The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, April 19, 1994 - 3

- University community deals
with effects of racist e-mail

By NATE HURLEY
and KAREN SABGIR
DAILY NEWS EDITORS
Will the new conditions of use state-
ment that appears when users sign on to
MTS be any more effective than FBI
warnings on videotapes?
That was one concern raised during a
forum on how to deal with the recent hate
e-mail messages that have popped up on
campus.
Led by Lester Monts, vice provost for
academic and multicultural affairs;
Maureen A. Hartford, vice president for
student affairs; and Cheryl Munn-Fremon,
director of the Assistance and Support
Center in the Information Technology
Division (ITD), the group of about 40
administrators, faculty and students de-
bated how the University should deal with
a current e-mail fraud investigation, the
campus computing environment and the
overall atmosphere that may or may not
foster this .kind of activity.
The forum was held in response to a
recent hate e-mail message that was sent
worldwide, under the name of a Univer-

'We are reminded each
day this message was not
limited to this campus.'
- Maureen A. Hartford
vice president for student
affairs
sity student. Investigators have concluded
the student was not responsible for the
message, but the University community
continues to feel the message's aftershocks.
"We are reminded each day this mes-
sage was not limited to this campus,"
Hartford said. She said colleges and busi-
nesses worldwide have called the Univer-
sity after receiving the message.
Munn-Fremon denounced the act.
"ITD condemns both the creation and
promulgation of such a hateful message,"
she said. "We believe in this case, a pass-
word and unigname were captured ille-
gally and used to send the message out."
Hartford said hateful messages were
also sent to Islamic and Hindu student

associations and female students on North
Campus.
Munn-Fremon said it is difficult to say
how the investigation is proceeding. "We
are still following a couple of leads, which
we really don't want to reveal at this
moment, ... because it might hamper our
investigation."
Munn-Fremon said, however, the per-
son who sent the message did so via modem.
"(The Department of) Public Safety is
doing an investigation but in situations
like this, there is a limit to what we can do
with technology," she said.
Jackie MacClain, executive director of
human resources and affirmative action,
said, "When we can't technologically iden-
tify the person, our best chance is that the
person is not smart and brags about what
they did and we can overhear that."
Many audience members said the
message's effect was compounded as many
people who received it forwarded it to
others.
"We need to give them advice and one
is not to pass (the messages) on," said
Archie Andrews, associate director of

Housing. "We need to encourage our stu-
dents, staff and faculty not to say, 'Hey,
look at this."'
Jimmy Myers, interim director of the
office of Affirmative Action, suggested
that the University designate one person
or office where people can direct prob-
lems with hate e-mail. "The purpose of
that is to prevent the widespread dissemi-
nation of this material indiscriminately."

Councilmember
Nicolas will run
for state House
By JAMES M. NASH
DAILY STAFF REPORTER
Peter Nicolas, a maverick Democratic Ann Arbor City
Council member, last night declared his candidacy for the
53rd District state House seat.
Nicolas (D-4th Ward) is the first official candidate for
the seat being vacated by one-term Rep. Lynn Rivers. He
opened his cam-
paign with an im-
promptu press con-
ference last night at
City Hall.
While generally
siding with fellow
council Democrats
on moral issues
such as abortion
and gay rights,
Nicolas often
breaks party ranks
on economic mat-
ters. His indepen-
dent positions on
many issues have
earned the scorn of
Nicolas some Democrats.
But Nicolas
said Democratic opponents will not obstruct his campaign.
"Most prominent Democrats in the area are staying out of
the primary," Nicolas said, acknowledging opposition from
within his party. "Most of the officials and city council
members I've talked to seemed favorable to the idea of me
representing them in Lansing."
Nicolas stressed economic issues in a campaign state-
ment issued last night. He grouped his campaign priorities
under the heading, "Put Michigan to Work."
Nicolas is an economist at the University's Institute gf
Labor and Industrial Relations. Elected to council while °a
University student, Nicolas is the senior council member.
He was re-elected last November in his nominally Re-
publican ward. Nicolas said his electoral appeal crosses
party lines, based primarily on fiscal conservatism.
In his campaign statement, Nicolas outlined three pr-
mary issues:
y Education. Nicolas suggests that the state establish
benchmarks for math and reading proficiency "based odi
world standards." He advocates local control of schools.
Infrastructure. Nicolas proposes a 3-cent gasoline tax
hike to fund street improvements. He also urges the state to
raise taxes on diesel fuel.
Health care/welfare. Nicolas proposes welfare reform
that extends health care benefits to single mothers who leave
welfare and enter the workplace.
Nicolas said he wants to devote more state funds to
public education, the University included. He decried the
dwindling share of state appropriations to the University:
"I can't make any promises, but I'd like to see that the
University is taken care of," Nicolas said.

