r1v run
ti
Weather
Tonight: Light snow, low
around 200.
Tomorrow: Snow flurries,
high around 35%
One hundredfive years of editorialfreedom
Thursday
January 11, 1996
II
Q ply
. , ' The-mirbiga
Vol I
wild"
I
Pessimism
hovers over
budget debate
The Washington Post
WASHINGTON - Republican congressional leaders
y sterday offered gloomy assessments ofthe prospects for an
eventual balanced-budget agreement, with Clinton adminis-
tration and.congressional officials predicting a bitter winter
of guerilla battles over how to fund the federal government.
House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), who had been the
most optimistic of leaders on the prospects for an agreement
to balance the budget by the year 2002, changed his tune
yesterday. He said the stalemate may not be resolved until the
election.
"I think the odds are better than even as of today that there
* be no agreement. And I find that a very difficult pros-
pect," Gingrich said in Casper, Wyo., where he attended a
Republican fund-raiser. "I am, for the
first time in a year, pessimistic about
the likelihood of our getting agree-
ment.
"It may just be that we need one
more election," he said. "It may liter-
ally be that the Clinton administration
cannot agree to the kind of decentrali-
zation and lower spending and lower
taxes that we represent."
Several Republicans suggested that
in the meantime, the battle with Clinton
Clinton would be over "targeted" appropria-
tions bills. Under that scenario, con-
gressional Republicans would take the remaining spending
bills for departments and agencies on which they have not
agreed with Clinton and fund only the programs they like.
Clinton, in a meeting with his Cabinet to discuss where the
government proceeds from here, said agreement on a bal-
anced budget could come "in 15 minutes" if Republicans
Bald strip their ideological policy changes from the agree-
nt and give up a large part of their tax cut.
Clinton listed the tax cut as an area of disagreement along
with changes proposed by the Republicans in Medicare,
Medicaid, education spending, environmental protection,
See BUDGET, Page 2
State GOP
eyes changes
to higher ed
JOE WESTRATE/Daily
Back to the books
LSA sophomore Wayne Geisert watches his money slip away as he buys books at the Michigan Union
Bookstore yesterday afternoon.
By Stephanie Jo Klein
Daiy Staff Reporter
A state House Republican task force
unveiled a list of recommendations yes-
terday to improve higher education, in-
cluding a plan to prevent rising tuition
costs at the state's 15 public universities.
State Rep. Beverly Hammerstrom
(R-Temperance) joined task force co-
chairs John Llewellyn (R-Fremont) and
Jim McBryde (R-Mount Pleasant) in
presenting the list yesterday morning to
a small crowd of students and officials
in the Michigan Union.
"We hope this report will ... start the
dialogue going so the individual boards
can determine how they want to achieve
(the recommendations)," said
Hammerstrom, who chairs the GOP's
policy committee, adding that the task
force held statewide hearings on uni-
versity issues last year.
The report came after nearly, three
years of legislative research on methods
oflowering costs and maintaining equal-
ity in the funding of the various schools.
Due to the autonomy of each school's
governing board, the Legislature can-
not easily mandate programs.
The task force said in the report that
they supported this autonomy, but en-
couraged universities to make changes
- including working with state law-
makers to develop a new funding for-
mula, lowering tuition increases to keep
pace with inflation, and privatizing ser-
vices wherever possible.
They also urged the schools to in-
crease contact between professors and
students, giving specific praise to pro-
grams like the University's Undergradu-
ate Research Opportunity Program.
Hammerstrom said rising tuition is a
major problem for the state's schools.
She discussed the possibility of creat-
ing a statewide formula that would
change existing budget priorities, in-
crease the equality of funding for the
state's universities, and maintain conti-
nuity in funding.
"If (schools) have a better idea of
what they're going to get from the state
then maybe they can start to do things to
control the tuition costs, too," she said.
McBryde said that a set formula would
prevent instability when members of the
appropriations committees change.
"The (budget) process has to be de-
scribed as a political process, in which
the winners and losers were based upon
the influence of the various universities
on the process," McBryde said. "With
Improving Higher Ed
A Republican task force report
suggests numerous improvements in
the state's higher education system.
The lawmakers urged universities to:
Privatize services to cut costs,
including campus food services,
golf courses and other non-
classroom related business.
