C~'
'Elan
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Weather
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, low
around 520.
Tomorrow: Partly sunny, high
of 72*.
One hundred six years of ed/torizlfreedom
Monday
September 30, 1996
:;Ili i
lilipinos
celebrate
heritage
inonth
8y Alice Robinson
Daily Staff Reporter
World-renowned author N.V.M.
Gonzalez said he didn't know if what
ie" had to say Friday night would sit
Well with the audience - "Because I
am standing up"
About 100 people converged in West
uad's Wedge Room to kick off
Filipino American Heritage Month -
five weeks designed to expose students
to Filipino culture through a series of
Thursday evening workshops.
The theme of Friday's celebration,
which featured Filipino singers and a
comedy troupe, along with Gonzalez,
was "Who we are and where we are
going." Groups including the Filipino
American Student Association, the
1ilippines Study Group and the
nglish department came together to
sponsor the event.
"(I came) to learn more about my
heritage," said LSA first-year student
Mara Luna. "I kind of wapted to be a
part of other Filipinos on campus.
Members of the FASA Comedy
Relief Squad set the tone for the
evening with their lighthearted skit
"Boy in the Hood," in which a native
*lipino boy is introduced to air travel,
residence halls and the Nectarine
Ballroom by his American cousins.
Traditional Filipino songs were sung
byRackham student Karl Soliz and his
friend Jason Baluyut, who had not seen
each other since their sophomore year
in a Philippine high school.
Gonzalez, 81, said it is important for
Filipinos, especially college students,
to know about their heritage because
he awareness of our sense of a nation
41 our sense of presence and future
are inextricably related to training in
American colleges."
Gonzalez has been writing fiction
and essays for more than 50 years. His
most recent book, the essay collection
"The Novel of Justice," was published
this year. Gonzalez taught English liter-
ature at California State University at
Hayward for 18 years and is now an
J ternational writer-in-residence at the
niversity of the Philippines. Many
consider him to be the godfather of
Filipino literature.
As Gonzalez spoke, many snapped
pictures of the literary icon. His speech
See FILIPINOS, Page 7A
Upcoming Events
The following workshops are free
and will take place at 5:30 p.m.
*et. 3 - Filipino Identity-Generation
"Gap Workshop, Mosher-Jordan, Nikki
Giovanni Lounge
Oct. 10 - Tagalog Workshop,
Mosher-Jordan, Nikki Giovanni
Lounge
Oct. 17 - Martial Arts Workshop,
West Quad, Wedge Room
Oct. 24 - Filipino Music Workshop,
Michigan Union Parker Room
Ot. 31 - Filipino Superstitions
A tchigan Union Pond Room
U.SI plans to
hold Mideast
peace talks
A aletitna omn anda childpass a ine of Israeli border police near the disputed tunnel in Jerusalem's old town yester-
day that turns along the Al Aqsa Mosque compound.
Students hope f'or peaceful settlement
0 Tunnel near Muslim
holy shrines reopened
despite Arab outcry
The Washington Post
WASHINGTON President
Clinton intervened directly in the
bloody crisis in the Middle East yester-
day, inviting Israeli and Arab leaders to
a White House meeting this week
aimed at defusing the tensions that have
led to the region's worst outbreak of
street fighting in years.
After days of furious back-and-forth
diplomacy by his chief aides, Clinton
announced the
summit during a
brief appearance"
ini the Rose:
Garden yester-
day morning.I
then telephoned
Israeli Prime
M i n i s t e r
3 e n j a in n
N e t a n y a 11 u.
Palestinian Arafat
leader Yasser
Arafat, Jordan's King Hussein and
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to
extend the invitations formally.
Netanyahu. Arafat and Hussein are
expected to come, while Mubarak for
the moment demurred, according to
U.S. officials. Palestinian officials,
however, hedged somewhat on whether
Arafat would participate, saying he
would prefer to have Mubarak present.
"I am prepared to do everything in
my power to help the Israelis and the
Palestinians end the violence and begin
the peace process again in earnest."
