LOCAL/S TATE
The Michigan Daply - Wednesday, October 6, 1999 - 3
HIGHER
EDUCATION
Faculty strike
loong in
ennsy vania
The Association of Pennsylvania
State College and University Faculties
voted last week to authorize its leader-
ship to announce a strike at anytime.
APSCUF is asking for pay increases
of 26 percent, during a three year peri-
od, for all faculty members. But the lat-
est proposal the Pennsylvania State
System of Higher Education has
ffered to APSCUF is a pay increase of
.5 percent during three years.
The groups last bargaining session
ended Saturday night. The parties have
scheduled the next negotiation session
for tomorrow.
600 evacuated
from Iowa hall
Candles in a room at Dancer
esidence Hall at the University of
orthern Iowa may have been the
cause of a blaze that forced nearly 600
students to evacuate the building
Saturday afternoon.
The fire was centralized on the first
floor and began at 2 p.m. It was put out
15 minutes later. All but about 50 stu-
dents living in the 13 story building
were allowed back at around 5 p.m. The
remaining students, whose rooms were
damaged, were moved to temporary
,9busing and should be allowed back to
their rooms within a week.
Although officials from the Cedar
Falls Fire Department said the cause of
the fire is not yet determined, they said
that the candles in the room probably
started the fire.
Damages have been estimated to be
at least $30,000.
PennState
tudent dies in
automobile crash
A car crash claimed the life of one
Pennsylvania State University stu-
dent Friday. Warren Wikoff was
killed when he and fellow Penn State
student Matthew Scaramastra, were
traveling in a 1977 Volkswagen Golf
Friday afternoon, when the vehicle
*id into the opposing lane of traffic.
The Volkswagon Golf hit Penn State
student Gregory Shoup of Rochester
N.Y. in a 1995 Chevrolet Suburban.
Wikoff, 21, of Kintersville, was
tht passenger in the car and died
from injuries sustained during the
c#~h.
Investigators have not determined
whether drugs or alcohol were a factor
the crash.
4ar bitten off of
UC-Davis student
Two men were hospitalized after
attempting to break up a fight at a party
t their fraternity house at the
University of California at Davis on
Friday.
Matt Bach was allegedly hit by
Jacksgn Willoughby. Willoughby then
st off the top portion of Bach's ear.
*'nother member of the fraternity
received a bite on his arm while
attempting to separate Bach and
Willoughby.
Willoughby fled the scene, but was
Saterarrested by the Davis Police
wJDepartment.
Bach has undergone preliminary
surgery to reattach the missing portion
of his ear.
*1SU workers may
strike for contract
If an agreement is not reached
between custodial and skilled trade
workers and Michigan State University,
two unions might go on strike before
Saturday's game between Michigan
and MSU.
The two unions consist of about
,100 workers with positions including
food service workers, locksmiths and
electricians.
The skilled trade workers are
seeking a 15 percent raise across
three years and custodial workers
want a 9 percent raise. MSU is
offering a 7 percent raise for the
same period.
- Compiled by Daily Staff Reporter
Jewel Gopwani from wire reports.
Deposit law expansion
I could include water bottles
The Tellus Institute of Boston initiated the study
and was awarded a grant by the state Department
of Environmental Quality. Fox said the firm plans
to analyze the effects of raising the deposit
amount, putting deposits on non-carbonated bever-
ages and creating a centralized redemption center.
"If nothing else, they believe it is a good time to
look at it," said Mark Coscarelli, an environmental
specialist at the state's Office of the Great Lakes.
If the law were expanded, Coscarelli said con-
sumers would return a large enough number of
containers to necessitate redemption facilities.
"Given the magnitude, it may be unfair to call on
grocers to handle the larger loads," he said. "It's
unrealistic to expand this without looking at alter-
native collection sites."
Stores are legally obligated to refund deposits on
containers of beverages they sell. Amy Young,
head manager at Village Corner, said the store has
limited space, and if the law were expanded she
would support having redemption centers take the
burden off retailers.
"We just don't have the room to take every-
thing,"Young said. "The volume of bottles we take
back here is just ridiculous."
Lana Pollack, president of the Michigan
Environmental Council, said creating specialized
centers to refund deposits may be a way for retail-
ers and other bottle-bill opponents to skirt the
heavily favored law without a repeal.
"I'm very suspicious of this as an effort to elim-
inate redemption at the point of sale," Pollack said.
Because the deposit law was approved by a pub-
lic vote, a three-quarters majority is needed to
make any changes.
"I'd like to say I don't know, but I don't think the
law is likely to be amended for better or worse,"
said Pollack, a former state senator from Ann
Arbor.
Pollack and other backers of the current bottle
bill say the law has visibly cleaned up the state's
environment.
Ten states have deposit laws, though all but
Michigan only require a S.05 deposit.
"It's basically been responsible for keeping the
litter off our streets, out of our parks and off our
beaches," Fox said.
Coscarelli said 600 tons of containers are saved
from landfills each year and 90 to 95 percent of
refundable containers are returned for a deposit.
Switalski said his bill is needed to keep contain-
ers not covered by the current law off the streets
and out of landfills.
"The only things you see now are the ones that
there's no deposit - stuff that's growing in popu-
larity and that's contributing to our waste problem
and could be contributing to our recyclables," he
said.
Fox said the bottle bill is likely to keep the sta-
tus quo at least until the Tellus Institute releases its
findings.
"The current attitude around the capitol in
Lansing is just to wait and see what comes out of
that report," he said.
