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Today: Sunny. High 76. Low 48.
Tomorrow: Partly cloudy. High 70.
One hundred eight years ofeditorial freedom
Thursday
September 23, 1999
Suit intervenors speak out
By Jennifer Sterling
Daily Staff Reporter
Sharing personal stories and citing historical facts
last night, several students involved in the University's
College of Literature, Science and the Arts and Law
School admissions lawsuits vocalized the message
t ey had sketched behind them on a chalkboard -
r Voices Will Be Heard."
An audience of about 25 people sat in Auditorium B
of Angell Hall, where two University students and one
Wayne State University student tried to garner support
for their cause - creating A mass movement to achieve
social equality. A focus of their efforts is defending the
University's use of race as a factor in its admissions
process.
Both of the University students who spoke last
night are members of a group that was recently
wed to intervene in the lawsuit challenging the
Law School's use of race in its admissions process.
In an unprecedented move, a Sixth Circuit Court
judge last month allowed the group to become a co-
defendant in the case, giving it the same status and
access to the case as both the University and the plain-
tiffs. A second Sixth Circuit Court judge allowed a
similar intervention in the lawsuit facing the College of
Literature, Science and the Arts.
Both University schools were sued nearly two years
ago by white applicants who were denied admission to
the respective schools. These applicants claim the
University unfairly admitted less-qualified minority
students over them because race was used as a factor
in the process. The Washington, D.C.-based Center for
Individual Rights is representing both plaintiffs in the
LSA suit and the plaintiff in the Law School case.
The four women speakers, from different ethnic
backgrounds, spent the first portion of last night's
"My goal is to win this
case so that affirmative
action can .prevail."
- Erika Dowdell
LSA sophomore
forum educating the audience about the history of seg-
regation, starting with the 1954 landmark Brown v.
Board (f Education Supreme Court decision, which
declared the "separate but equal" 1896 educational
doctrine of Plessv v. Ferguson unconstitutional.
"My goal is to win this case so that affirmative action
can still prevail at this University," LSA sophomore
Erika Dowdell said. "My message is to join the fight."
See LAWSUITS, Page 7A
JE:SSCA- 01fUSNQjaily
Shanta Driver, a second-year student in Wayne State University's Law School,
speaks in Angell Hall last night during an event hosted by a group Intervening in
one of the two lawsuits challenging the University's admissions policies.
RUSH
HOUR
New social
rules wil
feCtrush
By Emina Sendijarevic
Daily Staff Reporter
This year's sorority and fraternity rush will
test for the first time changes made to the
rules that govern the Greek System's social
functions.
A year-long revision of the system's social
policy led to several key changes, including
what kind of parties the Greek System can
host during rush, monitoring guests at parties
and requiring fraternities and sororities to
conduct educational programming.
"We saw that things were getting out of
control and the current policies didn't
cover everything," explained LSA senior
Sarah Sarosi, the Panhellenic
Association's vice president of social
responsibilities.
Sarosi was one of five sorority presi-
dents and five fraternity presidents to
serve on the task force that revised the
Social Environment Management Policy.
Greek
system
recruits
members
By Doug Rett
Daily Staff Reporter
Campus fraternities and sororities
started the yearly quest for members
this week, a process that lasts sever-
al weeks and replenish membership
of the system's houses. '
This year's class of potential
rushees is higher than in recent years.
More than 900 women registered for
sorority rush and 500 men attended
the fraternity rush meeting last week.
Officials from the Interfraternity
Council and the Panhellenic
Association attribute the high num-
bers to recruiting efforts by current
system members.
The University is home to 32 fra-
ternities and 16 sororities that are
members-of IFC and Panhel, ranging
in size from 15 to 100 members.
Rush is the process prospective
Greek members undergo as they look
to find a fraternity or sorority that
best fits them.
Most of the students who partici-
pate in rush are first-year students,
but IFC Adviser John Mountz said
this need not be the case.
"Anyone can come out for rush,
See RUSH, Page 2A
MARJORIE MARSHALL/Daily
University studentsregister for sorority rush during a mass meeting in the Michigan Union last
Wednesday. Campus fraternities and sororities begin fail rush this week.
Some of the most significant policy
changes will be visible during fraternity
and sorority rush, which begins this
week. Unlike previous rushes, fraterni-
ties cannot hold parties where alcohol is
served.
The Greek System made this change to
prevent largeuncontrolled; parties where
fraternity members could recruit students
who had not registered for rush with the
Interfraternity Council.
The task force also made rules to
encourage fraternity rush activities in
addition to parties.
Under the updated policy, all guests at
parties must wear wristbands to identify
that they are either members of the frater-
nity or sorority hosting a party or those
invited by fraternity or sorority members.
Sarosi said each chapter will receive a lim-
ited number of wristbands for each social
event to cut down on the number of guests.
and increase safety.
"The (wristbands) make the chapters
responsible for who is there." Sarosi said.
The revamped social policy also now
requires that fraternities and sororities
must provide at least three non-drinking
members for each event they sponsor.
