.4r "Ut News: 76-DAILY Advertising: 764-0554 One hundred seven years of editkral freedom Wednesday October 8, 1997 .,~ .~. UP's C alkings removed embers filed three reports with DPS, cite other incidents By Katie Plona Daily Staff Reporter Members of the Queer Unity Project filed a police report with the Department of Public Safety after the group's chalk- ings were removed from the Diag and s unding areas Monday morning. Q members allege that marks made by other campus groups were left untouched. QUP members also filed two other police reports in response to alleged vandalism of two of QUP's four Diag boards yesterday. Twenty-five QUP members spent four hours on Sunday night posting fliers and chalking sidewalks, several group members said. The following n iing, a number of QUP members sai they witnessed the University's Grounds Paint Crew using power hoses to remove the group's chalkings. The chalkings and Diag board posters were intended to generate publicity for National Coming Out Week, which began Sunday and lasts until Saturday. QUP members charged that by selec- tively removing QUP chalkings, mem- bers of the paint crew acted in a dis- c~inatory fashion. LSA junior Emily Marker, a member of the QUP planning team, said the insen- sitive alleged acts of University employ- ees could serve as models for students. "Now that the students have seen the University do it, why won't they do it themselves?" Marker asked. ."We're supposed to be walking around in pride and I'm about to cry." In a DPS general offense report filed a members filed Monday evening, ai fficer wrote that, "Sgt. Noffsinger advised that an unknown caller reported to U of M dispatch, earlier today, that there was a large amount of chalk graf- fiti on the diagonal. Sgt. Noffsinger Basketball probe nears completion JOHN KRAFT/Daily LSA sophomore Ozell Hayes helps fellow Queer Unity Project member LSA junior Emily Marker tack up a'QUP Diag board poster that was torn down yesterday. advised dispatch then sent the Grounds Department to clean it up." The second police report was filed by Marker around 4:50 a.m. yesterday after QUP member Jen Trudell, an LSA sophomore, saw one of the group's four Diag boards visible in a nearby trash can. LSA junior Kenneth Jones filed the third report with DPS around 6 p.m. yes- terday when several QUP members entered the Diag to replace their allegedly vandalized poster and noticed that anoth- er QUP Diag board had been removed and was on the ground behind the board. Vice President for Student Affairs Maureen Hartford said she and several University administrators do not believe the QUP's chalking removal was inten- tionally offensive. "Everybody else I've talked to on the administration has expressed the same sentiments,' Hartford said. Associate Vice President for University Relations Lisa Baker said Bylaw 14.06 of the University Board of Regents' Bylaws contains a clause stat- ing that students cannot be discriminat- ed against based on sexual orientation. "If this indeed did happen, it's wrong and the idea of selectively removing some- one's point of view is just plain wrong." Baker said, adding that she did not know the specifics of the three incidents. Jones, a member of the QUP plan- ning team, said the alleged acts on cam- pus have dampened the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender community's cel- ebration of National Coming Out Week because their identities are being dis- criminated against. "It's ridiculous that once again, I'm being denied of who I am," Jones said. "It's sad when you have to go into your holiday when something happens. We can't even celebrate our holiday right because we're being broken up." Hartford said that especially during Coming Out. Week, members of the LGBT community need to know they are accepted and that the University benefits from their contributions. "It's just upsetting," Hartford said. "I know if I felt upset, it's greatly magni- fied by students." LSA sophomore Ozell Hayes, who is See QUP, Page 2 By Heather Kamins Daily Staff Reporter After multiple delays, the eight- month investigation into alleged impro- prieties committed by the Michigan men's basketball program may finally come to an end this week. Following the University's announce- ment that the program violated two NCAA regulations and several claims that players accepted cash and gifts from Detroit booster Ed Martin, University President Lee Bollinger hired a private law firm tot investigate. Kansas-based law firm Bond, Schoeneck & King, which spe- cializes in NCAA > infractions and4 compliance, has Harrison been examining the allegations and compiling a report to release to the NCAA and to the pub- lic since March. Vice President for University Relations Walter Harrison said he