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mWWWmichigandaily com
Thursday
March 15, 2001
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*OMSAelections
Par fie o a ix-a teri
'Pie
II'
can't mention
'U,'
By Hanna LoPatin
Daily Staff Reporter
Part fve of a six-part series
about campaign platforms
U-D ems
focu*.,,s on
students'
rihts
Daily Staff Reporter
The University Democratic Party's
platform focuses not only on student
issues but on issues that are politically
"left of center," said vice-presidential
candidate Alicia Johnson.
"We brought the leaders of various
progressive student groups to work on
issues important to students on cam-
s," Johnson said. "We feel we're
re towards the left than the other
Republican parties."
Reforming the Statement of Student
Rights and Responsibilities is a pre-
mier issue on the platform of the U-
Dems, which received support from the
Michigan Democratic Party to use its
name. Presidential candidate Michael
Simon has been working closely with
the administration on issues surround-
the former Code of Student Con-
duct as chair of the Michigan Student
Assembly's Student Rights Commis-
sion.
"I've spent the last year and a half
working on this code of conduct,"
Simon said. "This has been the land-
mark issue of my college career."
The U-Dems said they will place
priority on informing students about
their rights on campus and increase the
a countability of the Department of
W ic Safety.
U-Dems would like to reform the
University committee system to
include more student representation.
"We want to make students an equal
voice on all University committees,"
Simon said.
The U-Dems also place emphasis on
how students can be more involved in
environmental issues.
'We definitely need some reform on
t MSA committee," Johnson said.
Improving the University's bus sys-
tem, supplying more adequate funding
for student groups and expanding the
hours of the North and Central Campus
recreation buildings are all included on
the U-Dems platform. They stand in
strong support of affirmative action
and increasing pregnancy prevention
and termination services at University
Health Services, Simon said.
f elected, the U-Dems would also
to insert a four-day fall break in the
academic schedule.
"You know you need it,"'Simon said.
Members of the U-Dems said they
are confident students on campus will
relate to the issues on their platform.
"I definitely feel that our platform is
the most reasonable," said LSA sopho-
more Todd Mills. "It should be
orsed by most students since we're
aliberal campus."
When the film "American Pie" hit movie theaters
in the summer of 1999, many Michiganders might
have felt a kinship with the group of sex-starved
teenagers who talked of attending college in Ann
Arbor and East Lansing.
But in the upcoming sequel "American Pie II,"
which takes place the summer after the characters'
first year at college, there will be no such refer-
ences as both the University of Michigan and
Michigan State University have denied Universal
Studios the use of their names or logos.
"It loses a coolness factor," said screenwriter
Adam Herz. A University of Michigan alum, Herz
graduated in 1996 and said he is upset with how the
denial was handled by his alma mater.
The University denied Universal Studios' origi-
nal request, but Herz called again to plead as a
recent alum. He was turned down in a fashion that
he called "just pathetic."
"In one way, it's understandable because in one
way we're a hard-R raunchy comedy," Herz said.
On the other hand, "I am an alum, a very successful
graduate. I had just been asked to come up to
Michigan to speak."
When Herz's request was made to use the name
and logos of the University, the proposal was
reviewed and rejected.
"The script and proposal were self-described as
'raunchy humor' and this was a key factor in the
decision," said University spokeswoman Julie
Peterson.
Though Herz still plans to visit the University's
film and video department, the refusal has left him
with a rather sour taste in his mouth about the insti-
tution.
Herz said the University only "cares about your
money" - money which Herz said he has no inten-
tion of handing over following the recent events.
"I love to help students out. I wouldn't have
made it if people hadn't done the same for me," he
said. "Will I donate to a corporation? No."
Though the University official who spoke with
Herz would not comment on record, Peterson out-
lined the procedure taken by the University in mat-
ters of trademark licensing.
The University receives an average of between
five and 10 requests a year to shoot films on loca-
See SEQUEL, Page 7A
Another slice of 'Pie'
Screenwriter Adam Herz' raunchy 1999
comedy "American Pie" ended with
several characters planning to
attend college at the
University of Michigan
and Michigan State.
But after both
schools
denied a
request by
Herz, none of
the teens
will be
allowed to
mention
their college
by name in
the sequel.
Photo courtesy of
Universal Studios
Fun in the sun
rnsky to
speak at
graduation
Former poet laureate chosen by
Bollinger to give the University's spring
commencement address next month
By Anna Clark
Daily Staff Reporter
The University Board of Regents today is expected to
approve Robert Pinsky, who served as U.S. poet laure-
ate from 1997 to 2000, as this year's spring commence-
ment speaker.
"We're pretty excited," said Gary
Krenz, special counsel to University
President Lee Bollinger. "He's a fan-
tastic speaker and a wonderful poet,
obviously."
Regent Olivia Maynard (D-
Goodrich) also was enthusiastic
about the choice.
"This is wonderful," she said.
