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The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, January 16, 1996 - 3A
U' student sues A2 over city attorney contract
Woman robs
ocal bank
woman in her mid-20s walked
the South Main Street branch of
first of America Bank last Wednes-
*ay and left with an undisclosed
mount of money after saying that
he had a gun.
Ann Arbor Police Department re-
orts said that a white woman, about 5
eet, 5 inches tall, weighing about 120
ounds, entered the bank at 4:30 p.m.
ith her hairtucked into a baseball hat.
Rorts say that she was wearing a
kCincinnati Bengals jacket and
lack pants.
Police said the woman presented a
ote to ateller and that no weapon
as seen. AFter taking the money,
he then fled on foot. Witnesses were
nable to determine the direction in
hich she was headed, and police
ere unable to apprehend the sus-
ect.
lane Brown, a community rela-
ius officer for First of America,
aid the last attempted robbery at the
outh Main branch was more than
:ight months ago and that it is not a
ommon occurrance.
"It is not like this is happening
very month or even every quarter,"
Brown said. "Every once in a while
e have to deal with these types of
ituations, because unfortunately
they come up"
rown said that money taken dur-
ing a bank robbery does not affect
personal accounts and that account
holders need not be concerned about
their savings. She said she could not
comment specifically about last
week's theft and would not say if
security cameras were able to pro-
vide a better description of the
woman.
he AAPD and the FBI are cur-
r y investigating the heist.
Lujan trial delayed
Pretrial procedings for LSA sopho-
more Crystal Lujan's murder and
arson trial were suspended Friday
because Judge Melinda Morris was
unable to attend afternoon hearings.
The hearing is scheduled for Friday
at I 1 a.m., at which time a trial date
n. be set.
Shots fired at
Mary Markley
Studying and partying alike were
interrupted Sunday night when a 20-
year-old man fired a handgun in
Fisher Hall on the fifth floor of Mary
Markley residence hall, police re-
ports said.
1h e suspect, who is not a student,
has been identified by Ann Arbor
police and Department of Public
Safety reports. Police said the man
may be driving a green Nissan
Altima and hails from White Lake,
Mich.
The man fled the area after shoot-
ing his gun, escaping down a stair-
well.
. No injuries resulted from the dis-
cge of the weapon.
Mumbling man
disturbs studying
Anyone trying to catch up on their
studying Saturday night at the Shapiro
Undergraduate Library might have
found it a little more difficult than
usual to get inside.
DPS reports indicate that a 25-year-
40man was loitering in the lobby,
mumbling to himself, and requesting
that everyone who passed him talk to
him.
The man was wearing a black
jacket, green pants and a green
sweatshirt.
Police escorted the man from the
scene and students were free to resume
their studies.
-*ompiled by Daily Staff Reporters
Lenny Feller and Josh White.
By Will Weissert
Daily Staff Reporter
A third-year University Law student has filed a
lawsuit against Ann Arbor that challenge the con-
tract of new City Attorney Abigail Elias because the
contract allows her at least one year to move here.
The Charter of Ann Arbor states that "a person
is eligible to hold a City office if the person has
been a registered elector of the City... for at least
one year immediately preceding election or ap-
pointment." It also specifies that a city office will
become vacant if the official that holds office
ceases to be an inhabitant of the city.
The suit, which John Polish filed on Jan. 3,
charges that the contract that the City Council
offered Elias violated the city's charter because it
allowed Elias to "establish residence in the city
within twelve months after the start of her employ-
ment or such later date as may be approved by
council in its discretion."
Under the contract Elias will earn more than
$85,000 and will be required to start work no later
than April 1. "I think it's very important to follow
the charter," Polish said.
Thomas Wieder, an attorney representing Pol-
ish, said the suit has nothing to do with Elias or her
ability to handle city attorney responsibilities, it is
simply a matter of interpreting the charter. "How-
ever, ifsomeone is that reluctant to live here before
starting a new job, that's not a very good sign,"
Wieder said. .
