One hundred ten years ofeditoraifreedom Un NEWS: 76-DAILY CLASSIFIED: 764-0557 wwwmichigandally corn Monday January 8, 2002. 1,111 'I M 1, 1 Rapper' s delight Systems diffler in 'U' lawsuits By Jen Fish Daily Staff Reporter When attorneys in the lawsuits challenging the University's use of race as a factor in admissions in the Law School meet on Jan. 16, they will be arguing many of the same points brought up in the case challenging the College of Litera- ture, Science and the Arts., The constitutional question of whether diversity is a compelling government interest, as outlined; by U.S. Supreme Court Justice I i Lewis Powell in the 1978 case Regents of the University of Cali- fornia v. Bakke, remains the Part one ofaf definitive question in both of the the lawsuit cha University's cases. School aodm RS ive issi as the LSA applicant pool. The Law School evaluates applications individually instead of using statistical matrices, Barry said. Typically, the Law School receives about 3,400 applications for 340-350 seats. The entering class for 2000 is a bit larger, with 367 students, of which 28 percent are identified as minorities. "There aren't any formulas about race and other factors," Barry said. IAL \ In the Law School, Barry said, x each student's application is reviewed O individually and the selection process is extremely competitive. In December, U.S. Federal District Court Judge Patrick Duggan ruled -part series on that the admissions system used in nging the Law LSA from 1995-1998 was unconsti- 0's process. tutional because the use of race was unfairly applied. The current system, Duggan wrote, is constitutional. University President Lee Bollinger, who was dean of the Law School when the current admis- sions policy was drafted in 1992, said he and his colleagues specifically designed the Law School's policy to pass any tests of constitutionality. "We knew this kind of challenge was building,' he said. The policy "explicitly puts race in a broader con- text of diversity." "All kinds of factors are taken into account. We made absolutely sure that there was nothing even resembling a two-track sys- tem" for white and minority students, See LAWSUITS, Page 2A The way each school applies race in its respective admissions system is the main dif- ference between the two cases. That is, the admissions systems in each school, while tak- ing race in account, evaluates their candidates in very different ways. "It really is a different animal than the under- graduate process. It's more hands on, much less formal," said University Deputy General Counsel Liz Barry, adding that the Law School chooses stu- dents based on their potential in the field. The University's Law School, a profession- al school with a small applicant pool, doesn't need to change its admissions system to meet the needs of a large, dynamic population such ELLIE WHITE/DailyI Jimmy Keys, an LSA senior, delights the crowd with his single "DanceHall," as DJ Transit, LSA sophomore Nihar Kulkami of Komposit, spins the turntables at the U-Club on Saturday night. Keys, of Black Vibes Records, was shooting scenes for a the video of his song. 14th MLK symposium events begin today Students, faculty celebrate diversity in upcoming weeks By Whitney Elliott Daily Staff Reporter Although Martin Luther King, Jr. Day will not be observed nation- wide until next Monday, events in the University's 14th symposium celebrating diversity will begin today and continue throughout the month of February. The events will range from dis- cussions about current topics involving race affecting society to traditional remembrances of Dr. King. 'The keynote speech will be deliv- ed Jan. 15 by actor and director Edward James Olmos. Damon Williams, program assis- tant to the Office of Academic Mul- ticultural Initiatives, said that the 25 members of the MLK Symposium Planning Committee have tried to expand the types of events over the years. "The celebration of the holiday has expanded into something that is much more comprehensive. A cele- bration of diversity," Williams said. Williams said the University's way of celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. is quite unique. "I've never encountered another institution that celebrates the day like the University of Michigan. We look at current events as well as tra- ditional events. We look at topics of importance that will allow for fur- ther discussion around campus," Williams said. Williams also said the committee planned the events to attract a wide variety of interests. "It's important because it allows each individual to interpret the holi- day for themselves," Williams said. The events begin today with a panel discussion titled "Covering Race Then and Now: The Press and Public Policy." Top journalists and other public policy experts from across the nation who either covered the civil rights movement during the '60s or who are working now with diversity issues will discuss race and the press. "It's important to start with this event because so much of what began this civil rights moment began with the press. So much of what the country first knew was from the media," said Charles Eisendrath, director of the Michigan Journalism Fellows. The panel discussion, which will begin at 1 p.m. in Rackham See MLK, Page 7A £tLIE WHIT/Ua;iy Ronald Weiser, chairman of the Board of Trustees at Michigan Theater, speaks with Executive Director Russell Collins at the anniversary celebration Friday. Theater reopens with new,,,look Ward V seeks new council