tt rugn 1Wi News: 76-DAILY Advertising: 764-0554 One hundred si xyears of edilonoilfreedom Thursday February 20, 1997 4 8 di . IQ kegents sought extra advice on OMA * More than $100K spent on OMA coun- seling prior to search By Katie Wang Daily Staff Reporter Five months prior to former University President James Duderstadt's resignation in September 1995, the Board of Regents paid attorneys $136,309.32 for advice about con- ducting future presidential searches that would comply with the state's Open Meetings Act. According to billing records obtained yes- t~ay under the Freedom of Information Act, the regents hired attorneys from two law firms as early as April 4, 1995, to answer questions about OMA. Regent Shirley McFee (R-Battle Creek) said the board felt it was necessary to consult attorneys about OMA because of a state Supreme Court decision against the University's conduct in a previous presiden- tial search. "We had decided very early on, if and when we would need to do another search, we would do it right," McFee said. "The regents began very early to start reviewing the process to see what guidelines we should look at. "We were not anticipating that we would have to use them immediately" she added, referring to Duderstadt's resignation soon after regents began meeting with the attor- neys. McFee served as co-chair of the Presidential Search Committee during the last presidential search. The University has already spent $224. 884.51 on legal fees for the last presidential search, which began in September 1995 and concluded in November 1996. This figure does not include attorney expenses for OMA consultation prior to Duderstadt's resigna- tion. Vice President for University Relations Walter Harrison said the regents were con- cerned about the ambiguity of the court's 1993 ruling, specifically the limitations in their role in the search. "The regents wanted advice from outside counsel about OMA," Harrison said. "They wondered if there might be other waysto think about OMA and wanted to bring in out- side counsel to look at this." In September 1993, the state Supreme Court ruled that the Board of Regents had violated OMA in its selection of Duderstadt. The Ann Arbor News and the Detroit Free Press filed suit against the University in May 1988, alleging that the board had violated the law by meeting in private, secret sub-quorum groups to interview and evaluate candidates. To avoid another lawsuit, Harrison said the board began meeting to discuss a variety of hypothetical strategies about presidential searches and the way OMA applied to presi- dential searches. "When we made the decision to start doing some research, it was to see what this act said and didn't say," McFee said. "There were some issues we felt were never ruled on by the Supreme Court." Harrison said the regents explored the pos- sibility of seeking a declarative judgment from the court. This would have requiredithe court to rule on provisions of OMA even though there was not a pending case on which to rule. The regents decided not to pur- sue a declarative judgment because courts generally do not like to rule when there isn't an active case to rule on, Harrison said. McFee said the board's meetings about OMA were not related to Duderstadt's resig- nation. "It was with the expectation that See FEES, Page 7A A down payment on 'U' presidential searches Telephone charges Telecopier charges Delivery charges Document reproduction Computerized research' Attorneys/Paralegals $ 241.79 $ 284.36 $ 300.94 $ 716.23 $ 1,398.34 $ 135,281.75 Total $ 138,223.41 i China's 'last emperor,' reformer dead at 92 The Washington Post WASHINGTON - Deng Xiaoping, who died yesterday of complications from Parkinson's disease and a lung infection at age 92, led China out of the chaos and isolation of Communist rule under Mao Zedong into a new era marked by rapid economic growth. Deng maintained the rigid Communist political system but opened the world's most populous nation to the influence of Western capitalism and cul- ture. A blunt man of action who survived wars and fierce power struggles by plac- ing pragmatism over politics, Deng was regarded by admirers and critics alike as China's "last emperor" - the last of his generation of revolutionary leaders to hold paramount power. However, his power never equaled that of Mao, the founder and longtime ruler of Communist China. Deng's prestige declined in his later years because of spreading official corrup- tion, inequalities entrenched in the Communist system, and the crackdown he mandated in June 1989 against stu- dent-led protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. In the end, Deng's sweeping initia- tives, aimed at decentralizing control over the economy and replacing state planning with a market-oriented sys- tem, left the economy only half reformed. Those who follow him face the enormous, risky task of completing the job. In his later years, Deng was the first among equals of Communist Party elders who shared power as members of an octogenarian oligarchy, overseeing the work of younger leaders. He for- mally retired from his last government post in 1990 but continued to