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One hundred six years ofeditoriafreedom

Wednesday
January 29, 1997

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versight
hair for
PS
-Kafi. Wang
Staff Reporter
After leading the restructuring of
he Department of Public Safety
versight Committee, Sam Gross
munced yesterday that he is step-
ing down as the committee's chair
ive months before his term expires.
a two-page letter addressed to
terim University President Homer
eal, Gross said he is resigning imme-
*ately because of time constraints.
"At the moment, the committee is in
quiet state,' said Gross, a Law School
fessor. "If there was a reason the
xmittee had to start a new investiga-
ion, I'm afraid I wouldn't have enough
i se.
In addition to teaching at the Law
Qcpo, Gross is a member of the
te Advisory Committee on
niversity Affairs, the faculty's govern-
"g board.
Gross said he has spent much of the
est year as chair organizing and struc-
rg the oversight committee, which
iously did not even have its own
ice or official chair.
"I'm not surprised that he stepped
own because it took up a lot of time,"
Corey Hill, a former committee
ber and University alum.
Gross also indicated in his letter that
e thinks DPS is still uneasy with the
rsence of the oversight committee.
"I think it's fair to say that the lead-
rship of the DPS, perhaps inevitably,
emains uncomfortable with the
versight Committee," the letter stated.
'But I am confident that these issues
ill be resolved over time by the
versight Committee and the DPS"
*S spokesperson Elizabeth Hall
d she had no comment on Gross'
signation, but said DPS is "fully
°ommitted to working with the over-
igbt committee."
Gross described, the relationship
een DPS and the committee as
'challenging" because of the number
f structural changes that have taken
lace since June.
ice President for University
ons Walter Harrison called the
tesion between the patrol force and
e committee necessary and healthy.
"I think things have been a little
ore tense here because we're still get-
ing 'used to having our own police
See GROSS, Page 7


Engler calls for
reform, grOwth

By Jeffrey Kosseff
Daily Staff Reporter
LANSING -- Gov. John Engler urged the state
Legislature to work with him in bipartisan efforts
to reform education, create new jobs, repair roads
and protect the environment in his seventh annual
State of the State address last night.
"Last November, the voters said 'work togeth-
er,"' Engler said. "I say to you, I am ready."
State Sen. Bill VanRegenmorter (R-Jenison)
said Engler's speech focused on working with the
Democratic House to advance the state of
Michigan.
"I think it was an outstanding speech'
VanRegenmorter said. "He recognized there is
going to be a need for bipartisan support."
The topic that received the strongest show of
bipartisan support was Project Zero, a program
Engler instituted to provide jobs for single welfare
mothers. Last night, Engler proposed to double the
funding to Project Zero.
"We reform welfare not just because it gives
parents a helping hand to independence, but
because it gives children a helping hand to a better
future," Engler said.
Rep. Mary Schroer (D-Ann Arbor) said Project
Zero is one of the rare issues on which she agrees
with Engler.
"That is one of the few things I heard tonight
that makes a lot of sense" Schroer said about
Engler's plans for the project.
Ann Arbor Mayor Ingrid Sheldon, a

Republican, said Engler has taken an innovative
approach to dealing with unemployment during
his two terms as governor.
"I commend him for trying to look at the prob-
lem from a different perspective," Sheldon said.
Another issue that received miiked reactions
from the Democrats was the proposal to expand
charter schools, a strategy President Clinton has
pushed at a national level.
"I invite members of the president's own party
in the Legislature to join us as partners in opening
the doors to more charter public schools,' Engler
said.
Rep. Kirk Profit (D-Ypsilanti) said he previous-
ly introduced legislation in support of charter
schools, and he would be willing to consider
Engler's proposal - but he wants a specific plan.
"The devil is always in the detail;" Profit said.
However, other House Democrats said they
would prefer that Engler focus on the people most
affected by educational problems.
"I think we have to focus on the children in the
school districts more; said Rep. Liz Brater (D-
Ann Arbor).
Another educational reform Engler proposed is
the state takeover of school districts that have more
than 80-percent failure rates on state proficiency
tests or more than 25-percent drop-out rates.
"How in good conscience can we look the other
way when thousands of children are trapped in
failing public schools have no other choice and no
See STATE, Page 2

JULLY PARK/Daily
Gov. John Engler delivers his annual State of the State address in Lansing last night, outlining a vision of
school revitalization and economic development.

Ameritech plans to hike rates 12% by May

By Prachish Chakravorty
Daily Staff Reporter
For the second time in the past year,
Ann Arbor residents and University stu-
dents will face an increase in phone
charges if Ameritech gets its way.
The Michigan Public Service
Commission is considering a series of
proposed rate hikes that will affect dif-
ferent Ameritech services statewide.
Under the plan, which is expected to
be. approved by early May, Ann Arbor
residents will pay an additional $1.25
for local phone services - an increase
of as much as 12 percent. Other propos-
als include raising the charge for a new
residential line connection from $42 to
$50 and creating a new late-payment
fee of 1.5 percent per month.
Ameritech officials said cities like
Ann Arbor will face larger increases
than other cities.

