One hundred eleven years ofeditorialfreedom ti NEWS: 76-DAILY CLASSIFIED: 7640557 www michigandaily. cam Friday November 16, 2001 - - - - - - - -- -- -- Tall an on ye ge of collapse BANGI, Afghanistan (AP) - Northern alliance forces and Pashtun tribesmen encircled two of the Taliban's last remaining strongholds at opposite ends of the country yesterday. The Taliban's supreme leader vowed to fight to the death and to seek the "extinction of America." Backed byeU.S. warplanes, the alliance laid siege to the northern city of Kunduz, where the defenders include an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 foreigners loyal to Osama bin Laden. In the south, the Taliban clung to tenuous control of its birthplace, Kandahar. Opposition leader Hamid Karzai said his sources told him there was "turmoil" in the city; other sources said local Pashtun tribesmen had surrounded the city. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of President m search on 'aggressive schedule' Rackham dean to lead advisory panel; 2 students to get spots on committee By Elizabeth Kassab Daily Staff Reporter anonymity, said there were spurts of fighting near the city center as the Pashtun fighters advanced. Most of Kandahar province, outside of the city, is in the hands of anti-Taliban rebels, he said. Gen. Tommy Franks, the U.S. commander of the Afghanistan campaign, said American spe- cial forces were operating near Kandahar. Inside the city, Franks said, "we do see signs of some fracturing" within the Taliban ranks. Pashtuns are Afghanistan's largest ethnic group, and served as the backbone of the Taliban's harsh five-year regime. Pakistan strengthened its border defenses closest to Kandahar with tanks and extra troops, worried that unrest - and bin Laden supporters - could spill across the frontier. In other developments: Eight international aid workers arrested three months ago for preaching Christianity in Afghanistan were reported in good condition in Pakistan after being helicoptered to safety by U.S. special forces. The women in the group, including two Americans, signaled to their res- cuers by burning the body-covering burqas they had been forced to wear. U.S. Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge confirmed that documents that would be helpful in making a nuclear device were found in a building in Kabul, described as an al-Qaida safe house. But Ridge said the documents con- tained information taken off the Internet that could have been widely available to people other than terrorists. British troops arrived at the Bagram air- field, north of Kabul, on what the Ministry of Defense said was a mission to prepare the facili- ty for use in a future humanitarian mission. In Washington, the Pentagon said some senior Taliban and al-Qaida leaders were killed in airstrikes this week, but had no evidence bin Laden was among them. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told a news conference the United States will find bin Laden even if he leaves Afghanistan. The northern alliance has captured some senior Taliban military leaders, said a U.S. offi- cial, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Some senior Taliban officers also have defected, the official said. The official declined to say whether U.S. officials had interviewed the pris- oners. President Bush launched airstrikes against Afghanistan on Oct. 7 after the Taliban refused to surrender bin Laden, wanted in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The Taliban supreme leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, sought to portray the Tal- iban's recent retreats from urban centers as part of a larger strategy aiming to destroy America. "If God's help is with us, this will happen within a short period of time - keep in mind this prediction," he said in an interview with the BBC, conducted over satellite phone. "The real matter is the extinction of America, and God willing, it will fall to the ground." See WAR, Page 7 osaic Economy showin signs of recovery By Ted Borden Daily Staff Reporter Moving toward its goal of naming a successor to University President Lee Bollinger by spring, the University Board of Regents announced yester- day that the eight regents themselves will serve as the presidential search committee. Regent Larry Deitch (D-Bing- ham Farms) will chair the commit- Lewis tee, and Regent Daniel Horning (R-Grand Haven) will serve as vice chair. The regents also gave Rackham Dean Earl Lewis a unique present for his birthday yesterday, naming him chair of the Presidential Search Advisory Com- mittee. The advisory committee has not been formed, but Deitch announced that the committee will consist of seven fac- ulty members, two staff members, two students, two alumni, and one represen- tative from the Dearborn and Flint cam- puses. Bollinger will leave the University at the end of the semester and become president of Columbia University next summer. Former Business School Dean B. Joseph White will serve as interim president until a permanent replacement is found. "We hope to fill out the committee shortly and keep the process moving toward a relatively quick resolution by springtime," Deitch said. "We want to be thorough and as inclusive as possible, but we also want to make a decision," Lewis said. "I think that means an aggressive schedule." The committee is expected to be named in the coming weeks, and Lewis said he hopes to meet with the commit- tee immediately. Exact details of how the search will proceed are still being worked but. The regents have decided to employ an exec- utive search consultant to aid in the process, but they have not yet decided which firm. No decision has been made See SEARCH, Page 7 Consumer confidence will continue to decline in the next year as labor mar- kets proceed to weaken and unemploy- ment rises but consumers are not as. pessimistic as they have been during past recessions, a University economist said yesterday. Richard Curtin, director of the Uni- versity's Index of Consumer Sentiment, was speaking at the Michigan Theater as part of the University's 49th Annual Conference on the Economic Outlook. During his presentation, Curtin reflect- ed on the economic fallout of the Set. 11 attacks and spoke on the consumer outlook for 2002. "Never have we seen an event have as much impact as this has," Curtin said. "But, the most striking result is how little impact the attacks had on already declining confidence." Curtin noted