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MS1At ections
Vote before midnight
tomorrow at
vote.www.umich.edu Friends say the former Boston w it's a pretty good bet. It'll come down to if his "He likes a lot of things about Michigan," Vitale
Ssa h fr o wifedecides on Louisville, but he loves (Ann Arbor). said. "I think what he's hearing about Michigan is
cur s Celtics coach favors Ann Arbor's He loves the college atmosphere." exciting him.
atmosphere over Louisville ESPN basketball reporter Dick Vitale also spoke "I think he said he's making a decision with
with Pitino yesterday and told the Daily that Pitino Louisville by (today). But I've had a tough time read-
By RaphaelGoodstein doesn't like the idea of his two young children hearing ing him."
Daily SpsditorRall for Kentucky fans booing and The Michigan Athletic Department is keeping quiet'
Rally forRic ointimidating his family at on the issue.
stap out
vote fraud
4C0nIe Thorson
Daily StaffReporter
Voting started at midnight this morn-
ing for the Michigan Student Assembly
Elections, and events of past elections
have made MSA officials and candi-
dates leery of voter fraud.
To prevent fraudulent dealings from
affecting the outcome of the elections,
party members assign "tails" to other
f ies, said Election Board Director
an Norfolk. Tails are students who
make sure candidates are abiding by
campaign rules set by the Election
Board and report violations to the
board.
"I've heard conversations about
then, but nobody really knows who
they are," said Monique Luse, an MSA
representative candidate running with
th Jniversity Democratic Party. "I
't think our party has them"
In an effort to reduce voter fraud, the
Election Board tried to implement a
system in which students would enter
their student identification number
before voting.
"Since this was relatively public
information, we didn't go through with
it," Norfolk said. "Basically things
have not changed since the previous
election"
Anthe winter 1999 election, a Blue
member allegedly stole 110 uniq-
name passwords and used them to vote.
Last year, an incident of voter fraud
caused most of the Wolverine Party to
be removed from the election. This
year, LSA sophomore Chip Englander,
who caused the Wolverine Party's
removal, is on the ballot as the Michi-
gan Party's vice-presidential candidate.
Alok Agrawal, last year's Election
!ard director, investigated the inci-
dent when be got -mails from students
in Makley saying that someone had
come into their rooms, helped them log
into the voting website and voted for
them.
The Election Board determined it
was Englander who violated the rules.
"This violated two major rules of the
election - campaigning within 50 feet
of a polling site, which is a computer
logged into the election website, and
*grity of election," Agrawal said.
But because of the double-blind vot-
ing system last winter, the Election
Board could not effectively determine
who was voted for. Since Englander
was the Wolverine Party's campaign
manager and every candidate had
agreed to run under him as party head,
all candidates were disqualified from
the election.
Aeveral candidates in this year's elec-
t3'n said they are upset that Englander
is running again.
"As a former candidate for LSA-SG,
he knew the rules surrounding elec-
tions very well, and understood how to
run a campaign on campus," said Blue
See VOTING, Page 7
Rick Pitino, who resigned as coach of the NBA's
Boston Celtics earlier this year and is expected to
decide whether to accept a job offer at Louisville
today, appears to be leaning toward taking Michigan's
open coaching position.
"It's 70-30 in favor of Michigan," Boston CBS affil-
iate WBZ-TV correspondent Bob Lobel told The
Michigan Daily.
Lobel, who hosted "The Rick Pitino Show" for the
last three years, said he spoke with Pitino yesterday. "I
dasnv ogme Louisville games. Pitino left
a rally at noon today his job as head coach of Ken-
on the Diag to show tucky in 1997.
support for Pitino. "The one thing (Louisville)
can't take away is that he has an 8-year old and a 10-
year old," Vitale said. "There's such a battle there that
it's unbelievable. Had he not coached at Kentucky, he
would have signed at Louisville long ago."
Vitale said Pitino is very impressed with what
Michigan has to offer.
"While we're going through this process, I'm not
commenting on anything," Michigan Athletic Director
Bill Martin said.
Martin met with Pitino on Sunday in Dayton, Ohio,
where Pitino was doing commentary for the NCAA
Tournament, but did not extend a job offer.
Pitino did not return messages left on his voicemail
last night.
Many Michigan fans wore Pitino masks at Michi-
See PITINO, Page 7
Rick Pitino toured Louisville's campus
last week, but many Michigan fans
hope he will turn down an offer today.
Gr1"zenspan
cmouts ra te by
half a point
By John Polley
Daily Staff Reporter
Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan yester-
day announced a 0.5-point cut in the Federal Funds
rate, lowering the rate to 5 percent after a 5-0 vote by
the Federal Reserve Board.
The rate cut had been subject to intense speculation
in recent weeks amid fears of a looming recession and
faltering stock prices.
The lowered interest rates will allow consumers and
investors to access funds less expensively, encouraging
spending and investment, In lowering rates, the Fed
hopes to restore momentum to a slowing economy.
"The incentive to invest in new or updated capacity
is weak now," explained University economics profes-
sor Saul Hymans. "The Fed wants to lower the cost of
doing that to keep it from falling more rapidly."
In addition to domestic issues, the Fed warned of the
potential impact of foreign economies on the economic
outlook.
