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Friday
February 15, 2002
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Regents change
means of
operating
By Shannon Pettyplece
and Kara Wenzel
Daily Staff Reporters
In an historic move, the University Board
of Regents revised their bylaws yesterday to
include a chair, vice chair and committees,
despite concerns about the timing and politi-
cal motivations behind the proposal.
Although Regents Olivia Maynard (D-
Goodrich) and Rebecca McGowan (D-Ann
Arbor) opposed the change, the other six
members of the board voted in favor of the
proposal.
Regent Larry Deitch (D-Bingham Farms)
was elected as chair of the committee. A
vice chair will be voted on at a later time.
"I believe the devil remains in the details,"
McGowan said.
Previously, the board operated without an
official internal structure. The chair of the
board will now help set the agenda, appoint
other regents to committees and head meetings
when the president is absent.
"I believe, in short, this is a good gover-
nance move," said Regent Martin Taylor
(D-Grosse Pointe Farms). "It's really the
norm."
While Maynard did not say she was opposed
to the idea of the change, she was concerned
about its effects on the University during a
transition stage.
"From my point of view, we would be better
served if there were no amendments to our
bylaws until we have a new permanent presi-
dent," Maynard said.
Maynard introduced an alternate to the
proposal originally introduced at last month's
regents meeting by Regent David Brandon
(R-Ann Arbor) because she said other
regents are unwilling to wait for a new presi-
dent.
Maynard's proposal called for a year-long
rotating chair position. The approved proposal
gives the chair a two-year elected term.
"This process assures a non-partisan selec-:
tion of a chairperson each year," Maynard said.
"It takes away any board in-fighting on who
will be chair and frees us to focus on issues of
higher education."
Supporters of the approved proposal do not
believe it has any political motivations or will
reorganize the board's distribution of power.
"As I look at it now, this does not shift any
power. I think this will put us in a better posi-
tion. I do not think this will lead us into micro-
managing the University; that is the last thing I
want to do," Taylor said.
Supporters of the proposal hope that the new
committee structure will enable the regents to
delegate responsibility in a more effective man-
ner.
But Maynard said she believes the commit-
tee structure will alienate the regents from the
See REGENTS, Page 3
GEO contract to
expire today, will
not be extended
By Maria Sprow
Daily Staff Reporter
"I think the chances of a
The contract between the University and the (Wo1
Graduate Employees Organization is set to expire -
for the second time today, but GEO members said
they will not temporarily extend it again as they
did two weeks ago.
"What they gave us on Tuesday was a request Presi
to extend the contract until March 8th, and we are
rejecting that proposal," said GEO president GEO w
Cedric de Leon. "The reason is that the adminis- last nigh
tration requested a two-week contract extension "Ma
already, and we gave them two weeks in good decide t
faith, and the administration has pretty much ty spok
moved on nothing." sions
"We are letting it expire (today) as scheduled," he accomp
added. Peter
GEO members voted two weeks ago to not contrac
extend the contract again. becaus
"That's what membership said they wanted, so terms o
that's what we did," said GEO Chief Negotiator "The
Alyssa Picard, adding that members believe the same a
University has had time to respond to GEO pro- ence," P
posals. "They've had all our proposals on the But d
table since Nov. 30th." sion me
For now, graduate student instructors and other ing a w
graduate employees will continue to work under "I th
the 1999-2002 contract. Because the contract has pretty h
officially expired, GEO members can now decide for the
whether or not they want to strike or take other contrac
work-action. "Our
"In letting the contract expire, what the mem- percent
bership is saying is, 'Look, as good as our con- bership
tract is, we won't be satisfied until these abuses they we
stop,"' de Leon said. somethi
The official announcement to the University that
V-day aims to
rk-action) are pretty
- Cedric de Leon
dent of Graduate Employees Organization
vould refuse a contract extension took place
ht during their biweekly bargaining session.
ny times in the past, we've had GEO
to work without a contract," said Universi-
eswoman Julie Peterson. "Bargaining ses-
have been productive and we have
lished something at each one of them."
son said that, in effect, whether or not the
ct is officially expired is insignificant
e GEO can continue to work under the
f the old contract.
practical effect of (not extending) is the
s an extension. It's just a technical differ-
Peterson said.
de Leon said the denial of a contract exten-
eans that the GEO is one step closer to tak-
ork-action.
ink the chances (of a work-action) are
igh," he said. De Leon added that support
GEO has grown internally since the last
t negotiations were held three years ago.
membership percentage last time was 69
and right now we're at 74 percent, our mem-
meetings are more widely attended than
ere the last time around ... which suggests
ng," De Leon said. "These are indications."
See CONTRACT, Page 2
LESLIE WARD/Daily
Michigan football player Markus Curry was sentenced to a $250 fine and 12 months probation yesterday after pleading guilty to to a charge of
assault with no battery to Washtenaw District Court Judge Elizabeth Hines.
