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One hundred six years of editoriaifreedom
Friday
September 5, 1997
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,
I
"We are
lawsuit
this fall.
be a str
't is
y Jeffrey Kosseff
*Staff Reporter
The law firm that won the groundbreaking
opwood affirmative action case last year has
een contacted by a state legislator - and by up
o more than 70 students - about taking legal
ction against the University's admissions poli-
ies.
State Rep. David Jaye (R-Macomb) said he
nd three other representatives are spearheading
class action lawsuit against the University for
its admissions and financial aid programs,
'h he said discriminate based on race.
e are hoping the lawsuit will be filed later
his fall," Jaye told The Michigan Daily yester-
ay. "It's going to be a strong lawsuit."
Since May, Jaye said more than 400 people
ave contacted him, Rep. Michelle McManus
R-Lake Leelanau), Rep. Deborah Whyman (R-
anton Twp.) and Rep. Greg Kaza (R-Rochester
fills), with complaints.
Associate Vice President for University
elations Lisa Baker contended that the
ersity's admissions and financial aid poli-
it do not violate the law.
"Our admissions practices are both legal and
VPMA
jettles in A
y Heather Kamins
aily Staff Reporter
He arrived at the University on such short not
esterday that Gilbert Omenn hasn't quite gotten u
o his new surroundings.
"It all happened so all of a sudden," Omenn s
'As most of you know, I literally just got here. The
lot of rearranging to do."
, menn came to campus to field questions about
onsibilities of his newly formed role as execut
ice president for medical affairs. When introduc
menn, President Lee Bollinger listed Omenn's qt
ifications and accolades.
Bollinger highlighted Omenn's extensive gove
ent and private industry experience, which inclu
ervice as a White House Fellow at the Atomic Ene
ommission under Presidents Nixon and Ford and
ppointment as the associate director of the Office
anagement and Budget from 1977 to 1981. M
ecently, he served as chair of the Presidenti
ressional Commission on Risk Assessment a
Management.
"It is really quite a combination," Bollinger said
nenn's experiences in government and science.
Omenn spoke of his priorities and challenges as
mbarks on the high-powered position, wh
includes overseeing the School of Medici
University Hospitals and a $1 billion annual budg
e said his first objective is to maintain excellenc
"I can tell you my father is a patient of advan<
ancer," Omenn said. "Patients who need it want to
t e best place they can go. This is expected in
cademic medical center"
He said a main goal is to align the acaden
esearch and educational spheres of the University
he mutual benefit of each sector "to capture the r
otential of the community."
Provost Nancy Cantor said she was pleased t
menn shows dedication to furthering interdiscil
nary collaboration across the University.
"I am delighted that that voice and those values w
Goss becon
By Heather Kamins Flint), A
Daily Staff Reporter tract wi
Tom Goss is scheduled to officially bly the
begin his new job as the University's The new
athletic director Monday, only five days old one
before the Michigan football season Robe
S s off. intentio
hough University President Lee Aug. 12
Bollinger would not confirm the nomi- that acc
nation, sources close to the administra- Assis
tion said Bollinger plans to announce Madej s
Monday that the California business not bee
executive will replace retiring Athletic but Rob
Director Joe Roberson. Bollinger will ic direct
formally announce Roherson's denar- "I do
hoping the
will be filed later
.... It's going to
ong lawsuit."
State Rep. David Jaye
(R-Macom b)
Anti-affirmative action officials
are saying a Hopwood-style
lawsuit challenging the
University's admission policies
is imminent...
"We have for years
felt it is important to
have a University
that is very diverse."
Theodore Spencer, director of
undergraduate admissions
y
a
ma
e
of
ti me'
"The (University of Texas) law school has presented no compelling justi-
fication ... that allows it to continue to elevate some races over others."
-Hopwood v. Texas, 1996
appropriate," said Baker, adding that the
University plans to continue an agenda of main-
taining diversity and will wait to see what the
lawsuit claims. Baker said the University has not
been officially notified of the lawsuit. -
The four state legislators began a probe into
the University's affirmative action policies in
May, and said they received a tremendous
response. They referred the potential plaintiffs to
the Center for Individual Rights, the
Washington, D.C. law firm that won the case of
Cheryl Hopwood vs. the State of Texas.
In that precedent-setting case, the U.S. 5th
Circuit Court of Appeals found that the
University of Texas Law School violated the
14th Amendment when it used race-based affir-.
mative action in its admissions decisions.
"We are currently interviewing students who
believe they have been discriminated against by
the U of M," said CIR's director of public rela-
tions Robert Alt,.who would not comment on a
specific time frame for the lawsuit.
"More people have asked us for advice from
Michigan than from any other state in the coun-
try," said Michael Greve, executive director of
CIR and one of the nation's top anti-affirmative
action attorneys.
Greve said about 70 students who were denied
admission to the University's undergraduate, law
and medical schools have contacted his firm.
Some of the complaints came from people who
had first contacted the four legislators.
"Have we looked at these complaints? Yes, we
have looked at them, like everything else. Have
we above and beyond invested anything other
than the time we spent talking to these people
and looking at their files? No," Greve said.