that while overall con- sumer sentiment and expectation are at their lowest levels since the nation's last RYAN LEVENTHAL/Daily Alice Augustus of Dexter looks at vehicles with Taylor Glaseenapp, a salesman for Howard Cooper Import Center on State Street. Despite the economic downturn, car sales have surged as automakers try to draw customers by lowering Interest rates. recession during the early 1990s, peo- ple are not as pessimistic. "Consumers do expect some gains in the next year - they see this as short-term," Curtin said. The main difference between the cur- rent weakened economy and the one which occurred a decade ago is infla- tion. "We have very low inflation now," Curtin said. "This is an important posi- See ECONOMY, Page 7 $2. million gift to fund public service program DEBBIE MIZEL/Daily Yesterday's blue sky reflects In the windows of the Law Quad. This week's unseasonable warmth is expected to give way to snow showers by Thanksgiving. approves new admisslot SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The University of California regents formal- ly approved yesterday an admissions policy to judge would-be students on their personal as well as their academic records. The policy, known as compre- hensive review, was endorsed by a regents committee Wednesday and for- mally approved 15-4 with one absten- tion by the full board yesterday. Under comprehensive review, admis- sions officials look at grades and test scores plus such things as whether a stu- dent overcame poverty or has special talents. Critics had branded the new pol- icy as backdoor affirmative action, banned by state law, but regents amend- is policy ed the policy to say it wouldn't be used to inject race into admissions. As a leading public university, UC's decision sends a signal to other schools struggling with how to balance academ- ic merit with personal endeavor in an era when using subjective criteria such as race has come under legal fire. Regents voted to drop race-based admissions in 1995. They rescinded that vote in May, but are bound by a 1996 state law banning most state affirmative action programs. After race-blind admissions went into effect, enrollment of blacks and Hispanics tumbled. The figures have rebounded since then, but not at Berkeley and UCLA. By Kylene Kiang Daily Staff Reporter University alum and former U.S. Attorney Robert Fiske Jr. announced this week that he will contribute $2 mil- lion to the University's Law School as part of the newly created Fiske Fellow- ship Program for Public Service. "I'm very pleased to be able to help share the rewards of public service in this way. Basically, this fund is to help others experience.two of the most influential things in my life - Michi- gan Law School and public service," Fiske said yesterday. Beginning in May 2002, three recent- ly graduated or third-year Law students pursuing careers in government service will be chosen to receive a one-time $5,000 stipend plus full debt repayment assistance on educational loans for three years. According to the program appli- cation, recipients will be selected based on "demonstrated commit- ment to public service values, acad- emic achievements and the nature and quality of the proposed govern- ment position." Fiske "really wanted to make a state- ment," said Law School Dean Jeffrey Lehman. "He wanted to ensure that we can keep moving forward." In light of the Sept. 11 attacks, the scholarship program aims to assist students dur- ing difficult eco- nomic times. F"iske "I think this is an extraordinary opportunity. ... It will definitely have an impact in students in terms of affording an education and also increasing the accessibility of public service," said Lehman. Fiske said newly graduated stu- dents often have less consideration for the public service field, citing that private firms offer significant- ly higher salaries. "In many cases, people will opt to go to a higher paying job. Hopefully, this will attract more people into govern- ment service" he said. "The Fiske Fellowships will make public service a more realistic option for our country's best-trained attorneys," said Robert Precht, director of the Law School's Office of Public Service. Fiske graduated from the Law School in 1955. He is a senior mem- ber of Davis Polk & Wardrell, a New York City-based law firm. His experience in public service includes being appointed U.S. attor- ney for the Southern District of New York in 1976. He also served as independent counsel in the Whitewater investiga- tion in 1994. Currently he serves as a member of the Commission of Review for FBI also known as mission. Security Programs, the Webster Com No.11 MICHIGAN VS. tomorro330 p.m. I camp randal l stadium I abc THE OPPONENT The Badgers have an explosive offense, but their defense has given up more thanA 30 points in all five of the team's losses. Amaker era begins with Oakland visit By Joe Smith Daily Sports Editor LAST WEEK The Wolverines kept the Little Brown ,ug in Ann Arbor with a 31-10 over innesota. Wisconsin did not play. OUTLOOK A Michigan win means next week's " . !11 _ 0 . 1 --!, J __- _1 t Whenever Oakland University basketball coach Greg Kampe entered a recruit's living room this past year and attempted to woo them into a Griz- zlies uniform, there was one special memento from his 18 years of coaching that he never forgot to show them:n The game film from wome 's aske t all ia last years 97-90 victo- is ready to tip off with its ry over Michigan. highest-ever preseason The "biggest win in school history" for the ranking. Page 10. Grizzlies shocked the college basketball world and put Oakland, just beginning its second season in Division I, on the map. start the revitalization of the program against a team whose upset victory over the Wolverines was the first leak in the worst season for Michigan in 19 years. The heavily anticipated rematch is tonight at 7 p.m. in Crisler Arena. Amaker, who won two national titles as an assis- tant with Duke, spent the past four years at Seton Hall that included one Sweet Sixteen appearance. He uses his code words of "passion and patience" when speaking of Michigan's expectations this sea- son focused merely on "improvement.: Amaker didn't have to watch last season's game when Brian Ellerbe sat then-freshmen Avery Queen, Bernard Robinson and Maurice Searight for the first few minutes of the game for discipli- nary reasons. Oakland proceeded to catch fire from U 11 MARJORIE MARHIALL/LDaify