LOCAL/STATE
The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, October 1, 1997 --
Second trial for
-MSU murder
set to begin
Jury selection for the trial of the sec-
d of two men accused in the slaying
a Michigan State University first-
ye-ar student began yesterday in
$iginaw County Circuit Court.
:August Williams is accused of the
Jan. 3 slaying of Karen King. His
cousin, Shytour Williams, was convict-
ed Aug. 14 on charges of first-degree
murder, criminal sexual conduct, car-
jacking, armed robbery, kidnapping
and possession of a firearmduring the
ommission of a felony.
August Williams is charged with the
same crimes. The pair were tried sepa-
rately because both defendants blamed
each other for the crime, The State
News reported.
Shytour Williams, who faces a possi-
ble sentence of life without parole, will
be sentenced after August Williams'
trial concludes.
The trial is expected to last three
eks, including a week for jury selec-
Wn, Saginaw County Prosecutor
Michael Thomas said.
Five charged with
riot violations
Five individuals identified as partici-
pants in the Sept. 7 post-football-win
melee at Michigan State University
"ave been formally charged for their
aleged roles in the incident.
None of the defendants pleaded
ilty to the charges against them, The
State News reported.
Carolyn Thompson of Williamston,
Mich., and Courtney Todd, an MSU
'tudent from Novi, surrendered to
police Thursday and waived their right
t6' arraignments, police said. Both
iv6men have been charged with inde-
cent exposure, a misdemeanor offense.
Jason Brown of Mt. Vernon, Ill.,
'>vi resident Andrea Hanania and East
Lansing resident Carson Burkett all
tirned themselves in Friday. They also
haye been charged with misdemeanors
ranging from indecent exposure to
destruction of public property and
throwing bottles at police.
The misdemeanor charges are pun-
.ishable by a maximum sentence of 90
dabys in jail, a $500 fine, or both.
U student told
he cannot finish
university studies
Brook Gebre-Mariam was a gradu-
ate student at Colorado University in
Denver when he got called for military
duty in Italy, his native country. Fearing
that he might not obtain U.S. residency,
Gebre-Mariam returned to Italy to
nplete his military stint.
But now that Gebre-Mariam is ready
.freturn to his studies, he is being told
.i cannot re-enter the United States.
Even though he had a student visa
that lasted until 1999, he had to reapply
because he left the country for more
"than six months. Now the Immigration
and Naturalization Service is refusing
to renew his student visa, the Colorado
Daily reported.
-Due to recent changes in immigra-
n laws that took effect Saturday, if
Gebre-Mariam returns even to visit his
''parents, who now live in Boulder, he
-:5pld be deported and not allowed to
w-:Upply for a visa for three to 10 years.
MISU student
fJces publishing
charges
A former Michigan State University
employee of the State News appeared
in court Monday to face charges for
.cfmes he may have committed as an
-; ployee of the newspaper.
,Adam Ward, a business administra-
tion junior, is charged with two counts
of uttering and publishing, The State
News reported. The offense carries a
{.maximum sentence of 14 years in
' rison.
Uttering and publishing is a crime
usually involving personal or business
checking accounts, money orders or
cashier's checks, said Angela Lloyd,
assistant Ingham County prosecutor in
charge of the case. The specifics of
Ward's case have yet to be released by
officials pending the ongoing investi-
gation.
- Compiled by Daily Staff Reporter
Megan Exley.
Mayor discusses parking squeeze with MSA
By Susan T. Port mayor so she knows where to take action. help pay for the rebuilding and extensive expan- said. "He needs to present what is important I
Daily Staff Reporter "Housing concerns are paramount and are sign of the structures. student body at the meetina."
to th
Ann Arbor Mayor Ingrid Sheldon addressed
issues concerning University students such as city
parking and housing problems at last night's
Michigan Student Assembly meeting.
"I have to make the extra effort to find out what
students are thinking," Sheldon said. "I think for
the past few years it has become a tradition to
exchange dialogue between the city and the stu-
dent assembly."
Ann Arbor's housing problems stem from too
much demand and not enough supply, Sheldon said.
MSA Vice President Olga Savic said it is impor-
tant to voice concerns on housing directly to the
icy ensur
'1. 9P1
important for students," Savic said. "I am not real-
ly sure what the city can do unless we bring it to
the city's attention."
Sheldon spoke about the close of the
Washington Street parking structure and future
plans to close the South Forest Street structure.
Lack of funding and poor upkeep of the parking
structures caused the need for renovation, she said.
"It's very exhausting having a study of all the
parking structures," Sheldon said. "The parking
structures are very old and over time have wors-
ened in their condition."
Parking fees in Ann Arbor already have risen to
Sheldon urged students to support the local mer-
chants during the months of construction because
parking threatens to be more tight than usual. pos-
sibly deterring customers.
