LOCAL/S TATE The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, October 9, 2001- 3 Interim provost requests facult Fire department to conduct monthly siren test today The Ann Arbor Fire Department will conduct its monthly testing of neighborhood warning sirens at 1 p.m. today. The test is conducted on the first Tuesday of each month. Girl walks into wall, injures head The Department of Public Safety reported Thursday that a woman walked into the corner of a wall of the School of Business Administration building and bumped her head. Initial reports stated she had a bump on her forehead and was icing it but that she did not want medical attention. How- ever, she changed her mind and was transported to University Hospitals by ' Huron Valley Ambulance. Cell phone stolen from hospital DPS reports state a woman left her cell phone in a bathroom at Univer- sity HospitaIs Thursday morning, and when she went back hours later, the phone was gone. DPS did not report having any suspects. Would-be passenger throws skateboard at University bus A University bus driver did not stop to pick up a man waiting at an unmarked bus stop Thursday, prompting him to throw his skate- board at the bus, DPS reports state. The driver told DPS that the skate- board left a small dent in the bus. Jacket stolen from Michigan Union DPS reports state a jacket was stolen from an office in the Union on Thursday evening. Reports stated the jacket was black and water resistant with zippers under the arms and in front. DPS has no suspects. 1 Solicitors give out shirts advertising alcoholic beverage A group of people was caught soliciting credit cards and handing out T-shirts outside the exit of the dining room at West Quad Residence Hall on Friday afternoon, DPS reports state. The sales may have been approved, but the solicitors were reported because one of the T- shirts advertised alcohol. Footprints left in fresh concrete DPS reports state that an unknown number of people etched their names in freshly poured concrete footings for the benches in the Nichols Arboretum on Friday afternoon. The footings are located at the south end of the central valley. Reports stated that one suspect signed a full name. 'Wig lady' seen in Shapiro Library The staff at the Shapiro Under- graduate Library informed DPS early Saturday morning that the "wig lady" was once again in the building. Reports state the subject was gone upon the officer's arrival. Student spits in adviser s face DPS reports state that a student spat in the face of a resident adviser of Mary Markley Residence Hall on Saturday evening. The student was experiencing a possible drug over- -dose, reports stated. Poster set ablaze in Mary Markley A resident's poster was burned at Mary Markley Residence Hall on Sunday afternoon, DPS reports state. There was some damage to' the wall. DPS had no suspects. - Compiled by Dailv StaffReporter Kristen Beauniont. By Shannon Pettyplece Daily StafYReporter For Vice President and Secretary of the Uni- versity Lisa Tedesco, it has been a difficult month to add the position of interim provost to her duties. But the job will not become any easier in the coming weeks, as University President Lee Bollinger said Saturday he will leave the Univer- sity. Tedesco met with members of the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs yes- terday to discuss the group's issues with the Uni- versity -- issues SACUA said they submitted to Bollinger that have gone months without any action. The topics included changes to the Universi- ty's prescription drug benefit package. faculty involvement in the Board in Control of Intercol- legiate Athletics and teaching standards. Tedesco said she was not confident enough to address many of SACUA's concerns at the meet- ing, but said she would look into them. "I'm still in learning mode," Tedesco said. "It has been a very difficult month for one to understand how to be the provost at the University of Michigan. I ask you to be' patient with me. SACUA members said Bollinger is violating a Uni- versity Board of Regents' bylaw because he has failed to appoint the full six faculty Tedesco members to the BICIA, which has prevented the committee from meeting during the past two months, said board member and psychology Prof. Robert Sellers. "We have not, as a body, moved forward and it is my understanding that that is the reason," he said. Tedesco said she would look into the matter. "I'm not exactly sure how everything fits together. I'm just learning these things," she said. The interim provost position was originally designed to be a short-term post, but after Bollinger's announcement, SACUA members said they believe Tedesco may be holding the position for longer than expected. "I'm sure that when you accepted the posi- tion you didn't think it would be the position it is today," SACUA member and history Prof. Rudi Lindner told Tedesco. "It is likely that you will bear this office a little longer than you imagined." SACUA members hope that the added respon- sibilities and time commitment the position is demanding will encourage Tedesco to take a more proactive response with regard to decision patience making. "I hope that when you see the way clearly to make a decision you will have the courage to make it," Lindner said. SACUA Vice Chair and Dentistry Prof. John Gobetti encouraged Tedesco.to face her role confidently for the best interests of the University. "The highest concern of the faculty is that we need to move forward. All of us faculty and administration have to make some important decisions so the new president, who ever he or she is, may step into a very good position," he said. Tedesco addressed faculty concerns by saying she will fulfill the demands of the job. "I fully intend to make decisions. I'm not a place holder," Tedesco said. "I'll do my best to serve the University in the way it needs to be served now." Smith c ampaigns as first black woman for governor By Louie Melzilish Daily StaffReporter Though it may be a long shot, state Sen. Alma Wheeler Smith is convinced she will be Michigan's next governor. Facing what may seem to be insurmountable odds against three high-profile Democratic candidates, Smith, who has thus far registered single-digit name-recognition in polls, says her experience and reputation will propel her to the position as the state's first black female gover- nor. "I am going to win so you may as . well