TODAY Breezy, milder; High: 62, Low: 44. TOMORROW Rain; High: 60, Low: 42. I iet t ti 'M' avenges loss to State, 4 5-28. See SPORTSmonday. One hundred and one years of editorial f reedom Vol. Ci, No.11 Ann Arbor, Michigan - Monday, October 14, 1991 cope, ,."I. ,991 i the M+cr a Daily Group to protest police at Diag rally by Rob Patton Daily Minority Issues Reporter A group that charges the city and University police with harassment of minorities will hold a demon- stration today at noon on the Diag. The group, an ad-hoc committee on police brutality on campus and in the community, was formed last week in response to recent incidents its members say point to a pattern of abuses of police power. The group as yet has no .spokesperson, but Tracye Matthews, a third-year Rackham student and a member of the committee, said the rally is intended to inform people about police brutality, and to allow those who have experienced brutal- ity or harassment to be heard. "The purpose is to educate the campus and the larger community about the campus police's harass- ment of members of the commu- nity," Matthews said. "It will also be an opportunity for people who have been victims of police brutality and harassment to share their experiences with other members of the community," she added. Matthews said that members of 0 the group also feel that the day of the rally is significant, since Columbus Day is being observed on Monday. "At the meeting we talked about the significance of the rally being held on Columbus Day. Columbus Day represents the first occupation of the so-called new world, and the beginning of the racism and genocide that took place there. There is a comparison to be made between the idea of Columbus occupying the new world and the police occupying the campus and community - be- cause, there are so many police around that we do feel occupied. "There are seven police forces around Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, which is really a lot of police for a relatively small area," she said. Witnesses try to discredit Thomas, Hill WASHINGTON (AP) - Four friends of Anita Hill solemnly tes- tified yesterday that in the 1980s, she told them Supreme Court, nominee Clarence Thomas had made unwanted sexual advances toward her. Hill said "he wouldn't take no for an answer," one recalled. Hill also quoted Thomas as say- ing, "You know if you had wit- nesses, you'd have a perfect case against me," Susan Hoerchner told the Senate Judiciary Committee,' which is probing Hill's allegations of sexual advances and Thomas' un- equivocal denials. Hoerchner and three others ap- peared as opening witnesses on the third day of wrenching, nationally- televised hearings into the sexual harassment charges. The Senate is scheduled to vote tomorrow on con- firming Thomas, a 43-year-old Black federal appeals judge whose nomi- nation has turned into a drama of sex and politics unlike any other. The testimony by Hill's acquain- tances also provided a discussion about sexual harassment: "Being a Black woman, you know you have to put up with a lot," Ellen Wells told the committee of 14 white, male senators. "So you grit your teeth and you do it," she said, adding that she had been "touched in the workplace" more than once. Outside the hearing room, re- porters were told that Hill had taken a lie detector test earlier in the day. Paul Minor, president of a private security firm in Virginia, said he found no evidence of decep- tion. "It's therefore my opinion Ms. Hill is truthful," he said in com- ments certain to cause consternation in the ranks of Thomas' defenders. Under questioning from Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) Wells, Hoerchner and the two others con- ceded they had no first-hand knowl- edge of the incidents that Hill al- leges. But they said they had no reason not to believe their friend. Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) said the panel should be "sensitive to the attempts of character assassination of Professor Hill. They're unworthy," he added, in obvious reference to Republican attempts on Saturday to undermine the credibility of Thomas' accuser. Hill has testified that Thomas repeatedly pressed her for dates and made graphic sexual references in conversation, but never touched her. Thomas has denied all her charges. President Bush said he still believes Thomas "will make it." Bush said he had been glued to the televised hearings, and a See THOMAS, Page 2 Stop right there. Michigan's Lance Dottin tackles Spartan Tico Duckett in Michigan's 45-28 victory over Michigan State Saturday. The Wolverines held Duckett to only 58 yards rushing. For more details, see SPORTSmonday. Hearings focus on student publications by Bethany Robertson Daily Administration Reporter Anyone with an interest in student publi- cations is invited to attend a series of public hearings being held by the Task Force on the Future Governance of Student Publications tonight and tomorrow in the Michigan Union. "People have strong feelings about Student Publications, and this is a chance to register those ideas," said Shirley Clarkson, administrative assistant