The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, September 21, 1999 - 3

CRIME '
Woman assaulted
while sunbathing
outside home
woman in the 600 block of Tappan
Sported Sunday to the Department of
Public Safety that she had been assault-
ed by a man, according to DPS reports.
She was outside sunbathing, when
the suspect approached her. He touched
her hair, back and then her upper leg.
The assault is being treated as a
fourth degree criminal sexual conduct.
A report was filed.
Man bleeds from
lose, mouth
A man requested assistance from
DPS Sunday after he found himself
bleeding from the nose for 20 minutes.
He also reported blood was coming out
of his mouth, DPS reports state.
The man was transported to the
University Medical Center by Huron
Valley Ambulance system.
atient falls after
ospital discharge
Minutes after'being discharged from
the University Medical Center on
Sunday, a patient fell at the entrance of
the hospital located on M-10, DPS
reports state.
The patient was readmitted into the
university Hospital's emergency room
by hospital staff.
A report was filed with DPS.
Student suffers
Allergic reaction
to shellfish,
A student in South Quad Residence
Hall suffered a violent allergic reaction
Sunday, DPS reports state.
The student was transported to the
iversity Medical Center.
DPS reports state the student had
eaten shellfish earlier in the day and the
food caused the allergic reaction.
Vehicle rolls down
Observatory Road
A unidentified caller informed DPS
officials Sunday that a vehicle was
slowly rolling out of its parking place
Observatory Road, DPS reports
The vehicle was towed to the
Brewer's North Campus BP service
impound lot.
Bleach, fan found
in CCRB pool
A worker at the Central Campus
Recreation Building reported a fan and
ontainer of bleach were found float-
in the swimming pool, DPS reports
state.
DPS reports indicate the objects,
Which were found Sunday, were not a
hazard to swimmers.
Fake ID found in
Business School
A forged staff identification card
was found Sunday inside the executive
Oidence, part of the School of
siness Administration Building,
DPS reports state.
The fake ID was a laminated

black and white copy of a real ID
ard.
The staff member's name and infor-
mation on the ID belonged to a person
who works for building services.
A report for fraudulent activities was
filed.
Water leaks out
if Northwood 11
Water was reported leaking from a
washroom on Sunday, DPS reports
state.
Maintenance was called to the scene.
Car vandalized in
'U' Golf Course lot
An individual reported Sunday that
his vehicle had been keyed, DPS reports
state.
The car he owns was parked in the
University Golf Course's parking
lot.
A report was filed with DPS.
- Compiled by Daily Staff Reporter
Gerard Cohen-Vrignaud.

Microsoft upgrades Ford sales website

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - New car buyers looking for a Ford
will be able to buy exactly the car they want, using the Internet to
choose the paint color, upholstery, stereo system and other details,
under a joint venture between Ford Motor Co. and Microsoft Corp.
The agreement announced yesterday upgrades Microsoft's
CarPoint Website so that users can have their orders matched with
cars in dealer lots, in distribution centers or even on the factory floor.
Once a customized car is complete, the Website user would be
referred to a dealer, who would negotiate the price and deliver the car.
"CarPoint is going to change the way cars are bought and sold
with technology that brings together manufacturers and dealers to
deliver the services consumers want," said Microsoft President Steve
Ballmer.
Ford would not sell cars directly online, which is forbidden by
franchise laws. Sales would be completed through franchised deal-
ers, who would make the profit on the transaction.
"The consumer is driving a revolution in automotive retailing, and
Ford intends to be at the forefront of that revolution," Ford CEO
Jacques Nasser said.
Microsoft and Ford's industry dominance gives CarPoint an edge

among the growing array of online car-buying services, such as
AutoNation and Autobytel, which also refer customers to dealers but
don't have alliances with manufacturers.
"These are two important fixtures in electronic commerce and in
our industry - that's what makes it significant," said Paul Taylor,
chief economist for the National Automobile Dealers Association in
McLean, Va.
Nasser said he called Microsoft CEO Bill Gates about five months
ago to propose the joint project. He ended up speaking with Ballmer,
who warned him that "e-commerce works in high speed, so be ready
to move quickly."
"Four weeks later I called and said I'm ready to move, and now
four months later here we are," Nasser said.
Ford will take a minority stake in the joint venture with CarPoint
and will be Microsoft's lead partner. Microsoft said it expects other
automakers to also become involved.
Automakers are seeking ties with technology companies to
streamline distribution systems, reduce costs and inventories and
gain access to online consumers. "It's a defensive as well as offensive
tool for the customer;" Taylor said.

"The consumer is driving a
revolution in automotive
retailing"
- Jacques Nasser
Ford CEO
Consumers with the patience and know-how to do their own
research can have more control over the price by using a variety of
different Websites to learn exactly how much it costs dealers to put
together the car they want. Armed with this information, they can go
to dealers themselves and make them compete with each other to sell
them their ideal car.
The Web also has virtual dealerships, such as CarsDirect.com, a
venture backed by computer executive Michael Dell that obtains cars
from its dealer partners at wholesale prices and sells them to con-
sumers online.

