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One hundred six years ofeditorialfreedom,
Wednesday
January 8, 1997
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I
'tYstudent
mugged
near local
4TM
By Anupama Reddy
Daily Staff Reporter
A male, University student was
mugged close to campus early Monday
morning after withdrawing money
from an ATM.
LSA senior Bryan Freeman said he
had withdrawn $20 from the NBD
automatic teller machine near Cava
SJg on South University Avenue
when two men attacked and robbed
him. He said he was assaulted at 1
a.m. on the corner of Church Street
and South University Avenue.
Freeman said he reported the inci-
dent to the Ann Arbor Police
Department and was taken to
University Hospitals for the treatment
of his cuts and bruises.
"The worst thing that happened was
I ad eight surgical staples on the back
Uy neck," Freeman said.
Hospital officials said Freeman
came to the emergency room early
Monday morning.
According to The Ann Arbor News,
AAPD reports state that witnesses saw
a third man flee with the two assailants
after the-attack, which occurred in the
1100 block of South University
Avenue.
greeman, 22, said the men took $20
tfn his wallet, which was retrieved
outside the Taco Bell restaurant on East
University Avenue.
The incident began shortly after he
withdrew money from the ATM,
Freeman said.
"I started across the street and
walked towards Good Time Charley's,"
Freeman said.
"I was going to Touchdown (Cafe),
and then someone from behind me,
* I didn't know, asked me what time
it was," he said.
Freeman said he glanced at his
watch, told the men the time and turned
See MUGGING, Page 7A
State pols
si1n new
OMAlaw
t Two bills allow largely
closed searches,
regent participation
Minority faculty numbers climb
By Janet Adamy
D~aily Staff Reporter
The University's faculty is more diverse than ever
with minorities now making up 15.4 percent of the
total instructional faculty, according to figures
released yesterday. .
Up from 15.1 percent last year,
the 1.9-percent increase in minor-
ity faculty members in 1996-97 is I
part of a 31.3-percent increase
during the past five years. cerned
Interim President Homer Neal -
said he finds the trend "to be quite noted.I
encouraging.'--
"This is the result of the work
of many individuals on campus
and they are to be commended,"
Neal said. "Maintaining a diverse
faculty, student body and staff must clearly continue to
be one of the University's priorities."
Vice Provost for Multicultural Affairs Lester Monts
attributed only part of the increase to the Michigan
Mandate -- a plan established in 1987 to link social
diversity with academic excellence. Monts said most
of the credit should go
i tle cone
that we're
~gbetter. "
rof. Thomas Dunn
SACUA chair
"We're particularly co
to deans and professors of
schools and colleges rather
than to the central adminis-
tration.
"These are the folks that
sat around the table and
reviewed the dossiers of
applicants and I really think
that they deserve a lot of
praise," Monts said.
Despite the increase,
Monts said the University is
still losing a number of
minority faculty members.
oncerned with the effort that
retain those faculty," Monts said.
Monts said the University needs to work towird
adding more Native Americans and Latinosias to the
faculty and even out the high concentration of minonty
faculty members in the humanities and social sciences.
Prof Thomas Dunn, chair of the Senate Advisory
Committee on University Affairs, said he's not "alto-
gether delighted" with this year's increase, which repre-
sents an addition ofjust 12 minority faculty members.
"i'm a little concerned that we're not doing better,"
Dunn said. "If you look down the track about five years,
population demographics predict that minorities will
make up 50 percent of the population and we've got a
long way to go before the faculty looks like that."
Despite a 2.2-percent decrease in the number of
black faculty members, Music Associate Dean Willis
Patterson said his school has more black faculty
members than any college or university in the country,
excluding historically black colleges and universities.
See FACULTY, Page 7A
On the Rise
The percentage of minority
faculty at the 'U' has risen
3.1 percent since 1991.
Lsl% 15.4%
10- --
the University puts forth to recruit minority faculty,
but we need to put forth an equal amount of effort to
5 "96
Daily graphic
I
Court rules 'U' not
bound to pay papers'
By Jodi S. Cohen
and Jeff Eldridge
Daily Staff Reporters
The University Board of Regents
kicked off the semester yesterday by
once again defending its actions in
court - and this time securing a ruling
in its favor.
In an ongoing series of presidential
search-related lawsuits between local
newspapers and the Board of Regents,
the newspapers yesterday asked for
about $27,495 in attorney fees and
court costs related to the court's
November decision in their favor.
But Circuit Court Judge Melinda
Morris ruled that the newspapers were
"untimely" in their request for attorney
fees and should have filed the motion
within the time allotted after her deci-
sidn.
"I'm going to deny it," Morris said
in her ruling, adding that the plaintiff
could have requested payment soon
after Morris' ruling that barred the
University from conducting parts of
the presidential search in closed ses-
sions.
Lawrence Jordan, the newspapers'
attorney from the law firm of Seelegson
and Jordan, argued that attorney fees for
Open Meetings Act cases should be
given on "a mandatory basis."
Jordan contended that under the
state's Open Meetings Act, the plaintiff
is entitled to payment for court costs
and attorney fees if the court rules in its
favor. -
He was uncertain whether the news-
papers would appeal the decision.
In the wake of a series of court rul-
ings against the University, General
Counsel Elsa Cole said she is "very
pleased" with the most recent decision.
"It was an untimely motion," Cole
said. "Under the court rules for pursu-
Board seeks inquiry
into papers' lawyers
By Jodi S. Cohen
Daily Staff Reporter
After a lawsuit pushed the University's presidential search
into further public view, the Board of Regents has requested
an investigation into the lawyers who represented the news-
papers' claims.
