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One hundred seven years ofeditorzilfreedom

Tuesday
March 24, 1998

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eltstn
es
ussian
licials
e Washington Post
MOSCOW - President Boris
ltsin abruptly fired Prime Minister
iktor Chernomyrdin and his entire
binet yesterday. Compounding the
rprise, Yeltsin chose a 35-year-old
inister who has been serving in
cow only five months to be acting
e minister.
In a taped speech broadcast on
ussian television yesterday morning,
stiff-looking Yeltsin dismissed
hernomyrdin, First Deputy Prime
inister Anatoly Chubais and Internal
ffairs Minister Anatoly Kulikov by
me, then added that he had fired the
st of the cabinet because it was "lack-
g in dynamism and initiative, fresh
oaches and ideas."
Itsin designated himself acting
me minister, but then passed the
ice later in the day to his youthful
ergy minister, Sergei Kiriyenko.
he offer came as a complete sur-
se, Kiriyenko said. "I learned about
this morning"
The day's events were full of twists
d contradictions. Even as Yeltsin
red Chernomyrdin, he appealed to
to concentrate on preparing for the
idential election scheduled, for
00. But some Russians interpreted
e firing as an attempt to undermine
hernomyrdin's possible candidacy.
The removal of Chubais, the chief of
e government's economic reform pro-
am, came at a moment when Russia's
onomy is being hit by investor ner-
usness and falling prices for oil -
e of Russia's chief exports - but
sin said economic policy would not
ge with Chubais's departure.
Government ministers other than
hernomyrdin, Chubais and Kulikov
ill stay on the job until Yeltsin nomi-
ates replacements. By law, Yeltsin
ust present a permanent prime minis-
r to the legislature for approval with-
two weeks.
"The resignation of the government
s not mean any change of our poli-
ourse. It means our desire to impart
See RUSSIA, Page 7
A UA
ebates
ew bylaw
William Wash
aily Staff Reporter
Tension between faculty and admin-
trators has resulted from a change in
e University Board of Regents'
ylaws that the board passed on Friday.
The change gives certain Medical
culty voting privileges without the
ecurity of tenure.
It was described as more of a "formal-
by administrators because it verifies
o previous votes, in 1986 and 1997, to

dlude clinical track Ii and research
ck faculty - non-teaching positions
in executive faculty positions.
By being included in the executive
culty, clinical and research track
ractitioners were given the rights of
nured faculty, such as voting on cur-
lum, employment, promotions and
et. The extent of these rights is not
elled out in the Regents' Bylaws.
The update to the bylaws was pushed
Executive Vice President for
edical Affairs Gilbert Omenn, who
as unavailable for comment.
The Senate Advisory Committee on
niversity Affairs, the faculty advising
mmittee, discussed the possible
plications of the modification at yes-
y's meeting.
e immediate result of the passed
law is a "strain" on relations between
e faculty and administration, said
ACUA Chair Louis D'Alecy.
SACUA voted unanimously to urge
e regents to table a vote on the topic

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Rolling into town

Competition
increases for
spots at 'U'

By Katie Piona
Daily Staff Reporter
Students applying to the University
this year may have a harder time getting
accepted than students with similar cre-
dentials did in previous years.
"The quality of this year's class is
very high and we also have a larger
number of applications than last
year," said Lester Monts, associate
provost for academic and multicultur-
al affairs.
The University would like to enroll
350 fewer students than this year's first-
year class, which exceeded its target
size by 140 students, Provost Nancy
Cantor said in a March 17 memoran-
dum to the University Board of
Regents.
This factor - combined with the
fact that the number of students who
already applied to the University for
spots in the 1998 class has already
exceeded last year's total - may make
the distinction between who gets
accepted and who doesn't even less
clear.
"We are being very careful this
year because this year's class (of first-
year students) was very large," Cantor
said.
Monts said that although the selec-
tion criteria has not been changed to
assess the increased number of appli-
cants, the standard may be different
because fewer students will be admitted

to the University,
"The bar has been raised and that's
because of the quality of the class,"
Monts said. "I'm pleased to see that the
University of Michigan is attractive to a
lot of qualified students."
Connie Branson, who counsels
seniors at 'Ann Arbor Pioneer High
School, said the students with whom
she works are becoming aware of the
higher standards.
"They're definitely worried and I
think they're also taking it a little per-
sonally because they know that in pre-
vious years, they would have got in,"
Branson said.
Branson speculated that events,
including Michigan's Rose Bowl victo-
ry and National Championship title,
may have enhanced students' percep-
tion of the University, thus increasing
the number applicants.
Cantor said a larger proportion of
applicants has been postponed than at
this point in previous years because the
University does not want to exceed its
target population.
There is also a high yield of appli-
cants who have already turned in their
enrollment deposits.
University officials said that waitlist-
ing qualified applicants is always diffi-
cult to do.
"Of course, I'm glad so many stu-
dents are interested in attending
See ADMISSIONS, Page 2

MALLORY S E FLOYD/Daily
A truck unloads materials for the multi-media Covers Tour - a commemorative exhibit chronicling 30 years of Rolling
Stone magazine covers. It will be on display today until Thursday in the Michigan Union. See story, Page 5.