vote for me now," she proclaimed to the University's chapter of College Democrats-Sunday. If elected, she would be the second black person to hold statewide office. Democratic Secretary of State Richard Austin, who died earlier this year, served from 1971 to 1994 as the first black in a statewide post. TheL only other black candidate for gover- Smith nor was then-Wayne County Executive William Lucas, a former Democrat who ran as a Republican in an unsuc- cessful 1986 challenge to former Gov. James Blanchard, also an opponent of Smith's in this year's campaign. With the state facing a budget shortfall in the coming years that may number in the hundreds of millions, Smith touts her experience in budgetary issues as a two- term state senator, an eight-year trustee of the South Lyon School Board and a two-year term as a Washtenaw County commissioner. She also served as an aide to her Senate predecessor, Lana Pollack. "You have to be familiar with the legislative process and the appropriations process," Smith said, indirectly referring to Attorney General Jennifer Granholm, one of the frontrunners in the race, who never held elected office before becoming attorney general in 1999. "I win because people know I know what I'm doing and they know I know what I'm talking about," she said. Among Smith's proposals include a plan to fully refund, via tax credits, in-state community college and university students' tuition, splitting the Department of Community Health into two departments, with an addi- tional one focusing on mental health and consolidating the departments of Environmental Quality and Natural Resources into one department. In addition to Blanchard and Granholm, Smith's oppo- nents in the August 2002 Derriocratic primary include U.S. Rep. David Bonior of Mount Clemens and state Sen. Gary Peters of Bloomfield Township. Smith frequently lambasts current GOP Gov. John Engler for putting the priorities of the wealthy and cor- porations over those of lesser means. Under Engler, she said, "corporations that are making hundreds of millions of dollars are getting state funds for job training." Since Engler is prohibited from seeking a fourth term, Smith was asked why she criticized him to such an extent and didn't focus instead on the lieutenant governor, who is seeking the GOP nomination for the state's top job. "I don't expect (Posthumus) to be any different as a governor," Smith said. "I think Dick Posthumus has essentially bought into what John Engler believes for the last 12 years. When he was the majority leader of the Senate, Dick Posthumus did whatever the governor asked." Smith believes that except on environmental issues, all five Democratic candidates "essentially believe in the same things, it's our understanding, our experience, and our abilities to get things done that will make a differ- ence on how we govern. In the August 2002 GOP primary, Posthumus faces state Sen. John Schwarz of Battle Creek. ,I AP PHOTO NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue visits the largely Arab-American Fordson High School in Dearbornyesterday to discuss the terrorist attacks of Sept.11. Taglabue, Mill1en encourage local igh school team DEARBORN (AP) - NFL Com- m'issioner Paul Tagliabue yesterday encouraged football players at the largely Arab-American Fordson High School to stay focused on their game and not let outside influ- ences affect their performance. Tagliabue, joined by Detroit Lions President Matt Millen, visit- ed with the players to discuss the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and answer their questions. "The big thing you have going for you is your leadership," Tagli- abue said. "You can deal with chal- lenges, you can deal with adversity." About 2,100 students go to Ford- son High School and about 85 per- cent are Arab-American. School officials say the football team is 96 percent Arab-American - and the team has proven to be a power- house, posting a .755 winning per- centage since 1960. Millen said one of the things he likes best about football is how it brings people together. "I grew up in an era where the black-white thing was really hot," Millen told the players. "The foot- ball field was one place where that was non-existent." After the attacks in New York and Washington, Fordson players were given special instructions to not bow to the ethnic insults some feared could come from opposing teams and their fans. Through the years, the Fordson students have dealt with prejudice. In the past, signs at gymnasiums or at football facilities have declared: "No Camels." But Fordson athletic director and assistant football coach Mark Shooshanian said reported inci- dents of ethnic intimidation have actually gone down since the attacks. "We used to hear all of it before (the attacks), but since that hap- pened, everyone's been much more sensitive," he said. "It's really a tribute to all the other schools in the league." Dearborn, just west of Detroit, is home to an estimated 20,000 Arab- Americans. Players said they appreciated the encouragement from Millen and Tagliabue, who also was in town for the Detroit Lions' game last night against the St. Louis Rams. They said they hoped to apply what Millen and Tagliabue said in their game this weekend against Belleville. "It gives us more passion to play the game," said Abdul Ghaleb, a senior on the team. Head coach Jeff Stergalas said he liked how the speech focused on lead- ership, which he said the team is going to need for the rest of the season. Ford- son was 3-0 to start the season, but since losing the team's quarterback to a knee injury, its record is now 3-3. The team needs two more wins to make the playoffs. "Personally I think having Matt Millen and the commissioner here is pretty neat," Stergalas said. "In my book, (Millen) is a tough guy who is in a high position, and him coming here is exciting in itself." Boston i Evanston E Princeton i San Mateo i Frankfurt I London i Paris I I THE CALENDAR What's happening in Ann Arbor today students are invited to attend our presentation: EVENTS Michigan Student Assembly Meeting; 7:30 n m A mhv chnm- Building, Room 2000 "True, Truer, Truest;" Sponsored by the Philos- ophy Department, 4:00 p.m., G115 Angell Hall, Room, Comerica Bldg., 350 South Thayer, 936-3518 "Visual Metaphors for Transcendence: Investi- SERVICES Campus Information Centers, 764-INFO, info@umich./edu, or A/wijmiArIh Pdo1if innm