Friday October 4, 2002 @2002 The Michigan Daily Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXIII, No. 24 One-hundred-twelve years of editorialfreedom TODAY: Cloudy in the morning with thunderstorms H; n 80 in the after- ;-;V,,5 noon, turning to '" W 5 light rain at Tomorrow, night. 615t0 wwwmichigandaily.com Prof, 'U' targets on watchdog website By Jennifer Misthal Daily Staff Reporter TIME TO LISTEN History Prof. Juan Cole is one of eight professors included on a list of allegedly biased professors and univer- sities on the website www.campus- watch.org, a Philadelphia-based pro-Israeli Middle East Forum to mon- itor pro-Palestinian and pro-Arab senti- ments on college campuses. The upcoming Second National Stu- dent Conference on the Palestine Soli- darity Movement, sponsored by Students Allied for Freedom and Equality, also attracted the website's attention with links to articles calling the University anti-Semitic. Problems in the perception of Mid- dle East issues led to the creation of the site, Middle East Forum Director Daniel Pipes said "Middle East studies is in very bad shape. There are profound mistakes of interpretation," Pipes said. By address- ing the flaws of the discipline- which he said included the incorporation of politically radical ideas, instructors that do not tell the whole truth and profes- sors' abuse of authority - Campus Watch can improve Middle East stud- ies departments nationwide. "We are the honest auditors of an intellectual Enron," Pipes said. The University is included on the list because it is known for what Pipes called "false diversities" - racial, gen- der and class diversity. "When it comes to the diversity that really counts - intellectual diversity - (the University doesn't) have it all," Pipes said. Cole said the website does not repre- sent his viewpoints accurately and is another attempt for right-wing extrem- ist groups to influence academic dis- cussion about the Middle East in the United States..;, "The implication of the so-called "Campus Watch" website, that either I am disloyal or that I am anti-Israel, or, worse, a bigot, is a monstrous lie. The lie is being propagated as part of a more general campaign to control scholarly discourse on Middle East studies," Cole said. "This odious attempt to smear me and monitor me is no more to me than a loud fart by a boor in Philadelphia." The criticism Campus Watch has generated is expected from certain groups, said Martin Kramer, editor of the Middle East Quarterly, who said his recent publications helped inspire the establishment of Campus Watch. "These are the- same people who ruthlessly criticize the media and the government" he said. "Professors have more protections than generals or jour- nalists - it's called tenure - so spar- ing them external criticism seems redundant.' While Cole said he does have his viewpoints on the conflict in the Mid- dle East, he disagrees with how the website is portraying them. "A historian of the modern Middle East can hardly hide his views of the situation, and I have never tried. If anything, I now feel called upon to speak out more," Cole said. "I have always been a civil libertarian and a fierce defender both of the civil rights of all minorities and of the right of Israel to exist within secure and rec- ognized borders." Hamid Dabashi, Columbia Universi- See WEBSITE, Page 7 JASON COOPER/Daily Though multicultural richness abounds at the University, LSA junior Terrence Griffin and other minority students are speaking out on the actions that make them feel uncomfortable on campus. Students speak out on power o words By Maria Sprow Daily Staff Reporter Like many students on campus, LSA junior Terrence Griffin knows what it is like to hear a shocking comment come from another per- son's mouth that whether said intentionally or not has long-standing effects. After a University employee allegedly com- mented that Griffin "looks like a black Char- lie Brown" and further went on to chastise him by asking him whether "black people watch 'Peanuts,"' Griffin said he felt uncom- fortable and appalled. "At this point, I really felt as though I was being mocked as a person, something that is very hard to deal with when it is coming from an authority at the University," Griffin said, adding that the employee's comments made him feel dehumanized. "It's the fact that it makes it seem like that's all I am, is a charac- ter or cartoon. I'm actually a person." The employee who allegedly made the com- ments, Women In Science and Engineering and UROP In-Residence Director Sally Sharp, was placed on leave after the incident, which is under investigation by the University. "Everyone in the University community deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Tolerance and understanding are part of our core values, and we should all be willing to See WORDS , Page 7 i RHA changes stance, will support hail smoking b"an By Erin Saylor Daily Staff Reporter The Resident Halls Association announced a change in their position on smoking in residence halls last night during their first official meeting of the year