LOCAL/STATE

The Michigan Daily - Friday, February 26, 1999 -

* CRIME
Pay phones set
on fire, numbers
melted in arson
"Two pay phones were set on fire
Wednesday afternoon in the Towsley
Center on East Medical Center
Drive, according to Department of
public Safety reports.
The facilities coordinator for the
Towsley Center discovered the first
phone ablaze on the second floor of
the building in the 2300 corridor.
An unknown individual extin-
guished the flame by blowing it out,
DPS officials state.
A second phone was found par-
tially burned on the first floor of the
building in the 1300 corridor of the
building, DPS reports state. Only
the 0, 8, 5 and 2 keys were melted.
There are no suspects for the arson.
Chemical explodes
in student's hands
'A flask containing chemicals for
ain experiment exploded in the hands
Of a student Tuesday morning in the
3700 corridor of the Chemistry
Building, DPS reports state.
The contents of the flask consisted
of a mixture of percholoric acid, thi-
anthrene, dicloromethane and acetic
anhydride, according to DPS offi-
cials.
'While there was no threat of a
chemical contamination, the student
carrying the flask received abrasions
4 i his right hand and stomach. DPS
* eports state the student was taken to
M-Works for treatment.
Student collapses
In elevator
A student fainted and lost con-
sciousness in the elevator of Alice
Lloyd Residence Hall on Wednesday
afternoon, according to DPS reports.
An ambulance was initially
requested by the caller, but the stu-
dent regained his sense of balance
and consciousness and canceled the
ride to the hospital, DPS reports
state. The cause of the collapse was
attributed to the flu.
Trek bike stolen
from East Quad
A bike was stolen from the bike
*rapks in front of East Quad
residence Hall on Wednesday after-
noon, DPS reports state.
-The owner described the bike as a
navy-blue Trek mountain bike,
model 8000, according to DPS
reports.
Alum harasses
students in Union
'A University alum was escorted
from the MUG in the Michigan
Union on Monday afternoon,
according to DPS reports, after
pointing a flashlight in patrons' eyes
and shouting.
'he alum was described as about
$ feet 7 inches tall, wearing Khaki
ants with a neutral color shirt, DPS
teports state.
$4,000 charged
on stolen credit

:Three credit cards were stolen
fEm a man's wallet at his North
'igalls Building office Monday
--orning, according to DPS reports.
"The following morning, more than
$4,000 was charged on the purloined
cards, DPS reports state. There are
no suspects in the incident.
*Suspects wreak
havoc in CCRB
Five area high school teenagers
were making a disturbance in the
"Central Campus Recreation
Building on Monday evening, DPS
reports state.
Four of the teens fled the CCRB
before DPS arrived on the scene, but
one was apprehended outside the
*lll Pool exit. DPS officials
charged the 16 year-old Pioneer
High School student with trespass-
in.
- Compiled by Daily Staff
Reporter Marta Brill.

Bike trip to raise money for lung cancer

By Adam auwdnk
Daily Staff Reporter
Have you ever dreamed of dropping every-
thing in your life, hopping on a bike and ped-
aling past some of America's most beautiful
landscape?
This summer, more than 500 people will
embark on the adventure of a lifetime as they
pedal across 13 states during the American
Lung Association's "Big Ride Across
America."
Starting June 14 in Seattle, Wash. and end-
ing July 31 in Washington, D.C., the riders
will travel a total of 3,250 miles, averaging 81
miles per day.
Setting up a mobile city at night, riders will
be treated with massage therapists, hot show-
ers and catered meals while receiving eight
days off during the six-and-a-half week trip.

Riders will travel total of

3,9

250 miles this summer

Including riders of all experience levels,
successful completion of this summer's ride
involves more will power than years of biking
experience, said Elisa Rozier, a University
graduate and current fellow at the National
Institute of Health, who will be taking part in
this summer's ride.
Introduced to the ride by a friend who com-
pleted the trip last year, Rozier said she has
always been interested in taking a cross-coun-
try trip, either on foot or by bike, and is excit-

ed by the cross-country aspect of the ride.
While six and a half weeks is a large time
commitment, Rozier said the National
Institute of Health was willing to give her the
time off for the ride, but it's going to be hard
finding the time to train beforehand and raise
donations for the trip.
All riders are expected to raise $7,000 for
the state American Lung Association chapter
of their choice, and Rosier said she is still
working on raising the funds.

