LOCAL/S TATE
The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, February 8, 2000-- 3
*CRIME
DPS issues
crime alert after
student's attack
The Department of Public Safety
has issued a crime alert after a female
student was attacked, knocked down
and her purse stolen outside Randall
Lab on East University Avenue pedes-
trian mall last Thursday. DPS has no
description of the perpetrator(s) of the
crime. DPS asks anyone with infor-
mation about the attack to call 763-
1131.
Suspect defecates
qn° Bursley room
An unknown person defecated in a
Bursley Residence Hall room some-
time Saturday morning, DPS reports
state.pThe offense occurred while the
occupants of the room were asleep.
DPS did not report having any sus-
pects in the defecation.
competing cab
drivers scuffle
A Blue Cab Co. driver slapped a
driver from Ann Arbor Taxi Co. early
Sunday morning, DPS reports state.
The incident occurred while both cabs
were parked in front of Mary Markley
Residence Hall. The Blue Cab driver
reportedly drove off after the slapping.
Female injured at
Vance Marathon
Huron Valley Ambulance was dis-
patched to the Indoor Track Building
early Sunday morning in response to
reports of a female feeling ill, accord-
ing to DPS reports. The woman was
suffering from back spasms after par-
ticipating in the 30-hour Dance
Marathon this weekend.
Utah spa receives
vulgar e-mails
An employee of the Bull Frog Spa
in Salt Lake City reported receiving
multiple e-mails from a University e-
mail address Wednesday afternoon,
according to DPS reports. The mes-
sages contained offensive and "foul"
*nguage, DPS did not report having
any suspects.
Student sends
threatening
emails to FAO
A student began sending threaten-
Sg e-mail messages to a person in the
udent Activities Building Wednes-
day afternoon, DPS reports state. The
student was angry at not receiving
financial aid even though they felt
entitled to it. DPS did not report hav-
ing any suspects.
Gambling brawl
erupts at Union
Two men were seen gambling on
Oe lower level of the Michigan Union
on Thursday evening, DPS reports
state. After being interrupted by
another man trying to stop the game,
the two gamblers became confronta-
tional and "took a swing" at the third
man. The two gamblers then left the
Union through the north exit. DPS
has descriptions of the suspects, but
did not report making any arrests.
PS finds fake
parking permit
A fraudulent parking permit was
discovered Thursday morning by DPS
officers, reports state. The permit was
found in a vehicle registered to a stu-
-dent living in Mary Markley Resi-
dence Hall. The permit number was
registered to a staff member in the
d iversity's department of dermatol-
ogy.
Upon being contacted, the owner of
the permit said she had not allowed
anyone to copy the permit. DPS is
investigating the matter.
= Compiled by Daily Staff Reporter
David Enders.
New post addresses intellectual prope rights
By Jodie Kaufman
Daily Staff Reporter
Members of the Senate Advisory Commit-
tee for University Affairs welcomed James
Hilton, the recently appointed media rights
special assistant to the University provost, to
its meeting yesterday for a discussion on
intellectual property rights.
Hilton described his new job as a result of his
"whining."
"My whining was rewarded," he said. "As a
teacher I kept running into obstacles in every role I
played, for example the secretarial staff could not
copy materials for me because they were worried
about infringement of the copyright law, which
would result in a fine of $100,000 per instance."
When faculty members publish their articles in
journals they give up their copyright to the publish-
er, Hilton said.
SACUA member Barbara MacAdam was con-
cerned that this is going to prohibit professors from
using the materials they need.
"Faculty members need to be able to use a wide
range of new materials for their courses,"
MacAdam said.
SACUA Chairwoman Sherrie Kossoudji attrib-
utes many of the copyright issues with the influx of
new technology.
"The single problem is that technology and
events are moving faster than the laws," Kossoudji
said.
Hilton said that through the post, he has learned
a great deal about copyright laws.
"Copyright issues are pervasive, not impenetra-
ble and there are a lot of surprises,' Hilton said.
Most professors run into trouble with their ideas
as being copyrighted, Hilton said.
"Copyright has little if anything to do with pro-
fessors' ideas,"he said.
SACUA members shared concern about the
University's stance on these issues.
"People in this institution are so conservative in
setting practice and policy, they are creating barrio
ers that fair use (policies) absolutely allows you to
do," MacAdam said.
