BAMI
activists
address
BSU
By SARAH KIINO
DAILY STAFF REPORTER
When Diedre Downes called her par-
ents and asked them if she should partici-
pate in the first Black Action Movement
(BAM I) in 1970, her father said, "Do what
you have to do and be careful."
It was no small decision for Downes,
who was only months away from gradua-
tion. She sat up all night with her room-
mates deliberating whether the possibility
of suspension or expulsion from the Uni-
versity was worth it.
They decided to participate, and the
rest is history.
Last night, Downes spoke in front of
the Black Student Union (BSU) about her
personal experiences at the University and
her participation in BAM I.
University historian Henry Davis also
spoke to the students about the history of
Black students at the University and the
strategies and tactics used by the students
and the University during the strikes.
"The purpose of this series is to share
information on the BAMs that took place
on this campus and to acknowledge the
rich history of resistance by students of
African descent," said BSU President
Aleth, Gordon.#
Gordon also expressed concern over
backsliding of some of the progress made
by BAM and other minority organizations,
including the recent reversal of the
University's "hate speech" policy.
The BSU had been in existence just a
few months when BAM I, consisting of
The Michigan Daily - Thursday, September 30, 1993 - 3
Neidhardt will
become assoc.
vice president
for research
By JONATHAN BERNDT
DAILY STAFF REPORTER
Frederick Neidhardt, an award-winning researcher and
long-time department chair, will take over as the University's
associate vice president for research tomorrow.
Neidhardt, who was an associate dean in the medical
school, was appointed to the new position by University
Provost Gilbert Whitaker this summer.
Neidhardt said he would like to dispel the notion that
research competes with teaching.
"What makes this University great is
the scholarly activities of the faculty,"
Neidhardt said, adding that research can
facilitate undergraduate learning. "I ,
would like to see more undergraduates
experience the thrill of discovery."
Neidhardt has been researching the e.
coli bacteria, the most-studied cell in the
world, while working with non-tenured
faculty research projects and Neidhardt
multicultural issues in the medical school.
He said these issues are key to the University's continued
prominence as a research university.
"The Michigan Mandate has deep implications for our
research activities," Neidhardt said. "It is extremely impor-
tant for us to maintain excellence, to create opportunities so
people from all races and backgrounds can develop their
talents and interests."
The Michigan Mandate is the University's commitment to
increasing minority enrollment and retention.
Neidhardt added that the University should play a role
in strengthening the United States' standing in world
scientific and economic arenas.
Vice President for Research Homer Neal said Neidhardt's
experience would be an asset to his office.
"Given Prof. Neidhardt's superlative understanding of
research issues in the contemporary university, his wealth of
administrative and teaching experience, and his national
stature as an educator and scholar, we believe his appointment
... will contribute greatly to the Office of the Vice President
for Research and the University community," Neal said.
Neidhardt came to the University in 1970 and was named
chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology.
4
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Diedre Downes, a participant in the First Black Action Movement, speaks to a Black Student Union crowd last night. PETER MATTHEWS/Daily
less than 20 students, locked the University
president in the administration building.
Each student then took a section of campus
and spread the word to other students, in-
cluding Downes, to close it down.
The next day, the BAM I participants
stood at the doors of University buildings
and asked students to boycott classes. After
11 days of the University being virtually
shut down, officials finally agreed to nego-
tiate with the BAM I participants about
ways to increase Black enrollment and pro-
mote Black awareness on campus.
"Itwasa wonderful thing," saidDownes.
"We were working towards acommon goal.
(Before BAM I) I didn't know (Black
people) had such a rich history."
Downes acknowledged that progress
has been made since 1970, but she said the
struggle is not over. When she was a first-
year student, Downes said, she left her
dorm room in Markley and decided to see
how far she could walk before meeting
another Black student. By the time she saw
another Black face, she was at the Union.
While the 2,600 Black students pres-
ently on campus are far more than the 300
while she was a student, it still falls short of
the 10 percent demanded by BAM.
Davis came to the University as a gradu-
ate student soon after BAM I. lie had
planned to go to Western Michigan Univer-
sity, but with the help of University Black
students and faculty, he was accepted after
applying late.
Davis gave an account of the history of
Black students on campus leading up to
BAM I, as far back as 1902. "There are
ebbs and flows in this business of race
improvement - we have to be aware of
that," he said.