hopes the report will be finished and released within a few days. "I am wary of promising a date since we have broken so many dates," Harrison said. "Certainly I hope it will be this week." The report was originally expected to be released at a press conference on Sept. 8. At that time, Bollinger said the report was not yet complete, but that he hoped he could present it within two weeks. If the report shows that the players' contact with Martin violated NCAA regulations, repercussions could be devastating to the team. The team could be put on probation and banned from post-season games, lose scholar- ships or be forced to give up television coverage. Scott Tompsett, an attorney with Bond, Schoeneck & King, said yesterday that the report is close to being finished. "There were just some additional issues that we were looking into, mak- ing sure that we were doing a thorough job," Tompsett said. Harrison said the month-long delay is a product of the need to investigate new information as it is uncovered. "I'm sure when the report is released there will be a lot of new material," Harrison said. "That just takes time. It's taking so long because the investigators haven't finished investigating. Lee's words to the firm were leave no stone unturned.' "If they find something they have to look into it," he said. "They are follow- ing up on every lead. People will say something and they will have to check that out and talk to six other people." A February 1996 roll-over accident on M-14, involving four Michigan play- ers and a recruit, set off a chain reaction of allegations and discussions that may culminate with the release of the report. As University officials conducted a routine investigation into how former Michigan forward Maurice Taylor acquired the car involved in the acci- dent, they discovered that two minor NCAA violations had been incurred during contact with Martin. Allegations against the team fun- neled into the media just days after the University released word of the viola- tions. Further examination of the bas- ketball program revealed that Martin had contact with many Michigan play- ers and had been seated with recruits at home games to which he received com- plimentary tickets. The most significant charges allege that former Michigan stars and current NBA standouts Taylor and Chris Webber accepted more than $100,000 from Martin. Sources say the firm has had diffi- culty investigating the validity of the claims because many allegations came from unnamed sources in newspapers who refused to come forward publicly. Harrison said the University will announce a press conference to release the report as soon as it is complete. "We will, at the same time, deliver the report to the NCAA and release it publicly, since this is not only applic- able to the NCAA, but also ... to the public who supports us," Harrison said. Inside: Trends in NCAA sanctions. Page 11. Proposal requires ATM warnings By Jeffrey Kosseff Daily Staff Reporter "The owner of this machine will charge U.S. cardholders $1.50 per transaction. This charge may be in addi- tion to an amount charged by the card- holder's financial institution. Do you wish to continue?" If a package of bills recently intro- d ced by state Reps. Liz Brater (D-Ann or) and Buzz Thomas (D-Detroit) becomes law, University students will always see that message, already used by some banks, when they withdraw money from one of the many Automatic Teller Machines on campus. House bills 4889 through 4892 would require all banks and credit unions in Michigan to disclose all sur- charges levied on ATM transactions. "If more money is being taken out of ir account, you will want to know," Brater said. There is also a bipartisan effort in Congress to limit the amount banks can charge for ATM transactions. "Our bill would complement the fed- eral laws' Brater said. Banks began charging for ATM transactions by customers who have accounts at other financial institutions last October. Many banks also charge their own customers to use their ATMs. Some students said the surcharges have changed their banking habits. "It really bothers me," said LSA sophomore Sakbenah Hasan. "Even my own bank's ATM charges. Now I don't use the ATM at all. I go to the bank teller to withdraw my money." Other students, however, said ATM surcharges do not affect them. "I just use the. ATMs that don't charge me," said LSA senior Matt Carling. "It's not a big problem." Michael Kelly, senior director of edu- cation for the Michigan Credit Union League, said ATM surcharges are get- ting out of hand. "It's spreading rapidly," Kelly said. "We have passed the point where the majority of ATMs are surcharging," Kelly said. The bills, Kelly said, would be bene- ficial to consumers. "There are just so many