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NEWS: 76-DAILY
CLASSIFIED. 7640557
www~michigandaily.com
Thursday
September 7, 2000
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Lawsuit
postponed
until late
November
® Illness causes latest
delay in admissions
lawsuit facing LSA
By Jon Fish
Daily Staff Reporter
US District Court Judge Patrick
Duggan granted a motion to post-
pone the proceedings of the lawsuit
challenging the University's use of
race as a factor in admissions at the
College of Literature, Sciences and
the Arts due to the illness of one of
the University's lawyers.
New system
Slows access,
irks students
By Rachel Green
Daily Staff Reporter
Engineering junior Nishmant Ver-
man had a close call this morning.
After waiting nearly two hours yes-
terday to access his schedule, he
was able to print it just 30 minutes
before his first class.
"When I got to the prompt where I
had. to choose which term I wanted to
access, only Spring and Summer 2000
came up. I tried to call 764-HELP, but
was line was busy," he said.
Many students' biggest problem
with the University's new online
registration system is waiting for
the computer to process informa-
tion.
Because Wolverine Access now ser-
vices both student records and class
registration, the overload of students
accessing the system during the first
few class days has caused delays,
leaving many students unable to
access their schedules when they are
most needed.
Linda Green, communications
coordinator for Michigan Administra-
tion Information Services, said more
than 3,000 students used the new
See WACCESS Page 2A
9
Oral argu-
ments for sum-
mary judgment,
Ar\ originally
scheduled for
Sept. 18 in fed-
eral court in
Detroit, have
been pushed back to Nov. 21.
Last spring both sides submitted
motions for a summary judgment,
which is a decision based on evi-
dence presented to the court without
a trial.
f a summary judgment is not
granted, pre-trial hearings are
expected to begin after Nov. 21.
Liz Barry, University deputy gen-
eral counsel, declined to comment
on the individual and the particular
sickness that caused the delay.
Barry said the delay should not
set the timetable of the LSA case to
a similar time period already sched-
uled for the lawsuit challenging the
missions processes at the Univer-
Wy's Law School. The nearly iden-
tical suit goes to trial Jan. 15.
"I don't think we can be in two
courts at the same time," Barry said.
The Washington, D.C.-based Cen-
ter for Individual Rights, which
brought the LSA case forth, also
filed the suit challenging the Law
School's admissions processes.
Terry Pell, chief executive officer
*the Center for Individual Rights,
said it was "impossible to specu-
late" how this delay might affect the
other case.
The LSA suit, originally filed on
Oct. 14, 1997, has been delayed
numerous times, primarily for the
motion, denial, appeal and subse-
quent approval to allow a group of
intervening defendants into the
case.
Both sides seem to agree, however,
t this delay is a reasonable one.
"In light of the circumstances, we
do not oppose this delay," Pell said.
"Delays are not unexpected,"
Barry said. "We've already had sev-
eral delays and we'll see how this
checks out."
Godfried Dillard, lead counsel for
the intervening defendants, could
not be reached for comment yester-
'y.
Program allows
tax-free savings
for families
BRAD QUINN/Uaily
Oregon resident Jim Weber displays his religious beliefs on a sandwich boards during a theatrical preaching session
on the Diag yesterday while service organizations recruited nearby.
Service groups benefit
from preachers'
crowd
By Michelle Poniewozk
For the Daily
Circle K Group volunteer Stephanie Hartshorn
wasn't intimidated by the shouting and whistle blowing
heard in the Diag yesterday.
Although student groups took over the Diag for
ServeltUp, an event allowing student-sponsored
community service organizations a chance to
recryit interested individuals for a number of ser-
vice related activities, some unexpected campus
preachers also used the venue to share their mes-
sage.
Hartshorn said students were initially distracted by
the verbatious ministers, but student groupstsoon adapt-
ed to the environment.
"We used it to our advantage because there was a big
crowd," Hartshorn said, explaining she walked through
the crowd that had gathered for the preachers.
Jim Weber from Oregon and Jeremiah Baldwin from
California call themselves "bible believers" and are
traveling to campuses across the country to preach.
They blew whistles, held signs and bantered with stu-
See PREACHERS Page 2A
By Hanna LoPatin
Daily Staff Reporter
Michigan families will have the
chance to put money into a state
tax-free account to save for higher
education when the Michigan Edu-
cation Savings Program takes effect
Oct. 1.
