LOCAL/STATE

The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, November 26, 1997 - 3

DIED
Calif. regents
grant domestic
artner benefits
aping off a two-day meeting, the
University of California Board of
Regents voted Friday to extend health-
care benefits to the domestic partners of
gay and lesbian university employees.
in order to qualify for benefits, a
.couple must each be at least 18 years
old, have lived together for at least 12
months, show mutual financial support
and sign a contract stating that these
nditions have been met.
According to the proposal drafted by
University of California President
Richard Atkinson, the estimated cost of
providing health benefits to employees'
same-sex domestic partners would be
between $1.9-5.6 million, The
Guardian reported.
California Gov. Pete Wilson made
a rare appearance at last week's
meeting to express his disapproval
th the domestic-partner proposal
to encourage the board to vote
against it.
The proposal was approved 13-12
with one abstention, despite
Wilson's efforts to prevent the item
from passing, The Guardian report-
ed.
Many gay and lesbian employees
had said that if the board had failed to
pass the proposal, they would be more
inclined to accept offers from other
versities that promise domestic-
partner benefits.
Twelve spring
break vacationers
file lawsuit
Twelve University of Wisconsin stu-
dents claim they were robbed of their
'ring break by Take-A-Break, Inc., a
pany specializing in providing
vacation packages.
The students filed a breach of
contract lawsuit a week ago, claim-
ing the company failed to provide
the hotel rooms it promised during
the students' spring break in 1997,
the Badger Herald reported.
The lawsuit claims Take-A-Break,
Inc. asked students to make their
hotel reservations and spring break
*ns through the company.
But when the students arrived at
their destinations, no hotel rooms
were reserved.
Several confirmations had been sent
to four of the plaintiffs regarding their
reservations. Each of them paid the
company $200 for seven days of
accommodations.
Take-A-Break, Inc. did not respond
publicly to the suit.
former. Dartmouth
student gets six
months for theft
A former Dartmouth College
Review editor-in-chief began a six-
month jail sentence Monday for
embezzling thousands of dollars from
the off-campus weekly publication.
In a Nov. 10 hearing, E. Davis
*ewer plead guilty to Class A misde-
meanor theft. In addition to the jail sen-
tence, he was fined $500.
During his tenure as editor-in-chief
in 1995-96, Brewer is alleged to have

written checks in excess of $8,500
from The Review's accounts to pay for
his tuition bills and other personal
expenses, The Dartmouth reported.
Grafton County Superior Attorney
orge Waldron said he agreed to a
sser charge against Brewer, instead of
a maximum 15 years in jail and a
$4,000 fine, because the accused had
no prior criminal record and had paid
the restitution in full.
Brewer did not graduate with his
class and has yet to receive his diplo-
ma. If he returns to Dartmouth after his
imprisonment, he may or may not be
re-admitted.
-Compiled by Daily Staff Reporter
Megan Exley from U-wire reports.

Students' Party strong in LSA-SG election

By Jennifer Yachnin
Daily Staff Reporter
The Students' Party followed up a
strong showing in last week's Michigan
Student Assembly elections by taking
eight of 10 open seats in the LSA
Student Government election.
"I was surprised to an extent," said
LSA-SG President Lauren Shubow, a
member of the Students' Party. "I think
both sides did a lot of good campaigning."
The release of LSA-SG election results
was delayed until yesterday because the
election director fined several of the can-
didates for postering in unapproved areas.
The results were held until all the penal-
ized candidates paid the fines.
Shubow, an RC junior, said she
expected the Students' Party to take the
majority of seats after she saw the MSA
election results, although she didn't

expect it to be so lop-sided.
"in general, it was a good election,"
Shubow said.
All eight of the successful Students'
Party candidates were previously asso-
ciate members of LSA-SG, Shubow
said. As associate members, the stu-
dents could perform all the tasks of
elected members except voting.
Students Party candidate Gerard
Jenkins, an LSA first-year student, attrib-
uted his win in part to his experience as
an associate member of LSA-SG.
"As an associate member I was going
to meetings and getting involved,"
Jenkins said. "Some of my competition
were not associate members, and I
couldn't really understand how you can
run if you don't know what you're run-
ning for."
Although he could have. stayed on

LSA-SG without running in the elec-
tion, Jenkins said he ran in order to
combat corruption in the organization.
"I know there are some people on the
government who only want things for
their student organizations," Jenkins
said. "I wanted to see some changes as
far as how people take care of business."
Newly elected LSA-SG member
Seema Pai, an LSA sophomore, said she
chose to run for LSA-SG even though she
had no experience with the organization.
"I had never been to an LSA-SG
meeting before, but I had been involved
with MSA," said Pai, who ran with the
Michigan Party. "I wanted to work
more with academic affairs, and LSA
deals with that a lot more."
Pai said the election went smoothly,
although there were a few things she
would change in her campaign strategy.