Curry recei.v es filne, probation
By Jeremy Berkowitz
and Rob Goodspeed
Daily Staff Reporters
Markus Curry, a freshman football corner-
back, must serve 12 months probation and
pay a $250 fine after pleading guilty yester-
day to a charge of assault with no battery.
Curry had been on indefinite suspension
from the football team since the incident last
November, but was taken off yesterday.
"Markus Curry has been reinstated," said
head football coach Lloyd Carr in a statement.
Washtenaw District Court Judge Elizabeth
Hines sentenced Curry yesterday morning to
probation, a fine and participation in domestic
abuse and community service programs for
charges stemming from a December incident.
The maximum punishment allowable for the
charge is a sentence of 63 days in jail.
"I'm just glad it's over," Curry said.
Curry was arrested after he assaulted his
girlfriend and prevented her from making a
phone call in her South Quad Residence Hall
room. He was suspended from the football
team for the remainder of the season.
At a hearing last month, two counts of
phone tampering and domestic abuse were
dropped when Curry pleaded no contest to the
charge of assault with no battery.
Curry must serve his sentence and com-
plete three days of service on the Washtenaw
See CURRY, Page 2
DPS reports third home
invasion in two weeks
educate on rape
and violence
By Rahwa Ohobre-Ab
For the Daily
Red security tape labeled
"Rape-Free Zone" marked off the
Diag yesterday as over 100 peo-
ple gathered on the Diag to kick
off V-Day 2002 with a large rally.
The involvement rate at the
University for V-Day, a global
movement to stop violence
against women and girls, has dra-
matically increased from previous
years, members said.
The rally, featuring various stu-
dent and faculty speakers, music
and slam poetry - all relating to
issue of women's rights and pro-
tection - was designed to ener-
gize the campus for the rest of the
day's events and encourage many
people to become involved in the
movement to stop violence
against women.
"We're trying to spread the
word on violence against women
and to let people know that
women's protection issues are
still a problem. V-Day is more
than the production of the Vagina
Monologues. It's the whole day;"
said RC freshman Megan Shu-
By Rob Goodspeed
Daily Staff Reporter
The Department of Public Safety issued a
crime alert yesterday in response to another home
invasion incident in a residence hall, the third in
the past two weeks.
According to DPS spokeswoman Diane
Brown, a man entered an unlocked room in
Stockwell Residence Hall, stole the resident's
keys, and then used a key to enter the women's
restroom and look over a shower stall.
The man was described as a black male of
medium complexion, with an oval-shaped face.
He was reported to be 5-foot-10 inches and 6-
foot-2 inches tall and weigh 135 lbs, Brown said.
A witness said he was wearing a blue nylon
Michigan jacket, black sweatpants, white tennis
shoes and a black and red baseball cap.
A number of home invasions and peeping tom
incidents have been reported in residence halls
this year, including an incident on Feb. 6 when
two men assaulted an East Quad Residence Hall
See PEEPING TOM, Page 3
BRENDAN O'DONNELL/Daily
V-Day 2002 supporters painted the Rock yesterday on the corner of Hill
Street and Washtenaw Drive.
Pottery barn_ __
man, one organizer of the Diag
Rally Campaign.
Women's studies Prof. Lisa
King Low addressed the issue of
women often bearing the blame
for the violence committed
against them when alcohol is
involved.
"Alcohol should never be an
excuse for the violation of a
woman. I urge women to stay
See V-DAY, Page 3
Chrysler recalls 1.6M Grand Cherokees
DETROIT (AP) -r- DaimlerChrysler AG
said yesterday it was recalling 1.6 million
1993-1998 model year Jeep Grand Cherokees
to fix a problem with the gear shifter that the
federal government has blamed for at least
five deaths, 159 injuries and 364 crashes.
Owners of the affected vehicles have
reported inadvertent movement of their vehi-
cles after they put the gear shifter in the
"park" position, but no defect was found after
an investigation, the automaker said.
lem, it will install an additional system in the
floor shifter mechanism to help ensure the
shifter is fully engaged in "park."
While the automaker said in a statement the
recall closes an internal investigation into the
matter, a spokesman for the National High-
way Traffic Safety Administration said the
agency's probe is not yet complete.
"We're going to leave it open because their
recall doesn't cover all the vehicles under
investigation," NHTSA spokesman Rae Tyson
The agency's investigation involves all Jeep
Grand Cherokees built for model years 1993-
2002, Tyson said.
DaimlerChrysler believes, however,
NHTSA's investigation will absolve the 1999-
2002 model year vehicles because they have a
"distinct difference" in their design, spokes-
woman Angela Spencer Ford said.
She could not corroborate the government's
fatality and injury figures and said three
deaths believed to have been caused by the
JESSICA YURASEK/Daily
Julia Farina, a freshman in the School of Art and Design, works on ceramics yesterqay afternoon.
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