One door monitor and two sober monitors
will be responsible for making sure others at
See PARTIES, Page 2A
Law aims
at repeat
offenders
By Yaei Kohen
Daily Staff Reporter
Convicted drunk drivers who are caught a second time will
be facing harsher statewide penalties, according to new laws
passed by the state Senate that will take effect Oct. 1.
Several Senators sponsored the bill which went
through the Senate
Judiciary Committee. New penalties
The legislation, which for repeat drunk
combine a set of 32
bills, was passed unan- driving offende
imously through both 0 Licenseplate
the Senate and. House coicsatn
of Representatives.
The essence of the 8 Vehicle immobilization
laws recognizes that
repeat offenders "are 0 Registration denial
causing a disproportion-
ate number of injuries 0 Ignition interlock with
and deaths on the high- breathalyzer test
way," said Sen. William
Van Regenmorter (R-Hudsonville), chair of the Senate
Judiciary Committee.
The repeat offender laws increase penalties, create new
drunk driving crimes and define a repeat offender.
Police officers who pull over second-time offenders will
be required to confiscate the metal license plate and replace
it with a temporary paper one on the spot, Ann Arbor Police
Department Sgt. Greg O'Dell said.
Other penalties include vehicle immobilization,
denial of vehicle registration and an ignition interlock
system, which requires a breathalyzer test before being
able to start the ignition.
Added to the list of crimes that drunk drivers face will be
child endangerment for those drivers with a passenger under
the age of 16.
Drunk drivers can also face felony charges of up to 13
years in prison when a death is involved and five years for
an injury.
"These laws are designed to limit a repeat offender's
access to their vehicles," said Elizabeth Boyd.a spokesperson
for Secretary of State Candice Miller.
The new laws also define a repeat offender as someone
who has had two or more alcohol convictions in seven years,
three or more convictions of driving with a suspended or
revoked license within seven years, or three or more alcohol
convictions in 10 years. '
"It does give us greater enforcement possibilities," said
Sen. Alma Wheeler Smith (D-Salem Twp.)
The repeat offender laws were passed as a supplement to
two other drunk driving laws passed in 1992 and 1997.after
a series of incidents involving repeat offenders, Van
Regenmorter said.
"We found that the repeat offenders were a much greater
danger on the road," Van Regenmorter said, adding that they
See DRIVERS, Page 7A
It's a toss up
Body found intMSU
residence hail basement
® Campus police
say body may be
former student
EAST LANSING (AP) - A
body was found yesterday
afternoon in the basement of a
Michigan State University res-
idence hall, campus police
said.
The body was tentatively
identified as that of a former
MSU male student, police
told Detroit television station
WJBK.
The body was badly decom-
posed. making it impossible to
immediately determine the
manner of death, investigators
said yesterday.
Students in South Wonders
Residence Hall had com-
plained for several days about
a foul odor before a mainte-
nance worker followed the
smell to a locked storage
room and found the body
about 2 p.m., said Detective
Tony Willis of the MSU
Department of Public Safety.
The Ingham County
Medical Examiner's Office
plans to perform an autopsy
today, WJBK said.
No missing persons reports
were pending with MSU cam-
pus police at the time of the
discovery, Willis said.
Spartan students get ticket vouchers
By Dave Enders
Daily Staff Reporter
As a student and as the chair of the Academic
Asseipbly at Michigan State University, Charles
McHugh is in touch with the student body.
"Students don't like the idea of general
admission and waiting in line for hours
and hours," he said about seating at
Spartan Stadium under a newly adopted
voucher program.
But that's what many students are deal-
ing with at MSU home football games
this year. The Spartans' Athletic Ticket
Office has implemented a voucher system for
tickets. While students are guaranteed a seat for
each game, they do not have reserved seats.
Seating is provided on a first-come, first-served
basis.
The system is intended to keep students from sit-
else," Lewandowski said.
Some students said they think the policy targets
other activities.
"I don't like it because we can't tailgate as,
much," said an MSU sophomore and season-tick-
et holder who did not want to be identi-
fied. "You have to get there at least an
hour early."
Other MSU students said they also dis-
like the new policy.
"It's pissing off the students - it
forces us to compete for seats," MSU
first-year student Craig Dugan said. "It's
a hassle."
Despite these common complaints,
Lewandowski defends the new system, adding
that he estimates students have to wait in line for
about seven or eight minutes to get into the stadi-
um.
have been happy with the results:'
The idea of a voucher system is not a new one.
Pennsylvania State University instituted it six years
ago.
"It took the students three or four years to get used
to it"' said Bud Meredith. Penn State's athletic ticket
manager.
"It's really for the students," he said. He pointed out
that it allows students to decidewho they want to sit.
with on the day of the game.
Penn State used the policy to combat overcrowding
in the student section. Meredith said that the old sys-
tem prevented security and medical persoinel from
effectively doing their jobs.
"There were people sitting in the aisles," he said.
The University of Wisconsin's at Madison and
Indiana University also use voucher systems to seat
students.
Wisconsin has used vouchers for five years.
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