The board voted 8-0 at its December meeting to ask the
Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission to investigate the
conduct of the law firm of Dykema Gossett, whose attorney,
Jonathan Rowe, represented The Detroit News, the Detroit
Free Press and The Ann Arbor News in the lawsuit.
The board also is asking for an
investigation into the conduct of attor-
neys Bruce Wallace and Charles
Borgsdorf and their law firm of
Hooper, Hathaway, Price, Beuche &
Wallace - who represented Dykema
Gossett when the University moved to
disqualify that firm after the first
court hearing last October.
Since the law firms of all three
attorneys have represented the board
Morris in past and ongoing legal matters, the
regents contend that the firms violated
the Michigan Rules of Professional
Conduct when they took on a case against the University.
Rowe, president of the Washtenaw County Bar
Association, represented the newspapers in their October
lawsuit that claimed the University's plans for the final stage
of the search - which resulted in the selection of Lee
Bollinger as the next University president - violated state
laws that require searches be conducted in public.
The regents claim Dykema Gossett acted unethically by
taking on this lawsuit since the firm was representing the
University in other matters.
But Dick Soble, an attorney involved in Rowe's disqualifi-
cation hearing before Circuit Court Judge Melinda Morris,
said Rowe did not act unethically.
"It's my view that Jon Rowe committed no ethical viola-
tion in his representation of The Ann Arbor News," Soble
said. "It's unfortunate that the University made a decision to
accept the ruling of Judge Morris in requiring them to con-
See ATTORNEYS, Page 2A
Jennifer Harvey
Daily Staff Reporter
New legislation spurred by the
University's legal battles now allows
Michigan universities to conduct large-
ly closed presidential searches with sig-
nificant regent involvement.
At the very end of Michigan's 88th
Congress, state lawmakers passed two
bills that relaxed previous restrictions
search privacy.
The legislation permits regents to be
involved in the early phases of the
search, exempts certain materials from
being subject to the state's Freedom of
Information Act, and requires a 30-day
waiting period prior to a final presiden-
tial selection.
The bills were passed close on the
heels of a lawsuit filed by The Ann
Arbor News, Detroit Free Press and
e Detroit News against the
Wiversity, forcing the final stages of
the recent presidential search to be pub-
lie in compliance with the state's Open
Meetings Act.
"It's a compromise piece of legisla-
tion, but it's a great step forward," said
Walter Harrison, vice president for
University relations. "At least now we
have guidelines for the next presiden-
tial search."
Atate Sen. John Schwarz (R-Battle
eek) sponsored both bills. "It's a big
improvement over what recent court
cases have mandated," Schwarz said.
"Basically it says university presiden-
tial searches are not subject to the Open
Meetings Act until the final candidates
,Ae a
WARREN ZINN/Daily
Back to school
LSA sophomore Zerrick Lake of Detroit moves back into South Quad yesterday. Many students
returned to campus yesterday into their dorm rooms and apartments after the winter break
ended. Classes resume today for most students.
ing such a motion,t
past."
O'Connormo
the time was long
Gingrich re-elected
as House speaker
speaks to
1,300 'U'
graduates
By Meg Extey
Daily Staff Reporter
Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day
O'Connor predicted that the University
graduates could "look forward to fame
and fortune" in their futures.
O'Connor was the keynote speaker at
winter commencement, held Dec. 15 at
Crisler Arena. Only about 1,300 of
2,000 graduates participated.
Honorary degrees were awarded to
O'Connor, filmmaker Robert Altman,
lawyer John Pickering and astronomer
Vera Rubin.
"I thought that she was a very
impressive speaker," said graduate
f litii Tnrc a n -tira c;ipo ad
The Washington Post
WASHINGTON - An apologetic
Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) was re-
elected House speaker yesterday after a
frantic lobbying campaign that con-
vinced all but nine House Republicans
that his ethical violations should not
deprive him of another term.
Gingrich won with three votes to
spare in a dramatic, hour-long roll call
as 216 of the 225 House Republicans
voting supported him. House GOP
leaders - including Gingrich himself
- worked to the end to round up the
votes needed to make him the first
Republican re-elected speaker in 68
years.
Four GOP lawmakers voted for other
candidates and five voted "present."
House Minority Leader Richard
Gephardt (D-Mo.) won the votes of 204
Democrats and independent Rep.
BernardS anders (Vt .) Followina tradi-
Republicans who reluctantly supported
him and his regret to the entire House
for his past behavior as his mother, wife
and daughters watched from the
gallery.
"For those who agonized and ended
up voting for me, I thank you,"
Gingrich said in his 20-minute speech.
"Some of this
frankly,. I
brought on
myself.... To the
degree I was too
brash, too self-
confident or too
pushy I apolo-
gize, To whatev-
er degree and in
Gingrich any way that I
brought contro-
versy or inappropriate attention to the
House. I anolopize."
Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor predicted a bright future for
University graduates at Crisler Arena on Dec. 15.
though starting at the bottom usually
means lower pay, no perks and an unim-
pressive title, it's a good place to devel-
op skills and earn respect.
Though she graduated third in her
class from Stanford Law School, she
ca ha r;irst;nh nffr mas a nmiti;nn ac
alone, nations benefit when people
cooperate and work together.
"No other nation has the level of vol-
unteer spirit that we have here in this
country," she said.
She urged graduates to pass this spir-
it on to others - iawwll asnractice it
I
C