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Today: Partly cloudy. High 26. Low 13.O
Tomorrow: Cloudy. High 3One hundredneyears ofedito freedom
Friday
January 14, 2000
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Senator may
sue
over voting
bill
0 State lawmaker may sue
4erturn law criticized as ai
tempt to limit student vo
By YaoI Kohen
Daily Staff Reporter
Politicians who are in an uproar about
law requiring Michigan residents' voter regi
addresses to match the addresses on their
license are taking their complaints one step
Some Michigan legislators are discussing a
tial lawsuit against the act, claiming the
E~ncompass
aims to
transcend
loundaries
By Marta Brill
Daily Staff Reporter
For the past two months, LSA
senior Sona Bajaria has been prac-
ticing her steps, donning a tradition-
al Indian costume and working with
her group to perfect a traditional,
Indian dance that reflects her
merican experience.
ajaria is a member of one of the
12 acts that has been preparing for
Encompass, which is scheduled to
take place at 8 p.m. tomorrow night
at the Michigan Theater.
Her dance is an interpretation of
the Hindi lyrics of the song written
from a modern American perspec-
tive, Bajaria said.
"It was fun teaching others the
L meaning behind the steps," she
d.
fIn its second year, Encompass is a
cultural show with a two-fold pur-
pose - to educate and to celebrate,
said LSA junior Niketa Kulkarni,
co-chair of the show.
With its theme "Piecing Us
Together," Encompass differs from
most cultural shows, Kulkarni said,
because it showcases many cultures
rather than highlighting only one in
*ticul'ar.
This incorporation of many dif-
ferent ethnic groups "fosters collab-
oration and interaction between
groups," she said.
The groups performing at tomor-
row. night's show include
KolHakavod, a Jewish a cappella
group; Finaboro, a Korean drum
corps; Salsa Meringue dance;
Indigo, an African-American dance
group as well as many others.
«Jhile on paper the University has
the statistics to call itself a diverse
institution, Kulkarni said, there is a
lack of interaction on campus
between people of different back-
grounds.
Encompass organizers hope to
transcend the superficial concept of
diversity on campus and come clos-
er to its true meaning - learning
m one another's differences, she
d.
"I would love to see people step out
of their comfort zones," said
Encompass co-Chair Gail Kim, a pro-
gram assistant with the
Undergraduate Research Opportunity
Program.
Kim added that Encompass cele-
brates the commonalty and differ-
ences between all people. It
embraces learning from others and
lg "proud of how you identify
irself."
Bajaria hopes that through her
dance the audience will see that
"students are more similar than we
realize. We should learn from one
another and emphasize similari-
ties."
There are many different ethnic
groups performing in Encompass,
but also a great variation in the acts
*from a cappella singing to hip
hop dance to jazz music.
Organizers were looking for
diversity among the acts because the
expression of one's identity can be
shown in many different ways, Kim
explained.
In nrriar,. + hP caiPtPC . fr
unconstitutional.
Sen. Alma Wheeler Smith (D-Salem Twp.)
and the American Civil Liberties Union of
Michigan are considering taking the matter to
court to have the act repealed.
Smith said the act is unconstitutional because
the government cannot force citizens to declare
their residence where they do not wish it to be.
The law amends driver's license registration
and consequently affects the state's elections
statutes, which Smith said is unconstitutional
because it amends only by reference.
The purpose of the law is to establish "a
statewide voter registration database and elec-
tions management system,"said Elizabeth Boyd,
spokesperson for Secretary of State Candice
Miller. Before this law was passed each local
district in Michigan had their own list.
The new system "allows us to cross reference
all local lists and eliminate 600,000 duplicate reg-
istration files," Boyd said.
The ACLU has not determined whether to
file suit, but "we have been looking into it very
seriously," said ACLU Michigan Executive
Director Kary Moss.
If the ACLU decides to take the matter to
court they will ask for an injunction on the law
until the court makes its ruling, Smith said.
The law "will discourage many students from
voting," said Voice Your Vote Task Force Chair Shari
Katz, an LSA sophomore.
But Boyd said officials don't care where a
resident chooses to live or how many times an
address is changed.
"There is nothing in this legislation that
would discourage anyone from exercising their
right to vote," Boyd said. Students can either
change their permanent address to Ann Arbor or
they can maintain their current address and vote
by absentee ballot. Residents have the option of
having a long-standing absentee ballot on file
that automatically will be sent to them during
election time, she said.
Part of the problem, Smith said, is that the
law is being implemented to simplify the elec-
tronic voter file and not for a substantive reason
that benefits voters.
Although the law requires that a resident has
only one permanent address, it is possible to have
a separate mailing address. The law will take effect
April 1 but will only affect residents as they renew
their licenses, Boyd said.
Snow place like home
5 S
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DAVID ROCHKIND/Daily
Eighty-five-year-old Robert Bursch shovels his driveway yesterday morning after several inches of
snow fell overnight Wednesday.