Peace Corps recognizes 'U'

By Eliana Racik
Daily Staff Reporter
Peace Corps Deputy Director Charles
Baquet recognized the University as a major
contributor of Peace Corps volunteers in a
speech last night at the Michigan Union,
where former President John F. Kennedy
announced his plans to establish the Peace
Corps in 1960.
Appearing in front of a crowd of about
70 former Peace Corps volunteers, family
members of current volunteers and aspir-
ing corps volunteers, Baquet presented
Vice President for Student Affairs Maureen
Hartford with a plaque acknowledging the
University's support of the Peace Corps'
efforts.
"Michigan has always been a leader in terms
of producing Peace Corps volunteers," Baquet
said.

The Peace Corps has a history at the
University dating back to 1960. At 2 a.m.
on October 14 of that year, then-presiden-
tial candidate Kennedy spoke to
University students on the steps of the
Union urging them to devote two years of
their lives to working with people of
developing countries and to "help them
help themselves."
Officially established in 1961, the Peace
Corps has worked in 132 countries and
trained 150,000 volunteers in areas such as
education, health and agriculture. Since
then, more than 1,000 University students
have served as Peace Corps volunteers
around the world.
The former U.S. Ambassador to Djibouti,
Baquet alluded to many of the projects cur-
rently operating in the 84 countries the Peace
Corps currently serves.

He addressed former volunteers, thanking
them for their generosity and support, and
encouraged them to help in the recruiting of
like-minded people to serve as volunteers in
the future.
Baquet encouraged people to give back
to the organization that enhanced their
lives.
"It's pay back time," Baquet said.
In a request to the federal government last
week, Baquet, along with the director of the
Peace Corps, described the benefits an
increase of $50 million would have on its pre-
sent programs.
In his talk, Baquet highlighted one such
project called The Millennia. In this new
project, the Peace Corps aims to signifi-
cantly increase the number of its volunteers
by the year 2000.
See CORPS page 7

Peace Corps Deputy Director Charles Baquet presents an
award to Vice President for Student Affairs Maureen Hartford
on the steps of the Michigan Union yesterday.

0 0~

l'Titaic takes
70th Oscars
By Joshua Rich
Daily Arts Writer
The dreaded iceberg never emerged at last night's 70th
Annual Academy Awards. That meant smooth sailing for
"Titanic," the epic romance that can now add the words
"Best Picture" to its already golden resume.
In the annual ceremony honoring excellence in motion
pictures, director James Cameron's film about the leg-
endary 1912 ocean disaster received a total of 11 awards.
It took home statuettes in nearly every technical category,
and tied "Ben-Hur's 38-year-old record for Oscar wins, a
mark that hasn't been neared in decades. -
Also tying records was industry favorite Jack
Nicholson's Best Actor award for his role as an obsessive-
compulsive writer in "As Good as it Gets" - his third
Oscar. With the nod, Nicholson joined the company of sil-
ver screen legends Ingrid Bergman and Walter Brennan as
the most heralded actors in movie history.
Nicholson's co-star Helen Hunt, who also appears on
NBC's "Mad About You," was another one of the night's
many anticipated winners, snagging a trophy for Best
Actress.
Also rising out of television fame was supporting actor
winner Robin Williams, who became popular with his
free-association comedy riffs and his role as a wacky alien

Murder shocks
Columbia campus

By Christine M. Paik
Daily Staff Reporter
News of a Columbia University stu-
dent being murdered by her ex-boyfriend
last week awaited students returning
from their spring break yesterday.
The situation is similar to one that
occurred at the University last
September, when LSA senior Tamara
Williams was stabbed to death by her
boyfriend, Kevin Nelson, who was sub-
sequently shot by a Department of
Public Safety officer on the scene.
Third-year Columbia Law student
Hyeseung Lynda Hong's body was dis-
covered in her apartment late Friday
evening by a friend. Her body was cov-
ered in blood and her throat was slit.
Former Cornell University student
Edmund Ko, with whom she was
romantically involved, was charged
with second-degree murder Sunday.
Virgil Renzulli, associate vice-presi-
dent for public affairs at Columbia, said
that despite the absence of- many

The conviction was not new to Ko.
He was arrested and charged in another
case involving the slashing of a former
girlfriend last November, which did not
result in the victim's death.
Renzulli said Columbia officials have
been working around the clock to aid in
counseling and distribution of informa-
tion. In addition to extended counseling
hours, a community telephone informa-
tion chain was set up, flyers were tacked
up in' residence halls and a hotline was
established, Renzulli said.
"We're just in the process of bringing
people up to date," Renzulli said. "The
counseling service will continue. There
haven't been too many calls on the hot-
line, but that is most likely because
there has already been so much infor-
mation being given out." -
Columbia University President
George Rupp sent an e-mail to every
Columbia student, informing them of
the death and the resources available
on campus.

A PPHOTO
"Titanic" director James Cameron screams "I am king of
the world" as he accepts an Oscar for Best Director.
and Matt Damon, who crafted "Good Will Hunting" and
waited more than five years to see their script become a
motion picture.

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