LOCAL/S TATE

Wednesday, September 6, 2000 - The Michigan Daily - 7A

'M' basketball player removed from team

GAINES
Continued from Page1A
semester while on probation for his
part in attacking a 16-year-old student
while attending Winchendon School in
Winchendon, Mass.
The San Bernardino, Calif., native
transferred to Redemption Christian
Academy in Troy, N.Y., after his arrest
on assault and battery charges last
December and was ordered to serve
one year probation and 50 hours of
community service.
Ellerbe said he was unclear whether
Monday's incident will affect Queen's
previous legal problems.
"I can't comment on that, because I
don't know," Ellerbe said, noting he is
promptly punishing the players him-
self.
"They're on probation- my proba-
tion," Ellerbe said. "The details I won't
elaborate on, but it will be severe and
it already has started."
As for Gaines, Ellerbe said he did
not know whether the sophomore guard
intended to accept an offer from
Ellerbe that would allow him to stay at
Michigan and keep his scholarship.
"I don't know if he's made that deci-
sion," Ellerbe said. "We talked about
several options, and I'm sure he'll talk
more with his parents, and we'll try to
figure out what's best for Kevin."
"The most important thing here is not
basketball," Ellerbe said, "it's Kevin's
life, and if you knew all what I know,
you'd understand that a lot more."

Gaines, a Las Vegas native, started
all but one of Michigan's games last
season while leading the team in min-
utes played, averaging 11.7 points per
game.
While admittedly unsettled by prob-
lems that have plagued his program,
Ellerbe said it's important to remember
that these problems are not limited to
athletes.
"We're human beings and we're deal-
ing with young kids," Ellerbe said.
"We're not here to perpctuate these
types of things but we are dealing with
young student athletes. This is not some-
thing that only happens to students."
Gaines is the fourth Michigan player
- and the third from his class - to
leave the team since the spring.
Last season was a tumultuous year in
which a storm of off-court controver-
sies overshadowed a promising 12-3
start that gave way to a disappointing
15-14 finish.
After a year marred by the lengthy
suspension of Jamal Crawford, who
twice was benched by the NCAA for a
series of violations, as well as a num-
ber of off-court distractions and off-
season transfers, Michigan had hoped
to leave last year's struggles behind.
But news of Monday's events left
Athletic Director Bill Martin admitting
that the continual controversy is upset-
ting to see.
"People say this is a problem, and
they're right." Martin said.
- The Associated Press contributed to
this report.

"People say this is a problem, and they're
right"
- Bill Martin
Athletic Director

Police charge
brother of
former regent
DETROIT (AP) - Police have obtained an arrest
warrant for the brother of a former University regent
and local casino investor, accusing him and another
man in the 1998 shooting death of a man.
A warrant issued Friday for Harold Varner, Nellie
Varner's 40-year-old brother, charges him with first-
degree murder and a felony firearm count in Alvin
Knight's death, police Sgt. Jo Ann Kinney said yester-
day. Authorities expect Harold Varner to surrender,
Kinney said.
On Monday, Maurice Adams of Detroit was
arraigned on identical charges and was ordered held
without bond.
The warrants came after a witness "gave us informa-
tion" in Knight's death, Kinney said.
Wayne County prosecutors did not immediately
return telephone messages yesterday.
Authorities have believed Knight's death was part of
a custody dispute over Knight's son.
In 1995, authorities said, Knight was wounded by a
masked gunman inside Nellie Varner's garage when he
went to pick up his son at the Detroit home. Knight
survived but was fatally shot in 1998, a day after he
won a court ruling ordering Janniss Varner - Nellie
Varner's adopted daughter - to return custody of his
son to him.
Late last year, Janniss Varner was convicted in the
1995 ambush wounding of Knight and was sentenced
to 13 to 20 years behind bars. The supposed gunman in
that case, Richard Toby Oliver, is serving a 15-year
prison term.
Prosecutors have said Janniss Varner's journals show
she wanted to gain custody of Knight's son by another
woman.

LOUIS BROWN/Daily
Michigan guard Kevin Gaines led the basketball team in minutes played last season and
averaged 11.7 points per game. He becomes the fourth player to leave the squad this year.


