LOCAL/STATE The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, March 15, 2000 - -HIGHER ED MSU fire may have started from candle A candle may have been the cause of a fire in a residential hall room at Michigan State University on Fri- day. Lt. Susan Busnardo said the fire damaged a stereo, mattress, and wall in a residential assistant's room at Snyder Hall. The RA was praying and did not notice that the candle had fallen. Police and fire officials arrived to the scene late Friday night. All Snyder Hall residents were evacuated. No one was injured in the fire which caused no damage outside of the third floor room. Assistant Vice President for Food and Housing Services Chuck Gagliano said MSU expects to install sprinkler systems in all residence halls in the future. ePolitical party forms at U. Hawaii A group of University of Hawaii students and faculty are in the process of forming a political party that would allow its candidates to run for any state or federal position. The group - People Organizing for Education - needs to gather 602 signatures by April 6 of registered *voters to become an official political ,partyfor November elections. Organizers of PO'E - which means "people" in Hawaiian - said they expect to get the required number .of signatures. Organizers said the party's focus will include issues of education, the environment, and fair elections. PO'E said they do not have any candidates selected yet but they expect to run for state but not federal positions. Party organizer C. Mauro Kim said the group felt the only way to make changes on campus would be through the political process. :; Students protest rdog experiments More than 200 people gathered out- *side University of Colorado's medical school Friday to protest the school's vivisection and euthanasia of dogs. nThe dogs are used by students in a physiology class. The protesters held a candlelight vigil to voice their disgust with the annual experiments, which last for three weeks. One hundred students will partici- pate in the experiments but more than 3 students have been excused from because of personal beliefs. Protesters said that the dog labs were cruel, expensive and unneces- sary. Medical school officials said that the experiments provide practical learning and that the animals come from pounds. The Colorado Daily said research done by the college newspaper revealed that the animals came from an Arkansas animal dealer. About 75 dogs ae expected to be used for the class. -Wash. State U. student dies in car accident A Washington State University sorority student died March 3, one day after a car accident that left her * and two other students in the hospi- tal. Twenty-two-year-old Sojourner Truh Bush was a passenger in a car that flipped over on I-90. Bush was airlifted to Sacred Heart Medical Cen- ter in Spokane. The two other students were treat- ed at a different hospital and .released. The students were traveling to a sorority meetingfor new members. * Bush was the treasurer of Zeta Phi Beta. Washington State Patrol lieutenant Bruce Clark said the accident is under investigation and that Bush was wear- ing her seat belt. - Compiled from U- Wire reports by Daily Staff Reporter Robert Gold. Candidates vie for 9 seats in LSA-SG race By Josie Gingrich Daily Staff Reporter As the LSA-Student Government race heats up, the issues are boiling down to giving students class credit for community service projects and finishing the process of implementing the minors program. "I'm excited about the quality of the candidates from both parties. This election will prove to be one that's competitive," said Seema Pai, LSA senior and out-going president of LSA-SG. "I only see positive things." Members of the Blue and Wolverine parties, as well as one independent candidate, are running for the nine seats up for election. "It's been a pretty tight race," said Matt Huang, an ISA sophomore run- ning for LSA-SG representative with the Blue Party, "but we're excited about our prospects." LSA sophomore Adam Damerow, a Blue Party presidential hopeful, said the big issues for his party are reform- ing the drop/add and pass/fail dead- line, working with the ethnic studies program and looking at ways to give students credit for community service activities such as Alternative Spring Break. "Our slate is very qualified," said Damerow, who currently serves as Academic Relations Officer and Acad- emic Committee chair. "We're a very cohesive unit." B.J. Orandi, Wolverine Party presi- dential hopeful and LSA sophomore, said his party's main concern is "mak- ing LSA students educated and employable." "We'd like to emphasize the impor- tance of the humanities in a liberal arts education"Orandi said. He said another concern is increasing student government out- reach, possibly by holding some LSA-SG meetings at residence halls. Orandi pointed out that many of the issues on the opposing Blue Party's platform are the same as last year. Mike Zwerner, an LSA junior, is the only participant in the election who is running as an independent. "The parties didn't exactly fit my platform," said Zwerner, whose main issues of concern include a later pass/fail deadline as well as better equipment and longer hours at the Central Campus Recreation Build ing, North Campus Recreatio Building and the Intramural Sport building. "We've had a very positiv response;' Huang said. "We've met lot of people. We'll be going non-sto until the election is over." The' parties have been taking to th sidewalks to get their message to th voters. "We're doing a lot of chalking an postering' said Wolverine Party vice presidential candidate Erin Reese, a LSA sophomore. "We're getting th word out" Goodnight, Moon MSA doles out 'U' funds By Usa Koivu Daily Staff Reporter In addition to addressing illegal campaigning in residence halls and parking regulations, the Michigan Student Assembly gave away more money than ever before last night during its meeting