Weather Today: Partlyucloudy. High g. Low 7. Onehunredni'e ears of editoralfreedom Tomorrow: Partly cloudy. High 22.Onhudenieeas, Friday January 21, 2000 t a~;* 'M' sets rules for 1ooster contact By Jen Fish Daily Staff Reporter The University Board in Control of Intercollegiate Athletics yesterday approved a set of guidelines that will ohibit all student-athletes and athlet- staff members from any and all con- tact with boosters who have violated NCAA or conference regulations. The guidelines extend the NCAA's definition of disassociation, a common penalty that allows universities to termi- nate relationships with boosters who vio- late regulations. The approval follows the Athletic Department's announcement Tuesday of a plan to limit the potential influence of boosters. Athletic Department Director of ompliance Derrick Gragg said the plan is meant to be an "extension" of the existing NCAA policies. "We've been working for several months on four major issues of compliance -gambling, agents, illegal boosters and academic fraud," Gragg said. The release of these compliance revisions coincides with the ongoing federal investigation of former Michigan booster- Ed Martin. The 4CAA concluded that Martin's associa- tion with the Michigan men's basketball program violated two NCAA rules. Martin has been disassociated with the program since then. Student-athletes and athletic staff members are prohibited from any con- tact with Martin and are required to contact the Athletic Department if approached by him. The other principal issue on the board's agenda was the Tcket Committee's proposal to check dents' M-Cards at Michigan football games. But the committee chose to table the issue until next month's meet- ing. Athletic Director Tom Goss said a postponement was necessary so there could be more research on the "opera- tionalization of the plan." Finance Committee Chair Stephen Papadopoulos said a later vote would See BOOSTERS, Page 2 Clinton proposes college cuts By Yael Kohen D~aily Staff Reporter President Clinton yesterday announced a $31 billion plan that could save college students as much as $2,800 per year on educational expenses. The president's College Opportunity Tax Cut pro- gram would be phased in during a 10-year period and factor into the Fiscal Year 2001 federal budget. Clinton's education initiative includes spending nearly $1 billion for the College Completion Challenge Grants, Pell Grants, work study and other programs that make higher education afford- able. Another $400 million would be allocated for programs including mentoring, tutoring and encouraging students to stay in college. The proposal would allow families a 28 percent tuition tax deduction or credit for up to $10,000, $31B plan could save college students $2,800 each year National Economic Council Senior Director Jason Furman said. The plan includes assistance for graduate, vocational and professional work pro- grams, he added. The tax cut would provide a deduction or credit on up to $10,000 of tuition, which translates to as much as $2,800 in tax relief. The proposal would raise the tax cut eligibility limit from $50,000 to $60,000 for individuals and from $100,000 to $120,000 for married couples. The plan also introduces two new initiatives to help students combat the rising costs of higher education. The College Completion Challenge Grants aims to encourage students to complete their college education, Special Assistant to the President Brian Kennedy said. The second initiative includes a dual degree pro- gram, giving minorities the opportunity to earn two degrees in five years - one degree at a four- year minority-serving institution and the other Moon over Ann Arbor SAM HOLLENSHEAC - The first full moon okhe 21st Century rises above the Medical Campus in the eastem sky of Ann Arbor last night hours before a t tal lunar eclipse. from another university, Kennedy said. Clinton's plan would also significantly expand existing programs such as the Pell Grant, which would increase from $3,300 to $3,500, a $60 mil- lion increase in the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant and an increase in the Work Study program, Kennedy said. The president is seeking to build on reforms he made in 1997, Furman said. "Prior to 1997 the tax code had no special tax treatment for investments families and students made for higher education," he explained. The proposal applies to students at both public and private colleges and universities. "Private schools are among the highest supporters," Kennedy said. See TAX CUT, Page 2 Bollinger, legislators respand to Engler By Hanna LoPatin Daily Staff Reporter In the wake of Michigan Gov. John Engler's State of the State address Wednesday night, Michigan citizens and legislators have been left to ponder the initiatives laid out in the education- heavy speech praised by fellow GOP leaders. Engler "has a solid commitment to have the best public education sys- tem in the world," Majority Floor Leader Sen. Mike Rogers (R- Brighton) said. One of the governor's proposals called for lifting the cap on the num- ber of charter schools. The phrase "the cap must go" became a mantra of the night, embroidered on base- ball hats given to Engler's speech writers and shouted by the D/Daily Republican legislators. Since a proposal to remove the cap lost in the House recently, Sen. Alma Wheeler Smith (D-Salem Twp.) said, Engler's emphasis on the issue in the address demonstrates his commitment to charter schools. Like other