influence important domestic and foreign policy decisions through his prestige and personal connec- tions,. which included close ties with many of China's military leaders. After becoming 4 a Communist while living in Deng France in the early 1920s, Deng never relinquished his belief in communist ideology. But he was always less dog- matic than Mao. Deng's pragmatism allowed him essentially to redefine Marxism to make productivity - rather than the class struggle champi- oned by Mao - the key measure of success. A famous quotation attributed to Deng summed up his philosophy: "It doesn't matter whether a cat is black or white as long as it catches mice." Deng cautioned against the "wor- See DENG, Page 2A 'U experts. Sino-U.S. relations uncertain By Heather Kamins Daily Staff Reporter University experts say that yesterday's death of former Chinese Communist Party Chair Deng Xiaoping will create new possibilities for the Chinese gov- ernment during the next year. "The succession of Deng began occuring several years ago. He has not had impact on the government for the past two years:' said political science Prof. Kenneth Lieberthal, a national expert on China. "It is not an issue of impact immediately. It is a situation that will come about in the near future.' LSA senior Leia Chen said Deng's death will not have a drastic effect on China because it was expected. "I think a lot of China expected it," Chen said. "I don't think it will cause a lot of chaos. It was announced in China last night, and thestockmarket hasn't See CHINA, Page 2A UMAT1 M N UMMER/Dily ngineering senior !on Ho competes in a Lego bridge-building contest as part of National Engineers Week. The competition as held in the EECS building yesterday. i ! Future engin011eers buld bridges on NorthCampS David Rossman aily Staff Reporter Like little children with a toy chest, Engineering students dug into buckets of Legos yesterday in North Campus's Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building. As part of National Engineers Week, the students were determined to con- struct bridges with the Legos - bridges that wouldn't break under pressure. A two-person team - Engineering seniors Brahm Windeler and Seung- Won Hwang - placed first in the con- test. Their bridge, built in 4 minutes, spanned 16 inches and withstood 29 pounds before breaking. "It was fun" said Engineering sopho- more Chip Janson, who spontaneously joined the contest after passing by. Amber Thweatt, a member of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, the group that organized the event, became concerned when several of the initial bridges would not break when weight was applied. "I completely underes- timated the ability of (University) engineers when I brought my one pound weight,' said Thweatt, an Engineering senior. A formula comprised of a bridge's length, the total applied weight and the time required to build the bridge deter-. mined the bridge's rating. After Engineering sophomore Mike Kirby, the first person to build a bridge, finished his 10-inch-long bridge, it would not break. Coordinators then decided the mini- mum length of each bridge would have to be 15 inches in order for the weight to have more of an effect. "The engineers were smarter than we thought," Thweatt said. Yesterday's contest was one of sev- eral organized at the University in recognition of National Engineers Week. An egg drop competition will be held in the EECS atrium today at 2:30 p.m. National Engineers Week - found- ed in 1951 by the National Society of Professional Engineers - is celebrat- ing its first year at the University. COFFEE CRUNCH M BENEFITE High Court splits abortion ruling Coffee prices climb in o clBy Jeff Endefton Daily Staff Reporter It used to be that with a smile and a few cents, anyone could get a cup of coffee in Ann Arbor. Not any more. These days, a handful of change doesn't cut it in many local popular coffee houses, due to various factors that increase the price of a cup ofjava. Students say they are fed up with the rising prices cropping up around town. "I think prices are a bit too high," said Josh Tuttle, a Music senior. "I should be able to get coffee for under a dollar." One of the main factors in the rise of cof- fee prices is a recent strike among coffee- workers in Colombia and Latin America. This has caused a drop in the amount of rnfFaa lhannc rnmno ,,,to Am , n , The Washington Post WASHINGTON - In an atmos- phere of increasingly violent abortion protests, the Supreme Court yesterday condemned the pushing, shoving and 'in your face' tactics of demonstrators, ruling that women seeking abortions can be shielded from protesters as they enter a clinic's doors. The court, in a split decision, said demonstrators can be kept away from past restraints on abortion demonstra- tors, and by the demonstrators them- selves, who view their ability to protest as their last, best hope for curtailing abortions. Figuring out how to regulate clinic protests has emerged as a concern of lawmakers and local judges nation- wide in the face of demonstrations that have often become raucous, and occa- sionally even deadly. Buildings across "° I IK