One hundred nine years ofeditoridfreedom FYI NEWS: 76-DAILY CLASSIFIED: 764-0557 wwwmichigandally.com Friday April 7, 2000 passi T U to limit use group of Rackham By Lisa Koivu Daily Staff Reporter Beginning in September, any student groups wishing to perform in Rackham Auditorium will have to be registered with Rackham Student Government. This will prevent the majority of stu- dent groups on campus from using the facilities, as only groups with a significant number of graduate students involved are recog- nized by RSG. Enforcement of the policy "is not "We all ha concerts t Now we're Founder ofE in the building. "The Rackham building was intend- ed to primarily serve the needs of the graduate student community, acting as a focal point for graduate student activities on campus," Fairfield said. "Over the past several years RSG, Rackham and other graduate student organizations have ve all worked together toward the creation here. of a unified gradu- SU, ate community on stUCk. campus, with the Rackham building - Kym Stewart at its heart, as its A Capella United founders intended," DAVID R ©CHKI f'iU/ LSA seniors Josh Klaff and Colin McDermott practice in the Huron River with the rest of the Michigan men's rowing club yesterday. Team members do not plan to run in the annual Naked Mile next Friday for the first time since the rowing and lacrosse teams started the event in 1986. Tams toski Nakeil so much a radical departure from the norm as it is a move to finally bring the use of Rackham Facilities into line with the original, legally binding terms/wishes of the Rackham Deed of Trust on which Rackham was founded in 1935," RSG President Damon Fair- field said in a written statement. The deed said that, among others, no undergraduate activities or organi- zations would be permitted to perform he added. RSG recently began registering groups to make sure their membership is in compliance with the policy, Fair- field said. "We've always asked for groups to provide this information, but we've never officially asked for them to reg- ister with us," he said. Kevin Gilmartin, director of the Office of Major Events, said the policy See RACKHAM, Page 2 qY Jen Fish ily Staff Reporter After 14 years of being at the front of the line of the Naked Mile, the Michigan men's rowing club has decided to boycott this year's run. The men's lacrosse club also announced that they will not participate in the annual event, which was started by members of the rowing and track teams in 1986. Members of both teams said they have become t icreasingly disgusted with the tradition, which s evolved from a show of senior spirit to a nationwide spectacle broadcast around the world on television news and the Internet. "I'm a senior and from what I saw when I was a freshman, it's just not something that's a college tradition or a men's team tradition anymore," said Greg Walker, president of the men's rowing team. Lacrosse coach John Paul agreed, saying, "It's Naked Mile 2000 just a mess."T Paul said he ran the mile him- self when he attended the Uni- versity but would not run with the current atmosphere. "Back then, it was just us having a good time. I wouldn't run it now," he said. "It was so different b# ck then." The Naked Mile initially the years as more and more non-University affiliat- ed people have flocked to watch and join the run. Aside from the numerous safety issues the event presents, many of the run's critics are concerned with the possible exploitation of students from people who sell pictures and videos of the naked runners. Interim Vice President for Student Affairs E. Royster Harper called the two teams' decisions "wonderful" and "an act of leadership." "It's not ours anymore as a community. It's been taken over by people who take pictures for profit -- people who prey on our students,"' she said. "It's not the same event and we act like it is." Both Paul and rowing coach Gregg Hartsuff said the players made the decision to boycott the event See NAKED MILE, Page 5 'Night' march on Diag goes co-ed began as an occasion for students to celebrate the end of winter classes. In the past, the rowing team has led the run along with the lacrosse team. The event has drawn increasing criticism over By Marta Brill Daily Staff Reporter Fair aims to dispel myts of feminism By Jacquelyn Nixon Daily Staff Reporter Striving to dispel harsh stereo- types of feminism, Feminist Unite handed out cotton candy, popcorn and offered turns on a moonwalk yesterday at the Feminist Fair held on the Diag. The fair, which was also sponsored by the Michigan Student Assembly, featured several booths concerning women's issues, includ- ing the Women's Issue Commission and Third Wave Magazine. "The non-abrasive popcorn envi- ronment conveys that feminists aren't aggressive," RC freshman Monique Luse said. "The fair expos- es students to what real feminists are like." The fair began at noon with speeches and music performed by women. Members of the feminists groups quickly ran out of t-shirts to sell and students lined up for the free cotton candy. "We hope that students realize that