The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, September 22, 1992- Page 7
City to examine expansion plans for 15th District Court
by Joey Barker
and Adam Hundley
pDaily City Reporters
Citing inadequate facilities, the
Ann Arbor City Council last night
decided to look into expanding the
facilities and staff of the 15th
District Court.
The council directed City
Administrator Alfred Gatta to submit
a recommendation addressing the
court's needs by Oct. 30.
The city estimated that $638,600
I is needed to add 7,100 square feet to
the court and renovate existing facil-
ities, but council members cited the
need for more research after a pri-
vate architectural firm estimated
more than $1 million in repair costs.
The 15th District Court, located
on the sixth floor of City Hall, han-
dles criminal cases for the Ann
Arbor and U-M communities.
"Overcrowding on the sixth floor
is so severe that it impairs the ability
of the court to deliver the level of
service its users deserve," said
Councilmember Kirk Dodge (R-2nd
'Overcrowding on the sixth floor is sd severe
that it impairs the ability of the court to
deliver the level of service its users deserve.'
- Kirk Dodge
City councilmember (R-2nd Ward)
Dodge's resolution also said the
court is not in compliance with
building and fire safety codes.
"I hope that the council will send
the message to the city staff that we
consider the remedy of the courts
deficiencies among the highest
priority," he said.
However, Councilmember Larry
Hunter (D-1st Ward) said that ob-
taining approval for more city fund-
ing would be difficult.
"It is unquestionable that the
court needs additional space. It is
unquestionable the employees need
additional space," Hunter said. "But
unless we figure out how to print
money or (find) some other means of
obtaining funds, we're going to face
supplemental appropriations."
The council also plans to hire a
magistrate and court clerk to expe-
dite small claims hearings, arraign-
ments and other court functions, but
it declined to officially create the
positions until proper funding is
found.
Ward), who sponsored the
resolution.
Dodge said the current facilities
are too cramped to provide an ade-
quate sense of security and comfort
for victims, witnesses and jurors.
In 1988, a private firm estimated
that an additional 12,900 square feet
was needed for the court to meet op-
timal facility standards.
UAC creates new board for
multicultural programming
1 by Jonathan Berndt
In an attempt to increase multi-
cultural programming on campus,
the University Activities Center
(VAC) has created a new post to
integrate minority concerns into the
group's functions.
A nine-member Multicultural
Programming Board (MPB) -
headed by the newly-created vice
president for multicultural affairs -
*Will consist of representatives from
many ethnic group on campus, in-
cluding African Americans, Asian
Americans, gay and lesbians, and
Native Americans, as well as one
international student.
UAC President Jason Hackner
said the board's first term will be
used for educational training while
MPB will begin to create its own
programming second term.
"The first step in creating this
new board is getting the new vice
president," said Hackner, a music
school junior. "That's priority num-
ber one."
"The board will receive training
during November and December,"
Hackner said. "Second term it will
begin to create programming that
will meet the needs of the communi-
ties the board represents. It probably
won't have its own events right
away, but will instead work with
other groups"
The vice president position will
be filled around the beginning of
October, with the rest of the board to
be chosen by early November.
The board's programming goals
include increasing awareness of
multicultural issues, heightening
sensitivity toward minorities,
broadening self-awareness,
exploring other culture's values, and
reaffirming commonly shared
humanity.
The criteria for selecting the first
vice president, according to the UAC
criteria sheet, include leader-
ship/group dynamics experience,
awareness of multicultural issues,
and experience working within the
university structure.
The position's responsibilities,
many of which will be determined
by the newly-selected vice president,
include facilitating the MPB, acting
as a full member of the UAC
Executive Board, sitting on UAC's
Budget Allocations Committee, at-
tending UAC General Board meet-
ings, and acting as a resource for
current UAC committees as they
work toward multicultural pro-
gramming.
UAC will base the programming
on a "Guide to Multiculturalism,"
which sets four stages of develop-
ment of a multicultural perspective.
Smoke,
but no fire,
Mn South
Quad
by Nate Hurley
South Quad residents were forced
to evacuate the residence hall
Sunday night when a resident direc-
tor pulled a fire alarm after hearing a
report of a smoke-filled laundry
room.
But the room only contained
smoke, caused by an overheated
washing machine.
Graduate student Mike Hoff, who
pulled the alarm at 10:49 p.m., said,
"When I got in the room it was just
all smoke. The machine was run-
ning, and smoke had spread in the
hallway."
Ann Arbor firefighters found no
damage, except to the machine itself.
Mary Lou Antieau, South Quad's
coordinator of residence education,
said laundry machine fires are not
uncommon.
"Sometimes if a' machine gets
overloaded, the motor or belt will
literally catch on fire, but we have
no indication that that's what hap-
pened," Antieau said.
Students had to remain outside
the building for about a half-hour
while firefighters checked the
building.
Bush urges U.N. to reform foreign
aid programs and strengthen peace
UNITED NATIONS (AP) -
President Bush offered U.S. support
yesterday to strengthen international
peacekeeping and urged overhauling
foreign aid programs to get away
from Third World handouts.
"We propose to alter fundamen-
tally the focus of U.S. assistance
programs to building strong, inde-
pendenteconomies that can become
*contributors. to a healthy, growing
economy," Bush said in a speech to
the U.N. General Assembly.
He enthusiastically endorsed the
call by U.N. Secretary-General
Boutros Boutros-Ghali for a new
agenda "to strengthen the United
Nations' ability to prevent, contain
and resolve conflict across the
globe,"
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Some 40,000 troops are serving
in U.N. peacekeeping operations.