Hilton said his goals are "to find ways to
engage the University community in conver-
sations about copyright and intellectual prop-
erties issues - to help the University
navigate through the swirl with an eye toward
some basic guiding principles, and to listen to
the different needs and concerns of the Uni-
versity."
Hilton said he is taking immediate steps to help
the University community with intellectual proper-
ties and copyright issues.
Hilton's immediate steps include "beginning
work on a Website which will serve as a discus-
sion, education and answer destination ... working
with units to better understand current practices,
tensions and desires around use, ownership and
deployment"
Jackie Lawson, who will take over as SACUA's
chairwoman May .at the University said she is.
concerned about distance learning. Lawson and
Moji Navvab, incoming SACUA vice chairman
will lead SACUA for the 2000-2001 term.
"Pretty soon chalk and talk will be obsolete and
so will bricks and mortar rendering us as faculty
obsolete except for being the creators behind termi-
nals." Lawson said.
As for being on top of policies regarding intel-
lectual properties and copyright issues, Hilton said
the University could be a leader.
Also visiting the meeting was Research Policy
Committee Chairman Richard Ford.
Ford said a real concern the "University should
have is who is in control and what they are present-
ing in lecture."
Ford also expressed concern that an intellectual
properties lawyer is needed to help the University
investigate these issues.
"So many of the issues need someone to be on
the legal side," Ford said.
Hilton said the University is in the process of
searching for an intellectual properties general
counsel.
Anti-sweatshop groups
hold protests nationwide
MARJORIE MARSHALL/Daily
Graduate student Leon Brown practices "participant observation" as he sits
in on an Ann Arbor City Council meeting yesterday.
City counciltakes
up I,,ving wage
Anti-sweatshop demonstration at
University of Pennsytvania attracts
nationwide attention
By Jon Fish
Daily Staff Reporter
As members of Students Organizing for Labor and
Economic Equality prepare to meet tomorrow with
University President Lee Bollinger concerning the
University's possible endorsement of the Worker
Rights Consortium labor policy, other college anti-
sweatshop groups are staging protests on campuses
across the nation.
While other schools are considering the WRC, the
University's Advisory Committee on Labor Standards
and Human Rights has been examining the student-
developed proposal since October.
Yesterday, 13 members of the Uni-
versity of Pennsylvania's group.
Penn Students Against Sweatshops, "Negotiat
stormed President Judith Rodin's
office, demanding Penn drop out of seem to t
the Fair Labor Association and join
the WRC. US anywho
The FLA is a White House-spon-
sored coalition of human rights
groups and corporations. The student
activists contend the FLA's corporath
presence discredits the group.
The student activists at Penn are part of the United
Students Against Sweatshops, an umbrella organization
for many student anti-sweatshop groups, including
SOLE.
PSAS member Miriam Joffe-Block said the WRC
was introduced to Penn's administration in October, but
the protest against the FLA has lasted since April.
Like the University of Michigan, Penn's administra-
tion has set up a committee to study the feasibility of
implementing the WRC. "The committee is basically a
stall tactic," Joffe-Block said.
This protest, reminiscent of SOLE's 51-hour occupa-
tion of Bollinger's office last March, comes at the
heels of the University of Wisconsin chancellor's deci-
sion not to join the WRC.
Currently, only five schools have endorsed the WRC
- Brown University, Haverford College, Loyola Uni-
versity in New Orleans, Bard College, and the Univer-
sity of New Orleans.
Student anti-sweatshop activists at Loyola University
in Chicago are staging a fast to protest sweatshop labor
and show their support for other student groups.
The fast, which started Sunday evening, is scheduled
to last until Friday evening.
"We're staging this fast to make people more aware
of the issues and show our solidarity with other student
groups, such as Penn," Loyola Students Against Sweat-
shops member Mara Dillon said.
Protesters in Los Angeles, including some Universi-
ty of California at Los Angeles students, removed their
clothing in front of a local GAP, because they'd rather
"wear nothing, than wear GAP," The Daily Bruin
reported yesterday.
Similar protests were staged in Austin, Texas by the
University of Texas Students Against Sweatshops.
ions don 't
5e getting
ere.
Laura McSpedom
USAS organizer
USAS coordinating committee mem-
ber Sarah Jacobson commented on the
protests. "I think that all these protests
are really explicitly linked together to
make a concerted effort toward making
the WRC succeed," she said.