"The increases (in local phone ser-
vices) varied from $.50 up to a dollar
and a quarter," said Karen Sanborn, a
spokesperson for Ameritech. "For
instance, $.50 would be the Detroit
area. A dollar and a quarter would be
for areas like Ann Arbor and Grand
Rapids."
University students had mixed reac-
tions to news of the proposed increases.
"I'm not happy about it, but it's not
the biggest deal in the world," said
LSA sophomore Erin Jensen, who
lives off-campus. "My phone bill is not
that big anyway. It's not really a big
deal to me:'
But Jensen said it can be difficult for
students who make a lot of calls.
"One of my roommates, her bills are
outrageous. For her, her bills could be a
problem," Jensen said.
Business senior Yoo-Mee Kin said

she didn't think Ameritech's proposal is
reasonable.
"I don't think they're very sensitive to
students - all I wish is that we had a
choice of which phone company to use,"
Kim said. "At the moment we have no
consumer power - they can do whatev-
er they want"
Sanborn defended the proposal as part
of a long term plan aimed at altering the
company's rates to better reflect costs.
"(The '96 increases and the present
proposal) were part of a plan to get our
rates balanced with the costs of the ser-
vices provided," Sanborn said.
"Services were not priced with costs
originally - we started last year and
re-evaluated the cost of providing ser-
vice."
Sanborn said the '96 price increases
were the first in basic service rates
since 1984.

"Sounds reasonable enough to me,"
said Rackham first-year student Glen
Shadbolt. "A problem with a lot of
phone companies is they used to make
a lot of money off toll services. With
increased competition for long distance
service, they're unable to subsidize
local services and have to make local
services pay their way."
Shadbolt said the new charges could
not be helped.
"It doesn't surprise me," he said.
Liz Oldread, a Public Health first-
year graduate student, said two increas-
es within one year is excessive.
"I'm totally against it. I think they
should probably think of something else
before increasing charges," Oldread
said. "Since Ann Arbor has such a high
student population, it's going to be a
problem - a lot people aren't going to
be happy."



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Yesterday

'denies racism
trials 2nd day
er Dental worker "suspended" for time card forgery,
S stirring responding to Monday's assertions that
mony the three 'employees had been unjustly
fired.
N. Smith After Howlett concluded his opening
porter statement,,three University employees
ty counsel responded yester- and witnesses for the plaintiffs took the
egations of racism against stand - Mitchell and University
er Dental School staff mem- Hospitals employees Rodney Harris
g the second day of a suit and Nada'Eastman.
University. Mitchell said she began working at
Washtenaw County Court, the .University in 1980, first as a cam-
attorney Tim Howlett con- pus custodian. for 10 years and then at
t black employees Dawn University Hospitals for three years
heresa Atkins and Delano before being "riffed out" by cutbacks in
d not been victims of dis- the department. She was then moved to
1at the Dental School. the Dental School..
nination is a very serious When Washington asked about her
d we take that charge very feelings about the white employees and
Howlett said in his open- supervisors at the Dental School,
ment before Washtenaw Mitchell said they "disrespected" her.
strict Court Judge Donald "I thought I was disrespected. We
were called 'you people'-a term most
day, the plaintiff's attorney, black people find offensive," Mitchell
Washington, claimed the said. "I view it as a tenm similar to 'you
ool had a racist atmosphere niggers' because it singles you out."
three employees worked Mitchell said she approached Vachon
example, Washington said about alleged racist incidents with other
and supervisors freely used employees, but Vachon did not want to
'you people" when referring discuss the matter.
ople. "I told her that those issues could not
y, Howlett denied that the be swept up under the carpet," Mitchell

Nimoy to
speak on
Mr. Spock,
JeW1sh ties
By Carrie Luria
Daily Staff Reporter
Actor Leonard Nimoy, better known
as Mr. Spock in the popular sci-fi series
Star Trek, plans to speak tonight about
his experiences on the show.
"I am going to talk about my life,"
Nimoy said.
"This will
include my back-
ground, my
career, Spock
and my relation
with him, what
aspects of Spock
have been based
in Judaism, my
current projects."
He also plans Nimoy
to discuss his
more recent work at tonight's speech in
Hill Auditorium at 8 p.m. Hillel is
sponsoring the event as part of its
Celebration of Jewish Arts series.
"He's going to be this year's high-
light for the program," said Doug Last,
co-leader of the Hill Street Forum,
Hillel's major programming group.

WARRENZINN/Daily
LSA sophomore Bradley Hotzman speaks with interim University President Homer Neal at the Michigan Union at a gathering.
yesterday when Neal's photograph was added to the wall of presidents.
Neal s photo joins presidents'wall

By Katie Wang
Daily Staff Reporter
When Homer Neal was a student at the
University in the '60s, he said he never
imagined his picture would one day hang

interim University president said yes-
terday during a reception in his honor.
Neal's seven-month tenure as interim
president, which began last July when
he succeeded former University

"Homer Neal's greatest accomplish-
ment was as a calming force after such
things as the Duderstadt deals and other
transition problems that occur with a
president leaving office" Powell said.

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