LOCAL/STATE The Michigan Daily - Thursday, April 3, 2003 - 3A RIME Student takes 25 pills in failed suicide attempt Police received notification Sunday afternoon that a woman living in Alice Lloyd Residence Hall attempted to commit suicide by swallowing more than 25 pills. Huron Valley Ambulance transport- ed the woman to the University Hospi- tal Emergency Room, DPS reports state. No more information was avail- able at the time. Angry hockey players strike out at vehicle A group of rollerbladers damaged a vehicle Tuesday afternoon after it ran over some plastic tubing used to out- line the skating rink at Elbel Field. Department of Public Safety reports state that several rollerbladers who were playing hockey on the rink became upset about the incident and began striking the vehicle with their hockey sticks, causing minor damage. Credit card, money stolen from Barbour A woman in Betsey Barbour Resi- dence Hall reported to police officers Tuesday afternoon that an unknown person had stolen her credit card. The woman reported that her roommate had also had some money taken. DPS has no suspects. Skateboarders * comply with request to leave A DPS officer gave a verbal warn- ing Tuesday afternoon to four people who were seen skateboarding by the west side of the LSA Building to leave the area. DPS reports state the skate- boarders complied with the request. Residents start Hash Bash early Police confiscated a small amount of marijuana and several marijuana pipes late Tuesday night after a hous- ing officer patrolling Bursley Resi- dence Hall smelled marijuana coming from one of the rooms. Affirmative action banner stolen A banneinadvertisingthe owners support for affirmative action was reported stolen Monday afternoon. The maize and blue banner was stolen from the Madelon Pound House on Hill Street sometime over the week- end, DPS reports said. There are no suspects in the theft. Duct tape used to fix Three windows in the Harlan Hatch- er Graduate Library were broken and then repaired with duct tape sometime over the weekend, DPS reports state. DPS officers investigating the inci- dent on Monday discovered that the exterior of three double-paned windows were cracked and taped back together. Officers ruled the incident suspicious but accidental, reports state. Seat stolen from secured bicycle An unattended bicycle seat was reported stolen Monday afternoon. The owner of the seat told officers that they had locked their bicycle to a pole on the 500 block of Washington Street at about 1 p.m. When they returned at 4 p.m., the bicycle was still locked to the pole, but the bicycle's seat was missing. DPS has no suspects. DPS seeks suspect in purse theft A purse stolen from a patient's room in Mott Children's Hospital on Sunday afternoon was later recovered, but missing $32. DPS reports describe the suspect as being a black male in his 40s with a chipped tooth and goatee and wearing a flannel jacket. Bags with $900 contents stolen at tennis courts Two bags left unattended in the Var- sity Tennis Center on State Street were reported stolen Sunday afternoon. The bags were left outside for an hour, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. and contained contents worth an estimated $900. DPS has no suspects Injured student SOLE optimistic about Coleman's response By Carmen Johnson Daily Staff Reporter After months of meetings between the University administration and students who hope to terminate the University's contract with Morgan Linen Services, University President Mary Sue Coleman proposed yesterday to form a taskforce to promote "ethical purchasing." Members of Students Organizing for Labor and Economic Equality said Mor- gan, a laundry service used by the Uni- versity, treats its workers unfairly. University spokeswoman Julie Peter- son said while Coleman did not commit to terminating the contract with Morgan, the president will give more details on the taskforce and the contract tomorrow. SOLE members who met with Cole- man and General Counsel Marvin Krislov yesterday said Coleman will write a letter to Morgan to ask the com- pany to address labor relation problems and to consider the possibility that the University will not renew its contract. SOLE member Molly Hegarty said she hopes the taskforce is effective once implemented. "Although we still need to work out how the taskforce will exactly work, it will be a student and faculty taskforce to look at language in a possible code of conduct for University subcontracts," Hegarty said. "But since Coleman pro- posed this taskforce, her brainstorming to find a solution is commendable." SOLE has pressured the administra- tion to cut its contract since October, when the group was approached by workers of the laundry service based in Toledo. The University sends laundry to Mor- gan from the Martha Cook Building and from the Executive Residence of the Business School. Karen Burnett - international repre- sentative of the United Needletrade, Industrial and Textile Employees - said it will be a positive statement for work- ers if the University cuts their contract with Morgan. "Workers work in hot, nasty condi- tions. If the University pulls its contract, it will give a statement that they care about the workers," Burnett said. Peterson said the meeting was productive with good exchange of information. "There were no specifics agreed on but Coleman will be