"From Cyprus and Lebanon to
Cambodia and Croatia," Bush said,
"the blue beret has become a symbol
of hope amid all that hostility."
Bush also backed an indefinite
extension of an international agree-
ment designed to block the spread of
nuclear weapons.
He proposed transferring funds
from U.S. foreign aid programs to
create a S1 billion fund to support
American businesses in providing
expertise, goods and services in
countries converting to free-market
economics.
Some 40,000 U.S. jobs would be
created under the program, the
White House estimated.
Bush's call for revamping foreign
aid could lead to a bipartisan effort if
he wins re-election. A prominent
Senate Democrat, Patrick Leahy of'
Vermont, has proposed reconsider-
ing the $14 billion U.S. program
next year and several senior House
Democrats have called for major
changes in the past.
Since World War 11, Bush said,
foreign aid has served as a Cold War
weapon.
"But foreign aid, as we've known
it, needs to be transformed," he said.
"The notion of the handout to less-
developed countries needs to give
way to cooperation in mutually pro-
ductive economic relationships."
Honeycomb's big -- yeah, yeah, yeah
LSA senior Todd Calfin spent the day in the Diag expounding about
the environment and politics.
President Bush names Mich. attorney
as new U.S. ambassador to Croatia,
'
,+
Analysts examine Engler's
property tax relief proposal
LANSING, Mich. (AP) Gov.
John Engler's property tax relief
proposal won a flattering analysis
yesterday from a conservative think
tank, which said it offers a major tax
cut and an economic boost for the
state's ailing economy.
"It does significantly and perma-
nently reduce property taxes," said
Patrick Anderson, senior policy ana-
lyst for the Midland-based Mackinac
Center for Public Policy.
"A vote for Cut and Cap is a vote
for more money in the pockets of
citizens and less growth in state
government. It means more jobs. If
you knew Cut and Cap were going
to pass, you'd more be more likely
to put a plant here in Michigan."
Anderson acknowledged that the
proposal on the Nov. 3 ballot would
lead to similar property being taxed
at different levels. That's because
the proposal would limit assessment
increases until a property is sold,
then peg it to 50 percent of proper-
ty's sale value. The limit then would
go back into effect.
He also shied away from the
funding of Proposal C, which is a
major target of the proposal's oppo-
nents. They claim other taxes will
have to go up to repay schools for
the lost tax money, but Engler says
flatly no tax increase will be needed.
The proposal was placed on the
ballot through a petition drive. It
would cut school operating taxes,
which are about 60 percent of all
cost at about $1.5 billion over five
years.
Also on the ballot will be
Proposal A, which would limit as-
sessment increases on homes, but
not businesses, to 5 percent or the
rate of inflation, whichever is less.
"it does significantly
and permanently
reduce property taxes.'
-Patrick Anderson
senior policy analyst
Mackinac Center for
Public Policy
Anderson said Proposal A would
actually increase 1993 property
taxes by $86 million - compared to
Proposal C's cut of $500 million -
because it permits a one-year
catchup in assessments next year.
"This combination of $2 billion
in additional disposable income, and
$19 billion in additional wealth,
would provide a tremendous stimu-
lus to the Michigan economy," he
said. "This stimulus would result in
higher per capita income, an
increase in employment and the
attraction of more business to the
state.",
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich.
(AP) -An Oakland County attorney
has been nominated by President Bush
as the new U.S. ambassador to war-
torn Croatia.
If Mara Letica is confirmed by the
SenateForeign Relations Committee,
she will take up residence in Zagreb,
the capital of former Yugoslav repub-
lic.
Her mission: to negotiate peace
between warring factions in the east-
ern European civil war.
That's a tall order for a 37-year-
old who has no prior foreign service
experience.
But Letica and several supporters,
including Gov. John Engler, say she's
up for the challenge..
"Just last month she made a trip to
Croatia to learn how to provide more
relief to over 700,000 homeless vic-
tims of the war," Engler said Friday.
"She has met with Muslims and
Croatian refugees, visited front lines
and walked through the rubble of
bombed cities. She understands the
humanitarian needs of the homeless
'She has met with Muslims and Croatian
refugees, visited front lines and walked
through the rubble of bombed cities.'
- Gov. John Engler
men, women and children there."
Letica, a Republican loyalist,
serves as in-house counsel for Letica
Corp., her family's Rochester paper
and plastic container company.
She was born in Germany, emi-
grated to the United States with her
parents and became a citizen in 1964.
nomination.
"Everything I hear about her has
been positive," said James Alexander,
chairman of the Oakland County Re-
publicans.
Other Croatian-Americans support
Letica.
"It's something you can learn in a
She lives in Bloomfield Township.
Her father is Croatian, her mother
German.
Letica'snomination has generated
some controversy with other Croatian-
Americans, according to Newsweek
magazine.
Newsweek quoted an unnamed
source who implied Letica's post had
been bought through Bush.campaign
contributions.
Local Republican leaders say they
have heard no criticisms of Letica's
hurry if you know the people and the
area," said Jure Grahovac, a doctor
living in Bloomfield Township. "A
lot of career diplomats are not all that
good anyway."
Bush also tapped E. Allan Wendt
of California as the ambassador to
Sloveniaand VictorJackovichof Iowa
as ambassador to Bosnia and
Herzegovina.
The region has been without a U.S.
ambassador since summerducto fight-
ing.
Im