One hundred four years of editorial freedom
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Coalition claims police mishandled serial rapist search
By JOSH WHITE
Daily Staff Reporter
Calling for a "full review of how the serial
rape case has been investigated," former Ann
Arbor City Councilmember Larry Hunter and
the Coalition for Community Unity con-
demned the Ann Arbor Police Department in
*atements yesterday.
In a public statement, the coalition attrib-
uted the recent arrest of 33-year-old suspect
Ervin D. Mitchell Jr. to citizens in the com-
munity'and claimed the methods espoused by
the police were not the most appropriate.
"The fact that this suspect in the robbery/
assault is in custody is, in our opinion, not the
result of actual solid police work, but due to
alert citizens in our community," the state-
ment said, referring to the taxi driver who
spotted Mitchell on Christmas Day, leading
to Mitchell's arrest.
Hunter, who cosigned the statement, said
last night that "mass hysteria and harassment"
have resulted from the Ann Arbor police
investigation of the serial rape case. Mitchell
has been reportedly linked to the case through
DNA testing.
"We are speaking out against the methods
that were used in the investigation of the rapes,"
Hunter said. "The police had traced Mitchell in
connection with a rape in September 1993 but
let him go after polygraph tests. Their system-
atic DNA testing of more than 250 African
American residents of Ann Arbor was coercive
and disruptive to many people's lives.
"There is an over-reliance on these meth-
ods, all of which did not lead to the capture of
this suspect," Hunter said. "The AAPD relies
too heavily on methods that do more harm
than good. We want to review the investiga-
tion thoroughly so that we can avoid these
kinds of processes in the future."
Acting Police Chief Walter Lunsford told
The Ann Arbor News for a story yesterday
that he was surprised by the remarks but could
not elaborate because he had not seen the
statement.
"It absolutely surprises me that a group
that has constantly called on this department
to show restraint and sensitivity to the rights
of individuals would now be saying we weren't
acting aggressively enough," Lunsford told
The Ann Arbor News. "And they are talking
about a case where we had no evidence to
pursue charges based on what we knew at the
time."
Yesterday's coalition statement also
blamed Ann Arbor police for putting a large
part of the community in an uncomfortable
position.
"We believe that it is possible to learn
several lessons from this recent investigation,
so that future crime investigations do not
disadvantage entire subgroups of community
residents, as has happened in the current case,"
the statement read.
Fraternity
%hut down
after noise
violations
By MICHELLE LEE THOMPSON
Daily Staff Reporter
After several years of complaints
for noise filed against them, Sigma
Alpha Mu (SAM) fraternity had its
charter revoked last week by its na-
tional chapter, members said.
"Right now, we're not recognized
by our national chapter," said treasurer-
elect Ben Finestone. "We're done."
Finestone, an LSA sophomore,
*as one of several of the fraternity's
executive officers who learned over
dinner with a national representative
Thursday night that the University's
chapter was being shut down after 70
years of brotherhood.
The house, located at 800 Lincoln
St. on the corner of Hill Street, is in a
residential neighborhood. Although
SAM members assert they have good
lations with most of their neigh-
rs, president-elect Scott Stein said
the noise violations were all spurred
by the complaints of one neighbor.
Stein and other fraternity mem-
bers said the neighbor, University lec-
turer Ann Savageau, also complained
to Vice President for Student Affairs
Maureen A. Hartford.
"We have a professor living on
our block ... and obviously she has
1out with the University," said SAM
member and LSA junior Mitch
Wonboy. "This woman repeatedly
complained to someone."
But Hartford and Savageau say
that the noise violations were not the
only cloud hanging over the frater-
See SAM, Page 2
4 44.4.4 .
)).".... . .: '?; t.:;i?}YSf:'%:c?. .
any. -M. .{ R
New 'U' budget
rules may cost
units funding
77 F '"
Sean O'Rourke, chef at the
Tournament Players Club in
Dearborn donates his skills
and time to the University
Hospitals' "Gifts of Art"
program by sculpting a figure
of Big Bird into a block otice
in the Hospitals' courtyard. At
right, he sketches out his
design on the block. Above,
O'Rourke puts the finishing
touches on his work.
44~
4'
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47,
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.. .477, ' ' 14 4
By RONNIE GLASSBERG
Daily Staff Reporter
The University will overhaul its
budgeting procedure in the next fis-
cal year - possibly resulting in lost
funding for some academic units -
President James J. Duderstadt an-
nounced yesterday.
While placing more responsibil-
ity on the individual units, the new
budgeting system also will give the
central administration tighter control
over the actions of its schools and
colleges.
"I hope it provides better informa-
tion about providing resources,"
Duderstadt said in an interview last
month. "The way we allocate re-
sources today is based primarily on
how we did it the year before. In the
past, all of those decisions were made
by the central administration."
This change could bring a loss in
funding for some academic units -
although it is unclear which would
suffer or gain the most.
"Over the long term, some units
will benefit and flourish and others
will not," Duderstadt said. "The con-
cerns that I pick up are among some
of the smaller units. The larger units
are already well equipped to do this."
