______ ___ ____The Michigan Daily - Tuesday January 101 995 - 3
enEMU students plan boycott of claslses nML a
Proposal to cancel
classes too late for
academic calendar
to accommodate
change
By KELLY FEENEY
Daily Staff Reporter
Eastern Michigan University's
decision not to cancel classes on Mar-
tin Luther King Day this year has left
many students angry, with one group
planning a protest in response.
Members of the Student Organiza-
tion for African American Unity, up-
set that classes are scheduled on the
Qederal holiday marking the birthday
of the late civil rights leader, are urg-
ing students to skip classes next Mon-
Selection of
jury begms
'in sheik's
terror case
Los Angeles Times
NEW YORK - A federal judge
yesterday began the complicated task
of selecting a jury to try Sheik Omar
*bdel-Rahman and 11 of his follow-
ers on charges of plotting bombings
and assassinations in a war of terror-
ism against the United States.
Judge Michael B. Mukasey or-
dered the first group of 100 potential
jurors to answer 53 questions as part
of the selection process, including
whether they were present at the World
Trade Center when it was bombed in
ebruary 1993, whether they have
trong views about informants or wire-
taps and if they have ever heard a
sermon or lecture by Abdel-Rahman
- the blind Egyptian cleric charged
with being at the center of the con-
spiracy.
The sheik and his followers are
accused of plotting to bomb several
targets, including the Lincoln and
Holland tunnels, U.N. headquarters
*nd the field office of the FBI in
Manhattan. They also are accused of
scheming to kill Egyptian President
Hosni Mubarak while he was visiting
the United States and to assassinate
local Jewish political figures.
Fourdefendants were convicted last
year in the bombing of the World Trade
Center that killed six people and injured
more than 1,000.
The current trial is an outgrowth of
e Trade Center attack, but the plots
alleged in the indictment weren't car-
ried out.
Mukasey said he hoped to com-
plete jury selection by the end of the
month and told prospective jurors they
would not be sequestered during the
trial, which he said could last as long
as nine months. Some defense law-
yers predicted privately that the trial
gould take a year.
When the judge made it clear how
time-consuming the trial would be,
one man gasped. His dismay brought
chuckles from other potential jurors
seated next to him.
In a hearing after potential jurors
had left the courtroom, members of
the defense team expressed concern
that the judge had not made it clear
hat Jews were allegedly targeted by
e conspirators.
"When the first tape is played in
the case that says, 'Let's kill the Jews,'
I don't want the Jewish jurors to stand
up and say, 'Why didn't you tell us
about this?"' said John Jacobs, law-
yer for defendant Mohammed Saleh.
"I think we are hiding our heads in the
sand in this case."
day and to also boycott an EMU-
sponsored luncheon.
Anthony Daniels, the student co-
ordinator of the boycott, said: "The
way African Americans are treated is
very disrespectful. Last year we asked
the administration to cancel classes.
When they cancelled classes for Rosh
Hashanah this year, that's when we
started asking for MLK Day."
Many public schools and govern-
ment agencies are closed on the fed-
eral holiday. King, who was born
Jan.15, 1929, has been honored with
a federal holiday since 1986.
Though EMU will cancel classes
next year to mark MLK Day, the
decision to cancel classes this year
came too late to affect this year's
schedule.
Courtney McAnuff, EMU associ-
ate vice president of marketing and
student affairs, said students protest-
ing the administration's decison do
not understand that the decision was
made by a student-led committee.
"1 think they don't understand the
history. No one has asked," McAnuff
said.
"I think the university is very will-
ing to celebrate the holiday. We cel-
ebrate the day more than any other
college, and probably most of the
country," he said.
Two years ago, a committee of
students, faculty and staff recom-
mended not to cancel classes this year.
The committee reasoned that more
students would take part in the planned
activities honoring King if they were
on campus. If classes were cancelled,
students might take off for the long
weekend.
This fall, however, the same group
of students who asked last year to
cancel classes tried again. With the
academic calendar already set and ap-
proved by the faculty, the administra-
tion thought it best to wait until next
year to implement the students' re-
quest.
But some students are still un-
happy with the decison and think the
administration could have done more.
EMU student Mondarell Ross
plans to skip classes, though he thinks
a majority of the students who are not
African American will still attend. "If
I don't want to go to school that day,
and if I want to honor King because
'if I don't want to go to school that day, and if I
want to honor King because he's my hero, then I
shouldn't have to go to classes.'
- Mon darell Ross
EMU student
he's my hero, then I shouldn't have to
go to classes," he said.
