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Tuesday
April 4, 1995
Mouse Republican leaders move closer to passing tax cut
The Washington Post
WASHINGTON - House Republican
leaders moved closer to locking up passage of
a $188 billion tax cut yesterday after persuad-
ing rebellious GOP moderatesto support the
plan. In return the leadership agreed to a
watered-down version of the moderates' de-
mands for linking tax cuts to deficit reduction.
" House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.)
voiced growing confidence that the tax pack-
age, the "crown jewel" of the "Contract With
America," would pass when it is brought to the
floor tomorrow orThursday. However, Gingrich
warned he would keep the House in session
beyond the start of the Easter recess late this
week unless the measure is approved. "If we
don't pass this, we're not going home," he
declared.
The tax plan'-including a $500-per-child tax
credit, a 54percent reduction inthe capital gains tax
and numerous tax breaks for businesses and corpo-
rations - has encountered stiff resistance from
congressional Democrats, some moderate and fis-
cally conservative House Republicans and influ-
ential GOP moderates in the Senate.
The proposal appeared in serious trouble a
week ago, after a bipartisan coalition led by
Reps. Michael N. Castle (R-Del.), Fred Upton
(R-Mich.) and Glen Browder (D-Ala.) vowed
to block passage of the bill unless the leadership
agreed the tax cuts would not take effect until
Congress completed work on a seven-year plan
for eliminating the deficit and unless the tax
cuts could be revoked any time Congress fell
short of its annual targets for achieving a
balanced budget.
Yesterday, Castle, Upton and freshman
Rep. Bill Martini (R-N.J.) announced an agree-
ment with the leadership to support the tax bill
in return for legislative assurances the tax cuts.
could not take effect until the House and Senate
completed work late this summer on a long-
term budget to eliminate the deficit by 2002. In
the event Congress misses a target for deficit
reduction, the House and Senate Budget Com-
mittees would have to explain in detail the
causes of the problem and suggest solutions for
getting back on track.
But the moderates agreed to drop their de-
mands that the tax cuts would be revoked in the
event Congress missed a deficit reduction tar-
get, in the face of strong complaints from some
House GOP leaders and business lobbyists that
the proposal was unworkable and would make a
sham of investment planning under the tax bill.
Castle, Upton and Martini yesterday hailed
the compromise as a breakthrough that would
provide what Upton described as "a solid
insurance policy for deficit reduction" and tax
relief. "Our amendment takes what otherwise
would have been a tax bill and makes it part of
a real plan to balance the budget," Castle said.
Although the Republicans appear close to
victory, they are still trying to assuage the
concerns of more than 100 Republicans who
favor limiting the $500 per child tax credit to
families earning up to $95,000, instead of the
$200,000 limit in the legislation.
Tax Cut Proposal
The "Contract With
America" promises
numerous tax cuts
that the House is
expected to vote on
tomorrow or Thursday.
The specifics of the plan:
An additional $500 exemption for each
child.
A 50 percent reduction in the captial
gains tax, left over from the Bush
administration.
Numerous other breaks for businesses
and corporations,
Golden Apple
Award winner
Prof. Tom
Collier (left) and
fellow history
Prof. Gerald
Linderman
shake hands
after Linderman
introduced
Collier's "last
lecture" at the
ceremony last
night in
Rackham
Auditorium.
,o YY
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ROE requirement
should be changed,
committee says
By Jodi Cohen Current ROE Classes
Daily Staff Reporter
In an effort to offer a more diverse under- Some classes are more popular than others
graduate academic experience, an LSA review with students for fulfilling the race or
committee is recommending changes to the race ethnicity requirement. For students'
or ethnicity requirement to better fulfill its origi- opinions about the classes and the new
nal intentions. requirements. See story, Page 3.
The committee to review the requirement out- Winter 1994 ROE Student Credit Hours
lined both technological and substantive improve- -Sociology Asian
ments to the current program in a report released History: 10% Studies:
yesterday. The college will phase in the recom- - 2f/0%
mendations gradually. sPhilosophy:
The report was commissioned by LSA faculty 6%
when they originally approved the requirement in omm.:
1991. The mandate states, "After this requirement ,6%
has been in operation for two years, the Dean will .
appoint a committee to review all aspects of it." tudies:
In order to better represent the requirement's 6%
intentions, the committee recommended that the
name be changed to "race and ethnicity." The Anthropology: ' Other:
committee felt that the old name led students and 29% 19%
faculty to believe that a course did not have to Mean GPA in LSA courses
discuss race as long as it discussed ethnicity. Ewetm..
" We changed the name to race and ethnicity its
because we felt that ROE confused what the re- *01 ~ 0
MARK{ FRIEDMAN/Dar ghelc
Collier gives bjs 'ideal Iasit'ectre'
By Michelle Lee Thompson
Oily Staff Reporter
Last night, Prof. Thomas Collier gave
his "ideal last lecture" on the endgames
played in World War II and the conclusion
of the Vietnam War.
But his lecture wasn't in a classroom,
most of the audience didn't take notes, and
Collier got a resounding standing ovation
from the audience of about 450, mostly
current and former students.
