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NEWS: 76-DAILY
CLASSIFIED: 764-0557
wwwmichigandally.com
Wednesday
February 13, 2002
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Motorists
hit hard by
parking
restriction
By Rob Goodspeed
Daily Staff Reporter
A new parking restriction took many students
by surprise last week when 1,012 motorists
received $125 tickets for violating the city of
Ann Arbor's new emergency snow parking ordi-
nance.
The rule prohibits parking during a snow
emergency on the side of the street with odd
addresses on odd numbered days and the even
side on even numbered days to accommodate
for snow removal.
"From the point of view of having fewer cars
on the streets, we were successful," said Bill
Wheeler, director of the city of Ann Arbor's
Department of Public Services. Wheeler said he
anticipates fewer students will be ticketed as
more people learn about the law.
Some students were upset by the high fine.
"There's no way that it should be that much,"
said LSA senior Scott Behnan. "I think it's
excessive'."
Some students were able to get the fine
reduced after challenging the fine through the
city of Ann Arbor's ticket referee.
"They reduced mine to $85," Behnan said.
"But I'm still challenging it in court." He said
the city could have done more to advertise the
new law.
He added that in addition to a press release
sent to local radio stations and newspapers, the
city worked with the University to communi-
cate to students. "We went through a lot of
processes to make sure everyone heard,"
Wheeler said.
The University sent one e-mail in December
to students describing the new parking restric-
tions and another on Jan. 30 during the snow-
storm.
"We are hoping that every fall the University
will send out the mass e-mail," said Wheeler,
who added the city is working with the
University to provide incoming students with
See RESTRICTION, Page 7
Anti
-U.s.
sentiments
high in Iran
LAUHIL EBESCULL/Daily
Elyse Kammerer, a Neuroscience graduate student, pays her ticket to cashier Tracy Williams at Ann Arbor City
Hall. Due to the implementation of a system allowing citizens to pay tickets online, Kammerer will no longer have
to make the trek to city hall to take care of fines for moving offenses.
A2 allows offienders
to pay tickets online
Iranians irate over
being tagged as part of
'axis of terror'
By Loule Melzlish
Daily Staff Reporter
President Bush's inclusion of Iran as
a member of an "axis of terror," along
with North Korea and Iraq, was at
least partially caused by a renewal of
anti-U.S. sentiment expressed on the
streets of Tehran this past week, sever-
al Middle East and U.S. foreign policy
scholars said yesterday.
The protests occurred during the
23rd annual celebration of the Islamic
Revolution. In 1979, Shiite Muslim
mullahs and a populace fed up with
the U.S.-backed government of Shah
Muhammad Reza Pahlavi rose up and
overthrew Pahlavi, installing a theo-
cratic government under Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini.
During Monday's protest, according
to The New York Times' account of the
event, protesters chanted "Death to
America" and, occasionally, "Death to
Bush." The size of the crowd this year
was reportedly in the millions. In con-
trast, demonstrations in recent years
Rate of
were smaller and saw more subdued
condemnations of the United States.
There had been an appearance of a
detente between the country Khomeini
had pronounced the "Great Satan" and
the country the U.S. blames for kid-
napping its citizens and for supporting
terrorist organizations such as
Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based group
that has claimed responsibility for
numerous attacks against Israel. The
U.S. blames the Iranians for an arms
shipment to the Palestinian Authority
seized by the Israeli government last
month.
In 1997, reformist Iranian President
Mohammed Khatami told CNN he
wanted to begin a dialog with the U.S.
Since that time, Khatami has not only
been re-elected, but his allies, who
favor improved ties with the U.S., have
also taken control of the Iranian par-
liament. But conservative hardliners
still control the armed forces, police,
judiciary and intelligence agencies.
The conservative and unelected
Council of Guardians also has the
power to shut down reformist newspa-
pers and to prevent candidates it does
not approve of from seeking elected
office.
See PROTEST, Page 7
gay hate
By Annie Gleason
Daily Staff Reporter
Residents can avoid the hassle of the county court
system the next time they have to pay a moving vio-
lation ticket. The Washtenaw County Court system
created an online payment system for residents last
June in order to make the process of paying tickets
less of a hassle.
"It's a service the court wanted to provide to all
residents. We wanted to make it convenient for folks,
so that they don't have to come down here and find
a parking spot. ... It's a lot easier," said Scot
Cannell, systems manager for the Washtenaw
County Court.
Residents are only allowed to pay their tickets
online for traffic civil infraction tickets within 20
days of the offense. Such offenses include speeding
tickets, pedestrian violations and other specific vio-
lations that fall under the jurisdiction of the county
courts.
The system is available to all residents through the
Washtenaw County website, http://www.co.washte-
nawmi.us. Residents must be able to provide the
amount of the ticket, a description of the offense and
the citation number in order to process the payment.
