One hundred ten years ofeditorlfreedom
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Thursday
December 7, 2000
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Battle
returns
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Fla.
high
court
Court proceedings
moving at rapid pace
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Al Gore
hung his presidential hopes on legal proceed-
ings moving at head-spinning speed a day
ahead of arguments before the Florida
Supreme Court, counting on a court shocker
to upset George W. Bush's certified Florida
victory.
Lawyers sprinted between courtrooms yes-
terday to battle over absentee
ballots while Bush and Gore ,
submitted papers to persuade
the state Supreme Court to rule
their way in a fight over /
recounts.
Late in the day, Republican legislative
leaders called for a special session on Friday
to choose a slate of electors. The two leaders
said they hoped such a step wouldn't be
needed if there's a court resolution of the dis-
puted election.
Democrats denounced the action as a mis-
take of historic proportions, and accused
GOP rivals of moving to ensure Bush's elec-
tion.
"We're protecting Florida's 25 electoral
votes and its 6 million voters," said John
McKay, the president of the state Senate.
Rep. Lois Frankel, leader of the House
Democrats, shot back, "The only thing miss-
ing on the proclamation is the postmark from
Austin, Texas," a reference to the Texas gov-
ernor's campaign headquarters.
Gore's team set the stakes in its filing with
the high court, writing: "In but a few more
days, only the judgment of history will be
left to fall upon a system where deliberate
obstruction has succeeded in achieving delay
- and where further delays risk succeeding
in handing democracy a defeat."
Bush's team countered that the people had
spoken on Election Day and that "at no time
in our nation's history has a presidential race
been decided by an election
contest in a court of law."
The stalemate that has
loomed since Nov. 7 seemed
to be nearing the end of over-
time and heading to a sudden-
death score, almost surely in the form of a
court ruling.
One surprise might come from two parallel
cases unfolding before separate judges in the
same Tallahassee courthouse.
Democrats were challenging a total of
25,000 absentee ballots in Seminole and
Martin counties, saying Republicans had
been unfairly permitted to correct mistakes
on ballot applications, in violation of state
law.
Either suit had the potential to switch the
lead in Florida's vote count from Bush to
Gore, since Bush won the absentee ballots by
a 2-to-i margin.
Bush, leading by a few hundred votes ever
since the Nov. 7 election and talking more like a
president-elect each day, said he had "pretty
well made up my mind" on his White House
See RECOUNT, Page 7A
AP PHOTO
Richard Barrazza holds a sign with his holiday wish during a rally in support of Texas Gov. George W. Bush yesterday in El Paso, Texas. About 50
Bush supporters gathered for the rally.
Larceny drops on campus
By David Enders
Daily StaffReporter
The holiday season traditionally bring a
rise larcenies, but a look back at the last six
months shows that overall larceny on cam-
pus has dropped for the same period last
year, according to Department of Public,
*afety statistics.
DPS perennially identifies the Central Recre-
ation Building and Intramural Sports Building,
the University's Hospitals and libraries as the
most common sites of theft, while overall inci-
dents of larceny are down, theft at the CCRB
and the IM Building rose.
Three hundred and forty-one larcenies
from a building were reported from Sep-
tember to November 1999, compared to
294 for the same period this year, accord-
ing to DPS statistics. For the CCRB, there
ere 23 incidences of theft compared to 10
last year. At the IM, theft rose from zero to
seven incidences.
DPS attributes the thefts to patrons leaving
gym bags unattended. "I think it's helpful for
people to know there are lockers - they cost a
quarter, but when you're done, you get the
quarter back," Brown said.
Brown said DPS officers suspect thieves sim-
ply come into the CCRB and leave unnoticed
with a bag that is not theirs. "They're coming in
dressed like everyone else in basketball clothes
and sweats, and they blend in with the crowd,"
she said. "Our theft is not students. It's people
coming from the outside."
Associate Director of Recreational Sports
Debrah Webb said the CCRB takes precautions
to keep non-affiliates of the University from
coming into the CCRB.,
"We've got people stationed at the entries
and swiping MCards," Webb said. "So I don't
know that people who are stealing don't have a
University affiliation."
