e'Elan *rni News: 76-DAILY Display Ads: 764-0554 Classified Ads: 764-0557 One hundred eight years ofeditornilfreedom Thursday December 10, 1998 V. Ctc, of impach, mentpro posed 4 articles of impeachment proposed Judiciary committee moves closer to a vote Articles of impeachment: The Washington Post WASHINGTON -Unmoved by the White House defense case, the Republican majority on the House Judiciary Committee yesterday posed four articles of impeachment alleg- that President Clinton "has betrayed his trust as president and has acted in a manner subversive of the rule of law and justice." The articles, modeled on the language the panel used 24 years ago in Watergate, charged Clinton with obstruction of justice, abuse of power and two counts of perjury stemming from his attempts to cover up his affair with Monica Lewinsky. In addition to endorsing independent counsel Kenneth Starr's allega- *s,the articles accused Clinton of lying in sponse to 81 questions posed by the commit- tee last month. Republicans released the proposed articles late yesterday even as the president's team was still wrapping up its two-day defense presenta- tion with a plea by White House counsel Charles Ruff not to put the nation through "the horror" of a Senate trial. Capping a 10-hour day of testimony, Ruff maintained that the president's actions, however blameworthy, were not impeachable because they did not "subvert our system of government." He promised "absolutely" that Clinton would not pardon himself to thwart any possible criminal charges and offered a detailed examination of Starr's report to argue that it exaggerated the case against the president. While acknowledging that "reasonable peo- ple" could conclude Clinton "crossed over that line" of perjury, a clearly uncomfortable Ruff was placed in the position of explaining that the president believes sexual relations means only intercourse, not oral sex. Despite several clashes throughout the long day with Republican lawmakers, Ruff insisted that the president's defense was not legal hair-splitting but a legitimate response to the charge of per- jury. His appeal did not sway Republicans on the panel. With party lines starkly drawn, GOP members appeared certain to approve at least one of the four articles when voting begins tomorrow, sending the issue to the floor for the full House to decide next week. In a bid to rescue Clinton by winning votes of moderate Republicans, the president's Democratic allies circulated a counterproposal that would condemn Clinton in harsh terms without removing him from office. Judiciary Chair Henry Hyde (R-ll.) agreed to allow a vote on the censure proposal in committee, where it will almost surely fail, but Democrats were still fighting for a chance to introduce it on the floor next week. The White House, which publicly had kept an arm's length from the censure alternative to avoid hurting its chances, explicitly advocated the concept yesterday and a witness called by the president's defense team, former governor See CUNTON, Page 8A 2 1 :1 counts of perjury count of obstruction of justice count of abuse of power pfl2Csffhas Ahey a d ozvutr " - Henry Hyde (R-Ill.) House Judiciary Chair Magazine ranks best colleges for blacks By Sarah Lewis Daily Staff Reporter * he January issue of Black Enterprise, a magazine geared toward black entrepreneurs, will soon release the results of a survey ranking the 50 best U.S. colleges and universities for black students. Spelman College topped the list, with eight other historically black col- leges and universities claiming the fol- lowing spaces. The University of Michigan ranked the 50s, earning an honorable men- n, said survey organizer Thomas LaVeist, a professor in the department of health and public policy at Johns Hopkins University and chief executive officer of DayStar Research company. LaVeist said 1,007 higher education faculty members at 986 colleges and universities nationwide participated in the research project. The rankings took into account four tors, LaVeist said. The graduation rate for black students was the most heavily weighted factor, followed by, the results of the faculty surveys. Surveys asked educators to "rank their school in terms of the academic and learning environment and then rate its social environment in terms of African American students," LaVeist said. The schools' overall percentages of black students constituted the final fac- tor in the survey. *aVeist, who earned both his master's and Ph.D. at the University, said that although he thought the University would score better based on his experi- ences here, it earned respectable scores. But many black students, LaVeist said, might not do well at the University because of its social environment, regardless of their abilities. He said the social scores relied on ow fully integrated black students are the campus community -specifi- cally in leadership positions. "It's a matter of finding out what any specific school can do within its envi- ronment to make it more conducive to African American students' learning," LaVeist said. He said he hopes Black Enterprise will publish a new survey every two years, which could be used as a gauge See RANKINGS, Page 5A "But you cannot overturn the will of t/eic people, even fyoufind that there as clear and convinzcing evidence .... - Charles Ruff White House Counsel Bill may lend support to Code Passage could be delayed By Mike Spahn Daily Staff Reporter While universities around the. state deal with alcohol problems on their campuses, the state Legislature may step in and give schools a new weapon in combating campus drinking. A bill submitted to the state House of Representatives last week would allow institutions of higher education to require incoming students to sign a responsibility contract. That contract - although not specified by the bill - could include provisions on con- duct, ethics and behavior at school. The bill would lend support to the University Code of Student Conduct, which mandates sanctions for a wide range of offenses - not just drinking. Rep. Alan Sanborn (R-Washington Twp.), the sponsor of the proposed legislation, said universities could use this legislation to alleviate tragedies in which alcohol may play a role. Recent tragedies on campuses across the state motivated Sanborn to pro- pose the bill. "This would put the full force of the Michigan Constitution behind the codes of conduct currently in place," Sanborn said. While acknowledging that most universities already have codes in place, Sanborn said this legislation would give the schools concrete backing to their enforcement of such codes. The Legislature, working late into the night, is trying to complete its