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Unit,
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One hundred six years of editorialfreedom
Thursday
February 27, 1997
J^ , -, y y
State i
By Jeffrey Kosseff
Daily Staff Reporter
tate legislators are proposing bills
a ed at making life a little easier for
college students -=a sales tax exemption
for textbooks.
"I will do anything I can to make col-
lege education more affordable," said
state Sen. Loren Bennett (R-Canton), a
co-sponsor of the Senate's legislation.
The idea for the bill came from the
Associated Students of Michigan State
University, the university's student gov-
nent. Doug Skrzyniarz, ASMSU's
legislative affairs director, said the bill
could save students between $20 and
$40 per semester - or maybe more.
"Textbooks are just so much of a bur-
den for students," Skrzyniarz said.
The proposal has been well received
by some at the University.
"If you make small changes here and
there, it will bring down the total cost,'
said Michigan Student Assembly Rep.
n Serota.
ep. Kirk Profit (D-Ypsilanti) is
proposing similar legislation in the
reviews textbook tax
exemption
House.
"All of the costs start to mount up,"
Profit said. "It really adds insult to
injury."
Profit said he is confident the bills,
which have both Republicans and
flaws in the tax exemption that would
cost the state about $10.3 million per
year in lost tax revenue.
"There is revenue lost to the state"
said state Rep. Mary Schroer (D-Ann
Democrats as
bipartisan sup-
port.
State Sen.
Leon Stille
(R-Spring
Lake), another
co-sponsor of
the Senate bill,
said the bill
has great sup-
port in both
legislative
branches.
sponsors, will receive
Arbor). "Also, hows
is a textbook?"
"Six percent won't
make that much of a
difference
- Irv Scheel
MBS textbook manager
do you prove a book
Profit agreed that
he must work on
finding a definition
for what counts as a
textbook, and he
plans to before the
bill is debated on
the House floor.
"That is an issue
we'll have to
address," Profit
said.
"Thete i way we can control the
prices tip. tons charge," Stille said.
But Serota said bookstores want to aid
students as well.
"The bookstores are into working with
the students," Serota said.
Skrzyniarz said that after he spoke
with many bookstore owners on the
topic, he concluded that the escalating
prices are not the fault of the stores.
"It's the publishers who have
increased the prices," Skrzyniarz said.
However, some bookstore managers
said they were indifferent to the proposal.
"The students that need the books will
buy them," said Irv Scheel, textbook
manager at Michigan Book and Supply.
"Six percent won't make that much of a
difference."
John Truscott, a spokesperson for
Gov. John Engler, said Engler will not
take a stance on the proposal until he
receives an analysis of the bills from the
state Department of Treasury.
"It's a nice proposal, but we have to
make sure it's affordable and possible to
implement," Truscott said.
"I suspect it has a good opportunity
for passage,' Stille said.
Bennett agreed the bill will likely be
passed.
"There's no reason not to support
something like this," Bennett said.
But some legislators said there are
Schroer said there are many other ini-
tiatives to financially assist college stu-
dents who could be funded instead.
"We could really still use the tuition
tax credit" Schroer said.
Stille said one problem some have
with his bill is that bookstores may take
advantage of the tax exemption.
Sheep clone
aises issues
By Brian Campbell
Daily Staff Reporter
What was once confined to science-fiction is now an
awe-inspiring reality as the world is left to grapple with the
implications surrounding the successful cloning of sheep
announced earlier this week.
While scientists worldwide have hailed the possible ben-
efits and decried the potential abuses of genetic cloning,
researchers concur that further scientific and ethical inves-
tigation into cloning
is necessary before
drawing any conclu-
sions.
David Kurnit,
University professor
of human genetics
and pediatrics, said
he is enthusiastic
about the future
applications of
cloning and acknowl-
CEDER BURNS/Daily edged that ethical
issues are commonly raised with the progress of science.
"I think it should be looked at optimistically as a signif-
icant step forward," Kurnit said. "Certainly there are ethical
issues that have to be handled, but that's true for any major
scientific advance."
The Scottish researchers who performed the cloning
used a DNA blueprint from an adult sheep and implanted
it into the unfertilized egg of a female sheep, similar to in-
vitro fertilization. While this type of cloning has been
successful with frogs and smaller animals, the rapid jump
o6cloning a larger animal raises the issue of cloning
umans.
George Brewer, a University human genetics and inter-
nal medicine professor, said that cloning tests should be
restricted to animals.
"I believe that as far as animals are concerned, that this
really doesn't pose any kind of threat or problem," Brewer
said. "But when you get into the human area, there is a gen-
uine alarm and concern that this should not occur, and I
share this view."