"In the end, whoever had the best
ideas won," Pai said. "I think I would
probably personalize my campaign a lit-
tle more next time."
Three incumbent LSA-SG members
who ran as independents did not win re-
election.
"I hope all the active members of the
government remain as associate mem-
bers - they started a lot of good
things" Shubow said.
Ronak Shah, an ILSA sophomore.
was one of the independent candidates
who lost his seat.
"I think that there's a definite possi-
bility I'll stay," Shah said. "I have plans
to contribute and continue working with
LSA on future projects."
The fall elections were a first-time
event for LSA-SG, Shubow said.
LSA junior Gregg Lanier, external

LSA-SG election results
EAlbert Garcia (SP)
U Jeff Irwin (SP)
0 Gerard Jenkins (SP)
8 Becky Kinney (SP)
U Blake Lynch (SP)
0 Amer Nalem (MP)
Ron Page (SP)
N Seema Pai (MP)
M PJ Shemtoob (SP)
Karen Zenoff (SP)
Key:
MP = Michigan Party
SP = Students' Party
relations officer for LSA-SG, said ,he
was pleased with the election turnout
"I was very happy with the turnout I
didn't think it would be as large as it was."


Economists expect
slow growth for '98

By Reilly Brennan
Daily StaiTReporter
Bright with few clouds is the forecast
for 1998.
A conference, led by economists
from the Research Seminar in
Quantitative Economics, gathered last
week at Rackham for the 45th straight
year to discuss the national and state
economic outlook.
University economist Joan Crary
said 1997 was a solid year statewide,
one that saw progress from many
aspects of the economy, but overall was
growing slower than 1994 or 1995.
Crary said 1998 will be a year of
growth in Michigan, but will see small-
er and more incremental gains than the
previous year.
"The Michigan economy has settled
down to a moderate pace," Crary said.
"Average growth rate will slow a bit."
Crary wrote the annual state forecast
with George Fulton, another University
economist, and RSQE Director Saul
Hymans. Crary said the next few years
will continue to see the advent of growth
for Michigan's economy, but at an even
slower pace than the current one.
Detroit's involvement with casinos
and the new Lions' stadium will play a
part in the growth, Crary said.
"Whether or not the casinos are a
success is dependent upon the casi-
nos bringing in money from outside
of the city," Crary said. "If people
just decide to spend their money on
casinos rather than going to the Fox
Theatre, then there will be no eco-

nomic gain."
The two-day meeting was attended
not only by University economists, but
also by professors from other universi-
ties and private business executives.t
Richard Verdha, a private consultnt
from Ann Arbor, said last week was his
second time attending the conference.
"I've heard what these guys say, and
usually they're a bit on the conservative
side," Verdha said. "They're usually
right about wha t t'y predict, because
oftentimes they don't predict anything
drastic. ",
As it turns out, the analysts' predic-
tions did prove truthful, as last year's
Michigan personal income forecast was
within .5 percent and the forecast of the
U.S. vehicle production rate was also
precise.
Hymans opened the conference
Thursday morning and spoke on jtl
national economic outlook. '
Hymans reported in the forecast that
the American household purchasing
power, or real disposable income, will
increase 3.3 percent in 1998 and enjoy
a smaller but noticeable rise in 1999...
"The U.S. economy is growing at a
rate in excess of its capacity, or poten-
tial, growth rate," Hymans said.
Hymans, along with Crary and Janet
Wolfe, another University economist,
added that the American economy as a
whole should remain relatively sunny;
in spite of higher interest rates an4
incremental rises in inflation.
The two-day conference was spor;
sored by the Department of Economics;

JOHN KRAFT/Daily
LSA junior Jon Chiang and LSA first-year student Sapna Parekh prepare for their Sociology 389 class, which pairs
University students with Asian Pacific American students at Huron High School in Ann Arbor.
Sociolog stuents interact
with Asian American teens

By Christine M. Paik
Daily Staff Reporter
Students in section 16 of Sociology 389 are taking their
education one step further - by learning to serve and
serving to learn.
"Asian American Students," the first section of
Sociology 389 to specifically target the Asian American
community, is a mentorship program that pairs University
students with Asian Pacific American students at Huron
High School.
"I think this program is significant in that most of these
community service classes are based on retention issues
or access issues, but for the APA community, a lot of it is
identity issues,' said Marie Ting, one of the course
instructors. "A lot of these kids face racism, and there's no
role model for them to go to, and I think these problems
are just as critical as the access issues."
All sections of Sociology 389 are taught by juniors or
seniors at the University and are designed around com-
munity service projects. Section 16 is the only course
taught by University staff members.
Course instructor Tait Sye said the goals of the
class are three-fold.
"One is to make links between college students and
high school students, two is to provide the college stu-
dents with an understanding of the education system, and
three, to provide for both sets better understanding of
Asian American awareness issues," Sye said.
Plans for the class began to develop this summer when
the leaders of Huron High School's Asian Pacific
Education Exchange Club contacted Ting and Sye.
The 13 University students enrolled in section 16 visit
APEX meetings twice a week, addressing topics that
range from Asian American history to leadership skills.
LSA junior Kahala Ogata said she jumped at the
chance to become involved with the Ann Arbor commu-

