C 1 weather Tonight: Mostly cloudy, low around 480. Tomorrow: Scattered showers high around 640. , One hundredfve years of editorial freedom Thursday April 11, 1996 .,., ,:,. '." -: ,J r<. ':<. . n's W:'-...: ! .5 : "i xi i ,;: ,.e, . 'L .... w s .z v ..., ss i r rG"$.. v..,e... u < ::: r:, Y ,. ; b g i ? z / ta< < * . R Y i :.i. N ., .... .,.. m ... .... .. , _i> , .. .,: v.,.+.m Sic 90, an honrary society kfovn as Michigamua has existed, and the group is credited with the concept of the Michigan Union. With neartly a century of legacy, the society and its younger sister, Adara, re again coming under scrutiny. drmng the past month e-mal mes- ges accusing the Tower Society of elitism, racism and sexism have been ciculated Wth a new group of rembers inrsttedues night, Tower tac ety membe e step- ping forrdt tsdefed tqrlegacy. See P f use If~l at the Claton Ueto s ban on abortion procedure The Washington Post WASHINGTON - Maintaining a . nsistent abortion-rights record, President Clinton yesterday vetoed legislation that would have outlawed a rare procedure that is used to end late- stage pregnancies. The veto came in an emotional Roosevelt Room ceremony where five women sometimes tearfully described having the abortions after being told by their doctors they faced potentially fatal harm if they car- ried their preg- nancies to term. Clinton had said he could allow the ° ban only if it con- tained an excep- tion for women who faced serious health conse- quences. The proce- nton dure, called "par- tial-birth abor- tions" by its opponents, has become a fiercely divisive election-year issue. Abortion opponents have provided gruesome details and diagrams of the procedure and abortion rights activists have countered with wrenching stories of women whose fetuses suffered rare and dangerous complications in the final months of pregnancies they had d comed. Had Clinton signed the gislation, it would have been the first ban of an abortion procedure since the Supreme Court legalized it more than two decades ago in Roe . Wade. The abortion rights issue remains one of the most unambiguous differences between the two presidential candidates this year and one Republicans hope they can use to deprive Clinton of the Catholic vote, a major component of inning presidential elections. Key Catholic leaders had held a prayer vigil outside the White House last week and three archbishops, Cardinal Joseph Beemardin of Chicago, Bernard Law of Boston and James Hickey, archbishop of Washington, all denounced Clinton yes- terday. Law criticized Clinton for what he called his "unconditional support for abortion under any circumstances and any means whatsoever, even those rdering on infanticide," and Hickey said, "Not only Catholics but all Americans should sit up and take notice. ... Thoughtful Americans should keep this in mind as they pon- der their choices on Election Day." Clinton's veto yesterday follows an unbroken line of actions as president to support the abortion rights move- ment. By contrast, Senate Majority ader Bob Dole (R-Kan.), Clinton's ikely presidential opponent, voted for the ban on the procedure and though occasionally wavering on the details, has been an opponent of abortion rights, although not an activist on the issue, and supporter of a constitution- a- --. om.-Ap, t n r nrnRn GEO, VU continue state-mediated talks By Anupama Reddy Daily Staff Reporter The Graduate Employees Organization and the administration walked back to the bargaining table yesterday, this time for a two-day ses- sion with a state-appointed mediator - a last-ditch effort to resolve their con- tract dispute. The teams, which began bargaining before noon yesterday, had not emerged from the mediation as of mid- night. GEO spokesperson Pete Church said it was a good sign that both teams met late into the evening, considering the administration's tough stance at the end of last week's non-stop bargaining~ session. "Given the fact that the University told us last week they had nothing left to talk about, it's a good thing," he said. Church said the GEO bargaining team had the authority to decide the terms of an acceptable contract, but it had to be approved by the majority of the union membership. "They can come to what they think is an agreement, but the membership has to ratify it," Church said. "Right now, they are on their own." Members of both bargaining teams were unavailable for comment last night, but many shared their views on the remaining proposals and the media- tion's purpose before entering the talks. GEO bargaining team member Peter Wolanin said the union is still fighting for the same thing since negotiations began Oct. 31 - a fair contract that includes a living wage. "We're not changing what we're asking for in mediation," Wolanin said. "We're hoping the mediatorcan help us find a common ground with the University." Charles Jamerson of the Michigan Employment Relations Commission is the state-appointed mediator for the mediation. He mediated between the administration and GEO in the last contract negotiations in 1993. University chief negotiator Dan Gamble said the administration was standing by its wage proposal because it believed it treated GSIs in the same regard as faculty. "The offer is they would receive the same percent increases as LSA tenure- track faculty," Gamble said. "This shows that we care the same for (GSIs) as our faculty." On the issue of paid international GSI training, both sides differ on their definition of an international GSI as a student or employee during the sum- mer training. "They're looking at them as employ- ees, but they're employees starting Sept. I," Gamble said. Wolanin said international GSIs need to be paid for their training, to cover financial costs, and that they are employees as soon as they accept their positions, according to federal forms and department memos. "It is a financial hardship for inter- national GSIs who have to come early and support themselves when they aren't getting a salary -from the University," Wolanin said. Union strike leaves