LOCAL/STATE
The Michigan Daily - Friday, March 20, 1998 - 3
CRIME
High school
students cau ht
stealing can y
, A man called the Department of
ublic Safety on Wednesday evening to
report that he caught three children
stealing candy at The Power Center,
DPS reports state.
The man said he stopped the teenage
culprits, who were visiting students from
,ivine Child High School in Dearborn,
and held them until the police arrived.
When DPS officers questioned the
thieves, two of the students were dis-
.covered with the candy, while the other
ropped her candy after the caller
stopped the children.
The officer latwr made contact with
the children's group leader and advised
her of the incident. The three were
turned over to the group leader and
released, DPS reports said.
The Power Center management did
pot wish to press charges.
:couple found in
intimate moment
in East Quad
A student called DPS to report that
two people were having sexual inter-
course in a 4th floor study lounge of
East Quad Residence Hall on Tuesday.
DPS officers halted the incident and
checked the records of the subjects.
The record of the 16 year-old female
was reported with warrants and wants
for her arrest. The subject was a Wayne
County Prison escapee on two separate
occasions, but her custody was trans-
ferred to the supervision of Arbor
Heights.
When Arbor Heights checked on the
girl's status, they learned from her
place of employment, Purger King,
that she was late returning to work
from her break.
The two subjects denied that inter-
course occurred, saying that they were
only kissing. The case remains open
Winding further investigation and the
possibility of seeking charges for con-
tributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Man threatens
suicide in Union
A person called DPS on Wednesday
to report that there was a man in the
Union threatening suicide.
The caller, who tried to calm the man
down as he talked to the DPS dispatch-
er, said the man did not have any
weapons on him at the time.
DPS units responded and the subject
,equested an escort to University
Uospitals Psychiatric Emergency,
*Room. The man was voluntarily com-
mitted and a report was filed.
Homework sparks
N. Campus fight
A second-hand witness called DPS
pn Tuesday to report a fight between a
1-an and woman in the Media Union on
North Campus.
The caller said the man and woman
were hitting each other. No weapons
were involved, DPS reports stated.
DPS officers broke up the incident
_.nd secured the area. The fight was
, fported to be about homework. Both
Sparties were separated. No report was
riled.
Frosty windshield
causes injuries
A man called DPS on Tuesday to
report that a female pedestrian was
struck by a car on Observatory Street
between Geddes Avenue and
Washington Heights Drive.
The driver said his frosty windows
caused the mishap. He was cited for
driving with an obstructed windshield,
DPS reports state.
The female was transported to
University Hospitals for treatment.
- Compiled by Daily Staff Reporter
Reilly Brennan.
Missouri considers crackdown on plagiarism
By Christine M. Paik
Daily Staff Reporter
The Missouri State Senate is considering a bill
that, if passed, could make certain forms of cheat-
ing and plagiarism punishable under the law.
The bill, which would classify cheating on stan-
dardized tests and term papers as a Class B misde-
meanor, would carry a penalty of up to six months
in jail and a $500 fine for those who aided a stu-
dent in cheating.
Sen. Steve Ehlmann (R-St. Charles, Mo.) said
the bill would effectively allow universities in the
state to seek punishment for businesses and per-
sons offering their test-taking and paper-writing
services to students planning to cheat.
"The bill really deals with the people who take
the (American College Test) and the (Scholastic
Aptitude Test) for other people, and it deals with
people who sell their term papers to others,"
Ehlmann said. "It actually would punish those aid-
ing ... in cheating."
Ehlmann said that because universities do not
have the authority to reprimand those who are not
affiliated with the school, it has been difficult in
the past to punish non-university people who have
helped a student cheat.
"We're not going to throw the student who
cheats in jail - that will still be up to the (uni-
versity) to discipline that person," Ehlmann
said. "But the school has no jurisdiction over
the person who gave him the answers (if he is
not university affiliated), and this bill would
address that."
Sara Johnson, associate dean of Washington
University's College of Arts and Sciences, said
it is still too early to determine the possible
impact of such a bill. Johnson said higher edu-
cation institutions should not concern them-
selves with non-university parties, and they
should not depend on state laws for aid in disci-
pline.
