The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, February 1, 1994 -3
Homeless activists address YMCA's fate at City Council meeting
By JAMES M. NASH
DAILY STAFF REPORTER
Mistakesby formercityleaders have
come back to haunt the Ann Arbor City
Council, homeless activists declared
yesterday as they protested a city plan
to bail out atroubled low-incomehous-
ing project.
The Ann Arbor YMCA, which runs
°a 100-room low-income housing de-
velopment at the corner of Fifth and
William streets, has asked the city to
Attorney
misconduct
ncreases
GRAND RAPIDS (AP) - The
number of Michigan attorneys disci-
plined for professional misconduct in
1993 jumped 30 percent from the year
before, with charges ranging from with-
holding client money to shoplifting.
The 157 lawyers receiving punish-
ment, from reprimands to disbarment,
set a new state record last year, accord-
ing to the Attorney Grievance Com-
mission, which investigates and pros-
ecutes complaints.
Fifteen attorneys were disbarred,
down from 18 in 1992, and the number
of attorneys receiving reprimands and
probation remained constant with 1992
levels. But the number of attorneys
suspended from practicing law more
S than doubled, from 40 in 1992 to 81 in
1993.
The complaints come from dissat-
isfied clients and, occasionally, other
lawyers, said grievance commission
"officials. Michigan has 29,802 licensed
lawyers.
Commission Chair Robert J.
Eleveld of Grand Rapids acknowledged
that the nine-member panel has gotten
tougher in recent years as lawyers have
0become more intent on cleaning up
their own ranks and restoring public
confidence.
"When the polls show our image
has gotten a little better, we can ease off
a bit. But I haven't noticed that yet,"
Eleveld told The Grand Rapids Press in
a story published yesterday.
Of the 3,950 complaints received
last year - about the same number as
a year earlier - the commission filed
259 formal complaints after investigat-
ing.
Most complaints are resolvedwith-
out formal charges, and typically in-
volve a fee dispute or a breakdown in
communication, said Philip Thomas, a
commission member.
If the commission concludes a com-
plaint has merit, Thomas asks the At-
torney Discipline Board for a hearing.
A three-member hearing panel then
makes a finding of guilt or innocence
and may impose sanctions up to disbar-
ment. Thomas said his office has a
conviction rate of about 95 percent.
Some lawyers say the Attorney
Grievance Commission has become
overzealous.
"I think they had to justify their
existence there," said Grand Rapids
* lawyer John Beason, who consented to
a formal reprimand last month for fail-
ingtorefund aclient's$500fee. Beason
said the dispute arose because he was
late in returning documents to a
Muskegon prison inmate.
"I just took the reprimand to be
done with it," Beason said. "It was a
Mickey Mouse case."
The system for policing Michigan
* lawyers underwent dramatic changes
three years ago after an investigation
showed the grievance commission gave
the impression of favoritism in some
cases.
make good on a November 1988 loan
guarantee. Under terms of the agree-
ment, the city may have to pay more
than $60,000 to salvage the experiment
in low-income housing.
"This is a story of how bad govern-
ment is hurting the same people it pur-
ported to help," local activist Mollie
Brennan told the council last night.
Brennan and five other speakers
addressed Ann Arbor's legislative body
at last night's meeting. Earlier in the
day, Homeless Action Committee
(HAC) activists demonstrated outside
the "Y" against the bailout plan.
"From the beginning, this was not
the affordable housing that we need,"
HAC member David Noel said at a
press conference yesterday at City Hall.
"Basically what it is is aglorified closet
for $325 a month."
He said the "Y" is diverting money
from projects that would better serve
the city'shomeless. ButNoel acknowl-
edged that closing the "Y" would send
more low-income residents onto the
streets.
The City Council voted Jan. 3 to
shell out nearly $25,000 to keep the
"Y" in operation through January. The
council postponed until later this month
afinal decision on subsidizing the hous-.
ing development.
Since July 1993, the city has paid
$81,000 to keep the "Y" afloat, accord-
ing to budget figures.
Councilmembers have expressed
concerns about the YMCA's mounting
expenses. The YMCA executive direc-
tor in 1988 projected expenses for 1992
at $245,100. According to an audit of
the non-profit organization's budget,
expenses that year actually reached
$525,947.
Admitting the YMCA's mistakes,
President Judy Nold said paring the
organization's expenses would also cut
services.
"We may be able to reduce ex-
penses on some services to our resi-
dents," she said.
