One hundred ten years ofeditorfreedom
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wwwmichigandally.com
Wednesday
January 24, 2001
III ling
I
Ilollinger in
top 3
for
From staff and wire reports
University President Lee Bollinger as one of
the top three candidates for the presidency at
rvard University, according to a published
Mort.
The Boston Globe reported yesterday that
Bollinger made the cut along with Harvard
Provost Harvey Fineberg and former U.S.
Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers.
According to the article, the search commit-
tee has. not ruled out any other finalists. Two
individuals, who spoke to the Globe on the
condition of anonymity, said the committee
could make a decision on a
new president by mid- to
late February.
Harvard spokesman Joe
i Wrinn couldn't confirm or
deny those dates but said
r K that was the information
which "surprised me
most" from the Globe's
report.
Bollinger He added that the search
committee hopes to select
a new president by the time current Harvard
President Neil Rudenstine relinquishes his title
in late June.
"But we're not going to let time dictate the
quality of the candidates," Wrinn said. "We're
still looking for the best possible person for the
job."
Wrinn said Bollinger shares Rudenstine's
views on diversity and affirmative action with
Rudenstine, saying that they've been "profes-
sional associates" and have had many conver-
sations on the issue.
When his name appeared as a possible can-
didate among 30 to 40 others, Bollinger said he
was flattered, adding that he continues to be
happy with his work at the University.
Harvard
After yesterday's, University spokeswoman only one s
Julie Peterson said Bollinger has nothing to daughter C
add beyond his previous statement. versity.
Globe sources say Bollinger has interviewed Bollinger
for the position twice. ty of Michi
Wrinn said it is crucial to keep the search as provost ofl
low-profile as possible. 1996.
"The people we're looking for tend to be sit- He was c
ting in very interesting jobs, and a lot of people for seven y
don't want to read in a newspaper about them Fineberg1
being considered for a different job," Wrinn after 13 ye
said. "If the process is not confidential, it can School of P
turn potential candidates away." He holds+
Unlike the other candidates, Bollinger has
post
ignificant tie to Harvard - his
arey, a recent graduate of the uni-
r has been president of the Universi-
gan since 1997, and before that was
Dartmouth College from 1994 to
lean of the University's Law School
ears.
became provost at Harvard in 1996
ars as dean of Harvard's Graduate
ublic Health.
degrees from Harvard College,
See BOLLINGER, Page 2
Promise of
education
unportant
Bush
By Hanna LoPatin
Daily Staff Reporter
In announcing his education plan
yesterday, President George W. Bush
attempted to make good on two of his
campaign promises - to make educa-
a top priority and to reach across
rty lines. While the first seems to
have been fulfilled, the jury is still out
on the second, as the plan contains a
measure that has mixed support from
Democrats and even some Republicans.
The voucher system, which directs
federal funds away from public
schools in order to provide scholar-
ships towards private schools has
already been defeated at the federal
level and in Michigan during the last
Wtion.
In Bush's plan, the voucher system
shows up in a less universal form, tak-
ing funds away after a school has
proved to be failing for three years.
"When federal dollars are spent to
educate children, those children
deserve an education," said White
HIousespokesman Scott Stanzel,
explaining the reasoning behind the
ocher system.
Insisting that the president's plan is
different from what is traditionally
thought of as a "voucher," Stanzel said,
"There must be serious consequences
for schools that are still failing and the
parents must have options - includ-
ing public or private."
Bush's plan consists of seven "per-
formance-based titles" which include
aiming toward improvements in acade-
mic performance of disadvantaged stu-
ts, teacher quality and safety, as
l as informing parents about their
children's schools and encouraging
freedom and accountability.
Though Bush has found wide sup-
port of his ideas on accountability,
local control and regular testing in
See BUSH, Page 5
--------- -- - --------------------
Inside: Critics look to Bush's first 100
s in office to see if he can make
d on his campaign promises. Page 5.
ti
k
l R 4 J
ears rom
4.:. j } Fl
tud t tand
By Jon Fish
Daily Staff Reporter
DETROIT - Erika Dowdell, an LSA junior
who plans on attending law school, told U.S.
District Judge Bernard Friedman yesterday that
she does not think she would have been accept-
ed to the University if
not for affirmative
action programs,
despite a 3.7 grade ON MA .
point average in high ..
school.
Describing her
experiences in the
Detroit public school system to a filled court-
room, Dowdell said she was motivated to go to
Cass Technical High School in hopes of receiv-
ing greater educational opportunities.
As a student at Cass Tech, Dowdell said she
didn't realize until her senior year of the greater
advantages afforded to white suburban students.
"They were given every type of resource that
we didn't even know existed," she said.
At the University, Dowdell said there are def-
inite assumptions white students make about
their black counterparts, and that she experi-
ences racism "on a daily basis:'
Calling affirmative action "a simple acknowl-
edgment of history," Dowdell also said she
"could never participate in a University that
can't admit the truth" that there is a history of
discrimination and segregation in the United
States.
Dowdell's testimony opened the case for the
intervening defendants. The intervening defen-
dants are a coalition of students and affirmative
action and civil rights advocates who contend
that affirmative action policies are necessary to
remedy past and present discrimination.
