One hundred ten years of edi aldfreedom
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Friday
February 2, 2001
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* Theta Chi and Delta Sigma
Phi to be alcohol-free by 2003
acque'yn Nixon
Staff Reporter
Within two years, the Theta Chi and Delta
Sigma Phi fraternity chapters on campus will
be alcohol-free, adding to a number of Greek
organizations that are making the move to
"dry" houses.
In recent years, many national fraternities
have taken significant strides toward making all
chapters nationwide alcohol-free as a result of
reek
us%;s
to
90
dry
insurance liability and the trend of limiting
alcohol at fraternity houses.
"It's a long-term changing of the norm," said
Interfraternity Council President Marc
Hlustvedt. "Ten years from now there may not
be chapter events at any of the houses with
alcohol."
The rise in dry fraternities began in 1997
when the national leadership of Sigma Nu and
Phi Delta Theta made the decision to become
alcohol-free by 2000.
All chapters of Delta Sigma Phi and Theta
Chi are slated to be alcohol-free by 2003.
National Theta Chi Director David Westhall
said the decision to make all chapter houses
alcohol-free is not to absolve liability in alco-
hol-related incidents.
"It's about the changing culture in the chap-
ters," he said. "We saw the trends of chapter
houses and we made a task force of alumni and
undergraduates to look at the issue."
In 1998; national officials from Delta Sigma
Phi decided to remove alcohol from its chapter
houses by December 10, 2000.
"It's a better way to manager operations,"
said Delta Sigma Phi executive director Jon
Hockman.
Adam Small, president of the University's
Delta Sigma Phi chapter, said the action came
as a result of low grades among members at
other schools around the country in addition to
insurance liability issues.
Although the move toward alcohol-free
houses has begun on a national level, some
local chapters have acted independently of their
national organization to institute alcohol-free
chapters.
The University's Lambda Chi Alpha chapter
was shut down in 1994 after its board of direc-
tors put thefraternity on probation for four
months due to its risk-management violations.
"Our guys got out of hand and ruined the
house," said Lambda Chi Alpha President
Sachin Master.
The fraternity is reforming this semester and
has plans to move back into their house in late
2002. Master said Lambda Chi Alpha members
do not foresee any problems with living in an
alcohol-free environment.
"We've been a dry house since we started up
again in the winter of 1998, so the brothers in
our house are used to it," Master said. "It
doesn't take a lot to have an alcohol-free par-
ties in the house, but we still haven't decided
what we're going to do about holding parties
See DRY, Page 7
Confrmation
of Ashcroft
fills Cabinet
From staff and wire reports
AUM/Daily
Angeles
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WASHINGTON - The Senate
confirmed John Ashcroft as attorney
general yesterday, giving President
Bush a victory in his first battle with
congressional Democrats and complet-
ing his Cabinet.
Eight Democrats joined all 50
Republican sena-
tors in the 58-42
vote in favor of the
former Missouri
senator. The num-
ber of votes
against the nomi-
nation represented
the biggest rebuke
of a one-time Sen-
ate colleague since
1989, when the Ashcroft
Senate rejected
Bush's father's nomination of former
Texas Sen. John Tower as secretary of
defense.
Conceding weeks ago that they
couldn't stop Ashcroft; Democratic
leaders had attempted to muster
enough votes to show Bush they have
the ability to defeat conservative nomi-
nees in the future, particularly candi-
dates for any Supreme Court vacancy.
"His nominees for the Supreme
Court would better serve the nation if
they came from the middle," said Sen.
Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.)
The 42 votes would give the
Democrats the opportunity to perform
a filibuster - a procedural delay that
effectively kills a nomination by debat-
ing it to death - as 60 votes are need-
ed to stop one.
Dennis Denno, spokesman for the
Michigan Democratic Party, said he
feels the Democrats sent a strong mes-
sage to the president.
"I think it shows that Democrats can
use the filibuster if necessary if George
W. Bush decides to go with another
controversial candidate, for instance in
the Supreme Court," he said.
The chamber's top Democrat,
Minority Leader Tom Daschle of
South Dakota, told reporters his party
would cooperate on moderate nomina-
tions. "But we're going to be very con-
cerned when they come from the far
right, and we'll use whatever means
necessary"
In this case, Daschle said, Democ-
rats abandoned the idea of a filibuster
because Ashcroft, a Missouri Republi-
can, is a former colleague and because
many believe a president deserves to
choose his own Cabinet members,
none of whom are lifetime appointees.