James Wessel, budget officer at
the Institute for Social Research, said
a committee has been formed to ex-
amine the new system's impact on
the institute.
"We're very concerned," Wessel
said. "We're getting many incoming
01
A money -
student tuition
-and fees.
research grants
and state funds
- is collected
by the central
administration.
The
administration
distributes the
funds,
increasing'
annually each
unit's funding by
the same
pgr entage.
State funding is Student
collected by the money is
central -collected
administration for each
and distributed school
to each school
by the provost.
Each school's funds are
held in "accounts for each
divisionby the central
administration.
Each school decides
spending priorities and
makes payments, including
facility costs, from its own
funds.
JONATHAN BERNDT/Daily
Canging the Flow
A new system designed to give individual
schools more say in how money is spent
will be used by the University this year. How.
the plan compares with current procedure:
benefits from the University and to
start paying for those things could
really cut back on what we can do.
Political science chair John E.
Jackson, a professor of political sci-
ence and business administration, said
he is struck by the uncertainty of the
new system.
"I think it could lead to conflict
between organizational units," Jack-
son said. "That may be very detri-
mental to the tradition of Michigan
that has'been relatively free of barri-.
ers to work across units.
See BUDGET, Page 2
irx
O$7 Y WO $TIV2N
Muncie, Ind. chief to
head A2 pohce dept.
By MAUREEN SIRHAL
Daily Staff Reporter
After a lengthy search, the Ann Arbor City
Wuncil last night appointed Carl Ent police chief.
He currently serves as chief in Muncie, Ind.
Careful consideration and a number of panel
interviews went into the council's unanimous
choice.
"I recommend Carl Ent for the technical
reasons and intiutive reasons as well," City
Adminstrator Alfred A. Gatta said in introduc-
ing him. "The references provided by Ent were
quality references supported by the people in
uncie who worked for him and played a role
his education."
Gatta also indicated another reason for the
choice. "(Ent) if approved would stay around
for a while and, over a few years, would develop
into an excellent police chief," Gatta said.
Gatta emphasized Ent's "distinguished"
record. Ent has a esteemed educational back-
ground, which includes studies at the police
instiute in Louisville, Ky. He is currently attend-
ing the FBI Training Academy in Washington.
As police chief of Muncie, Ent has delt with
the Ball State University and that experience
will be benefical when dealing with the Univer-
sity campus, said Councilmember Tobi Hanna-
Davies (D- Ist ward).
"He understands a crowd that is excited for
one reason or another and he has experience
dealing with this type of situation," she said. "He
was also good on the dating violence situation."
"I am really impressed with his character
and integrity. I consider myself a pretty good
See CHIEF, Page 3
Drum major Matt Pickus does the traditional backbend. Pickus was the first
drum major to touch an uncapped head all the way to the ground.
Ami-u*d tradr u m
mtajor marches oni~
Russia declares
2-day cease-fire
in Chechen war
The Washington Post
MOSCOW, Jan. 10 (Tuesday) - The Russian gov-
ernment ordered a 48-hour cease-fire in the secessionist
Chechen Republic beginning at 8 a.m. Tuesday (midnight
Monday EST), but it was unclear whether the cease-fire
would depend on Chechen acceptance of Russian de-
mands.
The cease-fire was issued by the government of Prime
Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin on behalf of President
Boris Yeltsin. The proposal, distributed by the semi-
official TASS news agency after midnight, called on
Chechen fighters to put down their weapons for'48 hours,
hold their positions and exchange prisoners.
It also repeated the longstanding Russian promise of
amnesty for Chechen fighters who give up their battle and
return peacefully home.
The statement came after another day of heavy, block-
by-block fighting in Grozny, the Chechen capital. Rus-
sian fighters are said to control more than two-thirds of the
badly damaged, rubble-strewn city, but Chechen fighters
remain in control of the presidential palace, which televi-
sion footage Monday night showed partially on fire.
Dozens of Russian prisoners are being held in the
basement of the palace, according to news reports, and the
corpses of many Russian soldiers killed in the past 10 days
of fierce fighting reportedly are lying in the streets around
the building.
It was unclear last night whether Russian military
leaders in Chechnya had agreed to the cease-fire or even
Gingrich fires historian,
rethinks immigration
By GAIL MONGKOLPRADIT
For the Daily
After the Wolverines' victory
over Colorado State in the Holiday
Bowl, members of the University's
marching band gathered around for
their last post-game meeting Dec. 30.
Despite the team's 24-14 victory, tears
rolled down the face of Matt Pickus
- the band's drum major.
He mourned quietly not only
"I knew at Thanksgiving, but Ididn't
want the band to know. I didn't want
the band to know because at the time I
didn't know if I would or wouldn't
make the trip," Matt said. "I didn't
want to have band members ask me
how I was doing, and always be re-
minded about it."
The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported
that Pickus graduated from the Univer-
sity in 1953. He served as president and
From Daily Wire Services
WASHINGTON - Revolutions take time
and are not without hitches, and the one prom-
reform proposal, indicating that they might drop
a plan to deny benefits to legal immigrants who
have not become citizens.
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