One hundred eleven years ofeditoralfreedom
ti
NEWS: 76-DAILY
CLASSIFIED: 7640557
Tuesday
December 11, 2001
B 9 f
P 1 _
Deadline
passes for
- interviews
with FBI
By Jacquelyn Nixon
Daily Staff Reporter
Ten students and two University
employees have chosen to participate in
the U.S. Department Justice interviews
as part of the FBI's terrorism investiga-
tion, said Nick Roumel, senior attorney
for Student Legal Services.
Nine of the students and both
employees already interviewed, and the
remaining student is scheduled to meet
with officials later this week, Roumel
said.
The U.S. attorney's office for the
eastern district of Michigan said Friday
that more than 200 of 566 men of Mid-
dle Eastern descent from southeastern
Michigan responded to a letter from the
FBI requesting their participation in an
interview about terrorism. U.S. Attor-
ney Jeffrey Collins plans to release a
statement about information obtained at
those interviews this morning.
Yesterday was the deadline for
responding to the letters, and officials
did not extend the deadline, as they did
last week to allow more people to set up
interviews and seek counsel.
Roumel assisted with 11 interviews
last week and said the response has
been positive from the student partici-
pants as well as the FBI..
"Students have indidated that they
felt relieved. They're glad they went
through it, glad to be done with it,"
Roumel said. "The FBI agents - to
their credit - they've done everything
they can to put students at ease."
David Cahill, an attorney cooperat-
ing with the American Civil Liberties
Union's Washtenaw County branch,
said the officials have conducted brief,
non-hostile interview sessions.
"They've cut down the list of ques-
tions they ask," Cahill said. "The
process is going well, although the
process itself is a problefn."
Ann Arbor Police Chief Daniel Oates
said officers from his department have
See INTERVIEWS, Page 7
S'U
honors
Bollinger's
presidency
By Rachel Green
Daily Staff Reporter
Students, colleagues and friends of
University President Lee Bollinger
yesterday praised his accomplishments
and lamented the departure of the out-
going chief executive and his wife,
Jean Magnano Bollinger.
"There is a great deal of gratitude
toward and affection for Lee and Jean,
and we wish them well," said English
Prof. Ralph Williams, who spoke at the
first of a pair of receptions at the
Michigan Union. "You have ennobled
the imaginations of what we might be."
The ceremony, in which a plaque
.commemorating Bollinger as the Uni-
versity's 12th president was unveiled,
BRETT MOUNTAIN/Daily was open to students. A reception
Lee Bollinger and his wife, Jean, look over a photo album of Bollinger's four-year tenure as University president at a reception which followed in the Clements
in honor of him yesterday at the Michigan Union. Regent Rebecca McGowan presented the Bollingers with the album and a Library was restricted to faculty and
piece of artwork. staff.
han'i ters stiveto
reach possible hide-out
Bollinger, for his part, expressed his
own admiration for students.
"I want to wrap you all and take you
with us," he said. He also took time to
thank his staff and co-workers and
especially his wife for hard work and
loyalty during his four years as presi-
dent.
Bollinger is stepping down Dec. 31
to become president of Columbia Uni-
versity, where he attended law school.
State Rep. Chris Kolb presented
Bollinger with a plaque recognizing
his achievements on behalf of the state
House of Representatives.
Kolb (D-Ann Arbor) commended
Bollinger for "his commitment to free-
ddm of speech and his recognition that
diversity and affirmative action is
something go to battle over."
Other speakers noted Bollinger's
commitment to the arts and life
See BOLLINGER, Page 7
TORA BORA, Afghanistan (AP) -
Afghan tribal fighters battled their way
through mortar and machine-gun fire yes-
terday and pushed Osama bin Laden loy-
alists from a strategic mountain valley
leading to an underground complex where
the terror suspect may be hiding.
B-52s and other American warplanes
battered al-Qaida mortar positions on the
mountaintops as the Afghan fighters -
helped by U.S. special forces - seized
caves in the Milawa valley in the White
Mountains. A commander said forces
loyal to bin Laden had been pushed back
to the main complex at Tora Bora about a
mile away.
U.S. Marines also intensified their hunt
for Taliban leaders and members of the al-
Qaida terror network around the southern
city of Kandahar - the other region
where Afghan and American officials
think bin Laden may be hiding.
Marine "hunter-killer" teams in
armored assault vehicles and backed by
combat helicopters set up a staging
ground at the foot of a jagged mountain
about 12 miles outside Kandahar, from
which officials said they could intercept
fleeing fighters on the roads.
