~W~ather TODAY: Wednesday October 30, 2002 ©2002 The Michigan Daily Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXIlI, No. 39 One-hundred-twelve years of editorial freedom Cloud cover throughout the day with 10 mph winds. Tomorrow, more clouds and wind. Hl-, 46 ;{ \r, 35 Tomorrow. 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.