MIDWESTNe oniestm
Continued from Page New online sy em causes
Gore is favored in the Northeast and the Pacific
West region.
The Midwest is the last undecided frontier to be con-
queied for the 2000 presidential race.
The region is considered to have a "fairly balanced
number of Republicans and Democrats and have "a

history of going
either way in the
election," said Michigan and
political science
assistant Prof. Ted Pennsylvania are
Brader, a faculty t u
associate at theV, Ju
Center for Political
Studies.
After California, New York, Texas and Florida, the
most electorally powerful states are Pennsylvania,
Ohio, Michigan and Illinois, along with the geographi-
cally smaller states of New Jersey and Missouri.
So far, polls in Midwestern states are too close for
analysts to call, but Achen said many have speculated
that Bush will take Missouri and Ohio and the Gore
will win Illinois and New Jersey.
This leaves Michigan and Pennsylvania still up for
grabs.
Both are considered to be representative of the
nation as a whole, especially in their suburban, urban,
ethnic and industrial make-up.

RG ISTRATION
Continued from Page1:A
Incoming freshman were the first to
fully use the system at summer orien-
tation.
"For the most part, it was very suc-
cessful and the students who used it
liked it," said Ann Hower, director of
the Office of New Student Programs,
which runs orientation. "However,
having said that, there were some diflfi-
culties<"
The new system can be "very, very
slow," fHower said. Once, system prob-
lems forced students to abandon
online registration and register manu-
ally through the registrar's office.
But, Hower said, problems were,
expected for a new system of the mag-
nitude of Wolverine Access.
"Nobody taught me how to use it,

and I was a little confused about class
numbers," LSA junior Rob dePicciot-
to, "but I thought it worked pretty
good. Very simple."
But many, especially returning stu-
dents, have become frustrated.
Myer said she thought there were
not enough problems with CRISP to
justify the switch to online registra-
tion.
"I wonder how much money they've
spent on it," she said. "If it was some
big multimillion dollar project, well, I
think they could've spent the money
better on other projects."
Green said she recognizes the con-
cerns and her office is trying to help
students adjust.
"There's an FAQ on the site with
pretty good instructions on how to use
the system," she said. "But some stu-
dents feel they don't need that. They

think they should be able to figure it
out through osmosis."
Another instructional aid is the
consulting hotline at 764-HELP,
where trained staff can address
questions and concerns about
Wolverine Access in addition to
other computer issues.
Green added that about 17,000
posters were distributed throughout
campus and all students should have
received postcards explaining how to
use Wolverine Access.
"We've tried to put out the informa-
tion so students can get the help they
need," she said.
Green said students also can e-mail
reasonable suggestions to mpath-
w'aayscurich.edit.
"This first version of the system is
not the last. It will get easier and bet-
ter," Green said.

BRAD QUINN/Daily
Students for Gore co-Chair Mike Masters speaks at a joint
meeting of the campus groups supporting Al Gore and
George W. Bush in the Michigan Union on Monday.

Order to
stop drug
testing
.extended
DETROIT (AP) - A temporary
restraining order directing the state to
stop requiring drug testing for welfare
recipients has been extended, a federal
judge ruled yesterday.
In handing down the decision, U.S.
District Judge Victoria Roberts said
that the plaintiffs were likely to suc-
'ed on the merits of their claim.
A group of welfare recipients and
the American Civil Liberties Union of
Michigan last year asked Roberts to
issue a temporary restraining order on
the grounds the testing is unconstitu-
tional. Roberts granted the original
order in November.
The ACLU has said the effort is an
"unreasonable search" in violation of
the Fourth Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution.
The drug testing is part of a pilot
"gram that began Oct. 1 in a handful
of Michigan communities. It requires
most welfare applicants to provide
urine samples for drug screening
before they can be considered for ben-
efits.
No one who screens positive for
drugs would be denied food stamps or
assistance checks, and police wouldn't
be notified. But offenders who don't
* to state-ordered treatment risk the
gradual loss of benefits.
Yesterday, Roberts said "drug testing
under these circumstances must satisfy
a special need, and that need must con-
cern public safety. In this instance, there
is no indication of a concrete dlanger to

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