TODAY Partly sunny, breezy; High: 66, Low: 43. TOMORROW Sunny, mild; High: 71, Low: 45. One hundred and one years of editorial freedom Notes From Underground debuts. See ARTS Page 5. Vol. CII, No. 7 Ann Arbor, Michigan - Tuesday, October 8, 1991 copygt 199 She Michg an Daily Court to *replace . . Haitian president PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) - Soldiers opened fire on the Legislative Palace yesterday and state-run radio reported about one hour later that lawmakers had de- cided to replace exiled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. About 150 soldiers sealed off the palace and a man who identified himself as a deputy said from inside that the building was under siege. "Soldiers are occupying the palace," said the man, who refused to give his name. He said the sol- diers had attacked the palace with tanks and gunfire at about 4:30 p.m. No one was wounded by gunfire, but soldiers struck some lawmakers with gun butts, he said. About an hour later, state-run radio reported that the National Assembly had decided to invoke Ar- ticle 149 of the constitution provid- ing for a Supreme Court judge to re- place Aristide. Earlier, about 70 soldiers burst into the waiting room of the inter- national airport while a nine-mem- ber mission from the Organization of American States was meeting Haitian leaders to press for the re- turn of Aristide. The OAS meeting took place on a floor above the waiting room. The soldiers grabbed Aristide's former campaign manager, Evans Paul, roughed him up and dragged him away. Paul told reporters he was being sent to Venezuela, where Aristide first flew into exile. See HAITI, Page 2 Council OKs recognition of gay couples Target: Zagreb Jets from the Yugoslavian federal air force attack the heart of Croatia's government yesterday, rocketing the headquarters of its president, shown here, in a bid to end the republic's rebellion. See story, page 3. EMU moves to protect the rights of students with HIV by David Rheingold Daily Staff Reporter Same-sex couples in the city of Ann Arbor may soon be able to reg- ister their relationship with the city clerk. The City Council gave prelimi- nary approval last night to a pro- posal that would formally recognize two adults living together - whether they are heterosexual or homosexual - as domestic partners. The ordinance, which the council passed unanimously, still needs a second reading before it can go into effect. The ordinance would grant do- mestic partnership to any couples who "declare that they are in a rela- tionship of mutual support, caring, and commitment." Councilmember Ann Marie Coleman (D-1st Ward), sponsor of the ordinance, said she sees the ordi- nance as recognition of a broader def- inition of the word "family." "I see this as an affirmation of family, that our definition of family in this country has been far too nar- row ... that families exist across all kinds of lines, and that people that care for one another have the right to be named as a family," she said. The ordinance does not, however, require employers to legally treat homosexual couples the same way they treat married couples. City Council members said they see the ordinance rather as a small step toward preventing discrimination. "I think this is just something by Gwen Shaffer Daily Higher Education Reporter- A new communicable disease policy has been drafted at Eastern Michigan University, to prevent discrimination against students who carry the AIDS-causing HIV (human immunodeficiency) virus. In order to promote proper pre- cautions to slow further spread of diseases such as AIDS and hepatitis on campus, the policy recommends a comprehensive education program be designed for faculty, staff, and students. "The policy is a joint effort de- signed to go beyond AIDS, but to deal with communicable diseases as a whole. It was written by a task force made up of anyone I thought would have an interest in or would be faced with dealing with the issue in the future," said Director of Health Services Ellen Gold, who chaired the task force. Members of the task force in- cluded students, health educators, a housing director, an affirmative ac- tion office representative, and the -See AIDS, Page 2 Homeless rally at City Hall, say city ignores their plight by Joshua Meckler Daily Staff Reporter Ann Arbor's homeless had nowhere to go yesterday but up to City Hall, where they gathered on the lawn to protest a lack of day- time shelter, the governor's recent aid cutbacks, and the city's failure to provide adequate low-income housing. The Homeless Action Com- mittee (HAC) organized the rally, which was held in conjunction with last night's City Council meeting where HAC members spoke out on homelessness. Many of the homeless said the day shelter on Ashley Street, which has been closed since August for renovation, has not been worked on yet. Without a place to go in the day, some said, they have been forced into city stores and onto University grounds, where that's not set up to make a large dif- ference, but just as a small step to- wards a final goal," said Council- member Kurt Zimmer (D-4th Ward). Mayor Liz Brater said she has not heard of any other Michigan cities adopting similar ordinances. "I think it's very fortunate that the city of Ann Arbor can take a pi- oneering role in the state of Michigan," Brater said. "I think this will send a message to the county and state that this kind of