One hundredfve years ofeditorialfreedom
*&t1
Tonight: Mostly cloudy,
chance of snow, low -10'.
Tomorrow: Mostly cloudy,
chance of snow, high 5'.
Friday
February 2, 1996
politicians
to debate
Contract expires; GEO pickets '
tomorrow
nightatW U
'James Carville and
Chuck Yob to speak
about GOP and
Democratic platforms
in Michigan Union
By Stephanie Jo Klein
Daily Staff Reporter
*wo well-known political figures will
take to the podium tomorrow night as
part of a large effort to educate the
University community about political
issues.
James Carville, a senior political ad-
viser to President Clinton, and Chuck
Yob, state chair for Phil Gramm's GOP
nomination bid, will debate tomorrow
night at 5:30 in the Michigan Union
Ballroom.
he forum will enable the two politi-
undits to address topics of concern
to University students. In a joint effort,
the Michigan Student Assembly, LSA
Student Government, College Demo-
crats, College Re-
publicans and the
University Activi-
ties Council are
'Ysponsoring the
"Polls show that
college students
have less and less
faith in political in-
stitutions," said
MSA President
Carville Flint Wainess.
"(Forums) such as
Saturday's debate, I think, are a way to
reverse that trend."
Wainess is scheduled to moderate
the debate and said he hopes the inter-
ve format will encourage students
in the audience to ask questions.
College Republicans President An-
gela Jerkatis said she is looking forward
to the interaction between both parties.
The debate, Jerkatis said, "will in-.
form students about the presidential
race coming up ... if college students
took a more active role in choosing the
president, they could make a difference
he future."
Warville has been brought into the
national spotlight through. Clinton's
presidency and has long been active in
the Democratic Party. His marriage to
Mary Matalin, deputy campaign man-
ager for George Bush's re-election bid,
also caught the public eye, as did their
best-selling book, "All's Fair: Love,
War, and Running For President."
Yob has been active in more than 25
Republican campaigns since 1970 and
member ofthe Republican National
mmittee. He is also the president of
Industrial Belting and Supply Inc., based
in Grand Rapids.
By Anupama Reddy
Daily Staff Reporter
Members of the Graduate Employ-
ees Organization picketed outside cam-
pus buildings yesterday, chanting,
"What do we want? Contracts. When
do want them? Now."
The mock strike is the latest in a
series of attempts by GEO to generate
public support and awareness. Mem-
bers started this week by handing out
fliers and ended it by marching in
circles outside the LSA and Modern
Languages buildings, and the Fish-
bowl.
GEO members hoped to inform stu-
dents of yesterday's failure to reach a
full contract agreement. Earlierthis week,
both parties agreed to extend contract
negotiations for two more weeks.
GEO President Scott Dexter said the
union's steering committee will send
out strike authorization ballots to its
1,200 members at the end of next week.
If a majority approves to strike, then the
committee will make the final decision
around Feb. 22.
"At this point, I think an indefinite
strike is unlikely," Dexter said. "(But) a
one- to three-day work stoppage might
be necessary given the University's level
of commitment.
"It's a bargaining chip," he said.
Barbara Murphy, a member of the
University's bargaining team, said the
current state of affairs is due partly to
GEO's inability to prioritize its is-
sues.
"We're trying to bargain as effec-
tively as we can, (but) we don't have a
feeling about which issues are most
important to them," Murphy said.
She also didn't believe striking would
achieve significant results.
"The strike wouldn't accomplish
much because you aren't bargaining,"
Murphy said. "Ifyou're striking, you're
not talking."
GEO member Monika Cassel said
she didn't want to strike but would if
necessary.
"I would rather do my teaching,"
Partial Agreement
Contract negotiations began Oct.
31, 1995 and GEO's current
contract expired yesterday. But the
University and GEO have agreed to
extend talks until Feb. 14.
The University and GEO have
reached agreement on:
Changing titles to Graduate
Student Instructors
N Same-sex domestic partner health
benefits
The joint committee on academic
excellence
Proposals not agreed upon:
Wage percentages
International graduate student
instructor training
M Affirmative action policies
Cassel said. "But if we agitate now, the
sooner it'll be over."
Students observing the demonstra-
tions had mixed feelings about the union,
but several said a real strike would
paralyze the University.
"I don't agree with a total strike.
What about the students? What about
our classes?" asked LSAjuniorNathalia
Chasin.
LSA first-year student Bonnie White
said, "I was glad they weren't yelling at
me for going to class. They basically
handed me a flier, and that's fair
enough."
LSA sophomore Corey Stoughton
said GEO's intention in passing out
fliers was good, but the fliers lacked
real information on the issues.
"It seemed to me that the pamphlets
were more political than informative,"
Stoughton said. "Bringing it to students
was a great idea, but not very success-
ful.
Dexter said he was pleased with
GEO's visibilty and its members' high
spiritsyesterday, and stressed that teach-
ing was the union's chief concern.
See GEO, Page 2
Members of the Graduate
Employees Organization picketed
various campus locations
yesterday, including the Diag, to
urge administrators to come to a
contract agreement with the union.
GEO contracts expired at midnight
last night,and members of the
group are trying to gather
undergraduate support for their
cause.
