LOCAL/STATE The Michigan Daily - Friday, November 17, 2000 - 3 RIME Michigan electoral acist graffiti ound in Mason all bathroom Racist graffiti was found Monday fternoon in a stall of a men's bath- oom in Mason Hall, Department of ublic Safety reports state. A paint shop was contacted for 'mediate removal. DPS did not report laving any suspects in the incident. U' driver hits arked vehicle ,e driver of a University vehicle was eported having struck a parked vehicle onday morning in the 700 block of appan Street, DPS reports state. The parked vehicle was unattended t the time of the accident. hone stolen from outh Quad lobby telephone was reported stolen onday afternoon from the lobby of the outh Quad Residence Hall, DPS reports 'tate. DPS did not report having any sus- ects in the incident. tudent accidently uts hand while hopping lettuce A staff member of East Quad Resi- ce Hall reported accidentally cut- mg her hand with a knife Monday vening, DPS reports state. The accident happened while chop- ing lettuce. bandoned truck tuck in soil, roperty damaged n abandoned truck was found stuck freshly turned soil on the North ampus Diag on Monday evening PS reports state. The driver was not at the scene and he vehicle was impounded. DPS reports state that there was xtensive damage to property. aundry swiped rom Lloyd Hall lothes were reported stolen onday night from the laundry room f the Alice Lloyd Residence Hall, PS reports state. DPS did not report having any sus- ects in the incident ash stolen from spresso Royale PS reports state that $170 were rted stolen Tuesday morning from cash register at the Espresso Royale offee shop in Pierpont Commons on ofh Campus. DPS reports state that there are urrently no suspects in the inci- enj. elI phone taken rom Church St. rking structure A cell phone was reported stolen rom a car on the top level of the Thurch Street parking garage Tuesday vening, DPS reports state. DPS reports state that there is one sus- ect described as a male wearing a dark aggy coat, baggy jeans and an orange lat. unken minors rrested, cited for ighting near ICU Fourjuveniles were reported fighting uesday evening outside the Prenatal ntensive Care Unit of the University ospitals, DPS reports state. Officers made contact with three of he subjects, arresting one for disor- erly conduct and for being a minor n ossession of alcohol. The other subjects were cited as minors in ossession of alcohol but were later cleased. - Compiled by Daily Staf Reporter Caitlin Nish. By Jeremy W. Peters Daily StaffReporter Given the recent electoral chaos now facing the nation, Michigan Secretary of State Candice Miller has proposed a number of reforms to the state's electoral process, including making Elec- tion Day a holiday and standardizing state voting systems. "I think as disturbing as the situation is in Flor- ida, it does provide an environment to try to cham- pion these electoral reforms," Miller said yesterday. "Having a standardized voting system is something we should seriously consider. Here we are in the 21st Century, and we're using equipment that is 40 or 50 years old." Miller's proposal to make Election Day a state- wide holiday follows the success of the United Auto Workers being excused from work last Tuesday to vote. Miller, a Republican; said her proposals were not sparked by claims that by having the day off, UAW voters delivered Michigan to the Democrat Al Gore. "I'm not looking at this from a partisan point of view," Miller said. "Hats off to the UAW. They obviously increased voter turnout, particu- larly among their membership. But why should it just be them?" Michigan Democratic Party officials are not exactly jumping at the chance to back Miller's efforts. "We have always believed that Election Day should be a holiday, but Candice Miller has a his- tory of not helping voters," state party spokesman Dennis Denno said. "She's really a 'Johnny-come- lately' on this issue." Specifically, Denno cited Miller's support of Senate Bill 306, which made all Michigan residents vote in the precinct designated by the address on their driver's license. re orms proposed "Look, this woman has really done little to help still isn't working," Denno said of the progr Michigan voters ... students in particular. This is Miller instituted that is designed to keep a me really all just a ploy for her gubernatorial cam- accurate count of Michigan's registered voters paign," Denno said. Miller said because of Michigan's election lav Due to term limits, Gov. John Engler cannot the controversy surrounding the Florida recot seek re-election when his third term expires in could never occur here. 2002, leading to speculation that Miller may seek to "I'm pleased to tell the voters In. Michigan t ram ore S. ws, int hat become his successor. "As chief election officer, it is my goal to turn as many people as possible out to vote," Miller said. "Clearly, the UAW did a good job of getting their vote out, but generally I would say that is a good thing." Democratic concerns run deeper than Miller's motives for election reform. Democrats and others harbor anxiety that the current situation in Florida could happen in Michigan. "Look at what happened in East Lansing. With all the confusion over Senate Bill 306, students were turned away ... her Voter Qualification File our laws are much better. We would never do what they are doing in Florida because Michigan is not a voter intent state," Miller said in regard to the hand counting of the ballots in Florida, which opponents have criticized as subjective. But, she cautioned, dispute over the fairness of certain ballots is not a concern limited to Florida. "You know that butterfly ballot that's creating all the trouble in Florida? Guess what? We have that too," Miller said. "Also, of our 5,300 precincts 1,400 of them use punch cards. These are the rea sons we should be moving toward a more uniform voting systern." SOLE: 'U' accountable for. factory labor conditions By Anna Clark and Susan Luth Daily Staff Reporters "We can profess to support human rights until we're blue in the face ... -Jackie Bray LSA freshman School about media facts about this year's presidential campaigning yesterday. 