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TODAY:
Wednesday
October 30, 2002
©2002 The Michigan Daily
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Vol. CXIlI, No. 39
One-hundred-twelve years of editorial freedom
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wwwmihigandaily.com
'U'
asks Supreme Court not to hear cases
By Megan Hayes
Daily Staff Reporter
In what marks the last step toward poten-
tial Supreme Court arguments, the Univer-
sity filed three briefs yesterday asking the
Supreme Court not to hear either the under-
graduate case or the Law School case
regarding the University's use of race in its
admissions policies.
"The reason we are doing this is not to
get attention, but to defend a principle,"
General Counsel Marvin Krislov said. He
said the fact that the University opposes the
granting of cert in both cases does not
lessen the University's commitment to edu-
cational diver-
sity.
The Univer- ' bM rsib n
sity is being
sued by three -ON TRIAL
denied appli-
cants, Parik ~
Hamacher, Jen-
nifer Gratz and
Barbara Grut-
ter, who claim they were wrongfully denied
admission to the University while less qual-
ified minority students were admitted.
The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in
favor of the University in Grutter v.
Bollinger, upholding the University's Law
School admissions policy last spring and
has yet to rule in Gratz v. Bollinger, which
brings into question the LSA admissions
policies.
Since the Supreme Court has already
ruled that diversity is a compelling state
interest in Regents of the University of Cal-
ifornia v. Bakke and the Sixth Circuit has
ruled in favor of the University's admis-
sions policies, Krislov said there is no need
for the Supreme Court to hear the case.
"If there is a Supreme Court precedent
there and vital, we don't think the Supreme
Court needs to revisit it," Krislov said.
He said that in litigation, the goal is to
win at the last level of that litigation. Every
time you take litigation to' a new level,
there is an inherent risk he said.
"If you've got a sure victory, why not
embrace it," Krislov said. "We won 100
percent."
The Center for Individual Rights, a
Washington based law firm, has asked the
Supreme Court to hear both cases including
Gratz v. Bollinger even though the lower
court has not ruled it on.
Assistant General Counsel Jonathan
Alger said the plaintiffs failed to contest
the educational benefits of diversity or pro-
vide evidence to the contrary.
But if the Court decides to hear one or
both cases, they should be argued together
in order to provide a full range of evidence,
he said.
"It would reinforce the notion that diver-
sity does have educational benefits," he
said. In terms of national importance, "it
See LAWSUITS, Page 7
Gubernatorial
candidates
discuss higher
ed funding
By Shabina S. Khatri
Daily Staff Reporter
Amidst flying allegations of conspiratorial memos
and support for corporate corruption, many college stu-
dents are at a loss for which gubernatorial candidate to
vote for on Nov. 5.
But Jennifer Granholm and Dick Posthumus have
established clear and dissimilar platforms on one key
And the beat goes on
Student arrested
in connection to
West Quad thefts
Student faces charges of
home invasion that could lead to
20 and 15 years in jail
By Maria Sprow
Daily Staff Reporter
s
issue: higher education.
While both candidates
oppose tuition hikes, Posthu-
mus said he favors punishing
schools that raise tuition rates
disproportionately by provid-
ing them with less state fund-
ing.
"If a college keeps their
tuition rate down, they get
more money from the state,"
Posthumus said in a written
statement. "It is a way of con-
tinuing to make sure college is
affordable to families."
Posthumus has also pro-
posed legislation for a consti-
tutional amendment that
MICHIGAN
ELECTID
200L
would place a cap on college tuition.
Because of constraints in state funding, Granholm
supports the creation of a Great Lakes Scholars Pro-
gram, designed to fund 4,500 merit- and need-based
scholarships through private endowments.
According to spokesman Chris De Witt, Granholm
plans on "targeting primarily the philanthropic commu-
nity" in order to raise money for the scholarships.
"The state's financial situation would prevent (the
use of) public funding, so it would have to be business-
See HIGHER ED, Page 7
An LSA freshman was arraigned yesterday
in the 15th District Court for allegedly com-
mitting a series of home invasions that
occurred in West Quad Residence Hall Oct.
' 21.
The student cooperated with police and
turned himself in after a warrant was issued
for his arrest. Garth Wisdom II faces one
count of second-degree home invasion and
three counts of first-degree home invasion.
Both charges are felonies with penalties of 20
and 15 years in jail, Department of Public
Safety spokeswoman Diane Brown said.
After his arraignment, Wisdom, a South-
field.resident who has been removed from his
room in West Quad, was released from police
custody. His preliminary hearing was sei for
Nov. 6 at 1 p.m.
Wisdom's father, Garth Wisdom I, said his
son is now living with friends and commuting
to campus.
"He was never in trouble before," his father
said.
Some freshmen have harder times than
others adjusting, and some people do stupid
things. ... But there are things he is being
accused of that are not true."
FRANK PAYNE/Daily In order for a person to be charged with
Haim of King David's Peace Drummers plays outside of the second-degree home invasion, he or she must
Harlem Hatcher Graduate Library yesterday. enter the premises without permission and
World Bank official talks on
need for global education
with the intent to commit a felony or larceny.
