'I C41v *~ar News: 76-DAILY Advertising: 764-0554 One hundred seven years of editorldfreedom Thursday January 29, 1998 1iulig igi'shertlii l~sl W V.Isher conside his lega options By Jennifer Yachnin Daily Staff Reporter to r a Engler to lay out plan for future Former Michigan men's basketball coach Steve Fisher said he may file a lawsuit against the University in an effort to receive the remainder of his contract agreement. In an interview with The Detroit ews published yesterday, Fisher criti- cized Athletic DirectorTom Goss' han- dling of his firing and said he will move away from Ann Arbor. Goss said Fisher has not mentioned the possibility of a lawsuit during negotiations thus far. "I think (the contracts) are going well," Goss said. "Whatever his con- tract calls for is whatever we will end up doing. Maybe he said that to anoth- reporter, but not to me." Fisher could not be reached yesterday for comment. Secretary and Vice President for University Relations Walter Harrison said Fisher has not filed a lawsuit against the University. "No lawsuit has been filed," Harrison said. "We said we would honor his contract and we Ave honored his ntract." Goss said that if Fisher takes anoth- LSA sen er coaching posi- Building tion, the payment of his contract is not likely to be Sr affected. Fse While the nego- tiations are going smoothly, Goss said. , iere is not a foreseeable date when dis- ssions will conclude. s "I don't really have a time estimate," Goss said. Responding to statements made by By Jaso Fisher regarding the fairness of his firing, Daily Staf Goss said his decision was a just one. LSA "I was the one that (fired Fisher), so scared a naturally I don't agree with those state- After ments," Goss said. training Harrison said Fisher was an impor- she car Pnt member of the University. attacker "We've always valued Steve's contri- But bution to the University," Harrison training said. "We value his service and feel we off atta have acted appropriately." feel so Law Prof. Beverly Pooley said law- who tea suits can be brought against employers the Uni for breaking contracts. With "If peoples' contracts have been ter- in recen minated wrongfully they can sue for student damages," said Pooley, adding that he basic se could not comment on Fisher's contract. "If I 0 Pooley said mitigating damages are a of suspi common complaint, when a worker can't Kwon earn an equal amount after being fired. said. "I "Lawsuits are usually for damages, I have b not for reinstatement," Pooley said. tain pre Even when a contract is breached, a rape Pooley said, it is not required that the and we employee receive the remaining salary. ations." "It isn't automatic that you get your But s salary for the remainder of the con- martial tract," Pooley said. Individ - The Associated Press contributed to results this report. 'U' Study finds By Mike Spahn Daily Staff Reporter Education, tax relief, and plans for the 21st Century will be the center- pieces of Gov. John Engler's eighth State of the State address tonight in Lansing. Engler spokesperson John Truscott said the speech will encompass a wide range of topics. "We will give a new angle, a new twist to the issues," Truscott said. Education reform, criminal justice, jobs, the economy, the environment and taxes will all be discussed." LSA sophomore Kelley Boland, sec- retary of the campus chapter of the College Democrats, said she anticipates a broad-based speech that will touch on all the key issues facing the state. "I'm hoping he gives a speech simi- lar to President Clinton's," Boland said. "He needs to say where the state is and where it's going." A key part of the speech, Boland said, will be the plans for the state Engler will outline. She said these detailed plans are especially important because this is an election year. "He hasn't given a specific plan to fix the many problems in Michigan yet," Boland said. Engler will propose a plan to ensure that elementary school children are reading at or above the standards of their grade level by the fourth grade, Truscott said. "Before kids enter school, parents must have the knowledge to prepare their children for reading in school:' Truscott said. "We have to ... end social promotion in our schools." Truscott said Engler also w ill discuss the state's economic success during the past eight years. "In the 1980s, nobody could have imagined we would be where we are today," Truscott said. "We lagged behind, but now we must build on our success" Boland said the most important issues on her mind are education, the environment and the infrastructure of the state's roads. While this will not be a campaign speech, some expect Engler to use the address to launch his re-election cam- paign. "In a lot of ways this speech kicks off the re-election cycle for Engler. Boland said. But Truscott said Engler will not use the address to advance his own political interests. "This is not a political speech, it's a policy speech,:" Truscott said. PAUL