Democrats, Smith said she is not going to lend her support to . charter schools anytime soon. "The major problem(with charters) is that there is no accountability;' she said. "We have no idea if they are suc- ceeding." Rogers said charter schools have "served just about enough nudging to improve public education." "This isn't about institutions, it's about kids," he added. University President Lee Bollinger, who attended the address, said the University has considered sponsoring a charter school, but it has "not risen to a live idea." "The only way we should do it is if it's consistent with our goals of teach- ing and research," Bollinger said. "There must be a faculty connec- tion." D/Daily Another sweeping education initia- tive involves increasing the founda- tional funding for all public schools to $6,500 dollars per student - a Y sum which fewer than 50 of 555 school districts statewide exceeded in 1994. While both parties were excited about the possibilities of that pro- posal, the mention of a "multi-year budget" for implementation had Democrats skeptical about its sig- yes- nificance. ayed "We didn't hear a timeline on the sev- $6,500," Smith said. esge But Rogers said the funding will dical most likely occur over a two-year plan. slide Higher education received only a peri- brief mention in Engler's speech bone Wednesday. enta- Bollinger said he was not distressed that the portion of the speech devoted hese to education focused only on primary n the and secondary schooling. the "I think it's fair and reasonable for ase." the governor to select some among n of many important areas," Bollinger said. 3udge postpones pretrial date for shooting sus pect By David Enders Daily Staff Reporter new pretrial date has been sched- uled for Abdul-Ghdier Elkhoja, the Ann Arbor resident charged in the shooting death of a Bloomfield Hills man near campus last June. Washtenaw County Circuit Judge Donald Shelton decided Wednesday to set a Jan. 31 pretrial hearing at the defen- dant's request that the trial be postponed. "We are exploring the potential for rsolving the case short of trial," said 4Coja's lawyer, Kevin Ernst of Detroit. Elkhoja, 21, is accused of killing 20- year-old Nicholas Seitz outside the Eugene V Debs Co-op on East University Avenue. The defendant allegedly shot Seitz during an alterca- tion that occurred at a party near the co- op. Witnesses contend that the defen- dant fired one shot into the air before shooting Seitz in the chest, possibly with a .22-caliber rifle. Officers from the Ann Arbor Police Department were called to the co-op in response to a fight on June 5. Seitz was transported to University Hospitals, where he was pronounced dead. Elkhoja was arrested at his home sev- eral hours later and pleaded not guilty at his arraignment the following day. This is the second time Shelton has postponed the pretrial date. The first delay was a result of challenges the city of Ann Arbor made to a defense motion requesting background checks for all witnesses in the case. Shelton upheld the motion, but the Michigan Court of Appeals has allowed the city to official- ly contest the ruling by Jan. 26. See ELKHOJA, Page 2 Israel human rights activist speaks at 'U By Marta Brill Daily Staff Reporter Although she has encountered many who think the torture of Israeli prisoners accused of terrorism is imagined, Ruchama Maron, the founder and chair of Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, testified to its brutal existence. Last night Maron, who was honored with the Emil Grunzweig Human Rights Award last year by the Association Civil Rights in Israel for her work in human rights, spoke the Chemistry Building to an audience of more than 120 people about the history and recent developments of the issue. Maron traces torture by the Shabak, the equivalent of an Israeli FBI, back to 1948 when the state of Israel was estab- lished. It was practiced in secret as a way of interrogating sus- nected terrorists until 1967 when many victims of torture DAVID ROCHKIND SuperFan Reza Breakstone, an LSA sophomore, addresses the Board of Regents at its meeting yesterday in the Fleming Administration Building. uperan, facult address regents Ruchama Maron, founder and chair of Physicians for Human Rights-israel, speaks in the Chemistry Building last night about the torture of Israeli prisoners accused of terrorism. Israeli torture, the practice was brought to the court again to "justify" its existence. The court's decision, she said, was' called the "Defense of Necessity." It essentially stated that "if it is really necessary the Shabak people can do whatever they need to do." "Justification and legalization of torture took place in U Board hears from University researchers as part of monthly plan By Anna Clark Daily Staff Reporter To acquaint the University's Board of Regents with the vast amount of research initiatives con- ducted on campus, faculty and staff now have the opportunity to present their projects during the regents' monthly meeting. For the rest of this year, presenta- tions will be only from faculty and made the first presentation terday after the regents del the start of their meeting by eral hours to tour the Kr buildings on the Med Campus. Ferrara incorporated a brief show and anecdotes of his ex ences with patients needing1 marrow transplants in the presi tion. "Twenty-five percent of t patients die of complications it transplant," Ferrara said. "So cure is often as bad as the dise Ferrara added that the missio ,I