"The potential for weakness in global economic con-
ditions suggest substantial risks that demand and pro-
duction could remain soft," the Federal Reserve Board
explained in its announcement.
Many analysts and investors had anticipated a larger
cut after a particularly dismal week in the stock mar-
See FED, Page 7
JEFFHURVITZ/Daily
Caribou Coffee on South State Street is closing Sunday because its owners are unable to keep up with rent increases.
Soaringrent orces popul
coffee shop to say goodbye
By Kara Wenzel owner of the Amer's delis and Cava Java. Records have all left town because of
Daily StaffReporter Pyne said the rent for Caribou's space high rent rates. Bathish said the buildings
at 309 S. State St. is about $6,500 a have a high turnover rate and landlords
Ann Arbor's reputation as an endless month, much higher than a similar space will lease their properties for at least as
row of coffee shops is about to take a hit in other towns. - much as the previous tenants were pay-
this weekend. "In the early '90s, rents were reason- ing.
Caribou Coffee plans to close Sunday able and a normal guy could afford to "The landlords need to stop raising
because its owners are unable to continue run a business in Ann Arbor. But rents rents before they drive everyone -
paying the building's rent. have quadrupled since 1990. The people entrepreneurs and franchises away,"
"The owners and brokers have been making the real money now are the land- Bathish said.
trying to resolve the rent issue for a long lords, and tenants have to raise the price Caribou Coffee is.the nation's second
time. The coffee business is sort of-a of the product to make rent," said largest non-franchised coffee company.
nickel-and-dime operation and business Bathish. Its headquarters in Minneapolis operate
here fluctuates depending on the number Bathish said rents go up by 3 percent more than 130 stores nationwide.
of students in town," Caribou employee to 5 percent every year, and rates on Pyne said many professors and gradu-
Patrick Pyne said. State Street near campus can be as much ate student instructors are upset that the
"A business has only seven and a half as $15,000 per month, hurting entrepre- store is closing because they hold their
months to make all the money for the neurs like himself., office hours at Caribou.
year in this town, even though we pay Other campus businesses such as "It would be nice to have the Universi-
rent for 12 months," said Amer Bathish, Burger King, Taco Bell and Tower See CARIBOU, Page 7
Distracted drivers on cell
phones could face fines
By Hanna LoPatin
Daily Staff Reporter
Drivers who commit a traffic violation while
talking on a cell phone may face a $25 fine or an
extra point on their record under a bill being dis-
cussed today by the Michigan House Transporta-
tion Committee.
"There seems to be a belief out there in the
minds of many ... that people should not be dri-
ving cars while they're operating cell phones," said
House Majority Floor Leader Bruce Patterson (R-
Canton), who sponsored the bill.
Patterson called vehicles "three to four thou-
sand-pound weapons if not used correctly."
Part of the bill commissions a two-year study by
the secretary of state to determine the effect of cell
phones on driving.
A 1997 study by the New England Journal of
Medicine determined the risk of collision is four
times as likely for a driver talking on a cell phone
"People should not be
driving cars while they're
operating cell phones."
- Bruce Patterson
House majority floor leader
than for a driver who is not but maintained that a
causal relationship was not proven.
Members of the communications industry are
prepared to fight the measure.
Cell phones are only "part of a bigger issue -
distracted driving," said Jeremy Pemble, a
spokesman for AT&T Wireless, who is planning
on testifying against the bill at today's meeting.
"We recognize, obviously, that a driver's first
priority must be driving - period," Pemble said.
See CELL PHONES, Page 7
'U'rankssixthL
in NHgiants
By Louie Meizlish
Daily Staff Reporter
The National Institutes of Health announced yesterday
its top 10 recipients of research grants, placing the Univer-
sity sixth among higher education institutions.
The University, whose health system was awarded a
five-year $33.6 million grant last week by the NIH,
received $260,353,494 in 2000, an increase of 13 percent
over 1999.
The grants funded 467 individual research awards.
The news was warmly received by Allen Lichter, dean
of the Medical School. The Medical School receives 68
percent of NIH funding to the University, ranking it 10th
in the country among medical schools.
"Our steady increase signals the strong condition of our
research endeavors as we embark upon the University's
Life Sciences Initiative," Lichter said.
Vice President for Medical Affairs Gil Omenn attrib-
uted the University's position on the list to the faculty at
the Medical School.
"It's all about people - the quality of faculty, students,
and staff," Omenn said.
"For clinical investigations," he added, "it is a big help
for faculty that we have a clinical research center where
volunteers and patients can study very effectively."
NIH spokeswoman Anne Thomas said the reason the
University has such a prominent position on the NIH list is
probably due to the fact that the Medical School is "highly
regarded by outside reviewers for scientific merit."
See NIH, Page 7
WEATHER OP-ED ARTS SPORTS
4 aTonight Unmasking the Code, Part III Crossing borders Decision time for Drew
Low 32. The University is charging LSA senior Ryan Hughes Opera and computer art blend Drew Henson is traded back to the
Tomorrow under the Code of Student Conduct. Learn about his together to present street people New York Yankees and could choose
Sunny. charges and follow him though the process. in a whole new light in "vidGod." to end his Michigan career.
oudyigh45. Page 4. Page 5. Page 8.