Iaawaaw e ath; TODAY. Tuesday October 8, 2002 ©2002 The Michigan Daily Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXIII, No. 26 One-hundred-twelve years of editorialfreedom Skies will be mostly cloudy today and begin to break up tomorrow, as the chills of autumn set in. ~f:60 Tomorrow. 67/4 www.michigandaily.com 111 11111 .11, 111111,111,118114 logillill iiii: Boycott of newspaper extends to week two By Jeremy Berkowitz and Allison Yang Daily Staff Reporters As the boycott against The Michi- gan Daily enters its second week today, various student groups on cam- pus have joined the boycott that began last Tuesday because of alleged mis- representation of minorities at the publication and to show solidarity with other student groups on campus, members of the student groups involved in the boycott said. "The Michigan Daily has become a publication that manifests the institu- tional racism and ignorance that plague communities of color, and threatens the progress of the campus community at large," the petition wrote. The petition's grievances against the Daily include culturally insensitive comments, a lack of coverage of minority events, the frequent mis- spelling of minority student names and an uncomfortable working environ- ment for minority students, among other things. "If they truly believe they are being misrepresented, whether or not I believe it is true, doesn't matter," Daily Editor in Chief Jon Schwartz said. "We are taking these issues very seriously." Representatives for groups that ini- tially signed the petition, including members of Students Allied for Free- dom and Equality, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and the Black Student Union did not return phone calls made by the Daily. According to the petition, the stu- dent groups will end the boycott once the Daily assigns at least one reporter to each community within the larger minority student population, creates an advisory board to aid the Daily on mul- tiethnic matters and implements cultur- al sensitivity training for all Daily staff members, along with several other requests. Until these demands are met, mem- bers of the boycott have pledged not to "read, submit letters or viewpoints to, adrespond to reporters' requests for comments." But some minority students on cam- pus say the petition is inaccurate and grouips have joined the boycott without having the opportunity to hear both sides of the story. "The Daily has helped get our name out. The Daily has been beneficial to our group by helping bring in mem- bers. I would personally like to say that these boycotts are blown out of propor- tion with one person's problem with his status at the Daily," said LSA junior Michael Sanders, an executive board member of Mixed Initiative. Members of several groups who wrote the petition met with the leader- ship of the Daily last month addressing these issues, but said in the petition that their requests for a written state- ment on the Daily's commitment to diversity were ignored and in response, they organized the boycott. "Student leaders from communities t of color have brought forth these issues to the leadership of the Daily, request- ing a written commitment to address these issues. However, the Daily has been unresponsive to these concerns and have ignored the requests," the petition wrote. But Schwartz said the Daily has not ignored the petition's demands and that the meeting prompted the Daily to take action, including the composition of an internal mission statement. "We have been attempting con- stant contact with these groups, but have been met with resistance," Schwartz said, adding he sent sever- al e-mail to the leaders of the coali- tion Sunday night and received negative response. LSA junior Lena Masri, a member of a minority student group which she did not wish to name, said she supports the boycott because of a lack of cover- age of minority events and a predomi- nantly non-minority staff. "I think the Daily should encourage people in minority groups to join. One way that they can do that is by show- ing the minority groups that they are welcome by covering their events," ----------------------------- 'U economic ties to Israel split campus By Jennifer Misthal Daily Staff Reporter Student leaders on campus will be hosting a conference this week calling for the University to end its economic investments in Israel, a request the Uni- versity says it will not comply with. For supporters of divestment, like LSA senior and Students Allied for Freedom and Equality member Eric Reichenberger, divestment is an issue of ethics that will end the sup- pression of Palestin- ian rights in Israel, specifically in the occupied territories. "Divestment is a movement ,.,x ?n'r' ' 4 .. AP-PHOTO President Bush announces he has reached an agreement with House leaders on a resolution giving him authority to oust Saddam Hussein, in the Rose Garden yesterday. Bush: Biological -attck on U.S-may be in Iraq's plan based on moral Part I in a concerns arising three-part series from the oppres- sion of the Palestinian people at the hands of the State of Israel," Reichenberger said. "It is the only way effective pressure- can be placed on the Israeli government to convince it to discontinue its illegal occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip." The University only has a small percentage of its investments in companies tied to Israel, University spokeswoman Julie Peterson said. "Out of our $3.4 billion invest- ment portfolio, we have stock in only two companies directly located in Israel with a value of about $500,000. It is impossible for the University to report investments in all companies that may have busi- ness in Israel or some other indirect connection," Peterson said. Yulia Dernovsky, an opponent of divestment and member of- the American Movement for Israel, said the movement to withdraw Univer- sity investment in the region is harmful to Israel's development. "It is in the interest of the University to stand against divestment because divestment is directed against the only democratic state in the Middle East," Dernovsky said. While many students are divided over the issue of the University's economic involvement in the region, University President Mary Sue Coleman said in an e-mail to the University community last month that the administration has no intention of divesting from its economic interests in Israel. "As a matter of University policy, we do not believe political interests should govern our investment decisions," Cole- man wrote. Coleman was prompted to send the message