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.