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One hundred four years of editorial freedom
U' chief academic officer to vacate post at summer's end
By RONNIE GLASSBERG
Daily Staff Reporter
The University's chief academic officer,
Gilbert R. Whitaker Jr., will step down when
his current five-year term ends in August.
"A shorter period didn't seem to serve the
needs of the University, so it was sort of five
more or none," said Whitaker, who will not
*seek a second terrm as provost and executive
vice president for academic affairs.
"It was time. Nobody's served in this
office very long in a long time. I was dean for
11 years and eight months and had six differ-
ent provosts."
Before becoming provost in 1990,
Whitaker served as dean of the School of
Business Administration for about 12 years.
Whitaker said he did not want to serve a
second term as provost.
"We had been in discussion since last
spring because the end of his five-year term
would come close to the age of 65," said
University President James J. Duderstadt. "He
felt it would be best if he stepped down at the
end of his term."
Whitaker said he is not
sure what he will do when
his term ends.
"I'm trying to figure
that out over the next eight
months. I've nevertakena W--
sabbatical soI'lltake some Whitaker
time off and figure out if I
really want to teach again," Whitaker said.
Duderstadt said Whitaker provided ex-
tremely strong service as provost. "He's done
an outstanding job and I have confidence that he
will do an outstanding job during his final year
of service," he said.
Business School Dean B. Joseph White
served under Whitaker as both associate dean
and dean of the school.
"I thought he really did an excellent job at
the University," White said. "I came back
from industry in 1987 in part because I wanted
to work with Gil Whitaker.
"I think he did a very good job for the
University. He is a tough-minded budget man-
ager. I think coming up from dean, he under-
stood the University from the perspective of the
schools and colleges."
Regent Deane Baker (R-Ann Arbor) said
Whitaker has done an outstanding job as pro-
vost. "It's a very difficult job - probably the
most difficult in the University. He's the key
academic leader in the University," Baker said.
"He's got to set budgets. When you set budgets,
See PROVOST, Page 2
The provost reflects on his career
and the University. See Page 2.
Rape suspect in custody
The Congress
GOP takes over,
begins debate on
remaking rules
JOE WESTRATE/Daily
Sheila Blakny, the court-appointed public defender, sits next to Ervin Dewain Mitchell Jr. during his preliminary hedring yesterday. Blood and hair samples
were taken after a warrant was issued for his arrest - and they are being tested to see if they match the DNA of the Ann Arbor serial rapist.
*Police link purse snatcher to series of A2 sexual assaults
From Staff and Wire Reports
WASHINGTON - Jubilant Re-
publicans, claiming a sweeping public
mandate to reduce the scope and reach
of government, yesterday assumed the
mantle of leadership in both the House
and Senate for the first time in 40 years
and embarked on a 100-day campaign
to dismantle the legacy of decades of
Democratic rule.
"Let the great debate begin," said
House Minority Leader Richard A.
Gephardt (D-Mo.) as he turned over
the speaker's gavel "with resignation
but with resolve" to an exultant Newt
Gingrich, the Georgia Republican who
was a principal architect of the GOP's
Nov. 8 electoral victory.
Gingrich, wielding a new and big-
ger gavel cut from an ancient Georgia
walnut tree by a constituent, immedi-
ately got down to business, plunging
the 104th Congress into what he called
"the hardest-working opening session
in American history."
Within hours of the noon call to
order, House members began voting on
a series ofrules changes that will, among
other things, abolish 28 congressional
panels, lay off more than 600 staff mem-
bers and require a 60 percent majority
vote to raise income tax rates.
As midnight approached, the
House was moving toward consid-
eration of its first piece of legisla-
tion, a measure that would make
Congress abide by the same laws it
imposes on everyone else - but
only if the Senate goes along.
While Senate Majority Leader Bob
Dole (R-Kan.) stuck to a more tradi-
tional first-day agenda of largely pro-
cedural matters, Gingrich led an open-
ing-day assault designed to demon-
strate that Republicans are serious about
seizing the reins of government and
using their new power to change Con-
gress and shrink the government.
See CONGRESS, Page 7
'U' profs .
offer insight
on Congress
By ZACHARY M. RAIMI
Daily Staff Reporter
With a bang of the gavel yester-
day afternoon, Rep. Newt Gingrich,
the newly installed speaker of the
House, ended 40 years of Demo-
cratic rule and opened the 104th
Congress.
University professors, who study
American politics and history, have
joined in the speculation.
Assistant Political Science and
Public Policy Prof. Ann Lin said the
House Republicans should pursue
tax and welfare reforms first.
"(It is) definitely wiser for them
to push welfare or tax reforms first
because school prayerisoneofthose
issues that would expose the cleav-
ages in the Republican coalition,"
she said.
Lin added: "There are a lot of
different factions within the Repub-
lican Party right now," including
conservatives and moderates.