TALANIAN/Daiiy iors Laura Moskowitz and Marissa Przybylo practice Tae Kwon Do yesterday at the Intramural Sports Af-defense asses give udents peace of mind n Stoffer ff Reporter senior Marissa Przybylo isn't anymore. three years of martial arts she said she is confident n ward off most unarmed rs. without formal martial arts and no experience fending ackers, most students don't secure, said Tony Springfield, aches self-defense classes at versity. three muggings on campus nt weeks, Przybylo said every should consider learning elf-defense techniques. see someone who looks kind cious, I like to review my Tae Do in my mind," Przybylo f they come up and grab me, better reflexes and I know cer- ssure points I can hit if I'm in situation. We spar every day do mock gun and knife situ- tudents cannot learn a formal arts discipline overnight. uals seeking immediate are better off taking a practi- cal self-defense course, said Karen Clark, a member of the University Aikido Club. "For some students, self-defense is very much their interest. But in Aikido, it's not like five easy steps," Clark said. "I doubt someone taking a class for a semester would be able to apply it to defend themselves" The Division of Kinesiology's UMOVE program offers a class each semester that meets in 10 hour ses- sions and teaches some basic self- defense fundamentals. Springfield, the program's instructor, said the course caters to students who may not have the time or desire to learn a martial art. "We got through a lot of pre- ventative awareness to try to anticipate what happens before it happens," Springfield said. "But I also teach how to ward off an attack. There's no (particular) way of dealing with a situation. It depends on what happens." During the UMOVE course, stu- dents learn to respond to hair pulls, waist grabs, choking and kidnapping attempts. Repetition is stressed as students practice each technique eight to 10 times in a row At times, participants hold back laughter as they try to evade Springfield's attacks. But Springfield said that this mock spar- ring improves recall if a real situa- tion occurs. "If you're even halfway aware of what's going on, you need to make an effort to fight back or get away" he said. Springfield said that if the assailant is a large male, the victim should attack his face or groin. "If you stun him for even a sec- ond, it can make a difference," Springfield said. "Walk back eight to 10 feet and then turn around and run." Ann Arbor Police Department Sgt. Larry Jerue said that while it is a good idea for people to take self- defense courses, inexperienced stu- dents sometimes have a tendency to be overconfident when evaluating dangerous situations. He said stu- dents must thoroughly practice tech- niques they learn in self-defense courses before they consider putting them to use. See DEFENSE, Page 7A Roll 'em existing racism By Debra Hirschfield ! )aily Staff Reporter 0 With a cloud of controversy surrounding the use of race in the University's admissions procedures, the issue of race relations a popular discussion topic on campus. But current surveys praising progress in race relations may be ignoring the reality of the sensitive subject. In a study titled "I am not a racist but ...," sociology Prof. Eduardo Bonilla-Silva found thaf typical surveys are not rep- resentative of the racist attitudes white students may hold. A comparison of results from recent and past surveys on public 4ttitudes toward the black community and other inority communities implies that racial attitudes have 4proved dramatically. Despite these survey responses, Bonilla-Silva and sociology graduate student Tyrone Forman found that hidden feelings of racial animosity toward minorities still exists. "There is a decrease in the number of blacks experienc- EMILY NATHAN/Daily Ann Arbor resident Filton Gloster waits to catch a bus yesterday at the Fifth Street branch of the Ann Arbor Transit Authority. AATA buses get high-tech upgrade By Peter Meyers Daily Staff Reporter The Ann Arbor buses are starting to look a bit like the Starship Enterprise. As of this week, all Ann Arbor Transit Authority buses are now fully equipped with Global Positioning Satellite equipment, video cameras and state-of-the art on-board comput- ers. "We're the only place in the country that's doing this all at once," said Bill Hiller, manager of information systems at AATA. "We're the only ones with the vision or the foolishness to try this all at tem." Bus dispatchers will be able to locate every bus within two meters. The on- board computers are integrated into the engine, so mechanical problems such as low coolant or oil will be reported immediately. The computers also will help drivers coordinate with one another. For trans- fers, where passengers must get off one bus and onto another, bus drivers can locate the needed bus and tell its driver to wait, The video cameras have been installed primarily as a deterrent to vans- ,.I 'F~--t*i, %. -. 41..