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One hundred eight years ofediton lfeedom
Tesday
October 20, 1998
- f. ~; -2
Students
gather to
remember
Cantor
By Michael Grass
Daily Staff Reporter
Hundreds of students gathered on
the Diag in a candlelight vigil last night
to pay tribute to Courtney Cantor, who
many remember as vibrant and com-
passionate.
'The grieving process will continue.
hope this will bring some kind of
closure - we just want to help," said
Rackham student Kimberly Haynes,
the hall director at Mary Markley
Residence Hall. Cantor, an LSA first-
year student, died Friday morning after
falling from her sixth-floor window
Markley window.
Haynes, along with others at
Markley, helped organize the vigil
to commemorate Cantor.
ore than 200 residents from
rkley walked to the 9 p.m. vigil
together carrying candles, joined by
others from the University, many of
whom did not know Cantor.
"I didn't know Courtney," Education
senior Rakiba Mitchell said. "I just
came out to pay my respects"
Haynes opened the ceremony with a
prayer and introduced the featured
speakers.
t)irector' of Housing William
Zeller said Cantor's life "made a
tremendous difference. I am truly
saddened by her death, and we will
See VIGIL, Page 5
Fraternity
suspended
indefinitely
By Nikita Easley
and Jennifer Yachnin
Daily Staff Reporters
Phi Delta Theta fraternity national
headquarters officials announced the
indefinite suspension of its
University of Michigan chapter yes-
terday following an investigation
into the death of a Chi Omega soror-
ity pledge who died after attending a
party at the fraternity.
"The disciplinary action will be
taken against the chapter as a result of
the risk management violations that
occurred," said Marc Mores, director
of liability and risk management for
the national Phi Delta Theta fraterni-
ty. The campus Phi Delta Theta chap-
ter became alcohol free in the spring
of 1995
"In similar cases, we have suspend-
ed the charter," Mores said.
LSA first-year student Courtney
Cantor died after falling from her
sixth-floor window in Mary
Markley Residence Hall on Friday
morning. Autopsy reports released
yesterday by the Washtenaw County
Medical Examiner's office state 18-
year-old Cantor died from head and
spinal injuries resulting from the
fall.
Alcohol was found in her blood and
urine samples, according to the report.
Cantor was seen drinking at the Phi
Delta Theta party following carry-in
ceremonies for her sorority.
According to the report, Cantor
received skull and spine fractures.
Toxicology reports concerning
Cantor's death will not be released
until next week, said Joel Seguine of
the University's News and Information
Services.
Representatives of Chi Omega,
Phi Delta Theta and the Department
of Public Safety are conducting
investigations into the cause of
Cantor's death.
Mores said the fraternity representa-
tive interviewed chapter members and
University fraternity alumni this
weekend.
"It's a fact-finding mission to find
what role, if any, the fraternity played
in Courtney's death," Mores said.
The fraternity's general council -
composed of fraternity alumni
throughout the country -should con-
clude discussion of the investigation
and decide on sanctions today, Mores
See FRATERNITY, Page 5
LOUIS BROWN/Daily
LSA first-year student Nicole Siegel watches a speaker at last night's candlelight vigil on the Diag for LSA first-year student
Courtney Cantor, who died Friday after falling from her Markley window.
Days of action set to begin
NIka Schulte
Daily Staff Reporter
Despite midterms and assignments, hun-
dreds of University students may put classroom
commitments aside tomorrow and Thursday to
participate in the nationwide 2 Days of Action
in defense of Affirmative Action.
The event, which will take place nationally at
universities such as Yale University, Harvard
University and Arizona State University, is sup-
ed locally by several organizations on cam-
ps including United for Affirmative Action
and the Michigan Student Assembly.
The demonstration is in response to a call
from professors in California, where affirma-
tive action recently was abolished due to
Proposition 209, a law approved by voters in
1996.
They also come as the University braces to
protect its affirmative action policies. Two law-
suits filed against the University by white
applicants target the use of race as a factor in
tLadmissions process.
ackham student Jessica Curtin, a member
of the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action
By Any Means Necessary, said
the event aims to strengthen the
affirmative action movement.
"The goal is to take the stu-
dent movement and make it
stronger, so as a nation we can
succeed to defend affirmative
action,' Curtin said. -
As a way to fortify the move-
ment, various members of the
campus community plan to
host workshops on the impor-
tance of affirmative action
throughout the two days.
One of the key events will be
a rally and march set to begin
on the steps of the Michigan
Union at noon tomorrow, fea-
turing speakers from student
groups involved in the cause.
