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One hundred eight years of edit Ilfreedom
Wednesday
February 10, 1999
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Phi Delt
leads
gilty, 9
ait trial
yNick Bunkly
hily Staff Reporter
One Phi Delta Theta fraternity mem-
er pleaded guilty to at least one alco-
iol-related misdemeanor charge and cut
deal with prosecutors Friday, while
ine others await their own court dates.
Music sophomore Jordan Schmidt
as one of 10 University students
* enaw County prosecutors charged
ast month with serving alcohol to
ninors and allowing minors to consume
Ilcohol in the fraternity's former house,
ocated on Washtenaw Avenue, at an
ctober party.
LSA first-year student Courtney
antor attended the party and was
een drinking there hours before she
ied after falling from her sixth-floor
ary Markley
esidence Hall
*w.
awyer could not
e reached for
omment last
"ight and details
f the plea bargain
ere unavailable.
At his pretrial
earing Friday, Schmidt
ocf idt entered a
ul plea in front of Washtenaw
ounty District Court Judge Elizabeth
ines. The remaining nine fraternity
embers will face their pretrial hear-
ngs later this month.
Attorney Joe Simon, who represents
SA sophomores Jeremy Bier and
dam Feldheim, said the plea means
chmidt will face lessened charges at
is sentencing in March.
Five of the members, including
o idt, Bier and Feldheim, were
harged with additional counts of
sing fraudulent identification to pur-
hase alcohol for the party.
Simon said he has not finalized
efense plans for his clients and added
hat prosecutors may not offer the
same deal Schmidt got for each of his
lient's individual cases.
"Some of the charges are defensi
1e Some are less defensible,' Simon
a
Prosecutors have not charged the
students with any crimes related to
Cantor's death, but all charges stem
from investigations into the party.
Simon said he does not doubt the
legitimacy of the charges but questions
the publicity surrounding the case.
"The charges, if the allegations are
true, are proper and justifiable,"
Simon said.
,But, he added, "If Courtney Cantor
h4't died, would these charges have
been made? These kids, if they are
guilty of anything, they are guilty of
being college students."
All Phi Delta Theta members have
refused to make public comments
since their national organization
revoked the campus chapter's charter
in November.
Simon said he and the other
la ers have advised their clients
n o speak to the media.
"If there's anything these kids want
to say to campus, it's that they want to
be escaped from blame" for Cantor's
death, Simon said.
Senators
LSA junior Meredith Hochman, a member of the Undergraduate Women's Studies Association, speaks yesterday at a
press conference on the steps of the Michigan Union. Hochman joined other students to express opposition to a state
ballot proposal that aims to end race-based admissions at Michigan colleges and universities.
Stuents oppose plan to
eli-min1.ate prfereces
hold closed
trial debate
WASHINGTON (AP) -The Senate Democrat had announced plans to vote
shut its doors yesterday to debate its to convict Clinton or that any
verdict on the impeachment of Republican had declared an intention to
President Clinton, with the outcome so vote for acquittal.
evident that one Republican said Democrats pressed their effort for a
"bipartisan acquittal" was possible by formal Senate censure of Clinton, but
week's end for the second president in many Republicans were opposed and
history to be put on trial for his job. prospects seemed doubtful. "I think
After a month and a day spent lis- censure has a tough row to hoe." said
tening in silence to opposing legal Sen. John Chafee (R-R.I.), one of a few
arguments, senators spent four hours GOP lawmakers to have announced
in private deliberations in a Senate support.
chamber cleared of House prosecu- Inside the shuttered Senate, the first
tors, presidential lawyers and gallery to speak were Gorton and Sen. Edward
spectators. Kennedy (D-Mass.). The Democrats
The first senator to speak in the spoke by seniority. Republicans used a
closed session, Sen. Slade Gorton (R- sign-up sheet.
Wash.), told colleagues he would vote The Senate's ' senior Democrat,
to remove Clinton because "it is clear Robert Byrd of West Virginia, who has
that he obstructed justice." Gorton suggested he could vote either way,
released his remarks following the ses- chose to wait rather than claim the right
sion. He said he would vote to acquit to speak first among lawmakers in his
Clinton on a second charge of perjury. own party.
"I cannot will to my children and With his fate being debated in the
grandchildren the proposition that a Senate, Clinton traveled to western
president stands above the law and can Virginia for a private meeting with
systematically obstruct justice simply House Democrats holding their annual
because both his polls and the Dow retreat.
Jones index are high," Gorton said in Rep. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), a
the statement repeating his closed-door member of the House minority leader-
remarks. ship, saij the president never overtly
In all, 18 senators spoke, Republicans mentioned impeachment. But, "He
alternating with Democrats, before law- said, 'Thank you for all the support
makers adjourned until today. you've given me over time, going back
"People are very respectful of one to 1993, and I'm committed to you in
apother. It's a very dignified climate," your efforts to achieve a majority"' in
said Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.), the elections in 2000.
who had been among the leaders of a Under Senate rules, lawmakers may
failed effort to open the proceedings deliberate for up to 25 hours, with 15
to the public.,Sen. Larry Craig (R- minutes allotted to each senator to
Idaho) said there was relatively little speak. Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-
give-and-take although occasionally. Miss.) preached the virtue of brevity,
one senator would interrupt another to noting that Lincoln's Gettysburg
ask: "Why do you believe that?" or address lasted but three minutes and
"Where did you find that" in the trial John F. Kennedy's famed inaugural
record? address scarcely seven.
