UbeMic to Iil
I
Crisis hits
Terrorists threaten
'U' students in Italy
home
MSA
voting
begins today
by Brooke Mayer
American university programs
in Florence, Italy received threaten-
ing letters yesterday from an
anonymous group saying it would
retaliate against American "interests"
in the city if the U.S. attacked Iraq.
The University program is lo-
cated in Sesto, twenty minutes out-
side of Florence.
Dr. Gino Casagrande, director of
the University's program in Italy,
said it is "business as usual, students
are very calm and no one is giving
the letter much credence." Currently
there are 53 University students
studying in Italy.
Alexandra Rose, an RC junior on
the program, said, "It's true that
some people are not worried but
some people have gone home already
out of fear." One student has already
left and four more are expected to
leave by the end of the week, she
added.
The American groups are in con-
stant contact with the police, the
American embassy and the American
consulate to keep abreast of devel-
opments.
Italian police officers visited
Studeni
by Matthew Pulliam
Daily Staff Reporter
University students yesterday and
said they thought the letters were
nothing serious, and that it was a
hoax. Real terrorists would bomb
first and take credit later, they said.
Rose said security at the villa
where students live is tight.
A guard is stationed outside the
gates all night and visitors are not
allowed in the rooms at any time. In
response to the letters, security has
been increased and new locks were
put on the doors.
Students were encouraged to keep
a low profile and not to talk to
strangers, but otherwise activities
have not changed.
Ian Burnstein an LSA junior feels
there is "a lot of unjustified fear,
built up by the press in the United
States. "
Rose said she is not terribly wor-
ried. She is afraid, however, that if
war erupts suddenly it will be im-
possible to catch an international
flight out of Italy.
The Michigan program is sched-
uled to end Dec. 13, however the
University has decided to end the
program a week early.
I
by Christine Kloostra
Daily MSA Reporter
And you thought Election Day
was last week.
The Michigan Student Assembly
elections kick off today and will
continue through tomorrow. The
elections will fill 24 seats on the
University's student government.
Election Director Catherine Fu-
gate said she was pleased with how
well the election has run so far.
" I anticipate a really good turnout
and a fair election," she said, adding
that student voting would be higher
than last fall's election, but would
probably not reach the nearly record-
setting turnout in the winter term
presidential election. Nearly 6,500
students voted in the presidential
election.
Fugate said an average of 3,000
student voters cast ballots every year
in fall elections.
Forty-four candidates are vying
to represent their schools on the as-
sembly. Thirty-nine of the candi-
dates are running with one of three
parties - Abolitionist, Action, and
Conservative Coalition. Six candi-
dates are running as independents.
Candidates expressed a wide
range of sentiments as the election
approached.
"I'm nervous," Maria Kupillas, a
CC candidate said. "I'm glad it's
almost over."
MSA elections '90
For complete coverage of the
elections, turn to page 5.
Action candidate Eric Stempien
said party members had been speak-
ing to students in residence halls and
that students were concerned about
fighting for their rights.
"People feel we're the party
that's best fit to do that," he said.
Abolitionist candidate Steve
Koppelman urged students to vote.
"If people don't vote, they won't
have any right to whine this next
term," he said.
Five schools do not have candi-
dates to fill their seats - Medicine,
Social Work, Dentistry, Education,
See ELECTIONS, Page 2
Photo Illustration MICHELLE GUY/D
LSA senior Steve McLean copies down the names and addresses of
soldiers in the Persian Gulf. McLean is compiling the names for
distribution in the English 329 newspaper Homefront.
boost troops'
University students can follow
the Persian Gulf crisis from the
comfort of their homes. But for
the soldiers of Operation Desert
Shield, comfort is a luxury, not a
given.
The troops of the United
States' armed forces are deprived of
extensive contact with their friends
and family, and sometimes feel
that America has forgotten them.
This is a problem the students
of Prof. Karis Crawford's Practical
English class feel needs to be ad-
dressed.