Providing more than a chance to see th
American landscape, the purpose of the ride is "t=
promote the efforts of the American Lun,
Association and raise money for lung cancer," sai(
Michelle Wegienek, special projects manager fe
the American Lung Association of Michigan.
In its second year under the title of "Bi;
Ride of Across America," five riders fron
Michigan are expected to take part in thi:
year's trip after 20 people from Michigan com-
pleted the ride last year.
Event organizers are still looking for volun-
teers, and riders can still sign up until May 14
"However, we encourage riders to sign ul
ASAP, because raising $7,000 is a difficul
thing to accomplish in a short period of time,'
Wegienek said.
More information about the ride can bc
found at http://www.bigride.com.

I

Senate votes to move
pnimary by nearly I month

i LANSING - In a bid to move
Michigan into the spotlight of presi-
dential politics, the state Senate
voted yesterday to move up
Michigan's presidential primary by
almost a month.
By a vote of 35-1, the Senate
passed a bill moving Michigan's pri-
mary to the fourth Tuesday in
February instead of the third Tuesday
in March.
That would put the 2000 primary
on Feb. 22 rather than March 21. Two
dozen states, including New York
and California, will hold primaries
between March 8 and March 14. So
if Michigan stays with March 21, the
presidential fight might be over.
That point was emphasized by
Sen. Ken Sikkema, the bill's sponsor.
"The March 21 date makes
Michigan -irrelevant to the presiden-
tial nominating process," said the
Grandville Republican.
The bill now goes to the state
House, where it could get a warm
welcome from the Republican major-
ity. The lone senator voting against it
was Sen. Thaddeus McCotter (R-
Livonia).
The move affects only Republican
politics, since Democrats use party
caucuses to allocate delegates among
the party's White House hopefuls.
Democrats are required by the
national party to use caucuses rather
than an open primary that would

nTh March 21 date makes Michigan
irrelevant to the presidential
nominating process"
- Rep. Ken Sikkema (R-Grandville)

JEEM Y MENCAIf/Dily
Rackham student Charlene Makley shares what she learned about gender in
Tibetan society. She delivers a lecture yesterday afternoon on campus.
Student present
resear chon
gender in Tibet

allow anyone to vote in the
Democratic race.
"The bill is entirely irrelevant to
our process," said state Democratic
Party Chair Mark Brewer.
"The nationa party continues to
be very firm in telling us it (the pri-
mary) must be open to Democrats
only."
State Republican Chair Betsy
DeVos, however, welcomed the bill.
"Given our state's importance in the
general election, it is only right that
we carry the same weight in choosing
our party's nominee," she said.
McCotter said he opposed the bill
because an earlier primary would be
an incentive for some Democrats to
vote for a weak GOP candidate.
But DeVos said the earlier date
positions Michigan in the thick of
things.
"The Feb. 22 primary date will
make Michigan the first large indus-
trial state in the GOP primary
process and does not upset the apple

heritage of New Hampshire and Iowa
while making it clear to all
Republican presidential candidates
that they must do well in Michigan if
they expect to lead our party in
2000."
A New Hampshire law requires its
primary to be held seven days before
any other binding primary. Iowa tra-
ditionally holds the first party cau-
cuses of the election cycle.
Critics have argued that gives the
two states undue influeAce in the
presidential selection process, and
prompted other states to crowd clos-
er to the dates of the Iowa caucuses
and the New Hampshire primary.
Democrats are discussing changes
in their presidential nominating
. process. The Michigan Democratic
Party adopted a resolution at its state
convention earlier this month urging
that its presidential caucuses be held
before the New Hampshire primary.
The resolution is not binding on the
party.
The presidential primary bill is
Senate Bill 51.

cart," she said.
"Our primary

By Nicole Scagib
For the Daily
Charlene Makley, a participant in
the University's Institute for
Research on Women and Gender
fellowship program, yesterday pre-
sented the work of her eight-month
fellowship concerning gender roles
among Tibetans in Labrang, a small
city in Northwest China.
Makley's lecture titled "Body,
Gossip and Silence: Nunhood in
Tibet," is a follow-up to her research.
She studied Tibetan and Chinese cul-
ture for many years, but said she was
looking at the cultures in perspective
of gender - a new angle for her.
It "was a fresh viewpoint,' Makley
said.
During her lecture, Makley
described the shaven heads and simi-
lar garb worn by both monks and
nuns in Labrang, yet the astonishing-
ly different treatment each receives
from the community.
She described how monks embody
spiritual achievement, while nuns
teeter on the boundary of monastic
and lay worlds.
Makley explained a situation in
which nuns are called upon by monks
in Labrang to fulfill requirements of
ritual fasting. Monks, she said, pass
on the responsibility of fasting to
women, who they believe are better
suited to handle fasting. Nuns, eager
to emulate the monks, accept this
responsibility.
"The irony is that these women are
starving themselves so they can eat;"
Makley said.
Makley also spoke of communists'
attempts in China to systematically
eradicate gender differences, and the
grave consequences that befell
women after that era. The reopening
of the monasteries in China after the
death of Communist party leader