in the Michigan Union. The assembly, despite proposed resolutions to give more money to student groups such as the Native American Stu- dent Association and Defend Affirmative Action By Any Means Necessary, passed the Budget Priorities Committee's recommendation to disburse $119,436 to student groups on campus. BPC chairman Glen Roe said BPC gave away $17,000 more than it actually has, because only 70 percent of the money was collected by student groups last semester. In order to give more money to student groups, assem- bly members proposing the resolutions would have to find other means to finance the extra money. Some wanted to take the funds out of the discretionary fund, yet the major- ity of the assembly felt the recommendations were accept- able. "We could have taken the money out of the discretionary fund, but BPC worked hard in order to allocate the funds and those recommendations were taken in high enough regard that they weren't altered by the assembly," Roe said. MSA President Bram Elias said he too is pleased with the way the assembly handled the task. "This meeting looked boring, but trust me, this is really ~EZI ~ IDEAN B.JI exciting. Tonight we gave away more money than ever in th history of MSA" Elias said. "This is the unglamorous parfc the job, but also the most important." Dianne DellaTorre, from the Department of Parks and Ser vices visited the assembly, to discuss the changes in parkin fees that will be implemented soon. Beginning July 1, all green parking stickers will b replaced with orange stickers, thereby eliminating all fre parking at commuter lots. Student fees for parking at th lots will be $33 for an orange sticker and $50 for yellom stickers. Many of the members of the assembly expressed their di approval for the new policy, saying they didn't agree wit being charged to park in areas far away from campus. DellaTorre said there was little more they could do tha work to try to improve the parking they already had, and mak parking as accessible as possible. Jason Taylor, President of the Residence Halls Associatior began the meeting by addressing the assembly about candi dates for the upcoming MSA elections illegally campaignin in residence halls. "I'm not here because of one particular thing done by an one person. We attempted to make the rules clear throug election packets and talks, but it hasn't worked," Taylc said. "Beginning tonight, residents in the halls will identif those illegally campaigning, and those people will be barre from the residence halls. DPS will also be contacted," h added. OSEPHWHITE AND SAM HOLLENSHEAD/Da4iyI The moon rises high above East Hall an hour before sunset last night. I M SA candidates fight for voting si registration nghts BEST Frustrated and disappointed with the University? Need help making sense of your U of M experience? Check out http://universitysecrets.com SENI R ASCIAT SAN ASHFORD INVITE YOU TO THE Women in Leadership Award Presentation and Lecture BARBARA MOWRY President and CEO Requisite Technology, Inc. By Usa Koivu Daily Staff Reporter No matter their party affiliation, the candidates for this term's Michigan Student Assembly say they are prepared to make sure vot- ing registration is not too difficult for students while they are away from home. The state legislature passed a law last year requiring voters to cast their ballots in the city listed on their driver's licenses. M Because most students are s not from Ann Arbor, the majority of the University population would be forced to either change their licenses, vote by absentee ballot or not vote at all. MSAe LSA sophomore Jennifer Mar Zorko, running for LSA rep- sres resentative with the Blue facingM Party, said she feels the act will lead to an overall decrease in student participation in civic activi- ties. "This bill will hurt civic engage- ment on campus. Less students will vote, less people will be involved and will make less effort to find out what's going on" Zorko said. Thomas Ambrose, an Engineering sophomore running for a representa- tive chair on MSA with the Friends Rebelling Against Tyranny party, said the law will diminish the number of University students who vote. "Since student voter turnout is already low, and most students at the University do not live here perma- elt ,ch in qi nent. This bill would certainly cut down on voter turnout," Ambrose said. Some think the bill is just a chance for the legislature to undermine col- lege students, who tend to be more lib- eral. "This is an attempt to circumvent a portion of the population. Many students are reluctant to change their licenses because it's a big hassle and they feel more comfortable keeping their home add'ress," said 3A James McIntyre, an LSA sophomore running with the Wolverine Party. Independent vice presi- dential candidate Jim Secreto, who went to Lans- ing to lobby against the ections: bill with MSA students 22-23 and the American Civil a 3 s Liberties Union in Febru- A this year ary, said this bill forces students to make difficult choices. "Students are often forced to choose between health insurance and the right to vote because of the change from their parents address. That's completely unfair," Secreto said. Dave Lempert, an LSA freshman and Defend Affirmative Action Party member, said MSA needs to take a firm stance. "It's really important to protect students rights and support the fight against the bill," Lempert said. "It's ridiculous. Students are the voice of the future," he said. University of Michigan Business School THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2000 4:30 p.m., Hale Auditorium University of Michigan Business School Ann Arbor, Michigan Reception immediately following. i it 'Dvely A eco9 display advertising department would like to thank MOE SPORT SHOPS for thidonation THE CALENDAR What's happening in Ann Arbor today EVENTS ence, Diag, noon Assembly Hall, 8 p.m. 763-9047 "Why So Slow? The Advancement SERVICES *nnn-Law