One hundred eleven years ofeditorialfreedom tit! NEWS: 76-DAILY CLASSIFIED: 764-0557 wwwmichigandailycom Friday February 15, 2002 i [Vl IN. 8 ', .. " i WO . @ 0202T ih ~~ I 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. Thn mgdnmant wag ocaea@ twohunfoot hhlA claV nIw@. w r I - I