmental president."
"I don't want to read someone's
*lips when they aren't saying any-
thing," Redford said. "It's your earth,
and it's your move," he said, as he
finished his speech. "For all of us, I
really wish you luck."
Dr. Helen Caldicott, founder of
Physicians for Social Responsibil-
ity, and the Women's' Action for
Nuclear Disarmament, spoke against
the excessive use of plastic in our
society and urged students to "change
America from a corporate dictator-
ship to a true democracy of, for, and
by the people."
The day's speeches were capped
off with an address by consumer ad-
vocate Ralph Nader, who argued that
the cause behind many environmen-
tal problems is corporate and politi-
cal corruption.
See EARTH, Page 5
'Fear
No
stirs littli
by Bethany Robertson
Daily Staff Reporter
An exhibition featuring the "controversial"
work of local artists elicited little criticism
from visitors this weekend despite a local
Christian group's denunciation of the morality
of the work.
"Fear No Art," an exhibit organizers said
was designed with the purpose of testing the
limit of Ann Arbor's tolerance of artistic
expression, opened last Thursday.
Though protesters were expected to
demonstrate Saturday as a result of
advertisements announced on Christian radio
stations for several weeks, only a small group
from Canton Township appeared, Coordinator
Linda Kendall said.
Artistic Director Peter Knox said the
protestors appeared to be "protesting the idea of
what they would consider immoral art," and
added that "most of them had not seen the
exhibit."
Knox said he was partially glad the
protestors were there.
"Our intention was to elicit the
community's response. If this is their
response, it is welcome," Knox said.
Visitors to the exhibit were given a chance
to comment on the exhibit by posting their
ideas on boards placed around the art. Com-
ments varied widely but mainly supported the
artists.
One picture by Roger Hayes labeled "Two-
year-old sexually abused, killed with blows to
the head," had the comment "The people who
are appalled by this are ignoring the fact that it
happens every day" posted beside it.
i Art'
e protest
Another observer wrote about the same
picture, "Is this really necessary? I've reached
deep inside and still found no reason to be so
graphic."
Visitors had varied reasons for attending the
exhibit. Rick and Mary Price said they attended
the exhibit to show support for people willing
to take risks in the name of artistic freedom.
"It's a way of voting with our feet," Mary
Price said.
Joshua Banner said he came to the exhibit
to see the kind of actions artists would take to
shock people. Banner said he found the exhibit
"unbalanced."
"If you really want to shake up a left wing
audience you have to put up right wing art,"
Banner said.
"A whole half of politicized art was
missing. I'm sure some racist or fascist or
white power work would provoke real rage in
this town." Banner added that he did not think
any pieces in the exhibit should be censored.
Kendall said the general response to the
exhibit has been that none of the material
included should be censored.
"People are just totally mellow; they're not
finding anything really offensive," she said.
Included in the exhibit besides the work of
local artists are advertisements, books, and
music that are questionably offensive.
Information about the controversy involving
Robert Mapplethorpe's work is also presented.
All of the exhibits' contents are open for
public comment.
See ART, page 5
Ouch!
Linebacker Brian Townsend sacks Wisconsin quarterback Sean Wilson, the Badger's
second-string passer. The Wolverines put the hit on Wisconsin this weekend, pummeling
the Badgers, 41-3, in their Big Ten opener, and placing themselves in contention for a
number one ranking
'U'
looks nationwide for B-School dean
by Shalini Patel
Daily Staff Reporter
Applications are being solicited
from faculty and administrators
across the country for the position of
University Business School Dean.
A seven member search commit-
tee - appointed by University
Provost and Vice President for Aca-
demic Affairs Gilbert Whitaker - is
soliciting help from national search
firms, alumni, faculty, and students.
The committee has advertised in
publications including The Wall
Street Journal and Black Issues in
Higher Education.
The position has been open since
July when Whitaker, former dean of
the Business School, was promoted
to fill the vacancy left by the resig-
nation of Provost Charles Vest. B.
Joseph White has acted as interim
dean since Whitaker's appointment.
Business Law Prof. and Search
Committee Chair George Siedel ex-
plained the selection process will
consist of three phases. The "search
phase," which is the current stage,
requires advertising and letter-writ-
ing. The "screening phase" involves
evaluating candidates based on a list
of presently undetermined criteria. In
the final "selection phase," the
committee will recommend three to
five people to the provost who will
make the final decision after consult-
ing University President James Dud-
erstadt.
In a "best-case scenario" Siedel
estimates a new dean will be in place
by February.
Although the committee has not
assembled a specific set of criteria, it
will look for candidates who can
"provide leadership in program plan-
ning, development, and evaluation,"
Siedel said.
