Weather Today: Mostly cloudy. High 30. Low 8.erede g ys gf'ditonidfredm Tomorrow: Sunny. High 31.Oehnrde~tyas'o dtra reo Monday March 8, 1999 1 ..: Two found dead in home Police suspect fight ended in murder-suicide By Jaimle Winkler Daily Staff Reporter The bodies of a University student and her boyfriend were discovered in an apartment located on East Kingsley St. on Friday afternoon, according to Ann Arbor Police artment officials. oth individuals apparently died as a result of gun- shot wounds, but AAPD is still investigating exactly what happened. Officials told The Ann Arbor News this weekend that their original theory appears cor- rect. "It looks like a murder-suicide, just as we originally thought," Roderick'told The Ann Arbor News. The woman, Natasha Qureshi, an LSA senior and her 22- year-old boyfriend Christopher Groesbeck, a recent University graduate, were found inside Groesbeck's apart- ment, AAPD officials said. An acquaintance of Groesbeck's *covered the bodies after receiving a call from Groesbeck's other, who was concerned about her son. Memorial services for Qureshi and Groesbeck have not yet been planned. AAPD officials reviewed autopsy results and interviews of friends, family and apartment complex residents before constructing a theory about what happened in the apart- ment shortly before the couple died, AAPD Deputy Chief Craig Roderick told The Ann Arbor News in a report on Saturday. But AAPD officials would not confirm the infor- mation yesterday. Groesbeck tried to end his on-and-off relationship with t ureshi on Feb. 25, before she left for a Spring Break trip to Toronto. Last Tuesday, after returning from Toronto, Qureshi received a permit from the AAPD to purchase a gun. Three days later, early Friday morning, she went to Groesbeck's apartment and confronted him. AAPD offi- cials told The Ann Arbor News Qureshi cut her wrists with a knife before firing three shots at Groesbeck, hitting him in the neck and chest. Qureshi then scteamed and shot her- self. AAPD Sgt. Lyle Sartori said Groesbeck's mother structed a friend to go to the East Kingsley apartment Friday afternoon when she became worried because her son did not show up for work. A building manager allowed Groesbeck's acquaintance into the apartment, Sartori said. "At approximately 3:17 p.m. the Ann Arbor Police Department were dispatched to 727 East Kingsley," Sartori said. There, AAPD officers discovered Groesbeck and Qureshi. Officers also found a knife and a gun in the apart- meit. "The two were romantically linked and evidently had Aen in a fight earlier," Sartori said. The two, both from erling Heights, had been dating for a year or a year-and- See DEATHS, Page 7A Provost reacts to GEO plan for wal out By Nick Faizone Daily Staff Reporter As University students return from Spring Break, the possibility of a Graduate Employees Organization walk- out or strike looms on the horizon. These job actions, scheduled to begin Wednesday, could mean cancellation of all discussion sections taught by graduate student instructors who choose to partic- ipate in the protest. GEO member Stephen Arellano said he and other members of the organiza- tion held meetings during break to pre- pare for the one-and-a-half day walkout. Arellano added that while positive negotiations with the University could cancel the job action, it is improbable this, will occur. "The University has been stalling and seeing whether the union has the solidar- ity to hold a walkout," Arellano said. He added that he believed the University would continue to delay nego- tiations until GEO proved its strength through a protest. Arellano said that while he hopes the walkout will be effective enough to pre- vent a more serious action from taking place, a strike might be CEO's only option if its issues remain unresolved. "We may be forced into a situation because the University will not give us a voice" in contract negotiations, Arellano said. "The strike could be our only source of power, something that's rather unfortu- nate." In response to the possibility of a walkout or strike, Provost Nancy Cantor sent an e-mail to all full- and part-time faculty members informing them of the status of the negotiations between the University and GE O. In the e-mail, Cantor said she was dis- tressed by the possibility of the job actions because they "threaten to inter- rupt the education of our undergraduate students." Cantor also stated that she believed the University had been "responsive to the financial and educational needs of our graduate student instructors;' according to the e-mail. Communications Prof. Michael Traugott, who received the message from Cantor, said that while he understands why GCEO would stage a walkout, he does not support the job action. "I think the best way to settle the issues is at the bargaining table, possibly with help," Traugott said. Traugott added that he believed medi- ation between GEO and the University might be an effective step in contract set- tlernent. Traugott also said he believed University faculty would step in to teach the discussion sections of GSIs who choose to protest if a walkout took place this week. "We have an obligation to see that stu- dents get the instruction they're paying tuition for,' Traugott said. "The faculty stepped in (when a walkout occurred in) 1996 and I think the same will happen again. But University Chief Negotiator Dan Gamble said he still hopes the University will be able to reach a contract settlement before a walkout takes place. "We don't want to infringe on under- See