The Michigan Daily - Thursday, October 20, 1994 - 3 .Trooper offers partial support for Whitewater allegations The Washington Post WASHINGTON - An Arkansas state trooper said yesterday that in the mid-'80s he heard Bill Clinton urge the owner of a lending company to make a $300,000 government- backed loan to the wife of Clinton's partner in the Whitewater real estate deal. The account by Trooper L.D. Brown, who was close to Clinton until the two had a falling out over Brown's job, offers partial support forthe most direct allegation against President Clinton under investigation by independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr. The charge that Clinton tried to arrange a Small Business Administration loan to an unqualified bor- rower in part prompted the special prosecutor's investigation into Clinton's personal and cam- paign finances in Arkansas during the 1980s. * David L. Hale, the owner of the lending company, has alleged publicly that Clinton Starr: Clinton pushed for loan to business partner's wife and James B. McDougal, Clinton's former business partner, pressured him to give the SBA loan to McDougal's wife, despite the fact that she was not disadvantaged, as the SBA requires and the proceeds were not used as intended. Hale's attorney has said there were witnesses to Hale's meetings with Clinton, but has declined to identify them. David Kendall, Clinton's attorney on Whitewater, said yesterday, as he has previ- ously, that Clinton never discussed the loan with Hale. McDougal also has denied that Clinton tried to arrange the SBA loan. Kendall said Brown has had "an ax to grind against the president for a long time. His recent false assertions about confessed felon David Hale are another attempt to chop away." George Stephanopoulos, senior adviser to Clinton, said Brown "has got an absolute history of credibility problems" and hostility to Clinton. Brown previously has made public allegations about Clinton's personal relation- ships with women. He said yesterday he has been reluctant until now to speak out about the alleged conversation with Hale, because he was concerned he might lose his job with the state police. Arkansas Gov. Jim Guy Tucker this spring sought Brown's transfer from an elite, special investigations unit to the highway patrol sec- tion of the state police, saying he was un- happy with Brown's performance on a high- profile case. Brown, who is suing to get his old job back, contends he was demoted be- cause he talked to federal investigators about financial dealings of Clinton and Tucker, also under investigation in the Whitewater probe. According to two former members of then- Arkansas Gov. Clinton's security detail, Brown enjoyed an unusually close relationship with Clinton as a security officer during the early 1980s. The relationship soured after Clinton de- cided not to appoint Brown deputy director of the state crime lab, a job Brown said he ex- pected. Brown said he has told investigators for Starr of the brief meeting between Hale and Clinton and has also turned over his personal diaries, although he said he never wrote about the encounter. The Washington Times, citing federal law enforcement sources, reported yes- terday that Brown told the special prosecutor's staff that he overhead Clinton press Hale to maketthe SBA loan. Hale. who pleaded guilty in March to mail fraud and conspiracy to de- fraud the SBA on other loans, has been cooper- ating with the independent counsel for some months. His firm. Capital Management Ser- vices Inc., was licensed by the SBA to make government backed loans to disadvantaged businesses. Hale has contended that McDougal wanted him to lend $300,000 to an advertising com- pany owned by his wife as part of a larger scheme to clean up the books of McDougal's failing thrift, Madison Guaranty Savings & Loan. At least some of the loan money was used to buy land in the Whitewater corporation's name. The loan was never re- paid. 'U'hosts conference to promote investment By AMY MENSCH Daily Staff Reporter Expanding companies came to present their new ideas, innovative products and services to potential in- ~stors at the University's 15th an- 'Mal Capital Growth Symposium. The Business School's symposium is one of the longest-running venture capi- tal symposiums in the country. The companies were screened, selected and aided in the develop- ment of their presentations by the University's Office for the Study of Private Equity Finance, who spon- jored the event. The companies paid $325 for one person to attend the symposium and $195 for each additional person in the firm and were "either in the early stages and post-start up periods, or they were established firms that wanted to ex- pand their current operations, intro- duce new products or supplement bank funding," said Prof. David J. Brophy, director of the Office for the Study of j