LOCAL/STATE The Michigan Daily - Friday, November 8, 1996 - 3 Attackers use knife, gun in robberies - *Two armed robbery cases were reported this week to the Ann Arbor Police Department. A clerk was allegedly robbed at gunpoint at the Hop In convenience store/gas station at 601 S. Main St. early Monday morning. The suspect wore a red bandanna over his face and allegedly pulled a silver handgun on the clerk at 2:47 a.m. Monday. The man demanded the register be opened and allegedly Ie the clerk's wallet, which con- tained $200 in cash and various per- sonal items. The man was last seen wearing a plaid flannel shirt and jeans. He was heading east down Madison Street on foot, according to AAPD reports. The second armed robbery occurred when a victim was attacked by an unknown number of men with a "cut- instrument" at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday. The victim suffered six cuts from the attack in a parking lot at 1030 Arbordale St. One of the suspects is described as between 18-22 years old. The man is 6-foot and weighs 170 pounds. Another suspect is 5-foot-8 and weighs 180 pounds. This male suspect with a "neat mustache" was last seen wearing a black silk scarf and dark flannel shirt, according to AAPD reports. tAPD investigates four separate felonious assaults The Ann Arbor Police Department is investigating four unrelated felo- nious assault cases. The most recent case occurred at the *mbay Bicycle Club restaurant early Sunday morning. The victim was approached by the suspect in the restroom of the club, which is located at 3150 Boardwalk St. The suspect allegedly pulled a handgun on the victim at around 2 a.m. Sunday, but the man made no verbal threats or touched the victim. The suspect is described as 33 years old, according to AAPD reports. I the second case, 10-15 suspects roke into a house on 1316 Geddes Ave. and attacked people there at 9:30 p.m last Friday. Four people were allegedly assault- ed in the attack, including two injured by 'bottles. Another person was attacked with an exhaust pipe, and the fourth was hit with a charcoal grill starter. Another felonious assault incident *curred last Friday. An unknown number of suspects allegedly kicked down the door to an apartment at 1316 Geddes Ave. The suspects then allegedly struck the individual inside with a bottle at 10:45 p.m. Friday. The fourth incident occurred when a suspect brandished a gun and threat- ened the victim with it in the 300 block of Maynard Street. employee chases three thieves An employee of a Denny's restau- rant chased three customers after they allegedly left the building with- out paying for their meals at 5:30 a.m. last Wednesday, according to Ann Arbor Police Department ports. ,The employee, who works at the Denny's located on 3310 Washtenaw Ave., said the patrons left in a blue vehicle with Michigan license plate LXY571. the employee told police that the car allegedly tried to run him over, according to AAPD reports. Compiled bV Daily Staf'Reporter Anupatna Reddv SINK OR SWIM Synchro battles image,,s By Kathy Camp For the Daily Donna Meers knows her sport inspires humor. "Did you hear the one about the syn- chronized swimming team that drowned'? Yeah, one of them went down and the rest followed," she said. Meers, coach of the University's synchronized swimming team, smiled despite the joke's macabre tone and the fun it pokes at the parallel movements prized by synchro swimmers. But she pointed out that jokes like this prove synchronized swimming is gaining recognition as a competitive sport. Martin Sheen's Saturday Night Live skit about the Olympic tryouts of a synchro team that can't swim is another example. "That Saturday Night Live skit, even though it is a joking image, has really done a lot for the sport," she said. Despite losing to women's crew last year in a bid for varsity sport status, the University's synchro team - at 15 members - is the largest it has been in recent years. But as a club sport, it must fight the fluffy image with limited money and recruiting power. Synchro also is fac- ing increasing competition from Big Ten teams. "Synchronized swimming is not taken very seriously, which is unfortu- nate," said LSA senior Chrissy Jacobs. team captain. a The synchronized swimming team practices at Canhan pool Wednesday night. "I think there are a lot of sports that suffer from the same thing, like ice skating or anything like that. There are people who say it isn't a real sport if you are not scoring points or racing or something," she said. Though she noted its scoring is sub- jective, Meers argued that synchro's emphasis on harmony, precision and endurance presents unique athletic chal- lenges. "It's an awesome sport," Meers said. "I was watching figure skating the other day and I thought, 'There's just one of them and they can breathe."' In the 1940s, synchro was popular- ized in the United States as water bal- let by Hollywood stars like Esther