"He'll be good. Maybe he'll read us
his poetry." Pinsky
At the April 28 ceremony, Pinsky and five others,
including U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Gins-
burg and National Endowment for the Arts Chairman
Bil Ivey, will be awarded honorary degrees from the
University.
In the same month that Pinsky, a former Boston Uni-
versity English professor, was named the 39th U.S. poet
laureate by the Library of Congress, he initiated the
Favorite Poem Project. What was first an attempt to
capture Americans reading their favorite poems aloud
soon expanded to a much grander scale.
Pinsky's national call for submissions of Americans'
favorite poems resulted in 18,000 responses, represent-
ing ages 5 to 97 and every state.
At the same time, Pinsky encouraged videos, public
See PINSKY, Page 7A
Colleges .vimewv
Bollinger as a
proven leader
By Jane Krull
Daily Staff Reporter
SAM HOLLENSHEAD/Daily
LSA seniors Jeremy Sullivan and Darcy Phelan enjoy a kiss in the sunshine yesterday in front of Angell Hall. Temperatures in Ann Arbor
reached 50 degrees yesterday but will only be in the upper 30s tomorrow.
Committe e rscreasei
proposed higher ed budget
By Louie Melzlish
Daily Staff Reporter
The Michigan House of Representatives
Subcommittee on Higher Education decid-
ed yesterday in a 6-1
vote to recommend a 2
percent increase fors
next year's University
funding - an amount
that University offi-
cials say is still not
enough. Michigan Higher
"I have to say we are Education Budget
disappointed, but this is the first step in a
long journey," said Vice President for
Government Relations Cynthia Wilbanks.
"With a 1 1/2 to 2 percent increase it
would make it difficult to contain tuition
increases," she added.
Two members abstained from voting.
The bill will come before the full appro-
priations committee next Tuesday.
The original proposal, by Rep. Sandy
Caul (R-Mt. Pleasant), who chairs the sub-
committee, allotted the University a 1.5
percent, or $5.4 million, increase. Rep.
Keith Stallworth (D-Detroit) successfully
put forth an amendment to raise the 1.5
percent increase, as was proposed for nine
state universities, to an increase of 2 per-
cent.
Under Stallworth's amendment, the Uni-
versity's total state funding will amount to
$365.4 million, or an increase of $7.2 mil-
lion over last year.
Stallworth, who abstained from voting,
said he did so because the bill is an
"unfinished work."
Rep. John Stewart (R-Plymouth) said he
voted for the bill only because "we had to
get something out of there for discussion
and I want to get a discussion on the
record," he said.
Stewart, however, said he was upset that
he did not receive details of Caul's plan
until 15 minutes before the hearing began,
whereas others received the information
long beforehand.
"I want to see a rationale for why six
See BUDGET, Page 7A
HITTING THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
MSA candidates among top spenders nationwide
By Jane Krull
Daily Staff Reporter
Chalkings like the giant Michigan Party
logo currently on the Diag or the barrage of
candidates passing out flyers may be hard to
find in East Lansing, where student govern-
ment elections come and go without much
fanfare.
Forget the Blue Party, the Michigan Party,
the FRAT Party, the U-Dems and DAAP -
political parties aren't even allowed in cam-
paigns for the Associated Students of
Michigan State University, explained Julia
Wimberley, an ASMSU All University Elec-
tion Commission member.
"In our election code we discourage par-
ties - candidates' names cannot even
appear together on election materials," she
To vote or not to vote
Average turnout for student government
elections at colleges comparable
to the University of Michigan
University of California at Berkeley 20%
University of Michigan 15%
Ohio State University 5%
University of Washington 5%
Michigan State University 4%
SOURCE: Reports from individual student goverments
on the amount that can be spent and parties
often spend upwards of $1,500.
"It is something that we are particularly
proud of and we think sets us apart from
Lee Bollinger may have been an outsider to Harvard
University when he became one of three finalists for its
soon-to-be-vacant presidency, but in the rest of the acade-
mic world the University of Michigan president is well-
known as someone who would likely have no trouble
heading an Ivy League institution.
Many of Bollinger's former colleagues, such as Dart-
mouth College Ethics Institute Director Ronald Green,
said he can understand why
any.university would consid- "Bollinger
er Bollinger a very attractive
candidate. Com $es in with
Green, who worked close-
ly with Bollinger at the kind of a cool
Hanover, N.H., college, said
Bollinger would enhance any outside eye.
academic environment, cit-
ing his time as Dartmouth's - Ronald Green
provost from 1994 to 1996. Dartmouth College
"Bollinger comes in with a Ethics Institute director
kind of cool outside eye that
brings a very fresh and critical point of view," Green said.
"His most significant quality as an academic administra-
tor is his intellectual passion."
Although Bollinger was not named as Harvard's 27th
president earlier this week, his name could appear on lists
of candidates at any of five other high-profile institutions
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