The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, December 8, 1992 - Page 3
I
City deems
housing
0:
resolution
illegitimate
by Jonathan Berndt
Daily City Reporter
A resolution that would have al-
lowed public housing resident partic-
*ipation in choosing two Ann Arbor
Housing Commission members was
withdrawn by its co-sponsors last
night after being deemed illegal un-
der the Ann Arbor City Charter.
Councilmember Peter Nicolas
(D-4th Ward) withdrew the resolu-
tion he sponsored with
Councilmember Bob Eckstein (D-
5th Ward), which would have re-
formed the Housing Commission,
allowing elected representatives of
the tenants to sit on the board.
The resolution was prompted by
the board's firing of Conrad Benson,
the commission's head, and public
housing tenants' pleas for action to
solve conflicts between tenants and
the board.
Councilmember Larry Hunter (D-
1st Ward) said the resolution violates
othe Ann Arbor City Charter.
3:"What we have is a resolution
that is in complete conflict with what
the law is," he told the council. "I
understand the intent, but this is in
conflict with our own ordinances."
"They picked on a technicality,"
Nicolas said about the withdrawal.
Ie added he would like the city
attorney to draw up the necessary
ordinance changes for the Jan. 4
*meeting.
Nicolas added that he would
amend a late resolution to set up a
public hearing on the issue for the
Jan. 18 meeting.
Councilmember Kurt Zimmer
D-4th Ward) said Benson's firing
should not be an issue when
discussing board reform.
"What the whole thing comes
down to is the relationship between
*the Housing Commission and the
residents of public housing," he said.
"The whole issue people are try-
ing to bring in is the personnel mat-
fer. That isn't the issue. It is an issue
of tenants and the housing commis-
sion ... the trust isn't there," Zimmer
said.
Zimmer added that the role of
public housing in-Ann Arbor may
* peed to be examined.
"The whole purpose of public
housing is to give human beings a
place to live. That hasn't been hap-
pening," he said.
Mary Ann Hinton, a member of
the tenant group Unity Housing, said
the group would use the extra month
to its full advantage.
"Another month is fine," she
said. "It will give us more time,
more strength, more people. This is
going to drag out."
Gaylan Thompson said she will
continue to push the council to be
accountable to tenant concerns.
In other business, the council
voted 6-5 to retain outside legal
representation in Councilmember
Peter Fink's (R-2nd Ward) suit
against the VINE ammendment,
which cut Fink's term by moving
city elections from April to
Novemeber.
MSA awaits IRS
decision on.tax
exempt status
Sleepyhead
LSA Sophomore Jason Mase sleeps in the Law Library yesterday. He had been sleeping for 30 minutes and
studying for an hour. "It was Econ that put me to sleep," he said.
Bltazer Ilfourstudents at
Southern Illinois University
by Christine Young
Daily Staff Reporter
As the Michigan Student
Assembly prepares to send its tax
exempt forms to the IRS by the end
of the month, members are question-
ing whether the assembly was over-
charged by its auditing firm.
At last week's MSA meeting,
many members expressed concern
about the effectiveness of Plante and
Moran - the accounting firm MSA
hired 10 years ago. Despite the dis-
pute, the assembly passed a resolu-
tion stating it will pay the account-
ing firm December 18.
Last summer, the IRS informed
Plante and Moran that MSA did not
qualify as a tax-exempt organization
because it failed to complete the
necessary application forms to ob-
tain exemption status. However,
MSA has continued to file its forms
asa tax-exempt organization since
1982.
Currently, the assembly is
awaiting an IRS ruling on its exemp-
tion status before paying its back
taxes.
Although the assembly budgeted
$5,000 to pay the accounting firm,
many members stated that Plante
and Moran overcharged MSA'for
the amount of work the firm did -
$150 an hour for 19 hours of work.
Additionally, assembly members
claim the accounting firm failed to
provide the assembly with the ade-
quate and pertinent information
needed to resolve the confusion over
its tax exempt status.
LSA Rep. Tobias Zimmerman
said at last week's meeting, "Do
they really deserve this money when
they did a small amount of work that
we could have done ourselves?"
Although many MSA members
said they felt the assembly should
refuse to pay for Plante and Moran's
services, others agreed payment was
necessary.
"I do not think it will be produc-
tive not to pay them. If we get an-
other auditor, it would cost us more
and we would end up losing out,"
Engineering Rep. Brian Kight said at
last week's meeting.
MSA Vice President Hunter Van
Valkenburgh plans to work with the
accounting firm to negotiate the bill.
"Plante and Moran gave us in-
formation that is public knowledge.
My intent is to reduce the bill and
investigate if we are getting over
priced," Van Valkenburgh said at
last week's meeting.
"I am not entirely happy with
their services. MSA plans on negoti-
ating with them," Van Valkenburgh
added in an interview yesterday.
As soon as MSA completes its
tax exemption information, the IRS
will review the assembly's status.
Van Valkenburgh added, "We
plan on sending the tax forms by the
end of December. We will not find
out the IRS's ruling for at least a.
couple of months."
The IRS could either fully excuse
the assembly from payment, ask the
organization to pay back taxes, or
request more information, Van
Valkenburgh said.
Roger DeRoo, MSA student ex-
ecutive officer said, "The IRS
should respond within 100 days, but
usually they require additional in-
formation. We should know the rul-
ing probably by the beginning of the
summer.
"I am confident that we will
regain our tax exempt status," he
added.
by Will McCahill
Daily Staff Reporter
A fire - which killed four stu-
dents and injured nine others -
roared through an off-campus apart-
ment complex Sunday at Southern
Illinois University at Carbondale
(SIUC).
The two men and two women
killed - residents of The Pyramids,
a complex housing many interna-
tional students - were all seniors
and one was scheduled to graduate
this month.