"And we can increase our revenues
by increasing our rents."
Councilmember Tobi Hanna-
Davies (D-1st Ward) said a rate in-
crease would make the "Y" out of
reach for many low-income residents.
It also may breach the 1988 agreement
between the city and the YMCA,
Hanna-Davies said.
YOU'VE GOTTA HAVE ART
'U' hosts forum
on information
highway policy
SARAH WHImNG/Daily
Painting and Drawing Prof. Al Hinton critiques the work of sophomore Adam Mancino yesterday in the Art School.
Library holds American artifacts,
Tight security protects historic documents
By LOU QUILLEN
FOR THE DAILY
The Clements Library was given
to the University in 1992 by William
Clements, a wealthy Bay City resi-
dent who graduated from the College
of Engineering and served as a Uni-
versity regent.
Clements had a collection of rare
books he wanted to display but not
have used. Since then, the University
and concerned citizens have expanded
the collection and have made the li-
brary somewhat more accessible to
those interested in its resources.
The University pays for the
building's maintenance and library
employees' salaries. Funding for
books is raised privately and is not
subsidized by the University.
The library contains a variety of
primary sources that detail the history
of the United States. The library owns
300,000 documents related to the
American revolution. This collection
includes all of British commander Sir
Henry Clinton's documents, one of
the library's prized possessions.
The library also owns over 47,000
printed books, some of which are
housed in the rare book room. With
the plethora of materials the Clements
Library contains, the University con-
siders it an asset.
"(It is) one of the most prestigious
units of campus," said Arlene Shy,
head of reader services.
She added that the library is im-
portant in "helping to attract and keep
faculty and graduate students."
The library is open to the public,
and both undergraduate and graduate
classes meet there regularly. It also
presents a new exhibit in the main hall
every few months.
The library staff will help students
with research, but Shy suggested that
students know specifically what they
need before they come.
Although the library is open to the
public, one must complete an inter-
view with Shy to access its materials.
Shy bases her decisions on whether
a student needs to do more back-
ground reading and whether she can
trust them to handle the resources.
After the student enters the library,
security is still an issue. Students are
being monitored at all times by staff.
They know who the students are, how
long they've been in there and what
books they are using. Book bags aren't
allowed either.
Visiting adjunct lecturer in the
history department, Jonathan Marwil,
said the measures are necessary.
"The Clements Library is a valu-
able resource for both scholars resi-
dent and visiting, and also for gradu-
ate and undergraduate students -
and the, simple precautions that the
library takes to ensure that students
and scholars have come for a good
purpose are not an inconvenience."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Ameritech Foundation is hop-
ing $700,000 will help the University
and three other schools come up with
telecommunication policy ideas that
will be good for business.
"The real focus of the consortium
will be how we actually deal with the
policy that allows society to effec-
tively use the new telecommunica-
tions technologies," said Douglas E.
Van Houweling, the University's vice
provost for information technology
and chair of the consortium.
The other participants are the Uni-
versity of Chicago, Northwestern and
University of California at Berkeley.
"We want to make sure that this
region remains in the vanguard, and
we hope for regulatory schemes that
keep up more or less with rapid tech-
nology," said Lawrence E. Strickling,
Ameritech's vice president for public
policy.
"This will have great ramifica-
tions for the creation of jobs, the stan-
dard of living."
Many of the corporate and univer-
sity telecommunications experts,
gathered yesterday for the presenta-
tion of the first year's checks, agreed
on two overriding points:
The rapidly growing technologies
for transmitting information are be-
coming as critical a part of America's
economic infrastructure as were the
highways, waterways and rail beds of
earlier eras.
Increasing deregulation means
uneconomical byways are unlikely to
be served in a competitive world de-
spite Vice President Al Gore's plea
earlier this week that companies vol-
untarily connect every school, hospi-
tal and library to the information net-
work, officials said.
'We are entering the
greatest period of
technological change
in the history of
telecommunications,
and we have been left
with great uncertainty
on how to deal with
the changes.'
- Steven S. Wildman
Northwestern
"We are entering the greatest pe-
nod of technological change in the
history of telecommunications, and
we have been left with great uncer-
tainty on how to deal with the
changes," said Steven S. Wildman,
director of Northwestern's program
in telecommunications science, man-
agement and policy.
Van Houweling said a consensus
is emerging that the corporate build-
ers of the information superhighway
will contribute to a pool that will in
turn be used to subsidize the exten-
sion of network services to institu-
tions that otherwise would be uneco-
nomical to serve.
