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One hundred four years of editorial freedom
Thursday
February 9, 1995
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MEN= S 6
College tuition in state closer to
By Zachary M. Raimi
Daily Staff Reporter
A proposal to make college tuition tax-
deductible marched forward yesterday, pass-
ing the state Senate without opposition, along
with the rest of Gov. John Engler's tax cut plan.
"I'm very pleased," said state Sen. John
Schwarz (R-Battle Creek), a major player in the
*ill's passage. "It's a way to give some recogni-
tion to families who have a student in college."
The proposal would allow a tax deduction
for college tuition of up to $5,000 per year, for
four years - if universities and colleges hold
their tuition at or below the rate of inflation, as
determined by the Consumer Price Index.
The bill would allow deductions for both
private and public higher-education institu-
tions, but only a one-year deduction for com-
munity colleges.
State Sen. Alma Wheeler Smith (D-South
Lyon), who represents Washtenaw County.
proposed an amendment requiring'the state
to match a school's previous appropriation
level and base the yearly increase on the
rate of inflation, but it was ultimately re-
jected.
Smith said in a written statement that she
proposed the amendment because "this bill
Inside
Details on the tax cut plan that passed
the state Senate. -- See Page 7.
may be the only tax deduction that is predi-
cated on the behavior of someone else - the
colleges and universities."
Without the amendment, students who
attend schools that raise tuition above the rate
of inflation, like the University did last year,
would be hurt, Schwarz said, "but I don't see
a lot of colleges and universities wanting to
play that game.
Jeing tax- deductible
"Implicit in all of this is that the state Jerry Crandall, a spokesman for House
appropriation will have in it adequate in- speaker Paul Hillegonds (R-Holland), said he
creases annually so that it will not be difficult does not know when the House will debate the
for the universities to keep their tuition in- issue. "The commitment from the speaker at
creases at or below the CPI.' this time is to attempt to pass the governor's
Schwarz said he could not predict how the package as it was proposed, keeping to that
proposal might affect people in different tax $1.5 billion figure," he said.
brackets. Schwarz said he thinks Engler will support
In his State of the State address last month, the college tuition deduction bill. The governor's
Gov. John Engler proposed a $1.5 billion tax oflice did not return phone calls yesterday.
cut. The three-part proposal would raise Crandall said he is not sure whether the
personal exemptions, cut the Single Business tuition proposal would pass in the House.
Tax, and phase out the intangibles tax on "That remains to be seen," he said. "I don't
interest and dividends. know at this point.
,MSA elects
new external
relations head
By Amy Klein
Daily Staff Reporter
* By a vote of 18-16 Tuesday night, the Michigan Student
Assembly elected Rep. Adam Clampitt to the position of
external relations committee chair. There was one absten-
tion.
LSA sophomore Andrew Wright was recalled from
the position last week after assembly members accused
him of fraud. ERC vice chair Brooke Holley served as
acting chair in the interim.
Holley was "the only other representative to run for the
vacancy against Clampitt, an LSA sophomore. She will
*ontinue to serve as vice chair.
Clampitt said he plans to involve the new private
lobbying firm heavily in the assembly's activities.
"Right now we need to focus on using the lobbyist. We
need to really use him in the next few months before
summer," Clampitt said.
While Holley also emphasized the importance of in-
creasing the lobbyist's role, she stressed the need to form
contacts outside the University.
"I think the lobbying thing was a great idea, but
ietworking is also important. While networking sounds
ike a bad term, I think it's good to get together with people
that have other ideas," Holley said.
Clampitt advocated continuing the assembly's rela-
tionship with the city.
"I think Andrew did a lot of good things in terms of the
relationship formed with the city. I'd like to continue that
relationship," Clampitt said.
Wright said he was disappointed with Holley's defeat.
"I wish Brooke would have been elected. I don't think
Adam is qualified, and he hasn't shown up for a meeting
611 semester until last Sunday," Wright said.
The Michigan Party originally considered Clampitt
for vice chair this semester, but he was defeated in the
party nominations.
"He lost the party elections," Wright said. "I think that was
the right decision then and I still think it's the right decision."
Baker lawyer
rebukes'U'
on disloue
STEPHANIE GRACE LIM/Daily
The African tradition
Haj Khalil from Naim Imports prepares his table for the Ann Arbor African American Fair in the
Michigan Union Ballroom yesterday. The fair was sponsored by Minority Student Services and
the Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives. See Page 3 for details.
By Ronnie Glassberg
Daily Staff Reporter
The attorney for the RC sopho-
more suspended for posting a sexual
torture story on the Internet said the
University violated his client's rights
by showing the story to the Michigan
Student Assembly president.
The University has refused to dis-
cuss Jake Baker's case, citing the
Family Education Rights and Privacy
Act. But MSA President Julie Neenan
told the assembly at Tuesday's meet-
ing that Vice President for Student
Affairs Maureen A. Hartford showed
her a copy of the posting.
"I have serious concerns about the
legality of (Hartford's) actions." said
David Cahill. Baker's attorney. "i
think it's inappropriate and it calls
into question FERPA."
Hartford defended her action in
allowing Neenan to see the story.
"I thought it was important for the
students to understand the nature of
what this message was," Hartford said.
"A document that has been sent to
millions of people on the Internet, I
don't believe is protected informa-
tion and that's the only document
Julie saw."