Webb said that students should use the lock-
ers and avoid an "it won't happen to me" atti-
tude about theft.
They play basketball and think they can M:
> an eye on their bag.' she said.
ckpa k thieves in the ibraries work much
ame way.
We are very aware, especially at this
e of the year that we see more theft,"
I Brenda Johnson, the associate director
public services in the University
rary System. "In the ening, we have
irity monitors who walk around the build-
' she said. "Aft 'r rmidni ht, at the Shapiro
dergraduate Library) you have to be a U of
tudent" to enter.
rown also warned against two other kinds
efts common during this time of year.
Credit card theft rises nationwide at the hol-
s" she s id, also mentioning another crime
lents may not ogten consider.r
As we approach the book buyback season,
see an increase in textbook thefts," Brown ABBY ROSENBAUM/Daily
. "It's very frustrating because that's when A student leaves his coat unattended in the locker room of
ryone needs them to study for their the CCRB. DPS statistics show that while crime is down
lls." overall on campus, larceny is up at the CCRB.
'U'symposium ldebates
use001of 'Copy RIGHTS
Students
in APA
discuss
diversity
By Anna Clark
Daily Staff Reporter
By being paired with whites in the
University's admissions policies, Asian
American students are not beneficiaries
of affirmative action. But almost three
years after the filing of two lawsuits
challenging the race-based admissions
policies in the College of Literature,
Science and the Arts and the Law
School, campus groups representing
Asian cultures still haven't taken an offi-
cial position on the issue.
That will change next week when
University Asian Organizations, the
umbrella group for Asian student orga-
nizations at the University, will vote on
a stance.
To preface the vote, the Asian Pacif-
ic Association hosted an affirmative
action debate at their regular meeting
last night in a South Quad multicultur-
al lounge.
Law third-year students Amit
Kurlekar and Ryan Wu presented
opposing arguments before a group of
about 40 University students and staff
members, some of whom are not part of
APA but were drawn to the event out of
personal interest.
. LSA senior Avani Sheth, moderator
of the debate and UAO advocacy chair,
said the event was intended to primarily
be educational.
Asian Pacific students "tend to be an
excluded voice on political issues on
See ASIAN AMERICANS, Page 7A
Students with SOLE
By Maria Sprow
Daily StaffReporter
The University's use of 'CopyRIGHTS'
provided material for debate during the last
day of the University's symposium on the
legal provisions involved in copyrighting.
The panel discussion featured speakers
James Hilton, a professor of psychology;
Roberta Morris, an Law School adjunct pro-
fessor, Jonathan Alger, the assistant general
council to the University, Chief Information
Officer Jose-Marie Griffiths and William
Gosling, the director of the University
library.
The panel discussed fair use rights, the
University's support of copyrighted material
in the classroom and faculty produced schol-
arly material.
Faculty and staff, during a discussion,
addressed the need for guidelines regarding
copyrighted material. Responding defensive-
ly, Information Prof. Victor Rosenberg com-
pared the University's stance on copyright
issues to that on affirmative action.
Rosenberg stated the University has not
changed its policies regarding affirmative
action in the face of the threat of public dis-
approval and asked why the University isn't
See COPYRIGHTS, Page 7A
Duke opens chapel to same-sex unions
By Rachel Green
Daily Stafl Reporter
Duke University announced yesterday its
decision to open the university's chapel to
same-sex union ceremonies.
A student government proposal prompted
the decision. University President Nannerl Keo-
denomination supports same-sex unions.
John Burness, a spokesman for the universi,
ty, said the unions are protected under the uni-
versity's non-discrimination policy.
"This policy does not and cannot discrimi-
nate based on sexual orientation," Burness said.
Founded in conjunction with the United
Methodist Church, Duke has become the fight
church has changed significantly over the
course of the long-standing relationship
between the church and university.
"While the seminary is still a Methodist sem-
inary, the Duke chapel is not itself affiliated
with the Methodist church," Burness said.
"The Duke chapel is a Duke building - a pub-
lic building."
E