He said there was a lull in Black activ-
ism at the University for 20 or 30 years
before BAM I, until a surge of activity
happened in the late '60s.
He emphasized that the shutdown of
the University by BAM I occurred only as
a last resort tactic, after negotiations led to
no improvements.
Reaction to the speakers was positive.
"I thought they were both insightful about
what happened at BAM. I learned a lot
about what was going on at that time," said
LSA sophomore Chamar Hasan.
'U' students face
Wiilemeanor
charges
Two University students pleaded no
contest yesterday to misdemeanor
charges. They face possible sentences
of up to 90 days in jail..
LSA sophomore Daniel Cusmano
and Engineering sophomore Neil Jobst
were arrested Sept. 8 for stealing a
nuir' ?r of chairs from South Quad.
* .aiversity Department of Public
Safety (DPS) Lt. James Smiley said the
chairs were valued at more than $800.
Smiley said police are unsure of
what the students were planning to do
with the chairs.
The two were originally charged
with felonies, which would have car-
ried tougher penalties, but the charges
were lowered to misdemeanors after
plea negotiations.
Nick Roumel, the attorney with
University StudentLegal Services who
is handling the students' cases, said he
believes the two will receive deferred
sentences when they appear before 15th
District Court Judge Elizabeth Pollard
on Oct. 22.
If this is the case, the sentences will
not be made public and 'will be erased
from public records if the men success-
fully complete their probation.
Police0
Beat
Garbage truck does
unscheduled phone
maintenance
A garbage truck knocked down a
telephone line behind Lane Hall early
Tuesday morning, according to DPS
reports.
DPS units arrived on the scene and
confirmed that the downed cable was
indeed a telephone line and that there
was no danger of sparks or electrical
fire.
Officers called the University Tele-
communications Department, which
then notified Ameritech (formerly
Michigan Bell) of the incident.
There was no damage to the truck or
to the telephone cable, police said.
Burn unit petty
cash swiped
Employees of the burn treatment
unit at the University Hospitals reported
to DPS that their petty cash bag had
been stolen,and that none of the unit's
employees had seen it since mid-Au-
gust.
Smiley said the bag contained about
$25. Investigations are continuing.
Woman skunked in
Arb
A woman called DPS Monday to
report that she discovered a badly de-
composed skunk in the University Ar-
boretum and thought the carcass should
be removed.
Officers respondedand removed the
skunk from the area.
Homeless woman
accosts students at
Frieze
Also Monday, DPS responded to
reports of a homeless woman scream-
ing at students outside and on the first
floor of the Frieze Building.
Officers detained the woman and
escorted her from. the building after
reading her the rules against trespass-
ing on University property.
Shortly after this incident, Frieze
Building staff called DPS to report that
custodial closets on the first and second
floors were found unlocked. Officials
said bags of aluminum cans were the
only things missing.
Northwood resident
gets special shower
DPS officers responded to a call
from a man at the Northwood IV hous-
ing complex who reported that his bath-
room ceiling had collapsed.
The man told police that he believed
there was a sewage leak in the apart-
ment on the floor above.
Police arrived to find the bathroom
covered with sewage, and immediately
notified University Housing authori-
ties of the problem.
Thieves strike 'U'
property
More than $1,250 of expensive
equipment was stolen from University
property Monday, with thieves striking
three separate locations.
In one incident, more than $600
worth of electrical cabling was alleg-
edly taken from the Electrical Engi-
neering Building.
A building employee called police
when he found that the cabling had
been delivered by UPS and signed for
but never delivered to his office.
In another incident, clothing and
optical lenses were taken from a locker
in the Kellogg Eye Center.
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The missing
$475.
items are valued at
Finally, tools worth $250 were sto-
len from a University work crew at the
Dow Building.
The tools were left unattended.
Investigations into the incidents are
continuing.
Tempers flare in
stands despite
lackluster game
Although last Saturday's football
game against Houston broughtoutfewer
fans than usual, those who were at the
game lived up to usual standards of
rowdiness.
DPS officers were called in to stop
a fight in Section 31, where they de-
tained one man on charges of aggra-
vated assault. He may be arrested pend-
ing investigation.
The other man involved in the alter-
cation was taken from Michigan Sta-
dium by paramedics with a head injury
he sustained after falling down.