The University will hold a closed
hearing today at 1:30 p.m. for Baker
on the sixth floor of the Fleming Ad-
ministration Building. The linguis-
tics-math major from Boardman,
Ohio, was suspended last Thursday
for a message he posted on the Internet.
which included the name of a Univer-
sity student.
Baker's story describes the torture
and sodomization of a woman. At the
end of the story, the story's protago-
nist douses her with gasoline and lights
a match.
University President James J.
Duderstadt suspended Baker under
Regents' Bylaw 2.01, which gives the
president the power to maintain the
"health, diligence, and order among
the students."
University spokeswoman Lisa
Baker said the University did not vio-
late the rights of Cahill's client by
making the story public. "It's already
in the public domain. It was on the
Internet," she said. "It's already a
public document."
The University yesterday said it
See BAKER, Page 7
Obscenity
ofstory
questioned
By Cathy Boguslaski
Daily Staff Reporter
Last week's suspension of an
LSA sophomore who published
"slasher" material on the Internet
has raised serious questions about
the First Amendment and the In-
formation Superhighway.
The University suspended Jake
Baker, an RC linguistics major, for
publishing a torture-filled, sexu-
ally explicit story on the Inte'rnet
that included the name of another
student. Baker was suspended un-
der Regents' Bylaw 2.01, which
gives University President James
J. Duderstadt the power to main-
tain the "health, diligence and or-
der among students."
However, Baker may not have
violated any obscenity laws.
The story Baker posted described
two men breaking into a woman's
apartment, tying her by her hair to a
ceiling fan, torturing and mutilating
her, as well as sodomizing her with
a hot curling iron.
The graphic details of the story.
are.probably not enough for Baker to
be convicted of obscenity, said Joan
Lowenstein, a communications lec-
turer at the University who teaches a
course in First Amendment law.
"You can buy this sane kind of
stuff in Hustler," Lowenstein said.
"It's been outlawed in some places,
like Cincinnati, but it's still on sale
here."
The story appeared on a com-
puter newsgroup that focuses on
.sexually explicit material.
Lowenstein said stories published
on the Internet are held to the same
standards as any other publication.
The Supreme Court rule.d in Miller
vs. California that,, to be consid-
ered obscene, the work must ap-
peal to the basest interests.and have
no redeeming artistic value when
judged by community standards.
See OBSCENITY, Page 7
Price to head comm. dept., lead transition
Interim chair holds
2nd meeting for
students to discuss
future concentration
By Cathy Boguslaski
Daily Staff Reporter
The University has tapped Vincent
Price, associate chair of the commu-
nication department, to step up and
tversee the troubled department's
transition to a new focus on commu-
nication studies.
In January, a faculty advisor
committee recommended sweeping
changes to the current department
of communication, including mov-
ing all film and video production
classes to the Program in Film and
Video Studies, removing the
Master's in Journalism Program
from LSA, and discontinuing jour-
nalism classes in LSA.
LSA Dean Edie N. Goldenberg
said Price will take the chair on July 1.
"Prof. Price will recommend mem-
bership for the department executive
committee during the transition pe-
riod and he will chair that committee.
The department executive committee
will oversee recommendations to re-
vise the curriculum and will also serve
as a search committee for new fac-
ulty," Goldenberg wrote in an e-mail
message.
Price was a member of the advi-
sory committee that made the recom-
mendations for the department. He is
on sabbatical and could not be reached
for comment.
Last night, the current interim chair
of the department, John Chamberlin,
hosted an informational meeting about
the department's future for concen-
trators and interested students.
Several students expressed disap-
pointment over the college's decision
to stop offering journalism classes.
"You work so hard in high school to
get in here, to U-M," said Amy Tortora,
an LSA junior. "Then halfway through
they change it (the communication de-
partment), and 1 wonder how future
employers are going to look at that, how
they will believe in you when your own
school didn't, when your own school
changed your program."
Only about 20 students attended
the meeting, which conflicted with a
"Careers in Communications" pro-
gram. Chamberlin said he was not
aware of the conflict when he sched-
uled the meeting.
Juniors and seniors will be allowed
to finish their concentrations under
the current requirements.
Sophomores will have the op-
tion of finishing under the old or
new concentration, but the advanced
writing classes will not be given
after winter term 1996, Chamberlin
said.
Some students said they are con-
cerned because LSA will not offer
practical skills, such as those taught
in the writing classes.
"Training people for their first job
is not something liberal arts colleges
generally take as their mission,"
Chamberlin said. He suggested that
writing for student publications and
internships could help prepare stu-
dents for journalism careers.
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Today's deadline for dornmtory
'reapp' extended until Tuesday
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By Spencer Dickinson
Daily Staff Reporter
For students who plan to live in
the residence halls next year, today
was the original deadline to reapply.
While the deadline has been extended
to next Tuesday, students who plan to
live on campus next year have al-
ready begun the reapplication pro-
West Quad, Betsey Barbour and Helen
Newberry. She cited printing delays
for a University Housing publication
as cause for the extension.
Vera Baits Houses Office Man-
ager Julie Markey said students who
want to change halls must wait until
current residents have made their room
choices.
fers since Lloyd is not open to juniors.
Many first-year students choose
to stay in the dorms their sopho-
more years. Josh Bretz, now an En-
gineering junior, lived in East Quad
his first two years at the University.
"1 liked the social environment,"
Bretz said.
This year, he lives in an apartment
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