I 1 L j 1 uan su - -- weatner Today: Snow. igh 32. Low 22. Tomorrow: Mostly cloudy. igh 33. One hundred eightyears ofeditorzfreedom Tuesday March 9, 1999 Vol clx@x5/1 GEO fi alines plans forwaout By Nick Faizono Daily Staff Reporter After almost five months of negotiations - and less than 24 hours before the Graduate Employees Organization plans to hold a walkout in protest of what it believes is a mediocre con- tr with the University - many GEO mem- bO said they are unhappy with what the University has to offer them. GEO spokesperson Chip Smith said the University has left the organization with no choice but to demonstrate its dissatisfaction through a job action. "There isn't a single member of GEO who wants to go on strike, who wants to stop their teaching and research to protest," Smith said. "But the University is forcing us to walkout; 0es Details o Members remain dissatisfied with University they're saying 'Let us see what you've got."' GEO Chief Negotiator Eric Odier-Fink agreed, stating that the University is provoking GEO to "make us show our teeth" by its lack of movement on the organization's most important issues. But University Chief Negotiator Dan Gamble said the University is not trying to push GEO to do anything radical and is actually discouraging the organization from walking out tomorrow. "The University is not trying to test anything," Gamble said. "We believe there is nothing more harmful to undergraduates than interrupting their education." Gamble said the University encourages under- graduates to break the picket lines of protesting graduate student instructors to ensure the contin- uation of their educational process. He added that the University has also recommended faculty members cover the discussion sections of GSIs who choose to walkout tomorrow and Thursday. But Odier-Fink said he believes the University's behavior is immoral - demonstrat- ing that Gamble in particular has neither respect for GEO members nor their concerns. "Gamble says we're hurting undergrads just so he can say we're greedy, horrible people," Odier- Fink said. "But if we're so terrible, why are most of us trying to get a contract that we'll never work under? I'm not paid a dime for any of the work I do (negotiating the contract) and I haven't had a life since these negotiations began." Odier-Fink said although he will graduate from the University in April, his and other mem- bers' work will benefit future generations of GSIs throughout the country. Gamble said neither he nor the University is trying to present GEO in a negative light, adding that his goal is to settle the contract with the organization. But Odier-Fink said this is impossible because both sides disagree so strongly on one of the most integral negotiation issues - fraction recalculation for GSIs. Currently, the University is proposing all GSls with a .4 appointment - those who work approximately 40 percent of the hours of a full- time faculty member - be given .5 appoint- ments. But Odier-Fink is disappointed with this proposal, since it only affects about 500 GEO members with a .4 appointment and not its entire membership. Smith said since this distribution is not equi- table it does not address GEO's concern that all of its members receive a living wage, adding that every cent of the salary he receives from his .25 See GEO, Page 7 DISK DESPAIR murder continue to emerge by laimle Winkler Daily Staff Reporter Days after the sudden and tragic deaths of a University student and alum, those who knew the victims are still trying to make sense of the puz- zj tragedy - and cope with the con- s ences. A friend discovered the bodies of LSA senior Natasha Qureshi and her boy friend Christopher Groesbeck, a recent University graduate, Friday afternoon at Groesbeck 's apartment on East Kingsley Street. Both died early Friday morning Qureshi as a result of gun- shot wounds. LSA junior Melissa Jones, who lives in the Kingsley complex, went on a Spring Break trip to Toronto with Qureshi, Jones' boyfriend and a mutual friend. Jones remembered meeting Qureshi at a irthday party for the friend. "She was her boyfriend Chris," Jones said, adding that did not see Qureshi or Groesbeck much after the initial meeting. When Qureshi was invited to Toronto, "she had just broken up with her boyfriend," Jones said. "I didn't mind -- she seemed very friendly. Everyone had a great time. I didn't sense any sadness or anger in her' During the weekend trip to Toronto, Jones said, Qureshi never talked about an thing personal, including her rela- t ship with her parents or boyfriend. An autopsy performed by the Washtenaw County Medical Examiner revealed that Qureshi "sliced her wrists, shot him (Groesbeck) three times then shot herself in the head." said Ann Arbor Police Department Sgt. Michael Logghe, adding that the bullet that killed Groesbeck went through his lung and two other shots penetrated his neck and chest. £I ureshi and Groesbeck had been ng offand on for nearly a year-and- a-half, Logghe said, but police were never involved in previous disputes. The two lived in the same apartment building. Similar Valentine's Day stick- ers still hung in both of their apartment windows on Sunday. See MURDER, Page 7 faculty By Nika Schulte Daily Staff Reporter Students who are hesitant to attempt more than one concentration but are interested in pursuing an additional field of study may be able to work toward a minor as early as next fall semester. At an LSA faculty meeting yesterday, more than 50 members unanimously approved a resolution that will change the faculty code to incorporate academic minors into the LSA curriculum. During the meeting, LSA Student Government representa- tives implored the faculty to approve the resolution, which had already been approved by the curriculum committee and the LSA executive committee. LSA-SG representative Steve Sharpe asked the faculy to join the many universities across the coun- try that already offer the opportunity to formally explore subjects that they do not want to major in because they may not be considered "marketable." "Peer universities offer the option and don't lose any credibility by doing so" Sharpe said. After the vote was taken, both stu- dents and faculty broke into applause. "I am absolutely elated." said LSA junior Jeff Harris, a member of LSA-SG. "This shows the faculty is excited about having the major/minor program." While Harris said he is excited about the options the resolution presents, he indicated that the "real work" is just beginning. "This was really the easy part. Most of the work is ahead of us," Harris said. Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education Robert Owen said yester- day's vote does not finalize the details because each department will be responsible for developing the curricu- lum and working out specifics. The vote "is the green light for the process to continue within the individ- ual departments," Owen said. Owen stressed that all departments are not required to offer minors nor implement them by a certain time. "It is up to individual depart- ments if they wish," Owen said. LSA Interim Dean Pat Gurin said current students may be able to take advantage of the program if departments move fast enough. But Robert Megginson, who chaired the task force that explored the option of offering minors at the University, said departments that do choose to develop a minor curriculum will have to have their programs approved by the curriculum committee before imple- mentation. Interim Romance Languages and Literature Department Chair Steven Dworkin, who attended last night's meeting, said he would be surprised if his department did not develop a minor program. "The romance department accom- modates the educational needs of stu- dents," Dworkin said. See MINORS, Page 2 JESSICA JOHNSON/Daily LSA first-year student Rachael Hopkins sends e-mails to her friends as her younger sister Maddie watches. The two were working In the Angell Hall Computing Site yesterday. Some studelt unhappy Wticomp,-uter upgrades~ By Nick Bunkley Daily Staff Reporter Information Technology Division staff members spent Spring Break installing all new computers in the Angell Hall Computing Site, but not all students said they are happy with the changes. The site's new Macintosh computers do not have floppy disk drives - meaning students must find alternate methods to save and transfer their files. "Disk drives are an issue, in that there isn't one," said Karin Mayer, an Engineering senior who was using one of the new Macintosh computers yesterday. Dino Anastasia, manager of ITD Campus Computing Sites, said he is aware that some students have com- plained about the lack of disk drives. "However, it should be noted that Apple Computers no longer makes a computer with a floppy disk drive in it," Anastasia said. Nathalie Welch, a products spokesperson for the California-based Apple Computers, said the company decided to nix floppy disk drives in its newest line of Macintosh computers for several reasons. "The three main things that the flop- py disk drive was invented for are no longer valid," Welch said, adding that quicker and more advanced methods are available for the file storage, hard drive backups and software distribution that floppy drives used to handle. Welch said e-mail provides a reli- able way to send files between sever- al computers, eliminating the need for a floppy disk. Another option for University stu- dents is storage space on the Institutional File System network, which allots each student a private file directory accessible from any computer. The problem with IFS, said LSA senior Tibor Tuske, is that it is unreli- able and many students are unfamiliar with its use. While writing a paper in the Angell Hall Computing Site yes- terday afternoon, Tuske said the com- puter he was using would not let him save to IFS. Anastasia said ITD is "in the See COMPUTERS, Page 7 Shake it I Steinem to visit U,' give speech By Yael Kohen Daily Staff Reporter Gloria Steinem, one of the nation's most renowned feminists and political activists, plans to speak at the 1 versity on Thursday as part of the ce ebration of Women's History Month. "She is one of the most popular, widely known and powerful feminists of our time;" said LSA senior Colette Stevenson, a member of the Speaker Tn:fv t a asrsi - -:ron^7 C.P: -i' s University's Hillel chapter, but was entirely organized by students. "We've done every single thing - including getting the funding" from faculty, Stevenson said. Ticket distribution to students began yesterday at the Michigan Union Ticket Office and will continue until 1 p.m. today, after which time tickets will become available to the entire community. Each student is eli- gible to receive two tickets free of r.h ra St..nm speech: 11When: ~Thursday 7:30 pA~m. to X "pickets Michign Office untl Ip~m, today. Welfare role new for reps. By Emina Sendljarevic Daily Staff Reporter During the month of March, more than 65 Michigan legislators plan to participate in a program that will allow them to learn more about their local welfare pro- grams. The "Walk a Mile" project, sponsored by the Michigan League for Human Services, is an attempt at more interac- tion between the legislators and their welfare-receiving con- stituents. As part of the project, some Michigan legislators are matched with a local welfare family by the local sponsoring' JESSICA JOHNSON/Daily r~r n pnd niim sltnthe wa1kwav4 awned by Ann Arbor Reality Inc. II i