Law second-year student
Birch Harms, a member of Law
Students in Support of
VICKY LASKY/Daily
Wednesday, Oct. 21
2:00.4:00 p.m.: Meeting to
organizing a national
movement to defend
affirmative action in the
Michigan Union Pond Room
6:30-8:00 p.m.: "The History
of Affirmative Action" MLB
Aud 3
Thursday, Oct. 22
2:00-4:00: "Our voice will
Be Heard: Students'
Intervention Into the
Lawsuit." Union Anderson
Rooms A and B
tive action on campus.
"I would hate to be in a
school that didn't have represen-
tation of the real world," Harms
said.
Although Harms said the ulti-
mate fate of affirmative action
will bc decided in the court sys-
tem, students can impact the
way society perceives the issue.
"If they care about affir-
mative action, they need to
let everyone know -
schools, courts, public,"
Harms said.
Included in the two days'
events will be presentations
by professors exploring the
issue from various aspects,
including perspectives from
Latino and Asian communi-
ties.
While administrators encour-
Affirmative Action, said he hopes students will age students to take part in the days' discus-
use the event to show their support of affirma- See ACTION, Page 2
Council plans Art appreciation
Diwal puja
By lJalme Winkler
Daily Staff Reporter r
AP PHOTO
An Israeli soldier cries as he is carried to an ambulance after a grenade attack hit the central
bus station in Beersheba, Israel, wounding 64 Israelis.
Israel suspenfods all
non-securttalks
Attack on bus stop could
end talks i*n Ma-ryland
Prayer, food, gifts and strings of lights adorning houses are
all part of the Hindu holiday Diwali.
Yesterday marked the actual day of Diwali. Also known as
Deepavali, Diwali literally means "a row of lights." Its sig-
nificance varies throughout India.
The Hindu Students Council organized the University's
seventh annual celebration of Diwali scheduled for tomorrow.
"The lights signify knowledge. (They) remove the dark-
ness of ignorance. There is also a significance of good over
," said Sharada Kumar, president of Chimarya Missions
in Ann Arbor.
The prayer ceremony is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. in the
Stockwell Blue Lounge. The function will consist of a puja
- a prayer/story that tells the story of Diwali and why it is
celebrated - bhajans devotional songs accompanied by a
drum, and prasad - blessed food.
The prayer, led by Kumar, will include the story of the
death of a demon king who repented for his sins with his last
breath and wished for people to try not to be evil. His death
declared an occasion of celebration in the name of good.
n Diwali, people also pray to the goddess of wealth and
put lights on their houses to attract prosperity.
"We try to attract prosperity, but end up losing on the elec-
tric bill," Kumar said.
Diwali can be compared to the holiday season in the
United States.
Children in India receive two weeks off of school, fiscal
I3&....-Anamrtntad;it i. n time o ear - ver ,-ar sid
QUEENSTOWN, Md. (AP) -- Israel sus-
pended all negotiations with the Palestinians
on issues other than security yesterday after a
bloody attack at a busy Israeli bus stop threat-
ened already lagging Mideast peace talks.
A senior Palestinian official, Yasser Abed
Rabbo, dismissed the Israeli move as "cheap
blackmail."
President Clinton said the grenade attack
was a "complicating factor" in the talks, which
entered their fifth day yesterday. But he
returned as planned to the secluded conference
site along the Wye River to try to coax Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to conclude a
land-for-peace deal.
White House spokesperson Joe Lockhart
said Clinton was beginning his fourth day of
mediation by meeting jointly with Israeli and
Palestinian security experts, then planned brief
back-to-back sessions with Netanyahu and
Arafat and expected to wind up with a three-
way dinner.
He declined to say how long the already
Cabinet officials, then declared that "for
progress to be achieved on other issues, we must
first focus on security and terrorism. We are
awaiting answers from the Palestinians today."
The Israeli leader said that he would not stay
on Maryland's Eastern Shore "for an unlimited
period of time" and that the United States and
the Palestinian delegation had been notified that
Israel was postponing discussion of a projected
opening of a Palestinian airport in Gaza.
Netanyahu declared a land-for-peace accord
was impossible unless Arafat's Palestinian
Authority lived up to the security commitments
it made in past agreements with Israel.
The Americans and the Palestinians worked
together, meanwhile, to try to ease the discord.
Arafat telephoned Netanyahu to condemn
the attack as regrettable and to pledge there
would be an investigation.
Arafat and Netanyahu said in a joint state-
ment issued by the State Department that the
terrorist attack "demonstrates the critical
importance and urgency of fighting terror and
pursuing peace."
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