"1 can't stress enough how much the businesses
need you," Sheldon said.
Sheldon's presence at the assembly meeting last
night will be reciprocated by MSA President Mike
Nagrant's future visit to an Ann Arbor City
Council meeting.
"(Having Nagrant speak) at least gives him the
chance to promote and tell Ann Arbor what is
important to the U of M student body," Sheldon
Nagrant said he is currently planning his pre
sentation for he city council meeting to show th
city what the assembly is all about.
"1 want to show the council that we are not jug
a bunch of hoodlums ruining the city," Nagran
said.
Communications Committee Chair Rya:
Friedrichs said that cooperation and communica
tion with Sheldon and the city council has led t,
solutions for campus problems in the past
Friedrichs pointed to the improved lighting or
Central Campus as a direct result of last year'.
MSA-sponsored SafeWalk with Sheldon.
I
religious freedoms
By Katie Piona
Daily Staff Reporter
For many members of the University's
large Jewish student population, tonight's
celebration of Rosh Hashana marks the
beginning of a month of observed reli-
gious holidays - and a string of missed
classes and make-up work.
But according to an official
University policy enacted just last year,
students can observe religious holidays
without being penalized for missed
classes, assignments and exams.
After only one year as an official
University policy, University alumnus
Anthony Scaglione, who developed the
policy with the help of several
University administrators, said he is
pleased with the results.
"In the year since the policy's
approval, I have been contacted by stu-
dents on the campus in Ann Arbor, as
well as U of M students on study abroad
programs ... who have told me that the
policy has given them the ammunition
they needed to successfully confront
insensitive faculty," Scaglione said.
Len Scott, liaison for ethics and reli-
gion in the Office of the Dean of
Students, said it would be unfair to deny
students the security the policy offers.
"It's something that the University
has wanted to do in the past," Scott said.
"It just gives a student some place to
turn to in case they get a professor who
is being unreasonable about it."
Scaglione said several factors neces-
sitated the policy's formation.
"The reason that the policy on reli-
gious-academic conflicts is so impor-
tant is that for years and years this insti-
tution disregarded the holidays of many
non-Christian students," he said.
Scaglione said personal experiences
and the experiences of other students
compelled him to develop the policy.
Jack Novodoff, administrative man-
ager for the department of chemistry,
said he has not received any complaints
from staff members or students regard-
ing the policy.
"Usually, our faculty are really recep-
tive;" Novodoff said. "They understand
the policy and they understand the
needs of students."
Novodoff said the University's policy
falls in line with the constitutional
rights of all U.S. citizens.
"Freedom of religion is guaranteed
by the Constitution and (the policy)
gives them the opportunity to make up
the work without being penalized,"
Novodoff said.
Scaglione said all students have the
right to participate in religious traditions.
"In a time when our federal, state, and
local politicians seem to have made
prayer in school their moral crusade, it is
ironic that Jewish students and students
from other religious backgrounds have
had to struggle for the right to observe
prayer outside of school," Scaglione said.
"What is wrong with this picture?"
Although they said they are thankful
for the University's stance on religious-
academic conflicts, some students
expressed frustrations with missing
classes and doing make-up work.
"It's just another one of the chal-
lenges of religious observance," said
Hillel Governing Board Chair David
Caroline, an RC junior.
The Office of the Registrar began
sending an e-mail to all students Monday
that details the religious-academic policy.
University Ombudsperson Jennifer
Walters, who fields student-faculty dis-
agreements about the policy, said she has
not received any complaints since the pol-
icy's enactment.
"I used to have complaints because
there weren't any clear guidelines about
how professors and students should
resolve religious conflicts," Walters said.
Moving day
7 ~AP PHOTO
Workersmovea.
dolly under
>N^Detroit's Gem -
Theatre yesterday
in Detroit. Work
continues prior to
moving day to
yT ' make way for
Detroit's two new
sports stadiums
The 2,750-ton
building has been.
x jacked up 10 feet
on steel beams O.
the wheels will fy:
underneath. A
total of 72 dolile
will be used to
move the building
f approximately
1,850 feet some-
time this month.
\ 4 tY ,\ tte
Show fcue o eoutioo:
auodesign, fuureofIndsr
HUD: A2 ousing
gets passing grades
By Mike Haven
For the Daily
The cars of the future will be made of
aluminum instead of traditional steel
and will make more efficient use of fuel
in order to protect the environment.
That was the message of a College of
Engineering-sponsored seminar that
wrapped up yesterday. The two-day
event focused on the evolution of auto-
mobile design and the materials used in
making them.
The seminar was funded by the
National Science Foundation and was
comprised of representatives from Ford,
General Motors and Chrysler, as well as
several government organizations.
