News: 76-DAILY Advertising: 76440554 One hundredsixc yeah ofeditorla/freedom ttz Monday April 14, 1997 ... ..... Ills I aylor By John Leroi Daily Sports Editor Michigan basketball player Maurice Taylor confirmed Friday what most f suspected for quite some time - 4 giving up his final year of eligibil- ity at Michigan and entering the NBA draft. Surrounded by family and friends, Taylor said at a news conference at Crisler Arena that it was time to pursue his life-long dream, playing profession- al basketball. "Achieving a dream is something you can't put into words," Taylor said. "All r&life I wanted to be a professional Retball player. When I was a kid in the back yard, I always pretended to be an NBA player. I was Michael Jordan, he was someone that I looked ub to, and I idolized. Maybe someday a little kid in his back yard will pretend to be Mo Taylor." The junior forward said he didn't make the decision to leave Michigan until after the Wolverines beat Florida State to win the NIT championship. But *culation has existed since the begin- ning of Taylor's sophomore season that he would not play for four years at Michigan. Taylor thought about turning pro About 300 University students marched that included speeches from domestic 'U' stue, By Alice Robinson Daily Staff Reporter They stood in an empty parking h Ecreamed "No!" at the top of their lungs linked arms and shouted slogans again as they marched down E. Washington They clasped hands and held them u silent show of solidarity. On Saturday, hundreds of women too the night. "I feel pretty incredible," said A Architecture junior Kelly White, walked on S. Fifth Street during th Students clean up Ann Arb( By att eer Dl taffReprt About 125 University students took streets of Ann Arbor on Saturday and ga wna makeover. Students painted, swept and tidied as the annual community service project, In Streets, sponsored by the campus Project Serve. "It's people coming together from di backgrounds and programs within leaves after last season, but was convinced by Michigan coach Steve Fisher that he should stay because, in Taylor's words, "I wasn't ready from the neck up." But this year the conversation was a bit different. Taylor thought he had matured considerably since the begin- ning of his junior season. Fisher agreed but still encouraged Taylor to stay. The two mulled over Taylor's decision over Whoppers at Burger King. "He drove and he bought;' Fisher said. "I said I want to talk first and I said, 'I don't want you to go. Now let's list reasons why you should stay.' So I took out a pad and I said, 'You tell me why you should stay,' and then I added to that and then I said, 'Tell me reasons why you should go,' and I added to that. "I played devil's advocate a little bit, gave him more food for thought. It's not always a cut-and-dry issue as to why and how you do things," Fisher added. Although Taylor said he was still waffling about his decision as late as this week, he denied that NCAA rules violations and an ongoing investigation influenced his decision to leave. What Taylor said helped him make up his mind was his performance in the NIT. He averaged 16 points and 7.7 'M' basketball for NBA rebounds during his final seven games in a Michigan uniform. And it didn't hurt that the Wolverines won a tourna- ment title in his last game. "Winning the NIT title played into my decision because I played so well;" Taylor said. "There is a saying that you're only as good as your last game, and now everybody can say that Mo Taylor went out a champion." Taylor, the fourth Wolverine since 1993 to leave school early, said he expects to be one of the top 15 picks in the NBA Draft. But others aren't quite as enthusias- tic. ESPN draft analyst Don Leventhal ranks Taylor as the 23rd-best prospect. This year's draft is considered to be rel- atively weak, and Leventhal said that if Taylor impressesNBA scouts in pre- draft workouts in Chicago, he could raise his stock a bit. "He needs to go to the camp in Chicago and show people something," Leventhal said. "He has a decent jump shot and a good inside game, but what sets others apart from him is that he's inconsistent. He needs to work harder and show NBA teams (he can be con- sistent).' See TAYLOR, Page 2A MAK~urL I IU I Lf'/ Ually Maurice Taylor held a press conference at Crisier Arena on Friday announcing he would forego his senior year to make himself eligible for the NBA draft. His mother, Cathy Williams, looks on. 