Cheng Teck Wong of Malaysia,
Ronald Moy of Chicago, Kimiko
Ajioka of Japan and Lai Hung Tam
of Hong Kong were all killed in the
blaze.
Residents were evacuated from
the four-building complex during the
blaze early Sunday morning. The
police are still investigating the
cause of the fire.
"The University is shocked and
saddened by this tragedy," SIUC
President John Guyon said in a press
release.
The nine injured students are be-
ing treated for burns and smoke in-
halation - and broken bones from
jumping from windows in an effort
to escape the conflagration.
Most of the injured students are
being treated at area hospitals, al-
though two have been transferred to
hospitals in St. Louis, Mo.
Of the nine injured students,
seven are foreign students,
The Red Cross is finding tempo-
rary accommodations for the stu-
dents, while local churches are col-
lecting clothing, food and other ne-
cessities for those displaced
students.
hdian gov 't bans
fundamentalists
in1wak of rots
NEW DELHI, India (AP) - The Indian govern-
ment moved to ban fundamentalist groups and sent the
army into Bombay to secure order yesterday after reli-
gious riots broke out across India, leaving about 200
Hindus and Muslims dead.
Fighting with firebombs, knives, axes and stones
engulfed dozens of towns across India after Hindu
zealots destroyed a Muslim mosque in northern India
on Sunday and began building a Hindu temple at the
site.
The sacking of the Babri Masjid mosque enraged
India's Muslim neighbors, Pakistan and Bangladesh,
spurred calls for the ouster of Prime Minister P.V.
Narasimha Rao and threatened wide scale violence
among India's 700 million Hindus and 100 million
Muslims.
The government will try to rebuild the 430-year-old
mosque and will take "the strongest action possible un-
der the law" against those who destroyed it,
spokesperson S. Narendra said yesterday.
The army was ordered to take control of riot-torn
sections of Bombay after 40 people died. Outraged
Muslims stoned cars and trucks, and stopped the sub-
urban railroads that feed the city of 8 million.,
Rocking for the Hungry
Kathy Magagna, a volunteer from the Junior League, helps radio station 103 WIQB collect food to be donated to the Ann Arbor Food
Bank. The station is broadcasting all week at Meijer on Ann Arbor Saline Road as part of their Rocking for the Hungry promotion.
Student groups
Q Arab-American Students' As-
sociation, meeting, Michigan
Union, Pond Rooms, 8 p.m.
Christian Science Organiza-
tion, meeting, Michigan League,
check room at front desk, 6:30-
7:30 p.m.
Q In Focus, meeting, Frieze Build-
ing, Room 2420,6 p.m.
Q International Education Honor
Society, meeting, School of
Education, Whitney Audito-
rium, 8 p.m.
Q Michigan Student Assembly,
meeting, Michigan Union,
Room 3909, 7:30 p.m.
Q Newman Catholic Student As-
sociation, Immaculate Concep-
tion Masses, 331 Thompson St.,
12:10 p.m., 5:10 p.m., 7 p.m.
F Students Against Drunk Driv-
ing, mass meeting, East Quad,
Room 28 Tyler, 6:30 p.m.
U Social Group for Bisexual
Women, call for location and
ifnnt,.in; 7A 1-AIRA2m
lessons, Michigan Union, Room
1209, 8-10 p.m.
Q U-M Shotokan Karate, prac-
tice,CCRB,MartialArtsRoom,
8:30-10 p.m.
Events
Q "Arduous, Pleasant and Hope-
ful Toil: Values in and Be-
yond Graduate Education,"
Presidential Lecture Series on
Academic Values by John
D'Arms, vice provost for aca-
demic affairs, Rackham
Ampitheatre, 4 p.m.
Q Conference on the Holocaust,
publicity and fund-raising meet-
ing, Hillel, 1429 Hill St., 7 p.m.
Q "The Cultural Roots of the
Modern Environmental Cri-
sis," speech by Donald Worster,
Rackham Building, East Con-
ference Room, 8 p.m.
Q "Introductions to Steiner's
Thought," discussion about
Rudolf Steiner conducted by
Prnf Rrnc't tzt heiRnnlf
ern Design on the Atomic
Scale," Department of
Chemistry's Moses Gomberg
Lecture Series, Willard H. Dow
Laboratory, Room 1640,4 p.m.
Q "Paukenmesse (Mass in Time
of War)," concert, Hill Audito-
rium, 8 p.m.
Q The Solar Winds, woodwind
ensemble guest recital, School
of Music, Recital Hall, 8 p.m.
Q "Wizard ofAIDS,"performance
by Healthworks Theatre, Burs-
ley Hall, East Cafeteria, 8 p.m.
Student services
Q Kaffeestunde, Department of
Germanic Language and Litera-
ture, MLB, 3rd floor Confer-
ence Room, 4:30-6 p.m.
Q Northwalk Safety Walking Ser-
vice, Bursley Hall, lobby, 763-
WALK, 8 p.m.-1:30 a.m.
Q Psychology Undergraduate
Peer Advising, Department of
Psychology, West Quad, room
K 21 10nnmAn m_
State officials:
Mich. fertility
clinics need
regulation
LANSING (AP) - Business is
booming in Michigan's fertility in-
dustry, but experts worry the state
isn't doing enough to make sure
people get what they pay for.
"There are serious public health
concerns here," Lt. Gov. Connie
Binsfeld said.
The only law in Michigan gov-
erning fertility clinics or sperm
banks is a 1988 statute requiring
sperm banks to test semen for the
AIDS virus.
"We don't have an enforcement
or inspection program," said Richard
Yerian, chief medical consultant for
the Michigan Department of Public
Health's bureau of health systems.
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