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NEWS: 76-DAILY
CLASSIFIED: 764-0557
wwwmichlgandaily com
Tuesday
March 28, 2000
M,} ,y
State Rep.
to fight for
tier system
Tn budget
By Hanna LoPatin
Daily Staff Reporter
The Michigan House of Representa-
tives began their spring recess just
days after receiving the Senate-
proved budget for the Fiscal Year
W 1 last week, but the chairwoman of
the House higher education subcom-
mittee, is already saying that some
changes need to be made.
Rep. Sandy Caul (R-Mt. Pleasant)
announced Friday that she disagrees
with the Senate's removal of the tier
system in their budget proposal. The
tier system - championed by Caul
and her Republican colleagues in the
subcommittee
*the Fiscal
ar 2000
budget - 2oov t
groups univer- Michigan
sities into five Higher
levels based Education;
on a self- Budget
Pointing the way
Religion
major to
be
suspended
Students who want to
concentrate in religion
must declare by April 14
By Jon Fish
Daily Staff Reporter
University students intending to
pursue religion studies as their major
will need to do so by April 14 because
the concentration will be suspended
for two years.
Robert Owen, associate dean for
undergraduate education, said the Pro-
gram in Religious Studies "cannot
readily meet its obligation to offer the
courses that are required for students
who are concentrating."
A suspended concentration means
the PIRS will not be accepting any
new concentrators into the program
until the suspension is lifted. But the
department will offer courses to non-
concentrators and those already
declared. Those wishing to pursue a
degree in religion after the April 14
deadline can do so through the Indi-
vidual Concentration Program, which
allows students to build their own pro-
grams.
Faculty within the department and
other outside experts will be reviewing
the department during the course of
the suspension.
LSA Dean Shirley Neuman and the
LSA College Executive Committee
made the decision based in part by rec-
ommendations made by PIRS Director
Prof. Donald Lopez, Owen said in a
written statement.
"In recent years, PIRS has had diffi-
culty offering a number of important
courses, especially seminars required
of all concentrators. For several years
there has been an insufficient number
of faculty permanently attached to the
program, requiring it to rely excessive-
ly on part-time instructors," Owen
said.
"Professor Lopez has recognized
that there are a number (of) faculty ...
located in various LSA departments
whose scholarships and teaching inter-
ests lie in the area of Religious Stud-
ies, but whose courses have not been
integrated into PIRS," Owen said.
The actual decision to suspend the
concentration was handed down yes-
terday, and while the actual review of
See RELIGION, Page 2
reported eval-
uation of the
student.
education costs per
Sen. John Schwarz (R-Battle Creek),
*o heads the Senate higher education
subcommittee, removed the tier system
and replaced it with an across-the-board
floor funding level of $4,700 per stu-
dent. All of the state's 15 public univer-
sities, except Grand Valley State, reach
the floor funding level.
Grand Valley State, which was
given a floor funding level of $4,500
due to its fast growth in student popu-
lation, also received the highest per-
at increase of the budget with a 14.4
cent recommendation.
But Caul and the administration of
Gov. John Engler worry that the pro-
posed removal of the tier system will
put back into the higher education
budget the politics they wanted to
eliminate when they created it in 1999._
Caul spokesman Matt Sweeney said
Caul "agrees with Gov. Engler that
there's a historical disparity between
Sools in higher education."
"Schools that had either the chair or
even members in the (higher educa-
tion) committee have benefited in the
past," he said.
As term limits force the change of
committees heads, Sweeney said Caul
believes the tier system would "set a
precedent so that every year there is
not a new school bumped to the top."
Sweeney said he does not believe
the Senate plan shows any favoritism
Oause it upped the governor's 2.5
percent recommendation by so much.
See BUDGET, Page 2
ISN 2pane
addresses
By Jacquelyn Nixon
Daily Staff Reporter
JESSCAJOHNSO~N/Duaily
Art and Design junior Elizabeth VanderVeen puts up a sign leading to the Wave Field sculpture by Art Matters on North
Campus yesterday.
Suspect arrested in
taCost Rica killings
By Jodie Kaufmanr
Daily Staff Reporter
A 16-year-old suspect was identified late Sun-
day night in the murder of Ann Arbor resident
Emily Eagen and her friend Emily Howell of
Kentucky.
Eagen had been in Costa Rica for several days
visiting Howell, who was studying abroad from
Antioch College in Ohio, when their bodies were
discovered on a highway March 13 many miles
from their severely burned rental sports utility
vehicle.