Yale without profs, diing halls By Jennifer Harvey Daily Staff Reporter The University of Michigan's campus is not alone in sporting protest signs and shouting picketers. Students at Yale University have been caught in the midst of a two-union strike since Feb. 7. Yale's strike has closed most dining halls and spurred professors to move classes to churches and movie the- aters. It even prompted some student supporters to get arrested for the cause Monday. Locals 34 and 35 have not been able to reach a contract agreement with the Yale administration since talks began last November. The unions represent the Yale clerical and technical workers, and the service and custodial workers, respectively. It's essentially a defensive strike," said union spokesperson Deborah Charnoff. "Our hope is to resolve the contract negotiations as soon as possible," said Yale Deputy Director of Public Affairs. Tom Conroy. The two unions are bargaining together for new four-year contracts. They decided to institute a "split strike" to minimize difficulties caused by the strike, according to Charnoff. Local 34 struck first, ending their picketing March 6. Local 35 began the second phase of the strike March 27. The Local 35 strike has caused the shutdown of all but one of the dining halls on Yale's campus. Students are currently receiving checks for $185.84 See YALE, Page 8A 'U' salaries low fof peer group Professors still highest paid in state By Jodi Cohen Daily Staff Reporter Students, faculty and administrators like to boast about the University's distinction of being a large, public research university that has the pres- tige of a private Ivy League school. The logo, "Harvard: The Michigan of the East," adorns T-shirts, indicating the University's academic reputation. But, when it comes to faculty salaries, a recent survey indicates that the schools may not be as comparable. An annual survey by the American Association of University Professors shows the University's top professors boasting the highest salaries among the state's schools, but earning less than professors at the nation's top private universities. "I think our faculty salaries are not high when you compare us to our peer organizations," Provost J. Bernard Machen said. "Our peers are mostly the private universities." The AAUP survey, which was recently pub- lished in the Chronicle of Higher Education, shows that the University's highest ranked pro- -fessors earned an average of $85,000 in the 1995- 96 school year. Associate professors earned $62,000, while assistant professors received $50,100 and instructors $39,800. The figures do not include medical school professors. "Our greatest competition is from the private universities," President James Duderstadt said yesterday. "In reputation, Michigan compares to ... Harvard, Stanford and MIT among the pri- vates." The average salary at these top universities, which potentially can raid faculty from the University, include Harvard at $107,000, Stanford at $103,000, MIT at $96,900, University of Chicago at $96,500 and Northwestern at $92,000. "It's a problem if we are trying to recruit in the same pool as they are," said Thomas Dunn, chemistry professor and member of the University's Committee on the Economic Status of the Faculty. When compared to the nation's public research universities, the University ranks behind only Rutgers University at $90,800 to $96,500, the University of California-Berkeley at $86,000, and the University of Southern California at $85,200. The University ranks ahead of public schools such as the University of Virginia at $81,400, University of Wisconsin-Madison at $70,400 and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill at $75,900. "In reality, only the University of California is a strong competitor among the publics," Duderstadt said. See SALARY, Page 8A I Spreading the word JOE Tom O'Brien speaks at passing students about the word of the Lord in the Diag yesterday. Panelists debate role, future of affirmative action By Katie Wang Daily Staff Reporter Is affirmative action obsolete? A group of panelists tackled this question at last night's ninth annual Jack Walker Conference at the Law School. Mary Snead, president of the National Association of Human Rights Workers, answered, "No, affirmative action is not obsolete. "If we can say discrimination is in the past, then 1 can say, 'Yes, affirma- tive action is obsolete,"' she said. "Unless justice is obsolete, then affir- mative action is not obsolete." State Rep. David Jaye (R-Washington Twp.) disagreed, declaring preference by race is evil and "should be crushed." "Affirmative action and preference y rcenor nenenr is racist and unfair" voters in this year's general election will decide whether or not to ban pref- erence by race, color, religion, sex or ethnicity. Jaye also tried to evoke xenophobic fears, asking, "Why should immi- grants receive preference over Michigan kids?" LSA junior Liban Jama said Jaye is trying to split America by blaming eth- nic and racial minorities. "This issue of affirmative action is political," he said. "It's a great vote- getter." Jaye said the University discounts merit by considering race as a factor in its admissions policies. "What a shame at the University of Michigan, we have individual merit across the hoard in snorts, but not in being;' Spencer said. Susan Rasmussen, associate director of the University's affirmative action programs, said if the University admit- ted students solely on test scores and GPAs, most students would be women from the East coast. Snead said that if there are only sev- eral candidates left, there are no more objective measures to use other than the personal preferences of the employer. "Our preferences come into being whether your father went to the same law school, or if your sister belonged to the same sorority,' she said. "Why then is it unreasonable that someone's race or sex comes in and make the decision?" Law first-year student Dave Camp said that although he thinks something ought to be done to eradicate dispari- I