z!y C'tal ti wAss m+"r vvea T s Today: Rain. High 51. Low 46. Tomorrow: Thunderstorms. High 57. One hundred eight years of edzm'onalfreedom Friday April 9, 1999 Vol. OM'No. 114 ft oai9 'U' ma' By JmIe Wider Daily Staff Reporter The prospect of implementing a life sciences institute at the University was the topic of discus- sion when faculty members from the College of Irature, Science and the Arts gathered yester- day with University President Lee Bollinger and Provost Nancy Cantor. Many faculty members expressed excitement toward the project and toward the promising advancements related to their fields. But others seemed to question from where funding for the project money would come and the role that exist- ing departments and faculty would play in the institute. open life sciences Administrators, faculty optimistic about proposalfor interdisciplinary institute center ments are an example of how the University already utilizes methods to make life sciences a reality, she said The life sciences institution may have effects beyond enhancing the current connections between different disciplines. "This may have an effect on our imaginations like physics has had on art and literature, Bollinger said. Cantor said there is a ripple effect for an inter- disciplinary program like life sciences. Many oth- ers at the University will be invigorated to do new work, she said. Executive Vice President for Research Fawwaz See INSTITUTE, Page 7 Yesterday's discussion follows a report that the Life Sciences Commission released in February outlining the strengths and weaknesses of the University in areas concerning life sciences. The report also made specific recommendations regarding programs and structure of the institution. Bollinger said he would most likely have a pro- posal ready for the University Board of Regents next month, and he speculated that life sciences could have its own curriculum and faculty appointments within three years - costing the University $200 to $300 million. "As a University we aspire to be at the top of every major area of research and teaching we engage in," Bollinger said, adding that the University has strengths in areas relating to life sciences, but this institution would help make the University one of the leaders in the field. Interdisciplinary work would be the basis for the life sciences institution, joining together vari- ous social sciences, humanities, law, business, physics and biology. "We don't want to create an institution that is by itself isolated," Cantor said. Joint faculty appoint- i DAVID ROCHKINO/Daily Ian Ellen DeGeneres speaks to'a packed Hill Auditorium yesterday in an ress titled "Speaking Honestly." DeGeneres talks e out experie CRISIS IN THE BALKANS NATO steps upbombing }, The Washington Post WASHINGTON -With no end in sight to the conflict in Kosovo and diplomacy apparently at a standstill, NATO warplanes zeroed in yesterday on Yugoslav soldiers and military convoys in the rebel province, inflicting the heav- -.,. iest direct damage so far on troops and weapons used to kill and purge its ethnic Albanian population. Pentagon officials said they believe NATO's air strikes have almost completely cut off Kosovo from the rest of Serbia, the dominant republic of Yugoslavia, by destroy- ing all rail lines into the province from the north and dam- aging most of the roads and bridges. Both tactics were intended to make it more difficult for military convoys to reinforce troops already there and make slow-moving traffic more vulnerable to NATO planes overhead, Pentagon officials said in the most detailed briefings since the air campaign started March 24. r~ Yugoslav authorities, meanwhile, sent conflicting sig- nals about the possibility that three U.S. soldiers captured on the Macedonian border early in the air war might be released. Veteran Cypriot politician Spyros Kyprianou arrived yesterday night in Belgrade and scheduled a meet- ing today with .President Slobodan Milosevic on a mis- sion to win the three Americans' freedom. The Yugoslav information' minister, Milan Komnenic told a French radio station that "good news" is coming, but declined to specify what he meant. But Yugoslav Deputy Premier Vojislav Seselj said releasing the three is "out of the question" and they should be tried as terrorists. Earlier, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said they will be freed only when NATO stops its air strikes. The intensifying bombardment reported by NATO did NATHAN RUFFER/Daily little to ease the alarm among NATO officials and relief Mechanical Engineering post doctoral fellow Loucas Louca discusses the situation in Kosovo See BALKANS, Page 2 yesterday on the Diag with Wolfgang Moehler, a staff member in the biophysics department. 'Ethnic Peace-lovers 'protest US. involvement By Yael Kohen Daily Staff Reporter Amidst screams of "We love Ellen" that permeated a packed Hill > ditorium last night and followed by a ding ovation, Ellen DeGeneres had to wait five minutes before she could say a word. Comedian DeGeneres, best known for her role in the television sitcom "Ellen," was "Speaking Honestly" to students and Ann Arbor residents about hier experiences and thoughts about life and about being gay. Brought to cam- pus by the University Activities Center committee Laughtrack, DeGeneres de Ann Arbor the final stop on her -part tour. Even though DeGeneres came to speak on a serious note, it did not stop her from trying to get a laugh out of the audience. "What do I say?" DeGeneres asked. "I could say I'm gay but I think every- one knows that." But when DeGeneres finally got to