nity.
"I found that a lot of APA students are unaware of the
issues surrounding them, and I wanted to address this,"
Ogata said. "When the kids get enthusiastic, it makes me
feel good and lets me know that they are taking something
with them."
The University students make site visits on Thursdays
and Fridays for practical, hands-on experience, while a
two-hour class on Tuesday evenings offers the students an
academic service foundation.
The site visits are organized completely by the stu-
dents, who plan events such as poster-making and small
group discussions.
"I think this has really benefited APEX in that our
members are really enthusiastic now," said APEX co-
president Apurna Arunkumar. "This has been the best
thing for our organization, and I hope the class contin-
ues."
Because the class was offered for the first time this
semester, both the students and the instructors say they
find it difficult to gauge how successful the class has
been.
"In the beginning it was really frustrating to work with
the kids," said Engineering senior Rudhir Patel. "It has
been difficult at times because there's just not enough
time, but I mean, I've had fun working with them."
Ting and Sye said they will continue to administer the
class next term, using what they've learned from their
mistakes this semester.
"I think that when we run this again next semester,
there will be. a lot of changes made, and we'll know bet-
ter what to do and what not to do," Ting said.
"For the most part, everybody involved can walk away
saying they've learned something, and I want that to con-
tinue next semester as well. I'm sure next semester we'll
be able to see even more results," she said.

Monument honors
pioneer proesr

By Chris Metinko
Daily Staff Reporter
One of the oldest structures on cam-
pus - the Professor's Monument -
was dedicated Friday, 151 years after its
construction.
The dedication celebrated the unveil-
ing of new plaques on the monument
that translated the worn away Latin
inscriptions once visible on the memo-
rial.
"Thousands go by, and 99 percent
don't notice it," said Robert Warner,
dean of the School of Information and
Library Studies and a member of the
History and Traditions Committee, the
group that sponsored the dedication.
The monument is located at the
southeast side of the Harlan Hatcher
Graduate Library, and the President's
House is the only older structure on
campus.
The Professor's Monument was con-
structed in 1846 and serves as a tribute
to four University professors who died
during the University's early years. The
professors - Samuel Denton, Charles
Fox, Douglass Houghton and Joseph
Whiting - are not buried under the
memorial, making the monument a
cenotaph. The broken column that rises
out of the center of the monument rep-
resents the lives of the professors that
were cut short.
Warner said the monument is special
because it is one of the few monuments
that celebrates the faculty.
"We have lots of recognition for
administrators, like buildings and por-
traits, but not much recognition to fac-

ulty" Warner said. "Faculty is so impor-
tant in carrying out the mission of the
University."
Louis D'Alecy, who chairs the
Senate Advisory Committee on
University Affairs, the faculty's govern.
ing body, also said that it is good to seE
faculty members recognized for theo
contributions.
"Memorials like this serve as a realW
ty check," said D'Alecy, who called the
monument "a memorial to the soul 9f
the University and the faculty."
Jason Radine, a University alun
nus, gave the dedication speech.
Warner chose Radine because he was
familiar with a paper Radine hafd
written about the monument as an
undergraduate.
"I had always wondered about it'
said Radine, who added that he we
drawn to the monument because of how
it stood there "silently" and "mysteri-
ously," with no plaques.
Radine said the monument is the
only known memorial for Whiting.
"As far as we know, this cenotaph
stands as his only memorial," Radiate
said. "Yet all of these four professos'
live on in the great university whit
they created and nurtured."
The monument not only serves Co
recognize the professors, said Bentidy
Library Director Fran Blouin, but alsd
gives its audience an understanding ©f
the early roots of the University.
"When you read those tributes, it
brings to mind the thinking, feeling acid
learning that went on in the 1800s,"
Blouin said.

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What's happening in Ann Arbor today

RECYCLE
THE
DAILY.

WEDNESDAY
J "NAACP presents: Angel Gift-Giving
Tree," Sponsored by The
Salvation Army, The Salvation
Army, First floor across CIC desk.
Q "19th Annual Holiday Gifts Show"
Sponsored by the Ann Arbor Art
Center, 117 West Liberty St., 10
a.m.- 9 p.m.
Bib Av

Center, 117 West Liberty St., 10
a.m.- 9 p.m.
[ "University Aikido," Sponsored by
The University Club Sports
Program, Intramural Sports
Building, Wrestling Room, 5-6 p.m.
SATURDAY
U "HIV/AIDS Testing," Sponsored by
The HIV/AIDS Resource Center,
HARC Offices, 3075 Clark Rd,

byThe Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor,
Kiwanis Buildin4, 200 S. First St.,
corner of Washington, 9 a.m- 12
p.m.
SUNDAY
Q"Annual Christmas tree sales,"
Sponsored by the Ann Arbor
Jaycees, Fox Tent and Awning,
617 S. Ashley St.
0 "NAACP presents: Angel Gift-Giving

II :1

Everyone
needs a little

WEDNESDAY.,


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