Williams, but it was not recognized as a medalled Olympic sport until 1984 after successfully shaking some of its earlier glamorous image. "Synchro changed in character from being water ballet to really becoming more athletic in the '70s or '80s." .Jacobs said. "If you look at pictures of (this year's) Olympic team, these are some of the most muscular women you ve ever seen. They look like endurance swimmers, butterfliers," she said. To train, the synchro swimmers do laps both for general conditioning and to build the strength needed to maintain their position in the water, along with underwater laps to build breath control. Team members agreed that any uin- gering perceptions of synchronized swimming as a sport of stele over substance are undeserved. "This sport is really challenging. You think, 'Oh, that \\ill be so easy. but it's really one of the most chal- lenging sports I've been in said L.SA sophomore Carolyn von Maur. Computer sites still crowded By David Rossman lhails Sc tF tcpo ri Number 17. Number 174. Is there a I 74 No. vou're not in line at the deli couter- this is the Angell Hall cam pus computing site. The take-a-number sstem, which kicks in at Angell Hall when the site becomes overcroxded. is one step in the I nformation Technology Division's ongoing attempt to monitor student access to the site. Despite efforts to control the crowds of students filtering in. the problem remains. From the recently introduced flags - where students are asked to use the cardboard flag attached to the computer's monitor to signal availability - to the number system, students say they are frustrat- ed. "I think the tags are useless.' said Heather Hofert. an SNRI: senior. Angell Hall the Uni ersitv's largest computing site - w ith 248 computers in the courtyard alone, is busy much of' the da, said Edward Slonina,, Angell Ilall's computing site team leader. "(The crowd) is pretty steady between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. What we really need is an electronic system of allocating stations, \which would be very beneficial''said Edward Slonina. Angell IHall's computing site team leader. "(The site) is too large for a self- queuing system. We wanted to try new ideas, and we're just testing (the num- ber system) out. The number system has its problems, said Mary Bardeen, an Angell Hall computer monitor who sits at the site's entrance and assists Students\With queS- tions. Bardeen said "the system" would work much better, provided students be patient. "When it gets very crowded, there is no way for me to control people who don't honor the system." she said, refer- ring to students who bypass the entrance and scout out their own com- puter. "We need a system that helps the customer. but we need to be able to manage it. If things dont seem to get better by Thanksgi ing, well resort back to the station cards." Slonina said. "The only problem there is that people usually take the cards home, w hich creates a problem. Timothy Donnelly. an I 'D superi- sor of public computing ficilities: agreed that there arc problems with long lines and said he looks forward to trying new ideas and listning to stu- dent feedback. "I think there's a need for something new. but we have to see what works: Donnelly said. "Parts of (the current systems) can work after we smooth a few things out." MSA elections near, candidates storm campus By Will Weissert Daily Staff Reporter As the excitement over the national race winds down, candidates for seats on the Michigan Student Assembly are beginning to shift their own campaigning efforts into high gear P with elections less than two weeks away. startin "People are really starting to get into it - it gas we are out talking to students who have been very willing to discuss important, student issues,said Michigan Party Chair Dan Serota. "With fee increases and other important decisions students will have to make, we want to make sure people understand all of the issues." MSA elections will be held Nov. 20- 21. A resolution prohibiting putting up campaign posters on painted surfaces, passed by the assembly in September. will not take effect during this term's elections because it was not passed 65 days before the scheduled election days. But Serota said that even without the resolution, postering will not be a major priority for his party. opie are reall g to get into - Dan Serota Michigan Party chair "We are trying to focus more on going to st u d e nt grOups and t a i k in g with stu- d e n t s instead of' just poster- said. "Nane going to spend I 1000 on posters nobody wants to see anyway." But other parties said students can expect to see fliers and posters in the near future. "Next week, we'll be fliering and we'll be putting up posters." said Slumber Party member Ted Chen. "We want to increase our name recognition and wve want to get our message out and actively fliering is a good way to do that.' Chen said his party also has