LOCAL/STATE
The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, October 2, 1996 - 3
Berkeley
watches out for
mountain lions
The University of California at
Berkley is addressing a problem that
most students would never imagine
they, would face: mountain lions on
campus.
Nestled in hilly terrain, the campus
is located in prime mountain lion terri-
tory.
According to The Chronicle of
Higher Education, Berkley put up
twelve one-foot by 18-inch signs
ing people who encounter a moun-
lion not to approach, run toward or
turn their backs on it.
The signs also recommend people
raise their arms to make themselves
appear larger to the lion, and, if
attacked, to fight back and remain
standing.
Although no one has ever been
injured by a mountain lion on the cam-
pus, The Chronicle reported that a few
* sighted each year.
A Berkeley biology professor told
The Chronicle that the chances of
encountering one of the animals are
small, but that there are "sporadic inci-
dents- of lions hurting humans
statewide."
Ransomed toilet
returned to NMU
jtudent
University of New Mexico student
Andres Martinez was reunited with his
toilet Sunday afternoon.
The utility had been missing for
about a week when security aides
found it on the roof of Hokona Hall
where Martinez is a resident adviser.
"We got it back," Martinez
exclaimed while returning the toilet to
room via skateboard. "I'm locking
door now. Home sweet home.
Welcome home, baby."
The toilet was stolen more than a
week ago while Martinez was shower-
ing. He later received a ransom note
demanding a one-pound box of lard, a
jar of peanut butter, strawberry cream
cheese and one black sock. The thieves
signed the note "Jerry's Kids."
Martinez said he couldn't afford the
demands so he brought them a peace
*ering. He got a letter and phone call
saying he'd get the toilet back this past
Monday.
" guess they jumped the gun,"
Martinez said.
Martinez added that the stolen unit
was not placed safely on the roof.
"It was very precariously situated up
there," he said. "A gust of wind would
have blown it onto someone's head."
Martinez said he guessed it was
We of his residents who stole the toi-
let as a prank.
"Let this be a lesson to al Iresidents,"
Martinez said. "Keep your doors
locked and your windows shut. Beware
Jerry's Kids."
KSU women
organize for beef
For those who think they've seen
fry club and organization, add one
re to the list - The Kansas State
University Collegiate Cattlewomen.
The Cattlewomen will focus on sup-
pottng the beef industry, developing
public education programs and estab-
lishing connections with professionals
in the beef industry.
The national cattlewomen's organi-
zation, established in 1952, worked
with the Kansas Cattlewomen to estab-
a chapter at KSU. The club is affil-
iated with the Kansas Livestock
Association.
"We help support the beef industry
and promote it to the best of our abili-
ties" said Abby Johnson, club presi-
dent and KSU senior in animal science
and industry.
The group tried to get started last
year but didn't due to lack of enthusi-
asm and organization said Julie
ckland, KSU junior in agricultural
Jornalism.
"This year it just all fell together,"
Strickland said.
- Compiledfrom the University wire
by Daily Staff Reporter Janet Adamy.
Pesticide chemical examined for dangers
On-campus use may threaten
students, faculty
By Jeffrey Kosseff
For the Daily
University students, faculty and visitors to
campus may be exposed to a chemical that
some studies have found causes long-term
memory loss, visual distortion and possible
paralysis.
That chemical is chloropyrifos, an organophos-
phate that is used in many of the pesticides on
campus.
Bruce Donald. the University's pest control
specialist, said the University uses 51 different
pesticides, six of which contain chloropyrifos. He
could not specify in what location specific chem-
icals are used.
In an article published last year in the journal
Toxicology and Industrial Health, Dr. Janette
Sherman noted that chloropyrifos "can be expect-
ed to exert prolonged effects."
Also, a report by Dr. Michael Surgan for the
New York State Department of Law cited a case
in which a physician was exposed to chloropyri-
fos after having her home exterminated. She
s4001 suffered many short-term memory prob-
lems.
"This is just a subjective study, and unless it is
followed up by objective testing, it cannot prove
that the memory loss was related to the chemi-
cal," said Public Health Prof. Rudy Richardson,
who has done a study on chloropyrifos.
While different studies conflict on the result;
of minor exposure, many agreed that misuse of
the pesticide is dangerous.
"The major issue is poisoning resulting from
very heavy exposure to the chemical," said
Public Health Prof. Thomas Robins. "This poi-
soning can cause salivation and muscle cramp-
ing."
No cases have been reported at the University
so far.
Heavy exposure results from misuse of the
chemical,. such as applying it to cafeteria tables
and exterminators inhaling large amounts.
Robins said day-to-day exposure does not consti-
tute heavy exposure.