The law, signed in June by Gov.
John Engler, allows accounts to be
opened with as little as $25 or as
much as $5,000 a year. Participants
in the program can withdraw a max-
imum of $125,000 free from state
taxes to be used for higher educa-
tion.
The law's sponsor, Sen. Mike
Rogers (R-Brighton) said an indepen-
dent firm to hold and manage the
money will be announced next month.
Individuals should be able to set up
accounts by January.
The account can be started at any
time, put towards any type of high-
er education and used for all educa-
tion costs, Rogers said.
Withdrawn funds will cover
"room and board, fees, and comput-
ers - excluding beer, unfortunate
ly."
Rogers said the program is not
replacing the Michigan Educational
See ROGERS, Page 12A
Ameritech services becoming inadequate
By Jodie Kaufman
Daily Staff Reporter
Cell phones are more than just a luxury on
campus this fall - they've become a necessity
for many students who are still waiting for
telephone lines to be connected in their houses
and apartments.
"Some of my housemates bought cell
phones, and we are now cutting down on the
amount of lines we are getting," said
Stephanie Morse, an LSA sophomore who
called Ameritech early last month to request
phone lines that have yet to be installed.
Calling a few weeks ahead of time can help
the wait, said Public Health graduate student
Christina Lalama, whose landlord warned her
to call in advance. But even the call-ahead
plan hasn't proven worthwhile for some stu-
dents.
"Ameritech is currently facing challenges,
and some areas are not currently providing the
service we expect," Ameritech representative
Jody Juckem said yesterday. "We are aware of
the situation and we are responding as best we
are able," she said.
But that's not fast enough for students who
expected to hook up their phones and comput-
ers immediately after arriving in Ann Arbor.
"Something needs to be done," said Law
student Matt Ferrell. "This is horrible, and
they are totally incompetent." Ferrell has had
phone trouble since Aug. 10, and when
Ameritech claimed it was fixed, they had actu-
ally repaired another patron a block away. "I
have thought about getting a cell phone, but I
haven't gotten around to getting it. Plus I need
Internet access," Ferrell said.
Juckem said Ameritech is taking initiatives
to help resolve complaints from dissatisfied
customers. "We are working to improve relia-
bility and speed of service," she said.
Ameritech is currently spending over 2
million dollars a day on its Michigan network,
a 39 percent increase in investment this year.
Workers have been punching in many over-
time hours as well, Juckem said.
The company has blamed slow service
partly on the large number of customers who
all want service at the same time. Ameritech
also suffered setbacks last month from severe
storms which are still delaying repair and
installation teams.
Even students who understand that hun-
dreds of others are in the same situation say
they are frustrated simply because they have
no choice but to use Ameritech for local
phone service.
"We have 7 girls sharing one line, which is
ridiculous. We can't do it on our own, so we
have to wait," LSA junior Danielle Wroblews-
ki said. "Ameritech in Ann Arbor should pre-
pare themselves better to accommodate
students that are moving back."
Students find
new ways to
buy books
By Caitlin Nish
Daily Staff Reporter
While students were seen lining up outside lecture
halls and classrooms yesterday, many were spotted
queuing up on the sidewalks outside numerous cam-
pus bookstores.
"The lines look so much worse than they are, so
it's not that big a deal to wait," said Brandi Wilson,
an LSA sophomore.
Although it may seem that the stores are as busy
as ever, bookstore owners and managers agree that
yesterday's volume of sales decreased from the first
day of classes last year.
"I think we had an earlier influx of students this
year so we had earlier sales," Mark Farrell, manager
JUSTIN FITZPATRICK/Daily
LSA junior Jamie Kiss buys his books from LSA senior Zeena Monesa at Michigan Book and Supply. During this
semester's book rush many students are using new ways to purchase books, such as online bookstores.
It's a class for about 175 students but we had sold
about 125 copies before classes started."
Although the rush is not as bad as it has been in
previous years, some bookstore owners are increas-
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LSA senior Mandy Taylor, referring to the Web-
ordered pick-up desk beneath the crowded lines of
students weaving through the upstairs book rooms.
"I've ordered online all three semesters, especially
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