TODAY Cloudy,.flurries; High: 40, Low: 18. TOMORROW Windy, very cold; High: 32, Low: 16. 4v 4ir 44or tr,,-qvr t!aan 143at7lij Michelle Horrigan leads spikers' resurgence. See SPORTS Page 10. One hundred and one years of editorial freedom Vol. CII, No. 28 Ann Arbor, Michigan - Wednesday, November 6,1991 heMcgaal Sharpton forum underscores Jewish-Black tension w by Rob Patton Daily Minority Issues Reporter As tempers flared during last Tuesday night's- Viewpoint forum with the Rev. Al Sharpton, tension was especially evident between Black and Jewish members of the audience. Several audience members who took the microphone accused Sharp- e ton of anti-Semitism, and the heated exchanges following these accusa- tions were frequently accompanied by shouting and booing from sec- tions of the crowd. Many left the forum feeling that what happened could not be dis- missed as an isolated incident, that Sharpton had in fact exposed already existing animosities. "I think it was unfortunate that the Black and Jewish communities were so opposed to each other at the meeting," said Mark Randon, chair of the Black Law Students Alliance (BLSA). "But all I think Al Sharp- ton did was highlight some issues that might not have gotten atten- tion otherwise." UAC Viewpoint Lectures Chair Mark Bernstein, who organized the forum, agreed. "No one walked out of that forum believing in this holistic, beautiful, completely uni- fied University. They realized we have problems," he said. Joseph Kohane, director of the Hillel Foundation, agreed that the tensions displayed at the forum are part of a larger pattern. However, he said the problems between Blacks whites. My impression is that Blacks look at Jews as part of the white population, and the problem is between Blacks and whites rather than any one segment of the white 'I see* a lack of will to sit down and learn about someone and why they're different. I see people's emotions getting in the way of them listening' - Ouimet Smith LSA senior "I think that the tension is over- played; because I think that deep down Blacks and Jews are on the same side of the political outlook on the world," he said. "So more than anything, I think that Sharp- ton's appearance created the appear- ance of divisiveness." "It's not a tension between Blacks and Jews, it's a reaction to Al Sharpton as an individual." However, many Black and Jewish students do see tension on campus, which some say reflects society in general. But even these students disagree as to the problem's root. Some see it as a lack of cultural understanding or a simple lack of communication. "I see a lack of understanding be- tween students. I see a lack of will to sit down and learn about someone and why they're different. I see peo- pie's emotions getting in the way of them listening to what other people have to say," LSA senior Ouimet Smith, a minority peer advisor in Mary Markley Residence Hall, said. Others say the problem goes deeper than that, lying in economic inequality and deeply rooted stered- types. Kohane cited an example where one student told him of a Black friend who was upset by fliers passed out by groups opposing See TENSIONS, Page 2 and Jews were simply part of a more community," general problem between Blacks and Jewish L whites. ident David ( "I think that the fundamental problem betw problem is between Blacks and exaggerated. he said. aw Student Union Pres- Glaser said he thinks the ween Blacks and Jews is .Iowa students. speculate on what caused shooting spree by Gwen Shaffer Daily Higher Education Reporter IOWA CITY - Crazy. Stressed out. Psycho. Men- tally Imbalanced. These are the words University of Iowa students use to describe Gang Lu, the former student who killed four people and himself on Friday. Lu was seeking re- venge for not receiving an academic honor nomination. Five days after tragedy struck this campus, students. continue to be visibly disturbed. Some students said so- ciety is at least partially to blame for Lu's violent ac- tions, while others said they believe Lu's problems stemmed from internal conflict. Iowa senior Brenda Gaudet said she thinks societal pressures contributed to Lu's losing control on Friday. "I think he was really frustrated and probably had been working for that award for a long time. It seems the shootings were caused by everything in his back- ground and he was a very driven person," Gaudet said. Iowa senior Alison Constant agreed that the pres- sures faced by Lu were very intense and probably to blame. "He was feeling pressured in terms of finding a job and working on his dissertation," Constance said, "But I think it was pressure he put on himself." Others said external pressures placed on college students cause great stress. "A lot of competition in classes and for awards is getting out of hand," said sophomore Jason Marsh. Iowa junior Chris Corona said he believes Lu was overly preoccupied with academic achievement. "He was obsessive. Getting the award was his life," he said. Dr. Stanley Sue, the director of the National Re- search Center on Asian-American Mental Health at UCLA, would not comment on the specific incident, but did speculate on what kinds of pressures could have affected Lu. "In general, these students are under a great deal of pressure. They are far away from home, in mainland China there is uncertainty over what is going to happen in the future, and there is extreme pressure to succeed at home. This can produce a situation where an individ- ual could do drastic things," he said. Students in the Physics Department seem to be af- fected most by the shooting, as the victims included the Physics and Astronomy Department head and two physics professors. Most students said they were at a See IOWA, Page 2 -I State, national elections favor Democrats Associated Press Democratic Lt. Gov. Brereton Jones was elected governor of