ATMs out there that are not telling you about the charges," Kelly said. "It's very appro- priate and important that banks notify customers." The original purpose of ATMs was to be a money-saver by cutting back on the hours worked by bank tellers, Kelly said. So at first, banks wanted to give people an incentive to use the ATMs. "Now they don't want to only save money with the ATM's," Kelly said. "They want to use the machines to make a profit." Some large banks in Ann Arbor, including the National Bank of Detroit, already inform ATM customers of sur- charges during the transaction process. "The customers should, always be informed of any extra charges," said fps on avoiding ATM surcharges ' Only withdrawals are surcharged.; Banks do not charge for deposits or transfers. Obtain a list of ATMs that do not charge, from the Michigan Credit Union League at http://www.mcul. org Withdraw the maximum amount on ATMs that surcharge. Use checks, debit and credit cards. Source Michigan Creoit Union League Kathy Hensley, National Bank of Detroit branch manager. Although many banks charge for ATM transactions, Kelly said there are ways for customers to avoid the excess fees.. "If a consumer plans ahead and See ATM, Page 5 MSA allocates $20,000 to AATU Students grpe out us delays By Mike Spahn Daily Staff Reporter It's 7:50 p.m. You have waited half an hour for a University bus. Your test starts in 20 minutes. What should you do? This situation is common for many students living on North Campus and t ing classes on Central Campus. Last eek, about 50 students had trouble get- ting to a Chemistry 130 exam on time. Engineering first-year student Patrick Franklin was one of the stu- dents who said his exam grade may have been hurt by bus delays. "I got out to the stop about 30 minutes before I had to be (at the chemistry two exams because of problems with the University bus system. "I was late to the exam, and the same thing happened for my calculus exam," Franklin said. Jim Oliver, service foreman for University Transportation Services, said the University does not inform the, bus system of major exam times. "Primarily we don't put on extra buses before exams, with the excep- tion of some Engineering exams that we get requisitions for," Oliver said. Night exams can be especially prob- lematic because fewer buses cover the routes after dark. wiM on~ h ire- -c c in--:i s By Susan T. Port Daily Staff Reporter The Ann Arbor Tenants Union can breath a sigh of relief after its opposi- tion failed to garner enough support to abolish the organization. The Michigan Student Assembly voted last night to keep the union, which represents renters in Ann Arbor, and allo- cate $20,000 from its budget to fund it. But some things are going to change. The assembly, which has supported the organization financially since. it was established in 1968, insisted on funding the union in quarterly installments. MSA's first payment to the union will total $8,000, which will allow AATU to cover a variety of current debts and func- tion normally. Once the organization is back on its feet, it will receive three more funding installments of $4,000 each. AATU came under fire this semester when students criticized the availability and quality of its services during the summer months. MSA President Mike Nagrant said the assembly plans more involvement with the tenants union to make sure stu- dent services are provided adequately. "We are not giving the money up front," Nagrant said. "We are going to revisit the tenants' union and monitor the nropres in Janunrv and March and Chair Dan Serota. Serota, an LSA senior, proposed a resolution calling for the replacement of the tenants union with a student-run, non-profit organiza- tion that would be able to provide ser- vices for student renters. Although Serota's proposal was voted down, the issue sparked a heated debate about student concerns regarding the responsibilities and accessibility of AATU. The debate ended with the assem- bly's confirmation of the need for more checks and balances in the relationship between MSA and the tenants union. Serota said the new funding provisions might not be enough and warned that the debate may resurface in the future. "I think the assembly is not learning from history," Serota said. "I hope improvements are made, but I am nod confident that they will be." Nagrant said Serota raised some valuable concerns in his resolution. "I think the debate could have gone either way," Nagrant said. When assembly members finally cast their votes, however, the resolution was easily defeated. MSA Vice President Olga Savic said AATU will prove itself to the assembly as one of the best providers of counsel for students who have housing problems. "I am confident the tenants union will I j