One hundred eleven years ofeditorad freedom ti NEWS: 76-DAILY CLASSIFIED: 7640557 www mlchlgandal y. cam Tuesday January 22, 2002 t w ,. Inqury ofrapes at Beta dropped By Rob Goodspeed For the Daily Prosecutors have decided not to pursue charges against two Beta Theta Pi fraternity members for a pair of alleged rapes last semester. "They didn't believe they could prove it beyond a reasonable doubt," said Ann Arbor Police Sgt. Rich Kinsey. "It's a tough situation for the prosecutor barring some sort of physical evidence." The prosecutor's office decided not to pursue charges on Jan. 8 after reviewing evidence collected by the AAPD, Kinsey said. The police sent more evidence to the prosecutor's office, but after reviewing the additional evidence, prosecutors again decided on Jan. 10 not to pursue charges. AAPD has completed its investigation of the incident, although police did not confirm that the investigation was closed until Friday. Two women alleged they were drugged and sexually assaulted at a Beta Theta Pi fraternity house party by members of the fraternity on Oct. 25. One victim later decided not to press charges, but police decided to continue their investigation into both reported incidents. In response to the allegations, the fraternity placed itself on social pro- bation and decided to ban alcohol in See BETA, Page 2A Consumer confidence sug ests recovery By Ted Borden Daily Staff Reporter Economists and investors are optimistic as yet'another report sig- nals the U.S. economy is on its way to recovering from recession. The preliminary measure of the Univer- sity's Consumer Sentiment Index, released Friday, increased to 94.2 by a larger-than-expected 5.4 points in January, after a 4.9 point increase in December. The rise was the largest monthly increase in two years and the fourth consecutive monthly gain, putting the index at its highest level in a year. The numbers are "surprising and encouraging," said John Schmitz, head of equity strategy at Fifth Third Bank in Cincinnati. "This is very important right now because Wall Street and investors are trying to look for signs that will affirm the economy is in a recovery." The index is now up 12 points from its post-Sept. 11 low. It is widely considered a harbinger of consumer spending, which accounts for about two-thirds of the econo- my. Despite sluggish holiday sales and retailers' lowered earnings forecasts, Schmitz said consumers might be feeling more positive because of improving labor mar- kets. Weekly jobless claim reports have offered evidence that the large number of layoffs since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks has been subsid- ing. The expectations component of the index also showed an increase, rising 9.4 points to 91.7. It has risen more than 15 points in the last two months. Economics Prof. Saul Hymans said he felt the factors that will lead to improving sentiment in coming months are "no further ter- rorist incidents on U.S. soil, general progress in the antiterrorism cam- paign, evidence that job losses are hevinnino' to ahate and monetarv HONORING, CHALLENGING AND LIVING: THE UNIERSITY' S 15TH ANNUAL MARTIN LUTHER KING JR, SYMPOSIUM new age of civil rights Family of Haddad may bedeported By Jeremy Berkowitz Daily Staff Reporter For the family of Rabih Haddad, it may seem that equal- ity has passed over them on a day which is supposed to represent freedom. In a new twist in the case concerning Haddad, a Muslim community leader jailed on an expired visa violation, Haddad's wife and her four children were served removal papers Sunday. At a time which has yet to be disclosed, there will be a hearing where a judge will determine if Haddad's family will be deported from the United States. Haddad is current- ly being held in Chicago. Even before Dec. 14, when Haddad was arrested, his family had already applied for an adjustment of sta- tus under the LIFE Act, which allows aliens to apply for permanent citizen- ship even if their "If they are being singled out because they are Muslim-Americans, it is unethical" - Haaris Ahmed Vice president of the Muslim Community Association JONATHON TRIEST/Daily Salma AI-Rushald, wife of detained Muslim leader Rabih Haddad, speaks to reporters yesterday at Hutchins Hall. Haddad's family has been served with deportation papers and may be forced to leave the country for allowing their visa to expire while applying for citizenship. Tactics. used to fight terror just-ified, U.S.atreysy By Danlel Kim Daily StaffReporter U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Collins yesterday def ld the tactics used by the U.S govern- ment i its fight against terrorism, which have been labeled as racial profiling by critics. "We are here to honor one of the greatest shepherds who ever lived, and that is Dr. King. And the things and the values that Dr. King stood for - equality, liberty of all people - are the same principles that have caused our enemies, the terrorists, to hate us," Collins said Crson:lC as he began his discussion, "Maintaining & Enforcing Civil Rights in the New Age: Bal- ancing Civil Liberties and National Security." , Collins reassured the 150 people in atten- dance that the Justice Department's top priori- iies after Sept. Ii are "to protect American lives, to prevent future terrorism attacks, and torotect vulnerable communities from delib- erate backlash." He used the lack of information available to the public about those who have been arrested and detained in relation to the Sept. 11 attack as an example of the necessary