Edison, MCN
merger forms
state's largest
utility group
DETROIT (AP) - Two major Michigan
utilities said yesterday they'll combine to cre-
ate the state's largest electric and gas compa-
ny in a $2.6 billion buyout.
DTE Energy Co., parent of Detroit Edison
Co., will buy MCN Energy Group Inc., par-
ent of Michigan Consolidated Gas Co., for
$28.50 per share in cash and stock. DTE will
also assume about $2 billion in MCN debt in
the deal. The new company, DTE Energy, will
remain based in Detroit and have more than 3
million customers.
"This really is a home run. It creates an
energy powerhouse in the Midwest," said
Anthony Earley Jr., DTE president and chair.
"This combination is a win for everyone," he
said.
Industry analyst Frederick Schultz of
Raymond James & Associates said the combi-
nation was good for both companies. "It
makes DTE a big regional combination utility.
Now they have the summer-peaking
electric earnings and the winter-peaking
gas earnings," he said yesterday from his
office in Houston. "Shareholders are
going to do well here. But customers now
have a focused company."
SAM HOLLENSHEAD/Daily
Engineering senior Janet Swanson inserts cans
into a recycling machine at Kroger yesterday.
Continued from Page 1
with the Michigan United Conservation Clubs.
MUCC spearheaded the petition drive that put the
original bottle deposit law on the ballot.
"Our main focus is on expanding it to include
these other containers that are really growing in
usage," Fox said.
Group: State should
ureduce cost o
pnson phone calls
MARQUETTE, Mich. (AP) - It lion from prisoner telephone calls last
should not cost an extra $3 to reach out fiscal year.
and touch someone from a state prison, Michigan, which started accepting
one corrections reform group says. assessments in 1993, is one of several
Citizens United for the states that levy such charges, according
Rehabilitation of Errants says the $3 to corrections officials. New York, for
surcharge the Michigan Department of example, collects about $25 million
Corrections collects on each call a pris- each year.
oner makes unnecessarily limits many In Michigan, the money is funneled
inmates' ability to keep in contact with into a state reimbursement program that
their loved ones. provides funds to house some non-vio-
"We're not excusing what they did to lent offenders in county jails instead of
get into prison. That's not what this is distant state-operated penitentiaries.
about at all," said Barbara Budinger of CURE's Michigan chapter claims the
Marquette, a member of CURE, a surcharges isolate some prisoners and
national nonprofit prison and jail contribute to a deterioration of family
reform group dedicated to the reduction relationships, she said. Family contact
of crime through reform of the criminal and support are important to reducing
justice system. "It's the families who inmate recidivism, the group claims.
have to pay these surcharges ... and it's "It takes a lot of courage for prison-
not fair. It adds up to big bucks." ers to keep in contact with families,"
All inmate telephone calls to the out- Perry told The Mining Journal of
side, even local connections, are collect Marquette. "What the corrections
calls, said Kay Perry of Kalamazoo, department has tried to do over the
CURE's state director. The Department years is isolate prisoners. I think that's
of Corrections collected about $15mil- pretty clear."
mascots at one time. The leprechaun
M A uuI evolved from a portrait drawn in the
Continued from Page 1 early 1960s by a local artist. Prior to the
"I guess mascots are there to help drawing, a series of live Irish terriers
fans get into the game, but I don't named "Clashmore Mike" held the
think it's necessary at Michigan esteemed position. When the last terrier
Stadium," LSA senior Mike Abramson died, the tradition of having a student
said. mascot began, said Dennis Brown,
In 1992, former Athletic Director J.P. assistant director of Public Relations
Weidenbach made a statement regard- for Notre Dame.
ing the issue of a mascot after a Now, each football Saturday, Notre
University student made repeated Dame junior Mike Brown dons his lep-
requests to be the University of rechaun outfit, a matching green suit
Michigan mascot. and hat, to cheer for the Fighting Irish
"The issue' of a mascot as been as the school's official mascot.
reviewed in the past and has been He said he loves "putting smiles on
rejected by the Athletic Department people's faces" and going crazy on the
administration and Board in Control field. Since his face is visible when he's
of Intercollegiate Athletics," -wearing his costume, Brown is often
Weidenbach said in a letter to the greeted by students across Notre
student. Dame's campus who recognize him as
"A mascot is not part of the the leprechaun.
Michigan tradition.' Both our men's "I see myself representing all fans.
and women's athletic programs have I'm like the biggest fan. If you don't
enjoyed success without the necessity have a mascot, you are missing the
of introducing a mascot. biggest fan," Brown said.
But at one time, the University did To become a mascot, Mike Brown
have mascots running around campus. had a one day tryout and three weeks of
At the dedication of Michigan Stadium workshops. Besides cheerleading
in 1927, two live wolverines paraded stunts, tryouts included a panel inter-
around the stadium The two animals, view with six judges and a mock inter-
named "Bennie" and "Biff," lived in a view. He practices with the cheerlead-
small zoo near the Natural History ing team.
Museum. Jason Zicchino, MSU student and
Former Athletic Director Fielding co-director of the Sparty program, said
Yost acquired the wolverines for the the MSU mascot is not associated with
University after a long search. But the cheerleading squad on campus. To
when they became too vicious for their apply to be Sparty, students must write
surroundings, they were moved to the an essay about why they want to repre-
Detroit Zoo. sent MSU and fit the proportions of the
Notre Dame University also had live costume.
Story time
SAM HOLLENSHEAD/Daily
Ann Arbor resident Sherry Roberts reads international stories to 3 and 4 year-old children at the Ann Arbor Public
Library, located on Fifth Avenue, yesterday.
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What's happening in Ann Arbor today
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