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News: 76-DAILY
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One hundred eight years of editonril freedom
Monday
November 2, 1998
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I
OoP
predicts
modest
.pickups
WASHINGTON (AP) -
Republicans and Democrats alike have
abandoned their extravagant expecta
tions for tomorrow's midterm House
races. Early Democratic hopes of regain-
ing the chamber and more recent sug-
gestions of huge GOP gains have largely
evaporated.
What's left on the eve of Election
Way are predictions from both parties
of modest GOP pickups - perhaps
15 or fewer seats. The GOP now con-
trols the 435-member chamber 228-
206, with one Democratic-leaning
independent.
A few dozen well-financed, aggres-
sively contested races around the coun-
try were being fought to the wire and
getting most of the attention from
national party leaders.
"There will be a lot of races that
vill be decided by 1,000 and 2,000
votes," said Rep. Martin Frost (D-
Tex.), chairperson of the Democratic
Congressional Campaign Committee.
Democrats need a net gain of I1
seats to regain effective control. But
history is working against them. Since
World War II, the party holding the
White House has lost an average of 27
seats in midterm elections.
While polls suggest that President
linton's Monica Lewinsky problem
will not be a factor for most
Americans as they vote in congres-
sional elections, there also is evi-
dence that strong GOP gains would
add momentum to th impeachment
process while Democratic gains could
slow it.
Both parties engaged in a blitz of
last-minute TV and radio ads in tar-
eted districts alluding to the contro-
rsy.
Neither party was positioned to
score a House blowout like the GOP
landslide in 1994. For one thing, few
seats have been truly competitive this
year - only about 40 or 50, about
half the usual. Most incumbents of
both parties were cruising to re-elec-
tion.
And in the 34 open seats, where
cumbents are retiring or running for
ther office, both parties have the same
exposure - the need to defend 17 seats.
Some of these races saw the most
intense activity.
Few were as hard fought as the battle
for the southern Indiana district repre-
sented for more than three decades by
retiring Rep. Lee Hamilton. In her third
bid for the seat, Republican former
state Sen. Jean Leising was running
against Baron Hill, a retirement plan-
er and a former state senator.
study:
Jeff11"eIrson
father of
slaVe's son
uestions
linger as
case closes
OAR BY FRiEDLIS/Daily
Julie Lin watches as Rong Zhao works on Chinese writings at Dragon Fest '98 on Saturday in the Chemistry Building
Atrium.
DRAGON
F"omESzT '98
0 Toxicology reports
indicate no heroin was in
Giacherio's system
By Jenmir Yachnin
Daily Staff Reporter
Despite remaining questions,
investigators will close the case of
Chris Giacherio, who died last
month from an overdose of cocaine
and alcohol.
Toxicology reports from the
Washtenaw County Medical
Examiner's office conflict earlier
reports that the LSA sophomore had
taken heroin within 24 hours of his
death, Ann Arbor Police Lieutenant
Jim Tieman said.
"The medical examiner has named it
an accidental death by a combination of
those two" drugs, Tieman said.
Giacherio was found unresponsive
in the bathroom of a friend's home
located at 909 Packard Rd. on Sept.
15.
Emergency medical personnel were
unable to revive him.
Witnesses originally told AAPD
investigators Giacherio had taken heroin
earlier in the evening, Tieman said. But
later, they changed their story and said he
was using cocaine.
"It bothered us that people were telling
us something and it wasn't showing up in
the toxicology report," Tieman said.
Giacherio was not alone at the time of
his death, Tieman said.
At least two other people were in the
apartment although they were probably
asleep.
The two witnesses admitted to tak-
ing drugs with Giacherio, Tieman
said, but will not be prosecuted
because there is no evidence of their
actions.
"The only evidence we have that
they were using (cocaine) is their
word," Tieman said. The witnesses
removed all residual evidence of drug
use before AAPD officials arrived, he
added.
The medical examiner's reports will
now be sent to the Washtenaw County
Prosecutor's office for review, Tieman
said.
It is unlikely criminal charges will be
made against the two witnesses because
"no one forced Giacherio to take the
drugs."
The investigation will be closed.
Tieman said, but some questions will
remain unanswered.
"I'm still curious to why people would
tell me one thing ... and that couldn't be
found in his body," Tieman said
It is possible Giacherio was taking a
"fake drug" or substance that had been
sold to him as heroin, Tieman said.
"Not all drug dealers have scruples,"
Tieman said.
Marijuana and cocaine are the most
prominent drugs in the Ann Arbor area,
Tieman said.
"Our undercover officers are constant-
ly making purchases of it," Tieman said.
"Ann Arbor is not immune from drug
use."
In September, the Interfraternity
Council and the Panhellenic
Association began a task force to
examine the environment of the
Greek community in relation to alco-
hol abuse.
"The reason alcohol abuse has been
taken into the forefront is because it is a
nationwide problem," said Kinesiology
senior Bradley Holcman, IFC's presi-
dent. "A lot of people see alcohol as not
a drug."
Programs on drug abuse are not
required by IFC, Holcman said.
Individual fraternity chapters are
responsible for educating their
members about substance abuse.
"Ninety-five to 100 percent do
address the problem," Holeman said.
"But they don't go through an inten-
sive three-day program about drug
abuse."
See GIACHERIO, Page 7A
By Dave Lu
For the Daily
On Friday night, 8-year-old
Teddy Eyster and his l0-year-old
sister, Athina, saw first-hand what
they had learned about China in
history class.
With hundreds of people in
attendance during the 5-hour
event, Dragon Fest '98, a cultural
bazaar sponsored by the Chinese
Student Association and the
Chinese American Society of Ann
Arbor, showed off colorful tradi-
tions of Chinese Americans.