As of yesterday, the family could only report
that one suspect had been arrested. Eagen's
father, Charles, said the U.S. Embassy has
informed the family of the arrest of the 16-year-
old male suspect.
"I have no idea when more information will
come, it comes when it comes and it is painfully
slow," Eagen said.
Officials at the U.S. State Department's Office
of Central American Affairs said yesterday that
the arrested minor was in possession of a gun
that is a ballistic match to the bullets found in the
bodies of Howell and Eagen, who was expecting
to attend the University in its non-degree pro-
gram next fall.
The State Department also said additional sus-
pects are being investigated.
This case and-the October murder of an
elderly couple, also in Costa Rica, has caused
Department officials to inform travelers of
potential dangers which target innocent trav-
elers.
The State Department offers potential travelers
a lengthy informational recording for Central
See SLAYINGS, Page 2
Rogers
declares
bi'*d for
} Congress
By Jeremy W. Peters
Daily Staff Reporter
MARJORIE MARSHALL/Daily
David Konkle, energy coordinator for the city of Ann Arbor presents "Global Warming: A Campus
Response" as part of Earth Week yesterday in the Henderson room of the Michigan League.
Earth Week integrates
environment, politics
By Yael Kohen
Daily Staff Reporter
Each year students from many countries
worldwide travel to the University for their
college education. They encounter varying
rees of culture shock while having the
i ernal struggle to assimilate or keep true
their culture.
Finding ways to integrate with American
culture is the most difficult aspect for most
international students, so over the years stu-
dent cultural organizations have formed.
The International Student Network, com-
prised of students from India, Hong Kong,
Japan, Ukraine, Turkey, Korea, Kenya, China
Bosnia, seeks to unify these organiza-
s and promote the importance of learning
about other cultures to students.
ISN President David Ng said, "we would
like to bridge international students with
each other to form a community. We need to
increase mutual understanding among cul-
tures in order to break down stereotypes and
State Sen. Mike Rogers, who is
known on Michigan college cam-
puses mostly for sponsoring a bill
which requires all registered voters
to vote in the city of their perma-
nent address, announced yesterday
his candidacy for the U.S. House of
Representatives.
Rogers' bill, which was passed
into law last year, has drawn consid-
erable criticism from students and
politicians alike because it requires
students living away from home to
return to their permanent address to
cast a ballot. The law is now the
subject of an American Civil Liber-
ties Union lawsuit.
Many have suggested that the bill
is aimed at drawing student sup-
With a focus on integrating the environ-
mental as well as economic and political
factors that go into making the world a bet-
ter place to live, campus groups are orga-
nizing events to encourage environmental
awareness.
Although the nationally celebrated Earth Day
is April 16, campus organizations have deemed
this week Earth Week and
are holding events to
heighten environ-
mental awareness.h
Much of the h
focus of the
events has been to.
integrate many dif-
ferent factors that
affect the environ-
ment directly and indi-
rectly, said SNRE senior Joseph Groenke, a
member of the Environmental Issues Com-
mission.
Groenke said often times people are "too spe-
cialized" in their ways of thinking about the
environment.
In an effort to further integrate these issues
Campus Response," was presented by David
Konkle, energy coordinator for the city of Ann
Arbor.
The lecture was divided into three parts -
the science of global warming, which pertains
to the imbalance created in the environment due
to energy emissions.
The second part of the series dealt with the
mobilization of local governments to reduce
global warming and search for cleaner and
less consuming sources of energy.
In the third part, Konkle discussed the
direct impact students can have in the fight
against global-warming. Konkle said the
Kyoto Treaty is an effort on the part of some
members of the United Nations which calls
nations to bring a reduction in global warming
emissions. He stressed the importance of stu-
dents in the efforts to get the Kyoto Treaty
passed through the U.S. Congress.
Engineering freshman Doug Urquhart said
he plans to become a chemical engineer and
is interested in the effects of energy on global
warming. Urquhart said the implications the
environment and energy had on the economy
was an interesting aspect on the issue and
should be addressed.
In another following lecture Catherine Badg-
ley, director of the Environmental Studies Pro-
JESICA JOHINSON/D aily
Manish Chopra, Indian Student Association president
and Michigan League Program Coordinator Benita
Murrel speak at the international dialogue.
versity.
Michigan League Program Coordinator
Benita Murrel said "as a student, you have to
get out of your comfort zone and make it a
point to interact."
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