Develop new relationships with K-12
school districts and community
colleges to foster better state
education.
Provide better counseling and
encouragement for students to
finish their degrees in four years,
so students incur less debt from
their schooling.
Maintain tuition costs at levels
below inflation so students can
afford a college education.
term limits, the problem will be wors-
ened because you'll have less stability
on the appropriations committee ... you
may have feast and famine every other
term."
Jim Kosteva, the University's direc-
tor of community relations, said he is
skeptical about a statewide formula for
budget decisions.
"Ofcourse we become a bit concerned
when they begin to speak of a formula
that isn't specific to the constraints of
our university," Kosteva said. "It be-
comes challenging for the University...
when (the state) does not supply appro-
priations that meet the rate of inflation."
The University is already working
toward privatization of many parts of
campus life, with past success in the
Union and North Campus Commons,
the new M-Card and future plans for
recycling activities.
Vice President for University Rela-
tions Walter Harrison saidthat, intheory,
he agrees with the task force's state-
ment. "Once you get down to the specif-
ics, it is all on a case to case basis."
McBryde said he was pleased at the
positive response he has received from
most universities.
"I never expected any university of-
ficials to fully embrace our recommen-
dations," McBryde said. "I just thought
it was positive that our recommenda-
tions were not condemned by anybody."
House Democrats also have a higher
education task force working on their
own list ofrecommendations, but could
not be reached for comment last night.
Looking for next president of U' Inc.
West Michigan
suggests qualities for
next campus leader
By Jodi Cohen and Nate Hurley
Daily Staff Reporters
GRAND RAPIDS -Shouldthe next
University president be a CEO rather
than a professor?
Several West Michigan business and
*c leaders posed that question last
night to members of the University
Board of Regents.
"I would approach this ... as if I were
looking for a CEO," said John D.
Bunbury, one of 18 speakers at the
public forum designed to obtain input
for the presidential search.
But not all those who spoke agreed
that the successor to outgoing President
James J. Duderstadt should come from
business world.
Robert Frost of the Grand Rapids
Press said the next president should be
a scholar "much more familiar with
classrooms than boardrooms."
And some speakers said the presi-
dent should be familiar with both.
Regent Shirley McFee (R-Battle
Creek), a co-chair of the search com-
mittee, said the next president would
likely have some experience with aca-
demics and business.
"The two are not necessarily mutu-
ally exclusive," McFee said in an inter-
view after the forum. "Perhaps what we.
should be looking for is one who can
bring these two qualities into balance."
While the focus was on the next
president's experience, almost every
speaker presented a shopping list of
attributes, including: visionary,
statesperson, listener, leader, innova-
tive, friendly, energetic and spiritual.
"It becomes the 'walk on water' list,"
Off-Campus Forums
Residents closer to the University's
three campuses get an audience
with the regents later this month.
Detroit: Jan. 17, St. Regis Hotel
Flin: Jan. 18,UniversitrCenter
Dearborn: Jan. 18, Science Building
said Laird Burns, a management con-
sultant. "And as we from Michigan
know, you can only do that three months
of the year."
A recurring adjective on the list of
qualities was "moral."
"Whatever else is needed, the next
president must possess a strong sense
of morals," said attorney Joel Boyden.
Attorney Robert Eleveld'added that
the candidate should be "an active mem-
ber of the church."
At the end ofthe forum, Regent Deane
Baker (R-Ann Arbor) said, "It's always
been important to me that there be a
sense of morality and right and wrong
within the University."
In addition to a lack of virtue, the
trend of political correctness on cam-
pus also was a concern.
"I don't think you should pick some-
one on political correctness," said state
Rep. Jessie Dalman(R-Holland),chairof
the House Higher Education Committee.
Dalman added that the candidate's
spouse also should be taken into con-
sideration. "The job is almost too big
for one person," she said.
Of all the characteristics listed dur-
ing the 90-minute session in the state's
second largest city, only one name came
up during the forum: retired Joint Chiefs
of Staff Chairman Colin Powell, who
was mentioned twice.
The forum, moderated by University
of Michigan Club of Grand Rapids
President Kevin Krauss, was the only
one scheduled in western Michigan.