Clinton said yesterday. "We have to
return to the path of peace along which
they have already traveled so far."
The high-profile strategy carries
risks, both for the future of the troubled
Middle East peace process and for a
president barely five weeks away from
an election. The Clinton administration
failed in its initial efforts to bring
Netanyahu and Arafat together in the
Middle East, leaving Washington as the
sole mutually acceptable site for talks.
But a White H-louse setting raises the
stakes for a meeting where tangible
results are anything but guaranteed.
Administration officials tacitly
acknowledged the hazards and immedi-
ately tried to minimize the expectations
for the session, tentatively slated for
tomorrow and Wednesday. "We should-
n't expect miracles out of this rather
brief meeting here." Secretary of State
Warren Christopher said on NBC's
"Meet the Press."
Given the hostile tone on yesterday's
morning talk-show circuit, which (vas
dominated by Israeli and Palestinian
leaders exchanging recriminations for
the civil strife of the last week,
Christopher may even overstate the
prospects.
Netanyahu continued to defy calls to
close the archaeological tunnel near an
Islamic mosque in Jerusalem whose
opening touched off the violence.
Netanyahu blamed Arafat for inciting
stone-throwing mobs and Palestinian
police officers into attacking Israeli sol-
diers. Arafat advisers were equally vitu-
perative in condemning Israel for firing
on Palestinian civilians and reneging on
past peace agreements.
See JERUSALEM, Page 7A
Inside: Israel cracks down on
Palestincan civil life. Page 7A
By Ann Stewart
Daily Staff Reporter
While Israelis and Palestinians
clashed violently on holy ground in the
Middle . East Jewish and Arab
American students clashed emotionally
on campus.
While both groups expressed oppos-
ing views on roots of the recent out-
break of violence between Israelis and
Palestinians, they come together on
their hopes for the future in the region.
"(Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin)
Netanyahu has made a farce of the
peace process since it began." said LSA
sophomore Amer Zahr. president of the
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination
Committee, "You can't expect a people
to live in this kind of oppression. This is
a logical result."
Fighting in the region was sparked
last Tuesday when Israel took steps to
open an archaeological tunnel near a
Muslim holy site.
Political science Prof. Zvi Gitelman,
who has done research on Israeli poli-
tics and government, said the excava-
tion of the tunnel was hardly the source
of the fighting.
"People don't go to war about a tun-
nel." Gitelman said. "There's a long-
standing mutual distrust (between
Israelis and Palestinians.)"
A statement from the Muslim
Students Association called the action a
"grave threat and disrespect" to the reli-
gious site. Students said they saw it as
an act of discrimination against
Muslims.
"This is one of the three holiest sites
for Muslims in the world. It's another
manifestation of the anti-Muslim feel-
ings that Israelis have. They consider
Muslims a kind of second-rate people,"
Zahr said.
Jewish students said they felt the vio-
lence was unnecessary and that
Netanyahu was justified in keeping the
tunnel open for historical purposes.
"Why shouldn't archaeologists be
able to do their job? I think there is his-
tory there." said LSA junior Brandee
Cosicher. "The Palestinians would find
any excuse to wage war with Israel."
Students said they felt Palestinian
dissatisfaction was bound to erupt into
See MIDEAST, Page 7A
Rare rhino fossils
stolen from museum,
By Rachel Edelman
For the Daily
Two rhinoceros fossils, estimated to be worth
between $10,000 and $20,000, were found stolen
from the Ruthven Museums Building on Sept. 21.
The Department of Public Safety is currently
investigating the crime.
The skull and leg bone of a diceratherium rhi-
noceros were stolen from an exhibit case of the
mammals exhibit on the second floor of the build-
ing, which is open to the public. The fossils were
25 million years old.
The fossils were probably stolen between Sept.
17 and 21, museum officials said.
Investigators and museum officials said they
believe the crime was most likely the work of more
than one person, due to the complex nature of the
act. The exhibit case, which contained slabs of other
bones as well, was taken apart and reassembled.
