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News: 76-DAILY
Advertising: 7640554

One hundred six years ofeditoialfreedom

Thursday
April 17, 1997

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Regents to meet today

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By Heather Kamins
Daily Staff Reporter
The University Board of Regents' meeting
today may be noisier than most.
Citizens for Quality Health Care, a consor-
tium of groups concerned about nationwide
changes in the medical field, plans to mobilize
porters for its cause at a rally outside of the
eming Administration Building as the regents
gather inside for their monthly meeting.
The group, which will protest job cuts and
demand the preservation of quality health
care at University Hospitals, is made up of
representatives from the University Medical
Center, Interfaith Council for Peace and
Justice, League of Women Voters and local
unions.
"We are rallying because of the changes in
* University of Michigan Health Care
Center" said Frank Williams, chief steward of
the University Skilled Trades Union. "We want

to establish dialogue and establish solutions
with the regents to make sure the quality of
health care is not diminished."
The group objects to a three-year plan to
reduce the Medical Center's budget by $200
million. Last year, in the first stage of the plan,
the Medical Center underwent $60 million in
cuts. The next set of reductions will likely be
brought before the regents within the next few
months.
Williams said he hopes the people who will
be affected by the changes in the Medical
Center will have their voices heard.
"We hope to make the regents as aware as
the rest of the community," Williams said. "We
want to make sure that citizens and employees
are part of the decision-making process.'
Regent Daniel Horning (R-Grand Haven)
said the issue weighs heavily on the board.
"There have been concerns expressed at
public comments" Horning said. "That is

University Board of
Regents' April meeting:
Today: 1 p.m., Regents' Room, Fleming
Administration Building
3 p.m., rally by the Cube
4 p.m., public comments
Tomorrow: 9 a.m., Regents' Room
obviously going to be a topic of discussion and
concern for the regents:'
The group planned the rally to coincide with
the Medical Center's annual comparative sta-
tistics report, which is scheduled to be present-
ed at the meeting.
The report compares the Medical Center
against peer institutions around the nation
using key financial statistics, said Medical
.Center Chief Financial Officer Dave
Seflow.
See REGENTS, Page 5A

oalocation hike
State rep. chides Harrison

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These shoes were
made forhanging...
By Susan T. Port
Daily Staff Reporter
Greenwood Street looks just like a typical block of student
houses in Ann.Arbor - until you look up.
Overhead are more than 50 pairs of shoes swinging from
the phone and power lines that criss-cross the street.
Stringing shoes from utility wires is a phenomenon seen in
towns all over the country including, Fresno, Calif.; Austin,
Texas; Atlanta and Philadelphia, as well as Ann Arbor's
reenwood Street.
What's the significance of the faithfully flung footwear? No
one seems to know for sure.
The practice is believed to have begun more than a decade
ago when students tossed their shoes over the wires as a cele-
bratory rite of graduation. However, current residents of
Greenwood Street have their own stories about how the ritual
began.a
Engineering senior Chirsi DeRonne said his family tree
might explain the phenomenon. DeRonne said he believes his
grandfather began the tradition when he lived on Greenwood
Street.
"I think my grandfather was the first one to throw up a pair
of shoes," DeRonne said. "Maybe it could have begun as a cel-Y
ebration of victory in World War II, started by the army who
threw their boots up."
Growing up during the Great Depression, Ann Arbor resi-
dent Winifred Martin thought she had seen everything. But
after living in the primarily student-populated neighborhood
for 25 years, the shoe-tossing tradition has left Martin puz-
zled.
Martin said she can't understand how the residents manage
o hang up the shoes. Martin said she does not plan on throw-f
ng her shoes - even for the sake of tradition.
"I prefer to keep my shoes on my feet, Martin said. "It is ar
fad, one like rollerskating."
LSA junior Steve Schumacher said some students wait for
graduation to take part in the ritual.
"It is a tribute to graduation," Schumacher said. "You areH
throwing up shoes and, in the process, leaving something
behind."k
However, few residents bother to wait for graduation to take
part in the tradition.
DeRonne said he attempted to throw a pair earlier in the
year, but failed.
"I am just going to wait for another pair of shoes to get worn
out," DeRonne said. "We might be the only street to do this,
because the houses are so close people need a release in ten-
sion."
Shumacher said a lot of residents throw their shoes at night. LSA senior Andrew Frsch tosses a pair of shoes, ho
"A lot of drunks just get wasted then they throw their shoes phone and power lines above Greenwood Street. It t
up there," Shumacher said. tion to throw shoes over the wires as a celebratoryi
See SHOES, Page 5A said.

By Jeffrey Kosseff
Daily Staff Reporter
LANSING - In sharp contrast to Gov. John
Engler's 2.5-percent proposed funding increase,
the state House Higher Education Appropriations
Subcommittee recommended an average 5.5-per-
cent hike in allocations to state universities.
The University's Ann Arbor campus, along with
Eastern Michigan University, received the second-
lowest percentage increases of 4.8 percent. The
University's Dearborn campus received the lowest
rate of increase, at 4.7 percent, while Grand Valley
State University's 7.9-percent increase was the
largest hike.
But the subcommittee's appropriations recommen-
dation was accompanied by blistering criticism ofthe
University from its chair, Rep. Morris Hood (D-
Detroit), who called Vice President for University
Relations Walter Harrison "arrogant" and blasted the
University's out-of-state enrollment figures.
And some members of the subcommittee said
they are skeptical about the large spending
increases passing in the state Senate.
"Santa Claus and a sleigh have been running
around the (Upper Peninsula) and the rest of
Michigan,' said subcommittee minority vice-chair
state Rep. Donald Gilmer (R-Augusta), referring to

