Thursday DeatYer TODAY: @2003 The Michigan Daily Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXIII, No. 23 One-hundred-twelve years ofedtonalfreedom Partly cloudy dur- ing the day and night with winds at about 10 mph. I:52 LOW 38 Tomorrow: 54? www.michigandaily.com Students speak against proposition By Jeremy Beurkowtz Daily Staff Reporter Even the U.S. Supreme Court - the highest judicial body in the nation - might not have the final say regarding the Universi- ty's race-conscious admis- sions policies. Supporters of the Uni- versity's admissions pro- gram are preparing for a fight to prevent Michigan voters from nullifying the decision. Led by University of Cal- onnery ifornia Regent Ward Connerly, the American Civil Rights Coalition is gearing up to proposed state constitutional amendment on the Nov. 2004 ballot banning the use of race in higher education admissions. Supported by a coalition of 20 Republican Michigan state legislators, the ACRC needs to obtain at least 317,000 signatures between January and July of next year for the proposition to be voted on in November. This comes three months after the court decided the University could use race-conscious admissions according to set rules. Several factions, ranging from University administrators to students, are slowly beginning to form a statewide campaign to fight Connerly. While some believe in different tactics, all agree the voters of Michigan need to be educated on the issues. Proposal to, put race on the "I feel like when people in Michigan get all the information and they are educated, they will make the correct decision for Michigan, which is that we can make our own decisions," University President Mary Sue Coleman said in an inter- view last week. Although state laws constrain the University from funding the movement, Coleman said she plans to continue traveling around the state, gain- ing support from other state colleges and legisla- tors. State Sen. Liz Brater (D-Ann Arbor) said she and other legislators see the matter as a "grave concern." But she added that she wants to see first if Connerly has the necessary funding to get all his signatures. "It'll depend on how much money they are spending," Brater said. An Associated Press Poll taken three weeks ago showed 52 percent of Michigan residents support a potential ballot ini- tiative. In addition, West Michigan and the Upper Peninsula represent enormous challenges for supporters of affirmative action. But Students Supporting Affirmative Action member Jackie Bray remains optimistic about spreading word beyond Ann Arbor. aot iks groups Those two areas of the state aren't void of net- works that would oppose Ward Connerly," Bray, an LSA senior, said. "This isn't just about being liberal or conservative." SSAA has had conversations with other groups about fighting Connerly. But Bray said she feels it would be a "futile" campaign to try and prevent the ACRC from getting signatures next year. "I think if he makes a concerted effort, he will get the signatures," Bray said. But some students disagree with that notion. See CONNERLY, Page 5A Spokes a-flyin' Officialsphbill repe provisions of U.S. Patriot Act By Andrew Kaplan Daily Staff Reporter "We're very concerned that the (orioinal) Patriot Act i. 1 %~l % As the government seeks greater power to jIms gu track and arrest terrorist suspects, several fed- eral and local officials have mustered counter- efforts to guard citizens against unlawful investigations in judicial procedures. Ron Paul Hoping to limit the scope of federal inves- ers (D-Det tigative agencies, two U.S. congressmen have Michigan 1 introduced a bill that would repeal several pro- erties Unio visions of the 2001 USA Patriot Act. The act ic Relation allows the government to police terrorist sus- the Advan pects through secret searches, increased access voiced thei to classified records and prolonged detentions. original Pa Among lawmakers and activists who sup- Passed s port the new bill - known as the "Benjamin the appreh Franklin True Patriot Act" and authored by governmen U.S. Reps. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) and "We're DPS report finds rise in cnme In 02 New statistics show crime in residence halls went up in the last year By Victoria Edwards Daily Staff Reporter )ne too far too fast. - Wendy Wagenheim Michigan ACLU spokeswoman (R-Texas) - U.S. Rep. John Cony- troit) has pledged his sponsorship. branches of the American Civil Lib- n, the Council on American-Islam- ns and the National Association for cement of Colored People have also ir favor for repealing sections of the triot Act. shortly after Sept. 11, 2001 to ease hension of terrorists, the act gives nt agencies sweeping powers. very concerned that the (original) Patriot Act has gone too far too fast," said Michigan ACLU spokeswoman Wendy Wagenheim, adding that the ACLU has urged Michigan residents to contact their state and federal legislators to protest the 2001 act. Citing an "unprecedented assault on the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights" as a result of the original Patriot Act, Kucinich, a candidate for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination, revealed the new leg- islation in a press conference last Wednesday. See PATRIOT, Page 5A Law School student James Loy shines a bike with a buffer at the Student Bike Shop on Maynard Street yesterday. Month's events help raise breast cancer awareness By Alison Go Daily Staff Reporter Every year, breast cancer kills over 40,000 peo- ple in the United States. A Uni- versity chapter of the national movement to greatly reduce the mortality rate of breast cancer kicked off the 18th annual