8. One hundred eikht years ofeditori'alfreedom
"Ut
Friday
September 17, 1999
Veather
oday: Sunny. High 71. Low 4
omorrow: Sunny. High 73.
Em
, ". 7 ., r Pr x e ' '- j' Scry -.V
ire damages
Sigma
Chi fraternity
Basement fire forces
members from former Phi
Delta Theta house
By Nick Bunkley
and Yael Kohen
Daiy Staff Reporters
Flames gutted a basement room in
the temporary Sigma Chi fraternity
house last night, in what Ann Arbor Fire
Department officials said appears to be
an accidental fire.
The blaze, which began shortly after
9 p.m., was under control within about
40 minutes. AAFD Battalion Chief Jim
Wallace said.
At least 20 of the 36 students who
live in the house and several fraternity
pledges were inside when the fire broke
out, according to Frank Cianciola, asso-
ciate dean of students, who spoke with
fraternity members following the inci-
dent.
The house, located at 1437
Washtenaw Ave.. in which Sigma Chi
members are living during renovations
to their own building, was formerly
occupied by the now-disbanded Phi
Delta Theta fraternity.
"The chapter was doing some
work trying to clean out a storage
room downstairs," said John
Mountz, Intrafratern ity Council
adviser.
AAFD Fire Marshal Scott Rayburn
said four to seven small candles were
found in the room during an inspection
by AAFD officials.
'No lights were in the room that
they were cleaning," Sigma Chi
President Matt Zezima explained.
Zezima said fraternity members
used candles for light while cleaning
and had left the room before the fire
started, he said.
'They thought all the candles
were out." said Zezima, an LSA
sophomore.
But Ann Arbor Fire Chief George
Markus said the scene that investigators
found in the basement gave a different
indication of why candles had been
used.
"Apparently, there was some kind
of initiation rite down there,"
Markus said.
When asked about the suggestion
that initiation rituals were being con-
ducted prior to the fire, Zezima said,
"Absolutely not."
Zezima said several pledges who had
gathered on the lawn in front of the
building with other fraternity members
had attended a weekly pledge dinner
last night.
The blaze caused smoke damage
throughout three floors of the house.
Rayburn said. but the majority of the
damage was contained in the room
here the fire began.
Cianciola said fire officials gave him
a preliminary estimate of 55.000 in
damages to the structure.
Three fraternity members, who fire
officials identified as Engineering
sophomore Reid Southby, LSA sopho-
more Kyle Bunting and LSA junior
Francis Gatfnev, were treated for smoke
inhalation and released by Huron Valley
Ambulance.
"From what I know, those were the
three guys that were down there when it
started," Zezima said.
Residents of the house gathered on
the lawn and watched as firefighters
removed charred pieces of furniture -
chairs, couch cushions and wood
frames - through a soot-lined base-
ment window.
See FIRE, Page 7
lark Edman, a driver operator for the Ann Arbor Fire Department, releases water from
fire hydrant on South University Avenue last night.
.Floyd smashes East Coast
New York
battered
~!y winds,
downpour
MONTAUK, N.Y. (AP)
Creating havoc even at half-strength,
Tropical Storm Floyd raced into the
Northeast with gusty winds and
drenching rain yesterday, grounding
mdreds of flights, closing school
r three million students, even post-
poning a U.N. meeting on war.
its winds falling below hurricane
force to 65 mph by evening, Floyd
headed for Long Island and New
England after rolling through the
Carolinas in the morning.
At least seven deaths have been
blared on Floyd, six from traffic
accidents in the Carolinas and one
qan presumed drowned in the
ahamas.
While still a hurricane, Floyd
drilled ashore at Cape Fear, N.C.,
knocking out power to more than 1.4
million in the Carolinas and flooding
highways andbasements with more
than a foot of rain. But damage to
buildings was modest.
- "We're most fortunate," said
George Lemons, a National Weather
Service forecaster in Raleigh, N.C.
From there, Floyd's winds weak-
1ned steadily to less than half its
fearsome peak of 155 mph. The min-
imum wind speed for a hurricane is
74 mph.
At 5 p.m., the storm was 10 miles
south of Atlantic City, N.J., moving
north-northeast at nearly 30 mph.
But even the gentler Floyd was
threat enough for New York and
New Jersey authorities, wlio
*clared states of emergency.
Public schools were closed in
Washington, Baltimore, all of
New Jersey, Philadelphia and
New York City - a part of the
country more accustomed to snow
days.
It was the first time anyone could
See FLOYD, Page 2
Renovations
await Haven,
Mason halls
3
4i~P PHOTO
Gary Kicka, front, and Mark Bailey paddle down a street In Myrtle Beach, S.C., yesterday on floodwaters left behind by
Hurricane Floyd.
Students weekend travel
plans put on hold by storm
By Michael Grass
DallySt.aff Reporter
More square footage of classroom,
office and other academic space may
come to Haven and Mason halls in the
next five years as the University admin-
istration considers plans to renovate the
buildings.
A proposed multi-story addition to
Haven Hall, which will extend about 30
feet onto the Diag and rise above the
Fishbowl, will also provide a connec-
tion to Mason Hall.
University Chief Financial Officer
Robert Kasdin said ground floor areas,
such as the Fishbowl are important stu-
dent spaces that-need to be utilized
effectively.
