Weather Today: Windy. High 61. Low Tomorrow: Snow. High 40. WE t t ti 42. One hundred eight yeas7 feditorzBfreedom Thursday February 11, 1999 VpU ..-.TA 7tE i1"t tl I Medical By Adam Brian Cohen Daily Staff Reporter When the new University Hospitals facilities opened in 1986, patients could s_ e in their rooms. But starting Sunday,, tI1 entire medical campus, which includes University Hospitals, the Nursing and Medical Schools and all clinics, will be smoke-free. "A year and a half ago, we established a goal," said Larry Warren, chief executive officer of University Hospitals and Health Centers. "We wanted to create a safe and healthful environment for our patients, their families and the (hospital) staff." plans to reduce smoking areas mate- ria ized in the mid 1980s, hospital adminis- trators realized they could not immediately create a completely smoke-free environ- ment, Warren said. "You can't go all the way in 30 days," Warren said. Initial steps included a reduction in the campus to become smoke-free number of smoking areas. "Several years ago, there were about eight designated areas," said Mike Harrison, University Health Systems direc- tor of public relations. "Last year, there were about four and now there are two." In addition to limiting places where peo- ple may smoke, a smoking cessation pro- gram was initiated in fall of 1998. The pro- gram, run by the Tobacco Consultation. Service, offers various free services to aid smokers in quitting their habit - including individual counseling, peer group support and telephone consultations. "We created the cessation program because we recognize that smoking is addictive," Warren said. Those who enroll in the cessation pro- gram before June 30, 1999 will be eligible to receive free pharmaceutical aids such as nicotine patches and nicorette gum. Before banning smoking completely, "we wanted to make sure we had all our resources in place," Harrison said. "We think we've done that." Harrison added that "people shouldn't have to worry about second hand smoke." The courtyard within the hospital is one of the last designated smoking areas to be eliminated. "It's intended to be a safe, restful and a calming environment," Warren said. "Our patients and staff are under lots of stress. Smoke invading their space just isn't appropriate." While all of the medical grounds will be smoke-free this Valentine's Day, there are no plans to change the rest of the University's smoking policy, said Sally Pobojewski, News and Information Services senior science writer. The current policy addressing smoking on University premises reads, "In recogni- tion of environmental tobacco smoke health risks, the University will provide See SMOKING, Page 2A DANA LINNANE/Daily LSA senior Erica Gulce smokes a cigarette outside the entrance of the medical campus Tuesday. Starting Sunday the Medical Campus will become smoke-free. I i I r TAKING A BREAK Trial result seems clear Students volunteer vacation By Marta Brill Daily StaffReporter In 1989, a pioneering group of 15 iversity students kicked-off the itiation of Alternative Spring Break at a mere two sites. Since then, ASB has grown from its humble beginnings to boast a total of 500 participants, who travel to 42 sites across 23 states, from Florida to New York to South Dakota. ASB gives students a chance to spend their spring break volunteer- g for a specific issue, instead of 4ling up and hitting the beach. Volunteers work with a variety of issues including hunger and home- lessness, environmental issues, youth and education, AIDS and HIV, women's issues, Native American issues, urban rehabilitation and rural poverty. "I had so much fun," said LSA sophomore Ameeta Kalokhe, who participated in ASB last year. Kalokhe volunteered to work against *ral poverty, and was placed by ASB leaders in Kentucky at the Lend-a-Hand center, also known as "Stinking Creek." Kalokhe said her daily tasks included "everything from milking cows to shoveling manure." She described her ASB experience as an opportunity to become close with a very diverse group of students. Engineering sophomore Laura *owland said she is participating in ASB again after enjoying her experi- ence last year in the Appalachian Mountains. See VOLUNTEERS, Page 7A STA Travel Agent Charlie Corbin consults with Social Work graduate student Sarah Hawtin yesterday about her Spring Break vacation travel plans. plan for tropical fun dur n ing sprig bre~ak Three GOP senators state intentions to acquit president The Washington Post WASHINGTON Three Republican senators declared today that they will vote to acquit President Clinton of high crimes and misdemeanors, becoming the first to break party lines as closed- door deliberations in the impeachment trial stretched through a second day and the drive for a bipartisan censure reso- lution appeared to fizzle.. Sens. James Jeffords (R-Vt.), Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and John Chafee (R-R.1.) announced that they will reject both articles of impeachment during final votes that could come late today or tomorrow. Sen. Slade Gorton (R- Wash.), plans to oppose the perjury article while voting to convict Clinton of obstruction of justice. "Our founding fathers clearly intended