Twopeople, also in Section 31, were
ejected for throwing cardboard pizza
boxes around, creating a disturbance
for other fans.
Police also ticketed seven fans for
alcohol possession oropen intoxica-
tion in the stadium area.
Homeless man dies
after jumping from
parking structure
A homeless man committed sui-
cide yesterday by jumping off a down-
town parking structure.
The man, 41-year-old Jeffrey
Allemburg, allegedly jumped from the
fifth floor of the Ann Arbor city park-
ing structure on Ann Street.
DPS Lt. James Smiley said
Allemburg had had numerous run-ins
with University police including sev-
eral arrests.
Smiley added thatAllemburg wasa
familiar figure around campus, often
begging for money or searching for
empty cans and bottles.
Ann Arbor Police Department had
no definitive information on the case
and could only confirm that the man
had jumped from the building.
Suicide Prevention Hotline: 996-
4747
-by Will McCahill
Daily Staff Reporter
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Student groups
Q Acting Group, Rudolf Steiner
Institute, 1923 Gedded Ave.,
7:30-9:30 p.m.
Q American Movenment for Is-
rael, Hebrw Table, Michigan
Union, Tap Room, 12 p.m.
O Amnesty International, weekly
meeting, Dana Building, room
1040, 7:30 p.m.
Q Campus Crusade for Christ,
weekly meeting, Dental Build-
ing, Kellog Aud., 7-9 p.m.
Q Circle K International, mass
meeting, Michigan Union, Pond
Room, 7:30 p.m.
Q Homeless Action Committee,
mass meeting, Mason Hall,
room 2402, 5:30 p.m.
Q Intervarsity Christian Fellow-
ship, meeting, Markley, South
Pit, 7 p.m.
Q Investment Club, mass meet-
ing, MLB, room 2002, 7 p.m.
Q Phi Alpha Theta Honors Soci-
ety in History, meeting, Haven
Hall fourth floor conference
Q Saint Mary Student Parish, stu-
dent fellowship, 7 p.m., Center-
ing Prayer, 7 p.m., 331 Thomp-
son.
Q Sukkot Services, Orthodox ser-
vices, at Hillel, 9:30 a.m. and 7
p.m.
Q Taiwanese American Students
for Awareness, East Quad, sec-
ond Prescott, 7:30 p.m.
Q Undergraduate Psychological
Society, mass meeting, Angell
Hall, room 35, 6 p.m.
Q Women's Club Volleyball, try-
outs, CCRB, 7-10 p.m.
Events
Q Age of Weaning in Humans
and other Primates, speaker:
Holly Smith, Dental School,
room 1033, 4 p.m.
Q Impressions of Argentinian
Archaeology, speaker: Jeffrey
Parsons, lunch and lecture se-
ries, Museum of Natural His-
tory, room 2009, 12 p.m.
Q Outside Views of the Japanese
sian and East European Stud-
ies, Angell Hall, room 25, 5
p.m.
Q Pacific Cooperation and U.S. -
Japan Relations, speaker:
Yuichiro Nagatomi, Business
School, room 1320, 4 p.m.
Q Student Rights in the Class-
room, speaker: Ron Robinson,
sponsored by the U of M Col-
lege Republicans, MLB, lec-
ture room 1 or 2, 7 p.m.
Student services
Q Interviewing, sponsored by Ca-
reer Planing and Placement,
3200 Student Activities Build-
ing, 5:10-6:30 p.m.
Q Opportunities in Law for Stu-
dents of Color, sponsored by
Career Planing and Placement,
Law School, 6-7 p.m.
Q Psychology Academic Peer
Advising, walkins welcome, or
call for appointment (747-
3711), West Quad, room K-
103,11 a.m.-4 p.m.
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Office of International Academic Affairs
invites you to attend a public lecture
by
HIS EXCELLENCY JUAN CASSIERS,
AMBASSADOR OF BELGIUM
TO'THE UNITED STATES
on
"THE FUTURE OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY:
THE BELGIAN AGENDA"
Monday, October 4, 1993
4:00 p.m.
Rackham Amphitheater
Syracuse University
Division of International Programs Abroad
119 Euclid Avenue
Syracuse, New York 13244-4170
1-800-235-3472
A D
S Y R A C U S E
A B RO
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