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. LET TIAA-CREF HELP YCU BUILD A SECURE FINANCIAL FUTURE. or over 80 years, TIAA-CREF has been the leading retirement company on America's campuses. But experience is just one reason why so many smart investors trust us with their financial future. 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