In response, the students have
chosen to design, finance, publish,
and distribute approximately 5,000
copies of their own newsletter to
Michigan troops stationed in
Saudi Arabia to raise the U.S.
troops' morale and ease their feel-
ings of homesickness.
Crawford requires all students
in her English 329 class to partic-
ipate in a large scale "Corporate
Project" in order to learn essential
business communications skills.
According to the course syllabus,
the class must coordinate a large-
scale project which:
"involves everyone in the
workshop"
"requires sustained and di-
verse efforts of writing"
"deals with some social real-
ity outside of the classroom."
For this term, the class dis-
cussed the various possibilities for
a large activity, and finally chose
the newsletter proposal. The paper
was appropriately named, The
Homefront.
The students are divided into
different committees to tackle the
enormous responsibilities associ-
ated with the production of a pub-
lication.
"It requires a lot of work out-
side of the classroom," said Pat
Nagi, an LSA senior and member
of Crawford's class.
The finance committee has de-
termined the project's final cost as
$2,133 and has raised $841. The
current fundraiser is a jellybean
guessing raffle to be held in the
Law Quad. The prizes for the raffle
winners have been provided by do-
nations of local merchants and the
hard work of Crawford's students.
The greatest single expense is
the cost of mailing the actual pa-
pers - $1,100. Funds are being
sought from the Michigan Student
Assembly, but no money has been
approved.
Another committee was given
the responsibility of collecting the
names of Michigan soldiers in the
Persian Gulf. Working in conjunc-
morale
tion with the Detroit Free Press'
Bob Talbert, Crawford's class has
collected approximately 800
names, adding more to the list ev-
ery day.
Because of its value as a teach-
ing tool, Crawford has chosen to
let the students run the Home-
front. She still acts as an advisor
and a teacher of English, but acts
mainly as a fellow participant in
the activity. "This is a very diffi-
cult course to teach because I have
to keep my mouth shut," Craw-
ford said. "I think in the long run
there's a lot more learning."
Anyone who would like a
friend or relative in Operation
Desert Shield to receive a copy of
the Homefront should send a let-
ter to Steve McLean at 411 E.
William, Ann Arbor 48104.
MSA
by Julie Foster
Daily Staff Reporter
Michil
After extensive deba
mua received recogniti
Michigan Student Asi
night by a nine to fou
seven abstentions.
Michigamua, an all-n
honor society, drew fi
Minority Affairs C
(MAC) last year because
initiation ceremonies u
American rituals some s
sidered offensive and raci
A written agreeme
proved last year by mem
groups stipulating that]
would remove all refere
tive American tradition
ceremonies. MAC clain
mua violated a verbal a
meet with them and con
necessary changes had be
gamua gains
recognition
Melissa Lopez, an MAC member
te, Michiga- who filed the complaint against
on from the Michigamua last year, while not
sembly last personally speaking for or against
ir vote with Michigamua recognition, spoke on
behalf of the commission.
male campus "The fact that they have not met
re from the with us, in the minds of the MAC
ommission members, is a violation of the
the group's agreement even though it wasn't
used Native written in the document," Lopez
tudents con- said.
st. Michigamua President Paul Mur-
nt was ap- phy disagreed. "There is no such
ibers of both provision in the agreement," he said.
Michigamua Jeff Gauthier, a Rackham rep.,
%nces to Na- spoke in opposition of Michigamua
s from their recognition. "Until MAC is willing
ns Michiga- to come here and tell us they're sat-
greement to isfied, I don't feel comfortable rec-
firm that the ognizing them as a group."
en made. See MICHIGAMUA, Page 2
L_
Sunrunner stays in 3rd
-by Dave Rheingold
Daily Staff Writer
AILERON, Australia - The 36
solar-powered entries in the World
Solar Challgene 1990 enjoyed their
first complete day in the Australian,
sun yesterday.