Shortly after the announcement of the cloning, President
linton requested that a federal bioethics commission
study the legal and ethical implications of the cloning.
Former University President Harold Shapiro will head the
commission.
Brewer said he does not expect the University to begin
See CLONES, Page 7A
Andrea* Westland, a second-year graduate student, buys a textbook from Shaman
Drum employee Paul Edsall yesterday.
Race gap shrinks
in higher ed.
By Alice Robinson
Daily Staff Reporter
The gap between the number of
African Americans and whites going to
college has decreased over the last 20
years, according to data compiled with
the help of School of Education Prof.
Michael Nettles.
The first volume of The African
American Education Data Book,
released yesterday, contains new infor-
mation on everything from financial aid
statistics to comparisons of the scores
earned by African American and white
students on graduate admissions tests.
The Frederick D. Patterson Institute,
an education research foundation head-
ed by Nettles, published the 24-page
brochure.
"Most people have impressions
about the status of blacks in education,
but they really don't know the facts,"
Nettles said from the institute's head-
quarters in Fairfax, Va., yesterday.
"Even policy makers don't necessar-
ily have the right information, so its
important for us to record facts about
the status so that you can use that as a
baseline from which to set goals and
monitor progress," he said.
Between 1984 and 1994, the percent-
age of black college students increased
from 8.8 to 10.1 percent, the report
states. However, African Americans
currently make up 14 percent of the col-
lege-age population nationwide. At the
University, black students make up 8.9
percent of the population.
From 1977 to 1994, the number of
African Americans receiving bachelor's
degrees increased by 40 percent, the
Degrees on the rise
The number of African
American students receiving
bachelor's and master's
degrees has increased
substantially
since 1977
~i
Bachelor's Degrees
Master's Degrees
Source: The Fred~erick DY. Patte sO
Reasearc h institute
report states. However, the number of
African Americans receiving master's
degrees declined by about half apercent.
Nettles said it is important to train
more black students in doctoral and
graduate programs so more will go on
to become professors.
Lisa Baker, associate ice president
for University relations, said vte
See DEGREES, Pags.A
MSA slates file for
Tressia Hutchinson, a technician in Jeffrey Chamberlain's lab in the University's Buhl building, examines
a mouse that is part of a recombinant DNA experiment.
Campuses safer than city
March election
By Ajit K. Thavarajah
Daily Staff Reporter
College campuses may be safer than most cities
in the United States.
That's the finding of the U.S. Department of
Education, which issued its first report on campus
crime Tuesday.
During 1994, the overall rate of violent crime
on college campuses was 65 incidents per 100,000
students as opposed to 716 per 100,000 students
for the nation, the report states. The University
reported 56 violent crimes in 1994.
Department of Public Safety Captain James
Smiley, who heads the detective bureau, said the
report's findings are not surprising because
increased crime reporting on college campuses
means students are more aware.
"T 11,11 lthnl n nl hnnr i theai -Y -.-
sexually assaulted and 257 were victims of bur-
glary or vehicle theft. Also, 21 robberies and 35
aggravated assaults per 100,000 students were
reported that year.
The figures are lower than Justice Department
statistics for the nation as a whole.
The findings for the Department of Education
report were originally due in 1995. Terry Hartle of
the American Council on Education, a trade asso-
ciation for 1,700 colleges and universities, said it
is not unusual for reports to be delivered after-their
expected dates.
"The Department of Education often misses
deadlines in issuing reports. Sometimes deadlines
are set unrealistically by Congress,' Hartle said.
LSA senior Jessica Denbow said she doesn't
believe the University has done enough in the
fiht aainst crime
By Katie Plona
Daily Staff Reporter
After the final tally, seven parties and
nine independent candidates will vie for
open positions on the Michigan Student
Assembly in the March 19 - 20 election.
Candidates met a 5 p.m. deadline
yesterday to register for the elections.
'The presidential and vice presiden-
tial candidates from the Pissed Off with
Korrupt Executives Party chose their
party's name only moments before
turning in the candidacy papers around
4 p.m.
P.O.K.E. presidential nominee Jim
Smith, an SNRE senior, said he does
-. not like the
f p bureaucracy of
the current
assembly.
"Well, basi-
cally we're
MISA Winter Elect"o
Presidential Tckets
Michigan Party
Probir Mehta/Dan Serota
Students Party
Michael Nagrant/Olga Savic
Liberty Party
Martin Howrylak/Elizabeth Keslacy
POKE Party
James Smith/Matthew Tomback
Voice for Black Freedom & Student
Power
Jessica Curtin/Nikita Little
Victors Party
Jim Riske/Craig Myles
United Rebels Front
Pak Man Shuen /Stuart Krein
"MSA's here to serve the community,
not the individuals on it,' Smith said.
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