Yale TAs strike; grade reporting delayed
By Jennifer Harvey
Daily Staff Reporter
Students will return to Yale
University's campus on Monday to find
their report cards waiting for them.
However, many of them will see a bunch
of blanks rather than grades.
Some teaching assistants have re-
fused to report last semester's grades in
protest of the Yale administration's fail-
ure to recognize the Graduate Employ-
ees and Students Organization (GESO)
as a legitimate union and to begin nego-
tiations with them.
"As teachers dedicated to the educa-
tional process, we do not like to be in a
position of voting to take actions that
affect the lives of our students,' said
Robin Brown, GESO's chairperson.
"But the Yale administration has left us
no other recourse."
The union is asking for increased
health benefits, additional training, bet-
ter pay, a grievance procedure and
smaller sections.
The Yale administration has con-
demned the strike.
"It's a corruption of a fundamental
value in the pedagogical relationship,"
said Yale College Dean Richard
Brodhead. "It seems to me to be both
insensible and amorally wretched thing
to do."
Yale Daily News editor Chris Grosso
said more than 200 TAs are participat-
ing in the strike. He said tensions con-
tinue to rise on campus, citing
yesterday's GESO public protest of the
administration. He said the members
filled a street and 60 of them were
subsequently arrested for disturbing the
peace.
Grosso said the administration has
threatened to take action against 35 to
37 of the striking TAs. He said TAs
who taught classes by themselves, and
not those who aided professors, were
being targeted for action.
The administration has several op-
tions to exercise against the strikers.
The Yale Graduate School's Programs
and Policies guide says "disruption of
University functions and business" and
"defiance of legitimate authority" are
punishable with reprimands, fines and
expulsion.,
Yale professors are trying to negotiate
the strike by coming up with grades for
the students themselves. Since many
professors do not have access to grades
Elis strike
Teaching assistants are
not turning in grades atV
Yale to protest the
administration's refusal to
bargain with their union.
April - A few humanities and
social science TAs refused to
teach their classes in protest.
Dec. 7 - Union members voted to
withhold grades until
negotiations began.
Jan. 2-- Final grades were due to,
be reported and were not.
Jan.10 -60 union members are
arrested at a street rally.
earned early in the semester, some are
asking students to self-report their grades.
Others are basing grades solely on mid-
term and final exams, or just the finals.
Some professors modified their final
exams to a multiple choice format so
they would be able to grade several
hundred exams without the aid of TAs.
GESO members criticized the pro-
fessors' efforts and the administration's
support for the efforts.
"Yale administrators are sending out
the message that they are willing to
compromise academic standards and
the grades themselves, just to avoid
negotiating," said GESO member Eve
Weinbaum.
Grosso said undergraduate support
for the strike is minimal. In a Yale Daily
News poll of 800 Yale undergraduates
last November, students sided 3 to I
against claim for unionization.
"A grade strike doesn't actually hurt
undergrads because they'll be getting
all the learning they require," said Stacey
Davis, a GESO member. "They will get
their grades eventually."
Yale undergraduates said they feel
the strike is harmful. They said blank
grades on official transcripts may hinder
their preparation of internship applica-
tions this month, Some seniors said the
grade strike makes application to gradu-
ate schools very difficult.
GESO members said they will try to
alleviate undergraduates' application
difficulties by providing them with
written evaluations instead of grades.
Grosso said Yale students "are still in
the dark. We'll see the real reaction on
Monday.
- The Yale Daily News contributed
to this report.
Residents of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity house, pictured above, have been
instructed to reform their ways.
ZT ftemnty comes
under natioa scrutiny
5 Laurie Mayk
ly Staff Reporter
Criminal charges against the presi-
dent of one of the University's largest
Greek houses has prompted Zeta Beta
Tau's national organization to scruti-
nize the chapter's activities.
"The national fraternity was con-
$1,000 fine. His trial date has not been
determined.
The charges raised questions in the
national fraternity's eyes about the
chapter's intentions, Sheehan said.
The fraternity wasnotified of the
pending review in a letter by the
fraternity's national president, house
Blizzard continlues forecast calls for more snow
1 t _ A __.__ _ n ..,.__ _.. J _ _ _ .._ ._ . ._._0.... ......1 ... « r.«.h _ _ - r n w®. n ti.