ws: 76-DAILY vertising: 764-0554 (It £ 41V One hundred seven years of editor l freedom Tuesday March 17, 1998 Jim oberts William Nash ily Staff Reporter The University suspended three facu mbers in 1954, two of whom were fired, ing up for their beliefs. this day, the University has not ily apologized for the dismissal then-mathematics instructor andler Davis, former biology Prof. ement Markert, and former phar- cology Prof. Mark Nickerson for ing testify about their political iations during the McCarthy Era. The University's lack of acknowl- gment became the basis for the tion of the "Davis, Markert and Roh erson Lecture on Academic at llectual Freedom.' The speaker for the 8th annual lecture v iversity of Maryland journaisn Pr eal may ettle loan nterest- ate talks Mike Spahn ily Staff Reporter proposal in the U.S. House ci esentatives may serve as a coM- omise in the recent debate over stu- nt-loan rate reduction in the Higher ucation Act. The agreement was struck last week the House Committe on Education d the Workforce by Rep. Howard cKeon (R-Calif.), who heads the sub- mmittee that oversecs student-loan ograms and Rep. Dale Kildee (D- int), the panel's ranking Democrat. It lower interest rates for students 6.8 percent while they are in school d raise them to 7.4 percent after aduation. Thomas Butts, associate vice prei' nt for government relations, called is proposal "really good news for dents." He said it could mean sav- gs of $1 I billion over the next five ars. "I believe people on both sd s of the are sincere when they say they nt interest rates low for students," tts said. The central part of the debate has cused on how much profit guaran- d-loan lenders should receive. While e Clinton administration wants to quire the lenders to accept these low- ed rates, this agreement will allow em to collect at rates that are .4 per- nt higher. e difference in funding will be ded by taxpayer money. Butts said two-thirds of ichigan students with loans use rect loans, which lenders do not rectly control. That means nders that may pull out of loan ograms will not have a great feet on University students. Christopher Mansour, Kildee's chief staff, said the agreement should give nts the "full benefits of lowered t est rates," while trying to keep ders satisfied as well. "We had to find some kind of a com- omisc to make loans more affordable r students and profitable for banks," ansour said. Although lenders will receive subsi- See LOANS, Page 2 SA hoped Gerard Cohen-Vrignaud ily Staff Reporter The University's Information chnology Division's new basic com- ting pricing package has left many dents frustrated, and some Michigan udent Assembly candidates have ized upon the complaint as a-hot cam- issue. t semester, ITD announced it would d its $10-a-month plan, under which dents could use any combination of rvices until they reached their monetary it. That meant students with no money in their accounts were unable to print speaks to faculty about rights, freedom Eugene Roberts. Roberts is known for his coverage of the Vietnam War, civil rights and the labor movement. Roberts spoke about freedom of expres- sion on college campuses, for which he has "grave concern." "In the last 10 years, there have been some disquieting develop- ments," Roberts said. "Injustices such as speech codes, seizures and burning of campus newspapers, and in some instances, college adminis- trators who have looked the other way, are cause for great concern." Since graduating. from North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1954, Roberts has worked for the New York Times, the Detroit Free Press, and served as the Executive Editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer. During his 18 years at the Inquirer, the news- paper won 17 Pulitzer Prizes. Roberts "is a person perfectly suited to deliver this lecture," University President Lee Bollinger said. In 1989, the issue of formally expressing regret for the dismissals was brought to the University Board of Regents, but was not acted upon by the regents at the time. The motion eventually died. "The lecture was set up, so to speak, to remind the University year after year of their actions," said mathematics Prof. emeritus Wilfred Kaplan, who chairs the Michigan Chapter of the American Association of University Professors. Davis was the only of the three professors honored at the lecture. Markert is out of the country and Nickerson recently passed away. Davis was subpoenaed due to a pamphlet he published attacking the U.S. House of Also at yesterday's meeting: The Senate Assmebly voted to elect English Prof. Jacqueline Lawson, economics Prof. Sherrie- Kossoudji and sociology Prof. Donald Deskins to serve two-year terms on the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs. Representatives for "Un-American activities." He refused to testify in front of Congress and was charged with contempt of Congress for which he was sentenced to serve six months in prison. Davis, a mathematics professor at the University of Toronto, was dismissed from the See ROBERTS, Page 7 Senate Assembly honors Nickerson By William Nash Daily Staff Reporter Mark Nickerson, who died March 13, will be remembered for his major contributions to pharmacology, including his research on adregenic blocking drugs. But at the University, he is best known for his dismissal during the Red Scare. Nickerson faced a congressional hearing for his involve- ment with the Community Party