'U' will not lose funds for same-sex benefits By Katie Wang Daily Staff Reporter The University's authority to provide employ- ee benefits to same-sex couples without suffer- ing monetary consequences was returned Friday. In a 12-page decision, State Attorney General Frank Kelley said reductions in state appropriations to universities by an amount equal to the cost of extending employee bene- fits to the unmarried partners of university employees violates the institution's autonomy. "We are pleased to receive this clarification," - said Associate Vice The 1f President for University Relations Lisa Baker. "We t.nnt are pleased (Kelley) has reaffirmed that the control m irma of the University lies with the (University Board of UflveIid Regents). The regents are the governing board - they set policy." State sen. The opinion was deliv- ered after state Sen. Alma because it was waiting for an opinion from the state attorney general's office. Regent Rebecca McGowan (D-Ann Arbor); a strong advocate of providing benefits to same-sex partners, said she was pleased the attorney general defended the University's autonomy. "I was most pleased by the fact that the University stood by the policy even though so much of the legislature disagreed with it," McGowan said. The University mgislature ng. the John Schwarz (R-Battle Creek) d dwn E. Huron Street in the annual Take Back the Night march. The march was proceeded by a rally violence and rape survivors. tAht first stated its dedication to protecting the sexual ori- entation of University employees in September, 1993 when it revised Regental by-law 14.06. The revision stated a University commitment to a policy of nondis- crimination and equal opportunity for all per- sons regardless of sexual orientation. In an effort to reaffirm its commitment to the by- ot and s. They st rape Street. ap in a k back rt and as she e 18th annual Take Back the Night march. "It's pret- ty empowering. You forget what people can do when they come together." Gathered at Top of the Park next to the Power Center, about 300 women - many wearing winter hats and gloves - cheered, shouted and whooped in a show of unity, strength and indignation, calling for an end to violence against women. The rally, which included speeches by domestic violence and sexual assault sur- vivors, was held as a warm-up to the march. "Shall we give up?" shouted Susan McGee, director of the Ann Arbor domestic violence shelter, Safehouse, to the crowd. "No!" they answered. "Shall we run and hide?" McGee exhort- ed. "No!" the crowd responded. LSA junior Brenna DeVaney told a diffi- cult story to those who gathered. "I was sexually assaulted by three men very early in the morning," she said. "They were all three friends of mine, and I thought I was safe with them." See NIGHT, Page 2A Wheeler-Smith (D-Salem Twp.) asked Kelley to examine the legitimacy of a state law that was passed last year, allowing the state legislature to rescind taxpayer funds equal to the amount colleges pay for domestic partner health bene- fits. The original bill was co-sponsored by state sen- ators Bill Schuette (R-Midland) and George McManus (R-Traverse City). "1 don't see why it's necessary for an institution to fund and finance unmarried partners' benefits," McManus said. McManus maintained his stance on the issue, claiming the legislature has the right to take money away from the University for providing benefits to unmarried couples. "The judge doesn't have the right to tell us if we can or cannot appropriate," McManus said. Baker said reductions in University appropri- ations had not been made since the law passed law, the regents approved an extension of employ- ee benefit programs to same-sex domestic part ners in November 1994. Baker said through June 1996, the University has provided $160,000 to about 80 employees since the extension in benefits was made . Cumulatively, the University spent $245 million in employee benefits, which includes health and den- tal care. Criticism of the University's policy to provide these benefits first surfaced in the state's Senate Appropriations Committee last March and coa- lesced into the 1996 law. Sen. John Schwarz (R-Battle Creek) said he fully supported the attorney general's decision. "The legislature cannot micromanage the University or mandate any plans the University may have for its employees,' Schwarz said. "The legislature has no status on negotiating employee packages to its employees?' LENDING A HAND to the ave the part of nto the group ifferent n the t" Ai U.S. violent crime rate. decreases significantly Los AngelesTues WASHINGTON - The Justice Department reported new evidence yesterday of a continuing decline in violent crime, but the figures showed urban blacks experienced less of a decline than other groups. In its annual survey of violent-crime victims, the department's Bureau of Justice Statistics said the national rate for rape, robbery, assault and other violent crimes fell by an overall 12.4 percent between 1994 and 1995. The bureau said the fall was the largest record- ed since the annual National Crime Victimization statistics of a downward trend in violent crime after a peak in the 1980s. The Justice Department survey, based largely on interviews with a sample of 100,000 victims, differs from most other simi- lar studies, which rely only on crimes reported to police. It provides no breakdown of data by cities or regions. President Clinton hailed the new figures as showing the success of his anti-crime mea- sures. "The first full year of our crime bill produced the largest drop in violent crime in 22 years," the president said, referring to a measure to put RU UILMOE/Uaily LSA junior Anne Cummings helps clean the windows of the Jack and Jill School Day Care Center on Beakes Street as part of the Into the Streets project, sponsored by Project Serve. IT-11 . . " M 4 ".t. aat_____ I rt thi c duff dne withouit themi Hall,.