One hundred ten years ofeditorialfreedom "Ut NEWS: 76-DAILY CLASSIFIED: 764-0557 wwwmichigandaily.com Friday February 16, 2001 _ _ .. ...* I Law prof.: Race does not matter to success Sy Jen Fish Daily Staff Reporter DETROIT - Although witness tes- timony in the lawsuit challenging the admission policies of the Law School concluded yesterday, the work is far fI over for the attorneys on each side in the case, who will present their clos- ing arguments to U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman today at 9 a.m. Yesterday the interven- kMlSIO' ing defen- }N . Al dants recalled Law Prof. Richard Lem- pert, an earli- er witness for tUniversity, to present a study he haconducted on the success rates and career paths of University Law School graduates. Drawing on a sample that included almost every minority graduate from 1970 to 1996 with their white peers, Lempert said survey data showed that Michigan alumni enjoy high rates of success in terms of income, satisfac- t' with their job and amount of pro b o work performed. "Minority grads do every bit as well as whites," he said. "... Race does not matter to success at U of M." This, Lempert said, refutes the notion that lesser-qualified minority applicants are admitted under a double standard that works against white applicants. "Race is a part of a whole constella- tion of factors," he said outside the c troom. Lempert also said race is ta en into account to gain the educa- tional benefits of a diverse student body. Lempert said he also found that minority applicants do participate in slightly more service-related activities, such as mentorship and pro bono work, than their white peers. Furthermore, Lempert said these s would not have been made if it e not for affirmative action. "Professor Lempert's testimony shows that affirmative action at the Law School has been an unqualified success," said Miranda Massie, lead counsel for the intervening defendants. "The vast majority of black and Latino law students would not be in law school if it were not for affirmative action," she added. Dems lend support to MSA By Carrie Thorson 1Daily Staff Reporter RACHEL EEIERMAN/Daily Ann Arbor Community Nigh School students "Sailor J," "Blue Green" and "Jesa Rae" prepare in the Michigan Union last night for the GenderBenderRevueCUBED event. Queer Visibility Week concludes today with the Diag "Kiss-In." DRAG IME Revue attracts a ecuinc from acrosIhecuntry The Michigan Democratic Party has given permission to a group of students to form a political party called the University Democratic Party, adding a new twist to this year's Michigan Student Assembly elections. Only a few weeks old, the new party has already sparked vocal support and opposition. "Student government should not be an outlet for partisan politics," said LSA Rep. Jessica Cash, this year's vice-presidential candidate for the Blue Party. Cash said her major concern regards the funding bodies of MSA. The Supreme Court ruled in the 1999 case Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System v. Southworth, et al., that funding bodies are supposed to be neutral. "There's no way that anyone who runs with the Democratic Party could be viewpoint-neutral," Cash said. But UDP's presidential and vice- presidential candidates, Mike Simon and Alicia Johnson, said the party's focus is only on students and local issues. "We're not trying to bring world and national politics into a body that doesn't need it," Simon said. "That's why we're the University Democratic Party, not the Democ- ratic Party," added Johnson, an LSA representative. The University Democratic Party was formed because of discontent party with the current party choices offered for the upcoming MSA election, Johnson said. "The fact that so many of our supporters and candidates were for- merly affiliated with other parties but have come together to form this new coalition says a lot," Johnson added. "MSA political parties have drift- ed so far to the right of where cam- pus is," Simon said. Apart from being concerned with the conservative aspect of existing parties, Simon also cited concerns of minority groups on campus as a reason for forming the party. "The mainstream minority on campus is vastly disappointed with the leadership" of the Defend Affirmative Action Party and the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action By Any Means Necessary, Simon said. Because those groups are so extreme in representing the liberal side of arguments such as affirma- tive action and abortion, Simon said, some students find them inac- cessible. They chose to use the name of the Democratic Party because "peo- ple can look at us and not have to guess at what they're getting when they cast their vote," he said. "We're all liberals," Johnson said, "but we'd be liberals even without the party." Many past and present MSA members, including former vice president Andrew Coulouris, a first-year Law student, are not sup- See MSA, Page 7 By Elizabeth Kassab Daily Staff Reporter Fire, glitter, color and "Queerleaders" brought the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities together in an exuberant