vate Equity Finance. The conference is an attempt to promote Michigan companies. The 14 companies that attended adver- tised their cutting-edge technology in computer software, interactive me- dia, biotechnology and even paper products. The symposium, which at- tracted investors from across the coun- try, was considered to be a great suc- Renovated Kelsey Museum boasts Byzantine exhibit Larry Greene (left) listens to a presentation during the 15th annual CHRIS WOLF/Daily Capital Growth Symposium, yesterday. By ALLAN IZIKSON For the Daily Today the Kelsey Museum of Ar- chaeology officially opens its doors to the public after a 18-month hiatus. The museum will feature a new exhi- bition, "Byzantium, University of Michigan Collections and Expedi- tions." This opening will also mark the beginning of the 20th annual Byzan- tine Studies Conference, sponsored by the Rackham School of Graduate Studies. The museum's new exhibition will feature a number of precious gold coins from the Byzantine Empire and two special pieces of papyri. After remaining closed for more than a year, some students are looking forward to visiting the museum. "I walk by (the museum) all the time, but it is always closed," said Judie Kaiser, an LSA junior. "I think it would be really interesting to see what's inside it." The Byzantine conference, which also opens today with an evening re- ception at the museum, will last until Oct. 23. Before the reception, Prof. Eliza- beth Clark, who teaches religion at Duke University, will deliver a lec- ture called "'Family Values'? Women, Asceticism, and the Recon- struction of Early Christian History." Housed on State Street next to the LSA Building, the museum has for more than 20 years displayed arti- facts excavated from around the world by University archaeologists. As part of the renovations, the museum has installed a special room called Sensitive Artifact Facility and Environment (SAFE), to house its most fragile items. "In addition to SAFE, the mu- seum also improved its library facili- ties, put in a new high-tech security system, installed the long-needed el- evator and built a handicap-acces- sible entrance in the back of the build- ing," said Dana Buck, the museum technician. These new improvements will benefit the students and faculty in a variety of ways, Buck added. "The elevator will allow handi- capped students to get to the museum's second and third floors more easily. The security system will enable the Kelsey to extend its hours, which will be helpful for those at the University who rely on the museum for research," Buck continued. The renovation was funded in part by a donation from the Eugene and Emily Grant and by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humani- ties. cess by all those who attended. "Raising venture capital is an in- creasingly competitive enterprise for entrepreneurs, but it also has become competitive among investors, all of whom seek the advantage that comes with getting in early :on promising ventures," Brophy said. David Mange said his company, Battle Creek Investment Growth Cor- poration, had participated in the sym- posium twice before. Mange was try- ing to promote a device that neutral- izes blood viruses and he was excited because he had "made a good contact with an investor knowledgeable in the field." Mange was looking to form an investment partnership since finan- cially the company needs more money than it can provide. William E. Taylor, president of Colorbok, a paper product company that develops unique products with an emphasis on design and quality, was at the conference "to raise funds to develop products to sell in the mass market." Although Taylor's first product 10 years ago was a complete failure, company sales now total $17 million. For Taylor, the symposium is a "one-stop shopping opportunity where there are many high-quality investors" such as venture capitalist fund managers and investors. Carl Belczynski, director of re- search at the Office for the Study of Private Equity, agreed the confer- ence was a success and said the office plans to hold another one in April. Belczynski said there were "great responses" from the estimated 40 to 50 investors who "theoretically have billions of dollars under manage- ment." Over the past 14 years, the symposium has helped more than 350 growing companies raise nearly $200 million in growth capital. Aristide dodgs M-Quality Expo higlights employees' proposals to improve efficiency at 'U queries The Washington Post PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - President Jean-Bertrand Aristide dodged questions yesterday about his pending choice of prime minis- ter and plans for economic recov- ery, although he acknowledged a mounting sense of public urgency for him to confront those issues. In his first news conference since U.S. military restored him to the tional Palace on