Users are notified by c-mail when the payments is
See PAYMENT, Page 7
crimes continue
upward trend
Practice makes perfect
New lunar year marks
start of year of h orse
By Shannon Pettypiece
Daily Staff Reporter
insisted
alone o
him," C
Just as many University students watched Ericl
the ball drop in Times Square on New Year's Student
Eve to celebrate the new year, other students who are
will be celebrating the lunar new year, also ly find
known as Chinese New Year, this week by wel- this hol
coming in the year 4699. "Wha
Those celebrating the Chinese New Year red env
will not be pouring champagne, watching fire- money,
works or counting down the seconds. Instead, Chinese
they will spend time with family and friends student
in a solemn celebration. "I thi
"Traditionally it is a very family-orientated today a
event and there is a lot of traveling going on this said.
time of year in China," said Administrative Acco
Associate for the Center for Chinese Studies Pat year of
O'Connell-Young. "You go into a big city and it this yea
j will be really quiet during the day.... There is no well-lik
big deal like in Times Square." Whil
When O'Connell-Young was in the province horse a
of Shanxi in China during the Chinese New are kn
LAURIE BRESCOLL/Daily Year, she got a firsthand experience with the Famous
Sophie Shyu, a Taiwanese Aborigine dancer for the Huaren generosity and strong family connection asso- include
Cultural Association, prepares for a performance. ciated with the celebration. The C
"The man who spoke English at the hotel days un
Students ignore, adapt to new
housing security standards
d that he could not stand that I would be
n New Year's so he took me home with
O'Connell Young said.
Haung, vice president of the Chinese
.s Association, said Chinese students
away from their families would usual-
some way to get in touch with them on
iday.
at is tradition is that the elders send out
elopes and they are usually filled with
and that is one way that they celebrate
e New Year," said Haung, a Rackham
nk also they typically call their parents
nd wish them a happy new year," he
rding to the Chinese Zodiac, this is the
f the horse, meaning that people born
ar will be very popular, cheerful and
ked.
e those born under the sign of the
re also very intelligent and wise, they
own to work as hard as they play.
people born in the year of the horse
Aretha Franklin and Clint Eastwood.
Chinese New Year will continue for 15
atil the next full moon.
By Maa Sprow
Daily Staff Reporter
When anti-gay members of Westboro
Baptist Church protested at last year's
Queer Visibility Week Kiss-In rally on
the Diag, University students were able
to use the protesters to gain ground for
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered
community awareness and prove that
hate can - and does - generate support
for those being targeted.
"The attempt of the Westboro Baptist
church to disrupt last year's Kiss-In was
greeted with a proactive response in sup-
port of queer rights," said James Toy, a
consultant for the University's Office of
Equity and Diversity Services. "To me,
that is not ignoring what (the church) did,
that is taking what (they) did and making
a positive statement about queer con-
cerns."
But a recent early morning wake-up
call at the University of Montana in
Missoula County, where the home of two
University of Michigan graduates was
burned to the ground at 3 a.m. Friday,
showed that hate and hate crimes do not
always end in community triumph.
Police are speculating that arsonists
targeted the house because Carla
Grayson and Adrianne Neff, the women
who lived in the now-ruined home, are
openly gay. Neff and Grayson are in the
process of suing the University of
Montana, where Grayson is a psycholo-
gy professor, for same-sex benefits. The
women's lawyers, from the American
Civil Liberties Union, have also cited the
lawsuit and the women's sexual orienta-
tion as reasons why their home was
torched.
The ACLU also told The Associated
Press they believe the attack's intention
was not arson, but murder because it
happened while the women were sleep-
ing in the house. The fire spread rapidly
throughout the house and the women
escaped with their two-year-old child by
jumping out a window.
The cause of the fire is still under
investigation. University of Michigan
Social Work Prof. Beth Reed, a close
friend of the women, said the crime had
numerous effects on Neff and Grayson.
"I think they are distraught about it,
and you know, frightened. They barely
managed to get out with their lives," said
Reed, who has known Neff for 15 years.
She said the incident happened shortly
after the women - as well as another
couple involved in the lawsuit -
received threatening letters saying they
contained anthrax. The letters have been
tested and no traces of anthrax were
found, Reed said.
She added that the arson, though the
See HATE, Page 7
By Karen Schwartz
Daily Staff Reporter
Until two weeks ago, it seemed per-
fectly normal to LSA junior Jennifer
Dimovski to leave her apartment door
unlocked when she was home and per-
fectly safe to yell "come in" when
someone knocked.
Following two recent home invasion
incidents in East Quad and West Quad
Residence Halls, Dimovski said she has
changed her ways.
w
*9 * **.r
Quad resident with a gun Feb. 2 and on
Feb. 6 an uninvited man was discovered
in a West Quad resident's room.
Dimovski said she and other
University students feel differently
walking around Ann Arbor follow-
ing the incidents. She said she now
feels their safety has been compro-
mised.
Students had mixed views concern-
ing campus safety and whether or not
that level of safety has changed since
last week.
we lock the door," she said. "I think
any time it's brought to your attention
it makes you think ... (I'm not) so
naive to think 'it's not going to happen
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