performance last night at the GenderBenderRevueCUBED in the Michigan Union Ballroom. University and local high school students, Ann Arbor residents and others from as far away as Port- land, Ore., drew a record-high audience for the event. The event was a part of the LGBT Association's Queer Visibility Week, which culminates with today's "Kiss-In" in the Diag. "It's part education, part activism and all fun," said Beth Harrison Prado, creator and producer of last night's event. Transgender activists are "usually responding to some kind of violence or some kind of hate. What we didn't get to do a whole lot was cele- brate," Harrison Prado said. Performances ranged from the "Firestarter," the fire-swallowing and fire-breathing act of Jase Ousley and Shane Pain Evans, to stand-up comedy and origi- nal poetry and songs. Harrison Prado said other universities have drag shows and poetry slams, but the GenderBenderRevue is truly unique. "It's so much more than a drag show. It's more than a talent show. It's not an open mike. It's not a rally. It's a chance for all of us who are transgender, trans- sexual and genderqueer, plus friends and allies, to come together and have some fun, make some noise and be our beautiful, fabulous selves," Harrison Prado said. Original artwork by Ann Arbor's Community High School lined the entrance of the ballroom, and free condoms, pamphlets and posters from the afternoon's See SHOW, Page 7 Pizza pizza See TRIAL, Page 7 L Spring Break allows Mardi Gras partying By Samantha Ganey Daily Staff Reporter Although Mardi Gras often makes its way into vacation plans for a number of students on an annual b@is, those heading from Ann Arbor down to the festivities this year won't have to miss a single day of classes. Nine days of Spring Break afford University students just enough time to embrace and recover from Mardi Gras this year. Abandoning pressure-filled schedules and dead-- lines in Ann Arbor, some parade and party-seeking students will s unlike anything I've ever experienced. The entire city will shut down."1 - Rachel Kleinman LSA senior retreat to New Orleans for the famed Carnival and Mardi Gras cel- ebration. Carnival began Jan. 6 and will climatically end with Mardi Gras at midnight Feb. 27. The end of Mardi Gras, otherwise known as Fat Tues- day and the day before Ash Wednesday, will send away 2 mil- lion Mardi Gras enthusiasts who will have sleeplessly rallied in a city of 500,000 residents. Business senior Melissa Spelman plans to fly with five friends to New Orleans for her first Mardi Gras experience. "I'm excited to have gone once. In general, I'm looking forward to the overall experience," Spelman said. One of Spelman's five friends heading to the city of masks and madness relayed similar excitement for a once-in-a-lifetime Spring Break experience. As LSA senior Rachel Kleinman looks forward to an unprecedented vacation, she recalled impressions from friends who had attended Mardi Gras in previous years. "It's unlike anything I've ever experienced. The entire city will shut down," she said. See MARDI GRAS, Page 7 RACHEL FEIERMAN/ Daily LSA sophomore Melissa Sachs serves pizza at the New York Pizza Depot last night. Regents discuss AATA deal, new residence hall * S. Martin Taylor calls for 60-day moratorium on bus service negotiations By Anna Clark Daily Staff Reporter With debates about the bus system and an agreement to go ahead with the construc- tion of a new residence hall, student life became the focus of yesterday's meeting of the University Board of Regents. Early in the meeting, University Chief nership would "be good for the environ- ment, reflect the University's commitment to partnership with the community, save capital expenses and ensure no loss of jobs for full-time employees." Kasdin added that the partnership would be gradual over a three- to four-year period, during which the University could pull out at any time. But with an observation by Regent Lau- rence Deitch (D-Bloomfield Hills) that "there has been a lot of concern over this issue," Regent S. Martin Taylor (D-Grosse Pointe Farms) proposed a 60-day moratori- able." Although the proposal was accepted, the transportation issue was again addressed at the end of the regular meeting. Seven of the 12 public comments scheduled were from students and staff opposing the partnership. Social Work graduate student Michael Dover said he opposed the partnership because of the loss of student jobs and the questionable process taken to pursue the deal. "There will be no reduction in the num- ber of full-time driver positions, but student jobs will decline through attrition from the ate the internal pros and cons. University bus driver Marisa Arnold said AATA "is seeking to zap the strength from our system." "This is part of their grand scheme to monopolize Ann Arbor," Arnold said. She also noted the benefits of students driving students, including knowledge of campus buildings, giving directions and conversations. Other University students and staff noted that Transportation Services offers high paying jobs that are largely held by minority and working-class students. Taking away he