The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, February 2, 1993 - Page 3 SAPAC holds men's dialogues by Karen Talaski Daily Gender Issues Reporter As the Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center (SAPAC) launches a mass meeting today for Men's Dialogue Groups, student re- actions to the program illustrate the general confusion about gender issues. LSA junior Angela Cumming defines a men's dialogue group as "a bunch of men sitting around, watch- ing football, and bonding with beer." LSA senior Eric Farber joked that men need dialogue groups to cope with their subordinate position in society. "It's a forum for the oppressed male minority to come together as one to combat the forces of oppres- sion that try to hold us back," he said in a sarcastic tone. But while Rahul Sharma - Men's Outreach Programs Coordinator for SAPAC - said he understands the humor in these defi- nitions, he is trying to dispel such myths about the groups. "Men's dialogue groups have two real goals. The first is to enhance and broaden the way men interact," Sharma said. "The second is to ad- dress the issues of sexism and vio- lence against women. The focus is not to complain about how men have been abused." Sharma said most men can ex- press themselves only with humor or anger. The eight-week dialogue groups will discuss this and other subjects - including men and vio- lence, homophobia and the effects of race and ethnicity on sexism and gender. "Men have a different way of communicating," Sharma said. "All of us are trying to evolve and change how we think about women and other issues." First-year Rackham student Brad Davis, one of the group's facilitators, said the groups can help men clarify and express their thoughts. "Some of the things men say when women aren't around (can only be discussed in a dialogue group) because men are afraid to be wrong," Davis said. "It's good to have a forum to express and chal- lenge ideas." A2 A protects by David West The University and the Ann Arbor community are moving for- ward in efforts to protect the remain- ing ozone layer despite a lack of state initiative, according to a survey recently released by the Michigan Environmental Council. The survey provides evidence that businesses in Michigan are tak- ing steps mandated by the Clean Air Act to help halt the destruction of the ozone layer. Under the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, all service stations are required to recover and recycle refrigerant chlorofluorocar- bons (CFCs) as of Jan. 1, 1993. Joe Kennedy, garage supervisor at the University Transportation Department, said the automobile service is in full compliance with the law. According to the survey, releases of Freon (CFC-12) from automobile air conditioners are the single largest source of CFC emissions to the at- mosphere in the United States. Lou Pocalujka, the Clean Air exising ozone layer Coordinator of the Michigan The University community has Department of Natural Resources made a concerted effort to follow said the state has a limited amount of EPA regulations. money and resources to devote to Aiko Schaefer, organizer of programs. He added that the CFC Green Corps of Michigan - the laws do not require the state to im- group commissioned to investigate plement or enforce any plan con- the state's compliance status - said cerning the recovery and recycling Ann Arbor service stations were in of CFCs. 100 percent compliance with the "Michigan has one of the weak- law. est air compliance and enforcement The Green Corps conducted a records in the country," said Alex random survey in late November Sagady, director of the which covered service stations and Environmental and Occupational other automobile servicing busi- Health Department of the Michigan nesses in the greater Lansing area, Chapter of the American Lung Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Detroit. It Association. "Michigan is way be- found that 81 percent of the facilities hind in compliance and will proba- were in complete compliance at that bly face federal penalties." time. Renee Kuruc, an environmental "University and community vol- scientist at the U.S. Environmental unteers played a big role in conduct- Protection Agency (EPA), said ing this survey," Schaefer said. Michigan's responsibilities for CFC Alison Horton, Michigan recovery and recycling are now in Environmental Council's Air the hands of the federal government. Quality Task Force co-chair, said, Kuruc said the EPA will prose- "The high level of CFC recovery and cute any institution that is not in recycling is an excellent demonstra- compliance with the Clean Air Act tion of the Clean Air Act at work on amendments. our air pollution problem." Raise your hands if you're sure Alyssa Stec and Lisa Darby, graduate students in the Dance School, warm up yesterday in an advanced ballet class. City Councll votes to table housi~ng proposal Faculty to use page in, Record as newsletter by Kenneth Dancyger Daily Faculty Reporter Calling for improved communi- cation among faculty members and administrators, the Senate Assembly unanimously approved yesterday the creation of a faculty page in The University Record. Director of Information Resources and Chair of the Faculty, Communications Committee Elaine Didier said the free monthly page in The Record was the best option for faculty because the publication al- ready has an established readership among