2000campaign addres eduring panel discu,.,ssionI- Members of Students Organizing for Labor and Economic Equality pushed forward on two separate initiatives this week intending to hold the administra- tion accountable for labor conditions in companies contracted by the Uni- versity. During the public comments section of yesterday's University Board of Regents meeting, SOLE members pressed the administration to adopt a code ofconduct for the production of University apparel that would be written into each licensing and supply contracts. "The University has written a policy statement against sweatshops and it has even joined organizations to monitor companies that produce U of M apparel, but it has yet to make its principles legally binding by writing its code of conduct into licensing and supply con- tracts," LSA freshman Jackie Bray, a SOLE member, told the regents. "We can profess to support human rights until we're blue in the face, but we can't actually do anything about it until we hold these companies legally accountable," Bray said. SOLE members proposed a time line for the University to follow, asking that the Standing Committee on Labor Stan- dards and Human Rights recommend the code to Bollinger by Dec. 7 and suggest that the University include it in future contracts. By Dec. I1, SOLE proposed that Bollinger send the code to the direc- tor of the Collegiate Licensing Commit- tee to include in future contracts. SOLE member Peter Romer-Fried- man, an RC senior, said the University is accountable for current violations of workers rights because it isn't making explicit the standards it professes to uphold. "The University could've responded if it had written its code of conduct into its contracts. Without a code, it has no legal or legitimate way to implement workers rights," Romer-Friedman said. University Regent Olivia Maynard (D-Goodrich) said while she is unaware of the specific criteria SOLE is.push- ing, she supports the anti-sweatshop movement. "This process is going to take time, but it is my hope that we will nonetheless be able to move ahead in it," she said. In a separate push on Wednesday, SOLE members went to the offices of University President Lee Bollinger and General Counsel Marvin Krislov to deliver a letter asking for the Universi- ty's support in defending workers rights' at Van Dyne Crotty Inc., a laundromat in Toledo, Ohio. The company is contracted to do laun- dry service for the University, such as cleaning dining hall uniforms and hospi-, tal linens. SOLE members said the company has not only failed to bargain in good faith' with its workers, but has also refused to' provide themwith enough wages to cover: everyday basic necessities. Because of the laudromat's tie to the University, SOLE members have asked Bollinger to threaten to terminate his association with the corporation unless conditions' improve. "We feel that the university has the responsibility to defend these workers' rights because (the workers) are part of' the university community," Bray said. "The University has released a policy, statement that supports labor standards that Wan Dyne Crotty is obviously in violation of. It would be a huge double standard for the University not to seek a positive outcome." An employee at the laundromai declined to comment. By Tiffany Maggard Daily Staff Reporter Amid the climax of the presidential election, as the nation waits to find out who won Florida's 25'electoral votes, a panel of campaign experts last night discussed the tactics that have led presidential candidates George W. Bush and Al Gore into a nail-biting race for the White House. Hosting the panel at Hale Auditorium at the School of Business Administration, the Uni- versity's Yaffe Center for Per- suasive Communication invited Owen Dougherty, a representative from advertising agency J. Walter Thompson Co., communications department Chair Mike Traugott and Depaul University marketing Prof. Bruce Newman to speak. During the two-hour discussion the panel members addressed par- ticular themes prevalent through- out the Bush and Gore campaigns. Among these were a "lack of pas- sion" expressed by the candidates as well as a lack of risk-taking in defending their platforms. Newman said that both the Bush and Gore campaigns were weak in their use of dramatic themes to cap- ture the American people, tactics popularized by many predecessors - most notably Ronald Reagan. But Newman said both candidates attempted to exploit'emotion in their campaigns. However, Bush, he said, was the real winner in this category. "There is something that both candi- dates did ... but I think one succeeded and one failed." Newman said Bush's sense of humor and charm relative to Gore's rigidness and appeal to rationality was ultimately more effective. Dougherty agreed with New- man's observation that passion was missing in the presidential race. "Fuzzy math and lock boxes just don't cut it as something to look back upon," he said. Dougherty compared these tech- niques to what he called more effective strategies by Reagan-like commercials that featured "Main Street America" through the use of "gauzy" American flags hanging from white picket fences. But Newman said that the use of "characterization" popularized by Reagan played a major part in the projection of each candidate's image. He said such characterization was prevalent in Bush's John Wayne image and the fact that both candidates wore cowboy boots consistently. In Bush's case. Newman said the combination of Bush's person- ality coupled with 'his similarity to Wayne, created a sort of "bad boy" image that Americans find charm- ing. Similarly, he said Gore's recent development of a muscular upper body projects an image of strength that has the ability to generate con- fidence among voters. Traugott said Bush and Gore's aban- donment of the stronger campaigns of the past for "softer. fuzzy ads" was indicative of the circumstances that exist in the country at this time. He said that since there are no real pressing issues facing the coun- try, such as a wan (Ir a weak econ- omy, the candidates were trying to maintain a more positive demeanor without being too risky. In an effort to generate votes with no overwhelming national issues, the panelists said the candidates took an a more populist stance by creating local issues to divide the vote. Business senior Dan Schwartz said he felt the presidential campaign was not necessarily different from past, but instead it was all too familiar. And he said the use of personal attacks instead of self-promotion may be the very reason the nation is equally divided at this time. "I think its basically what you see in any election. But it's a lot about what's wrong with the other candidate instead of what's right about them. "They're not really candidates you can rally around. I think that's why the country is so divided now," Schwartz said. 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