balance We between civil liberties and national security. He explained the Justice Department does not "want to advertise to the enemies who is in custody." Colihs at rred to the recent conduct- ing of voluntary interviews of people from countries with some form of terrorist activity. "Their interviews are nothing more than a request for help and an attempt to gain intelli- gence information. ... And if we gain one direful piece of information doing these 500 interviews and prevent the horrific act of 9-11 See CIVIL RIGHTS, Page 7A visa has expired. Hassan said he feels that Haddad and his family are being treated unjustly. "There is no instance of anybody who applied under this law and was prosecuted," said Nazih Hassan, a close friend of Haddad's and vice president of the Muslim Com- munity Association in Ann Arbor. The Muslim community is upset by this weekend's events. Haaris Ahmed, executive director of the Michigan Council of American-Islamic Relations, said that if what the Haddads are going through is normal procedure, it is fine. But if the Haddads are being singled out, it is a viola- tion of due process. "If they are being singled out because they are Muslim- Americans, it is unethical," Ahmed said. As part of the University's Martin Luther King Jr. sym- posium yesterday, Jeffrey Collins, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, spoke about balancing civil liberties and national security in a post-Sept. 11 world. When asked specifically about the Haddad case, Collins assured the audience that Haddad was being taken good See HADDAD, Page 7A have a lot in common By Jennifer Misthal Daily Staff Reporter As a neurosurgeon, Dr. Benjamin Carson said he has often encountered people who are surprised by the color of his skin. "People interpret ignorance as racism or hatred'when it's not. We must have tolerance," Carson said. "The fallout of September 11 has made people, look, talk to each other differently. Why are we so interested in dividing ourselves into so many groups? We have a lot in common. Everyone is trying to emulate us (the United States). We should be proud of who we are." Carson, director of pediatric neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institute in Baltimore and the keynote speaker for this year's Martin Luther King Jr. symposium at the University of Michigan, echoed King's dream to not be judged by skin color. "Martin Luther King Jr. would not recognize someone for the color of their skin, if it was black, white, yellow, or red, but he would recognize people for who they are. It's about character, not skin," he told a packed Hill Auditorium yesterday. "Our brain makes us who we are, not the color of our skin. When I operate, I DAVID IKATZ/Daily Dr. Benjamin Carson, a neurosurgeon at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institute In Baltimore, gestures while giving the keynote address of the University of Michigan's Martin Luther King Jr. symposium yesterday.+ can't tell where my patients are from. Carson, an alum of the University's Medical School, was chosen to be the 15th annual symposium's keynote speaker because he has done outstanding work in the medical profession, authored three books and embodies the theme of the symposium - "honoring, challenging and living," said Juanita Merchant, an associate Med- ical professor at the University, when introducing Carson. "He honors his mother, who insisted he have the best education, he overcame the challenges of growing up in extreme poverty, and keeps Martin Luther King's dream living and breathing," Merchant said. Carson focused on the achievements of the country's diverse population. "There have been tremendous contributions by many See CARSON, Page 7A Group worried holiday has lost focus By Jeremy Berkowitz Daily Staff Reporter When members of the Black Student Union gath- ered on the Diag yesterday, there vere no rallies or acts of community service. The only speaker was never seen and his words came from inside a white Chevrolet truck. Students listened to recorded speeches given by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in hopes of achieving what they said the day's real purpose should be: to remember the life of King and his achievements. "I truly feel that the U of M has taken MLK Day name of MLK without recognizing MLK." Unlike other events yesterday, this remembrance of King was very low-key. His speeches were played from speakers with the intention of gaining the per- spective of his dream. Hot chocolate was given out, and most students gathered around the "M" to con- verse. Everybody gathered together for a few min- utes to sing the Negro National Anthem. "I grew up with that song. My mother taught me that all African Americans should know that song," said LSA senior Christa Wimberly, who led the singing. "I highly urge (black students) to learn it. Even if you don't know it, you need to know of it." "My only big thing is that as I've been here, I've seen his name, his principles, his values, slowly being removed from this day. It's nice to see him back." Thirty-four years after King's death, many stu- dents said that they feel his ideas of freedom and equality are as relevant today as they were in the 1960s. The civil rights problems of the 1950s and '60s, like bus segregation and housing segregation, have been replaced with the civil rights problems of the 21st century, including affirmative action, police bru- tality and institutionalized racism. In troubled times such as these, many look back at King's messages of I eAn nmi r