for the task force and special assistant to the University President. "The stronger the expression of interests, the stronger the recommendations will be." President James Duderstadt directed the formation of the task force last summer in an effort to address growing concerns about the lack of independence among student publica- tions. The Michigan Daily, the MichiganEnsian yearbook, and the Gargoyle, a humor magazine, are all overseen by the Board of Student Publications. The board is made up of faculty, profes- sional journalists, and students, and was de- signed by the Board of Regents to oversee the long-term financial viability of student pub- lications. "The president has asked us to provide some guidance for what would be a more ef- fective governance structure for the Board of Student Publications, especially the Daily," said task force Chair Gayl Ness, professor of sociology and public health. In addition to the public hearings, the committee members are in the process of talking to University faculty, staff, and past and current editors of the three publications. The task force has also contacted more than a dozen universities to examine other systems of student publications. "We're just trying to get as much infor- mation as we can," Ness said. At the center of task force discussions is how much control the University should hold over student publications. The current board mainly oversees financial issues, but t&e editors of the Daily and MichiganEnsian said this can sometimes translate into limits on editorial freedom and the educational pro- See HEARINGS, Page 2 Rallies and dance conclude National Coming Out Week by Mary Lederman Lesbians and gay males in the University community celebrated National Coming Out Day - and the end of Lesbian and Gay Men's Pride, Awareness, and Commitment Week - with sev- eral rallies, a housing petition drive, a march, and a dance Friday. "We are family, and whether they like it or not, this is our home," said Jim Toy of the Lesbian and Gay Men's Programs Office (LGMPO), summarizing what National Coming Out Day signi- fies to the homosexual commu- nity. Rally participants on the Diag at noon collected signatures for a petition demanding family housing to become open to more than mar- ried, heterosexual couples. University graduate student Carrie Bree collected signatures and said she was very impressed with the responses she received. "It's going amazingly well," she said. "People are coming up to us and asking us questions." Intervarsity Christian Fellowship also held a rally on the Diag at noon. Their band, Adam's Brother, played through the entire rally, eliminating the possibility of any National Coming Out Day speakers. Both groups held their own ral- lies without a great deal of antago- nism. Intervarsity member and LSA senior Bryan Taylor said his group did not approve of homosex- uality because it was a sin accord- ing to the Bible, but it was not any person's place to condemn homo- sexuals. "We don't hate gay people ... They deserve their rights, too." Those rallying for National Coming Out Day were disap- pointed that the band blocked out the speakers, but as Ann Arbor res- ident and rally participant Julie DeLaurier said, "Hey, it brings more people. It's fine with me." The main rally, held on the steps of the Rackham Building at 7 p.m., consisted of several speakers representing differing areas of con- troversy. Beginning the rally, City Councilmember Bob Eckstein (D- 5th Ward) read a mayoral procla- mation declaring October 7-11 Lesbian and Gay Men's Pride Awareness and Commitment Week. AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT-UP) leader Pattrice Maurer followed Eckstein with a speech based on the Martin Luther King, Jr. quote, "Truly, America is much, much sicker than I realized when I began this work." Stressing the importance of unity in the homosexual commu- nity, she declared, "We need to re- member what we are doing here is fighting for our lives. Make every- day Coming Out Day!" An anonymous letter was read by Billie Edwards of LGMPO re- flecting the unfair views of society against homosexuals. Coordinator of the Cracker Barrel restaurant See RALLIES, Page 2 Ann Arbor resident Dannie Sullins and junior Christopher Powers came out to the Diag Friday to celebrate National Coming Out Day by dancing on the steps of the Graduate Library. Three MSA reps. bail out, say time needed for other activities I_-- _. by Purvi Shah Daily MSA Reporter Three Conservative Coalition wrl ,pnr.e.ntnt&,PC nrp not ninn- party that opposed CC - commented, "I'd just like to commend Greg for the work he's doneso far" signed from MSA. Two new engineering representa- tives joined the assembly two weeks amo The votes are never acted upon. It's just something that fills the news Wednesday mornings. The body does not do anything for students." mitted, and roll is taken before and after assembly meetings and during committee meetings. Uy does not plan to issue a formal statement of Although Green did not know that Cosnowski and Uy were plan- ning on resigning, he said, "They will be missed certainly. Each one