WEv40 News: 76-DAILY Advertising: 764-0554 One hundred six years of editorialfreedom Thursday September 18, 1997 -------- - ----- i .:t n s uy? 8. New law to tap keg buyers Legislator pushes for all kegs to be tagged by seller and signed by the purchaser regulatedrinking Jeffrey Kosseff Daily Staff Reporter In the wake of alcohol-induced riots at Michigan State University, state Sen. Diane Byrum plans to propose legislation that cracks down on a major source of alcohol for minors. When the state legislature goes back into session later this month, Byrum (D- Onondaga) said she will propose a bill that Ows municipalities to require all kegs of beer to be tagged and signed for by the pur- chaser. "It will help reduce underage drinking because kegs are the common source of beer for minors at many parties," Byrum said. Ann Arbor Police Department Sgt. Larry Jerue said that in 1996, 296 minors were charged with possession of alcohol. The max- imum penalty for minors who consume alco- hol and adults who provide it is 90 days in jail or a $100 fine. Jerue said the proposal is a good idea, but he questioned its effectiveness. "There is some merit to the proposal," Jerue said. "It will help around the high school lines. However, from a college standpoint, the person of age resides at that location." Minors, Jerue said, often receive alcohol in forms other than kegs. "Most of the time, people purchase other alcohol for minors:' Jerue said. "For exam- ple, they'll have a friend purchase a six- pack." Laura Dorman, a Nursing School junior, said she supports the proposal. "It's fair because the person who pur- chases the keg knows they are responsi- ble," Dorman said. "They already are responsible, but the law would make it more justified." Jerue said the responsibility now lies with the resident of the house or apart- ment where a minor is found consuming alcohol. "Once you're in possession of the keg, you are responsible for it because it is your house," Jerue said. "Someone who lives there is normally over 21." Byrum said she has been working with the East Lansing community for four years on the issue of minors consuming alcohol, and she hopes this bill will effectively reduce the problem. The proposal has received support from many of Byrum's colleagues. "Keggers are dangerous," said state Sen. Bill VanRegenmorter (R-Hudsonville). "The concept of putting more accountabil- ity for alcohol consumption by minors is great." In East Lansing, liquor stores experiment- ed with a voluntary keg-tagging program for See BEER, Page 5A JONATHAN SUMMER/Dally Kegs sit at Campus Comer. Keg buyers may soon be asked for ID so they can be held liable for underage drinking. Bus fire erupts on5 cam us " 1L By Sam Stavis Daily Staff Reporter A fire broke out on a North Campust bus yesterday afternoon, forcing the evac- Sation of passengers, delaying bus routes} nd closing roads for nearly an hour. The fire occurred at about 1:40 p.m., near the Pierpont Commons on the busy corner of Murfin Road and Bonisteel Boulevard. No one was injured. "Everyone around me was in shock," said LSA first-year student Vinh Nguyen, who witnessed the fire. "It smelled. It smelled like burning plastic." Preliminary investigations indicate that an electrical fire was the source of the ,onflagration, said Department of Public Safety spokesperson Elizabeth Hall. The Ann Arbor Fire Department dis- patched two fire engines to combat the blaze, which "was pretty much confined to the engine compartment at the rear of the bus," said acting Lt. Phil Smith of thep AAFD. The fire was extinguished in about three minutes, he said. LSA first-year student Jared Cardonr was a passenger on the bus when the firey -tarted. "We pulled up to Pierpont. The bus stopped, and the people who needed to get off left," Cardon said. "The bus was about _ to start going, and then this weird buzzer went off. Everybody looked up, andv stayed seated. Nobody knew what it meant." Cardon said the 25 passengers on the. bus did not panic because "nobody knew what was happening until they got off" "The bus driver stood up, got off, and looked over (to the back of the bus). She came back on, and said, 'all right, every- boThe fire "started in theheater area," s said garage foreman Keith Johnson, who ISAAC DIETZ/Special to the Daily inspected the bus after the fire was extin- A bus is consumed by flames outside of PlerPont Commons yesterday on North Campus. The problem was caused by See FIRE, Page 5A an electrical fire in the engine. Nobody was injured. LU' prepares for inauguration By Heather Kamins Daily Staff Reporter Vice President for University Relations Walter Harrison has been trying to run a mile and a half three times a week just so he can keep up with the president. The exercise regiment is Harrison's way of training for University President Lee Bollinger's inauguration tomorrow, which is scheduled to begin with a 5K run. "Unlike the president, I am not a runner, but I'm two weeks younger than him, so I'll be damned if he runs and I don't," Harrison said. "So, as a matter of pride, I'm