the proposed appropriations increases. "I hope no
one goes buying champagne and caviar too soon."
Hood cautioned that the budget process is only
one-quarter finished. The funding recommenda-
tion still needs to be moved to the general House
Appropriations Committee, the House floor, the
Senate Higher Education Appropriations
Subcommittee, the Senate Appropriations
Committee and the Senate floor.
"I am quite certain that when this bill reaches the
Senate, there will be changes made," Hood said.
Although the University's percentage increase
was comparatively low, University officials said
they were satisfied with the proposed allocation.
"It's an encouraging sign by the committee that
they support higher education;' Harrison said. "All
of the increases are pretty large. Across the board,
it's pretty generous?'
Harrison said he is not comparing the
University's proposed increase with other state
universities. He also said it is too early to tell what
the eventual increase will be.
Another new element in the budget proposal is
an increase in the minimum funding per student,
from $4,150 to $4,275. But some subcommittee
members, including Rep. Jim McBryde (R-Mt.
See BUDGET, Page 5A


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MSA completes
budget process

By Katie Plona
Daily Staff Reporter
Unlike last year's Michigan Student Assembly
financial problems, coined the "BPC non-crisis,"
this year's Budget Priorities Committee recently
wrapped up its allocation process with much praise.
"They've responsibly allocated the money,"said
Roger Fisher, assistant director for campus activi-
ties and programs, who serves as the University
liaison to MSA. "The two chairs were just out-
standing, both as administrators and representa-
tives. I can truly say if it wasn't for BPC, a lot of
things wouldn't get funded on campus."
BPC is responsible for dividing MSA funds
among student groups on campus. BPC Chair
Karie Morgan, who was re-elected to a second
MSA term two weeks ago, said one of her priori-
ties this year was making sure BPC did not run out
of MSA dollars before the year was through.
The funds requested by student groups ranged
from as high as $16,550 to as low as $52. The
amount of money groups received also varied. The
Hearing Impaired Students Organization got the
most funds, at $1,260, while eight campus organi-
zations received no funding.
In the previous year's assembly budget, BPC
appeared not to have enough money to cover the
requests for the last set of student groups.
"Basically, we spent more first semester than we
should have,"said Matt Curin, last year's BPC chair.
Former BPC Vice Chair John Lopez said sever-
al changes to the committee's operation were made
this year, including splitting the year's money

Budget Priorities Committee
requests and allocations
Allocated
Requested $2,5
Allocated
Requested $148,864
SOURCE: MSA Budget Priorities Committee
TRACEY HARRIS/Daily
equally over both semesters.
"We basically made sure the money was given out
evenly during the course of both terms," Lopez said.
Lopez said BPC cannot fund certain things, like
capital goods, food or resources used exclusively
for the groups' benefit.
Morgan said BPC committee members don't fol-
low a rigid set of criteria to make their funding
decisions.
"For the most part, it's a pretty case-by-case
basis:' Morgan said. "Throughout the year, we try
to be consistent."
Morgan said BPC members try to allocate sim-
ilar amounts of money to similar types of events or
See MSA, Page 5A

KRISTEN SCHAEFER/Daily
ping they will land on the
s a long-standing tradi-
rite of graduation, Frish


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Two 'U' fraternities
plan to become
alcohol-free by 2000

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UP sponsors
Jeans Day'
By Alice Robinson
Daily Staff Reporter
Students wearing jeans today may be making a political
statement without even knowing it.
The Queer Unity Project is offering students the chance to
show their support for equal rights for lesbiani gay and bisex-
ual people by wearing jeans today.
Jeans Day, sometimes called "Denim Day" at other college
campuses, encourages students, faculty and staff to wear
jeans or other denim articles to show they support an end to
discrimination against lesbians, gays and bisexuals.
However, some say the purpose of the day is to draw atten-
tion to those not wearing jeans.
"Jeans Day has never really been to find out who's sup-
portive of gay rights," said LSA senior and QUP member
Douglas Barns. "To me, it's more to find out who is not wear-
ing jeans ... that's the whole point of it."
LSA sophomore and QUP member Cory Fryling said
Jeans Day is unique in that it allows straight people the
chance to be supportive.
"Often von will sen eav students showing their nride and

By Chris Metinko
Daily Staff Reporter
The stereotypical image of a fraternity house
looking like a scene from "Animal House"
might soon become outdated.
The national leadership of Sigma Nu and
Phi Delta Theta fraternities have announced
Ans for their chapter houses to go alcohol-
by the year 2000, part of a national trend
to limit alcohol consumption at fraternity
houses.
Both national fraternity organizations said
they view this declaration as a chance to
eliminate the single biggest risk to safety and

free was not a sudden action, but rather part of
a continuous effort to lessen alcohol con-
sumption in the houses.
Rob Pasquinucci, director of communica-
tions for Phi Delta Theta's national organiza-
tion, said the decision was made so the fraterni-
ty could reduce the image that alcohol is an
integral part of fraternity life and instead return
to focusing on the values of fraternal and acad-
emic life.
"The general council decided (the fraterni-
ty) needed to return to core values"
Pasquinucci said.
Local members of the fraternities said they

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