working on the details over the next couple of days and plans on giving more information soon," Peterson said. SOLE member Mike Swiryn said the University has enough leverage on Mor- gan and other companies to change how they treat workers. "The University has tremendous power as an prestigious institution and a consumer to influence companies. This taskforce would potentially be on the cutting edge as an institution promoting more ethical purchasing policies," Swiryn said. I SPEAKER Continued from Page 1A cies of both sides. "The only time anything good has happened, it has been a consequence of top- down change" Miller added that part of the reason the leaders are not making concessions is because "embittered constituencies are not pressing" them to do so. Political Science Prof. Mark Tessler, who teach- es a class on the Arab-Israeli conflict, agreed with Miller's assessment that negotiators know what the eventual solution to the conflict will be. Tessler also said a tougher negotiation stance is needed. "We need serious diplomacy where we are tougher on both sides,"he said. Miller said he resigned from the State Depart- ment in January because he felt the peace process was a long way from being completed. "I resigned because we are in danger of losing an entire generation," Miller said. "Everything I thought the U.S. could achieve fell apart." LSA sophomore Kraig Peterson listened to Miller speak as an assignment for Tessler's class. He said he found Miller's views both optimistic and sobering. "It was one of the most hopeful speakers we've had," Peterson said. "I wish he was still in the State Department." Miller is currently the president of Seeds of Peace, an organization that brings children from countries around the world - such as Israel, Athletic department approves new field turf By J. Brady McCollough Daily Sports Editor Aaron Miller, who worked under five presidential administrations as an advisor for the Middle East, speaks yesterday at Angell Hall about the conflict. Cyprus, India, Pakistan and the United States - together in a camp in Maine. According to the Seeds of Peace website, the program is designed to develop a sense of "mutual understanding and respect" among the participants. ------------- j With a new, sturdier field beneath football players' feet, Michigan Athletic Department officials say the Big House will be a safer place to play when the Wolverines open their season against Central Michigan on Aug. 30. The athletic department has decided that FieldTurf, the same surface that the team prac- tices on at Oosterbaan Fieldhouse, is the best choice to replace the current natural grass sur- face at Michigan Stadium. Michigan Associate Athletic Director Mike Stevenson said a committee chose FieldTurf over Prestige Monday, and they received per- mission from the University purchasing department to finalize the decision yesterday afternoon. "It's a proven product that has been on the market, and the people who have it have been satisfied with it," Stevenson said. The FieldTurf, which is advertised to "look, feel and play" like grass, won't be the only new site for fans at The Big House. Stevenson said there will be a large, block 'M' at mid- field to accompany the traditional Michigan endzones. "We want the millions of people who watch Michigan football seeing that mark (the block 'M')," Stevenson said. "If it's not the most famous mark in collegiate sports, it's one of two or three." There are 17 NCAA Division I schools who use FieldTurf, including the University of Nebraska and the University of Washington. Twelve NFL teams use FieldTurf as well, as the surface is becoming an increasingly popu- lar alternative to natural grass. "The only thing that is important is that it's the best," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. "We got the best field." Stevenson and Associate Athletic Director Scott Draper were in charge of the process, which began after the Big House field became an embarrassment during a home game Oct. 12 against Penn State. Players from both teams said that they were not comfortable playing on the surface, and one player said that the divots in the field were "more like potholes." Draper and Stevenson met with nine compa- nies soon after the season's end, and dwindled down the list to FieldTurf and Prestige. Draper and Stevenson went to Nebraska to look at the FieldTurf and the University of Iowa to check out the Prestige surface. After evaluating all the options, they felt that FieldTurf, which uses a combination of sand and rubber to hold the polyethylene blades of grass in place, was the best option over Prestige, which uses a chrome rubber mat. Stevenson said the University Board of Regents gave the department a spending limit of $850,000 for the turf. The athletic department and FieldTurf set- tled on a sum of about $650,000, which was the most expensive option that they considered at the end. The amount includes the removal of the current surface and the installation of the FieldTurf. The installation process is expected to begin Monday, April 28, the day after gradua- tion at The Big House, and Stevenson hopes that the new surface will be ready by Satur- day, June 14 for the University's Women's Football Academy that benefits the Coach Carr Cancer Fund. Stevenson said the natural grass that will be removed from the Big House will be a big help for