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Thursday
January 23, 2003
@2003 The Michigan Daily
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Vol. CXIII, No. 79
TODAY:
One-hundred-twelve years ofeditorialfreedom
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ISR under fire
for methods of
releasing data
By Lydia K. Leung release to the media a couple hours later.
Daily Staff Reporter Mercer Bullard, former assistant chief counsel at
the Securities and Exchange Commission, said this
Economists and market-watchers are divided information-releasing policy is "inappropriate"
over whether the University's method of releasing because "they are selling the information to people
its monthly Surveys of Consumers, which gauge that is publicly available minutes after the sell.'
consumer confidence, gives an unfair advantage to But ISR spokeswoman Diane Swanbrow
those that are paying subscribers. defended the release method, and said sponsors
The surveys, which are conducted by the Insti- release the data to the public long before the
tute for Social Research, are prominent and closely time the news media receive the official release
watched by experts because one part of the surveys from the University.
- the index of consumer expectations - is an Director of Surveys Richard Curtin "does ask the
official component of the Index of Leading Eco- sponsors of the research to sign a statement saying
nomic Indicators, published by the U.S. Depart- that they will not release the information ahead of
ment of Commerce. time to anyone. As a matter of fact, it's routinely|
Preliminary results are released on the second breached by sponsors who do leak this information
Friday of each month, followed by final results on to the news media, she said.
the fourth Friday. On both days, the University As a result, "within minutes the surveys' fmd-
holds a conference call with the sponsors, who pay ings are appearing on the websites of CNN
$4,650 per year to fund the research before releas- MSNBC and every other major news organiza-
ing results to the public. The conference call takes tions," she added.
place around 10 a.m., and is followed by a news
See INDEX, Page 3A
Dean of Students Edward Willis and Vice President for Student Affairs E. Royster Harper meet with members of the Greek community
yesterday in the Michigan Union.
Admiistrators focus on promotzng
conversation wi student body
Dearborn ordinance
triggers AC LU suit
By Maria Sprow
Daily Staff Reporter
Although Edward Willis has only been the dean of students since
September, he is already becoming a well-known figure among the
student body he helps lead.
His ability and desire to interact with students becomes clear when-
ever he's around them. At a student-led discussion last week, he gave
hearty welcomes to the first students he saw and hugged another one
before sitting down to listen in on what the students were talking
about.
His job description, like that of all employees in the Division of
Student Affairs, demands that he interact with numerous students on a
daily basis. For Willis, getting in touch with the student body is not a
problem.
"The interaction is happening on a daily basis in so many ways just
by the work we do," Willis said, adding that his schedule normally
consists of meetings with a variety of student groups and student-cen-
tered offices, such as the biweekly Michigan Roundtable, in which
student leaders meet with University officials to discuss campus
issues and ways to improve the University community.
But at a time when the University's administration is being turned
upside down, with old leaders steadily moving on and new faces con-
stantly arriving, other University administrators haven't had such an
easy time becoming well-acquainted with the student body.
Many undergraduates say they are dissatisfied with the distance
between the administration and students.
See ADMINISTRATORS, Page 3A
By Allison Yang
Daily Staff Reporter
The American Civil Liberties Union of Michi-
gan filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against the city of
Dearborn over an ordinance requiring protesters
to file for a permit 30 days prior to participating
in public political protests.
The ACLU challenged the ordinance on behalf
of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Com-
mittee, a civil rights organization that uses
demonstrations to take action against national and
internatiogal events.
The 30-day waiting period prevents people
from demonstrating at the time when they can be
most effective, said Michael Steinberg, legal
director of the ACLU of Michigan.
"For example, if the (University) was consider-
ing abolishing its history department and it was to
be voted upon within one week, it's crazy to make
protesters wait 30 day" Steinberg said.
The ordinance is an infringement on people's~
First Amendment rights and should not be legal,
said Imad Hamad, regional director of the ADC. :
Participating in a protest without a permit is pun-
ishable by up to 90 days in prison and a $500 fine.
"This ordinance is trying to block people's
ability to express their rights in a constitutional
aspect,' Hamad said.
Although the ordinance has not become con-
troversial until recently, it has been in effect since
1987. Dearborn has been very flexible in apply-
ing the ordinance until the past year, Hamad said.
"People never realized the seriousness of the
ordinance except within this last year when the
city denied our requests for permits that were not
made within 30 days in advance," Hamad said.
See ACLU, Page 3A
Housing resources
offer students help
The new recruits
MTV in town to
find Eminem fan
By Layla J. Merritt
For the Daily
Off-campus housing presents an
exciting and difficult situation for
many students. It is exciting because of
the opportunity to live either alone or
with friends, often for the first time,
but the frustration of maintaining a
house or dealing with uncooperative
landlords can be difficult.
