LOCAL/S TATE
The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, February 2, 2000 - 3
HniHER EDS
Oregon State
students protest
,animal surgery
A 12-hour sit-in at Oregon State
University ended Friday with five
arrests.
Three university students and two
local residents arrested by the Oregon
State Police were protesting a small-
animal surgery class held at the
school's College of Veterinary Medi-
cine.
College officials said the class
uses shelter animals already sched-
uled for euthanasia. The protesters
claimed the college does not know
many of the animals' previous loca-
tion.
The protesters are charged with
criminal trespassing and were
removed by police.
Three students left the demonstra-
tion upon police request and were not
arrested.
* Those arrested were detained and
released.
Texas Tech faculty
may take over
student media
A Texas Tech University official
recently proposed that the universi-
oty's student publications be con-
trolled by the mass communication
department.
The student publications, includ-
ing The University Daily and
KTXT-TV are currently indepen-
dently operated.
Jerry Hudson, chairman of the
university's mass communications
department, said faculty should
hold the highest positions possible
*of authority within the publica-
tions.
Hudson's proposal stipulates that
the college newspaper's reporters
would be culled from a reporting
class.
The newspaper's editor in chief
would teach the class.
University officials are sched-
uled to discuss the suggestion
tomorrow.
*The University Daily Editor in
Chief Wayne Hodgins said faculty-
controlled news would be censorship
and he adamantly opposes the propos-
a.
Fourth student
arrested in
Dartmouth fire
A fourth student was arrested
last week in connection to a
December fraternity fire at Dart-
mouth College.
Damien Williams was charged with
arson.
Three other students were previous-
ly arrested and charged with criminal
trespassing.
The charges stem after the group
allegedly broke into the Chi Gamma
Epsilon fraternity Dec. 9.
* The students allegedly poured
citronella oil on a table and ignited
it.
Williams faces up to S4,000 in fines
and as many as 15 years in prison for
the felony charge.
The other students, Ross Fender-
son, David Lopez and Brandon Pur-
cell, face up to $2,000 in fines, a year
in a correctional facility and restitu-
ion for damages.
The fire caused roughly $6,400 in
damage.
iissouri loses 3
students in auto
accidents
Three University of Missouri
students died in a two-day span
this past week in separate car acci-
j ents. -
Junior Amy Elizabeth Jones was
pronounced dead Thursday after she
lost control while driving and her car
rolled over.
Junior Vivian Gramlich and fresh-
man Erin Grabowski died Friday after
a heavy winter storm.
A memorial service for the students
took place yesterday.
The Missouri Students Associa-
tion'and the university's police
department plan to inform students
throughout the week of winter
weather and current driving dan-
gers.
- Compiled by Daily Staff(Reporter
Robert Gold from U- Wire reports.
s reeals college financing plan
By Jeremy W. Peters
Daily Staff Reportcr
With the need for an education becoming
increasingly important for those wishing to enter
the work force, lawmakers in Lansing are debat-
ing ways the state can make college a viable
option for those of low and middle income levels.
At a press conference yesterday, Lt. Gov. Dick
Posthumus presented his multi-faceted plan
designed at making higher education more
affordable for Michigan families.
"This is really going to help families out and
make college more affordable." said Susan Shafer,
deputy press secretary for Gov. John Engler.
The first part of Posthumus' proposal is the
creation of the Post-secondary Access Student
Scholarship, or PASS. The scholarship would
provide complete funding for community college
tuiion to those wth an annual family income of
less than 540,00.
In order to receive funding for both years of
community college, students would.have to meet
basic score requirements on the Michigan Educa-
tional Assessment Program test.
Those who do not meet the requirements would
have one year of assistance guaranteed but would
have to maintain a good academic standing in order
to receive a scholarship for the second year.
Posthumus' community college tuition assis-
tance proposal is being met with cfiticism by
Sen. Alma Wheeler Smith (D-Salem Twp.), who
is proposing a plan of her own to assist families
having trouble financing higher education.
Smith's plan, the Higher Education Learning
Promotion, would cover students from families
with incomes of up to $50,000 for single tax fil-
ers and $100,000 for joint-filing families.
"he lieutenant governors program does not
affc t those in the mddle incomv un e' Smith
said.
Smith s HELP proposal t a png tag of 56
million, is significantly more expensive than
Posthumus' $10 million scholarship program.
