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One hundred eight years of editonWlfreedom
Monday
February 22, 1999
_, _
.. :, .
a1'rial dates
change for
lawsuits
facing 'U'
By Jaimie Winkler
Daily Staff Reporter
Detroit judges have pushed back the
trial dates for both lawsuits challenging
the University's use of race in admis-
sions at the request of legal counsels on
both sides.
The University's attorneys and the
'laintiffs' legal team asked for additional
e to complete the pre-trial discovery
phase for both lawsuits, citing that the
discovery of large amounts of informa-
tion has warranted the push backs.
Originally, the trials were scheduled
to take place mid-summer. The lawsuit
against the College of Literature.
Science and the
-,Arts, brought on
by two white
applicants Oct.
Admissions 14, 1997, has
on trial been resched-
uled for
September or October. The Law
School suit, filed Dec. 3, 1997 on
behalf of one white applicant, is
scheduled for late August.
"As the case nears the end of discov-
ery - the period for gathering all the
facts and opinions that either side will
use to prove its case - it is not unusu-
to have a status conference with the
7dge to see if the original schedule sill
makes sense" University spokesperson
Julie Peterson said, adding that the dis-
covery process has taken longer than
the judges expected.
"It's a minor-scheduling issue," said
Terry Pell, the lead attorney for the
Center for Individual Rights, the
Washington, D.C.-based law firm that
filed the suits on the plaintiffs' behalves.
Pell said the added time will be help-
* to the lawyers because "it frees up
everybody's schedules."
The judge makes the final decision
about an appropriate trial date, Pell said.
Judges give adequate time "to permit
the parties time to develop the issues;"'he
said. "The court is not inclined to rush."
Pell added that changes in trial dates
are common because the courts cannot
always predict how much time legal
unsels will need to gain accurate and
vincing information.
"Both parties informed Judge
(Patrick) Duggan that they believed
more time was necessary to prepare the
undergraduate case for trial," Peterson
said. The University lawyers "asked
Judge (Bernard) Friedman for a similar
extension.'
The rescheduling moves the opening
of the trials from the University's sum-
mer session to the fall semester, when
most students will be back on campus
er summer break.
"These trials are going to take a lot
of hard work whenever they are,"
Peterson said, adding that in terms of
impact on staff and administrators she
did not think the later date would not
make a difference.
Peterson said the LSA case, although
filed first, is going to trial later because
"different judges run their trial calen-
Ars differently."
Miranda Massie, the lawyer repre-
senting a group of students who have
tried unsuccessfully to intervene in the
Law School lawsuit, speculated that
since the LSA case involves a larger
scope of students, it requires more
preparation time.
She also said the extra time in both
cases allows the facts to develop fully.
"From our perspective the more time
there is for full development before the
1 the better because the full truth and
full facts are on the side of affirma-
tive action;" Massie said. "However, we
are certain that the University will not
put into the record absolutely necessary
evidence of inequality in education and
of bias in the admissions process as a
whole," she added.
Massie said she and the team of
lawyers working on the LSA interven-
tion are trying to speed up appeals to
ervene made on behalf of two groups
to the Sixth Circuit Court in Cincinnati,
Ohio. The parties wishing to intervene
are appealing Duggan's and Friedman's
decision to deny them intervention sta-
tus, which would give them the same
rights as the defendants and plaintiffs.
"We are aftemntina to exnedite our
------ ------------------- - ------
Vote
shows
inclination
to strike
By Nick Faizone
Daily Staff Reporter
Disappointed by a lack of movement
in contract negotiations with the
University, 77 percent of the Graduate
Employees Organization's membership
voted to authorize a strike or similar
work action this weekend.
GEO Chief Negotiator Eric Odier-
Fink said while the result of the vote is
open to interpretation, a three-to-one
vote is quite a definitive statement that
the GEO membership is unhappy with
its current contract.
But University Chief Negotiator Dan
Gamble said he did not believe most
GEO members were well informed
about the University's proposals when
they voted to authorize a strike. He sug-
gested the GEO bargaining team might
have presented the proposals negatively
to the other members of the organiza-
tion to garner support for strike autho-
rization.
Gamble added that since the GEO
bargaining team has responded nega-
tively to the University's proposals, he
would not be surprised if they
explained them in the same manner to
the GEO membership.
"I've heard from others that the way
GEO explains the contract is to put our
proposals in the worst possible light"
Gamble said. "If they believe they
would somehow get a better contract by
doing that, I'm not sure that they're
being fair to their membership."
But GEO spokesperson Chip Smith
said the GEO bargaining team is
more than fair with its 1,600 mem-
bers, giving the upcoming GEO
membership meeting as an example
of the union's democratic practices.
See GEO, Page 7A
Plymouth resident Brian Bieda drinks a cold beer last night at the Brown Jug located on South University Avenue with Eastern
Michigan University student Ana Plein.
MSUalcohol incidents
prompt communityaction
By Nick Bunkley licensees, asking for support. As of Friday, he said, about 2(
Daily Staff Reporter had returned letters of support to the council
Happy new year
D
In response to several highly-publicized incidents involv-
ing alcohol at Michigan State University, owners of two East
Lansing restaurants are forming a council aimed at curbing
excessive drinking.
"The goal is to discourage binge drinking among young
people in this community" said Vaugh Schneider, owner of
Small Planet Food and Spirit. "We're trying to say, 'drinking
'til you can't walk isn't cool."'