"I see our primary role here on campus as inter-
acting with our students, not people outside the
university" Johnson said. "But if a county prose-
cutor wants to take these matters to court, that
would be great."
LSA Assistant Dean Esrold Nurse handles most
cheating cases that are reported in LSA. He said he
fails to see the benefit of this type of bill.
"I don't know if this bill is the answer," Nurse
said. "It would be nice to punish those who aided
in cheating, but I don't know if this would help the
problem."
Nurse, who meets with students accused of
cheating and has the authority to take some
types of action against them, said that most
cases of cheating are resolved without severe
action.
"I don't think it's as extensive as some people
believe" Nurse said. "It has changed with the
advent of technology, (but) I don't think there has
been any massive increase."
LSA sophomore Heidi Malsack agreed, saying
that while she knows of incidents of cheating on
campus, she does not feel it is a widespread or fre-
quent occurrence.
"There doesn't seem to be a lot of cheating, or
at least not that I've seen,' Malsack said. "I may be
oblivious, but I don't really think there is"
Malsack said she does not approve of the pro-
posed bill.
"I think it is a little drastic,' Malsack said. "I
think the student is the one making the choice to
cheat, and so it's their responsibility. Only they
should suffer the consequences."
Lisa Baker, associate vice president for
University relations, said the state should not
interfere with matters concerning a university.
"It's very complex" Baker said. "I think that
what we have here has stood the test of time, and
we make adjustments as needed, but I don't see a
need for legislation like this. I think the institution
could best manage these issues without new laws
on the books."
I
Clean-up duty
New budget makes its way to
A city council next month
By Peter Meyers
Daily Staff Reporter
The season of spreading the wealth
has arrived. In one month, the Ann
Arbor City Council will begin official
deliberations on how to distribute its
annual $166-million budget.
Councilmember Tobi Hanna-Davies
(D-1st Ward) said she does not expect
there will be much debate about how
city funds will be spent, but added that
it is a difficult outcome to predict.
"It varies a lot from year to year,'
Hanna-Davies said.
Hanna-Davies, who was first elected
in 1992, said the process should go
smoothly this year because all members
of council were re-elected in last year's
election.
"It's more predictable because every-
one has been through it before," said
Hanna-Davies, the council's most
senior member.
The budget will officially be submit-
ted to the council by City Administrator
Neil Berlin on April 20.
Berlin said he met with every depart-
ment head in the city during the past few
weeks to determine their budget needs.
"What we did this year is give each
department a target figure for what we
(can afford)," Berlin said, adding that
"there's not much point" in departments
requesting more than the city can offer.
City department heads said they are
satisfied with the budget allocation
process.
"I think it's a good opportunity for
(Berlin) to look over our budget," said
John Newman, director of the city's
Solid Waste Department. "Basically,
our budget (is) the same as it has been
in the past."
"I think the fire department budget is
in pretty good shape" said George
Marcus, chief of the Ann Arbor Fire
Department.
"As an overall view, the city's ... bud-
gets have been shrinking" Marcus said.
Marcus said departments citywide,
including the fire department, received
enough funding to operate, but have not
been given funds to add more personnel.
"We could use some more staff sup-
port" he said.
Marcus said the fire department is
especially in need of fire inspectors and
public educators.
Alan Burns, the city budget director,
said the 300-page proposed budget will
be balanced but will likely spend surplus
revenues from earlier years. Currently,
Ann Arbor has savings of $8.1 million,
he said.
Burns said he does not expect the
council to enact many changes from
Berlin's proposal.
"They've tweaked it a bit, but I've
never seen it substantially changed,"
Burns said.
About $45 million is collected
through property taxes for city depart-
ments that do -not include schools,
Burns said. The rest comes from fees,
fines and state and government grants.
Schools are funded by a separate prop-
erty tax.
Burns said the state contributes about
$13 million and the federal government
contributes an additional $2 million to
"They've tweaked
it a bit, but I've
never seen it
substantially
changed."
- Alan Burns
City Budget Director
the budget. The federal share has been
shrinking at an annual rate of between
$50,000-S100,000, iurns said.