The price of HELP, supporters of PASS say, will
cut into the tax cut the Engler administration has
promised Michigan residents.
"We feel that we have already promised this
money to the taxpayers and we feel they deserve
it. Sen. Smith is proposing to use the taxpayer's
money for her program," Shafer said.
Still, Smith maintains that funding for her plan
is available in the bud get surplus, which is
expected to be about 5420 million this year.
"If you want to nickel-and-dime your way to a
solution, the lieutenant governor's plan is fine. If
you want a real solution, then you have to look at
my plan," Srhith said.
Another aspect of Posthumus' college financ-
ing plan presented yesterday is the institution of a
Mihigan education savings plan that would pro-
vide incentives for families to save money for
college by offering state tax deductions and
matching funds.
"A Michigan education savings plan will
encourage families to save before their student
goes off to school rather than having to borrow
once the student gets to campus" Posthumus said
in a written statement.
Smith said she was not opposed to this aspect
of Posthumus' plan, although she said she feels it
would only benefit wealthy families.
"There are a couple of good aspects of his pro-
grams. But basically they have created an oppor-
tunity for people making a lot of money to put
aside money for education,' Smith said.
Sleeping on the job
'
ranks third in number
of Peace Corps volunteers.
By Eddie Ahn
For the Daily,
In the spirit of volunteering, the
University has jumped two spots from
fifth place to third in terms of the num-
ber of graduates volunteering for the
Peace Corps.
"Michigan is very good at impressing
on people the importance of the multi-
cultural diversity involved with the
Peace Corps," said Peace Corps Cam-
pus Representative Nancy Parachini,
who served with Peace Corps in Niger.
"Being third speaks to the dedica-
tion of U of M students, she said.
The University is only surpassed by
the University of Wisconsin at Madi-
son, which had the highest number of
graduates in the program, and the Uni-
versity of Colorado at Boulder.
Graduates who enter the Peace
Corps travel far and wide to aid devel-
opment in regions of the world where
help is needed in "business, agricul-
ture, environment, teaching and com-
munity development," Parachini said,
Typical volunteer moves into a local
community and usually does not work
with other volunteers, said Kevin
Burns, who served in Paraguay from
1991 to 1995.
Instead they are knee-deep in various
projects with the local people, he said.
"The Peace Corps offers prospective
gr'aduates a chance to learn another
culture, to grow personally and to help
others,' Burns said.
While in Paraguay, Burns worked to
improve agricultural techniques in the
nation.
Afte 1 returning to the United
States, urns obtained a masters
degrei International Management,
and i bw a public affairs specialist
with t4Yeace Corps in the Minneso-
ta Reg .
Cur.,tly there are more than 7,000
Peace 'ps volunteers in 78 countries
around tie world.
Peace Corps spokesman Brendan
Daly said he attributes this number of
volunteers to a "spirit of service, sense
of commitment, spirit of adventure and
the de're to live as the local people do."
Daly said there is "a deep tradition of
service at the University of Michigan."
The iistory of the Peace Corps is
rooted in the University since then-
presidential candidate John F.
Kennedy made a late-night speech on
the steps of the Michigan Union in
1960 asking University students to
volunteer their time and services to,
make a difference in the world.
The reaction by University students.
was swift and potent, and within weeks,
a petition signed by 1,000 students
reached Washington, D.C., and the
Peace Corps was formally established..
Since its inception, the Peace Corps
has sent more than 150,000 volunteer
overseas to about 130 countries.
Burns said college towns are instru
mental in generating volunteers for the
Peace Corps, citing the University of
Wisconsin at Madison as an example.
"Madison is a small town, yet they
are very service oriented," Burns said;
adding that the school is noted for
employing 50 to 60 returning Peace
Corps volunteers.
A Peace Corps information session is
scheduled for Tuesday at 7 p.m. in
Room 9 of the International Center, or
interested students can visit the organiza-
tion's Website at wwwpeacecorps.gov.
JESSICA JOHNSON/Daily
School of Education junior Caroly Jones takes a nap in East Hall before her
women's studies literature class yesterday.
MSA resoves to
reverse decline1i
minrit enolment
ACLU suit 9alls partial-birth
abortion bay unconstitutional
DETROIT (AP) - The American Civil Liberties
Union of Michigan and Planned Parenthood find a fed-
eral lawsuit yesterday claiming a state law tkat would
make certain abortions illegal is vague and could apply
to all abortions.
