The Michigan Daily - Friday, September 14, 990 - Page 3 Souter Supreme Court nomination controversy sparks 1itt1f on by Henry Goldblatt Although David Souter's nomination to the Supreme Court has remained a hot topic in recent news, it has sparked little student reaction on the University cam- pus, according to an informal survey of students. On a national level, however, some students are speaking out against Souter. "No one is really vocalizing an opin- ion about Souter. No student groups have mobilized either way," said Beth Grossman, project coordinator for the University's branch of the National Lawyer's Guild. The apathy by no means signifies a general University consensus on Souter's nomination, said Grossman. She attributed the lack of interest to stu- dents preparing for the start of the school year. nior, favored Souter. "Souter should not be judged in what he believes, but more in lawmaking ability," he said. "Issues like abortion and civil rights should not be issues in the confirmation hearings. Doug Morris, engineering senior and a member of the University College Re- publicans concurred. "A judge should not legislate from the bench. His personal views should not come into play during hearings,"he said. On a national level, United States Student Association (USSA) has taken an aggressive stance against Souter. The Washington, D.C. based USSA is the largest student organization in the coun- try. The USSA organized a student rally on Capitol Hill last Friday to protest the ampus Souter's stand on various issues such as right to privacy, right to choose, and civil rights. Souter is not answering questions. We can't accept someone who won't stand up for his policies," said Se- lena Dong, legislative Director of USSA. USSA members expressed concern that Souter was very evasive when ques- tioned about women's rights and abortion policy. Women's groups both locally and na- tionally are concerned about Souter's po- tential position on the court. "Lacking organization by the National Organiza- tion of Women (NOW) and the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL), the court would not feel sig- nificant pressure to uphold Roe v Wade," -: --rF h IAn ., Many University students interviewed Souter nomination which drew more than said Rhonda Lour, member ofr U had never heard of Souter. 300 people. Arbor Committee to Defend Al Sanjeev Acharya, an engineering ju- "The USSA is very perturbed by and Reproductive Rights (AACDA Greenspan: gulf crisis may lead to inflation, recession ne Ann bortion ARR). f ' fr. Worlds of wonder JEN Evelyn Hollenshead, age four, explores the Ann Arbor Hands-on Museum with her grandparents. She didn't like being photographed very much. NETZ/DaIly i Officials look for cause of oil tanker explosion -' BAY CITY, Mich. (AP) - Crews skimmed the Saginaw River yesterday for ga- soline spilled by the fire-mangled Jupiter as *federal investigators continued trying to find out what caused the tanker's explosion. - "There is a sheen on the water, contractors ate skimming it off," said Coast Guard Cmdr.' Tpm Daley. Private workers hired by the tanker's owner also put booms out to contain gas from the tanker, which exploded Sunday and was doused for good Tuesday. . Ashland Oil Inc. of Ashland, Ky., was waiting for salvage crews to arrive and assess damage and plan how to move the vessel, company spokesperson Roger Schrum said. The Jupiter leaked 3,500 gallons of the one .iillion-gallon cargo aboard it when the blast occurred. "The cost (of the cleanup) and the damage is going to be in the millions," Schrum said. Not all of the badly listing, 391-tanker seemed badly damaged by the flames; its living quarters and engine room look unscathed, Da- ley said. "The lights were on on the bridge during the fire and the windows weren't even broken," Daley said. Also yesterday, a body believed to be the remains of tanker crewman Tom Sexton was found in the river. A positive identification was expected by Friday, Bay County Medical Examiner Howard Hurt said. Sexton, 46, of Iowa, was believed to have died while trying to swim away from the burn- ing tanker Sunday. One of the other 17 crew members remained hospitalized in fair condi- tion yesterday. Federal investigators continued their second day of questioning explosion witnesses. The U.S. Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board plan to file separate reports on the accident. WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal Re-i serve Chair Alan Greenspan told Congress: yesterday that the Persian Gulf crisis has piled "new and substantial" risk on an al- ready faltering national economy.