President Clinton is trying to remove the ban on gays in the military. But while Washington is stalling, the University needs to take a leading role in ending discrimination against homosexuals. Spring Break is coming right around the corner, and if you haven't made plans yet, check out where this year's hot spots are and what to do while you are there. After spending most of January in Ann Arbor, the Michigan wrestling team hits the road tonight to face Purdue. The Wolverines then travel to Illinois Saturday for a tri-meet with the Illini and Indiana. Today Partly cloudy High 48, Low 30 Tomorrow Much of the same; High 45, Low 28 Jr t YUITt ti One hundred two years of editorial freedom I Vl I SI I I, o 3AnAbr ihga TusaFbu ,199©13 The Mician ai. I Commission urges Congress to increase student aid by David Shepardson Daily Government Reporter All University students may be eligible for $14,000 in financial aid if Congress agrees with the propos- als of a bipartisan education committee. The National Commission on Responsibilities for Financing Postsecondary Education proposed yesterday that the federal govern- ment issue direct loans to students in a sweeping report entitled "Making College Affordable Again." At a Capitol Hill press confer- ence, the nine-member commission called for radical changes in the federal financial aid program. After considering financial prob- lems facing students for the past two years, the commission voted unani- mously to endorse the following proposals: make federal student aid a reli- able source of college assistance by granting all students up to $14,000 in aid; create a national trust fund to promote student service in exchange for loan forgiveness; simplify the complex student loan system by offering a single program that provides direct loans to students; repeal taxation of graduate and professional study scholarships and fellowships, including teaching as- sistants; and, remove uncertainty from the Pell Grant program by ensuring that These new recommendations are the most significant and lasting reforms proposed for the financing and restructuring of higher education in the last 30 years.' - Sen. Jim Jeffords (R-Vt.) calling for," said Ford, who was re- sponsible for the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, which passed this summer. Sen. Jim Jeffords (R-Vt.) also praised the far-reaching proposals of the committee. "These new recommendations are the most significant and lasting reforms proposed for the financing and restructuring of higher education in the last 30 years, and they come just in time," said Jeffords, author of the legislation that created the commission. Under the commission's pro- posed Student's Total Education Program, all full-time undergraduate students would be eligible for $14,000 in federal financial aid. For poorer students, the aid package will contain a larger percentage of grants and government-subsidized loans, while more affluent students would receive unsubsidized loans. The House was criticized for lowering the amount of Pell Grants from $3,700 to $2,400 in the Higher Education Act of 1992. But Mike Russell, spokesperson for Ford, dismissed the criticisms and said the reduced funding was a matter of budgetary priorities. Russell said the House Education committee could begin reconsidera- tion of the Higher Education Act in March, while acting on President Clinton's community service trust fund proposal. all eligible students receive grants at federally-authorized levels. Commission member Tom Butts, a University lobbyist, said the pro- posal would ease the financial bur- den on students. "The federal government has to play a major role in the funding of college education," Butts said. Rep. William Ford (D-Ypsilanti), House Education and Labor Committee chair, praised the com- mission for making proposals that would make a college education more accessible. "The report is impressive in that an independent, bipartisan commis- sion is supporting and reinforcing the directions in federal student fi- nancial assistance that I've been - ---------- . Students continue protesting Diag rules by David Rheingold Daily Staff Reporter Arguing that the University wants students to be "a bunch of sheep who just go to class," Tobias Zimmerman lashed out at the administration for its new policy governing events on the Diag during a protest yesterday. Zimmerman - a Michigan Student Assembly representative - and an estimated 75 others partici- pated in the rally on the Diag, the second protest against the policy in two weeks. Speakers repeatedly urged people to fight the policy, which they said limits students' ability to demonstrate. "We need freedom of speech, we need our rights back, we need to tell the administration what to do with their policy," Zimmerman said. The recently announced policy sets guidelines for all events, such as protests and displays, held on the Diag and North Campus Common. The group distributed chalk and encouraged people to scrawl mes- sages in defiance of a provision prohibiting chalking. NORML, 'U' spar over cost of Hash Bash John Payne, a 5th-year senior, voices his opinion on the Diag yesterday afternoon. Marijuana- legalization group promises court fight by David Rheingold Daily Staff Reporter Marijuana-legalization advocates appear headed to court once again to ensure that they can hold the Hash Bash. The University and the campus chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), which holds the annual event on the1 Diag, are disput- ing who should pay for projected costs of the event, now set for Brook April 3.D Before the