Wieder said he and Polish do not intend to
challenge the policy that requires officials to live
in the city a full year before taking a city position
- they hope only to keep taxpayers from paying
the salary of a city administrator who does not live
in the city.
Elias was originally offered the position of city
attorney in October but turned it down because
she was reluctant to move to Ann Arbor from
Detroit. Elias said she did not want to move
because she did not want to force her husband to
give up his job and because the couple was
waiting to adopt a child.
Her reasons for not accepting the job prompted
City Council members to offer her the current
contract, which she signed in late November.
"We are trying to be flexible," said Mayor
Ingrid Sheldon. "I think it is important that we arer
very flexible and allow (Elias) to have a chance fo
adjust to a new situation and her many iew
responsibilities."
Council members are working very hard"to'
make sure that Elias feels as comfortable as pos='
sible in her new duties, Sheldon said.
When asked if he was not being sensitive to the'
rights of Elias and her family, Polish said he is'
interested in correct interpretation of the charter.
"I'm being sensitive to the rights of the voters,
Polish said.
Bilingual e ducation
seen as civil right
By Will Weissert
Daily Staff Reporter
As the election year approaches, the
"English-only" movement is fast be-
coming a major political issue, with six
official-English bills being considered
in Congress.
These bills are unnecessary and flawed
in many areas, said Susan Dicker, who
teaches English as a second language and
linguistics at Hostos Community College
in New York. Dicker spoke at an M LK
Day forum yesterday.
"When we allow people to use other
languages we are showing respect for
those people. To say no, you.can't use
that language is to disrespect that per-
son," Dicker told a crowd of about 40in
a speech sponsored by the English Lan-
guage Institute.
Two bills being considered in the
U.S. Senate and one in consideration in
the House seek to make English the
official language of government.
The bills state that "a common lan-
guage promotes efficiency and fairness"
and that the money saved from having
English become the official national
language would be used to expand En-
glish teaching.
A fourth bill would require all natu-
ralization ceremonies in English.
The final two bills would designate
English as the official government lai-7
guage and call on the federal'govern-
ment to promote the use of English Jn
the private sector. They also would re-
peal bilingual education and elections..
Dicker agrees with critics who say that
bilingual education needs improvement
but she thinks the bills are going too far.
"We can fix bilingual education wigf
out throwing it out the window," she sawi;
In a taped debate Dicker used as p
of her presentation, proponents of E
glish-only laws said that bilingual ed
cation was a waste of money becaus i
cost $9 billion, and made it possible &
students to graduate high school in sog
states without knowing any English. ,
In response, Dickersaid she hadnevey
found any proof that bilingual educa-
tion costs more than regular education;
She also said that she had neverheard off
an instance in which minority students
were allowed more lenient graduation
requirements than those for English~
speaking students.6
Dicker said bilingual education i
also a civil rights issue. She referred tie
al1982poll taken in San Francisco, whict
found that one-third of the city's His-
panic community would not vote with-
out bilingual elections.
AP PHOTO
In memory
President Bill Clinton holds Coretta Scott King's hand, wife of Martin Luther King Jr., as they depart Ebenezer Baptist Church
yesterday in Atlanta.
GEO protests during discussion
By Tim O'Connell
and Anupama Reddy
Daily Staff Reporters
Protesting social and economic bias,
members of the Graduate Employees
Organization joined other student
groups on the Diag in observing Mar-
tin Luther King Jr. Day.
Minorities are underrepresented in
teaching assistant positions, said GEO
president Scott Dexter, a Rackham
Student.
GEO fliers distributed yesterday
around campus integrated quotes by
King with charges that the University
has discriminated against GEO.
"If the University is to pay real
honor to King instead of token cel-
ebration, it must demonstrate a con-
crete commitment to racial and eco-
nomic justice through a just and fair
contract with GEO," the flier read.
Dexter and about 10 others pro-
tested the appearance of Detroit Free
Press Editor Joe Stroud at a panel
discussion sponsored by the depart-
ment of communications studies.
