Weather Today; Rain and snow. High 39. Low 37. One hundred eight er f Tomorrow: Snow showers. High 25. .7 Friday February 12, 1999 i" . >. .n. " rr . n .c . .' State Ib By Nick Bunkloy Daily Staff Reporter LANSING - Gov. John Engler's fiscal year 2000 Executive Budget recommendation includes a 4 percent overall increase for high- er education spending, but a new method of funding means not all universities - includ- i e University - will see the full amount. e new formula only guarantees the University a 1.5 percent, well below the University Board of Regents' request of 5 percent. But the University could receive up to a 3 percent increase by keeping tuition rates low, bringing the University total to $333.3 mil- loan- $12K to future teachers euy O'Connor Daily Staff Reporter Education students at state univer- sities may soon find a new incentive to lend their skills to struggling inner-city schools. A bill recently introduced in the State Senate promises up to $12,000 in loans over four years to college students pursuing a career in educa- ti In exchange, students would be reired to agree to teach at an "at- risk" school for at least four years. The bill relies on the State School Aid Act of 1979 to define "at risk" schools. The definition includes many criteria, among them the com- bined local and state revenue per pupil, whether the school is eligible for free lunch, milk or breakfast pro- grams and the schools' average scores on standardized tests. e Future Teachers Program loan wil encourage prospective teachers to work in districts they would not normally consider, said a spokesper- son for Sen. Glenn Steil (R-Grand Rapids), the legislator who drafted the bill. "If you put them in (inner-city) schools, they will learn for them- selves the rewards of teaching in th e schools," Murray said. terim Dean of Education Karen Wixson said this program will help in ways that other programs have not. "I'm really glad the legislature is recognizing the needs in this area," Wixson said, adding that charter schools and the encouragement of privatization "are not working as well and are disincentives. "This is a nice alternative," she said. "I see it as moving in a positive d~tion." The bill requests that the state Department of Education develop the specific way in which money will be paid back and how long after graduation students can defer pay- ments Education Studies chair Virginia Richardson said if the repayment system was fair it could aid students i any ways. 14f it were a good situation, with maybe $1000 paid off every year, or no interest, it would draw people in and get them involved," Richardson said. One advantage of the loan pro- gram is that it may counter financial issues facing students that some- times discourage them from becom- ing teachers, Richardson said. "There are a lot of people who h education in their heart, but m ie they have been advised ... that they should not go into educa- tion," she said. "Maybe this would push them over that barrier." But Richardson cautioned that the prospect of such a sizable loan might attract students for the wrong reasons. "It would draw people into educa- tion who might not otherwise come in," she said. "The question is v ther it would draw people who would.be good teachers." School of Education Academic Program Director Henry Mears said the school's recruiting efforts, which are mainly targeted at College of Literature, Sciences and the Arts udget gives 'UT s all increase lion. "From what we have outlined and what we had hoped to do, a 1.5 percent increase would be a challenge," said Cynthia Wilbanks, the University's vice president for government relations. Wilbanks said the increase in higher edu- cation spending in the preliminary proposal will likely change during the budget revision process in the state Legislature. "The for-sure increase is a starting point, as it was last year," Wilbanks said. "Last year a 1.5 percent increase was recommended, and we ended up with something less than 3 percent." When State Budget Director Mary Lannoye presented Engler's $34 billion bud- get recommendation yesterday to a joint ses- sion of the House and Senate appropriations committees, she highlighted educational funding as the governor's top priority. "The key to Michigan's success is the quality of our schools," Lannoye said. But senators and representatives disputed Lannoye's claim that education is of greatest importance to Engler, citing comparatively larger spending increases in other areas. Sen. John Schwarz (R-Battle Creek), chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Colleges and Universities, pointed to an 8.6 percent increase recommended for the Department of Corrections, calling for the opening of II new prisons by August of 2000. "One of the significant points of difference is going to be how one can justify spending 8-plus percent on corrections and 4 percent on higher education," Schwarz said. Rep. Hubert Price (D-Pontiac) said this discrepancy was particularly tough to handle, saying "my mother taught me some basic math" and this proposal doesn't show an administration committed to education. "I'm having trouble reconciling how you can say that," Price, the House appropriations See BUDGET, Page 2 Senate to vote on 2 articleLs D)AVID H OKINU/Uaily Beth Karmelsool, owner of the Safe Sex Store, throws condoms Into the air at her store on South University Avenue yesterday. National Condom Day Is being recognized Sunday. Daycelbrate safesexp-r acticsrL*i By Amy Barber Daily Staff Reporter , With Valentine's Day just around the corner, this weekend will be filled with the celebration of love, romance, chocolate candies and, perhaps most impor- tantly, condoms, The American Social Health Association is spon- soring the ninth annual National Condom Day on Valentine's Day, this Sunday. The day was created to remind sexually active peo- ple that safer sex is important to prevent sexually transmitted diseases, said Joan Cates, vice president of development and policy at ASHA. "National Condom Day is always on Valentine's Day because it's a day for lovers," Cates said. "It's a catchy time to remember to use protection when mak- ing love." The University has sponsored National Condom Day events in the past, including passing out condoms on the Diag. But no special