MarIn may be forced
to talk in plea bargain
U' to honor King
with largest campus
tribute in nation
By Robert Gold
Daily Staff Reporter
Many citizens across the country will spend Monday com-
memorating the life of civil rights activist Martin Luther
King Jr. But for members of the University community, the
celebration is not just a one day event.
The 13th MLK Symposium, which officially began yesterday
and lasts until February includes more than 115 events sponsored
by a wide array of student, University and community groups.
MLK Symposium Committee Coordinator Damon
Williams, who is also program coordinator for the Office of
Academic Multicultural Initiatives, said the University has
the largest campus symposium in the country.
"We put forth a special showcase to the nation," Williams
said, adding that the variety of events - ranging from issues
on environmental justice to immigration laws - makes the
symposium unique.
But the University has not always officially recognized
King's lifetime of contributions.
In 1987 student protests fed by the United Coalition
Against Racism and Black Action Movement III were inte-
gral in the University's decision to make King's birthday a
See MLK, Page 3
MLK Symposium
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Memorial Lecture:
Featuring Henry Louis Gates Jr.,
director of the W.E.B. DuBois
Institute for Afro-American Studies
Monday, 10 a.m., Hill Auditorium
March and Rally to Continue
MLK's Fight:
Begins at the corner of South Forest
and South University avenues
Monday, 12:00 p.m
* Reflections on Martin Luther King
Jr. and Equal Rights:
Featuring University alum Carole
Simpson, ABC's World News Sunday
anchor
Monday, 1:30 p.m, Hale Auditorium
A2 plans to add new
shelter for homeless
By David Den Herder
Daily Sports Writer
What interest does the U.S. Attorney's Office
have in the Michigan basketball program?
The latest development in the investigation of
Ed Martin, alleged gambling ring leader and for-
mer Michigan booster, again crosses paths with
Michigan hoops. According to a report in The Ann
Arbor News, federal authorities are finalizing a
plea bargain with Martin that in part calls for full
disclosure of his relationship with former
Michigan basketball players.
The Ann Arbor News cited sources close to the
investigation as saying that, should Michigan or the
NCAA re-open their investigations into the matter,
the proposed bargain would force Martin to reveal
all involvement with the program to investigators.
"As far as we know,
anything that went on
has not been revealed."
- Percy Bates
Education professor
University President Lee Bollinger, who is out
of town, released a written statement through
University spokesperson Julie Peterson.
"Since this matter first resurfaced last year, we
have been made aware of the United States
Attorney's investigation, have provided information
See MARTIN, Page 7
By Jon Zemke
Daily Staff Reporter
The debate over a proposed homeless shelter on
Huron Street has caused two rehabilitation spe-
cialists, Glenn Ziegler and Rick Brewster, to retire
from the Ann Arbor Community Development
Department earlier this week.
The two have been inspecting and fixing homes
owned by lower income residents for a combined
total of more than 25 years.
Ziegler, who has worked for the city for 20
years, said he decided to retire because he would
not be able to voice fully his opinion against the
proposed shelter since his job would require him
to work on the project.
"It was more or less a catalyst," Ziegler said. "I
was expecting to retire within the next year."
Even though Ziegler said he was not opposed to
a downtown shelter, he does not support the cur-
rent proposal. Brewster could not be reached for
comment.
"When the original shelter was proposed it was
for 24 men, but they, at times, have housed had as
many as 100," Ziegler said. "I'm concerned with
what this facility will turn into and how many peo-
ple will be housed."
Washtenaw County commissioners and the Ann
Arbor City Council are debating the proposed
homeless shelter.
The plan calls for a 20,000-square-foot shelter
built to house 50 men at 420 W. Huron St. It would
LOUIS BROWN/Daily
Stewart Chase sits outside his home in a tent
community on the outskirts of the city of Ann
Arbor yesterday.
also come equipped with a soup kitchen that could
serve as many as 450 meals a day.
The current homeless shelter, located at 416
W. Huron St. on the opposite side of the rail-
road tracks from the proposed site, has drawn
criticism from neighbors.
At a public hearing in front of the city coun-
cil on Monday, they complained about every-
thing from empty liquor bottles in their yard
See HOMELESS, Page 2
Fewer class offerings cause
many re gistration headaches
By Jeannie Baumann
Daily Staff Reporter
One LSA junior said she may have to stay at the University
for one more semester than she had planned because she can-
not get into a statistics class this term.
"I'm very mad about it," she said. The junior, who asked to
remain anonvmous, needs the class to fulfill her economics
John Cross attributed the drop in the number of classes to a
corresponding drop in enrollment figures.
"There are substantially less students in the winter terms,"
he said.
According to the Registrar's Office, 37,151 students
attended the University during the fall 1998 semester, com
nared to 35061 students during the 1999 winter semester -
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