"This man crosses a picketline ev-
ery day to go to work. That is not
something that Martin Luther King
would have admired," said GEO mem-
ber Tamara Joseph, referring to the
ongoing Detroit newspaper strike.
In his opening comments, Stroud
emphasized that he should not be
the focus of the panel discussion,
and asked that the group respect his
right to speak. Vernon Jarrett from
the DuSable Museum of African
American History was the keynote
speaker in a discussion about the
media's effect on civil rights.
The discussion concluded before
graduate students could ask the panel
questions.. When asked afterward if
Stroud had anticipated a protest, he
said, "It had crossed my mind."
"I would have liked to recognize
the students, and have given them a
chance to speak," he said, adding that
there was not enough time allotted.
Some students thought MLK Day
was not the right time for GEO to
protest.
"Martin Luther King Jr. stood for a
lot of stuff, and they're taking advan-
tage of that. (The protest) is not really
related," said LSA first-year student
Christopher Kuck.
"Today was not really appropriate
if they were demanding more ben-
efits, but it's fine if they want more
minority representation," said LSA
senior Joe Bazeley.
This month, GEO constituents are
facing their final contract negotia-
tions with the administration, which
began Oct. 31.
GEO will meet with administra-
tion officials at 3:30 p.m. tomorrow
on the second floor of the LSA Build-
ing.
Hinduism linked to King's
values in national meeting
By Katie Wang
Daily Staff Reporter
A night of dancing and celebration at
the Michigan Union Ballroom on Sun-
day night capped off the sixth annual
meeting of the national Hindu Students
Council.
About 80 students from across the
country attended this year's confer-
ence.
"I feel like a family coming to-
gether," said Engineering senior
Naresh Vyas.
The theme of this year's confer-
ence, "Knowledge, Unity, Progress,
Dharma, and the American Dream,"
was carefully chosen to link Martin
Luther King Jr.'s dream to the Hindu
religion.
"The American Dream is what you
choose it to be - it is a product of your
own set of values and those in turn are
based upon religion," said Rajeshri
Gandhi, an Education junior.
Several of the issues addressed at
the conference included how to prac-
tice the cultural values of the Hindu
religion as first-generation Ameri-
cans.
The conference offered an opportu-
nity for people "to learn about their
culture and to educate themselves about
the values their country has to offer,
and learn how to apply these values to
society," said the council's Midwest
coordinator, Jwalant Lakhia.
Other students who attended the
three-day conference gave high praise
to the speakers at the conference, such
as Vice Provost for Academic and
Multicultural Affairs Lester Monts and
keynote speaker Dr. Bharat Barai, a
former medical doctor in India.
"All the speakers really enriched the
knowledge I had and helped me under-
stand things," Gandhi said.
RESERVE OFFICERS'
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ET MONEY FROM YOUR UNCLE INSTEAD.3
What's happening in Ann Arbor today
GROUP MEETINGS
ALIANZA - Latino Organization,
weekly meeting, 764-2837, Trot-
ter House, 1443 Washtenaw
Ave., 7 p.m.
Q Fold Dance Club, Ethnic Line danc-
ing, 764-7544, North Campus
Commons, Leonardo's, 7:30 p.m.
F ~wr
Session," sponsored by Career
Planning and Placement, Michi-
gan Union, Anderson Rooms
8,C,D, 7-8 p.m.
U "Residence Hall Repertory Theatre
Presents: Close-Ups: Love, Sex
and Relationships," sponsored by
Hillel, Mosher Jordan, 9 p.m.
U "Soda and Schmooze With PB.
Pritzker," sponsored by IMPAC,
STUDENT SERVICES
Q Campus Information Centers,
Michigan Union and North Cam-
pus Commons, 763-INFO,
info@umich.edu, UMoEvents on
GOpherBLUE, and http://
www.umich.edu/~info on the
World Wide Web
U English Composition Board Peer
G