First-degree home invasion occurs when the
person is armed with a dangerous weapon or
if another person is lawfully inside the room,
Brown said.
She added that Wisdom had not been carry-
ing any kind of weapon.
According to DPS reports, Wisdom
allegedly walked into several unlocked rooms
in West Quad, taking wallets, computer
games and cash.
Brown said the wallets and computer
games were recovered, but the cash - total-
ing approximately $300 - was not.
Several West Quad residents were not sur-
prised that a student was a suspect in the
alleged thefts.
"I don't think it's surprising for it to be
someone who lives here. We all have access
to get in here more easily than someone on
the outside," LSA freshman and West Quad
resident Laura Ochoa said.
"Unfortunately, these things are more com-
mon than you would hope," Kinesiology
freshman Jen Vassil said, adding that she is
disappointed that she could not trust those
who live near her.
But she added that she believes students
who commit crimes against others should be
judged on a case-by-case basis.
"I don't think it can be a one-size-fits-all,"
she said.
The thefts all occurred within the span of
several daytime hours, Brown said. Wisdom
was identified as a suspect after DPS officers
conducted interviews with residents that
same day.
See THEFTS, Page 7
By Whitney Meredith
Daily Staff Reporter
The correlation between the accessibility of knowledge and
the state of the economy of a country as it relates to the acces-
sibility of the Internet was one of the concepts Jail Salmi,
deputy director of the World Bank's Education Department,
touched upon at a lecture at the Michigan League last night.
In Third World countries, the Internet is a means to aid their
development, while in developed nations it is a vital means to
compete in the global economy, Salmi said.
"The United States and Canada make up 5 percent of the
world's population, but have 65 percent of the world's Internet
hosts," while "the developing world is 80 percent of the popu-
lation, but has 6 percent of the internet hosts," Salmi said. This
technological gap has resulted in corporations, such as
Motorola and McDonald's, buying out local universities in
developing countries and converting traditional classes to
Internet classes. In turn, the prevalence of online degrees has
emerged.
While it could potentially exacerbate the economic gap
between these countries, the future is unknown. "It doesn't
matter weather vou're noor or rich ou can't stav put - YoU
anywhere in the world and compete with any other university."
Therefore, competition between private and public education
has surfaced.
Salmi said that the path of education in developed nations
must shift as well. He added that incorporating the use of the
Internet as an international teaching tool is an important step.
"What an undergraduate first learns is obsolete by the time
this person is ready to graduate," Salmi said. As a result, stu-
dents are, "not only young but old, not only on campus, but at
a distance."
This challenges the structure of established universities. Not
only is the type of student changing, but the type of professor
is also changing, as is the dynamics of the classroom, Salmi
said.
Alexa Shore, a Ford School of Public Policy student who
attended the event said, "It was a compelling case for the Uni-
versity to focus on a flexible future."
The ability to create new programs and end outdated pro-
grams is vital to the life of major Universities, Salmi said. Uni-
versities must progress at the same rapid pace of the world if
they are going to compete, focusing on interdisciplinary and
international online programs, while maintaining the dynamics
of the classroom.
ALYSSA WUUU/Uaily
Jennifer Levin, a real estate agent with Varsity Management
located on Church Street, prepares for the housing rush.
ehunt for next
TOM FELDKAMP/Daily ......y.V p , y W
Jail Salmi, the deputy director of the World Bank's Education must run," Salmi said in reference to the promotion of a global "Michigan does a good job at the applicability of interdisci-
Department, spoke last night on global education. education through the Internet. "With the Internet you can go plinary programs," said Business student Rob Schneider.yeas ou Sing
Consumer confidence plunges to decade low ____.
By Ted Borden
Daily Staff Reporter
Fear of war, a weak perception of the
economy and diminished wealth pushed
consumer confidence numbers down to
10-year lows last month, according to
two leading surveys released this week.
For the month of October, the Univer-
monthly decline. The Conference
Board's Consumer Confidence Index
dropped to 79.4, down from 93.7 in Sep-
tember, well below Wall Street expecta-
tions of 90.0. For both surveys, these are
the lowest levels seen since 1993.
"The decline was not unexpected, but
the number was a bit more than I had
anticipated," said Richard Curtin, direc-
index.
Curtin attributed the decline to a num-
ber of factors, including a possible war
with Iraq.
"There is concern about war in Iraq ...
and what it might do to the economy," he
said. But "it's not the strongest factor.
The factors that are much more impor-
tant ... are declining household wealth
Business School Prof. Richard Sloan
had a mixed opinion about the numbers.
While he said he fundamentally believed
"the market's in bad shape," he added,
"We're in an unusual situation because
there's always a lag between when the
data is collected and when it's
announced. The last couple of weeks,
the market has moved up ... (and) con-
Not even two months after moving into an apartment, most
students who are living off-campus the following year have
already been asked to renew their lease.
"Everything fills up so fast. Every year people try to get a
house in a decent location for a decent price," LSA senior
Jason Balon said.
In a rush to get housing, students are signing early leases
without thinking about the consequences if they were to back
out.