Steve Antonucci is an LSA senior
working toward graduation. He and his
five housemates pay $3,000 per month
plus all utilities for their home. Yet
everyday this winter he awoke to dis-
cover the temperature in his house hov-
ering at 50 degrees.
Antonucci said his house is so old
and archaic that it is not fit to live in.
"We blow multiple fuses a day
because the house was originally wired
to draw a very modest amount of
power," he said. "We literally have to
replace fuses every day."
Antonucci said he was surprised that
a house with inadequate heat, insula-
tion and electricity could pass unno-
ticed by city inspectors every two and
a half years.
Problems regarding the safety of
Ann Arbor homes can be attributed to
the budget cuts the city has been mak-
ing in several departments, including
the Building and Housing Inspection
Department.
"The housing bureau has had the
same level of
staffing for
the last 10-
plus years,"
p said Housing
Inspector's
gpOffice Super-
visor Dave
Sebolt. "The
rental popula-
tion has
increased, but
to my under-
standing the
city has not been on an expansion mode
for quite some time."
Sebolt said there are five inspectors
working in the department and each
inspector has one hour to inspect a sin-
gle-family house, including travel time
between appointments. The next
appointment could be across town, up to
30 minutes away, leaving just 30 min-
utes for the inspector to see the property,
he added. Homes like Antonucci's, occu-
pied with six people, are defined as sin-
See HOUSING, Page 2A
By Kyle Brouwer
Daily Staff Reporter
Eminem's biggest fans in the Detroit
area could have a chance to show their
knowledge and opinions of his work
on the latest episode of MTV's new
show "Fanography."
Senior Casting Director Nick
Chiodini said MTV is looking for
someone who can give a detailed
biography of Eminem's life in his
old neighborhood.
The show is "MTV's Diary," as told
by the artist's fans, he said.
"We're not going to script the
show. We want someone who can
tell Eminem's story and give his
own thoughts as well," Chiodini
added.
An open audition will be held from
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow in Ypsilan-
New ID ca
ti at the Marriot Hotel, on South Huron
Street.
Chiodini said the casting crew is
expecting to see around 150 men
between the ages of 17 and 25 for five
to 10-minute interviews.
"We want someone who can impress
us," he said. "It would be great if we
see someone who liked to rap."
The fan selected for the show will
be responsible for taking MTV on a
tour through Eminem's hometown and
giving a detailed biography of the rap-
per's life.
"Personality is a definite plus. The
important thing on this show is that he
knows everything about Eminem,"
Chiodini said.
The "Fanography of Eminem" will
mark just the second episode, follow-
ing the show's pilot, the "Fanography
of Britney Spears."
urd needed.
at Greek social events
Alpha Gamma Delta sisters Ryan Baril and Corinne Welsh talk to
prospective pledges at a Winter Rush meeting in the Michigan Union.
'U' endowment stays steady as others fall
By Chdstopher Johnson
Daily Staff Reporter
While the unsteady economy has significantly
reduced the endowment funds of many universities,
the University of Michigan has suffered relatively
minimal losses.
Chief Investment Officer Erik Lundberg said the
University's endowment funds remained comparatively
stable in the past two years because the University
invested heavily in bonds and real estate, unlike other
universities, which tend to focus on domestic stocks.
"The overriding difference is lower exposure to
stock and companies listed in the United States in
favor of other investments that were less affected by
the downdraft of the economy," he said. "As an
investor in markets, we were affected by that drop,
but less so than other endowments, and much less
so than the broader equity market."
An endowment consists of private donations that
a university invests in external sources to gain more
revenue. These investments consist of stocks, bonds
and/or real estate. The University never spends the
principal of these multi-million dollar investments,
only the interest they accrue. Each year, about 5
percent of the University's endowment makes up 5
percent of the $2,9 billion operating revenue, Lund-
berg said.
Development Office Spokeswoman Judith Mal-
colm said endowment donations provide the Uni-
versity with significant financial security because
the funds never expire.
See ENDOWMENT, Page 3A
By Maria Sprow
Daily Staff Reporter
Leaders of the Greek community
hope the introduction of a new identi-
fication card that will be handed out
to its members will help end fights
and disagreements about who can and
cannot be admitted to Greek social
events.
The Panhellenic Association and
Interfraternity Council, as well as the
Multicultural Greek and National Pan
Hellenic councils, will distribute about
4,200 Greek ID cards within the next
week.
Former IFC President Joel Win-
f,
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ston said the Greek System decided
to invest in the cards as another
means of increasing safety and secu-
rity at Greek social events, which in
the past have often been disrupted by
non-University affiliates trying to
See ID CARDS, Page 7A