impeachment for only the greatest offenses' Jeffords said. "The facts and circumstances of this case are low and tawdry, but these same circumstances do not, in my opinion, cause his offenses to rise to the level of impeachable acts." With Democratic solidarity already appearing to assure acquittal, the defec- tions of the three Republicans suggest- ed that one or perhaps both articles will Engler's i budgetin, funding I From staff and wire reports LANSING - Nursing homes that do a good job caring for residents would be rewarded with extra money under a proposal Gov. John Engler plans to include in his 1999-2000 bud- get. , With money predicted to be tight and any extra revenues already set aside to cover tax cuts, the governor is looking for new ways to allocate money spent on nursing homes, state universities and other publicly funded institutions. "We want to reward quality," said Kelly Chesney, spokesperson for the Department of Management and Budget. "It's making sure that the care we have out there is good sound care for the people in those homes." The nursing home proposal will be unveiled as part of the 1999-2000 bud- get state Budget Director Mary Lannoye will present this morning to the House and Senate Appropriations committees at the Capitol. University officials statewide will be not garner a majority, let alone the two- thirds vote required for removal. Jeffords predicted that a half-dozen Republicans may support complete acquittal, which would guarantee more than 50 votes to keep Clinton in office if all 45 Democrats stick together. Jeffords and his colleagues made their announcements in news releases or television appearances outside the Senate chamber, where the doors remained shut as senators delivered a series of monologues through an eight- hour day. By the end of the day, accord- ing to senators, 56 had spoken or sub- mitted statements, with no Democrats bolting, including Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.), the only party member to oppose dismissing the case last month. Although immaterial under the Constitution, the failure of House Republican prosecutors to achieve a simple majority could become a potent political weapon for Clinton and his allies as they try to shape the legacy of the Monica Lewinsky scan- dal and the historic impeachment trial it spawned. "The big question is whether obstruc- tion will get 50," said Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.). If both fall short, "not having a majority on either count proba- bly shows that we should never have done this in the first place." )roposed el-udes State budget for fiscal year 2000 What: Presentation of the governor's budget. When: Today, 11 a.m. The facts: Engler is expected to propose a new funding formula for higher education that could cut funding increases lower than recent year's cuts. By Robert Gold For the Daily It's that time of the year again - Spring Break is around the corner and many students begin to count down the days to a precious week without classes. While many students plan to use their time off to work, stay in Ann Arbor or visit family, others will use the opportunity to take a vacation. Travel agent Mercie Stamos, who works for Student Travel Breaks, said Cancun, Acapulco and Florida are among the more popular destina- tions for college- aged students. Stamos said stu- dents flock to sites including Fort Lauderdale for its party atmosphere. "It is a social function more than a travel function," Stamos said. "They know they are going to meet people. All the clubs are geared for having a big party." But tropical destinations can be relaxing, too. Students searching for a more peaceful time on the beach often trav- el to Acapulco, said Regency Travel See VACATION, Page 7A ,., pi. _ . . I; L 4rShirts show support forLGBT we muantha Walsh Daily a week designed to promote ness of gay communities, orga- of Visibility Week decided yes- to make their goal easily visible sponsoring Red Shirt Day. versity students, faculty and staff >ers were encouraged to wear a hirt in support of lesbians, gays, uals and transgendered people and allies, people who support the T community. Red Shirt Day is a event among activities scheduled e 27th annual Visibility Week, but port of the cause." While organizers said there was no specific significance in choosing red, Vasquez did say the color served its purpose well. "Red is more visible, it stands out," Vasquez said. "It just makes you stop and look." Law third-year student Danielle Sveska wore a red shirt to support the LGBT community and said that recent events have raised her interest in sup- porting the gay community. "The whole Matthew Shepard beat- ing opened my eyes to the need for raises to those at the bottom of each tier to equalize how much each gets per stu- dent. Critics have already said the formula doesn't take into account enough fac- tors. The University Board of Regents requested a 5 percent increase in fund- ing from the state in December, but in recent years the governor's budget has annually fallen below University requests. Vice President for Government Relations Cynthia Wilbanks said Tuesday that she has only heard specu- lation as to what the governor will sug- for the 14