memb er By James Restivo Daily StaffReporter Students and residents have a chance to participate in local poli- tics as the city of Ann Arbor accepts applications for the vacant Ward V city council seat. The seat is available as a result of former Democratic councilman Chris Kolb's election to the state House of Representatives. The city charter does not include provisions for a special elections and in the past has -customarily filled vacant seats by the council appointing a member of the particu- lar ward, said Susan Pollay, interim public information officer for the city of Ann Arbor. "Accepting applications is not customary, but, the -recent election caused an interesting situation," Pollay said. "We've decided to open it up more broadly - so we are ask- ing people who are interested to apply." City council stipulates that appli- cants must be a resident of Ward V, which includes downtown Ann Arbor and the western parts of the city. Any residents, including stu- dents living in theses areas, are invited to participate. Pollay said the council welcomes applicants with a strong commit- ment to the community of Ann Arbor. Previous political experience is not.required. "This. position isn't so much about experience - it's more about a level-headed approach to con- stituent concerns," Pollay said. "We're looking for community involvement, not political interests." Despite its rarity, the council uti- lized the same process in early December to fill the first ward seat with Democrat Robert Johnson. Johnson, who has been working with environmental issues for the past six years said he applied because he wanted more involve- ment in the city. "I did it for a chance to have more impact," Johnson said. "All I can say to those interested is be Winter break lengths vary across nation By Jane KrllN Daily Staff Reporter While University students had to trudge through the snow to their first days of class, most college students are still in t err cozy childhood beds enjoying their winter breaks. ith the end of exams on Dec. 22 and the beginning of classes on Jan. 4, many University students had less than two weeks off for their winter break. ' "It was ridiculously short," said LSA sophomore Jenna Andrews. "It doesn't give you enough time to relax - the holidays take up so much time and then you have to get back to school and buy books and all that." But other students said they felt that the short winter break was a small sacrifice to make in order to finish Winter term examinations April 26, ahead of most other schools. *'We get off months early compared to other schools, so it is definitely a trade-off," LSA freshman Theresa Young said. "I didn't mind the shortness of Winter break it was long enough to be fun, but short enough not to be boring." University Registrar Tom McElvain said the primary reason for the short Winter break is to have three full semesters in the University calendar, the spring/summer sessinn nmnts a a full term .University cofcia created By Stephanie Schonholz For the Daily To Michigan Theater volunteer Bob .Shultz the restoration of the theater's entry vestibule and volunteering for the theater for the past five years can be summarized in four words. "A labor of love;" Shultz said. Friday the Michigan Theater re- opened its main entrance in celebration of its 73rd birthday. For nearly seven months, workers have been restoring the front and other areas of the theater such "The Lamb". These films will be shown with either live piano or organ accompaniment and the theater will charge the same ticket prices as in 1928. Admission prices for last week- end were $0.05 for "The Lamb" and $0.50 for "The Sheik." Russell Collins, executive director of the Michigan Theater, led a tour of the theater and dispensed a plethora of information about the theater's history. Nearly 100 people attended the tour to hear stories about the private dona- tions and fund raising that footed the funding bill for the an restorations. Collins said that iginally in 1927, the "the- ater was built in lit- ELLIE WHITE/Daily ISA junior Jim Secreto buys books at the Union on Friday. University students returned to campus after Winter break earlier than their counterparts at other college campuses. McElvain said the start of classes after Labor Day - which makes the University have the shortest Fall term out of Big Ten universities- is at the urging of staff and stu- dents. Many universities will begin class today and tomorrow including Grand Valley State University, Michigan State University and University of California at Berkeley. Many more universities, such as Lawrence Technological Uni- versity and Michi.Qan Technological University, wait to as the heating and cooling systems. A volunteer and member of the the- ater's board of directors, Helga Hover expressed her excitement with the final outcome{ ments. The Michij Theater or opened in. of the improve- Hover said she especially likes the "lighting on the outside, which is much brighter now." The restoration now quotes from the theater's original design constructed in the late '20s. Marking the Michigan Theater's anniversary, eight silent films are 1928= tle over six months," from beginning to end. The marquis that usually lines vertical- ly along the outside of the theater, which is currently not present, will go up this summer. Work on the facade and entry vestibule of the Michigan Theater will continue through 2001, includ- ing work on the balcony and the dressing rooms, said Develooment I I