USAS organizer Laura McSpedom
said she supported the students'
efforts. "We're definitely supportive
of students taking direct action to get
their universities off the FLA and
By Jon Zemke
Daily Staff Reporter
Ann Arbor joined Ypsilanti,
Detroit and New York among other
cities to adopt a living wage ordi-
nance last night with a 7-4 vote by
the Ann Arbor City Council.
"This is the right thing to do,"
said Councilman Chris Kolb (D-
Ward V), who was one of the
seven council members to vote in
favor of the ordinance. "This is
what we must do."
The living wage ordinance man-
dates contractors and grantees of the
city to pay their employees a mini-
mum wage of S 10 per hour or $8.50
per hour plus medical benefits.
The ordinance doesn't pertain to
city employees directly, only to the
employees of contractors or grantees
who receive money from the City of
Ann Arbor.
But the proposal doesn't mean that
all employees of the contractors or
grantees will be paid the minimum
wage. Only those that work on the
site or in the facility that is contracted
with the city will have to be paid the
living wage.
City Administrator Neal Berlin
provided a draft resolution to the
mayor and council listing three
options on how the living wage will
be designated. Each option also pro-
vided "an estimated financial
impact."
The first and most expensive
option listed guaranteed all "seasonal
and temporary employees" a mini-
mum of $10 per hour. According to
Berlin's memorandum to the council,
he estimated the cost at $429,000
plus the ripple effect of existing posi-
tions more then $10 per hour.
The second option would cost the
city an estimated $83,000 to pay
part-time and seasonal positions that
continue for more than 1,040 hours
per year.
The final option would extend to
positions that exist beyond 10 contin-
uous months in the fiscal year at a
cost of S88,700.
The council will take the options
under advisement and decide how
the living wage will be designated at
a later date.
The only positions exempt from
the ordinance are bona fide training
programs, work study programs and
summer youth training programs
under contractors and grantees.
The only contractors or grantees
that could be exempt from the living
wage are those that receive less than
$10,000 per year in funding or carry
less than 10 employees.
The effects on the living wage
on the University are yet to be
determined. The University derives
S89,000 in funding from the city
of Ann Arbor and doesn't fall
under either of the contractor's
exemptions.
In public commentary before the
City Council debated and voted on
the issue, five members of the Ann
Arbor community came out and
endorsed the ordinance.
Ann Arbor resident John Martin
said the living wage would be benefi-
cial for non-profit organizations in
the city.
"It's an opportunity for non-profits
to walk and talk," he said.
During the vote, the lines were
drawn right down party lines with all
the Republicans, including Ann
Arbor Mayor Ingrid Sheldon, voting
against the ordinance.
"We'll end up depriving people of
jobs," said John Upton (R-Ward II).
"We'll end up depriving senior citi-
zens who want to work for S6.50 an
hour and we're impacting students
who want jobs."
But the majority of council mem-
bers are Democrats, turning the vote
in favor of passing with a comfort-
able margin.
"We have the will at this table to
join other cities in the living wage,"
said Elizabeth Daley (D-Ward V).
"I think we also have-the will to
measure the effects of this ordi-
nance."
onto the WRC.
In the case of Penn, I think this is a totally legitimate'.
and probably wise move. Negotiations don't seem to be
getting us anywhere."
McSpedom said many schools seem to be unneces-
sarily dragging their feet in signing onto the WRC.
"We've been patient and it's gotten us nowhere. You
come to a point where it becomes clear that the univer-
sities won't take action until forced." McSpedom and
Jacobsen agreed the University of Michigan's endorse-
ment of the WRC is key. "Michigan signing would def-
initely give the WRC greater legitimacy," Jacobson.
said.
Meanwhile, the students at Penn are waiting to meet
with their administration. "We're planning on putting'
more pressure on the administration until they meet
with us," PSAS member Anna Roberts said.
THIS SUMMER
IN NEW YORK
MV>
Two sessions
June 5-July 13/July 17-August 24
Day, evening, and weekend
undergraduate and graduate courses
EXPLORE A NEW CAREER
EARN COLLEGE CREDITS
I
Correction:
Dance Marathon raised $20,000 more than last year. This was incorrectly reported in yesterday's Daily.
THE CALENDAR
What's happening in Ann Arbor today
tuition for visiting students:
rgraduare: NYS residents $160/credit;
,sidents $325/credit
uate: NYS residents $185/credit;
:sidents $320/credit
'uest a Summer Session Schedule, call
BaruchColleqe
A WLU-
I.
.