in East Quad Residence Hall. RHA members resolved to present a non-smoking stance to University Housing, which could affect stu- dents as early as next fall. In January, RHA asked its hall councils to poll residents' views on smoking in resident halls and report to the organization. Housing officials had approached RHA members to submit an opinion for or against a smoking ban in residence halls. They had cited health, safety and damage to University property as their main reasons for banning smoking. Nine out of 11 Big Ten schools had banned smoking in their residence halls at the time of the vote. In a vote on the resolution, 11 out of 18 RHA representatives voted in support of the proposal - a clear majority. But RHA had previously decided that a two-thirds majority would be needed to pass the resolution, and so the proposal was vetoed. After reviewing their bylaws this summer, the RHA is changing that position to more accurately represent what they feel is the sen- timent of a majority of the student body. "We went with a two-thirds majority because at the time, it seemed like a change in our constitution," said RHA President Tim Winslow, an Engineering senior. "Now, we feel that it was not the best decision." Though RHA has a say in the decision, the final policy will be determined by University Housing and could be in place by next school year. "In the next month or so, University See RHA, Page 7 Supporters file motion for Haddad Emergency motion filed after a judge closed off Haddad's hearings Tuesday By Jeremy Berkowitz Daily Staff Reporter After ordering the federal government to release Ann Arbor Muslim leader Rabih Had- dad or give him a new immigration hearing last week, U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Edmunds will hear a new motion in regard to Haddad's case Monday. This comes just days after Immigration Judge Robert Newberry closed off part of Haddad's immigration hearing Tuesday. In their emergency motion, a consortium of plaintiffs argued that, in doing so, Newberry neglected to follow proper procedure at Had- dad's open immigration hearing. The consortium, consisting of the American Civil Liberties Union, several Detroit newspa- pers and U.S. Rep. John Conyers (D-Detroit), together sued the federal government in Janu- ary to open Haddad's hearings. Haddad, first arrested Dec. 14 for an expired visa violation, had three closed depor- tations hearings before the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld an August decision by Edmunds opening hearings for Haddad. "The public's interests are best served by open proceedings. A true democracy is one that operates on faith - faith that government officials are forthcoming and honest, and faith that informed citizens will arrive at logi- cal conclusions," appellate Judge Damon Keith wrote in a unanimous opinion following the hearings. Yet the appellate court also said portions of hearings can be closed if there is evidence that national security is at risk. Kary Moss, executive director of the Michi- gan ACLU, said she is not against closing See HADDAD, Page 7 Delta Upsilon becomes first campus dry house ALYSSA WOOD/Daily Republican state Senate candidate Gordon Darr of Scio Township says technology and computers will open the doors to millions. Darrdiscousses technology in 1d for enate By Loaie MeIz~sh Daily Staff Reporter Scio Township Trustee Gordon Darr is not your average Republican. After all, one usually does not hear Republicans saying, "Things are different, we don't have to keep lowering taxes.' Darr, the GOP nominee for the 18th District state Senate seat, comprising Ann Arbor, has numerous views anathema to most state Republicans. He is for holding off on cuts in the State Income Tax, reduc- ing the prisoner population and favors pub- MICHIGAN lic financing of campaigns for state offices ELECTIONS Currently only gubernatorial candidates receive matching funds from the state. 20UU Elected to the Scio Township Board of Trustees in 2000, Darr is also a former Dexter village coun- cilman and University alum. By Dave Szostek For the Daily Delta Upsilon became the only current fra- ternity on campus with a nationally mandated alcohol-free policy to obtain full-member sta- tus with the University's Interfraternity Coun- cil Wednesday night. By an unanimous vote, the 28-member DU was voted in as an active member of the IFC - a move that allows DU to lead the way toward a new trend in the University's fraternities: alcohol-free. "I can feel confident in saying that within the President Joel Winston, an LSA senior. "In our social events, we are starting to see that the houses that are making the effort to start planning social events outside of the fra- ternity house are being more successful because people are enjoying those more than the typical fraternity party with the warm beer, and the dance floor and the 'Baby Got Back' playing in the background. People are tired of that - they've done that," Winston said. "We represent the new era of fraternity life on campus - not for better or worse, inferior a, JONATHO TR1IEST ~IL~/Dily v