Mao Zedong left the country with
new social differences and altered
gender separation.
She said young men used to belong
to the monastery and young women
belonged to their husbands. But, over
time, young women began to belong
to nunhood, which created social ten-
sion between men and women.
Makley poignantly noted during
her lecture that these changes may
have come about because of an
intense pressure on Tibetans to assim-
ilate, with the help of the West, to
modern post-Maoist life in China.
Makley said the fellowship in
Labrang was crucial to her broader
research plans because it allowed her
to concentrate on her work and not
worry about funding.
Laurie Morgan, associate director
of the University's Institute for
Research on Women and Gender, said
she encourages graduate students
interested in scholarly research on
gender or women's issues to look into
applying for the fellowship.
"The fellowship's objectives are
interdisciplinary research and appre-
ciation for others' work and their
own;' Morgan said. Fellowships may
include studies in English, anthropol-
ogy, political science, theater and art.
All participants end their projects
with a public presentation of their
findings. Makley expressed her grati-
tude for the opportunity the fellow-
ship gave her and now wishes to give
the same opportunity to other stu-
dents.
Makley will be teaching a class at
the University this spring on anthro-
pological perspectives on modern
Tibet. Her study of gender in Tibet
has given her a new outlook on
Tibetan society because it "really
gives the Tibetans a human face," she
said.

date respects the

Ford to release largest eSUV

DETROIT (AP) - The Ford Excursion will not only be the
biggest sport utility vehicle available, it will be among the most
profitable. But months before its arrival in showrooms, the
truck's already threatening Ford Motor Co.'s effort to portray
itself as the world's most environmentally sensitive automaker.
Ford plans to introduce the 19-foot, VI10-powered
SUV next fall as a 2000 model. And although the No. 2
automaker has said little publicly about the nine-passen-
ger hauler, environmental groups already have aimed a
series of stinging attacks at it as part of their anti-SUV
campaign.
The Sierra Club dubs it a "suburban assault vehicle"
that "will guzzle enough gas to make Saddam Hussein
smile." It even ran a contest to give the big truck a name
and advertising slogan. The winner: "The Ford Valdez.
Have you driven a tanker lately?"
The Excursion will be nearly a foot longer than the current
biggest SUV, the Chevrolet/GMC Suburban, which will be the
Excursion's primary competitor. Unlike the Suburban, however,
-the Excursion is expected to offer six doors -two on each side
in front of smaller, rear-hinged access doors to make getting
into the third row of seats easier.

General Motors Corp. is anticipating the new compe-
tition. Its Suburban has been redesigned for 2000, based
on GM's new full-size pickup chassis.
The Excursion's so long and tall that it won't even fit
in many home garages, said Jim Hall, an analyst with
AutoPacific Inc. "They have defined how big an SUV
can be before it becomes too big," Hall said yesterday.
Ford has been uncommonly quiet about the Excursion. It's
conspicuously absent from this year's auto show circuit. On
today, Ford plans a low-key unveiling of the truck to journalists
at its Dearborn headquarters.
For new chair William Ford Jr., a self-described "life-
long environmentalist," the Excursion poses a dilenina.
The young chair, who took over the company Jan. 1,has
promised to make Ford the industry leader in developing
clean vehicles.
But Ford's financial success in recent years has result-
ed largely from meeting Americans' demand for power-
ful pickups and SUVs, which burn more fuel and tend to
pollute more than cars. The Excursion's expected to get
only 12 miles per gallon with the optional V10 engine -
hardly a symbol of environmental leadership.


SUMMER IN ISRAEL
Chicago Volunteers needed as
counselors at an English
speaking Day Camp in Israel,
End of June through End of
July. Room & Board with local
families. Participants are
responsible for airfan-
some subsidies available.
Contact Josh at 312-842-8282
or kefiadaayahoo.com


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