The "Infant Protection Act," which is scheduled to go
into effect March 10, would make it a felony for a doctor to
kill a fetus that has been partially removed from the moth-
er's body and either breathes, moves or has a heartbeat.
"Unlike many other initiatives from anti-choice crusaders
which have been directed at gradually eroding away abor-
tion rights, this law attempts through restriction to strike at
the very heart of Roe vs. Wade, said Kary Moss, executive
director for ACLU Michigan.
The legislation, sponsored by state Sen. Joel Gougeon
(R-Bay City), passed in June. It would allow the proce-
dure - often known as a partial-birth abortion - only
when the life of the mother is in danger. In other cases,
doctors would face up to life in prison and a $50,000
fine..
"I guess my comment is here we go again," Gougeon
said. "We're just trying to protect children and at every turn
we've been challenged to do that:'
The lawsuit, which names Attorney General Jennifer
Granholm and Wayne County Prosecuting Attorney John
O'Hair as defendants, argues that the bill is unconstitutional
because it places an undo burden on the rights of women to
choose abortion prior to fetal viability, doesn't adequately
protect the lives of pregnant women, and fails to give doc-
tors fair warning of what actions are prohibited.
"We have not seen the lawsuit as of yet," Granholm's
spokesman Chris De Witt said. "Once we see it, we will
actively defend the constitutionality of the statute:'
The law prevents physicians from acting according to the
best medical judgment without fear of legal penalty, said
Mark Evans, plaintiff and vice chairman of obstetrics and
gynecology at Wayne State University.
He also said the bill would end Wayne State University's
fetal therapy program, a program that attempts to repair
birth defects of babies while in the mother's womb.
By Lisa Koivu
Daily Staff Reporter
In a change from recent trends, the
Michigan Student Assembly convened
for only a half an hour last night at its
weekly meeting in the Michigan Union.
Although the meeting was short, the
assembly passed a resolution to reverse
a decline in minority enrollment at the
University. According to the resolution,
the Minority Affairs Commission "will
work with the Office of Admissions to
create strategies to improve outreach
and retention programs."
Minority Affairs Commission Chair-
woman Erika Dowdell said although
minority enrollment at the University
has been dropping since 1995, people
are just now starting to address the
issue.
"It is my job to bring publicity to this
problem and to make suggestions to the
Office of Admissions," Dowdell said.
Peace and Justice Commission co-
Chairwoman Jessica Curtin said she
agrees.
"Minority enrollment hasn't always
been this low. We are demanding that
the University accurately represent the
state of Michigan as well as the U.S.,"
Curtin said, adding that "it is clear that
the University is scaling back their affir-
mative action policies in face of the law-
suits, and students must step up to
defend the policy."
Dowdell said the number of minority
students admitted to the University must
begin to rise.
"A decline in affirmative action and
consequently a drop in minority enroll-
ment is criminal," Dowdell said.
Upcoming events aimed at increasing'
the number of minority students at the
University include a press conference
today at noon on the steps of the Michi-
gan Union and a petition drive. The
petitions will be presented to the admin-
istration on the National Day of Action
later this month.
MSA President Bram Elias said this
is an important issue for the assembly.
"This is the latest step in a long
process. After making sure that the
administration was willing to work with
us, we decided to move forward with the
resolution. But, this is just the start to
what we hope will be a year long rela-
tionship with the administration;' Elias
said,
"We will be working to recruit and
retain students of color at the Universi-
ty," he said.
Dowdell thanked the assembly for
passing the resolution.
"This University prides itself on its
diversity and it should represent that.
Thank you for acknowledging some-
thing is wrong she said.
MSA also named Engineering senior
Alok Agrawal director for the MSA
presidential elections, scheduled to take
place March 22 and 23.
On a lighter note, Elias gave up being
MSAs president for the evening, and
Vice President Andy Coulouris took
over,
"Ever since last year, Andy and I
have talked about how easy it would be
for us to flip positions. He proved
tonight that he's better than I am," Elias
said.
Coulouris said it was a good experi-
ence for him.
"It was a lot of fun. I've spent all year
doing the leg work that is necessary for
the meeting to run smoothly. It was fun
to be the actual person guiding the
meeting," Coulouris said. "I can see
why Bram has such a good time.:
I