The history lecturer spoke at Rackham
Auditorium as the recipient of the fifth
Golden Apple Award, given annually by
Students Honoring Outstanding Under-
graduate Teaching.
"I can't believe you gave me this award,"
Collier said. "I gave the committee time to
reconsider but they assured me this was the
best they could do."
The speech, titled "Hey, What Hap-
pened?" focused on the topics of Collier's
vo classes - "History of the Vietnam
War" and "War and American Society in the
20th Century." Collier said history was seen
many different ways by people of varying
experience and intention.
"Almost from the minute an event oc-
curs, whether it's O.J. Simpson or what-
ever, the story starts to change," Collier
said.
"I think you can open history if you play
with the questions."
He gave accounts of World War II and
the Vietnam War, highlighting specific events
by sharing his own experiences. Collier was
a Marine colonel and served three tours of
duty in Vietnam.
Collier also shared his opinion of the
bombings of Japan during World War II.
"My personal opinion is that instead of
dropping the bomb on Hiroshima, we
should have strapped Undersecretary Jo-
seph C. Grout to a parachute and dropped
him on Hiroshima and said, 'As soon as
you get on the ground, start talking,"'
Collier said.
He began his speech by describing the
series of events leading up to the Smithsonian
Institute's recent decision to scrap a textual
explanation on its upcoming Enola Gay ex-
hibit.
"The idea that you can't tell it like it is
because it will offend some groups in society
is a mistake. It's just a mistake," Collier said
in response to a student question.
"The neat thing about him is that he's sort
of able to relate the personal aspect to the
historical account," said LSA junior Wendy
Merry, who took Collier's Vietnam War
class last winter term.
SHOUT chairman Gabi Loeb, an LSA
senior, said, "He touched on, using specific
examples, the basic fundamental ideas of
history - to ask questions, to find out what
really happened."
But Collier remained modest about his
teaching abilities throughout his speech, even
cutting it short by saying, "Basketball is
basketball," and dismissing the audience so
students could catch the NCAA Basketball
Finals on TV.
quirement was about for many people," said David
Schoem, assistant dean for undergraduate educa-
tion and chair of the ROE review committee.
George Sanchez, director of the American
culture department, agreed that the title change
was representative of moving toward a focus on
the overall goal. "I think that the change ensures
that both issues are dealt with in the context of the
course," he said.
The committee also recommended that there
be an R&E Instructional Board comprised of
faculty knowledgeable about the requirement.
One role of the board is to provide instructional
support to faculty members teachingcourses whose
content includes race and ethnicity.
"The R&E instructional board will make rec-
ommendations for improving teaching of R&E
courses," Schoem said.
The report states, "Some faculty and TAs
(teaching assistants), perhaps even a great many,
lack experience and training in leading discus-
sions in this content area."
Associate mathematics Prof. RobertMegginson
said that if these changes are implemented, the
R&E requirement could be improved greatly. "I
would like to see most of the changes here imple-
mented, in particular the support functions that an
expanded R&E board can serve," he said.
The committee recommended required train-
S
No
46 - ota i
DAILY GRAPHIC
ing for professors and TAs teaching R&E
courses. In addition, it called for an emphasis on
smaller classes encouraging group discussion.
"Some students felt that their ROE course was
very good, and some felt that it didn't meet ROE
requirements," Schoem said.
The report states that "some students of color
have raised concerns that some approved courses
may not adequately address the criteria of the
requirement."
Schoem said courses should be reviewed,
especially in light of student complaints. "Up
until now, there has been no process to review
courses," he said.
The committee recommended a "re-certifica-
tion" process every five years to "insure the
integrity of the requirement, serve as a construc
See R&E, Page 2
Man sues A2
police over
diarassment
In rape case
By Frank C. Lee
Daily Staff Reporter
An African American male has filed a
civil suit against the city of Ann Arbor, the
Inn Arbor Police Department and an AAPD
tective in protest of the AAPD's handling
of the serial rapist investigation.
Blair Shelton, a former suspect, filed suit
Friday seeking damages in excess of $10,000
for injuries suffered. "including but not lim-
ited to, loss of emnlovment and wales se-
Pass/fail will not be option
for last-term foreign language
By Cathy Boguslaski
Daily Staff Reporter
Students who enter the University next term
will not have the option to take the last semester
of their language requirement pass/fail.
The LSA faculty voted almost unanimously
yesterday to deny the use of the pass/fail option in
any class used to fulfill the last term of a language
requirement. The option is still available in all
other classes.
"There was overwhelming support from the
faculty present" for the proposal, said LSA Dean
Edie N. Goldenberg.
placement. Some get the help they need, but
others find themselves helplessly and painfully
lost," she said. "But that doesn't mean pass/fail is
not also a problem."
A romance languages professor said that stu-
dents who are only hoping to get a "C-" - the
minimum grade required to pass -- do not ad-
equately prepare themselves for class or partici-
pate and give only minimal effort.
. Martin said, "(The change) will only be posi-
tive if the language departments now take advan-
tage of this and improve the courses."
Another professor from the romance lan-
MOLLY STEVENS/Daily
Blair Shelton (right) and his attorney discuss his suit which was filed against the Ann
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