going to do this. I intend to finish last, but I intend to fin- ish." The 5K run/walk will kickoff the day-long event that Bollinger said will celebrate not just the office of the pres- idency, but the entire University com- munity. Bollinger, who will be the 12th University president to be inaugurated, said he wanted the-event to include al- aspects of the campus. "I think of it primarily as a time for the University to look at itself," Bollinger said. The run will be followed by the for- mal inauguration ceremony in Hill Auditorium, which seats 4,000 people, and then an outdoor celebration in Ingalls Mall. , LSA sophomore Sam Kirk, a sales- person at the Michigan Union Ticket Office, said about 2,000 free tickets for the inauguration already have been dis- tributed. "I've seen more non-students than students," Kirk said. "There hasn't P1t14.G pY Events: 7:30 a.m.: 5K run/walk 10 a.m.: Inauguration ceremony at Hill Auditorium 12 p.m.: Outdoor recep- tion in Ingalls Mall Free tickets for the inauguration, ceremony can be obtained at the Michigan Union Ticket Office. F~ nm u,,sf ,yc (rx~- i:. LI . 2 .uanxa wn ae ' been much of a line on inauguration tickets." A procession of about 300 invited individuals will lead Bollinger across campus into Hill Auditorium for the ceremony. Speakers, will include for- mer University President Harold Shapiro, currently the president of -Princeton University. The afternoon will be devoted to inaugurating the Year of Humanities and Arts through an academic sympo- sium. Speakers will include Ann Arbor Mayor Ingrid Sheldon and numerous members of the University faculty. Universities across the nation cele- brate presidential inaugurations in many ways. Many schools devote the day to the celebration of academia in America, while at others, newly appointed presidents use the opportu- nity to make major policy announce- ments. When Duke University inaugurated See BOLUNGER, Page 5A Shalala to speak on childrens rwelfare Students protest for affmnative action h -By Kate Plona SDaily Staff Reporter More than 50 students strategically marched past several campus sites yesterday, chanting rallying cries to create a " student movement to defend affirmative action at the University. A newly formed group, the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action By Any Means Necessary, organized a rally that began at 1 p.m. on the Diag and progressed F ' through the campus area. "We formed because U of M is going to be the next great battleground for the war on affirmative action," said ;-BAMN member Jessica Curtin. "So, it's up to us to turn the war around and begin to win and fight for affirmative action." Curtin said the rally, as well as the coalition, was formed in response to threats against affirmative action - including a potential lawsuit against University affirmative action policies, incidents at the Nectarine Ballroom, the drawing of J - swastikas on Mary Markley residence hall doors and a car- toon that appeared in The Michigan Daily on Sept. 9. +rCurtin stressed that joining students and student groups together will be the most effective way to respond to criti- cism of affirmative action practices. ..~ r' a r "If we don't organize, we're sure to lose. No student group we is strong enough to do this by itself," Curtin said. Law second-year student Russ Abrutyn, a BAMN mem- ber, said the groups need to not only defend affirmative * Secretary of Health and Human Services will lecture on government's work on child issues By Jeffrey Kosseff Daily Staff Reporter Donna Shalala, secretary of Health and Human Services, is scheduled to speak at 10 a.m. today in the ;Power Center, as part of the annual fedele F. and Iris M. Fauri Memorial Lecture on Child Welfare. "We are very fortunate that she can come," said Sharon Moskwiak, the School of Social Work senior executive secretary, who organized the event. "It's quite a coup for the School of Social Work. We are all very excited about this." Moskwiak said the school has worked for about a year on bringing Shalala as a speaker. Victor Zonana, Shalala's press secretary, said she plans to address a broad range of child welfare topics. "It will be a comprehensive look at how the administration works on chil- dren's issues" Zonana said. Shalala speaks When: Today, 10 a.m. Where: Power Center Why: Annual Fedele F. and Iris M. Fauri Memorial Lecture on . Child Welfare ,': President Clinton's recent decision to guarantee health insurance to all chil- dren. Before she was named to Clinton's cabinet in 1993, Shalala served as Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where she was the first woman to lead a Big Ten university. She has taught at the City University of New York and Columbia University and volun- teered in the Peace Corps in lran in the early '60s. She also served as the director of the American Stock Exchange. ' As secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Shalala oversees all federal health welfare pro- grams, including Medicare and Medicaid. Her department has an approximate budget of $354 billion.