the fundraising projects for new baseball and softball facilities. The athletic department plans to stockpile the grass behind the Varsity Tennis Center and use it for the outfield of the new facilities when they are built, he said. ADS Continued from Page :A to run the advertisements. "The First Amendment protects the newspaper to run what they wish," Steinberg said. "But it's wise for any newspaper to have their own clear guidelines when it comes to contro- versial ads like these, so they cannot be accused of arbitrary decisions." Muslim Students Association Presi- dent Kenan Basha said the advertise- ments over-simplify complex issues of the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. "By using good versus evil imagery, they utterly castigate all Palestinians, which is racist and offensive," Basha said. "People are never satisfied until justice is served. We will keep pushing for the ads to be withheld." FOR THE.. DAILS' OVER SUMMER . CALL DAILY FUTURE Continued from Page 1A that in a long time." "It'svery, oftenthe biggest cases,, the most important and celebrated cases are not decided until the very end of June or July," said University of Califoonia atLos Angeles lawx Prof. Kenneth Karst, agreeing that the court will present its decision this summer rather than hold it for the new term. "I would be very sur- prised if they did that, partly because there may be some retire- ments at the end of this term." While the public can do nothing but wait, the Supreme Court jus- tices will be spending the next three months deciding whether to draft concurring opinions or join the majority or dissenting opinions. Karst said the majority opinion will likely be drafted by Chief Jus- tice William Rehnquist, a staunch conservative who has said he opposes using race in admissions, or Justice John Paul Stevens, a sen- ior member of the court who is expected to decide in favor of the University. Though they are reluctant to speculate, experts are already debating the possible content of those opinions, as well as the possi- ble divisions among court members. What many experts do agree on is that the outcome does not look favorable toward the undergraduate policies. "I think there are four votes to sup- port the Law School's program and three votes against both programs," said Susan Low Bloch, a Georgetown law professor. "I would predict either they uphold the law program and strike down the undergraduate program, or that they will say you can use race, but these are not narrowly tailored." But Wayne State University Law School Prof. Robert Sedler dis- agreed, stating that the court will want its decision to be all-encom- passing and not focusing on just the University's policies. "It does not want the current situ- ation, with divisions between the circuit (courts)," Sedler said. Bloch said Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's concern over the appar- ent limitlessness of racial prefer- ences may indicate that the decision will not completely favor the Uni- t~varsity,,.,,, ,. /I ,1, - ,s- Though O'Connor suggested she agreed with the Bakke decision, she "expressed concern over whether Saffirma tiveaction had any end point, had any termination point. She was expressing the concern that it may last forever, which she was clearly uncomfortable with," Cole said. Another reason that experts are predicting a loss for the undergrad- uate case is Justice Anthony Kennedy's statement that the policy looks like a "disguised quota." But Kennedy also expressed his willing- ness to allow universities to use race as a factor in admissions. He asked University lawyers whose job it would be to come up with a more individualized - as opposed to race-neutral - admissions process, should the court rule against the University's policies. "It's not impossible that you would see a 6-3 decision. I can imagine a scenario where you would have a court strike down the undergraduate case by 6-3, but upholding the Law School program, also by 6-3," Karst said. If the court rules in favor of the University, the debate surrounding race-conscious admissions policies will most likely continue far into the future, experts said. Levey added that future lawsuits would be likely in that scenario. Whatever the prediction, come June, all eyes will once again be on the Supreme Court. "You can't really tell from oral arguments what is going to happen. I've had it happen many times where a justice will ask a question and I've thought, 'Ah-hah, I know how he will vote,' and then he does- n't do it that way," Karst said. Even after the court rules, a change in the court's makeup could allow a reconsideration of the issue, he said. "As Yogi Berra said, 'It's never over 'till it's over.' And this one is going to be an object of con- tention for a long time." ECONOMY Continued from Page 1A "I don't see an upside but a downside of the uncertainty," Sloan said, and added that the war creates barriers to international trade and capital flow, which would hurt the U.S. economy. Business Emeritus Prof. Paul economies of both these U.S. trad- ing partners are in bad shape. "A nation is like a corner grocery store, it does better if its customers prosper. If your customers are hav- ing economic trouble, they are not such good customers," McCracken said. He added that even though he does not doubt there will be further Call or write to: Fr. Dominic