Kentucky last night in off-year bal- loting. Appointed Democratic Sen. Harris Wofford held an early edge over former Attorney General Richard Thornburgh in a recession- shaped campaign that could carry a message to President Bush. Mississippi's Democratic Gov. Ray Mabus was in a close race with Republican Kirk Fordice in the other governor's race of the night. Washington state voted on im- posing term limits designed to cur- tail the careers ofHouse Speaker Tom Foley, other members of Congress and' state:officials. It voted, as well, on a first-in-the-na- tion plan to legalize doctor-assisted suicide for the terminally ill. With 7 percent of the Pennsylvania's 9,428 precincts re- porting, Wofford had 109,505 votes or 67 percent, to 52,894 votes or 33 percent for Thornburgh. In Kentucky, Jones was gaining 65 percent of the vote, to 35 percent for his Republican rival, Rep. Larry Hopkins, with 97 percent of the precincts tallied. The victory by Jones, a former West Virginia Republican, extended a 24-year Democratic hold on the governor's office. In Mississippi, it was Mabus with 69,805 votes or 49 percent to 67,397 votes or 49 percent for Fordice with 25 percent of the precincts counted. incumbent Ray, Mabus against Republican Kirk Fordice. Democrats have elected gover- nors in the state for more than 100 years without interruption, but Mabus was the first to take advan- tage of a constitutional change per- mitting him to seek a second consec- See ELECTIONS, Page 2 Fire Jeff Gibbs and Bob Grable, the owners of Coney Island Dogs, clean out their belongings after a Monday night fire destroyed everything in the restaurant. Council passes domestic couples ordinance by David Rheingold Daily City Reporter After more than five hours of public debate, an exhausted City Council ap- proved an ordinance early yesterday morning allowing homosexual couples to register their partnership with City Hall, becoming the first city in the state to adopt such legislation. The unanimous vote followed the council's longest public hearing this year. The council then voted to instruct the city finance director to study the costs of extending to domestic couples simi- lar employee benefits given to married couples. Between 7:30 p.m. Monday night and 12:34 a.m. Tuesday morning, 103 speak- ers addressed the council about its ordi- nance allowing unmarried couples - both heterosexual and homosexual - to register their relationships in City Hall. Of the 103 speakers, 84 supported it while 19 asked the council to reject the ordinance's second and final reading. Many members of the audience, who remained in the council chamber for the final vote, exploded in thunderous ap- plause after the council adopted the or- dinance at 1:00 a.m. "This is an appropriate and progres- sive step, and I hope it will be a model for other public bodies in this state, in- cluding university boards of regents," Mayor Liz Brater told the council. During the hearing, many speakers hailed the ordinance as a step toward recognition of same-sex couples, while its opponents argued that homosexual- ity is unnatural. University graduate Tom Nash, who addressed the council, said he believes homosexuality fosters "self-destructive behavior." "Sodomy, with all due respect to the people, is basically the transmission of life-giving elements into the human equivalent of a wastebasket," he said. And Ann Arbor attorney Charles Graham warned the council that the or- dinance violates state anti-sodomy laws. But Councilmember Kurt Zimmer (D-4th Ward) said the ordinance only deals with registration of a partnership, not sexual activity. "If (people) want to do things that are 'illegal' by state law, then that's their business, but the ordinance does not address anything such things," he said. Steve Culver, publisher of the local newspaper Ten Percent, added that many people falsely perceive gay men and les- bians as sexually promiscuous. "Obviously, a long-standing monog- amous relationship is based on a lot more than sex," he said. Domestic partners will be able to register their relationships with the city clerk beginning Nov. 20. I V.P. Johnson's office * closes in 'U' cutbacks by Henry Goldblatt Daily Administration Reporter As part of a reorganization of the University's executive level of- fices, Henry Johnson was demoted yesterday from vice president for community relations to senior con- sultant for the University Alumni Association. The office which Johnson headed - the University's community re- lations office- will be closed. Johnson could not be reached to comment on hisJo n n reassignment. Jo no Johnson. the University's only better job with more cost effi- ciency," said Walter Harrison, ex- ecutive director of University rela- tions. He added that the University thought that the responsibilities of the government relations office, community relations office, and the University's external relations of- fice could be combined into two offices. Harrison said that the University's government relations office will pick up the responsibili- ties of the community relations office, which focused on University ties with the Ann Arbor and Detroit communities - including organizations such as the United Way and the Ann Arbor Chamber of Commerce. Vice President for Government MSA rejects referendum on student fee approval by Purvi Shah Daily MSA Reporter The Michigan Student Assembly rejected proposals last night for two referenda that would have appeared on future election ballots. The first proposal, which failed on a 12-10 vote, would have man- dated student approval of MSA fee increases or cuts. The second resolution, which was to have students decide whether the assembly should consolidate five of its commissions into one, failed to get the two-thirds major- ity needed for a constitutional amendment when it only garnered a 11~ 1 .., II K I I