work- load before adjourning for the holidays, but not every proposal will be addressed. Therefore, it's likely Sanborn will have to present the bill again in January when the new Legislature convenes. The University Code of Student Conduct is the school's internal disci- pline system that can penalize students for behaviors the University deems inappropriate. The Code is currently under review by both the administration and the Michigan Student Assembly. Vice President for Student Affairs Maureen Hartford said she has not seen the bill, but she thinks the current review will get more students to read the Code - one of the aims of Sanborn's bill. "There is a lot of interest in seeing that we be sure all students have read" the Code, Hartford said. She said the bill could bolster the effectiveness of the Code the University now employs in that the law would require students to read the Code before entering the University. Vice President for Government Relations Cynthia Wilbanks said most schools already have codes, but this will open a discussion on regulating drinking on campus. "Almost all institutions in this state have regulations," Wilbanks said. "The discussion would certainly be profitable.' Concerns about drinking on college campuses reach all the way up to the governor, said John Truscott, spokesper- son for Gov. John Engler. But he warned that a final solution to the problem will not come from state government. "This is a pervasive and prevalent issue," Truscott said. "But the governor has always thought we have to let the universities do what's in their best inter- ests." And Sanborn said it is often times in universities' best interests to "expedite getting rid of a few bad apples" from col- leges and universities. Sanborn said that by requiring the contract to be signed before admission, lives could be saved. "Schools have long waiting lists; they can afford to be a little more selec- tive," Sanborn said. "At the least, itcould make for a bet- See BILL, Page 5A DANA LiNNANE/Daily Kinesiology senior Beth Amelkovich, a member of the women's gymnastics team, and Kinesiology senior Joe Warren, a Michigan wrestler, paint the Rock on Hill Street and Washtenaw Avenue yesterday at a vigil for Jefferey Reese. (U')sudetsxremember Reese By Jennifer Yachnin Daily Staff Reporter Smiles and laughter accompanied paint brushes last night as friends and teammates of Michigan wrestler Jefferey Reese painted the .Rock to mark the one-year anniversary of Reese's death, "We wanted to remember him some way," said Jennifer -Rasmussen, who helped organize the vigil. "He always liked to do exciting things." A little more than a year ago, Reese stayed after wrestling practice with assistant wrestling coach Joe McFarland to drop the final pounds that would put him into the 150 weight class for a meet against Michigan State University the fol- lowing day. He already had cut most of the weight in only a few days. That evening, he rode an exercise bike while wearing a rubber suit to trim the remaining pounds. Shortly after weighing himself, Reese collapsed next to the scale. He died that night. His workout regime was intended to reduce his weight by a total of 17 pounds needed for the following day's wrestling meet against Michigan State. Rasmussen, a Kinesiology senior, said the idea to hold a vigil by painting the Rock, located at the corner of Hill Street and Washtenaw Avenue, came to her one day as she drove past the cam- pus landmark. Students painted the rock white, then wrote in maize and blue "J.L.R. 76-97" on the face of the rock and "We miss you Jeff" love "your M fam" on the back side of the monu- ment. "It's more happy than sad," LSA sophomore and Michigan gymnast Christine Michaud said of the event. "We're trying to remember the good times we had when Jeff was around." See REESE, Page 7A Composer writes music for tale ~7 MSA projects gain ground By Jennifer Yachnin Daily Staff Reporter If Michigan Student Assembly President Trent Thompson and Vice President Sarah Chopp want to complete the assembly's current wish list before they leave office in late March, they would have to com- plete one project every three days until the elections. The post "comes with so many responsibilities ... I've got to make MSA my life until I hand over the gavel, said Thompson, an LSA senior. The assembly's projects, guided by nearly 60 representatives, include newer projects - such as a proposed self-defense course for female students - and continuing initiatives, like the infamous two-year-old "pipe dream" is set to open in January, pending final approval by University General Counsel Marvin Krislov by month's end. "There is a long-shot possibility that the University might like this idea so much that they could subsidize this," Elias said. Elias said that between six-10 University pro- fessors will use the coursepack store to supply stu- dents with winter term coursepacks. The store will be housed temporarily in MSA headquarters on the third floor of the Michigan Union and will be staffed by assembly members on a volunteer basis. The assembly's Student Regent Task Force hit a brick wall last summer when the University Board By Christopher Tkaczyk Daily Arts Editor Stephen Schwartz, composer and lyricist of the musicals "Godspell," "Pippin" and "Children of Eden," has taken another Biblical turn with the upcoming Dreamworks release "The Prince of Egypt." Recipient of two Academy Awards for Disney's "Pocahontas," Schwartz also wrote the lyrics for "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." His com- positions for "Pocohontas" were his first foray outside of the theater, where he built his now-illustrious career. While bringing the legendary Native American princess to musical life in 1994, Schwartz met Jeffrey Katzenberg, the then-president of Disney. Katzenberg abandoned the Mouse's house later that year to join directed by Cecil B. de Mille, the ani- mated "The Prince of Egypt" adheres more to the one-person Biblical tale than the visually stimulating de Mille version. Katzenberg "remembered my work from when he was at Disney and he gave me a call in August of '94," Schwartz said during a recent telephone interview. "I was called into a conference, and Steven Spielberg told me they were intending to do an animated version of 'The Ten Commandments.' My first reaction was 'Oh ... ah ... really?"' Schwartz recalled. "I wasn't interested in doing a Biblical epic. Coming from the theater, I like telling stories from a human point of view. The story of Moses is an inter- esting one to do for animation because of the parting of the Red Sea, the burn- ing bush and the plagues. 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