"We'd like to define the future direc-
tions of the auto industry in terms of
research and materials," said Jwo Pan,
associate professor of mechanical engi-
neering and applied mechanics, and
organizer of the workshop. "There are
many aspects of new materials for the
auto industry we need to research and
evaluate, but in which we have no expe-
rience."
Researchers at Chrysler are hoping to
change industry standards with the cor-
poration's new car, the Prowler. With a
low-to-the-ground design, the vehicle
looks like a cross between the
Batmobile and an Indy car.
"We want it to do what the Viper did
for Ford," said Saad Abouzahr, manager
of material applications for Chrysler.
"We want it to enhance the image of our
brand."
More important than the appearance
of the aluminum-intensive Prowler is
the trend it represents within the auto-
motive industry. Lighter weight is con-
sidered better, and engineers are experi-
menting with materials like magnesium,
titanium and especially aluminum to
replace the traditional steel frames.
According to Charles Wu, director of
manufacturing and materials research
at Ford, the evolution of automotive
technology encompasses issues ranging
from science to customer service, and
from environmental issues to legal ram-
ifications.
"We want the car to provide a higher
fuel economy while also making sure the
environment is safe by using materials
which can be recycled," Wu said. '"We
also want to create a competitive auto-
motive market so we can better meet cus-
tomer needs in terms of comfort, perfor-
mance and affordability?'
Although the industry is taking gr&at
strides toward extensive aluminum use.
Abouzahr says it is difficult to projecl
when aluminum cars will appear on-a
large scale within the consumer market.
"The technology is still very primitive
for high-volume vehicles and cost is a
major problem," he said.
The average weight ofcars has steadi-
ly decreased in the past 20 years, accord-
ing to a presentation Wu made.
In 1991, the average weight of cirs]
was 3361 lbs., down from the 4391 lbs.
average in 1975. The Prowler weighs in
at only 2800 lbs., but it's agility sets the
consumer back $39,000.
Abouzahr noted that with new tech-
nology, prices of aluminum-intensive
cars will double over those of compara-
ble steel-framed cars.
By Peter Meyers
Daily Staff Reporter
The Ann Arbor Housing Commission
improved its GPA this week, after
announcing the results of a self-graded
evaluation of the commission's work.
AAHC annually brings an A through F
evaluation to the Ann Arbor City Council
in order to keep councilmembers
informed-of the commission's work.
Betsey Lindsley, AAHC director, said
the commission receives all of its
$490,000 budget from the federal
Department of Housing and Urban
Development, but keeps City Council
informed in case of pressing needs.
"I have to respond to HUD's direc-
tives, but I have to keep council
informed if their support might be need-
ed," Lindsley said, adding that most of
AAHC's guidance comes from HUD.
HUD guidelines rate eight categories
on an A through F scale. The AAHC
gave itself A's and B's in all categories
except two: the rents uncollected cate-
gory and the work orders category.
Work orders is a category that deals
with repairs in public housing units. The
repairs are classified as either "emer-'
gency" or "non-emergency" work
orders. The AAHC gave itself an F in
the emergency subcategory because less
than 95 percent of all emergency repairs
were fixed within 24 hours.
In rents uncollected, the housing com-
mission gave itself a C because more
than 4 percent of rent due was never col-
lected. The AAHC hopes to improve this
score next year when it implements a
$10 late penalty for tardy rent.
This year, HUD implemented an
important new security rating category.
"It's in line with Clinton's new one-
strike policy," Lindsley said.
The one-strike policy has been in
effect for a year. Under it, tenants who
use illicit drugs or are involved in a vio-
lent crime are evicted on the first offense.
The scores that the AAHC presented
to are only preliminary. "Nothing's final
until HUD certifies," Lindsley said.
Lindsley said HUD will present its
final scores to the council by November.
But the recent evaluation comes
amidst changes in HUD's structure,
which affects AAHC's funding.
"HUD is going through a very diffi-
cult period of change and reorganiza-
tion." Lindsley said. She said that HUD
has been "reinvented" several times in
the last years, first by former HUD
Secretary Henry Cisneros and then by
current Secretary Andrew Coumo. This
reinvention has been brought on mostly
by downsizing the department, she said.
Anne Fiskin, a representative from
Detroit's HUD office, said the trend of
a shrinking HUD is likely to continue.
Lindsley said that although HUD is
giving less to programs, she does not
expect city or state officials to become
more involved in subsidized housing.
"There are other states and communi-
ties that have funded (new housing),"
Lindsley said, mentioning the states of
California and Virginia. "I personally
don't see that happening here"
Councilmember Elisabeth Daley (D-
5th Ward) doesn't think the city will take
a more active role. "I don't think we as a
community are going to have a crisis
anytime soon"she said.
U U
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The Princeton Review:
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