legislation is needed by our constituents." Although the council approved the ordinance unanimously, Council- member Kirk Dodge (R-2nd Ward) said he has reservations about allowing civil rights issues to be- come politicized. "In the long term, I worry that (the ordinance) would get twisted. Community values change, and the council composition changes, and for people who have had information certified, that information could be used against (them)," he said. The council also agreed to delete a section of the ordinance establish- ing benefits and privileges for city employees in domestic partnerships, similar to those it provides for mar- ried couples. Coleman said that technically, the portion should have been pro- posed as a resolution. She added that she will propose such a resolution at the council's next meeting on Oct. 21. Abrams cops plea in Contra scan dal WASHINGTON (AP) - For- mer Assistant Secretary of State El- liott Abrams pleaded guilty yester- day to two misdemeanors in the Iran-Contra scandal and agreed to cooperate in the continuing probe of top officials from the Reagan ad- ministration. Abrams, 43, appeared in U.S. Dis- trict Court, where he admitted withholding information from the Senate Foreign Relations Commit- tee on Oct. 10, 1986. He concealed Oliver North's involvement with a secret network to supply the Nicaraguan Contra rebels with guns, he admitted. Abrams felt that "disclosure of Lieutenant Colonel North's activi- ties in the resupply of the Con tras would jeopardize final enactment" of a $100 million congressional ap- propriation for the Contras, Iran- Contra prosecutors said in an eight- page statement of facts filed in U.S. District Court. Congress was pressing the Rea- gan administration for answers about the mysterious Contra resup- ply network after one of the North operation's planes was shot down over Nicaragua on Oct. 5, 1986. Abrams was the State Depart- ment's assistant secretary for inter- American affairs at the time. "How do you plead?" U.S. Dis- trict Court Judge Aubrey Robinson asked Abrams twice. "I plead guilty," Abrams replied each time in a clear voice. Robinson set sentencing for Nov. 15. Abrams could face up to a year in jail and $100,000 in fines on each of twn rl Ptltq_ they are often sent back to the streets. "Now, they're even starting to kick us off the Diag," said Ken Gregory, a homeless man from Ann Arbor. Gregory added that several times he had been told by University police officers to pick up trash on the Diag or be forced to leave. "It's so tight in Ann Arbor, even the (public) library isn't safe for homeless people," Gregory said. "There's really nowhere for people to go during the day," said HAC member Jen Rubin. "The whole new Union policy is proba- bly very related to keeping out people who are homeless." Rubin said the timing of the renovations to the Ashley Street shelter was unfortunate because winter is almost here. She said the city had said it would finish the construction as soon as possible. But, she added, "I guess it's never clear what 'as soon as possible' means." A speaker at the rally, Gene Bell, of the Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice, criticized Gover- nor John Engler's cuts to the state's General Assistance fund. "The average person who needs housing will suffer - are suffer- ing from these cuts." HAC member Paul Lambert, who formerly lived on the streets, added, "It's indescribably miser- able because even in the best of weather, you get cold and wet sooner or later." Roy Cartwright, who said he has been homeless for eight See HOMELESS, Page 2 Four of Ann Arbor's homeless pass the time outside City Hall as the Homeless Action Committee holds a rally yesterday afternoon. 'U': Out-of-state residency requirements will not change Attorney General's by Stefanie Vines Daily Government Reporter Administrators said an opinion released by Attorney General Frank Kelley last week giving universities autonomy to establish state resi- dency requirements will not have a profound effect on the University. Kelley said it is legal for a state university to advise applicants that they could acquire in-state residence status if they worked full-time for 12 months in Michigan while at- tending school part-time. "He based his opinion on the same requirements we base our resi- -.... -_......_,..,,__, 1 decision may not affect students here am confused because he defined what constitutes residency on the one hand, but on the other hand his opin- ion reaffirms the University's right to decide requirements." University General Counsel Elsa Cole said the opinion will have a bigger impact at Michigan State University than here. "The Attorney General has re- stated what we already do. The opin- ion was released in response to a student at MSU," she said. Kelley noted that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1973 that a university couldn't restrict a stu- to provide clear proof that they had acquired residency, such as evidence that they had stayed in Michigan when classes weren't in session. Chris DeWitt, a spokesperson for Kelley, agreed with Harrison. "This will have little, if any, impact on universities. It is a prac- tice that probably is not new," DeWitt said. But DeWitt did say the opinion will reaffirm the University's right to make residency decisions. "The question was raised by Sen. Conroy on the issue of the state hav- ing criteria for residency I-------= = - -