The council, a joint effort of Schneider and Joe Bell of the
Peanut Barrel Restaurant, will promote more responsible
advertising of drink specials like $1 pitchers and quarter
drafts. Their rationale is that students will drink less in one
sitting if they have to pay. more, Schneider said, adding that
slashed prices encourage "drinking to get drunk"
"We're not saying they shouldn't run drink specials'
Schneider said. "It's about encouraging the restaurants and
bars to advertise responsibly."
So far, their colleagues have been receptive. Schneider said
the council sent information to all of East Lansing's liquor
"We discussed the possibility of making this a county-wide
thing;" Schneider said, to discourage students from being able
to simply travel outside East Lansing to get cheap drinks.
Many students choose to drink because "a lot of times it's
cheaper to go to the bar rather than do something else on
campus," said Geralyn Lasher, a spokesperson for the
Michigan Department of Community Health.
Alcohol problems have plagued the MSU campus this aca-
demic year. The university's Greek system is currently under
a 30-day self-imposed suspension of all social events. On
Feb. 10, Detroit's WJBK television station showed hidden-
camera footage of students who had admitted to drinking
underage at an MSU fraternity house.
Bradley McCue, a junior at MSU, died in November after
celebrating his 21st birthday by drinking 24 shots in 90 min-
utes. Rick's American Cafe in East Lansing, where McCue
drank the night of his death, is serving a 30-day suspension
for violating state liquor laws.
See ALCOHOL, Page 7A
SARA SCHENCK/Daily
Members of the Ann Arbor Asian Martial Arts Studio perform the Chinese
Lion Dance down Main Street on Saturday afternoon in honor of the Chinese
New Year.
SOLE members storm president's office
By Michael Grass
Daily Staff Reporter
Twenty students crowded an elevator in the
Fleming Administration Building on Friday with
the intention of delivering a letter of ultimatum to
University President Lee Bollinger.
After a short meeting with three leaders of
Students Organizing for Labor and Economic
Equality, part of a larger national movement to
address the issue of sweatshop labor in the colle-
giate apparel industry, Bollinger and the students
proceeded to the Regents' Room for a round-table
discussion on the topic.
"It needs immediate attention," LSA junior
Organization pleased with response
Andy Cornell told Bollinger at the meeting.
The College Licensing Company - which han-
dles contracts between manufacturers and 161 col-
leges including the University -plans to produce
a code banning unfair labor practices and substan-
dard working conditions in the collegiate apparel
industry.
SOLE, along with its affiliate organizations
at universities nationwide, has said the current
code's language is not strong enough. The
groups said the code needs to include full pub-
lic disclosure of factory locations and owner-
ship and also a "living wage" - a salary that
allows employees to maintain their living
costs.
By the group's March 12 ultimatum deadline,
SOLE representatives said they want the
University to stand up for public disclosure and a
living wage for laborers working for collegiate
apparel manufacturers.
"I really hope President Bollinger will take a
stance on the living wage," said LSA junior Joe
Sexaur, a SOLE organizer.
SOLE's protest Friday follows sit-in strikes
at Duke and Georgetown universities and at
the University of Wisconsin's Madison cam-
pus.
"Public disclosure will make it worthwhile for
companies to clean up conditions," Duke student
Tico Almeida said.
Almieda, a leader of Duke's Students Against
Sweatshops, participated in a 30-hour sit-in at the
Duke administration building in January. He said
See SOLE, Page 7A
40 stage
local
prOtest
for Kurds
From staff and wire reporters
Chanting "Free, free, Kurdistan"
and "Stop killing Kurds," about 40
protesters marched along South
State Street and through the Diag
on Friday afternoon in an effort to
heighten local awareness of con-
flicts in Turkey between Kurds and
Turks.
"We're protesting the kidnapping
of Ocalan," protester Zozek Khailany
said.
The Turkish newspaper Hurriyet
renorted Fridav that the conntrv's
Students, siblings
enjoy Michigras
By Yael Kohen
Daily Staff Reporter
Fun, food and games filled the
Michigan Union on Friday night for the
University Activities Center annual
Michigras event.
Packed with students and their sib-
lings for "Siblings Weekend," the Union
offered various activities such as
karaoke, casino games, tarot readings,
Velcro walls and other festivities for
Mardi Gras.
Although Michigras has given many
students something to do with there
younger siblings the event was held
independently from Sibling's
Weekend.
"It just happened that it was on
the same weekend," said UAC's
Sneria Puents Committee Chair
Committee co-Chair Marisa Brillhart, a
Business senior.
Many students said they were happy
to have something to do with their
younger siblings.
"I'm glad they have things
because I thought they'd have noth-
ing to do," said Christine Racine, an
LSA first-year student who brought
her 10-year-old sister to Michigras.
Racine said she had planned to hang
out in her room with her sister all
night.
"It was really cool seeing everyone
getting a kick out of it," Lamping
said.
Yet, despite huge turnout, organizers
said they wished they had put more
time and energy into organizing
Michigrn
DANA LINNANE/D§ity
Kurdo Zebary and his son, Karzan Zebary lead the protest for Kurdish freedom
on Friday. About 40 people joined the protest in the Diag.
Ocalan in the Kenyan capital of
Nairobi.
In Turkey's Kurdish southeast,
protests over the arrest continued.
Securitv forces on Fridav fired on
the pro-Kurdish People's Democracy
Party.
Ecevit renewed surrender
appeals Saturday to Ocalan's
fiohters .akiny them to la down
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