events are scheduled this year for two reasons, said Sharla Smith, a health educator at University Health Services. The first is that National Condom Day falls on the weekend and the number of students on campus on Friday is "hideously low," Smith said. Smith also said there has been a recent trend away from centering events around specific days. Research SAF IE by health education departments at the University and other Big Ten schools has indicated that events to pro- mote awareness are ineffective at changing behavior. "It's kind of scary," Smith said. "It doesn't even do that good a job of raising awareness." UHS has developed an alternate plan to promote the use of condoms. A few days before Spring Break, UHS health educators will hand out "safer Spring Break kits" in the Michigan Union and in residence halls. The kits will include condoms and information about safer sex, Smith said. The Safe Sex Store on South University Avenue is sponsoring a contest to win a trip to St. Lucia in honor of National Condom Day, the store's owner See CONDOMS, Page 5 The Washington Post WASHINGTON Secret delibera- tions in President Clinton's impeach- ment trial wound toward a finish yes- terday, as a fourth Republican announced plans to reject both articles, pushing conviction supporters within a single vote of failing to win even a sim- ple majority against the president when the Senate casts its votes today. While describing Clinton's conduct as "deplorable and indefensible," Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) said she became convinced that "the president's wrongdoing can and should be effec- tively addressed by the criminal justice system" rather than removal from office. Senators of both parties predict- ed another moderate, Susan Collins (R- Maine), might also vote against the charge that Clinton obstructed justice, but her office did not confirm her intentions. Meeting in secret from 10 a.m. until shortly after 7 p.m., with a break only for lunch, the Senate heard about 30 members of both parties outline their views on the second presidential impeachment trial in U.S. history. By the end of the day, senators said, there were only three or four senators left to speak, including Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) Minority Leader Thomas Daschle (D-S.D.) and Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) viewed as the leading exponent of Senate tradi- tions and procedures. Lott said he hoped the Senate would vote by I1 a.m. or noon today. Even as the deliberations proceeded, a steady stream of senators called news conferences, issued statements or sub- mitted speeches explaining their posi- tions. Virtually all the statements, even from Democrats, condemned Clinton's behavior in the scandal with language like "disgraceful" and "repre- hensible," though the two parties parted company on the proper punishment; Democrats said the president should remain in office, while most Republicans affirmed conviction as a just result for disgraceful conduct. It has been certain for weeks that the Senate will not muster the two-thirds majority needed to oust Clinton from office, and in the past few days enthusi- asm for the first impeachment article alleging perjury in Clinton's Aug. 17 grand jury testimony has waned to the point where it will almost certainly not win 50 votes. Snowe's announcement yesterday afternoon meant that four Republicans are now on record opposing the second article, alleging obstruction ofjustice in Clinton's efforts to conceal his sexual involvement with Monica Lewinsky. The others - Arlen Specter, (R -Pa.), James Jeffords (R-Vt.) and John Chafee (R-R.I.) - announced their opposition Wednesday. If Democrats, as is widely expected, close ranks to oppose both articles, only a maximum of 51 senators, all Republicans, could be counted on to vote for the obstruction article. Still giving lit- tle clue to their intentions were two early GOP waverers, Collins and Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) The only question in the Democrat camp was Byrd, who has not said cate- gorically that he will vote against both articles. According to Lott spokesperson John Czwartacki, the chamber will be opened at the conclusion of the debate and Chief Justice William Rehnquist will read the first article and the clerk will call the roll as senators stand one by one to vote yea, nay or present. The second article will follow. When the voting finishes, a copy of the judgment will be sent to the office of the secretary of state, probably hand- delivered by the secretary of the Senate. After further formalities, the Senate would formally adjourn the trial. Democrats have said that, after the See VOTE, Page 5 ReligiOn's role in age of information explored By Marta Brill Daily Staff Reporter In the information age, the role of religion is called into question. Issues have surfaced concern- ing how the traditional concept of religion fits in with the rapid changes happening in the way peo- ple communicate and access information. This complex issue was the topic of a panel discussion yesterday afternoon at Rackham Amphitheater in front of an audience of about 50 people. The panel, "God in the Information Age: god.com," was moderated by University English and religion Prof. Ralph Williams. The panelists included Duke University reli- gion Prof. Bruce Lawrence, retired University of California at Santa Barbara religion Prof. Charles Long and University Buddhist studies and nvvcholoav Prof. Luis Gomez. a tour of eight universities sponsored by the American Academy of Religions. To begin the discussion, Lawrence spoke on the "melting pot" of religions in the United States. He said the country is becoming increasingly homogenized in its beliefs - or blending different religions. Long pointed out that this blending is not a product of new forms of communication, but rather is something that has existed for cen- turies, even in Hellenic times. Another concern Long voiced was the way people consider it a benefit to increase the speed of communication for speed's sake. "It's a thing in itself, but it's up to us to dis- cover if it's a good thing or not," Long said. University alumnus Jenny Yoon said she attended the panel because she likes interac- tion between the audience and the panelists. ____ . I