'TL... KA:..L.:..r-- f1...:l.. T........7.,.. [.'.. L.... ,...... nA 4 f1PYb _ CRIME " LoCAL/STATE Te Micnigan uaily -Tuesday, ebruary 24, 198 - Washington faces end of affinnative action ,- Nine computers stolen from Media Union A University employee contacted the Department of Public Safety last week to report that an unknown individual tam- pered with nine computers at the Media Union, according to DPS reports. The internal contents were removed from six of the computers. The stolen components include memory chips, hard disks, video cards, processor chips, mice, ethernet cards and scsi cards. After removing the components, the thief put the covers ack on the computers. The approximate value of the stolen components is S10,920. No suspects have been apprehended. MSU student allegedly fondles U' student A DPS officer reported Saturday ight that he was at South Quad Residence Hall with a possible sexual assatult victim, DPS reports state. The victim, a female student at the University. said her buttocks were fon- died while attending a dance at South "Quad. The alleged assailant was a 19-year- old Michigan State University student. He was cited for possessing alcohol as a minor and was placed under arrest for Ssorderly conduct. DPS wvill seek prosecution for fourth degree criminal sexual conduct. Student puts fist through window A male student put his fist through a South Quad hallway window Friday night, DPS reports state. Ann Arbor Fire Department offi- cers reporting to the scene said the student who broke the window was intoxicated. AAFD workers bandaged the -students's hand and the student was transported by ambulance to University Hospitals. Car stolen from Medical Center An individual called the Ann Arbor olice Department on Friday afternoon :f request assistance finding his 1985 Alkswagon Jetta in the M-22 carport at the Medical Center, DPS reports state. AAPD could not locate the viehi- cle in the parking area, but found the door handle from the brown Jetta. Officers then called and con- .firmed that the vehicle was not *npounded. , Golf clubs and other property were in the car when it was stolen. People brawl on East University A witness called DPS early Saturday morning to report that 15 people were "fghting in front of East Quad Residence all. The caller said she saw no weapons, id the brawl appeared to be a fist fight. An East Quad security unit confirmed there were 15 people outside, but said ey were dispersing. One individual ived a head injury in the fight. but no pects were apprehended. Xeg found near residence hall Two underage students were found exiting a parked vehicle near Couzens Residence Hall with a keg of beer, according to DPS reports. The officer approached the students and found that neither had any outstanding warrants. The students were cited for possessing alcohol as minors and the keg was emptied. - Compiled by Daily Staff'Reporter Jason Stoile: By Peter RomerFriedman Dily StaffrReporter During the past two years. opponents of affirma- tive action have worked to outlaw the use of race as a factor in admissions. contracting and hiring processes in California and Texas. Going along with this trend, Washington state Rep. Scott Smith cur- rently is working to place an initiative on the.ballot in the state of Washington that would eliminate the use of racial preferences. Washington's initiative 200 is similar to California's Proposition 209, which banned affirma- tive action in 1996 and resulted in a decrease in minority acceptances to state universities. Washington citizens most likely will have the chance to vote on Initiative 200 in the November elections. While advocates of Initiative 200 say it would end discrimination, officials at the University of Washington said they hope that the initiative will fail, claiming Initiative 200 would decrease minority representation in higher education. "People in America want to get rid of preferences and discrimination'' said Smith, who has collected the most signatures for an initiative in the state's his- tory. "Everyone wants to be treated the same one people, one nation." bast March, the Center for Individual Rights filed a reverse discrimination lawsuit against the University of Washington's Law School, challenging the use of race as a factor in the school's admissions policies. CIR, which filed two similar lawsuits against the University this past fall, eliminated racial classifications in Texas by winning in the ease of' Hopvwood c the ( niver;irvof Tevas Law School. Bob Edie, University of Washington's vice presi- dent for university relations, said that in addition to the threat the lawsuit poses, Initiative 200 may be detrimental to the school's goal of maintaining a diverse student body. "We're deeply concerned about it," Edie said. "We have a very good affirmative action program and we're worried about what it would do to our diversity on campus." If voted into law by a majority of Washington vot- ers, Initiative 200 "prohibits government from dis- criminating against or oranting preferential treat- mient to indiv iduals or groups based on race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin in public employ- ment, public education or public contracting. Smith. who has failed to pass the initiative through the state legislature as a bill three times, said the initiative will undoubtedly pass with the voters. Smith cited a recent poll that indicated that 69 per- cent of the population favors Initiative 200 while only 16 percent oppose it. "1 don't have any question that it will pass." Smith said. "in California, the most diverse state in the nation, they passed it by 54 percent. There's not doubt that it will pass in Washington.