after she received more than 100 messages about the Second Nation- al Student Conference on the Palestine Solidarity Movement sponsored by SAFE, Peterson said. "Both decisions to divest were reached only after sustained, campus- wide support that followed extensive research by faculty-led committees," Coleman said. "Those conditions do not exist, and I do not plan to ask our Board of Regents to pursue divestment." The University has only divested from economic interests twice before - once from South Africa in 1983 to show its disapproval of apartheid and from tobac- co companies in 2000 - Peterson said. "Both the South Africa and tobacco divestments took place over a number of years," Peterson said. "The process by which divestment decisions have been reached in the past has set a very high bar for this sort of deoilion2 In the past, faculty review has only been instituted after the emergence of very broad support." See ISRAEL, Page 2 CINCINNATI (AP) - President Bush, seeking support for war against Iraq, called Saddam Hussein a "mur- derous tyrant" last night and said he may be plotting to attack the United States with biological and chemical weapons. Saddam and his "nuclear holy war- riors" are also building a nuclear weapons program and could have a nuclear weapon in less than a year, Bush said in prime-time address. "If we allow that to happen, a terri- ble line would be crossed," the presi- dent told civic group leaders at the Cincinnati Museum Center "Saddam Hussein would be in a position to blackmail anyone who opposes his aggression." "I am not willing to stake one American life on trusting Saddam Hussein," Bush said. His address opened a week of debate in Congress over resolutions giving the president authority to wage war against Iraq. The House and Sen- See IRAQ, Page 2 Gubernatorial candidates face off in first debate of campaign By Louie Meizlish Daily StaffReporter . GRAND RAPIDS - Truthfulness, taxes and race relations took center stage tonight during the first and so far only scheduled debate. between the major party can- didates for governor. Republican Lt. Gov. Dick Posthumus repeatedly accused Democratic oppo- MICHIGAN nent Jennifer Granholm of ELECTIOJI having trouble saying no to Democratic interest groups, /*" while the state attorney general said Posthu- mus has a record of flip-flopping on issues and misrepresenting his own position. When asked whether they would raise any taxes, Granholm said she would only raise the diesel tax. One of the central themes of the Posthumus campaign is a promise not to raise taxes. Speaking on Grand Rapids' WOOD-TV, Granholm said, "I do not want to raise a single tax, except for one - to make sure there is parity between the diesel tax and the gas tax." Responding to allegations from the Posthu- mus campaign, she said she would not allow local millage elections that would raise prop- erty taxes. Posthumous shot back, "The question was 'will you raise taxes?' and what my opponent said was, 'I don't want to raise taxes,' not, 'I won't raise taxes."' Granholm repeatedly accused Posthu- mus of practicing "divisive politics," referring to a Republican Party-sponsored television ad that highlighted a memo from Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. In the memo, Kilpatrick promised to bring out the Democratic vote in Detroit in exchange for the appointment of Detroi- ters as heads of several top state offices. "This is not about racial politics," Posthu- mus said. "Corruption - whether it's white or it's black - is corruption." But Granholm accused the lieutenant gov- ernor of tapping an anti-Detroit feeling to win votes outside of Detroit. "This tactic of dividing people east from west or city from suburb is deplorable and I condemn it," she said: "This is not leadership. This is divisive politics." Posthumous, however, said the memo points to a pattern of corruption, noting that Granholm's mentor, Wayne County Executive Edward McNamara, had issued 84 percent of country contracts to campaign donors. "This is about a pattern of behavior that is at the very least, poor judgments by my oppo- nent," Posthumus said of Granholm's tenure as the county's corporation council. "That shows almost corruption in Wayne County. See DEBATE, Page 3 B-School awarded for Lookout point supporting minorities PAlHICKJJUNES/Daily North Campus Redux Reception participants view proposed plans for revisions to North Campus yesterday at the event, sponsored by the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. North Campus redesign could add vibrancy By Maria Sprow Daily Staff Reporter By Allison Yang Daily Staff Reporter For the second consecutive year, the Business School was selected as the 2002 recipient of the Outstanding Edu- cational Institute of the Year Award at the National Black Masters in Busi- ness Administration Association's 24th Annual Conference and Exposition. The school received the award because of efforts and contributions made toward supporting and encourag- ing black students to study business. "We chose the University of Michi- gan for their leadership taken in affir- mative action and their work done over said Antoinette Malveaux, president and CEO of the NBMBAA. She added the NBMBAA wishes that more universities would show as much commitment and strength as the University. "Dealing with this issue (of affirma- tive action), we believe the (Universi- ty) is in a class of its own," she said. Lester Monts, senior vice provost for academic affairs, said, "This is one of several awards the University has received for its commitment to diversity and excellence." With the Business School ranking No. 2 in the nation in U.S. News World Report and its 21 percent ratio of Fifty years from now, most University officials say North Campus. won't be the same students are accustomed to, as the area's open land creates many possibilities for new buildings and scenery. But if the visions presented last night by the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning Dean Doug Kelbaugh come true, the Arthur Miller Theater will sit across from Pierpont Commons, and those inhabiting the Flemming Administration Building on Central Campus will pack their bags and head for Bonisteel Boulevard. Retail shops will line Murfin Avenue and a new residen- tial college will stand at the corner of Murfin and Hayward Street, leaving academic buildings and a meditation chapel to finish off the North Campus Diag that surrounds the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Tower, according to Kelbaugh's I. PATRICK JONES/Daily I