See WAR, Page 7
AP PHOTO
Interim Afghani Prime Minister Hamid Karzal meets with
tribal leaders yesterday in Taliban supreme leader Mullah
Mohammed Omar's former residence.
I Needlework
Grad students question
commitment
By Rachel Green
Daily Staff Reporterj
With the two lawsuits filed against the College of Litera-
ture Science, and the Arts and the Law School challenging 1
the use of race as a factor in
admissions awaiting a deci-
sion from the U.S. 6th Circuit
Court of Appeals, students at A N ' , +
the University's 17 graduate I
schools have begun to look1
more closely at admissions
policies, questioning the Uni-,
versity's commitment to thesarch for diversity
diversity.T arh ree-pars iey
Angel Sanchez, a member Part two of a threepart seres
of the steering committee for
La Salud, the Latino student group for the School of Public
to diversity
Health, said he believes affirmative action is essential to
maintaining a diverse student body within the graduate pro-
grams.
"I believe that affirmative action is essential to maintain a
broad student body composed of all ethnic groups; thus
allowing the student body to observe and experience differ-
ent viedy points that otherwise would not be available if this
mix of ethnic groups does not exist," Sanchez said. "How-
ever, better standards and regulations need to be made in
order to make it fair for everyone to attend higher educa-
tion."
Though Sanchez did not do his undergraduate work at the
University, he said he was drawn to the School of Public
Health because of its high national ranking. He said he
would like to see the University's professional schools
actively recruit minorities.
"This does not mean that the University is not recruiting
See ADMISSIONS, Page 7
Senate to vote on.
eliminate straight
By Louie Melzlish "We should be educating
Daily Staff Reporter ers and saying to the vot
pr(
-tic
g the vot-
ers, 'You
the races
Bullard
)posal
to
BRETT MOUNTAIN/Daily
Tattoo artist Jeff Zuck adds body art to John Macintyre's chest at Name Brand Tattoo on Church Street yesterday.
" "
Master's in Judaic studies
program tobe state's first
By Michael Gazdecki well as a Middle Eastern studies focus aimed at graduate
Daily Staff Reporter students.
3
Many voters will have to spend
slightly more time at the polls if the
state Senate approves the abolition
of straight-ticket voting this week.
A bill proposed by Sen. Bill
Bullard (R-Highland Twp.) would
remove the ability of voters to auto-
matically vote for all candidates
from one party by simply punching
a hole or connecting a line.
Bullard's proposal has drawn
heavy criticism from Democrats,
who say the bill is an attempt to
,reduce voter turnout and conse-
quently help Republicans in the
next election. Republicans say the
change will force voters to make
more informed decisions about
wxhomn thev vo~te for. rather thran
said.
But Michigan Democratic Party
Chair Mark Brewer said the state
GOP's motives are more about poli-
tics than voter education.
"The Republicans are simply
doing this to create longer lines at
the polls and discourage people
from voting," he said.
Brewer said the legislation is
especially aimed at discouraging
minorities, who usually vote Demo-
cratic, from voting. Residents of
Detroit, which is predominantly
black, vote an automatic straight-
party ticket about 80 percent of the
time, compared to 40 percent in the
rest ofthei state. he said.
must be responsible for
and who you vote for,"'
ket 'voting
thus creating more confusion for
voters and decreasing turnout.
Bullard countered that argument,
saying, "It's the job of local clerks
to predict how many people are
voting and get the appropriate num-
ber of machines" so there aren't
long lines.
Supporters of Bullard's bill say
the proposed reform will especially
force voters to look at the non-par-
tisan races, such as judgeships.
People automatically voting for one
party mistakenly assume they are
also voting for those offices, they
say.
In addition, state GOP
spokesman Jason Brewer said vot-
ers can still vote for all candidates
from one party, the only inconve-
nience being that they have to make
several marks on the ballot, not lust
Starting this January, the University will offer the state's
first master's program in Judaic studies through the Rack-
ham Graduate School.
"One of our target audiences is a person who is not
quite sure they want to commit to a full-fledged Ph.D. pro-
gram," said Zvi Gitelman, director of the Judaic studies
program.
"About 1,500 students a year enroll in the Judaic studies
(minor) program, which I feel is a clear sign of interest,"
Gitelman said.
A few have said that they feel it would be a useful cre-
dential in furthering their work in rabbinical studies, work-
ing in Jewish communal-settings and teaching in Jewish
schools.
For a new master's program to be added at a public uni-
v~rit, in ihionn it miict 1he.n arnvrci byh evei~rv nnivepr-