- L uluana Treadwell, assistant dean of the University of California's Bolt Hall Law School, said Proposition 209 has already diminished the minority population at Bolt Hall and Initiative 200 could do the same in Washington. "It's been very traumatic for us," Treadwell said. "The current second-year class has 20 African Americans and the freshman class has one. The uor versity is not happy with a decline in minority enroli- ment. We regret the loss ot it and are seeking alte:c native methods" In the Michigan state Lcgislature, Sen. David Jay (R-Macomb), who helped spearhead the lawsuit fikcd against the University College of Literature, Scien e and the Arts last October, has raised the question of ending preferences with legislation. Rep. Liz Bratet (D-Ann Arbor) said she and many other legislato' will defend affirmative action programs. "I think it's easy to grandstand on these issues:' Brater said. An initiative "is not the best arena to di.:- cuss the issues. I know there have been proposa discussed. I really hope we, as policy maker;. encourage our universities to further racial and socioeconomic diversity so everyone catl succeed." Myron Apilado, vice president for minority affaies at the University of Washington, said many peopce do not understand the ramifications of these types of initiatives, but the effects will be omnipresent in tK future. Bollinger speaks on inadequate' budget proposal By William Nash Daily Staff Reporter University President Lee Bollinger discussed the reasons and possible rani- fications of Gov. John Engler's "inade- quate" budget proposal before the facul- ty's advising committee yesterday. Enger proposed the 1.5-percent increase it an address to state legislators and University officials Feb. 12. Bollinger said the recommendation would not nearly cover the University's rising expenses. "They are eroding a great University by passing small increases year after year," Bollinger said to the Senate Advisory Committee on Un iversity Affairs. One of the factors Engler used to pro- pose the budget is the Consumer Price Index, which measures the inflation rate throughout the past year. Bollinger explained that the CP1 has never before been tied to the amount of money the University needs. Engler's reasons for recommending a decrease in higher education funding are because state funds are being allocate elsewhere, Bollinger said. "Ve have major needs.' Bollinger said. "The proposal creates a dilemma. with the economy booming and more attention being paid on intelectual work. Why isn't (there a greater investment?" Tax cuts and the building of five new prisons across the state have prompted Engler to spread the higher education budget thirily, Bollinger said. The effects on the University may not be apparenti right away, but over a long period of time, a change will be notice- able, Bollinger said. If passed the proposal would cause the University to tighten its fiscal belt or raise tuition. "TO make iup for the inadequate pro- posal, we w uld hypothetically have to increase tuftion by 5.6 percent," Bollinger sait The possibility of raising tuition by 5.6 percent elicited negative reaction from faculty members. That kind of increase would be incred- ibly difficult for students to handle, said Physiology Prof. and SACUA chair Louis D'Alecv, To combat that magnitude ofta tuition increase, the only alternative would be to cut department funding. "There is no way to predict how the moiney would bd allocated:' said Barbara MacAdam. head of educational and informational services. "But there would be a poor impact overall," JOHN KRAFT/Daiy Engineering student Juan Riveros won an international contest for Latino/a students sponsored by the Eurobanco Commercial Bank in Venezuela. Student wins fak C12 in international stock contest Gargoyle Magazine gleaves 89-year home By Katie Plona and Peter Romer-Friedman Daily StaffRe'porters The Gargoyle Magazine, a student- run humor publication, may no longer continue publication after N9 years at the University. Gargoyle staff members decided to leave the Board for Student Publications after they and board mem- bers could not reach an agreement about the magazine's fiscal direction at a board meeting last night. "Unless we can find alternative sources of funding ... Gargoyle maga- zine will be on WOLV Television," said LSA senior Dan Pipski, Gargoyle act- ingz business manager and captain of'the senior staff. The Gargoyle is funded almost entirely by the board, which also over- sees publication of The Michigan Daily and the Michiganensian yearbook. Board members said the Gargoyle's departure from the