faculty. The communications committee will be responsible for publishing the page and appointing an editorial board of three to five faculty mem- bers. The approved plan will allow faculty to utilize a page in The Record for six to eight months. Executive Director for University Relations Walter Harrison will then evaluate the page and determine its effectiveness. In other business, the Senate Assembly considered the possibility of adopting a new policy to protect faculty from discriminatory harass- ment, particularly hate speech. The interim policy - now in ef- fect - was drafted last summer in response to a Supreme Court ruling that invalidated segments of the University's 1988 policy regarding hate speech. Some members of the assembly claimed the clause in the policy al- lowing the University to prosecute a faculty member who creates a hostile or offensive learning environment is a violation of First Amendment rights. They said it is sometimes necessary to display controversial views for the purposes of education- The assembly determined the policy is not acceptable in its current form because of its vagueness and ruled to appoint a committee to re- view the policy. by Jonathan Berndt Daily City Reporter The Ann Arbor City Council chose inaction as the best form of ac- tion last night when it voted to table a resolution supporting, but not re- quiring, tenant representation on the Housing Commission. The resolution, proposed by Councilmember Peter Nicolas (D- 4th Ward), would allow tenants to recommend who should fill Housing Commission vacancies. "This serves as a resolution of in- tent," Nicolas said. "My resolution would try to empower tenants through a democratic process, allow- ing them to suggest to mayor and council who they would like to see on the board. This does not mandate that council accept the individual elected by his or her peers." Councilmember Kirk Dodge (R- 2nd Ward) agreed this resolution would help the process. "While the government plays a key role (in public housing) there is only so much government can do," Dodge said. "This is just a small step in giving people in public housing a sense of involvement, of participa- tion in the place where they live." But Councilmember Larry Hunter (D-1st Ward) disagreed, claiming the process under which the tenants would suggest their representative was not defined. "What election? How is it going to be structured?" he asked. "I think we should know the shape and form of a democratic election." Councilmember Bob Grady (D- 3rd Ward) thought the idea was good, but the execution faulty. "I believe the intention is well taken, but good intentions don't al- ways get you where you want to go," Grady said. "It is inappropriate for City Council to be taking action ... until we go through mediation. I think it's poor timing." He also said he shared Hunter's doubts about the election process Councilmember Peter Fink (R- 2nd Ward) said support of the prin- ciples was all that was necessary to support the bill. "The resolution is a show of sup- port for tenant management," Fink said. "I think now is the time to show our support." Mayor Liz Brater held her own reservations but said she supported the idea. Interest rates expected to remain stable WASHINGTON (AP) - Borrowers can expect relatively sta- ble interest rates this year as the Federal Reserve gives the new Clinton administration time to put its economic program into place, pri- vate economists said yesterday. The Fed's top policymaking group, the Federal Open Market Committee, was scheduled to begin a crucial two-day meeting today. Fed governors in Washington and presidents of the Fed's 12 regional banks were to meet behind closed doors to set targets for the year's monetary growth, and to construct an economic forecast that Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan will deliver to Congress Feb. 18. Private economists predicted the central bank was likely to leave in- terest rates unchanged over the com- ing months, and several analysts said the Fed may be content to stay on the sidelines the entire year. The Fed last changed interest rates on Sept. 4 when it reduced its target for the federal funds rate to 3 percent. Commercial banks' prime rate has been at 6 percent for the past seven months, the lowest level in 20 years. Analysts are not looking for that rate to change for most of this year. Fixed-rate mortgages are ex- pected to be more volatile, but ana- lysts expect even those rates to stay in a narrow band. r The national average for 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages dropped last week to 7.86 percent, according to the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. That was close to a 19-year low set last September. Since last fall, mortgage rates had been edging up as financial markets grew con- cerned that a victory by Democrat Bill Clinton combined with a Democratic Congress would lead to soaring budget deficits. Correction The photograph of Kelly Carfora in yesterday's SPORTSMonday section was taken by Elizabeth Lippman. This was incorrectly reported in yesterday's Daily. Alleged suicide attempt at Couzens University Department of Public Safety (DPS) officers responded to a report of an alleged suicide attempt at Couzens Residence Hall Sunday after a University student told police his roommate had cut his own wrists with a Swiss Army knife. Officers on the scene reported "controlled bleeding" from