GEO, Page 2A DAN U UNNELL/Uaily Valentine's Day stickers still hang In the window of University alum Christopher Groesbeck's apartment Saturday where he and LSA senior Natasha Qureshi were found dead at about 3p.m. Friday afternoon. Matching stickers hung in the window of Qureshi's apartment. D~eaths revi ve memorieso of Williams' By Michael Grass Daily Staff Reporter The Friday deaths of an LSA senior and a University alum may remind some of the stabbing death of University student Tamara Williams at the hands of her ex-boyfriend Kevin Nelson on Sept. 23, 1997. Friday's incident, which many believe may be a case of domestic violence, reflected the disbelief and horror that followed Williams' murder. LSA senior Natasha Qureshi and her boyfriend Christopher Groesbeck, a University alum, were found Friday morning at Groesbeck's East Kingsley Street apartment in an apparent murder- suicide, Ann Arbor Police Department officials said. "We're still in the shock stage, figuring out stabbing- what we're going to do about this;' Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center Director Virginia Chitanda said. Williams, then an LSA senior, was living with Nelson and her daughter Kiera in the North Campus Northwood V family housing complex in September 1997. Williams' Northwood neighbors called the Department of Public Safety after Nelson began attacking Williams. The stabbing took place 200 feet from the front door of her home. After vain attempts to stop Nelson, neighbors watched him continue to stab Williams. A DPS officer fired shots at Nelson after he refused to release his knife. See WILLIAMS, Page 7A Fire and ice MSA candidates prepare for race By Jewel Gopwani Daily Staff Reporter And they're off! During spring break, Elections Director Andrew Serowik announced this month's Michigan Student Assembly candidates, signaling the official start of the winter elections. Serowik said campaigning "is proba- bly going to be intense;" citing that the three parties running this semester are stronger and larger than in past years. This semester 60 students are run- ning for 23 open assembly seats, and six students are running for president and vice president. Three slates are running for the posts of MSA president and vice president. These include Jessica Curtin and Erika Dowdell, representing the Defend Affirmative Action Party, Sarah Chopp and Sumeet Karnick,'representing the Students' Party and Bram Elias and Andy Coulouris representing the newly-formed Blue Party. Coulouris, who served a full term in November 1997 as an LSA representa- tive on the assembly, commented that the state of the assembly is something that needs to be changed next semester. "MSA isn't doing its job if it does- n't try to make student's lives a little See MSA, Page 3A MSA Winter 1998 Executive Slates 8 Blue party; Bram Elias (P) Andy Coulouris (VP) N Defend Affirmative Action Party: Jessica Curtin (P) Erika Dowdell (VP) Students' Party: Sarah Chopp (P) Surneet Karnik (VP) AP PHOTO A fresh mantle of snow drapes a statue of Benjamin Franklin In front of a Detroit office building yesterday. sow, students back AP PHOTO Firefighters in St. Clair Shores, Mich. try to save a building under construc- tion from flames yesterday. By Nick Bunkley Daily Staff Reporter Students who spent their Spring Break in a tropical climate found any- thing but spring in Ann Arbor when they returned this weekend. Heavy snowfall shattered students' v ons of warm weather and brought memories of the blizzard that dumped several feet of snow on Michigan in January. Like January's blizzard, this week- end's snowstorm came at the end of a University vacation period, making travel back to Ann Arbor in time for treacherous route when theysdrove into the snowstorm. "It completely took us by sur- prise," said Pat Cupples, an LSA sophomore. Driving on a highway east of Windsor, Ontario, Cupples said at times he couldn't see where he was going but snow on the side of the road made it impossible to find anywhere to pull off. "The visibility got to the point where we were following the tracks of the cars ahead of us," Cupples said. "What was probably a half-hour drive turned into VP welcomed to new position at Meredith By Jalmie Winkler Daily Staff Reporter Last week, Meredith College president, a woman they described as "charming" and "quick to smile" - University Vice President for Student Affairs Maureen Hartford. Hartford, who will be the first female president of the all-female institution, begins chose its seventh hometown of Charlotte, where some of her fami- ly still lives. "It is my honor to be chosen as the new president of Meredith College," said Hartford in a written statement, "This college is built on such strong foun- dations, with a history rich in the tradition of educat- ing women to excel." In setting out to find its new president, Meredith's Presidential Search Committee did not make a con- scious decision to look for a woman. The committee "crafted a profile that could have (the chosen president) was a woman;' Hockaday said. The college boasts of being the largest all-female college in the Southeast with more than 3,500 stu- dents - approximately one-tenth of the University's population, but it has been lead by men since its founding in 1891. Its current president, John Weems, took office 27 years ago. While working on her degree at the University of Arkansas, Hartford's doctoral dissertation researched women and education, a study that included students andR nr~aitnt f Mef ~redith.VLHartford fouind within a = i I