The Michigan Daily-Tuesday, October 15,1991 - Page 3
City to
ask 'U' to
lscuss
housing
by David Rheingold
Daily City Reporter
In response to recent conflicts
between the city and the Greek sys-
#n, city Planning Commission
~air Sam Offen said last night that
the city will invite the University
to address the commission.
In a joint working session of the
City Council and the commission,
Offen addressed campus area group
housing and extended an offer to the
University Housing Division to
speak to the commission.
Offen added, however, that he
elcomes other representatives
frgm student groups such as the In-
ter-Cooperative Council, the Inter-
fraternity Council, and the Panhel-
lenic Association.
"The intent is to solicit input,"
Offen said. "A lot of times we find
out the only chance we get to talk is
when we're working on particular
issues, and often those are very con-
frontational."
* Offen said he feels the Univer-
sity should play a more active role
in the process.
And as for inviting the Univer-
sity first, he said, "You got to start
somewhere, and that seems just as
good a place as any."
The Planning Commission is a
board comprised of nine members
which initially reviews policy and
qnd use plans, including zoning.
'Sororities and
fraternities
are becoming
increasingly
frustrated'
- Sam Offen
City Planning
! Commission Chair
Recently, the commission has
been the subject of controversy in
the University's Greek system. This
summer, Pi Kappa Phi fraternity
sued the city after the commission
denied it a permit to live in its new
house.
dA Washtenaw County judge
dismissed the case last month in fa-
*or of the fraternity.
Last week, Sigma Kappa sorority
brought a lawsuit against the city
after the commission denied its re-
qiest to add on to its house.
In both cases, the commission
ruled that the requests would only
prove detrimental to the neighbor-
hoods, which neighbors complained
were already plagued by excessive
trash and noise.
Offen said he sees the problem as
increasingly dense neighborhoods
with little expansion space.
"We think that the problem
that's been created near the campus
atea is that there's a need for this
group area housing, and there's
nowhere to put it. And the Univer-
sity, in our opinion, is saying, 'It's
not our problem,"' Offen said.
""There's no space left, and soror-
ities and fraternities are becoming
increasingly frustrated," he added.
'U' boasts higher
Black enrollment
by Rob Patton
Daily Minority Issues Reporter
It's not just a job
Decorating windows is an adventure for Kathy Kemp, who was busy designing a new store window scene for
Bivouac on State St. yesterday.
" "
Judge rules Wisconsin speech
code violates 1st Amendment
The number of Black students at
the University is higher than it has
ever been before, and minority en-
rollment and faculty hiring are also
at record levels, according to an ar-
ticle in the University Record.
There are now 2,510 Black stu-
dents at the University, which
eclipses the previous high of 2,358
in 1976, according to the article.
Black students make up 7.6 percent
of the University.
Just over 20 percent of
University students are Asian
American, African American,
Hispanic, or Native American this
year, and the University hired 64
new minority faculty members in
1991.
Asian American students now
comprise 8.2 percent of University
students, Hispanic students 3.8 per-
cent, and Native American students
0.6 percent.
Of the new faculty appointees,
21 are Asian American, 21 are
African American, 13 are Hispanic,
and none are Native American.
Thirty-four are on a tenure track.
Vice Provost for Minority
Affairs Charles Moody attributed
the increase in minority students to
University programs to recruit stu-
dents of color, new strategies and
procedures in admissions, and "a
change in the climate and corporate
culture of the University."
Provost Gilbert Whitaker com-
mended faculty members for their
efforts to recruit minority profes-
sors. "I think the faculty have been
trying hard to find these folks and
doing a good job," he said.
Yet both men stressed that there
is more to be done. Moody said the
increased numbers must be met with
programs to support them.
"It's good that we have the in-
creased access for minority students,
but we also need to improve the
process dimension and the climate,"
he said.
Third-year Rackham student
Tracye Matthews, a board member
of the Baker-Mandela Center for
Anti-Racist Education, called the
statistics incomplete. She said they
did not include important data
about minority retention and and at-
trition rate.
"In terms of both minority fac-
ulty and students, a big part of the
picture that's never presented is re-
tention and attrition. I'd like to see
statistics on that, as well as exit in-
terviews with students of color
who have left the University for fi-
nancial and other reasons," she said.
Matthews also pointed out that
many of the minority faculty hired
were not on a tenure track.
"Almost half of the faculty of
color hired are in temporary or non-
tenure track positions, which means
there not here long," she said.
Whitaker said the University
was dedicated to hiring more minor-
ity faculty but that it could be a dif-
ficult task
"I think it's going to get tougher
and tougher. All schools are recruit-
ing minorities and there's a limited
pool," he said.
by Gwen Shaffer
Daily Higher Education Reporter
The University of Wisconsin has
been forced to remove a rule forbid-
ding racist and sexist epithets on
campus after a federal judge ruled
that it violated the First
Amendment.
U.S. District Judge Robert
Warren ruled Friday that the speech
code was a form of "thought con-
trol."
The U-W Board of Regents
adopted the rule in 1989 after a se-
ries of racist incidents, including a
fraternity "Fiji Island" party in
which members donned body paint
and caricatured Black natives.
The ruling comes at the same
time Michigan legislators are con-
sidering a bill that would forbid
state schools from enforcing the
same type of speech measures.