The business school administra-
tion has opened a two-way channel
of communication with the 1,500
full-time and 950 part-time students
enrolled to encourage suggestions in
the selection process. Every student
was mailed letters informing them of
the search and asking for input and
recommendations, said Amy Lauer,
Business School Student Council
president and search committee
member
"There is a voice always on the
committee that represents the stu-
dents," Lauer said.
"The people here are very active
- if they want to get on the com-
mittee, they will. The administration
is very good at getting students'
feedback," said second-year MBA
student, Brian Heller.
The committee will hold its
weekly meeting today to hear presen-
tations from four professional search
firms. One will be selected to help
in the search, to check references,
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44A"A4to%.A, --
'U' grad makes
it big in comedy *
by Michelle Clayton new material."
Engler mounts strong attack
on Blanchard in first debate
Peter Berman's comedy career
began one day in 1986 while
flipping through a copy of the
Daily. He came upon an
advertisement for Laugh Track, a
local comedy show that features
student comics and professional
headliners weekly at the Union,
which stated, "Be one of the few,
proud, stand-up comics for Laugh
Track."
On Nov. 11, 1986 Berman, a
1989 University graduate, made his
comedy debut in a 20-minute per-
formance. Since that night, Berman
has appeared on MTV, VH1, CBS
Night Watch, and on September 30,
he appeared on Star Search. He also
placed second in the 1987-88 U.S.
College Comedy Competition. He
travels full-time and performs
across the country.
But Berman's success hasn't
come easy. "During school I
Berman participated in Laugh
Track, was committee chair of the
program for a year, and was the
president of University Activities
Center during his senior year.
Berman gives the impression of
a very down-to-"rth guy. Clad in a
Michigan sweatshirt, faded jeans,
tennis shoes, and sunglasses, he
talks sentimentally about his days
at Michigan, especially eschewing
the image of a cocky, devil-may-
care comic. Of his stage ability he
says, "My strength is my stage
persona... I think that is an inherent
quality."
Berman feels that due to this im-
age he is often misunderstood. "I
think I'm as sensitive and compas-
sionate as anyone. I've even been
termed moody."
His thoughtfulness carries over
into his comedy and he says experi-
ences he has had at the University
ACME, Mich (AP) - GOP gub-
bernatorial challenger John Engler
and Gov. James Blanchard both
claimed victory in their first tele-
vised debate, with Engler predicting
his strong performance will show up
soon in the polls.
With 30 days left before the Nov.
6 general election, Blanchard had the
suppoi t of 55.9 percent of poll
respondents, The Detroit News said.
Engler, the Senate majority leader
from Mount Pleasant, had 30.3
percent.
Four percent of those polled were
undecided, 5.6 percent said they
would vote for neither candidate and
4 percent declined to disclose their
preference. The telephone survey of
800 registered Michigan voters,
conducted Oct. 2-4, had an error
margin of 3.5 percentage points.
Engler's support has slipped by
more than seven points since last
month, when 38 percent of those
polled by The News said they
preferred him. Engler campaign
side of the story out," a smiling En-
gler said after the hour-long debate
Saturday night.
As he has throughout the cam-
paign, the Mount Pleasant republi-
can focused on Blanchard's economic
development record, including a slap
at the governor's favorite chant of
"jobs, jobs, jobs." "Now eight years
later, we learn that it was promises,
promises, promises, mostly -prom-
ises not kept," he said.
He added while Blanchard plays
up Michigan as the comeback state
for overcoming economic problems
of the early 1980s, most people he
speaks with are "wondering where.
this miracle is that they hear about."
Engler hit hard on the fact that
Michigan has the highest unem-
ployment rate among the industrial-
ized states - 7.2 percent, the same
as Illinois - and has lost 250,000
manufacturing jobs.
"Really, what's happening in
Michigan is we've had our heart cut
out with the loss of manufacturing
dropped from a high of 17.3 percent
in 1982.
"As the incumbent, he'd say that
that ignores reality. We have 49
other comeback stories (in .other
states) to tell that are all better than
Michigan's," Engler said later.
For his part, Blanchard plugged
how he guided Michigan through its
toughest economic times since the
Great Depression and brought state
finances back to a sound footing
while wiping out a 1.7 billion debt.
Blanchard hit hard on his creation
of the Michigan Youth Corps, his
push to put a computer in eachof
Michigan's classrooms, taking
15,000 dangerous criminals off the
streets by building prisons, and
boosting yearly school funding by
$1.5 billion since 1982.
"In the last eight years, we have
made a real difference," Blanchard
said. "We haven't won every battle,
but we aren't done fighting yet."
"I think what we saw here unfor-
tuinate1v wasq my onnonnent talking
Berman
women's issues and children in his
comedy.
One of the strangest things ever
to happen to Berman began in his
sophomore year at Laugh Track
when he said something that was
taken personally by a member of
the audience. One of his jokes
evidently touched an audience
member's nerve. Berman said of the
first showdown, "I put him in his
nlce. it w assrvival-of-the-