approx- imately six cuts on the victim's wrist and neck. The officers requested medical and Ann Arbor Fire Department as- sistance, as well as maintenance units to clean up a puddle of blood in the students' room. The subject was transported to the University Hospitals Emergency Room to receive care for the lacera- tions on his face and neck. According to DPS reports, a sub- sequent check on the victim found him in stable condition. Gas leaks reported at Northwood II Two incidents of natural gas odors at the Northwood II Housing Unit were reported Saturday, according to DPS reports. The first incident was reported by joggers, who said there was a strong odor of gas in the vicinity of 1697 Cram Circle. Officers could not lo- cate the cause of the smell. The second incident was reported by residents in the area of 2204 Cram Place. Family Housing Maintenance and Michigan Consolidated Gas Company (MichCon) units were Police0 Beat69 immediately notified. MichCon em- ployees located and fixed the leak, which they said was not serious. Woman robbed after auto breakdown Two men - posing as good Samaritans - robbed a woman on Miller Road in Ann Arbor Saturday night, according to Ann Arbor Police Department (AAPD) reports. The woman's car had broken down when the men approached her, and offered to help push the car off the road. Instead, one of the suspects grabbed the woman's purse, which was lying on the front seat of the car. The men then fled the area, leaving the woman stranded and purseless. AAPD Sgt. Mark Hoornstra said the woman filed a report with police and will be asked to attempt to identify the suspects from police file photographs. Malicious damage to vehicles soars AAPD reports show an unusually high number of incidents of mali- cious damage to vehicles over the weekend. Twenty-six cars and trucks all over Ann Arbor had windows smashed by vandals. Police are unsure how the van- dals broke the windows, but Hoornstra speculated that the dam- age might have been caused by a BB gun. He said the damage was esti- mated at more than $3,000. Student groups Q The Christian Science Organi- zation, weekly meeting, Michi- gan League, check room at front desk, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Q College Republicans, meeting, Michigan Leauge, Henderson Room, 7 p.m. Q EnvironmentalIssues Commis- sion, meeting for Earth Week, Michigan Union, MSA Cham- bers, 6 p.m. 0 Hillel, orthodox Shachrit ser- vices, Hillel, upstairs lecture room, 7:30a.m.; Shulchan Ivrit, Michigan Union, Tap Room, 12 p.m.; Conference on the Holo- caustMeeting, Hillel, 6:45p.m.; United Jewish Appeal Cam- paign, Hillel, 7-11 p.m. Q In Focus, meeting, Frieze Build- ing, Room 2420,6 p.m. " Men's Dialogue Group, mass meeting, Michigan Union, Michigan Room, 7 p.m. " Michigan Student Assembly, weekly meeting, Michigan Union, Room 3909, 7:30 p.m. Q Outing Club, meeting, Michi- gan Union, 4th Floor, 8 p.m. Q Rainforest Action Movement, mass meeting, Dana Building, Room 1046,7 p.m. Q Science Research Club, lectures: The Old Order Amish - Flour- ishing with an Eighth Grade Q U-M Asian American Student Coalition, meeting, East Quad, 53 Greene, 7 p.m. Q U-M Shotokan Karate, prac- tice, CCRB, Small Gym, 8-10 p.m. Events Q 1917: Revolution in Russia, Spark: Revolutionary Discus- sion Series, Michigan Union, Crofoot Room, 7-8 p.m. Q The Art of Conversation: Speaking of God in a Pluralis- tic Age, Michigan League, Hussey Room, 11:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.; 8-10:30 p.m. Q Center for Chinese Studies, Chinese Society UnderReform: Reflections After a Five Year Position in Beijing, Lane Hall Commons, 12 p.m. Q Elimination of the Spectral Interfernces in the IR Spectra of Cyanide, Phosphates, and Sulfates Adsorbed at Platinum Under Aqueous Electrochemi- cal Conditions, thesis colloquium, Chemistry Build- ing, Room 1706, 2 p.m. Q Graduate Student Teaching Assistant Training Program, Responing to Students, Mason Hall, Room 429,7-9 p.m. Q Maximizing Your Career Plans lutions, Haven Hall, Room 4633, 7-9 p.m. Q Taming the Past: Histories of Liberal Society in American Legal Argument, Thomas M. Lectures, Law SchoolHutchins Hall, Room 250,4 p.m. U Thomas Lux, poetry reading, Rachkam Amphitheatre, 4 p.m. Q Welcome to Career Planning & Placement, Student Activi- ties Building, Room 3200, Ca- reer Planning & Placement Library, 10:10 a.m. Q What Are You Going to Do with Your B.A. in English?, sponsored by Career Planning & Placement, Michigan Union, Kuenzel Room, 7:30-9 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, 763-9255,8 p.m.-1:30 a.m. Q Peer Counseling, U-M Coun- seling Services, 764-8433, 7 p.m.-8 a.m. Q Psychology Undergraduate Peer Advising, Department of Psychology, West Quad, Room K210, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 0b afewalkr gifetwWalkincv Ser- Michigan Student Assembly Winter Elections Schedule 2/4 -polling site hours posted 2/10 -candidate packets available for MSA president, MSA reps, and deputization oversight board -deadline for filing peitions 3/2 -filing deadline for candidate declaration 5 pm -filing deadline for party declaration 5:30 pm -deadline for MSA action on referendum questions by 11:59 pm 3/3 -challenges to deceptive party names must be filed by 5:30 pm 3/5 -deadline for withdrawing petitions -candidates' meeting/drawing for ballot order 7:30 pm -campaign begins at 12:00 am 3/8 -deadline for candidate withdrawal