Ameritech, the dominant provider
of telephone services in Michigan,
Illinois, Ohio, Indiana and Wiscon-
sin, had revenues of $11.2 million in
1992.
The grant from its foundation will
fund two years worth of basic re-
search on the policy questions, spon-
sor the publication of their research
reports and pull the researchers to-
gether for two annual conferences.
ACK! First issue of MSA newspaper may hit stands by end of week
By RONNIE GLASSBERG
DAILY STAFF REPORTER
Another publication may soon grace the
floors of University buildings.
As early as Friday, the Michigan Student
Assembly will unveil ACK! (All Campus
Konstitution), which refers to MSA's bylaws -
the All-Campus Constitution.
MSA Communications Chair David Pava
will serve as editor of the 16-page publication.
It is yet to be decided how frequently it will be
published.
"There's so much stuff going on around
campus that neither the (Michigan) Daily or the
(Michigan) Review or the Agenda magazine
cover, either because of ideological conflict or
just plain lack of interest," Pava said.
The publication will allow those involved in
campus groups to author stories, instead of
having reporters write articles.
'This will give MSA a chance to put the spin that we would
like to put on things.'
David Pava
MSA communications chair
"It's going to be a combination of op-ed
pieces and reports submitted directly by indi-
viduals around campus," he said. "It doesn't
pretend to be objective reporting while simulta-
neously ripping on people."
For instance, while reporters from the Daily
and the Review each wrote stories on Dennis
Denno, the student who is working to bring Dr.
Jack Kevorkian to graduation, ACK! plans to
have a piece written by Denno himself in its first
issue.
Although the publication will allow other
students to submit, a quarter of it will focus on
the assembly, Pava said.
"This will give MSA a chance to put the spin
that we would like to put on things," he said.
Currently, the assembly has approved spend-
ing $500 for the first issue of the 5,000-copy
publication. Pava said MSA will be able to fund
two additional issues, but advertising could bring
ACK! to the students every three weeks.
While the University already has many stu-
dent publications on campus, Pava said he has
high hopes for MSA's entry.
"I would love to see this paper become the
third big publication on campus," he said.
But the competition does not seem to be
making the past editor in chief of the Review
nervous.
"I'm not sure how many people will read it,"
said Tracy Robinson, who served as editor in
chief of the Review through its latest issue.
Robinson, who is also an LSA representa-
tive to MSA, said, "I'd like to see more publi-
cations on campus no matter what their point of
view."
The first issue of ACK! is to include ques-
tions and answers on e-mail, a story by Public
Health Rep. Meg Whittaker on filing a lawsuit
in small claims court, and Denno's piece.
One first-year student said she sees the pa-
per as a good idea.
"I don't know much about the student as-
sembly and what it does. A newsletter will help
the average, ignorant student," said Music first-
year student Valerie Tocci.
Correction
John Schall is running for Michigan's 13th Congressional District seat and state Rep. Dianne Byrum is running for
Congress in the 8th District. This was incorrectly reported in yesterday's Daily.
2
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group Metings
" Arabic Converstaion hour,
sponsored by the Arab-Ameri-
can Students' Association,
Basement of Amer's, 312 S.
State St., 8:30 p.m.
" Consider Magazine, mass meet-
ing, Michigan Union, Room
2209, 8 p.m.
U Saint Mary Student Parish,
Catholic Update Series, 331
Thompson St., 7 p.m.
U Southwest Detoit Student As-
sembly, meeting. Michigan
-I !a 111 I 11'.-li 111I 1 I -IUiZ'
International Center, Room 9, 6
p.m.
U New Directions in Women's (and
a Few Men's) Art, speaker:
Arlene Raven, sponsored by the
art useum and the art history de-
partment, Chrysler Auditorium,
2121 Bonisteel Blvd., 7:30 p.m.
U Parenting in High- and Low-
Risk Neighborhoods, part of the
Growing up in Poverty Series
sponsored by the Center for Hu-
man Growth and Development,
speaker: Jacquelynne Eccles.300
Student services
U Career Planning & Placement,
Generating Career Ideas, Stu-
dent Activities Building, Room
3200, 4:10 p.m.; IDS Financial
Services, Michigan Union,
Room 1209, 6 p.m.; Life after
studying abroad: How to make
the most of your experience,
Michigan Union, International
Center, 6 p.m.; On Campus
Recruiting Program Informa-
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