some other campaign tricks up its sleeve. "We will take the campus by storm. Chen said. "We'll have some surprises next week" In addition to voting to fill the 24 vacant assembly seats in 13 separate schools, students will also have the opportunity to endorse or reject three different proposals to increase their per-term student fee. Students will have the option of rais- ing their fee $1.50 to benefit Project Serve and the Black Volunteer Network. Other groups also stand to benefit. "Because community service is on such a rise here and it is an important aspect of life on campus, I don't think anyone could vliew this increase in a negative light." said LSA junior Karen Lareau, who is on Project Serve's fund- ing proposal committee. "Also, this money will be going to benefit a variety of groups and students on campus through the scholarships and additional funding to student groups, Lareau said. Students will also decide whether they want to increase the fee an addi- tional $l to increase MSA fiuding and an additional $I to benefit individual schools and college governments. "An increase in general funds is important because it will help us sup- port more students on campus and will help more student groups as well," said MSA President Fiona Rose. "This is not an increase in bureaucracy- the additional funds will be going back to the community." If all of the fee increases pass the cur- rent student fee of 52.69 will rise to 56.19. f ing and fliering." Serota recognition is important. but what each individual candidate stands f'or and what input we can get from students is more important." Engineering Rep. David Burden. a member of the Crush the Purple Dinosaur Party, said his party would not rely heavily on posters either. "We are not running a traditional campaign:" Burden said. "We aren't Kevorkian arraigned on assisted suicide charge IONIA, Mich. (AP) -- Dr. Jack Kevorkian was charged yesterday with assisting the suicide of a woman suffer- ing from multiple sclerosis, his first legal test in conservative western Michigan after a string of courtroom victories in the Detroit area. "Given the glare of the national spot- light on my hometown ... my life could be a lot easier without this case" onia County Prosecutor Raymond Voet said after the arraignment. "I will not shirk from my duties. I will not run. "lonia did not choose Dr. Kevorkian," lie said. "Dr. Kevorkian chose lonia." Kevorkian's attorney Geoffrey Fieger has acknowledged that the assisted-sui- cide advocate was present Aug. 30 when Loretta Peabody, 54, died at her lonia home, 35 miles east of (irand Rapids. Voet summoned a grand jury, which returned a four-count indictment this week, charging Kevorkian with violat- ing Michigan's common law prohibit- ing assisted suicide. He is also accused of conspiring to assist Peabody's suicide with ally Janet Good, practicing unauthorized medi- cine, and conspiracy to practice unau- thorized medicine. No charges against Good were disclosed. If convicted on all four counts, the maximum penalty is 18 years in prison. There is no formal law in Michigan banning assisted suicide. Rather, the charge is based on a 1994 ruling by the state Supreme Court, which prohibits the practice, Voet said. Interested inl BiotechnologyT'. The Cellular Biotechnology Training Program will offer Cellular Biotechnology 504 in the Winter '97 term. Topicscovered include biomolecular recognition, ligand-receptor dynamics affecting cytoskeletal rearrangements, biotechnology applications in disease treatment at the organ level, retroviral targets for the therapeutic drug design, tissue engineering, cellular differentiation control, and microbial adaptation and response in environmental biotechnology. The course provides an overview of the disciplinary foci that define the field of cellular biotechnology, with emphasis placed on conveying knowledge of basic principles and on illustrating the relationships between t'itkfli4vf lLi i uki'-ec wxrithin the nntavt nf the intparntpdI L A What's happening in Ann Arbor today FRIDAY J "CIGNA Corporation: Information Session," sponsored by CP&P, Michigan League, Vandenberg Room, 7-9 p.m. J "Conversations with Courtney Clixby," pro gramming spon- sored by Unions Thetwork Television, channel 124, 3 p.m and 8 p.m. J "Delivering Shabbat Meals," spon- sored by Hillel, Hillel, 1429 Hill J "Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers Presents Huges Aircraft," sponsored by SHP E, Michigan Union, Wolverine Room, 5 p.m. J "Student Open House: Information About Graduate Study in Biostatistics," sponsored by Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health Building, Room M3024. 1-4:30 p.m. p.m. SUNDAY J "Ballroom Dance Classes," spon- sored by Ballroom Dance Club, Michigan Union Ballroom, 7-8 p.m. beginning lesson, 8-9:30 p.m. dance practice ~"Chorale Service of Holy Communion Featuring 16th Century Organ Classics," spon- sored by Lutheran Campus 1