Political Science Assistant Prof.
Ken Kollman said the Republicans'
success in the midterm elections
was due in part to "the way districts
are set up and the way Republicans
were very skillful in going for open
seats."
The Republicans were also suc-
cessful because of their attacks on
what they deem the "liberal welfare
state," turning middle-class voters
See PROFS Page 7
See tomorrow's Daily for an in-
depth look at state and national
governmental changes.
By FRANK C. LEE
Daily Staff Reporter
Ann Arbor police are holding
Ervin Dewain Mitchell Jr. in custody
on suspicion that he may be the serial
rapist who has plagued the city since
February 1992.
Mitchell, 33, was arrested Christ-
mas Day in connection with an un-
armed robbery and assault on a local
woman.
Mitchell's preliminary hearing
began yesterday in 6th Circuit Court.
He remains in the Washtenaw County
Jail on a $50,000 bond after being
arraigned Dec. 27 by 14th District
Court Magistrate A. Thomas
Truesdell. If convicted, he faces up to
15 years in prison.
Police connected Mitchell, an Ann
Arbor resident, to the other attacks
because of the resemblance of this
assault to those of the serial rapist.
Like the serial rapist, Mitchell al-
legedly attacked a woman walking alone
on the west side of town with a blow to
the head. He fits the physical descrip-
tion given to police of the serial rapist.
"I think if you look at his back-
ground - some of the things that
have been already reported in the press
- and compare that with what the
profiler originally came up with, you'll
see a lot of similarities," said Sgt. Phil
Scheel, spokesman for the Ann Arbor
Police Department.
Mitchell was arrested for alleg-
edly attacking a 34-year-old Ann Ar-
bor woman, who walking alone on
the sidewalk along Dexter Avenue
about 1:20 a.m. Christmas Eve. She
was on her way to her cousin's house
when a man approached and struck
her in the face.
The man tried to snatch the
woman's purse, but did not try to rape
her. The serial rapist is not known to
rob his victims, although in the last
attack, the woman's wallet and check-
book were found several blocks from
the crime scene.
In the Dec. 24 incident, reports
say Mitchell was wearing a ski mask
when he allegedly attacked the woman
- which the serial rapist is not known
to do.
"There was at least one other at-
tack where there was a ski mask worn,"
Scheel said. "That attack happened in
the 800 block of Miller Road some
time ago - November 2, 1993.".
On Sept. 2, 1993, Mitchell was the
prime suspect on attack on a 24-year-
old jogger on the 1500 block of West
Liberty Street. The woman was
grabbed from behind by a man at-
tempting to remove her shorts. She
screamed, and he fled.
He was taken into custody, ques-
tioned and given a lie detector test.
The jogger couldn't identify him and
See RAPIST, Page 5
Bank to sponsor Entr6e Plus off-campus
By JAMES M. NASH
Daily Staff Reporter
The University and a local bank will join forces in
the coming months to promote a revamped Entree
Plus, which will merge on- and off-campus purchas-
ing power with bank-teller and telephone transac-
tions.
First of America-Ann Arbor and the University
signed an agreement last month to add financial
transaction services to the University's identification
card, which doubles as plastic cash for on-campus
purchases only.
Under the expanded Entree Plus program, sched-
uled to begin this fall, cardholders may link their
EntriePlus to achecking account atFirstof America.
When users purchase products and services either on
or off campus, the funds are deducted from their
account.
Using the card to access a checking account will
require a personal identification number for security.
The card will allow users to make small purchases
without a bank account, University officials said.
First of America-Ann Arbor emerged from a six-
month nationwide search for a financial institution to
assume responsibility for Entree Plus off campus.
The University now regulates the program, but can-
not legally extend it off campus without bank spon-
sorship.
The new partnership stems from "the long-stand-
ing relationship between the University and the bank,"
said First of America spokeswoman Diane Brown.
"We are one major bank the University uses for major
financial services."
The bank has automatic teller machines in the
Michigan Union and North Campus Commons and
several locations near the campus. Its teller machine at
the corner of South and East University avenues was
among the first ATMs in the country, Brown said.
The program will be tested on a limited basis this
winter, they said. About 400 students will pilot the
program,said University spokeswoman Lisa Baker.
University and bank officials yesterday refused to
disclose details of the agreement, such as the cost to
businesses of joining the expanded program and the
types of businesses that will be eligible. Officials
from both parties said they have agreed not to release
specific information on the debit-card program with-
out first consulting each other.
MSU vows to tie tuition to inflation
By RONNIE GLASSBERG
Daily Staff Reporter
Michigan State University Presi-
rlant MI DatA.. M ln iarc nn 3,00 nrnm,
we are."
In an article last month, The Asso-
ciated Press reported that McPherson
"I definitely feel that should be
one of their top priorities," Stem said.
"It would definitely give the adminis-
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