One hundred ten years ofeditorialfreedom NEWS: 76-DAILY CLASSIFIED: 7640557 WWWmichigandaily comn Thursday November 2, 2000 I f t t t. t. ! kF ! Yi 1 S I lb cited for drug sales C By David Enders Daily Staff Reporter Washtenaw County narcotics inves- tigators yesterday continued to serve 13 warrants issued this week in con- nection with alleged sales of the drug ecstasy at the Nectarine Ballroom, a popular Ann Arbor dance club. Responding to patron concerns that the dealers had been selling the drug at the club, undercover offi- cers purchased an undisclosed amount of ecstasy over a six-month period. The police officers participated in "individual buys in the bar from Female Sens. not common in U.S. By Jeremy W. Peters Daily Staff Reporter If Debbie Stabenow wins her bid for U.S. Senate against Republican incum- ent Spence Abraham she would find herself one of only a handful of women there. Currently nine women are members of what has been called the "most CAM P A.I G N exclusive gen- tleman's club in 2 the world." Three are up for re-election this year and none are expected to lose heir seats. "It would be such an honor for me. I would be the first woman from Michigan ever elected to the U.S. Senate," said Stabenow, who is visit- ing campus tonight along with fel- low Democrats Rep. Lynn Rivers and State Rep. Dianne Byrum to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the constitutional amendment enfran- chising women. Stabenow, along with First Lady Hillary Clinton, who is running for Daniel Patrick Moynihan's open seat in New York, and Democrat Maria Cartwell of Washington state are the three women who are running in the tightest races this year and are consid- ered to have fairly good chance to win. "We have had in the course of histo- ry of our nation, 1,850 senators and only 15 of them have been women elected in their own right," Stabenow Aid. Stabenow, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives since 1997, is careful to point out that if elected senator, her perspective as a female will not be the only factor she uses to guide herself. "It's not just about representing women," she said. "Coming to the Senate as a woman is about broaden- ng the perspective. There are critical ssues that touch all of our lives in so many ways and as a woman I could bring a different set of experiences that are important." To her opponent, this election isn't about putting another woman in the Senate, it's about who can do a better job as a law maker. "If you look at the simple positive accomplishments of Spence Abraham and Debbie Stabenow, what you see is at I've passed 21 bills into law and he's passed none. So if you look at it in terms of accomplishments, I'd win that campaign easily," Abraham said. Ann Arbor's Lynn Rivers, who works with Stabenow in the House, said she wholeheartedly endorses her counterpart. "We do need more women," Rivers said. "Women are 52 percent of the population and if we're going to have a presentative government we need to have a government that reflects that." On women's issues in particular, Stabenow said she hopes to remedy some problems she sees women facing today. "What I want to do is take my expe- individual dealers," said Sgt. Lyle Sartori, who works for the Liv- ingston and Washtenaw Narcotics Enforcement Team (LAWNET). AAPD Sgt. Michael Logghe said officers served one warrant to an Ann Arbor resident. Metro Detroit residents received the remaining 12. None appear to be students. The club is open five nights a week, and minors are allowed in with identifi- cation. "We had gotten complaints that there were open dealings going on in the Nectarine," Sartori said. Saturday morning LAWNET made the first two arrests inside the club, located at 510 E. Liberty St. A designer drug hybrid of mesca- line and amphetamine, ecstasy is known chemically as MDMA. Users say it loosens inhibitions and makes people more relaxed. Some Euro- pean countries used ecstasy in psy- chotherapy cases until being banned in 1986. Sartori said the drug is associated commonly with "rave" and "dance" scenes, a description that fits the club. "You probably just about could go into any bar and if you sat there long enough you could buy any drug," he said. "Why is it unique to the Nec- tarine? I don't know." "It appears to be on the rise," Sar- tori said. "We're running into more and more late teens to early 20-year- olds who are experimenting with it. That is in correlation to the national average." Club owner Michael Bender said he was unaware of the sale of ecsta- sy in his establishment. "I'm trying to help out as much as possible - it was a shock to me," Bender said. He also said his club tries to pre- vent such activity, but that it is not easy. See NECTARINE, Page 7A Police worked undercover for six months at the Nectarine Ballroom, a popular downtown dance club, to build arrest cases against alleged dealers of ecstasy. ABBY ROSENBAUM/Daily Calso Cardenas, co-chair of La Voz, speaks to attendees In front of the ceremonial alter last night in the Michigan Union, in celebration of the Day of the Dead. Day of Dead' celebrates life House race tight, could give Dems majonty By Hanna LoPatin Daily Staff Reporter Every two years control of the U.S. House of Representa tives comes up for grabs. In this tight election year, when almost every race on the ticket seems like it could go either way, both the Democrats and Republicans have their eye on the prize. In the present Congress the Republicans hold a six-seat majority. But the close political races could dictate