Protestors plan to attend their own
Martin Luther King Jr. dinner that
evening, which the university will
pay for, instead of attending the
planned luncheon.
EMU has a full day of activities
planned. Forums discussing issues of
difference among people on campus,
films, lectures and a luncheon with
keynote speaker Randall Robinson.
Robinson is an activist who par-
ticipated in the efforts to release South
African President Nelson Mandela
from prison. Most recently, he staged
a hunger strike last year, helping con-
vince the Clinton adminstration to re-
verse its policy of summarily repatri-
ating Haitian refugees.
There will also be other lectures
and events on Jan. 17, 18, and 19.
City Council
rejects
fupopsa
MOLLY STEVENS/Daily
Jennifer Davis, a sophomore in the School of Music, describes to police an accident at the intersection of Liberty
and State streets yesterday afternoon. A car struck an Ann Arbor resident as he attempted to cross Liberty Street.
The man suffered a minor injury to his knee and was released after paramedics examined his injuries at the scene.
$8,000 in gods toen ro
Lincoln~~~ Stetfaent
More than $8,000 in property was
reported stolen from a Lincoln Street
fraternity Thursday.
Ann Arbor police, who responded
to an alleged breaking and entering,
reported that an unknown suspect or
suspects gained entry to the Sigma
Alpha Mu fraternity house sometime
between 7:30 a.m. Dec. 22 and the
afternoon of Jan. 2, while fraternity
members were away on winter break.
The perpetrator removed a micro-
wave from a common area of the
building and stole property from a
residential room, including two com-
puters, two printers, a stereo and an
alarm clock along with clothing and
various other items.
"We came back and were about to
move rooms for this semester when
we saw that the lock was busted open
and the door kicked in," said Sean
Slackman, one of the fraternity mem-
bers whose room was burglarized. "It
is a violation of our privacy. We came
home and all of our things were gone.
I guess we just expected them to be
there."
Brett Leitner, the other member of
the house whose possessions were
stolen, said the break-ins are a recur-
ring problem.
"Our cook came home during
break and said that there were bums
living in the house," Leitner said.
"This just should not be happening."
Leitner and Slackman said the
house has taken steps to further se-
cure the house, including changing
Police
Beat
the locks and hiring a security guard.
Police currently have no suspects
and there are no reported witnesses to
the break-in.
No arrests for failed
bottle bomb
Two suspects were interviewed in
connection with an attempt to ex-
plode an unknown device Saturday
on the 2500 block of Packard around
10:30 p.m.
After speaking with a witness, po-
lice found a green, plastic two-liter
bottle with a white rag sticking out of
the bottle's top and filled with an
unknown substance. Upon closer in-
spection, police identified the sub-
stance to be paint thinner and located
char marks on the rag and the bottle,
indicating an attempted to light the
device.
Police surveyed the area, looking
for two Black youths aging from 15-
20 years. Officers spoke to two people
fitting the witness' description but
found no evidence that would place
the two at the scene. After brief ques-
tioning, the two suspects were re-
leased and the two-liter bottle was
taken as evidence.
DPS responds to
dorm calls
From 5 a.m. Sunday to 5 a.m.
yesterday, DPS responded to two calls
in residence halls - a harrassment
report and trespassing.
DPS officers responded to a re-
port of harrassment at West Quad just
before 11:30 Sunday night. The sub-
ject reported that his ex-girlfriend was
outside his room and refused to leave.
He also said that the harrassment
was an ongoing problem. Officers
told the 21-year-old woman to leave
and she complied.
Following a report of trespassing at
Couzens Hall, DPS officers found a
34-year-old Black male sleeping in a
second-floor lounge just before 10p.m.
Sunday. The man, who refused to leave,
was taken into custody on a charge of
obstructing justice. He was held until
he was sober and was released.
- Compiled by
Daily Staff Reporter Josh White
By JAMES M. NASH
Daily Staff Reporter
The Ann Arbor City Council last
night nixed a last-ditch attempt to
salvage an agreement with the YMCA
that would have continued funding
for the non-profit organization -
without the agreement that most coun-
cil members demanded to run the Y's
low-income housing project.
The council's rejection of a pro-
posed funding agreement with the Y
came just hours after a local bank
sued the city, seeking to recover pay-
ment on a loan the city guaranteed to
the Y more than five years ago.
Great Lakes Bancorp sued the city
for $1.6 million.
On the table last night was a pro-
posal to refinance the YMCA's low-
income housing development through
the sale of municipal bonds by the
city's Economic Development Corp.