Photos by WARREN ZINN/Daily
State House OKs
65-mph speed limit
LANSING (AP) - With House ap-
proval yesterday of 65-mph speed lim-
its on most Michigan freeways, Gov.
John Engler has an idea that may bridge
the gap between that and a Senate-
passed 70 mph limit, an aide said.
"It falls somewhere between the two,"
said Engler's legislative lobbyist, Jeff
McAlvey.
Engler'sproposal would allow the state
Transportation Department and state po-
lice to immediately raise speed limits to
65 mph on most freeways now at 55 mph
-just as the House bill would.
It also would allow the department to
review the 175 miles ofmore congested
urban freeways to see if raising speeds
to 65 from 55 mph would be safe, again
mirroring the House bill.
But the proposal makes provisions
for taking some stretches of freeway to
70 mph one yearafter the initial change,
McAlvey said. The measure that passed
the Senate would cap the speed limit on
Michigan expressways at 70.
Engler's plan would require study of
traffic, accident and fatality rates, which
would dictate whether and where the
The Bill That Passed
the House Would:
Immediately "'
raise speed
limits to 65 mph
on most
Michigan freeways now at 55 mph.
Make provisions for taking some
stretches of freeway to 70 mph
one year after the change.
speed limit could safely go to 70,
McAlvey said.
In return, the governor would ask the
Legislature to pass a measure making
failure to wear a seat belt a primary
offense, McAlvey said.
Such a seat belt bill passed the House
Transportation Committee yesterday by
See SPEED, Page 2
Center for Learnmg
to help coordinate
community service
By Jeff Eldridge
Daily Staff Reporter
In a school where 5,000 students per-
form voluntary community service ev-
ery year, coordinating different groups
and initiatives under the same banner
can be a difficult task.
Answering this challenge is the goal
of the Center for Learning Through
Community Service, a project that is
the brainchild of Vice President for
Student Affairs Maureen Hartford and
Vice President for University Rela-
tions Walter Harrison.
"I was interested because when I was
a student, I took a class involving com-
munity service," Harrison said. "I
U' students accept the FutureCar challenge
universities be more responsive to the
community and they can contribute to
the community-development pro-
cess."
Project SERVE Director Anita Bohn
said the Center for Learning Through
Community Service could help boost
volunteerism on campus.
"It has the potential to be great."
Bohn said. "It could be one-stop shop-
ping for people who want to get in-
volved in service."
Currently, Project SERVE is coordi-
nated from an office in the Michigan
Union. The group would have offices in
the new center.
"For SERVE, it has the potential to
give us a lot more space," Bohn said.
"We've got 200
people running out
are more of a 12-by-18 of-
N - face"
By Laura Nelson
D 1Staff Reporter
hanks to the efforts of University
students, the Big Three automakers may
be mass producing cars that get 80
miles per gallon by the year 2007.
The University of Michigan is one of
12 universities across the country se-
lected to compete in the FutureCar Chal-
lenge, a contest that challenges stu-
dents to design a mid-sized car three
times as fuel efficient as today's cars.
The Partnership for a New Genera-
t of Vehicles - a research collabo-
ration between U.S. automotive com-
panies and 11 government agencies -
has been working to design a car with
this degree of practicality and fuel effi-
ciency since 1993.
"One of the best things we've done
is get universities involved," said Rob-
ert Mull, director of PNGV at Ford
Motor Co. "It takes a lot of creative
Westerday, the University's
FutureCar Challenge team unveiled its
plan to modify a 1996 Ford Taurus
stock car over the next two years, so
that it gets 80 miles per gallon of fuel
without reducing performance or in-
creasing costs.
learned more about
studying at that
time than I ever
did in class."
B a r r y
Checkoway, di-
rector of commu-
nity service and
service learning,
said volunteerism
at the University
has grown over
time.
"The Univer-
sity has a long tra-
the subject I was
"There
students serving
more people than
ever. "
- Barry CheCkoway
Director of community
service and service learning
Bohn also said
the current office
location is very
beneficial and the
center's location
on Hill Street
could be less cone
venient.
Hartford said
the center will try
dition of community service,"
Checkoway said. "There are more stu-
dents serving more people than ever."
The Center for Learning Through
Community Service, to be located at
1024 Hill St., will house offices for
different service groups in one central
location. This would allow for more
communication among different groups
while allowing them to operate inde-
pendently.
Hartford said there has been consid-
erable student input in the planning of
the center.
"Michigan has a very, very long track
to increase student and faculty involve-
ment in service organizations, as well
as connect the community to the Uni-
versity. Hartford said there is a plan "to
loof at all 83 counties in Michigan as
being possible locations" for service.
She also said there may be an effort
to expand opportunities to gain aca-
demic credit through community ser-
vice.
Harrison said he is pleased that many
University deans have expressed en-
thusiasm for the center.
Checkoway said it is still too early to
tell how many people will be needed to
STEPHANIE GRACE LIM/Daily
Engineering seniors Enrico Cacandin, co-project manager of the University's FutureCar team, and John Lommel work on a
.._, sa.i _ ninn _ ,+ 4_minn +hp l Ini.a.oi4sv'n ,,I turear .Tha teamgave demonstrations vesterdav.
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