The University lost a similar
suit in 1989 in which a graduate stu-
dent sued because he felt the
Discriminatory Harassment policy
violated his right to free speech. The
University now has adopted a more
specific interim policy that was
drawn up in accordance with the
court ruling.
The Wisconsin rule permitted U-
W officials to exert disciplinary ac-
tion upon students who create
"intimidating, hostile or demeaning
environments" by directing racist
or discriminatory comments at
other individuals. The policy was
originally written by a university
committee composed of law school
faculty members.
The suit was brought against the
university by the U-W at
Milwaukee student newspaper and
two U-W at Green Bay professors.
Several students representing vari-
ous campuses also sued the univer-
sity on hypothetical grounds, and a
student identified as "John Doe"
joined the suit after he was disci-
plined for violating the speech code.
Judge Warren ruled that the uni-
versity must clear the student's
record and pay all plaintiffs' legal
fees.
James Sulton, special assistant to
the U-W president for minority af-
fairs, said he believes the speech pol-
icy was constitutional.
"We are disappointed because
our rule had been in effect for two
years and working well," he said.
U-W
Hodulik
how the
spond to
Legal Counsel Patricia
said it is too soon to know
university is going to re-
the court ruling.
"We are planning to analyze the
ruling in detail and determine if we
should appeal," she said.
Sulton added that tensions
among different racial groups at U-
W, which has a minority enrollment 4
of just over five percent, may be
heightened by the court ruling. -
Sulton said the administration
will concentrate on behavior-chang-
ing alternatives for limiting racial Let Them K
discrimination incidents, such as re- H wY uFeel
emphasizing race issues during first-
year orientation and the ethnic stud-
ies requirement.
OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL
PROGRAMS-
.
One student attends
forum on task force
by Marcus Olender
One student showed up yesterday
to a panel discussion sponsored by
the University's Task Force on
Alcohol and other drugs.
As part of Alcohol Awareness
Week, the meeting was designed to
elicit student input on the commit-
tee's findings on drug and alcohol
abuse on campus.
Despite the low student turnout,
the committee directed their discus-
sion as if the room were filled with
people.
"We didn't expect many stu-
dents," said Jackie Campbell, an
administrator for the University
Substance Abuse Center. "There
will be more occasions for students
THE. LIST
What's happening in Ann Arbor today
to discuss the report and its recom-
mendations," she said.
The Task Force's comprehensive
study on substance abuse began in
April 1989 and is divided into two
phases.
The report on the first phase,
which has been completed, discusses
problems related to campus itself.
The second phase will explore how
to increase awareness of those prob-
lems through curriculum develop-
ment, research, and public service.
The committee's findings com-
ply with Congress' 1990 "Drug-
Free Schools and Communities
Act" which requires implementa-
tion of policies which prohibit ille-
gal drug and alcohol use, and calls
for sanctions of people who violate
these rules.
Yet Associate Vice President for
Student Services Virginia Nordby
dismissed the act as hastily drawn
up. They are treating us "as if we
were a junior high," she said.
?ea
7"c
Tell
what
Study Abroad Fair
Angell Hall - Auditorium C
Oct. 15, 1991
4:00 - 6:00
Meetings
Time and Relative Dimensions in
Ann Arbor, weekly mtg. 2439 Mason, 8
p.m.
Armenian Club. Union, Tap Room, 7,
p.m.
Psi Chi, national psychology honor so-'
ciety. Angell Aud C, 7:30.
Speakers
"Sex and Spirit: A Study of Body and
Soul," Bishop John Spong. League, Rm'
2, 3:30-5.
'Questioning the Authority of the
Past," Bishop John Spong. Rackham
Amphitheater, 8 p.m.
'4A Personal View of the Changes in
the Soviet Union," Antonina Sharova,
Russian State University. International
Center, noon..
Furthermore
Open Hearing on the future gover-'
rance of the University's student publi-
cations. Union, Kuenzel Rm, 1-2. '
hours are 1 a.m. -3 a.m. at the Angell
Hall Computing Center or call 763-
4246.
Northwalk, North Campus safety
walking service. Sun-Thur 8 p.m.-1:30
a.m. and Fri. and Sat. 8 p.m.-11:30 p.m.
Stop by 2333 Bursley or call 763-
WALK.
Study Abroad Fair. Angell Aud C, 4
p.m.
Alcohol and Stress Program, Union,
Pendleton Rm, 7 p.m.
"Alcohol Abuse: A Lesbian and Gay
Male Concern," Union, 7 p.m.
Colleen McElroy, visiting writers se-
ries. Union, Pendleton Rm, 4 p.m.
ECB Peer Writing Tutors. An-
gell/Mason Computing Center, 7-11.
Church Street, 7-9.
U-M Swim Club, Tuesday workout. IM
Pool, 6:30-8:30.
Women's Rugby, Tuesday practice.
Mitchell Field, 5:45-8 p.m.
"To Kill A Mockingbird," film. Angell
Aud A, 9 p.m.
Clinic Defense Training. Union, 4th
floor- 6:30
Come and find out about study abroad
oppurtunities in France, Italy, Spain, Great Britain,
Sweden, India, Africa, USSR, Armenia, Chile,
'I
ri