Ring my bell

UAW

supports

4-year contract

DETROIT (AP) - The United Auto
Workers executive council members
were unanimous in their support of a
proposed four-year labor contract with
DaimlerChrysler, UAW President Steve
Yokich said at a news conference yes-
terday.
The council members, made up of
local union presidents and chair, will
return home to provide contract details
to the 75,000 rank-and-file members.
The members will vote on the contract
Saturday.
"This is a good contract," Yokich
said. "A lot of old problems got cleared
up in this."
Among those problems that were
cleared up were job security and
improved pension benefits, he said.
Yokich said the contract is a reward
for helping the automakers through the
tough times. "It's our turn now that
things are good," he said.
The average DaimlerChrysler worker
would receive an average of $29,300 in
wage increases and bonuses during the
next four years under the proposed con-

tract, The Flint Journal reported yester-
day.
Union officials said last week the
deal also includes an agreement not to
spin off any parts of the company into
independent businesses.
Such a clause might be aimed more
at GM and Ford than DaimlerChrysler.
GM has spun off its Delphi parts unit,
and Ford would like to spin off its
Visteon parts unit, a move the UAW
opposes.
"That provision is fairly interesting.
It will be particularly interesting at
Ford," said David Cole, director of the
Office for the Study of Automotive
Transportation in Ann Arbor. "At
DaimlerChrysler and GM it's a little
more academic."
Despite that, Yokich said he does not
expect difficulty in getting similar con-
tracts at GM and Ford.
"I don't think it's going to be diffi-
cult. The pattern is there," he said. I
don't think anybody is going to say we
don't want to take the pattern. I think it
will work out."

JESSICA JOHNSON/Daily
School of Music Prof. Margo Halsted practices the chimes in Kerrytown yesterday. Halsted plays carillon in the Burton
Memorial and Lurie Bell towers.
State invests surplus weare
funds Into new programs


DETROIT (AP) --The state is putting
some of its surplus welfare cash into new
programs, including a boost in benefits
for low-income families and investing in
new programs for the less fortunate.
But even with the new programs and
extra spending, Michigan still has
unspent welfare money sitting in
Washington each year.
Under the 1996 federal welfare-
reform law, the state must spend $468
million in Michigan taxpayers' money
on welfare-related programs.
Each year, it also gets a S775 million
block grant from the federal government.
The amounts are based on the num-
ber of welfare families in each state in
1994. At that time, Michigan had more
than 210,000 families on welfare.
In July. there were fewer than
84,000 on welfare. But that hasn't

affected the amount of money the
state receives. So in February, when
Gov. John Engler introduced his
budget for the 'fiscal year starting
Oct. 1, the welfare fund balance
from 1998 was about $161 million.
Other states have;similar pots of
cash in Washington. Douglas
Howard, director of the state Family
Independence Agency, said there is
growing concern that Congress will
take the money back, interfering
with states' abilities to change their
welfare programs.
"On the one hand, we're being told to
spend it so that it's not sitting around,"
Howard told the Detroit Free Press for a
story yesterday.
"But we want to be fiscally responsi-
ble. And at the same time they're saying
to spend it, they're saying they may take

it way."
Gretchen Odegard, policy analyst for
the National Governors' Association,
said the latest federal report showed that
about 12 percent of the states' welfare
money remained unused as of December,
the most recent figure available.
"Leadership on (Capitol) Hill right
now is pretty desperate to find funding.
They're in a real tight situation.
They keep coming back to the
states," she said.
Meanwhile, Michigan is finding new
uses for the surplus, including an
increase in benefits. Some welfare
recipients can get up to S1,200 to buy a
car, or $900 to fix one. Day care spend-
ing was expanded from about S119 mil-
lion in fiscal year 1994 to about $581
million for 2000 to include many low-
income families not on welfare.

Abraham calls for
health care reform

REGISTRAR'S BULLETIN BOARD
Each term the Registrar will publish important information and key dates affecting students
DATES TO REMEMBER

ROYAL OAK, Mich. (AP) - U.S.
Ser. Spencer Abraham told a home
health care patient yesterday that he is
confident Congress can pass legislation
to kill a planned cut in reimbursements
for home health care.
The 15 percent cut mandated by the
1997 Balanced Budget Act is scheduled
to begin Oct. 1, 2000.
This summer, U.S. Sen. Susan
Collins (R-Maine) helped introduce
legislation to eliminate the cut. She
traveled the state yesterday to talk about
the Medicare Home Health Equity Act
with Abraham, a fellow Republican.
Collins said there are now 27 co-spon-

sors for the bill.
Both said they are optimistic that
some form of the legislation will pass
before Congress adjourns.
"We're really pressing our leaders
that we can't go home until we get help
for home health care," Collins said.
Abraham said he has been listening
to constituents' concerns about the
planned cuts for the past year.
He said some senators have opposed
the legislation, saying that home health
care costs are taking a rising amount of
Medicare dollars. But Abraham said
home care may actually help hospitals
keep costs down.

Last Day to:

Tues., Sept. 28
Tues., Sept. 28
Tues., Oct. 19

WITHDRAW FROM FALL TERM-with payment of $50
disenroliment fee and $80 registration fee.
DROP CLASSES-with a reduction in tuition.
NOTE: Some units (Law, Medicine and Dentistry) begin
classes on a different academic calendar and this date will vary
for those units.
WITHDRAW FROM FALL TERM-with payment of half
tuition and $80 registration fee. NOTE: This date will vary for
the units having a different academic calendar.

Wha

Wha
GROUP MEETINGS

t

s happening in Ann Arbor today
Wolverine Room, Michigan School of Social Work Building,
Union, 8:30 p.m. Room 1636, 12 p.m.

Beginning:
Wed., Sept. 29 '

WITHDRAW FROM FALL TERM-pay half tuition and $80
~,r.~~icrtnn fPP -thrn~ch T ('i r1 0 Ticfi rii tmn


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