"Public space needs to be preserved
but it can be enhanced,' Kasdin said at
yesterday's University Board of
Regents meeting.
Hank Baier, associate vice president
for facilities and operations, said with
the renovations to Haven, a new exteri-
or will added to conform to other Diag
area building faces.
The Haven and Mason renovations,
with estimated costs of about S16 mil-
lion are part of a larger University ini-
tiative to upgrade and more effectively
utilize Central Campus academic
spaces.
Other building projects presented at
the regents meeting yesterday include
proposed renovations to the LS&A,
Perry and Frieze buildings and West
Hall.
The administration will not immedi-
ately seek regental approval for the pro-
jects.
Kasdin said each project will be
brought individually to the board in
coming months, but a timeline has yet
to be set.
Although Kasdin said cost estimates
could fluctuate, the total estimated cost
of the projects is set at S8b million.
Through government-sponsored cap-
ital outlay funding, S60 million of the
total amount will come from state cof-
fers.
I
For the time being, thee administra-
tion removed the Frieze Building from
its renovation package and the building
will be addressed at a later time, Kasdin
said. The Frieze Building could be used
as a transition building during construc-
tion.
LSA Dean Shirley Neuman
described many Central Campus facili-
ties as "atrocious," "appalling" and
"uninhabitable."
Although Neuman said a top pri-
ority of the initiative is to have "top-
notch" facilities, even more impor-
tant is the re-evaluation of the acad-
emic uses of Central Campus build-
ings.
With some LSA departments with
offices spread across campus, a top pri-
ority is to unite departments like
anthropology, a department with office
space in West Hall and the North
University Building.
Neuman said the current physical
and logistical separation in anthropolo-
gy is putting the department "in danger
of implosion."
Along with creating physical
cohesion within LSA academic
units, Neuman said she wants "to
establish geographic centers"
among groups of similar depart-
ments, like the humanities and
social sciences.
The proposed structural addition to
Haven Hall would create newly reno
See RENOVATE, Page 2
From staff and wire reports
Although University studentsare hundreds of miles from
its high winds and flooding, Hurricane Floyd caused
headaches for many who were trying to travel to the East
Coast for the weekend.
In between her classes yesterday, LSA sophomore
Michelle Bezos spent time on the phone with Northwest
Airlines representatives trying to confirm whether her flight
home today to Baltimore-Washington International Airport
would be allowed to take off from Detroit Metropolitan
Airport.
Northwest Airlines canceled between 80 and 100 depar-
tures to East Coast cities yesterday, including Washington
D.C. and Boston, Northwest Airlines spokesperson Brian
Lassaline said. Northwest is responsible for about 75 percent
of passenger traffic at Detroit Metro.
Passengers planning to get on a flight to the East Coast
shouldn't give up hope. Northwest Airlines spokesperson
Doug Killian said the major carrier expected to resume its
full schedule today, after resuming some of its flights to East
Coast points late yesterday.
Bezos said she bought her tickets to Baltimore more than
a month ago so that she could visit her boyfriend.
As of 6 p.m. last night. Bezos said she planned to drive to
the airport to see whether she could travel home.
Bezos said she was nervous about the potential wait time
she could have if her flight was canceled.
"Sitting at the airport would suck," Bezos said. "But I'd
get a plane tomorrow I would think."
Lassaline said Detroit Metro airport was ready to
distribute pillows, blankets, diapers, baby food and
See PLANS, Page 2
VS.SYRACUSE
O R A N G E M E N
toorv Arrir dme8 prn.B
THE OPPONENT:
Syracuse has cruised through its first two
opponents Toledo and Central Michigan, and
this week ?our suspended starters return to help
*ie team get win #3-
THE OUTLOOK:
This is not the same Syracuse team that
shocked Michigan last year, but the Dome is
always a tough place to play and the option
is always trouble for the Michigan defense.
Wayne State teachers strike for wages
By Shabnam Daneshvar
For the Daily
Nearly 200 of Wayne State
University's approximately 1,500 pro-
fessors went on strike yesterday after
numerous negotiations with universi-
ty officials since the beginning of
April.
The one-day event, which could
spur into a series of similar actions,
supported higher salaries, said
Marlene Kilbey, president of the
American Association of University
structions sites and two loading docks
of the campus.
The members are angry with what
they call unfair salary raises within sev-
eral departments and have decided to
"do something about it," Kilbey said.
Earlier this year, Wayne State offi-
cials planned a 5 percent raise for
administrators and a 0.8 percent raise
for faculty members. An uproar from
AAUP-AFT members and several
heated talks have lead the university
to renegotiate plans. Yesterday,
(N----
to afford what we are asking, which is
a 5.4 percent increase in salary,"
Kilbey said.
Wayne State President Irving Reed
was not available for comment.
The strike did not disrupt students
on campus, Wayne State officials
reported more than 80 percent of
classes met yesterday as scheduled.
"This is not surprising given the
fact that 80 percent of the faculty
choose not to be in the union," Wayne
State Provost Marilyn Williamson
"If this doesn't work now, we have a
. . . strike authorization beginning
next Wednesday to continue with the
strikes. They will go on," Kilbey
said.
This possibility is a reality for stu-
dents like senior George Gaudenzi
who do not want to consider facing
prolonged class disruptions.
.Gaudenzi, who witnessed the strike
yesterday on his way to class, said he
is concerned about his pending grad-
uation this December..
I
. .