the crux of her speech, she started aking about her childhood. While growing up, DeGeneres said, she was taught that "everyone has to like me" and it didn't matter what she really felt. "Of course I end up in a business where everyone has to like me," she said, adding that the fear of rejection made her hide the fact that she was a lesbian. DeGeneres said that as a comedian she wanted "to reach everybody" and make everybody laugh "because it was about humor" and not about being gay. Although DeGeneres said she did not want to publicize her private life out of fear of injuring her career, she finally used her television sitcom "Ellen" to announce her sexual orientation. In 1997 in a landmark episode, character Ellen Morgan - DeGeneres' on-screen person - came out on national televi- sion, causing a stir nationwide. "The fact that I've turned out to be a such a controversial figure is hysterical to me," DeGeneres said, getting a rise out of the crowd. "When I came out I really did it for personal reasons," she said. "I don't care if people don't like me anymore." DeGeneres said that coming out was giving up "the shame that I had been living with." The audience cheered as DeGeneres recounted her "coming out" experi- ence. It was not until the TV celebrity came out as a lesbian that she became more aware of the discrimination that surrounded her and others for being gay. Once she became aware of her polit- ical and social situation DeGeneres began speaking at high schools and col- leges to educate and provide support for those who need it. But it was important for DeGeneres to make one point clear. "I am not rep- resenting every gay person ... these are See DEGENERES, Page 2 By Jennifer Sterling For the Daily Their intent was peaceful and the message was clear. The Ethnic Peace-lovers, a group of about 30 students, demonstrated on the Diag yesterday at noon to protest for peace in Kosovo. Their mission was to educate students on the situation in Kosovo and tell them what they consider to be the truth of the Yugoslovia crisis. Sporting black and white bullseye pins to sym- bolize that all people are targets, protesters marched on the Diag, holding signs, handing out pamphlets to passers-by and chanting "One, two, three, four, stop the bombs in Kosovo." A Serbian woman, who did not wish to be identified because she said she wanted the stu- dent activists to be heard instead, spoke against U.S. actions. "Americans haven't heard the story from the other side," she said. She added that U.S.government officials "only inspire hatred" by neglecting to hear grievances from Albanian and Serbian groups. She concluded by saying that this has "all been for nothing," arguing that for Yugoslavia to accept unconditionally a solution that the United States feels is best for Kosovo is unrea- sonable.. "Violence cannot solve anything," said Engineering graduate student Dejan Filipovic, a native of Serbia. Speaking against NATO's bombing campaign he said, "Nobody from the outside can solve internal problems. Serbian government and Albanian representatives should be involved in talks." In a pamphlet distributed to students, the group advocated that the solutions to the war should include peaceful negotiations under the auspices of the Secretary General, rather than bombings. Protestors also blamed members of the media, claiming that they do not "give the public the opportunity to understand the complexity of the situation," Education graduate student Ioanna Vekiri said. Vekiri said she is for solutions that protect eth- nic Albanians, and she wants "more opportunity for the promotion of democracy." The Ethnic Peace-lovers' pamphlet concluded with the words, "Bombing is not part of the solu- tion. It is part of the problem." k Archer speaks on urban development *Dily to assess affirmative action attitudes The Michigan Daily will conduct the first comprehensive survey of student opinions on affirmative action and admissions policies at the University. The survey, designed in conjunction with the Department of Communications Studies and the Institute for Social Research, will be a probability sample of 1,600 University students, selected at random from all current- ly enrolled University students. Students selected to take the survey will receive an e-mail with the subject heading, "Michigan Daily Student Survey." To ensure all University students are represented, a 1 II II l l Ihigh level of participation is required. If you receive an e-mail with this subject line, please respond as soon as possible. The survey takes about 15 minutes to complete. The results of the survey will be reorted in a series By Kelly O'Connor Daily Staff Reporter Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer faced a critical audience yesterday as he spoke on campus to about 100 students, pro- fessors and community members about urban development and the environ- ment. Archer came to the University as a part of a series of speakers on sustain- able development - an effort to revi- talize and improve urban areas without damaging the environment. The mayor expressed an enthusiastic appreciation issues that continue the rebuilding and renewal of the city of Detroit,' Archer said. Because of many recent projects and community efforts involving residents and business owners, Detroit is moving in the direction of an environmentally conscious city, Archer said. But some skeptics say Archer's actions do not reflect his words. SNRE senior Annette Labiano- Abello, a member of the Environmental Justice Group on campus, said in a writ- ten statement that Archer often sides I ,I