University grants a permit, it wants NORML to post a $9,400 deposit, which would cover any expenses the University incurs. This figure represents the amount of money the University spent on clean-up, security and electrical power for last year's Hash Bash. NORML President Adam Brook said the organization should not be forced to pay for University services it did not request, such as campus police. "I don't know how they're re- questing us to pay for something that we didn't ask for," Brook said. He added that the University should have asked for the money last year rather than waiting until now. Brook said NORML will ask the court for a permanent injunction, which would grant a permit for this year's Hash Bash. Associate Dean of Students Frank Cianciola, who oversees the University's Diag policy, disagrees with NORML's stance. "I think that whatever organiza- tion holds an event should be held responsible for costs related to that event," he said. "I don't see any rea- son why all students should share the costs of an event sponsored by one organization." The dispute, which surfaced See NORML, Page 2 Within an hour, the Diag was covered with slogans such as "No restrictions on protests" and "Big Brother is watching you." Dan Sears, a Rackham student, chalked the entire First Amendment. One rally speaker, LSA junior Dennis Guikema, criticized the University for denouncing the mas- sacre of student protesters in Beijing but curbing student speech on campus. "A lot of the same people that were upset about the fact that they didn't have free speech there are implementing these restrictions here," he said. Extending the issue beyond free speech, Paul Carmouche, a Revolutionary Workers League sup- porter, called the policy part of a larger attempt by the administration to inhibit the rights of homosexuals and minorities. "They're afraid the '90s is going to look like the '60s, so they're get- ting ready for it now," Carmouche said. Zimmerman at one point warned that students could get so agitated they would "get torches and burn the goddamned idiots out of the Fleming (Administration) Building." Associate Dean of Students Frank Cianciola, who oversees the policy, said later that the protesters were misinterpreting the policy's intent. "As I have said repeatedly, noth- ing in this policy is intended or written to curtail free speech. ...The policy is content-neutral," he said. Organizers said they will con- tinue to protest every Wednesday. MSA budgets nearly $500,000 for services r J"Students claim religion not a presidential issue by Jennifer Tianen Daily MSA Reporter With $500,000, you could buy a Mercedes every month for a year. You could buy a yacht worthy of Donald Trump's name. You could buy a really nice house. Or, you could fund the Michigan Student Assembly's budget for 1992-93. Every year, MSA receives close to $500,000 in student funds through the $6.27 fee charged to enrolled students during fall and winter terms. During the spring and sum- mer half-terms, enrolled students are charged half that amount. The rest of the assembly's rev- enue is generated through interest and a small commission on selling health insurance policies to students. These figures add up to an annual budget for this year's assembly of $471,335, leaving students to won- der what MSA does with nearly half a million dollars. The Ann Arbor Tenants Union (AATU) accounts for $32,860 of this year's budget. "To a large degree, they get a good chunk of their funding from MSA," DeRoo said. The AATU counsels and orga- nizes tenants in the Ann Arbor community about their leases, rights, grievances and rent. Out of almost a half a million dollars, MSA itself receives only $150,653. While that may sound like a generous sum, representatives said the internal budget is eaten away by various expenses. Payroll accounts for $65,862 of MSA's funds. There are two full- time paid staff members as well as work-study students who are em- ployed by the assembly. However, "executive officers and assembly representatives cannot be paid. It is forbidden in our constitu- by Mona Qureshi Daily Staff Reporter The Republican Party drew on religious leaders such as Pat Buchanan at its national conven- tion to demonstrate a return to strong traditional values. While re- ligious members of the University community have reservations re- garding Clinton's presidency, their concerns are not centered around faith, but rather political issues. Residential College senior Keith Kline, president of the cam- pus Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, questioned Clinton's intentions in using the Biblical Clinton Perspectives * S g Religion Scriptures during his oratories for the Democratic National Conven- tion and victory celebrations. "People use (Christian affilia- tion) to support what they want and twist its meaning," Kline warned Clinton's followers. Rather than simply doubting See CLINTON, Page 2 U.S. Marines in Somalia are only one of President Clinton's concerns as he formulates his foreign policy agenda. Clinton enters new era in international arena by David Carrel Daily Feature Writer As the United States undergoes an internal transformation from T~r.,ll~ nt ,%r-rt- ,. ir global leadership terms. The world looks to the U.S. to be a promoter that goes beyond narrow American interests," Lieberthal cluding the United States, are less able to control what happens in and across their borders. President Clinton assumes nnwr t n timp, wzhen A mPri&rn would look to the U.S. if they saw leadership," he said. The confrontation with Iraq was an opportunity for Clinton to 1 I