feminism isn't just about nega- tive issues. There is a positive side to feminism and it should be celebrat- ed," said fair organizer Lara Zador, an LSA senior. Feminist Unite members agreed that feminists are often stereotyped to be bitter and uptight. LSA senior Kasey Gordon said feminism is simply "a way of acknowledging what is not right in the world." "There is little truth in the stereo- types of feminists," Luse said. "There are those that say 'Oh, you hate men,' but I love all people and want everyone to have equal oppor- tunities," Luse said. This is Feminist Unite's third year on campus. The group is one of the few feminist groups on campus and it focuses on issues ranging from See FAIR, Page 5 For the past 21 years, female Uni- versity students and community mem- bers have marched to protest violence against women. But this year, men are invited for the first time to participate in the Take Back The Night rally and march, beginning at 7 p.m. tomorrow on the Diag. During the event, students + r and local residents are plan- ning to join together to take a stand against rape, sexual assault, domestic violence and violence due to sexual orientation and gender. "The Take Back The Night march reclaims the spaces taken away by the . ever-present threat of vio- lence while celebrating our collective strength and the strength of those who marched before us," said organizer Anna Phillips, an LSA senior. "Unfortunately a lot of the demands we have made over the past 21 years have not been met," Phillips said. Although support services for sur- vivors of sexual assault have improved, she added, people need to take accountability for sexism, racism and violence - all factors that contribute to violence against women. "In part, this event is about con- fronting all these larger social prob- lems," Phillips said. Speakers scheduled for the rally include local musician Lisa Hunter and activist Suzanne Sippola, as well as poetry by RC sophomore Eseohe Arhebamen. Three survivors of sexual assault are also scheduled to speak about their experiences. Sexual violence against men will be also be addressed in the A rally and march. "In the year 2000, we cannot ignore the one in four women and the one in six men who are survivors of sexualized violence," Cathryn Antkowiak- Howard, who has partici- pated in past Take Back the Night marches, said in a written statement. "We must take a stand against violence against anyone." But Rackham graduate student Gary Brouhard said the White Ribbon Cam- paign, an all-male organization that discourages violence against women, is planning a workshop as an alterna- tive. Brouhard said that although men are invited to participate he thinks an all-female march could be empower- ing for women. "I respect that women-only space," Brouhard said. See NIGHT, Page 5 DAVID ROCHKINC Seven-year-old Samantha Bransdorfer, daughter of Rackham graduate student Mark Bransdorfer, jumps on the moonwalk at the Feminist Fair on the Diag yesterday. Habitat for Humanity finishes home B ndsey Alpert Year, One House, One Family." leveling the backyard. House Leader Scot Daily StaffReporter "We're hoping to build another house in the Norris would drive in from Grosse Pointe Going nuts t Six hundred students, $50,000, seven months and 4,200 hours later, the University chapter of Habitat for Humanity will com- plete the building of the first-ever chapter- sponsored house this weekend. Finish-ing touches will be made on the house tomorrow and a dedication ceremony wake place on Sunday. "We've done the legwork from beginning to end," said LSA junior Ronny Luhur, vice president of the campus chapter. The money, which took three years to raise, came from can drives, Residence Hall meal sacrifices and grants from the Michigan Stu- fall," Carr said. "We received a grant of $10,000 from the Social Workers (Investing in Neighbor- hood Growth), but we have a long way to go" The chapter works with the Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley, which has built 28 homes in Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor since 1989. The organization centers around the philosophy that the house is "a hand up, not a hand out." Recipients of the homes need to put in 400 hours of "sweat equity" and pay for the home with an interest-free loan set up for 30 years. The recipient of the home is chosen by need, willingness to participate in the program and ability to repay the loan. "It's been really exciting building the house each workday to supervise the building. "Scot would bring a crew every week from Detroit," Luhur said. "Those guys really helped us out coordinating the building and telling us how to do things." Students have worked since October for about six hours on Saturdays starting at 7:15 a.m. "I've met a lot of students," said Con- struction Coordinator Katie Norris, an Engi- neering senior. "We got about 20 new people each week, and I don't think anyone has had a bad experience on the worksite with us." The final building day will take place tomorrow, when the driveway and sidewalks will be poured, the kitchen countertops I