There was no indication that any See IMPEACH, Page 5
By Michael Grass
Daily Staff Reporter
Supporters of affirmative action gathered on the steps
of the Michigan Union yesterday to announce their oppo-
sition to a proposed state ballot initiative aiming to do
away with race-based admissions at colleges and universi-
ties in the state of Michigan.
Activists from the University and other college cam-
puses gathered to announce plans to protest a proposal
Michigan voters may see during the November 2000 elec-
tions. State Sen. David Jaye (R-Macomb) and Ward
Connerly, a former University of California regent, have
both announced their support of the state ballot proposal.
"We want to organize the entire state," said Michigan
Student Assembly Rackham Rep. Jessica Curtin, a mem-
ber of the Defend Affirmative Action Party.
Curtin announced that University students and others
who oppose the initiative are planning to protest Jaye's
Lansing office March 26.
Representatives from different University and Michigan
State University groups stated their opposition to the pro-
posal at yesterday's press conference.
"Michigan will not be another California," said
Michigan State junior Rosa Salas, leader of MSU's
Chicano/a-Latino/a student alliance.
Connerly was a main proponent behind the state of
California's Proposition 209, which eliminated the use of
race in California in hiring and admissions practices.
California voters passed Prop. 209 in November 1996.
Many people at the press conference said they believe
Michigan is a crucial battleground, where the future of
affirmative action may be decided once and for all.
The University is currently in the middle of two law-
See INITIATIVE, Page 5
Provision factors drug
convictions in financial aid
Prisoners' expressions
By Kelly O'Connor
Daily Staff Reporter
Qualifying for college federal aid may soon hinge on
more than just financial need, as details are finalized in a
law designed to keep students convicted of drug offens-
es off the list of federal money recipients.
The Higher Education Act of 1998, signed into law in
October, includes a provision that suspends funding to
student aid recipients if they have been convicted under
federal or state law of possession or sale of a controlled
substance.
Possession offenses translate to a one-year suspension
for first offense, two years for second offense and an
indefinite suspension for a third offense. Sale offenses
carry tougher penalties, with the first offense carrying a
two-year funding suspension and the second offense
enacting an automatic indefinite suspension.
The provision allows suspended students to regain eli-
gibility before the suspension period ends if they suc-
cessfully complete a drug treatment program and test
negative for drug use two times without prior notice.
Since its passage, the higher education provision has
spurned activism on campuses across the country,
including three schools that have added the support of
their student government to a reform resolution spon-
sored by the Drug Reform Coordination Network in
Washington, D.C. The resolution asks Congress to over-
turn the drug-related regulations.
DRCN associate Director Adam Smith said the group
puts out a weekly online newsletter that covers drug pol-
icy and reform issues. He said the DRCN is fighting the
provision because- it is particularly unfair to specific
groups of people.
"It's clearly discriminatory on several levels," he said.
Smith claims the resolution targets minorities, stating
that even though black people make up only 12 percent
of the U.S. population, they account for 55 percent of
drug convictions. This could create a problem with diver-
sity on campuses, Smith said.
Smith said another problem with the provision is that
students are unaware of its far-reaching effects. When
See DRUG, Page 5
DARBY IFRIEDLIS/ Daily
LSA senior Amy Twardowski examines one of the works of art at the Fourth Annual
Exhibition of Art by Michigan Prisoners at the Rackham Galleries yesterday.
OSCAR IN LOVE?.
If all the
world's a stage,
4 then with 13
nominations,.
including Best
Picture, "Shakespeare4
in Love" could be a
layer at the 71st
Annual Academy
Awards on March 21.
Inside: Full details on Oscar nominations including
the Best Picture nominees "Saving Private Ryan," "The
Task force to edit Greek
housing alcohol policy
By Yael Kohen
Daily Staff Reporter
Fourteen members of a Greek system task force
plan to rewrite the alcohol policy that helps govern the
activities of the campus' fraternities and sororities.
Working from a progress report the task force com-
pleted and presented to Interfraternity Council and
Panhellenic Association representatives two weeks
ago, its members will make improvements to the pol-
icy, targeting safety, event management, enforcement
and education
Jordan Scharg, IFC social chair and co-chair of the
Social Responsibility Committee, said the progress
report included recommendations the task force will
use to draft a new Greek alcohol policy. The task force
also olans to use feedback the report generated to
sioned in September.
"The task force was appointed for many different
reasons," he said.
Since the task force's formation, the Greek system
has attracted attention for several alcohol-related inci-
dents. In October, LSA first-year student Courtney
Cantor died after she was seen drinking at the Phi
Delta Theta fraternity house. Investigations into the
party led to alcohol-related misdemeanor charges for
10 Phi Delta Theta members.
Throughout last semester, Ann Arbor Police
Department officers raided several fraternity houses
on different occasions and issued alcohol violations to
some of the fraternities.
The Greek system's current alcohol policy states
that all parties must be registered and have a guest list.
Task force recommendations
for new Greek alcohol policy:
® Limit the number of people on party guest lists.
Interfraternity Council board member should visit
parties to ensure all violations are reported.
8 Require Greek houses to increase educational
programming offered on alcohol abuse.
"Our goal Is to sof-regulate."
- Jordan Scharg
interfraternity Council social chair
Reddy said restricting the number of people
allowed in fraternity and sorority parties can eliminate
overcrowding and reduce noise at parties.
The guest list has "made it a lot safer for our mem-
bers," Reddy said.
Currently, SRC members patrol various Greek par-
ties to ensure the Greek system's rules are not violat-
ed. Fraternities and sororities can earn sanction points
when they violate Greek system rules.
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