Robins said there have been some cases in
which individuals with minor long-term exposure
to chloropyrifos have developed headaches and
fatigue, but it is hard to attribute them to a spe-
cific cause.
While the safety of chloropyrifos is debated,
some experts think they have found a safe alter-
native.
Biological pest control has been developing
rapidly, Praxis, a Michigan-based company.
offers nontoxic alternatives
to pesticides.
Praxis uses parasitic This P
wasps the size of pinheads
to attack roaches and other can Caus
insects and drain their eggs
for nourishment. Also. salivatioi
Praxis uses methods such as
sticky traps and bacteria that muscle c
compete with the insects for_
food.
This niethod is anywhere Public H
from 20 to 80 percent less
expensive than pesticides, has proved effective in
Allegan Public Schools and has been approved by
the Michigan Department of Health.
Donald said the University does not turn to
biological pest control because "the Department
of Agriculture has told us time and time again
that biological control is not advisable."
However, Samuel DeFazio, co-owner of Praxis,
said the reason for not using biological alterna-
tives has nothing to do with the government.
"It boils down to administrative convenience."
he said. "They are used to it and comfortable with
Robins aureedt
that biological pest control is a
f#
n
1
-f
safe option.
n general, biological
oisoning pest control is a good
alternative. and if it is as
e effective as pesticides it
certainly is preferable,"
n and Robins said.
. r Richardson questioned
ramping." the usefulness of biologi-
Thomas Robins cal pest control.
"They may be good for
iealth professor a specific problem, but if
y ou are going after a
wide variety of organisms, you may need to use a
pesticide," he said.
Students are also concerned about the potential
danger of pesticides and would like the
University to look into alternatives.
"I think they should use the alternatives, andif
they know about the possible hazards they should
not use pesticides on lawns that people lie out on"
said LSA senior Latoya Mason.
NWROC
offshoot
holds first
meeting
By Ajit K. Thavaraja
For the D~aily
Angry cries describing unfair treat-
ment of the National Women's Rights
Organizing Coalition and police brutal-
ity during a June 22 Ku Klux Klan rally
rang throughout the Kessler Library in
the Michigan League last night.
A small group of 20 met for the first
time to form a group called Anti-Racist
Action, a spin-off group of NWROC
that hopes to bring awareness of racist
injustices to Ann Arbor.
"We want to build a vigilant and mass
movement against racism of not only the
Ku Klux Klan but also the police who
we feel protected them and attacked us,"
said Paul Lefrac, the organizer of ARA.
The discussion, which first focused
on the KKK, quickly moved to the han-
dling of the anti-Klan protesters by the
Ann Arbor Police Department. Many of
the group members believe that the
police used excessive force and started
the chaos of the day.
"I was trying to get away from the sit-
uation when all of a sudden a police
officer ran up besides me and sprayed
mace in my eyes," said Ann Arbor resi-
dent Dylan Wilkerson. "I did not try to
resist him from stopping me but that
didn't stop the officer. They were caus-
ing the problem."
Lefrac said ARA has specific goals
for group members.
"The ARA's four main goals are to
have direct action against fascist
groups, provide support for all minority
groups, not to rely on the courts for pre-
venting the KKK from coming to Ann
Program aims to
mix kids, science
By Maria Hackett
For the Daily
Living on a college campus makes it
easy to forget that not everyone falls into
the 18-25 age group. Seeing a young
face on campus is a rarity worth
announcing to a friend. Or at least it used
to be.
In the coming months, the Exhibit
Museum of Natural History's
Explorations! program will draw
approximately 40 children between
the ages of 6 and 12 for Saturday
classes spread throughout the school
year.
The program is focused on getting
young children to actively participate in
their science
classes.
"If they're Theyf
participating,
you know tolearn jg
they're paying
attention," said an arrchae
Ray Barbehenn,. .
a research in the fief
investigator at - Ro
the Exhibit
Museum who is
a teacher in the
Explorations program.
Explorations's general themes
include archaeology, wildlife, space
and dinosaurs. Jennifer Jaworski,
coordinator of the program. said she
chose the themes by considering cur-
rent exhibits at the museum, children's
interests and successful, smaller-scale
programs.
The Explorations program has been
specially designed to keep children's
interest through its 10 sessions.
"It's all hands-on," Jaworski said.
"It's not like they'll be talked at."
The first session, which SNRE junior
Robert Naumann will lead, simulates
an archaeological dig for dinosaur
bones.
"The kids are going to actually be
finding fossils in the strata; Jaworski
said.
After finding a fossil, the children
will identify the dinosaur and the part
of the skeleton from which the bone
comes.
"They're going to learn just what an
archaeologist in the field does,"
Naumann said.