The crime most likely took place at night.
between the periodic rounds of security guards.
Museum officials said there are no suspects as
of yet.
"We're pretty sure that it's somebody who col-
lects fossils. They were very specifically chosen
objects. Whoever came in knew what they were
doing, and what they wanted," said Museums
exhibit preparator John Klausmeyer.
Klausmeyer said it was probably not an inside
job, but "there are lots of people who have access
to the exhibits."
The present security system may have been a
factor in the crime.
See THEFT, Page 7A
P'oto courtesyof"T"V"E v M
Ruthven Museum exhibit preparator
John Klausmeyer examines the exhibit.
'U' waits for
fina word on
'verybi'gf
By Jeff Eldridge
Daily Staff Reporter
A $7.5-million gift to the University is in the works,
according to several top University officials.
Preston Robert Tisch - an LSA alum and current co-chair
and chief executive officer for Loews Corporation - may
soon finalize the donation, an announcement that was made
this month to the University Board of Regents.
Once in hand, the money will go to a new humanities
building between Haven Hall and Angell Hall, which is cur-
rently known as "the connector." The building will prospec-
tively carry the name "Tisch Hall."
Money from the donation will also support the construc-
tion of tennis facilities for the Athletic Department.
Provost J. Bernard Machen said the prospective $7.5-rimil-
lion gift is of considerable size. "It's a very big lump, and for
one person to do it for this purpose is quite unusual" Machen
said. "We don't see it very often."
Machen credited LSA Dean Edie Goldenberg for putting
significant energy into fund-raising. Goldenberg said the
Tisch donation is part of a large collegewide effort to foster
donations for scholarships and academic pursuits.
"It is very gratifying to be able to raise the funds to sup-
port the people and programs in LSA that make such an
important difference in the quality of the learning environ-
ment we all enjoy," Goldenberg said.
Vice President for Development Thomas Kinnear said the
specific details of the donation are still being worked out
"This will be one of the larger gifts of the (Campaign-for
Michigan)," Kinnear said. "It is $7.5 (million) but its exact
allocation between LSA and athletics is not yet known."
The Campaign for Michigan has raised more than $I bil-
lion since the effort began in September 1992.
Mary Walker, director of annual giving for the Athletic
Department, said whatever portion the department receives
will go to new tennis facilities.
"It's a brand-new facility on South State that will com-
plete construction in the last quarter of this year," Walker
said. She said the donation is very significant for the ath-
letic program.
"It's a very big deal - there's no doubt about it," she said.
Regent Andrea Fischer Newman (R-Ann Arbor), who
made the announcement of the gift at September's regents
Athletes exercise
their politC muscle
By Chiara Fudge
r the Daily
Whether it was for the food, fun or cama-
raderie on a cold Sunday evening, more than
100 student-athletes gathered on the football
practice fields yesterday at a picnic designed
to register them to vote.
"This is a good way to get all the athletes
together ... it gets student-athletes more
involved," said LSA first-year student Ashley
Reichenbach, a field hockey player.
The picnic was sponsored by the Student
4thlete Advisory Committee along with
Voice Your Vote, a student-run organization
geared at registering other students.
April Bales, administrative assistant to the
Undergraduate 'M' Club and SAAC athletic
adviser, said student-athletes need to register
as well.
heard it was free food," said Nicole Keith, an
LSA sophomore and track and field athlete.
Although a representative from SAAC was
sent to each sport to inform the student-ath-
letes about the picnic, and numerous signs
were hung around the Athletic Department,
Bales said she was not surprised at the num-
ber of uninformed student-athletes who
attended the event.
"All of this may be word of mouth to ath-
letes, so they hear free food and come:' Bales
said.
Not everyone was oblivious to SAAC's
efforts - many student-athletes saw it as a
way to finally register.
"I think it's a good thing for athletes
because they're supposed to be leaders in the
community," said LSA junior and hockey
player Matt Herr. "If athletes voice opinions
Feld hockey player Amy Philbrook registers to vote at the football practice~ fields yesterday.
I