9 CRIME
The Michigan Daly - Tues
LOCAL/S TATE
Colleagues baCk scrutinized former 'U'
day, September 8, 1998 - 3A
regent
Man found living
near Bentley
Library
North Campus groundskeepers
reported to the Department of
Public Safety that a man was living
in the woods 30 feet north of the
Bentley Library, UPS reports state.
The caller said the illegal residents
were not in the area, but said they
constructed a make-shift living area.
Police found identification in the
area for a 56-year-old male. A back-
ground check revealed that the Ann
Arbor Police Department has two
warrants out for the man's arrest.
Officers have been unable to find the
suspect.
Purse snatcher
apprehended
A man stole a purse Thursday from
a patient at University Health
Systems, DPS reports state. The sus-
pect fled on foot down the stairs, but
*was caught by DPS officers.
The suspect produced false iden-
tification and, when his true identity
was determined, was found to be the
subject of an , outstanding
Washtenaw County Sheriff's
Department warrant for a probation
violation.
Officers also seized marijuana found
in the man's possession. DPS placed
the man under arrest.
DPS called after
alleged assault
A caller reported to DPS last
Tuesday that a man had his arm
around a woman's neck at Wolverine
Towers. The victim told officers that
the man was her ex-boyfriend.
The former girlfriend said the sus-
pect struck her and grabbed her.
Officers ordered the man to leave the
building and released him pending
authorization of a warrant.
Police discover
drunken students
on campus
An intoxicated student was on
the Palmer Field side of Mosher-
Jordan Residence Hal on Thursday
night, DPS reports state. The stu-
dent was conscious but unable to
stand.
In a separate incident, DPS received
a call the same night about an intoxi-
cated male student on the front steps
of West Quad Residence Hall.
Officers said the student was barely
conscious.
In both instances, DPS called
*luron Valley Ambulance, who
transported the students to the
University Health Systems emer-
gency room.
Thieves destroy
2
A golf machine
Thieves had attempted to break
into the golf ball machines and
vending machines at Radrick Farms
tolf Course on Geddes Avenue. The
crime allegedly took place Tuesday
night.
Police reporting to the scene found
more than $300 was stolen from the
machine. Reports do not indicate
whether DPS has identified any sus-
pects.
Car windows
'mashed in
}parking lot
A DPS squad car was flagged
down last Tuesday when an individ-
ual reported hearing car windows
being smashed on the south side of
the Forest Street parking structure,
DPS reports state.
Officers heard the suspects and
saw them enter the top floor of the
structure.
The suspects entered through the
area, as the top floor of the structure
is under construction.
Officers found five suspects
between the ages of 14 and 20.
Reports indicate the suspects may be
charged with malicious destruction of
property and minors in possession of
alcohol.
- Compiled by Daily Staff Reporter
Jason Stoffer
From staffand wire reports
lFormer University Regent Nellie Varner (l)-
Detroit) has spent the past month fighting off alle-
gations of her possible involvement in the July 24
murder of her daughter's ex-boyfriend.
Janniss Scott Varner, Nellie Varner's daughter,
lived with Alvin Knight for nearly five years and
helped Knight raise his son, Alvin Norwood. Scott
Varner is not biologically related to Norwood, but
she has been trying to obtain custody since 1997,
claiming she has virtually raised the boy.
On the night of July 24, one day after Knight
gained custody of the boy, a masked gunman
reportedly shot and killed Knight outside his
Detroit apartment.
Police obtained a warrant to search the Detroit
home Varner shares with her daughter. The war-
rant said the custody dispute provided "a motive
for the murder (for) hire of the complainant."
The Detroit News reported that during the raid of
Varner's home, police found more than 15 bullet
holes, an altar with candles, oils and incense and
notes allegedly describing how to kill Knight, obtain
a false death certificate for him and gain custody of
the child.
Police said they also found papers in Knight's
apartment in which he
described the custody battle
with the Varners, including
death threats he has received.