Student Publications Building was not provoked by changes by the board but by a proposal by the Gargoyle. The board rejected this pro- posal, saying it would have forced the board to breach its bylaws. The board kept its policy consistent and the Gargoyle chose to depart, said board chair Joan Lowenstein . "As a board, we have certain fiscal responsibilities of how money is spent for the publication," Lowenstein said. LSA junior Tom Dillon, the Gargoyle's junior business manager, said the dispute between Gargolyle staff members and board members does not stem from a funding issue. Rather, the magazine's staff members do not want publication to be contingent on the sale ofadvertisements. They do not want the magazine to be more of a commercial enterprise than an educational experi- ence, Dillon said. Gargoyle Editor-in-Chief Tony Zarat said staff members plan to funnel most of their efforts into a television show on WOLV-TV, and they also plan to seek alternative sources of funding to pub- lish another Gargoyle magazine. "As far as next year, it's up in the air," said Zarat, an LSA junior. Lowenstein said that although the magazine might find a way to publish without 'funding from the board, the rights to the name of the publications will stay with the board. By Diba Rab Daily Stall Rporer Magically turning S250,000 into S12 million made Jluan Riveros the winer of the interna- tional stock competition for Latino/a college students spon- sored by Eurobanco Commercial Bank in Venezuala. The contest did not involve real money - all hypothetical invest- ments were entered into a com- puter database and no profits actually were made. Not only did he devise a way to make the most money, but he made Si 1.5 million more thian the runner-up. Riveros, a student in the finan- cial engineering master's program and a Ph.D. candidate in econom- ics at the University. was one of the 2,500 students of Latino/a descent who participated in the international competition. "It was a trading competition where you start with S250,000 and you have three nonths to trade, buy and sell different financial information and make a profit,' Riveros said. "The person who has the highest returns wins." Using a strategy developed with the help of Engineering Prof. Vadim Linetsky, managing direc- tor of the department of industrial and operations engineering, Riveros increased his initial endowment 50 times in three months. The new master's program may have helped in his winnings, Riveros said, since he has learned to apply much of what he has learned to trading stock. "I found this program appealing because I can apply the technical skills I learned in undergrad to systems engineering," Riveros said of the financial engineering program. Engineering Prof. John Birge, chair of the department of indus- trial and operations engineering, said the program helps students in finance management. "The program helps to prepare people to work in the quantitative analysis type of business ... in general, risk management," Birge said. The master's program is new to the University. It began about a "I found the program appealing because I can apply the technical skills I learned in undergrad ..." - Juan Riveros Engineering student year ago and consists of about 20 students, Birge said. "It's very interdisciplinary. It is combined with engineering, math, computer science, economics, sta- tistics and finance in the business school," Birge said. After completing his studies at the University, Riveros said he plans to return to Venezuela. "I'm considering an academic position in Venezuela or a posi- tion in investment banks," Riveros said. "I'll probably work and teach part-time." Regarding the program, Vadim emphasized the importance of computing skills. He agreed with Birge that the financial engineer- ing program encompasses many other programs. "It overlaps with essentially any department in Engineering," Vadim said. For more information about the program, visit its Website at http://wvvw.umich.edu/~fep. What's happening in Ann Arbor today LIKE TO WRITE? STAY UP LATE? SO DO WE. WRITE FOR THE DAILY. CALL 763-2459 OR STOP BY 420 MAYNARD ST. FOR MORE INFORMATION. HOW about working at the f ront desk of your favorite residence halO GROUP MEETINGS IJAlianza, 647-9610, Michigan Union, Pond Room, 7:30 p.m. J Adult Support Group for Relatives with Family Members with Mental .,°- Illness, 994-6611, St. Clare/Temple Beth Emeth Building, 2309 Packard St., 7:30- 9 P.m. .1- Cleptomaniacs and Shoplifters Anonymous, 913-6990, First Rantist C(huirch.512 F . Huron S t. J Habitat for Humanity, 769-0500, Meet at Hillel, Hill St., 5-8 p.m. EVENTS J "Don Janzen (lecture)," Sponsored by Environmental Theme Semester, Rackham Amphitheatre, 4 p.m. J "'How Literate were the Ancient Israelites' Lecture Aharon Demsky Bar Ilan University," Sponsored by Frankel Center for Judaic Studies, Commons, Atrium and Piano Lounge, 5:30-7 p.m.J "What, If Anything, Was Chinese Pure Land Buddhism?," Sponsored by Center for Chinese Studies, International Institute, Room 1636, 12 p.m. SERVICES J Campus Information Centers, 763- INFO, info@umich.edu, and wwwumichedu/-info on the