Dowdell's testimony was often met with
applause and murmurs of agreement from the
students seated in the courtroom. The audience
also did not hesitate to voice its skepticism at
the standing objection made by the Center for
Individual Rights against Dowdell's testimony.
CIR attorney F. Lawrence Purdy argued that
Dowdell's testimony, while "compelling," had
no relevance to the issues at trial.
Miranda Massie, lead counsel for the inter-
venors said "you can't understand the questions
set without engaging the questions of race and
racism in American life."
See TRIAL, Page 2
JEFF HURVITZ/Daily
intervening defendants Jodi Masley and LSA junior Erika Dowdell stand outside the courthouse in
Detroit yesterday. Dowdell testified that she encounters racism "on a daily basis" at the University.
Committee to select speaker
By Tara Warren
For the Daily
On April 28, graduating seniors will
inevitably pause for a moment to reflect
upon their personal experiences at the
University, but one chosen student will
have the chance to share that unique story
with an audience of thousands.
A committee consisting of four stu-
dents, two faculty members and one staff
member will select this year's Spring
Commencement student speaker from an
expected pool of about 20 applicants.
The decision will be based primarily on
the content of the applicant's proposed
speech and consideration will be given to
an audiocassette tape of the applicant's
reading.
The speech should be no longer than
five minutes and should emphasize the
student's academic pursuits and experi-
ences unique to the University.
Mary Jo Frank, University coordinator
for executive communications and a com-
mittee veteran, said the speeches are
judged anonymously.
"The names are removed from the
speeches so the members can't tell who
the speech was written by. The judges
don't know if the author is a boy or a
girl," Frank said.
Elise Schreck, chair of this year's Stu-
dent Speaker Selection Committee, said
the committee is looking for specific
themes in the speeches.
"We are looking for a speech that high-
lights ways in which U of M has impacted
a student's life," Schreck said. "Any grad-
uating senior can submit a speech."
Schreck said extreme activism and
straight As are not requisites for an appli-
cant but strong applicants often possess
such leadership skills.
Frank added that the speech itself is
most important. "The quality of writing
and clarity of ideas are important, along
with delivery of the speech itself," she
said. Successful speeches are often those
that are well written, pertain to a large
number of students and therefore capti-
vate the audience.
The deadline for commencement speak-
er speeches and audiocassette tapes is 5
p.m. on March 7.
The applications can be turned into
Frank in room 2040 of the Fleming
Administration Building.
Senior Nursing student Bess Bertolis
was unaware of the process of selecting a
student speaker but upon learning about
the contest expressed mild interest in
entering.
"Speaking at graduation would be very
exciting, but writing a speech would be
time-consuming," she said.
k
Making beautiful music together
Athletes organize
coalition to voice
NCAA concerns
BRENDAN O'DONNELL/Daily
LSA sophomore Adi Neuman accepts his award at the
Hopwood ceremony yesterday in Rackham Auditorium.
1O'U' writersa
receiv1 .e aards
By Sharon Wong
For the Daily
Aspiring University writers got their due - and a check
- yesterday at the 70th annual Hopwood Underclassman
Awards Ceremony held at Rackham Auditorium. Family,
friends, professors and students gathered to congratulate
freshman and sophomore writers as well as to listen to
renowned speaker C.K. Williams.
The awards proved not only to be an exciting afternoon
for young talented writers but also for a captivated audi-
ence. Williams, a 2000 Pulitzer Poetry Prize winner, read
pieces from his award winning publication, "Repair," as
well as other selected poems from "The Vigil," and "Mis-
givings: My Mother, My Father, and Myself."
"The entire program was inspiring. ... It encouraged me
to go home and refocus some of my energy to writing
again," LSA junior Karen Papalois said. "The afternoon
inspired me to pick up a pen and utilize my creative side."
In addition to the poetry reading by Williams, 10 Univer-
sity freshmen and sophomore writers and poets received 11
awards, totaling $6,500 and ranging from $100 to $1,000
each. RC sophomore Anna Clark won the top prize in both
the essay and fiction categories.
Judges selected the winners from 77 underclassman con-
testants, said Andrea Beauchamp, associate program direc-
tor. The three general categories in which students
submitted works were essay, fiction, and poetry.
"What's great about this program is that every year there
is a little more money for the scholarships and fellowships,"
By Elizabeth Kassab
Daily StaffReporter
t
During his years as a linebacker for
the University of California at Los
Angeles, Ramogi Huma said he found
"serious problems with the NCAA
policies,"regarding athletes.
Now a graduate student at UCLA,
Huma led the majority of the Bruins'
current football players in joining with
United Steelworkers of-America to
announce the creation of the Colle-
giate Athletes Coalition last Thursday.
The CAC, which Huma co-chairs,
National Collegiate Athletic Associa-
tion implement changes to some of its
policies to ease the financial and acad-
emic pressures on student athletes.
The CAC's goals include a moder-
ate increase in monthly stipends, per-
mission for athletes to earn more than
$2,000 in the off-season in an unlimit-
ed variety of jobs, expanded health
care to cover off-season and voluntary
practices, an increase in the NCAA's
set $10,000 insurance policy, and
guidance and academic assistance for
athletes off the playing field.
"These students are being exploit-
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