In addition, Jaworski said the chil-
dren "will be able to take home a small
dino bone" as a souvenir.
Jaworski said she does not anticipate
any problems with the children.,"The
kids really don't get out of control in
this setting because (their participation
is) voluntary," she said.
Although there
re going
ust what
Dologist
Id does.
obert Naumann
SNRE junior
hasn't been any spe-
cific training for
the teachers and
assistants, all
have some expe-
rience teaching
and dealing with
children. As a
prerequisite, all
instructors have
led multiple
museum tours,
Jaworski said.
"A lot of (my)
Paul Lefrac discusses NWROC's conflict with Ann Arbor at last night's forum.
Arbor and to bring the truth about the
police's handling of the situations in all
protests and to aid any existing organi-
zation facing these issues," Lefrac said.
LSA first-year student Abe Rafi said
he agrees with the group but said he
believes that its goals may not be a
complete solution.
"You can not just stop the Klan from
always coming here," Rafi said. "We
just can't treat the problem like a weed
and cut and hope it doesn't comeback."
Ann Arbor resident Janiceton Frame
said she hopes the group has diverse
opinions.
"I don't have a problem with people
voicing their views even if they are
completely contrasting," Frame said.
"We have a melting pot of ideas and
what we all hope to do is get our mes-
sage across as the police let the Klan get
their message across."
experience came from working at the
museum, giving tours with children
there," Naumann said.
Some teachers, including Barbehenn,
have spent several years of teaching
undergraduate students.
Although the first session is not until
Oct. 12, the program seems to be get-
ting a good reception.
Linda King, head of scheduling at the
museum, said enrollment is already
going very well. The museum has spon-
sored other children's programs in the
past but never on this scale.
Morning and afternoon sessions run
on select Saturdays through April and
cost S15 for each participant.
The Exhibit Museum also offers
adult programs, which have more of a
lecture format, Jaworski said.
Families fight life sentences for drugs
LANSING (AP) -- Gary Fannon,
newly released from prison after a
judge reversed his conviction under
Michigan's toughest-in-the-nation
drug laws, brought the crowd to tears.
The 27-year-old Westland man was
sent to prison for life when he was 18
under the state's mandatory sentencing
laws, which allow no parole for some
drug convictions.
But Fannon and his mother main-
tained he was set up by a friend and
entrapped by police. A Wayne County
judge overturned his conviction in
July after he had served nearly 10
years.
Yesterday he told a crowd of about
100 people who have relatives or
friends behind bars to keep fighting to
change the law that put them there.
"Nobody can see past the word,
'drug,"' said Fannon from the Capitol
steps. "But people are starting to listen
more and more."
The family members gathered to
urge changes in drug sentencing from
a one-size-fits-all approach to one that
allows judges to take each case into
account. Organized by a national
group working in Michigan, Families
Against Mandatory Minimums, the
protesters also were meeting with law-
makers.
Anyone convicted under the 1978
law of delivering or intending to deliv-
er 650 grams of cocaine or heroin must
be sentenced to life in prison without
parole. That amounts to about 1.4
pounds of the drug. More than 200
people are serving life sentences in
Michigan prisons under the law.
Martin Reisig was the attorney for
Doug Reidt, an Ontario man sentenced
to life in a Michigan prison after a
woman caught with more than 650
grams of cocaine implicated him.
He said the law is not imprisoning
drug kingpins as was intended, but
instead has targeted mostly small-time
addicts used as pawns by big-time
dealers. Seventy-eight percent of peo-
ple serving time under the law have no
prior criminal record, he said.
"We have created a tiger trap that
has caught a sick kitten," Reisig said.
"We have created a monster that was
never intended to catch the kinds of
people it's catching."
The Rev. Robert Starkey, pastor of
the First Congregational Church in
Port Huron, said the laws do not bring
justice because they ignore that each
case involves different motives and
different levels of involvement.
"The public is duped by vote-hun-
gry politicians," Starkey said.
"One sentence for all is unfair
almost all of the time. ... There is a
way to do criminal justice that is right.
There is a way that works."
Sen. William Van Regenmorter, (R-
Hudsonville), the tough-on-crime
chairman of the Senate Judiciary
Committee who has been the chief tar-
get of groups like FAMM, agreed with
some of the protesters that there is
more of a movement to change the law
now than ever before.
The I overs
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What's happening in Ann Arbor today
Law School
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GROUP MEETINGS
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9 p.m.
J "Bank of America Information
Session," sponsored by CP&P,
Assembly Hall, Wolverine Room,
Tutoring, need help with a paper?,
Angell Hall, Room 444C, 7-11
p.m.
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Lobby, 8-11:30 p.m.
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