Saturday, a jovial Aristide switched easily from French to English to Spanish as he deflected questions from hundreds of Haitian and foreign journalists. Aristide has been working with a team of international advisers to pro- mote a take-charge image amid what he acknowledged today are increas- AP PHOTO Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide addresses reporters at a press conference yesterday. ing public demands for action on pressing economic issues. But aides and close associates express skepti- cism about his performance. At least one favored candidate for the prime minister's post withdrew his name from consideration this week, reportedly to avoid the "aggra- vation" of working with Aristide. ongoing campaign encourages staff suggestions By RONNIE GLASSBERG Daily Staff Reporter The Office of Undergraduate Ad- missions faced a challenge - it was taking too long to respond to people calling the office for assistance. To solve this, it hired students to answer calls on the routine tasks. While the solution may be a simple one, throughout the University, em- ployees are being asked to improve their areas through a concept called M- Quality. Today the University will hold its first M-Quality Expo to highlight in- novations and improvements in vari- ous areas. "M-Quality is a program that the University has adopted, the purpose of which is to empower employees to make decisions with regards to process improvements," said Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President Farris W. Womack. The expo, which begins at 10 a.m. in the Michigan Union, will have more than 50 exhibits that show how people across campus use M-Quality. "We want this to be a community celebration of what people are doing to improve and innovate within the Uni- versity," said Robert Holmes, assistant vice president for academic affairs. "This is an example of how the Univer- sity is trying to move from theory to practice." M-Quality attempts to utilize people working in different University set- tings to improve problems, instead of waiting for a superior to propose changes. "The people who know how to im- prove the activities are those closest to it," said University President James J. Duderstadt. "People at the University do know how to do things better." M-Quality started in the Univer- sity Hospitals in the late 1980s, but did not enter the University as a whole until two years ago. The program has moved farther ahead in the administrative side of the University, but also includes the aca- demic areas. In the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, employees have used the ideas of M-Quality to improve phone contact with the public. The office last year added 10 new employees, nine of whom are students, to answer phones, said Jay Basten, assistant director of admissions. Be- fore this, the admissions counselors handled all phone calls. Students handle the general ques- tions -such as sending out an applica- tion - and refer callers to the counse- lors only for more specific questions. Basten said the change has allowed the office to answer more calls and better serve those who need informa- tion. "M-Quality really encourages in- put from those who are on the front line," Basten said. "We're really happy with the way the students are working out," In the residence halls, M-Quality has been used to improve the hours of dining services. "All of these functions don't just happen. Someone has to be thinking about them and planning them," Holmes said. The expo closes today at 6p.m. and runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow. Besides the exhibits, the expo also will feature several speakers. Group Meetings U Amnesty International meet- ing, 764-5619, Dana Building, Room 1040, 7:30 p.m. Circle K International weekly meeting, 663-2461, Michigan Union, Pond Room, 7:30 p.m. Q Eye of the Spiral informal meet- ing, 747-6930, Guild House Campus Ministry, 802 Monroe, 8 p.m. U Intervarsity Christian Fellow- Lounge, 10 p.m. Q U-M Gospel Chorale, rehearsal, 764-1705, Trotter House, 7:30- 9:30 p.m. Q Undergraduate Math Club meeting, 913-6982, Modern Lan- guages Building, Room B131, 4 p.m. Q Undergraduate Michigan In- vestment Club meeting, 995- 3666, Lorch Hall, Room 173, 7 p.m. U "Forum: Smask the KKK in Lansing", 764-5682, sponsored by the National Women's Rights Organizing Coalition, East Quad, Room 126, 7 p.m. U "Information Resources, Inc", information session, sponsored by CP&P, Business School, 6-8 p.m. U "Marketing Your Graduate De- gree", sponsored by CP&P, Frieze Building, Room 3065, Lynn Rainville, Brown Bag Lec- ture, Ruthven Museum of Natu- ral History, Room 2009, 12-1 p.m. U "Studies of Coherent Nuclear Motion and Electronic Re- sponse", Prof. Jeffrey A. Cina, Chemistry Building, Room 1640. 4 p.m. Student services U 76-GUIDE, peer counseling nhone line. 7 n m.-8 a m. I -m - -