Modeled after the night street
markets of Taiwan, Hong Kong,
China and Singapore, Dragon Fest
'98 took place in the atrium of the
Dow Chemical Building. Night
Authentic
culture marks
celebration
markets in Asian countries are fes-
tivals that are held daily and fea-
ture food, games and music.
"I went back to Taiwan this sum-
mer and found that the Asian
aspects of America were not
authentic Asian," said Kenny'.i,
the CSA Program Coordinator
who conceptualized the event. "I
wanted to have a festival with
night markets modeled after those
in Taiwan. You can't expect any-
thing like this in the U.S."
With decorations imported from
Asia and authentic Chinese food
cooked by Ann Arbor residents
and restaurants, Dragon Fest '98
attracted not only students but
Michigan residents as well.
"There is a large Chinese popu-
lation in Washtenaw. Including the
Detroit Metro area, there are 15 to
20 Chinese organizations," said
Mei-yu Yu, 1998 CASAA presi-
dent. "CASAA is a community
organization devoted to furthering
Chinese culture."
Dragon Fest '98 included not
only authentic Chinese food like
dumplings and sweet rice but it
also featured entertainment and
See DRAGON, Page 2A
GEO unhapy with contract negotiations
By Paul Berg
Daily Staff Reporter
In the first three meetings for contract negotia-
tions between the University and the Graduate
Employees Organization, both sides had difficulty
coming to a consensus.
After the meetings last week, members of each
negotiating team did not even agree on how the
bargaining is going.
"It was disconcerting," GEO bargaining com-
mittee spokesperson Chip Smith said. "The
University team broke one ground rule by only
giving replies to four- out of six of our proposals,
and they didn't seem very serious."
Academic Human Resources Director Dan
Gamble, chair of the University's bargaining com-
mittee, had a different take on the negotiations thus
far. "We made some progress," Gamble said. "I
think we're moving along at a pretty good clip."
Smith said the two parties reached a fundamen-
tal disagreement concerning the issue, of
International Graduate Student Instructor training.
Before they start teaching, international gradu-
ate students must first take part in a three-week
training session. Smith said the University doesn't
pay them for the more than 120 hours of training,
and some of them are not paid for living expenses
during this time.
American GSIs receive similar training while
on the University's payroll.
The GEO team believes these potential IGSIs
should be paid for three-week training sessions
because they are often mandatory for employment.
"They are promised a level of appointment that,
they do not get if they fail this training," Smith said.
"This is mandatory, and they should be paid for it."
Gamble said these international graduate stu-
dents are not yet employed when they partici-
"We made some progress. I think we're moving
along at a pr t clip"
- Dan Gamble
Academic Human Resources Director, speaking about GEO contract negotiations
pate in the training and, therefore, have no place
in the negotiations. "They are not covered by the
contract," Gamble said, adding that another
party is dealing with this concern.
Negotiators from both sides are more optimistic
about the issues of medical and dental benefits.
Graduate student employees receive dental benefits
during their third consecutive semester. But GEO
members said this prevents them from reaping full
benefits because graduate employees often leave for
periods in the middle of their appointment and must
"start from scratch," Smith said.
Currently, graduate employees and faculty
receive the same health care benefits, but the GEO
would like the two groups to be handled separately.
"Right now, our choices are tied to the faculty,
but they are a non-bargaining unit," Smith said.
"We want their benefits guaranteed as a sort of
ground floor. If M-Care steerage would have been
implemented a while back, we would have been
bound by that administrative plan," Smith said, in
See GEO, Page 7A
By Gerard Cohen-Vdginaud
Daily Staff Reporter
President Thomas Jefferson, one of
the country's founding fathers, appar-
ently fathered a child with his biracial
slave Sally Hemings, according to a
newly released study in this Thursday's
sue of Nature.
Eugene Foster, a retired pathology
professor in Charlottesville, Va., led a
team of researchers who studied Y-
chromosomes in 14 modern-day
descendants of Jefferson's uncle, his
nephews and Hemings' children.
Y-chromosomes are passed on
through male lineage. Because
Jefferson had no surviving sons, the
researchers analyzed descendants of
*fferson's paternal uncle.
The results of the DNA analysis led
the researchers to conclude Jefferson
fathered Hemings' last male child,
Eston, while another theory that her
first child, Thomas, was the president's
son has been deemed unlikely.
Since 1802. when a Richmond
Conference brins focus
to U'
APA studies
By Nika Schulte
Daily Staff Reporter
Combining literary readings, a concert and
workshops, more than 200 students and professors'
from around the nation came to Ann Arbor for the
eighth annual East of California Conference.
The regional fall meeting for the Association for
Asian American Studies attracted visitors from
schools such as the University of Maryland and
Brown University to discuss how to better define
Asian cultural groups and fortify Asian studies
programs at colleges and universities.
"Asian American studies is a relatively young
field that is growing," said Hien Duc Do from San
Jose State University. "With this growth comes
headaches and tension as to how we define our-
selves."
American studies program because its director,
Gail Nomura, is leaving the University.
The conference "is especially critical now that
the program status is shaky," said LSA senior
Ronnie Rhoe, a conference coordinator.
While students are not able to major in Asian
American studies at the University, they can major
in American culture with an emphasis on ethnic
studies.
LSA junior Seema Pai said she attended the
conference to learn strategies to strengthen the
University's program.
"Not having the opportunity to major in Asian
American studies is a big problem considering the
amount of Asian American representation on this
campus," Pai said. "A lot of students feel very vic-
timized."
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