- In a generally gloomy assessment of U.S. economic prospects, Greenspan said the jump in oil prices since Iraq's Aug. 2 invasion of Kuwait had increased the threat of both higher inflation and a recession. But the chair of the central bank rejected suggestions that U.S. economic policy makers were in effect being held hostage by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. While he conceded that the Fed's job of promoting non-inflationary growth has been made more difficult by the unfolding events in the Persian Gulf, he insisted the central bank still had tools to mitigate the economic fallout. But private economists said Greenspan's pessimistic comments reflected the tough choices facing him. Normally rising unem- ployment and other signs of sluggish growth would prompt the central bank to slash interest rates in order to spur demand. But the oil price shock means that the country is now in the grips of its worst bout of inflation in nine years with con- sumer prices climbing at an annual rate of 6.2 percent. Financial markets had been eagerly awaiting Greenspan's first report on eco- nomic conditions since the Persian Gulf turmoil began. But for the most part they reacted with disappointment as the Fed chief seemed to dash hopes of a quick move to lower interest rates. The Dow Jones industrial average was down almost 10 points in late afternoon trading. Greenspan's comments represented a set- back for the Bush administration as well. The administration had been lobbying for months for the Fed to lower interest rates in order to avert the first economic down- turn since the 1981-82 recession. Greenspan said at present the economy was still growing, although at a very slow pace. But he ticked off a number of nega- tive impacts stemming from the more than $10 per barrel rise in oil prices since Aug. 2 and said prospects of a future downturn could not be ruled out. "Regrettably, events in the Middle Easl have introduced new and substantial risks to the outlook," Greenspan told the congres- sional Joint Economic Committee. While refusing to say whether the chance of a recession was now above 50 percent, he did say, "The oil shock has clearly increased both the probability of in- flation and recession." Greenspan did not signal that the Fed ei- ther had eased credit already or was planning any immediate easing moves. Instead, he merely repeated comments made in the past that financial markets would respond favorably to a creditable deficit reduction package by pushing long- term rates, such as mortgage rates, lower. Welcome Students - 6 Barber Stylists - For Men & Women * To please you - No waiting Dascola Stylists Opposite Jacobson's 668-9329 Every Thursday 6-9pm is milli STUDENT NAEPPY "OUR LIVE BAND! i THE LIS What's happening in Ann Arhnr tnday Senate considers bill regulating gas mileage AT THE Meetings Comedy Company - Mass meeting. 7:30 p.m. Union Kuenzel Rm. Just bring your sense of humor. Washtenaw Area Volun- teer Coordinators will hold its first meeting of the year at the .Human Resource Devel- opment Building, 1111 Kilpe Drive, near Crisler Arena, at noon. Amnesty International Mass Meeting in the Pendleton Room, Michigan Union 7:00 p.m. Speakers "Global Climate Change: A Sustainable Development Challenge for China and South Asia" - Dr. William Moomaw, Director of Center for Environmental Manage- ment, Tufts University. 8 p.m. Rackham Amphitheater. "Imperialism and the Per- sian Gulf Crisis" - David North, Secretary of the Work- 111 /-'11111 /"%1 LJTkJ1 IVUQ Ahmed el-Sawy of the Sohag branch of Assiut University, Cairo, Egypt, sponsored by the Museum of Anthropol- ogy, 12:00-1:00 in Room 2009, Natural Science Mu- seum. Furthermore Mediatrics - Sneak Pre- view: "Narrow Margin," 10 p.m. Angel Hall Aud. A. Soundstage - "Crossed Wire," 10 p.m., U-Club. People Power - the leader- ship seminar Sat. Oct 6 Regis- ter at N. Campus Commons For more info, contact SODC, 763-5900 and 2202 Michigan Union. Multi-Racial Cultural Group needs contributors for its Vi- sual Expressions Art Show. Drop in on today in the Cro- foot Room in the Michigan Union to create a personal statement of your experiences being biracial, multi-racial, or involved in an interracial rela- tionship. Picnic at the Trotter House WASHINGTON (AP) - Amer- ica's gas-guzzling cars are under the heaviest attack in more than a decade as the Mideast crisis brings home the country's reliance on foreign oil. The Senate is about to take up a bill calling for 40-mile-per-gallon cars, and Detroit is shuddering. The bill would require new car fleets to average 40 miles per gallon by the year 2001, up from the cur- rent 27.5 mpg minimum. Automak- ers say the standard is technologi- cally infeasible unless they stop making all but the smallest cars. Supporters say technology is available to achieve the 40 mpg tar- get without drastically shrinking car sizes. They say automakers made the same arguments in the 1970s against the original fuel-economy legislation but managed to comply. Dingell pressed Boxer and Miller to list the technological advances au- tomakers could utilize. When they mentioned improved transmissions, aerodynamic design and use of smaller engines, Dingell said they were being used already. fie demanded to know why so few Americans buy fuel-efficient cars already on the market, such as the GEO, which gets 60 mpg. NO COVE 25 CENT DRAUGHT BEER with student ID U 1't The Washin gton St. Liberty S. Univ. 208 S. FIRS 996-8555 Pig APPEARING TONIGHT: Happy Hour-THE DUSHANES 9:30-2 am-FRANK ALLISON & THE ODD SOCKS 11,