The University's vehicle, Sun-
runner, remained in third place, 35
miles behind Honda. It finished Day
Three about 53 miles north of Alice
Springs, the halfway point in this
transcontinental race. It has com-
pleted 883.6 miles so far, at an aver-
age speed of 34.6 mph.
The Swiss entry, Ingenierschule
Biel, maintained it's lead, 147 miles
ahead of Honda, its nearest competi-
tor.
Despite the clear sky, team
strategist and Engineering senior Jeff
Pavlat felt the Sunrunner lost an ad-
vantage over other cars with the dis-
appearance of the previous day's
clouds.
"Normally the direct sunlight just
goes right from the sun to your car,
and it radiates out. But if you have
some clouds here, all the energy that
normally kept going in that direc-
tion... hits the clouds, bounces off
the clouds," Pavlat said.
'They're way in the
heck out there, and
the only way that
we're going to beat
them is if they have...
some other major
catastrophe'
- Frank Stagg,
engineering senior
The Sunrunner's convex solar ar-
ray can receive sunlight from more
angles than some of the other cars'
flat arrays.
Michigan's lead over Western
Washington University (WWU) in-
creased to 30 miles, after the
WWU's vehicle, the fourth place
Viking XX, blew two tires on a
rocky stretch of the highway.
The Sunrunner, as a precaution,
rotates three sets of wheels every
day. It also uses nitrogen in its tires,
which are then less likely to expand
on hot pavement.
The University of Maryland, after
a mildly disappointing start, climbed
from 10th to 8th place. The Michi-
gan Solar Car Team is more worried
about Ingenierschule Biel, though. _
"Chances are that they're way in
the heck out there, and the only way
that we're going to beat them is if
they have a failure or some other
major catastrophe," said engineering
senior Frank Stagg, who handles
fundraising and public relations for
the team.
Lar rima h
Tennant Creek
Barrow Creek
Alice Springs3
Kulgera
Cooper Pedy 1
Pimba
i Port Piria'
FINISH-:-
Adelaide
Racing the World
The University's Solar Car team completed the
third day of the 1,900 mile (3,058 kin) World Solar Q
Challenge 1990 Monday The Sunrunner pulled off
the road in third place, 183 miles behind the Swiss
entry. The Spirit of Biel,' and just 35 miles behind
Honda's entry, Hondas Dream.' Western
Washington University remained in fourth place
despite blowing two tires.
Repairs
shut off
Markley.
water
by Jon Casden
Water in Mary Markley was shut
off yesterday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
to install special filters into
Markley's pipe system.
Cutting the water supply to
Markley's residents was the only
available option which allowed for
the installation of the new filters,
said George SanFacon, the
University's director of housing fa-
cilities. Markley water from faucets
and showers sometimes had a reddish
tint this year, suggesting a rust
build-up in the pipes.
The water has posed no threat to
the health of Markley residents,
however, said SanFacon. Heavy
metal poisoning - sometimes
caused by rust - usually results in
cases of extreme sickness and vomit-
ing, and no such incidents have been
reported.
The installation process for
putting in filters is a safe one, said
SanFacon.
Congress demands larger role in Gulf policies
Associated Press
President Bush faced Republican
demands for a greater congressional
role in Persian Gulf policy yester-
day, and Saddam Hussein sent his
chief deputy to Morocco to discuss
proval for Bush's military buildup.
Senate Republican Leader Bob Dole
said a special session was likely be-
fore the end of the year.
But presidential press secretary
Marlin Fitzwater said, "We don't
gether, congress and the president,
now to affirm precisely what we're
going to do."
His comments reflected concerns
that several members of the U.S.-
dominated alliance against Iraq were
a formal declaration of war, but Dole
said he wants a "declaration of sup-
port and a willingness to commit
whatever resources it takes to fulfill
the mission."
Before leaving Baghdad for Mo-
Morocco has contributed 1,700
troops to the multinational force, but
it has maintained contact with the
Iraqi leadership.
Ramadan said Baghdad "sup-