ten years prior to the McCarthy Era. But at the time of the scare, he was not polit- ically active. He was posthumously honored during yesterday's Senate Assembly meeting at the annual "Lecture on Academic and See NICKERSON, Page 7 0, CIAl ' role of MSA Administrators have differing opinions on assembly's involvement By Gerard Cohen-Vrignaud Daily Staff Reporter Although many students who do not vote in Michigan Student Assembly elections claim that the governing student body is ineffective, many administrators who regularly interact with the assembly do not share their sentiments. Often, MSA has brought the student perspective on issues to administrators. "They're doing a terrific job;' Provost Nancy Cantor said. "They help adminis- trators talk- through issues that affect stu- dents. We certainly try to listen to what they're saying. MSA has brought many issues to our attention." Some administrators said MSA needs to take full advantage of the access it has to the administration. "The potential is there. I'm not sure we have realized that potential;' said Lester Monts, vice provost for academic and multicultural affairs. "One committee I'm on, there are two seats for MSA members who have never been there" In addition to asserting its views to administrators, MSA has managed to voice its concerns on student issues to the University Board of Regents. Regent Philip Power (D-Ann Arbor) said MSA influenced the board's deci- sions on library hours, diversity and tuition and called MSA's presence "compelling and persuasive." "The regents have always wel- comed the views of MSA, since it represents the students," Power said. "1 think students always need. an organization that gets things done and represents the students with the administration." But MSA members do not always get their way with the administra- tion. As Power pointed out, the assembly's current campaign to include a student on the Board of Regents is not likely to convince regents to raise fees. "The process of representation by interest group is a never-ending affair once you get into it," Power said. "In the past, MSA attempts to force the regents to make students pay higher fees have generally been greeted by negative reactions." Many administrators said MSA has been helpful to work with in the past. Associate Vice President for University Relations Lisa Baker said she was impressed by the assembly's attempts to boycott the U.S. News and World See ASSEMBLY, Page 3 JOHN KRAFT/Daly Engineering senior Ramon Johnson, a member of the PI Kappa Alpha fraternity, impersonates Dennis Rodman last night during the "hero" portion of the Mr. Greek Week Contest at the Power Center. Johnson placed first in the contest. Greek Week o a By Erin Holmes Daily Staff Reporter As they passed a student up through the crowd, his cream joined the shouts of the cheerleaders and people Lancing in the aisles. But the spirit and intensity that would rival a Michigan- )hio State football game were not in support of the Wolverines. The cheers were th ose of about 700 students who attended last night's Mr. Greek Week Contest - the offi- :ial kick-off of the 10-day Greek Week festivities. Bradley Holcman, a Kinesiology junior and president >f the Interfraternity Council, said the event aimed to pro- vide "fun for the entire campus community." Holeman said the event's proceeds, which went to char- ity, were just the beginning of the Greek Community's goal of raising $100,000 during Greek Week. During the competition, which featured 28 contestants from various Greek organizations, fraternity representa- tives strutted their stuff in a tuxedo competition and demonstrated their sense of humor in a "hero" portion as they portrayed the person they "most admired." Engineering senior Ramon Johnson, who placed first for the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, said the hero portion was meant to be a little less than serious. "It's supposed to be a pun," said Johnson, the Michigan Marching Band's drum major. "I picked Dennis Rodman See KICK-OFF, Page 7 Breaking out fuls want to change ITD system hours of dial-in service. Any pages or hours outside of the basic package is charged directly to the student's account. New Frontier Party vice presidential candidate Michael Enright, an LSA sophomore, said the old system should be reinstated. Changing the ITD billing system is a large part of the New Frontier Party's platform. "The ITD fee system is not good, and we should change it back to the old sys- tem," Enright said: "People should be able to use their money in any way they want within ITD services." ECandidate 1 1 1 L debates held a ~} last Friday will be broadcast tonight at 10 on WOLV 4T television and on WCBN FM Mae a 1 :h 88.3 at 6. ITD fees concerns. "Saying to someone that you can only have 120 pages of printing is not enough," Rosenberg said. "It has turned out to be the biggest issue in the new system. The committee thinks that the allocation needs to meet the needs of a high percentage of users." ITD estimated that at least half of the computer users will print more than their allowance and will end up paying eight cents per page for their additional printing. Laurie Burns, ITD interim director of ^, . ., ; _ 1 aj,: r ,_ s z . n.j.-., -,., I 'os e ' " ,K ,X. .:. _ ' presidential candidate Ryan Friedrichs, an LSA junior. "It was an issue brought up at the last four meeting between MSA and ITD." ITD and MSA currently are working r { I I I I I