Council members
.vote to oppose city's
anti-gay rights
ballot proposition

CIRCUS OF THE FREAKS

By JAMES M. NASH
DAILY STAFF REPORTER
Despite a call from a council mem-
ber not to embrace "politically cor-
rect" causes, the Ann Arbor City
Council last night adopted a resolu-
tion to oppose a proposed amendment
to the Michigan Constitution that
would restrict gay rights.
Seven council members added
their names to a resolution to "strongly
* oppose" the anti-gay rights measure
that supporters hope to place on the
November ballot.
In addition to legalizing discrimi-
nation against homosexuals, the pro-
posed amendment would erode the
city's own gay-rights laws, said coun-
cil members who supported last
night's resolution.
But Councilmember Peter Fink
*(R-2nd Ward) balked at the resolu-
tion, urging his colleagues to avoid
politically charged issues that do not
directly concern the city. In the end,
Fink and all other council members,
voted for the resolution.
"I don't want to be the curmudg-
eon on this one, but I have a problem
in an entirely different area - using
City Council as a forum for special
interest groups," Fink said without
criticizing the content of the resolu-
tion. "I just don't know where we stop
on this one."
Councilmember Ulrich Stoll (D-
3rd Ward), whose relatives were im-
prisoned by the Nazi regime, said the
council could ill afford not speaking
up.

Four speakers addressed the coun-
cil during the public comments sec-
tion of the meeting. All spoke in favor
of the council's resolution.
They warned that Ann Arbor's
own law equating homosexual and
heterosexual relationships would be
overturned by the amendment.
Councilmember Chris Kolb (D-5th
Ward) said the city would mount a
legal challenge to the amendment.
I don't want to be the
curmudgeon on this
one, but I have a
problem in an entirely
different area - using
City Council as a forum
for special interest
groups.'
- Peter Fink
council member
(R-2nd Ward)
"I cannot and will not stand for
this kind of discrimination," Kolb
declared. "(The amendment) would
make us second-class citizens in our
hometowns and home state."
The petition for the constitutional
amendment, sponsored by conserva-
tive groups, has been filed with the
Board of State Canvassers.

SARAH WHITING/Daily
A performer entertains at the Jim Rose Circus Sideshow at the Michigan Theater last night.

Downey out; Thompson to fight against gay rights

By JUDITH KAFKA
DAILY STAFF REPORTER
Anyone upset that conservative
and highly-opinionated ex-talk show
host Morton Downey Jr. broke his hip
and now cannot air his views at the
Power Center tonight: fear not.
Jack Thompson - billed by his
press agency as "America's foremost
antagonist to the gay community and
rap community" -is taking his place.
He will debate Dave Pallone,
former Major League Baseball um-
pire and gay-rights activist tonight at
8, in a lecture titled, "The Fight for
Gay Rights."
The event is sponsored by the
University Activities Center (UAC)
and the Lesbian Gay Male Program
Office (LGMPO).
LSA senior Randy Sklar, who

helped plan the event along with his
brother Jason, explained that the de-
bate is meant to further gay rights.
"Our goal is to get the ideas out in
the open," Randy said, "so they can
be thoughtfully and extensively an-
swered."
Jason, an LSA senior, agreed. "It's
going to be controversial, but Dave
Pallone is an excellent speaker and
will be able refute Thompson's
points."
Pallone, who was fired after openly
declaring his homosexuality, is na-
tionally known for his book, "Behind
the Mask," and his current campaign
for human rights.
'Thompson is an attorney and
Christian fundamentalist who suc-
ceeded in banning a rap album by 2
Live Crew in Florida, and has debated

'Our goal is to get the ideas out in the open, so
they can be thoughtfully and extensively
answered.'k
- Randy Sk/ar
LSA senior

public figures such as U.S. Attorney
General Janet Reno on the issue of
gay rights.
Tonight's debate is the last of this
year's UAC's Viewpoint Lectures, a
series devoted to bringing varied is-
sues and speakers to the University
community.
This year, Viewpoint organizers
chose to pursue multicultural pro-
gramming, which is why they planned
an event to discuss gay, lesbian and
bisexual issues.

"There's not a lot of programming
for gays and lesbians here," Jasori
said. "They pay the same as every-
body else (in student fees)."
LGMPO co-coordinator Jim Toy
said he thinks the debate will bring
important issues to light. "I think its
really important to address lesbigay
rights," he said.
After the debate, audience mem-
bers will have the opportunity to voice
their own opinions and ask Pallone
and Thompson questions.

*Another rate increase, another market plunge


WASHINGTON (AP) - The
Federal Reserve nudged interest rates
up for the third time this year yester-
day, sending Wall Street into a tail-
spin and prompting large banks to
boost prime lending rates to the high-
est level in nearly 2 1/2 years.
Citibank and Chemical Bank, two
*of the largest U.S. banks, led the move
to a higher prime rate, announcing
they were boosting this benchmark
for many business and consumer loans
by a half-percentage point to 6.75
percent.
The Dow Jones industrial average

lost 41.05 points to close at 3620.42
as nervous investors continued to
wonder just how high the central bank
planned to push rates.
The bond market reacted in an
even more adverse fashion, pushing
the yield on its benchmark 30-year
bond up to 7.42 percent, the highest
level of the Clinton presidency.
Fed officials said that Federal-
Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan
decided to act after consulting other
members of the committee by tele-
phone yesterday morning.
As with the moves on Feb. 4 and

ra

11

March 22, the decision was announced
immediately in a statement from
Greenspan, who said the change
should result in a "small increase in
short-term money rates." The central
bank has been under pressure from
Congress to be more open in its con-
duct of monetary policy.
While the Clinton administration
has refused to criticize the central
bank, many Democrats in Congress
have complained Greenspan is overly
concerned about inflation at a time
when there are no signs that price
pressures are getting out of control.

GR- AI

a

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