Eight of 11 council members voted
against the resolution, saying they
could not support an agreement with
the Y until the city and the organiza-
tion agree on how the housing project
is to be managed.
Council Republicans Jane Lumm
and Peter Fink, along with Democrat
Peter Nicolas, urged the adoption of a
plan to fund the Y to avoid further legal
payments. The city already has invested
more than $70,000 in its legal negotia-
tions with the YMCA and Great Lakes.
Lumm said the city must abide by
its 1988 commitment to guarantee a
loan to the YMCA.
"I think basically if you're going
to honor the guarantee, you're going
to vote for the bonds," she said. "I
don't think there's a better alterna-
tive. If there is, I'd like to see it."
But Chris Kolb, leader of the coun-
cil Democrats, said the existing agree-
ment would allow the Y to void its
commitments to the city once the loan
is paid in full. "I cannot support an
agreement at this time," Kolb said.
The city defaulted on its payments
to Great Lakes at 5:01 last Friday,
concluding months of wrangling -
among council members as well as
with the Y and the bank - over how
to honor its 1988 loan agreement. The
pact allowed the Y to build 64 rooms
and refurbish 37 others for occupancy
by extremely low-income residents.
The bank filed suit in Washtenaw
County Circuit Court yesterday, fir-
ing the first legal salvo in what could
become a series of lawsuits. The bank
also sued the YMCA and Miller,
Canfield, Paddock & Stone, a law
firm representing the city.
According to one scenario, the
YMCA could next sue the city, the city
could sue Miller, Canfield and, if the
city loses that case, sue its other legal
representative - Hardy, Lewis, Pol-
lard & Page. Miller, Canfield and Hardy,
Lewis issued contradictory opinions on
the legality of the loan guarantee.
Acting city attorney John
VanLoon reserved comment on the
Great Lakes suit. "They got to it a
little quicker than I thought they
would," he said. "I thought they would
wait until next week."
The city has 21 days to respond to
the suit. But last night, it was unclear
who would defend Ann Arbor in the
case.
VanLoon said he would not repre-
sent the city. And Councilmember
Stephen Hartwell (D-4th Ward) said
Hardy, Lewis has provided faulty legal
advice and should not represent the city.
VanLoon said the city should con-
sider retaining Hardy, Lewis."There's
an element of efficiency in the sense
that they've educated themselves to
the problem."
Many council members expressed
disgust that the issue is heading to
court, but others expressed hope that
the case would be solved out of court.
"The only people who have gotten rich
off this deal are the attorneys," Mayor
Ingrid Sheldon said before the meet-
ing.
orrection:
The Big Ten men's basketball standings were not up-to-date in yesterday's Daily. The current standings are on page
13 today.
CNIEF
Continued from page 1
judge of character and I think he will
not compromise his integrity," Gatta
said. "(Ent) is honorable, sincere, and
genuine. He is not slick and I think
that we need someone straight for-
ward and accessible."
Democratic councilmembers said
they used the week-long postpone-
ment of their decision to contact
Muncie residents.
Call foir
Writers!
NEWS,
Arts, Sports,
and Opinion
are I kin for
"We asked for the postponement
to contact Muncie people and the
community," Councilmember Jean
Carlberg said. "I contacted commu-
nity groups such as the NAACP and
the results were great praise for Ent
and the way he brings people to-
gether and is able to reach a solution
to problems. He is a very active mem-
ber of the community ,and not just as
police chief," Carlberg said.
The council voted to approve Ent
after recessing briefly into a closed
session. Councilmembers Carlberg and
Hal Smith called the private meeting to
discuss Ent's professional references.
Smith said he initially had doubts
about Gatta's recommendation. "At
the last council meeting, the city ad-
ministrator had not communicated to
us the questionnaries or his rationale
for selecting Mr. Ent," Smith said
after last night's meeting. "It's too
important an issue to follow through
without doing independent research
on him."
Some officials privately expressed
irritation at some Democrats' hesi-
tancy to approve Ent based on the
administrator's recommendation.
JOIN DAILY PHOTO
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Management, 930-6446,
Unitarian Church, 1917
7299, Michigan Union, Michi-
gan Room, 6 p.m.
Events
U "Forum Against Racist Fir-
ings at Dental School," spon-
Student Services
" 76-GUIDE, peer counseling
phone line, 7 p.m.-8 a.m.
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Computing Site, 747-4526, 7-
11 p.m.
k '." '~~ ~ "U n SMUM