Some grants and revenues can only
be spent by certain departments. Betsy
Lindsley of the Housing Commission
said all of her funding comes directly
from the federal government.
"We simply submit a budget to
(Housing and Urban Development) at
over at the local office in Detroit,'
Lindsley said.
The public debate will begin as city
councilmembers start submitting
amendments to the proposed budget.
"I expect there will be quite a few
amendments," Hanna-Davies said.
Council probably will have several
meetings on the budget throughout ;the
second half of April, Hanna-Davies said.
Unlike on the federal level, a govern-
ment shutdown is impossible under city
charter constraints. If council does trot
agree on a budget by May 1, the admin-
istrator's proposed budget will autonat-
ically be accepted.
NATHAN RUFFER/Daily
A worker cleans up North University Avenue after a University bus leaked
power steering fluid over the majority of the street.
Motorolaes high-te c
gadgeAtry a hit at'U
1 Expo showcases
Motorola's latest
technology
By Sam Stavis
Daily Staff Reporter
Some students came for free pretzels
and soda. Others came to check out the
latest in wireless communication tech-
nol ogy.
Whatever the reason, the Motorola
Expo held in the Electrical Engineering
and Computer Science Atrium yester-
day drew a large crowd, amusing spec-
tators with displays, demonstrations
and prize give-aways.
Motorola, one of the world's largest
suppliers of wireless communications
and advanced electronic systems, held
the event to increase the University's
awareness of the company and its vari-
ous technologies.
"The purpose of the event is to
ensure that the students of this
University understand the broadness
of Motorola technology," said
Roberta Gutman, Motorola's vice
president and director of global
diversity.
While students were invited to drop
off their resumes, no interviews were
conducted at the event, to the dismay of
several hopeful job-hunters.
Charlene Johnson, who handles uni-
versity paging relations for Motorola,
said the expo was "not a recruiting
event."
One of the main attractions at the
event was the "Code Red" exhibit,
where Motorola displayed its latest cus-
tomized communications packages,
drawing the audience in with the catch-
phrase, "heroes wanted."
Intended mainly for emergency use,
Code Red technology is designed for
the rapid, uninterrupted transfer of
important information - such as crim-
inal files for police officers on the
street, or secure digital channels for
confidential political conversations.
"We're giving mission-critical data to
the user," said Andy Stankoskey, man-
ager of Motorola's wireless systems
development.
Another popular exhibit showcased
Motorola's latest two-way and alphanu-
meric pagers.
Ranging from tiny, brightly-col-
ored units for teenagers to clam-shell,
computer-like business devices, the
prices of the pagers varied according
to their size and function.
Motorola's most advanced two way
pager comes complete with a mini-key-
board and liquid crystal display and can
connect to the Internet via Motorola's
wireless server.
Overall, the crowd was pleased with
the combination of free food, prizes and
high-tech goodies.
"It's interesting to see new prod-
ucts," said Rackham student Craig
Wilson. He also said he enjoyed the
opportunity "to talk to people in the
workplace."
Engineering sophomore Dave
Ostreicher, who is interning with
Motorola this summer, said he attend-
ed the event to familiarize himself
with the company's technology.
"It is interesting, and the people are
really knowledgeable,' said Ostreicher,
who also won a prize at the event.
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CL ELK L
What's happening in Ann Arbor this weekend
FRIDAY
U "Campus Environmental Rally and
Energy Fair," Sponsored by
Environmental Clearinghouse,
Michigan Union, Pendleton Room,
12-4 p.m.
0 "Europe on the Cheap," Sponsored by
International Center, international
Center, Room 9, 3-4:30 p.m.
Rackham Building, Assembly Hall,
6 p.m.
L] "The Broadness of the Mental: Some
Logical Considerations,"
Sponsored by Philosophy
Department, Mason Hall, Room
2408, 4 p.m.
SATURDAY
Sponsored by Student Mediation
Services, Michigan Union, Room
4354.
J "Weekly Rummage Sale," Sponsored
b The Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor,
Kiwanis Building, 200 S. First St.,
corner of Washington, 9 a.m-12 p.m.
SUNDAY
I
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