Varner, a prominent Detroit
real estate investor, left the
University Board of Regents in
1996 after serving for 16 years.
She is one of the main investors
in Atwater Casino Group, one
of three groups selected for a
Detroit casino license. Varner
Those who worked with
Varner during her tenure at the
University said they highly respect her.
Former University President James Duderstadt
said Varner made a lastin, contribution during her
tenure on the board.
"Nellie Varner was always very highly regard-
ed, both by the University and her fellow regents,"
I)1uderstadt said. "She was thoughtful and very
supportive ol the I iniversity."
I Cuderstadt said Varner worked with him on the
Michigan Mandate and was instrumental to its
implementation. Passed in 1988, the mandate is an
ongoing ntiversity initiative to increase diversity
on campus .
Regent Philip P ower (D-Ann Arbor), who
served on the board for nine years with V.rner,
said that as a former University political science
professor, Varner knew the University's inner
workings better than any other board member.
"She is a reserved person," Power said. "I saw
her at many football and basketball games with her
grandson, who is a charming and delightful young
man"
Police investigators and Varner's attorney
Ilarold Fried insist neither Varner nor her daughter
are suspects in the murder.4
"Nellie Varner is not a target" of the police
investigation, Fried said. "She has passed a poly-
graph about the murder of Alvin Knight."
The July murder was not the first violent inci-
dent involving Knight in which police have
investigated a possible connection to the
Varners.
Timeline:
* July 3 --- Nellie Warner and Janniss
Scott Vrner took custody of Alvin
Knight's son, Alvin Norwood.
SJuly 9 ~- Scott Vrner filed a personal
protection order against Kight
M July 12 "1.Knight unsuccessfully tried
to locate his son. He filed a missing pe-
sons report with the Detroit Police
Depart ment
a July 13 - Scott Vrner tiled a petition
for custody in Wayne County Probate
Court.
0 July 23 The probate judge ordered
the boy be removed from the Varner home
and returned ,to KhI1S1t.°
M Jily2 night was gunned down b
outsid Ihis iapartment.
Booksores vary onto b_- z «2'B k j
prices oftextbooks.MOn
By Adam Zuwerink
Daily Staff Reporter
For most students, the word "textbook" brings to
mind images of long lines and high prices.
With three major bookstores located on
campus, the choice of which store to visit can
appear overwhelming to incoming students.
While each of the stores offer similar invento-
ry, shoppers can find minor variations in
price.
"I've gone to all three stores and found the
prices and availability to be similar," said LSA
sophomore Leslie Besso.
While prices on some books are higher at the
Michigan Union Bookstore, located in the
basement of the Michigan Union on State
Street, some students are attracted by its conve-
nient location and a price-matching plan.
"I went to the Union bookstore because it
was close," said LSA sophomore Melissa
Langevin.
"We have price-matching where we guaran-
tee the lowest prices, and if we don't, we match
and beat any price from a bookstore within the
community," said John Battaglino, general
manager of the Michigan Union Bookstore.
The store also guarantees half-price returns on
some of its books.
Ulrich's Book Store, located on the corner of
South University Avenue and Last University
Avenue, is a popular bookstore among students.
"The general perception is that we have the
lowest prices. Generally, we get the No. 1
(bookstore) ranking from students based on our
customer service and knowledge," said Dave
Richards, general manager of Ulrich's,
"They were friendly in there and helped me
find my books," said LSA first-year student
Bess Bowers. "It didn't take very long at all."
Michigan Book & Supply, located on the
corner of State Street and North University
Avenue, offers some of the best prices for
entry-level textbooks in numerous courses and
has a large selection of used textbooks.
"Students come here for the convenience and
used book availability," said Steve Schindler,
store manager at Michigan Book & Supply.
"We buy early and keep them in the back room.
Publishers usually raise their prices in June,
and we try to buy in April and May.
"The three bookstores in town have tried to
push professors to get their orders in early so
that we can buy before the price increase and
find more used books."
Having three similar and competing book-
stores on campus is not a situation unique to
the University.