"Are we prepared to represent these people?
Yes, if they have a good cause. Have we made a
decision? No."
Theodore Spencer, director of undergraduate
admissions, said the University aims for diversi-
ty when making admissions decisions.
"Diversity is one of many factors," Spencer
said. "We have for years felt it is important to
have a University that is very diverse."
Meanwhile, Jaye said he has more plaintiffs
than the required three for a class action lawsuit.
Jaye, a University alumnus, said the suit orga-
nizers are "looking for people who will stay the
course of the lawsuit," and they are currently
narrowing down the hundreds of possible plain-
tiffs.
Jaye said that he is helping organize a probe
into the University's affirmative action policies
because when he was a student at the University
in'the '70s, he was appalled by the preference
received by minorities.
"A number of my friends did not get scholar-
See LAWSUIT, Page 5
What do you think?
A new feature that will periodically
appear in The Michigan Daily will ask
our readers to comment on some of
the more pressing issues facing the
University community. The e-mail we
receive may be used in future news
stories or on the editorial page, and
we welcome all community input.
We are interested in
..your opinions about
the possible
lawsuit against
the University.
If you would
like to share
your views, please
e-mail: lawsuit.letters@umich.edu
before Sunday at 4 p.m. Letters may
be published, either in part or in
whole, in The Michigan Daily.
Mideast suicide
bombers kill 7
in Jerusalem
JERUSALEM (AP) - Three suicide
bomtbs exploded within a few deadly
seconds in the heart of Jerusalem yes-
terday, spraying rusty nails into a crowd
of shoppers and late-summer tourists
on the city's main pedestrian mall.
The blasts, claimed by the Islamic
militant group Hamas, killed seven
people - including the three bombers
- and struck a new blow to the peace
process just as hopes were rising for its
revival.
Hopes for peace in the region were
dealt a further setback early today as at
least 12 Israeli soldiers were killed dur-
ing a failed commando raid north of the
Israeli-occupied enclave in southern
Lebanon, security officials in Lebanon
said.
There was no immediate comment
from Israel about the raid, or the fatali-
ties. It was not clear whether Israel's
attack, in which several Lebanese fight-
ers also were injured, was ordered in
response to the Jerusalem bombings.
At least 192 people, including sever-
al American tourists, were also wound-
ed in the bombings, which turned the
bustling Ben Yehuda Street walkway of
cafes and shops into a chaotic night-
mare of broken glass and blood.
The four Israelis killed were identi-
fied as two 12-year-old girls, one 14-
year-old girl and a 20-year-old man,
radio reports said.
The three bombers apparently posi-
tioned themselves outside three stores,
close enough to make eye contact, and
blew themselves up within seconds of
each other.
"There were three of us talking, and
suddenly I heard an explosion," said
Bob Helfman of Detroit, who was sit-
ting at a cafe when the attack began.
"I tried to get up, realizing it was a
bomb, but my feet could not even sup-
port me, and I fell over. Then I heard
another bomb, and everyone started
running. No one knew which direction
to go in."
With sirens wailing and a charred
smell in the air, rescue workers treated
some victims on the sidewalk, sur-
See MIDEAST, Page 8
JOHN KRAFT/Daily
Gilbert Omenn, the University's new executive vice president for medical affairs, speaks at a news conference
yesterday after President Lee Bollinger announced he was hired for the new position.
Princess remember
be represented," Cantor said., "Everybody believes in
the colleague, the champion and the collaborator.
"As provost I just cannot imagine a better fit to the
team Lee is building," she said. "We will be able to get
outreach and lots of different perspective to hear. We
won't always agree,- and that is great. It will bring
merging and talking."
Omenn comes to the Medical Center in a time of
great need. In an effort to combat an impending finan-
cial crisis and offer patient costs at a rate closer to
competitors,
the Medical Center began a plan to
See OMENN, Page 5
aes athletics boss Monday
who confirmed that Goss' con-
ll start Monday. "This is proba-
best way to do the transition.
w one will take on the job as the
moves on."
rson publicly announced his
n to step down from the post
2, citing the mounting stresses
ompany college athletics.
tant Athletic Director Bruce
said that a specific timetable has
n set for the transition period,
berson will assist the new athlet-
tor for a short while.
n't know when Tom will walk
Goss will become the fourth person
to serve as athletic director in nine
years. He will inherit a bruised and bat-
tered athletic program that is currently
conducting an investigation into alleged
NCAA infractions by the basketball
team and trying to overcome four
straight disappointing football seasons,
in which Michigan lost four games each
year.
"This is going to be a transition peri-
od," Madej said. "Roberson has not
moved out of his office. I don't think
that there are boxes outside of his
office. He's around and no one is boot-
"Unless he's a superhuman ... it is
going to take him some time to get
adjusted," Carras said. "It's like a fresh-
man coming to campus for the first
year. It's a whole new culture to get
adjusted to."
Carras said the new appointment will
not affect the golf program.
"I don't think it will change my pro-
gram, I've been through five athletic
directors and we just keep on going,"
Carras said.
While reports have circulated about
Goss' appointment for more than a
week, Associate Vice President for
i -~. E-,ay