The Democrats who voted for
Ashcroft were Sens. John Breaux of
Louisiana, Robert C. Byrd of West
Virginia, Kent Conrad and Byron Dor-
gan of North Dakota, Christopher
Dodd of Connecticut, Russ Feingold
of Wisconsin, Zell Miller of Georgia
and Ben Nelson of Nebraska.
Although Denno said he is hopeful
Ashcroft will uphold the law and push
aside his conservative views, he chas-
tised Bush for making the nomination.
"The important thing here is that
George W Bush wanted to unify this
country and I question whether or not
See ASHCROF, Page 7
ABBY ROSENBi
RC freshman Katie Gell, surrounded by otherstudents, holds a candle at a vg4ast night on the Diag to bring awareness to hate crimes.
Wy Sharon Wong
or the Daily
In an effort to promote public
awareness of hate crimes as well as
to fight against racially-motivated
and discriminatory acts, University
students, family and friends
endured the cold, windy evening
and gathered in the Diag last night
at a candlelight vigil.
The shining candles were meant
*areveal not only the harsh reality
hundreds of hate crimes are
still committed across the nation, e
college campuses, but also an opport
dents to unite together.
"There is a great need in our coi
such an event. ... There is a lot of
about people of color and lesbians an
Jim Leija, a Music junior and chair of
Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Comm
ichigan Student Assembly.
SILENT NIGHT
Vigil-memorializes
hatecrime vicim
specially on As a continuation of this year's Martin Luther goal: fighting
unity for stu- King Jr. Symposium, organizations including the are directed to
LGBT Commission, the Rainbow/PUSH Coali- icans or Mush
nmunity for tion, the Native American Student Association Ismael Ilet
uncertainty and the United Asian American Organizations continue fight
d gays," said joined to plan and sponsor the vigil with guest "There are
the Lesbian, speakers Ismael and Deena Ileto, brother and said. "Write
iission of the sister-in-law of the late Joseph Ileto. Ileto, a Fil- advocate the
ipino-American postman, was murdered by a
white supremacist in Los A
on Aug. 10, 1999.
Hate crimes are "being ui
ported. ... We need to speak
else we will not be recogni
equals," Ismael Ileto said.
"Hate has no boundaries a
are our future," said Deen
"We have a lot of work to
we need to start here."
The focus of the many speakers
from the student groups empha-
sized the importance of uniting to
form one voice for one common
against violent crimes, whether they
owards gays or lesbians, Asian-Amer-
ims.
o said it is important for students to
ing against hate crimes.
a lot more things we can do," Ileto
to legislators, voice our concerns,
prevention of hate-related websites
See VIGIL, Page 7
Flower power
Sophomore
to appear on
lame show
By Maria Sprow
Daily Staff Reporter
Engineering sophomore Sarah Boot is proof
that everyone gets their 15 minutes of fame at
one point in time.
Come the week of Feb. 12, Boot will make her
television debut as a contestant on Hollywood
Squares.
*oot said it was by chance that she auditioned
for the show back in October.
"I needed to get up early anyway to study for a
bio exam," she said. "I decided to give it a shot."
So Boot said she then went to the Michigan
Union, where the tryouts were held, and audi-
tioned.
The show's oroducers chose Boot out of more
Winter puts a
chill in Parents
Weekend 2001
By Jane Krull
Daily Staff Reporter
LSA freshman Lisa Kalmus, a native Californian, said
her parents wanted to attend this year's Parents Weekend
festivities but the Michigan winter kept them away.
"My mom didn't want to come to Michigan in February
- it is too cold for her," Kalmus said.
Parents Weekend, which begins today, is held each year to
give parents an insight into the University community.
Events are hosted by the Student Alumni Council.
SAC President Janet Hodges said there are 1,500 parents
registered for this weekend's activities, which is significant-
ly down from past years when attendance has topped out at
3,000. Hodges said 1,500 parents is a success since they
were expecting much fewer, considering the weekend's
C~ourtesy KingvWord tProductions
Engineering sophomore Sarah Boot will appear on
the "Hollywood Squares" College Tournament
with host Tom Bergeron.
for the show.
After auditions, hopeful contestants were
weeded out, and about half of them were asked to
participate in a mock game show.
The mock game show didn't come at the best
of times for Boot.
"It was during finals week and I thought I was
ME ,. t "