"At Arkansas, there is one (bookstore) that is
funded by the University, and two that are inde-
pendently owned," said Serena I hint. a sopho-
more at the University of Arkansas, who was on
campus this week.
One of the major complaints from students
about buying textbooks is the high prices.
"The process of getting books isn't a prob-
lem, but the prices are disagreeable," said
Rackham first-year student Ilaggai Elitzur.
Managers agreed that prices have risen
JESSICA JOHNSON/Dai s
An employee at the Michigan Union Bookstore helps a University student find his books for the
semester yesterday in the Michigan Union,
markedly at many bookstores.
"Increases have been greater than inflation
the last few years." Richards said. "There is
really no reason for it, other than the publishers
can get away with it."
Battaglino said he feels badly that students
pay such high prices for textbooks.
"Publishing houses are the most profitable
institution in the country and feel threatened by
the emergence of electronic companies, such as
Microsoft (Corp.)," he said. "Bookstore mar-
gins have actually gone down in the last few
years."
tto Comparison offTi
$90 3 flrich's Book Store
] Mic.higan Book & Sup
$h U; Ntichlgan Union Book:
$b70
Micdit. i Spanish
Physioog~y 19 231/232
Cextbook Prices
k.5torc
S ,
F
Ch hemistry ~
130 /
'ateuus
115/116
Judge sets trial date
n
.
1
for lawsuit
By Katie Plona
and Susa T. Port
Daily Staff Reporters
After nearly one year of heated
debate between Michigan state legisla-
tors; two legal intervention attempts;
hours of intense dialogue and dozens of
campus protests, one of the lawsuits
attacking the University's use of race in
admissions is scheduled for trial.
A Michigan judge scheduled a tenta-
tive trial date of June 1999 for the law-
suit filed against the Law School, leav-
ing the suit against the College of
Literature, Science and the Arts without
a court date, University spokesperson
Julie Peterson said.
Both cases are still in the discovery
phase, as the defendants and the plain-
tiffs exchange and review information.
"This has certainly been.a very chal-
lenging year for all of us, but I think that
we have so much at stake, ...," said Lisa
Baker, former associate vice president
for University Relations.
The Center for Individual Rights - a
conservative, Washington, D.C.-based
law firm - filed the first of two law-
suits against the University challenging
its admissions policies on Oct. 14. It
first targeted LSA and then filed a sim-
ilar suit against the Law School in early
December.
That wasn't the first time the
University's admission policies fell
under scrutiny.
During the summer of 1997, a hand-
ful of Michigan state legislators spear-
headed a campaign to identify individu-
als who believed they had been unfairly
treated as a result of the University's use
of affirmative action.7
against U
Ultimately, CIR filed the first lawsuit
on behalf of two white applicants,
Jennifer Gratz and Jason Hamacher,
who were denied admission to the
University several years ago.
CIR then filed the lawsuit against the
University's Law School on behalf of
1996 applicant Barbara Grutter.
Others have wanted to get involved in
the lawsuits as well. TIwo groups com-
posed of organizations and individuals
-- one in each suit - have unsuccess-
fully attempted to join the University as
co-defendants in the cases.
This summer, U.S. District Judge
Bernard Friedman denied the motion of
41 students - from Texas, California and
Michigan - to become co-defendants in
the lawsuit challenging the Law School.
U.S. District Judge Patrick Duggan
also denied a similar motion to inter-
vene in the case against LSA, which
was filed on behalf of 17 Detroit-area
high school students.
The University had taken a neutral posi-
tion on the addition of the intervenors.
To become co-defendants, the two
groups had to demonstrate that the
University could not adequately repre-
sent their positions.
Miranda Massie, lead attorney for
Law School lawsuit coalition, said the
group has " ...a much greater stake than
any University can have."
Massie said the group has filed an
appeal against the judge's decision. A
spokesperson for the coalition that tried
to intervene in the LSA suit said the
group also may file an appeal.
As the lawsuit ensues, representatives
on both sides have not wavered from
their positions.
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