WTaDher TODAY: November 7, 2002 ©2002 The Michigan Daily Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXIII, No. 45 One-hundred-twelve years of editorlfreedom Cloudy in the morning with skies partially clearing throughout the afternoon. 9~48 LoW- 39 Tomorrow.- 64141 www.mnichigandaily. corn Race for Newman wins second term, unclea while fellow Republican Richner is would1 Repubi leading for the second open seat Rep state r By Megan Hayes was h( Daily StaffReporter place f ' ' regents still undecided With some election results still too clo call, at least one thing was clear - Andrea cher Newman will be returning to the Univ Board of Regents. Although garnering first place in the rac two seats with 26 percent of the vote, it 'U' sees bright lfuture for Coleman less tha lion ca waiting Manisi countie Rep seats c ar whether the Ann Arbor Republican be joined on the board by another fellow lican or a Democrat. ublican Andrew Richner, an outgoing epresentative from Grosse Pointe Park, olding onto second place, leading third finisher Greg Stephens, a Democrat, by ian 9,000 votes out of more than 5.43 mil- ast. The state Bureau of Elections was g to post returns from some precincts in tee and the heavily-Democratic Wayne es. ublicans were hoping to hold onto the currently held by Newman and Regent Daniel Horning (R-Grand Haven,) who declined to seek another eight-year term this year. The board is currently made up of five Democrats and three Republicans. Dearborn Democrat Ismael Ahmed pulled fourth, securing 20 percent of the vote. In addi- tion to the four major party candidates, six third party candidates were also listed on the ballot. Newman said she is thrilled to be re-elected and to be given the opportunity to continue to serve the University community. "It takes a while to really understand the Uni- versity and get into different things," she said, adding that she has developed a better under- standing and looks forward to building upon that foundation during her next term. When she campaigned to be a regent eight years ago, Newman's main issue was tuition fees and keeping the University affordable for stu- dents. She said while the University has a fabu- lous financial aid program, it continues to be too expensive for many students. "I don't feel we've been successful keeping costs down the way we should have," Newman said. She said she plans to use her re-election as an opportunity to continue to work on finding a resolution to this issue. See REGENTS, Page 7A Writing on the wall t / ../ ". Cox inches past Peters overnight, still contested BLACK POWER WA WASHZ14 OU SAVE $2 CK/WA6/C" -/VDER- - ,, By Megan Hayes Daily Staff Reporter As University President Mary Sue Coleman's 100th day in office nears,.stu- dents and faculty are not only pleased with her performance thus far but are optimistic about her future success. "She's terrific," Life Science Institute Director Alan Saltiel said. "She has been engaged and supportive, and most importantly understanding of the kind of challenges we face." He said these qualities are derived from her experience as a scientist and an administrator. Saltiel also said her focus on education and opportunities for students has provided them a means to find their academic pas- sions. Of equal value, he said, is the warmth she gives off to the University and the surrounding community. "She has an infectious enthusiasm for Michigan," Saltiel said. Interim LSA Dean Terrence McDon- ald said Coleman has set a tone for the entire University in the accessible and straightforward way she has approached her position. ," He said the fact that she is coming from an outside perspective makes her ability to initiate things so quickly upon arrival even more significant. "I've been impressed by how fast she's gotten familiar with every aspect of the University," he said. Former Michigan Student Assembly President Matt Nolan said he was one of the members on the committee responsi- ble for Coleman's selection as University president, and that he continues to stand by the decision. "I evaluated all the candidates based on what they could bring to the Univer- sity," he said. "Through the process, we found Mary Sue was the best candidate." Nolan said this conclusion was based on Coleman's ability to work with stu- dents and her level of openness, both of which she demonstrated in her role as president of the University of Iowa. He also said Coleman could improve in her role as president by increasing her interaction with students. Nolan suggest- ed she could bridge the gap between her- self and the University community by sending more campus-wide e-mails and holding more student receptions. "Student government people at Iowa had nothing but good things to say," he said. He added although her visibility on campus has been less than he would have expected, he feels people have taken a liking to her. "I am still very confident in our deci- sion and our selection," Nolan said. "I would give her positive ratings" Coleman said in an earlier interview with The Michigan Daily that she hopes to build off the positive response she has received and continue to forge the bond between the University of Michigan community and herself "Sometimes coming from a different By Jordan Schrader Daily Staff Reporter For more than 12 hours after Michigan Attorney General Jennifer Granholm announced she had won the governor's race, neither of the two men running to replace her would confirm victory or defeat. At noon yesterday, Mike Cox declared him- self the winner. But his opponent was not so willing to call the election over. In the closest race in Michigan's executive branch this year, the Livonia Republican led state Sen. Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Twp.) by 4,915 votes after the last precincts' ballots came in. The candidates took different views on the finality of those numbers. Irregularities in counting, including problems in Washtenaw County, could change the outcome before the results are officially certified, Peters spokesman Mark Fisk said yesterday. Election officials in Washtenaw had to copy some absentee ballots by hand because of printing errors, county Election Adminis- trator Melanie Weidmeyer said. "It's very premature for any candidate to AM EN qA WASH, declare victory; isk saidi. we're going to wait until all the precincts report and all the votes are counted properly." Cox spokesman. Stu Sandler said no doubt remains about voting results and it is time for Peters to concede defeat. "Even with two good candidates, someone wins and someone loses," he said. "Mike Cox won and Mike Cox is the attor- ney general-elect, and we hope that Mr. Peters will respect the decision of Michigan voters." Fisk said while the Peters campaign has not ruled out the possibility that a recount will be necessary, it is waiting for the results of the See COX, Page 7A I-t//TEki/IS I-EXTRA.. .._ x~ ' - :3 .. Hollowell concedes,- other late results in ;x.,: JONATHON TRIEST/Daily Delbert Duncan, an employee of Windy C's Car Wash on 8 Mile Rd. In Detroit waits for cars to enter the wash yesterday. Campus conducive to developing creativity By Tomislav Ladika and Louie MeIzilsh Daily Staff Reporters By Emily Kraack Daily Staff Reporter Scan the bathroom walls in the Modern Languages Building and you'll see neon posters for a cappella concerts, glee club con- certs, Shakespeare plays and dance perform- ances. Performing arts play a large part in the lives of many students, and the University provides an environment for them to flourish. A recent New York Times article specifical- ly cited the University as an "angel of the arts" for its role in fostering artistic works such as the University's alliance with the Royal Shakespeare Company. The Royal Shakespeare Company, Columbia University and the University of Michigan are working See ARTS, Page 7A Some Election Day events occurred too late for The Michigan Daily to report in yesterday's paper. Following is a short summary: HOLLOWELL CONCEDES Melvin Butch Hollowell, the Democratic candidate for secretary of state, was optimistic throughout his campaign that he would defeat Republican opponent Terri Land, and he remained hopeful yesterday despite prelimi- nary indications that Land had won. But at 3 a.m. yesterday, Hollowell finally conceded the race was over and congratulated Land on becoming Michigan's next secretary of state. Earlier in the evening, only exit poll numbers were available and Hollowell did not want to concede, spokesman Chris Trebilcock said. "We didn't have any hard numbers from the big turnout counties," he said. Land, a former Kent County Clerk from Byron Center, did not feel the outcome was in doubt because the exit polls had her leading Hollowell by a large margin, her spokeswoman, Eileen McNulty, said. Land was up by around 12 percent at 1:30 a.m., and she won by about the same margin. McNulty said Land was thrilled to win and would begin her term by working on the leg- islative issues behind consolidating elections and using driver's licenses to register to vote. See ROUND-UP, Page 7A Ramadan begins period of reflection for Muslims By Rahwa Ghebre-Ab Daily Staff Reporter Yesterday marked the beginning of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. It is during this month that Muslims will begin the month-long fast, which requires abstention from food, drink and other sensual pleasures from sunrise to sunset. In a Hadith, a narration of the Prophet Muham- mad's life, the Prophet said to fast if you have seen the crescent moon and to break the fast once the crescent moon reappears, said Near Eastern studies graduate student, Muhammad Aziz. The dates of Ramadan are not set for exactly the same time every year, instead, the beginning and end of Ramadan depend on precise astronomical calculations. In the United States, the dates are decided by the Islamic Society of America. The month of Ramadan alters the way of life for many Muslims but the change is welcome and proves to strengthen religious grounding. "Ramadan is significant because it causes you Mariam Muzaffar said. LSA freshman Zeenah Khader said she wakes u early to eat but her life goes until sundown before eating again. "I get up before sunrise, around 5 a.m. to eat, then I pray the first prayer of five of the day, called the Fajr. You go the whole day without food or water while continuing prayer throughout the day, and at the end of day, after sunset, you break the fast with a date and move to prayer again.... The time set for the breaking of the fast is 5:22 p.m.," Khader said. When students are away at school, Ramadan is quite a different experience from being at home with family. "At home we gathered around the table and about five minutes prior to breaking fast ... we would pray together and break fast together," Khader said. Things may be different when a student comes to the University due to one's surroundings and the sudden increase in freedom. "It was my first day but it went really well. yy. Y* '} . Cy i, ti } 3. . t ... ..:. ... .:: . i,.... .. ., :: . , 5 . 41 A.. ht rt?. trya t .,,i .. .. .. .. °. ,.. ' -' '1 r fii.1K>ii i, :kv.. ..tt; .,,. ., . 1 _ t ,t, ir4.., v s.l..,". u S j,