a minuscule and ineffectual majority. rri "No matter who wins control, it's going to be almost impossi- ble to govern the House," Inside Michigan Politics Editor Bill Ballenger said, As far as Ballenger is con- cerned, the winner is most likely ILO going to be the Democratic Party. "There are more open seats that tend to tilt Democratic than there are Republican,' he said. But there are several special circumstances that make this election year different than any other. "The two parties are perhaps in more equal strength than in any time in the last quarter century" Ballenger said. One of the tightest races in the country is taking place in the 8th District of Michigan, right next door to Ann Arbor. The most recent EPIC/MRA poll showed Democrt Dianne Byrum favored over Republican Mike Rogers by one point with a five point margin of error. Roger's Pre Secretary Sylvia Warner said political pundits have predict ed "as the eighth district goes, so goes Congress." But representatives from both parties said they were confident that their candidate would win the election. Marit Babin, spokeswoman for the National Republica Congressional Committee, said that the Ohio Democrar James Traficant vocalizing his support for Dennis Hastert' (R-Ill.) for Speaker of the House over Dick Gephardt (D- Miss.) will additionally hurt the Democrats. "There's no way the Democrats are going to be able to make up the difference," Babin said. Babin said the Republican Party is confident in at least three seats that they can take away from the Democrats in races in Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York. Losing Traficant's vote, combined with the three seats the Republicans are confident in gaining, adds up to 10 seats that the Democrats need to win to get the majority, Babin said. "There are not 10 seats that they are going to win," she said. But spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Cam See HOUSE, Page 7A By Rachel Green Daily Staff Reporter An alter covered with sugar skulls, can- dles, pictures of lost loved ones and colorful streamers decorated the Art room in the Michigan Union last night, as Latino stu- dents celebrated the Day of the Dead. About 40 students attended the Day of the Dead Alter Ceremony, a celebration to remember loved ones who have died. Donney Moroney, student services associate for the office of multi-ethnic student affairs, said this holiday is "a cel- ebration of the continuation of life." She said the two-day holiday commemorates the memory of children yesterday and adults today. Calso Cardenas, co-chair of La Voz, the Latino student group that sponsored the event, said last night's festivities marked the seventh Day of the Dead celebration at the University. "This holiday, specifically, I just like what it's about," Cardenas said. "It's supposed to be like our version of Halloween but instead of mourning death, we celebrate life," he said. "They lived, they were here, they made an impact in our lives." LSA sophomore Rebecca Casas, said she wants to remind students that this holiday is a joyous occasion, rather than a solemn one. "The main point of Day of the Dead is that it's a happy time because your family is returning home," she said. Casas, co-chair of La Voz, said on both days participants leave bread - made especially for the holiday - and a glass of water on the alter dedicated to return- ing spirits so they can eat and join in the celebration. "Usually you also have a picture of the See DEAD, Page 7A Electoral college confuses race By Yael Kohen Daily Staff Reporter Presidential candidates Al Gore and George W Bush have repeated it again and again: "I want your vote," and "your vote counts." But with recent speculation that one candidate may win the popular vote but lose the necessary electoral college votes, many are left wondering if their vote counts at all. The popular vote "means nothing in terms of who actually gets elected," Inside Michigan Poli- tics Editor Bill Ballenger said. The electoral college is a group of elected officials selected at state party conventions. The number of electors varies from state to state and is based on the number of members a state has in the House of Representatives and the Senate. While the nationwide popular vote does not count in terms of who gets elected "it counts toward the choice of these electors," Universi- ty political science Prof. Chris Achen said. Voice Your Vote Chair Shari Katz said the group registered nearly 6,800 University students to vote this year, adding that she does not believe that her vote is futile. "The responsibility of the electoral college is to represent the majority of voters," Katz said. The electors cast ballots in See COLLEGE, Page 2A States with the most Electoral votes r California New York Texas Florida Pennsylvania Ohio * Illinois Michigan * New Jersey ' North Carolina 54 33 32 25 23 21 22 18. 15 14 Mold keeps 'U' workers away By David Enders Daily Staff Reporter University employees at the Argus Building with flu-like symptoms have blamed their troubles on mold entering the building through the air circulation system. None of the symptoms have been classified as life-threatening, and the University has not mandated an evacu- "In principle, we can work anywhere we can find bandwidth." - Pete Honeyman Computer Information and Technology Integration Director their workplace after as many as 18 people complained of the symptoms. "Mv frmmendatin was to spnd the front door." The building's owner, O'Neal Con- strucntio~n of Ann Arbor. has hired an _ U s e.