National Breast Cancer Aware- ness Month yesterday. In order to help initiate the month's activities, Lisa New-e man, director of the Breast Care Center at the University Hospi- tal, held an open informational session. The session addressed issues ranging from risk factors to diagnosing the cancer at different ages. "The best chances for a full recovery come from detecting breast cancer in an early stage," Newman said. Although the risk for a woman in her 20s to get cancer is one in 2,500, awareness at the college level is still important, Newman said. She recom- mended that women administer a monthly breast self-exam one week after her menstrual period. University Students Against Cancer will be hold- ing an array of events throughout October. On Oct. 6, members of USAC will be on the Diag passing out pink ribbons and educational pamphlets. Later that day, Deanna Beyer, a breast cancer survivor, will come to the University to speak at the USAC mass meeting. "My goal for the month is to help spread the facts about breast cancer to more students and make them more aware of what they can do to prevent it or at least detect it at its earliest See AWARENESS, Page 5A Burglary statistics published in the Campus Safety Hand- book for 2002 showed almost a 30-percent increase in crime in the University residence halls compared to last year. But larceny in general, the most common crime perpetrat- ed at the University, went down 17 percent according to these reports. Diane Brown, Department of Public Safety spokes- woman, said the high number of burglaries helped push dif- ferent security measures on campus such as video cameras, electronic locks and educational material. "There had been discussions about some of those initia- tives, but burglary gave them more focuses and speeded up the planning process," Brown said. According to the report, the exact numbers for burglaries went up from 77 in 2001 to 100 in 2002. Brown added that she believes many of these burglaries took place as a result of being offered to the perpetrator. She said there were many situations where crimes occurred because students left their belongings unattended or left their doors unlocked in the residence halls. She said that as a result of new security procedures, the opportunities for would-be burglars greatly decreased. Brown said the success of the safety measures can be seen because more crime is taking place in off-campus housing as opposed to the residence halls. But she added, "if we wanted to decrease crime even more, we would reduce See CRIME, Page 5A LAURA SHrLECTER/ IDily Friends enjoy drinks at Grisley Peaks yesterday. The lowering of the legal blood alcohol content makes Michigan residents more likely of exceeding the legal driving limit. Drvers alcohol leves -meet new restrictions due tofdrlmandate By Evan McGarvey Daily Staff Reporter Michigan diners and bar-goers will now have to monitor their drinking habits more carefully with the passage of a federal mandate that will punish those driving with a lowered blood alcohol content. Prior to the new law, driving with a .08 BAC did not necessarily con- $1,500 in fines, 360 hours of com- munity service and a maximum of 93 days in jail. Anne Readett, Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning spokeswoman, said she feels opti- mistic about the new law. . "I don't think we'll see a big change in arrests but we can expect that more people will be more care- ful now that the standards have Pres. candidate LaRouche spurs support, controversy By Ashley Dinges For The Daily To some, it came as no surprise that 92-year- old civil rights activist Amelia Boynton Robinson has shown her support of presidential candidate Lyndon LaRouche. To others, the move made lit- tle sense. Robinson, who spoke at the University yester- day, expressed her belief that seven-time candi- date LaRouche is continuing the fight that her fellow activist, Martin Luther King Jr., began. Robinson spoke of her fight for civil rights, including the march on Bloody Sunday, March 7, 1965, on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Alabama, where she was beaten, gassed and left to die. "I was not afraid and I would not run. I was appalled that human beings would beat others year-old LaRouche in past years, and more recently, his 2004 campaign for the presidency. "I thought to myself, 'This man's program is doing what we had been trying to do for 40 years: To lift up humanity and get people to think for themselves,"' Robinson said. LaRouche's platform centers on global devel- opment and domestic economic recovery, accord- ing to his website. He has spoken out against the U.S. occupation in Iraq, saying the United Nations should play a greater role in the country's reconstruction. Though his platform has been viewed as mod- erate, some say LaRouche, who served time in prison on criminal conspiracy charges, is not a serious contender for the Democratic nomination. Recently, the University's College Democrats disassociated themselves from LaRouche by stitute drunk driving. Now a motorist with a .08 BAC will receive the same punishment as a driver with .1 BAC content. Sgt. Matt Bolger, governmental liai- son for the Michi- gan State Police, clarified the changes in the law. " I don't think there are any hard and fast rules for the BAC. It's controlled by many factors:' - Sgt. Matt Bolger Governmental liaison, Michigan State Police changed," Readett said. With the new regulations, the drinking habits that previously fell under the legal level could now raise some- one's BAC above .08. Acceptable social drinking, loosely defined as "A blood-alcohol content of .08 has always been illegal. However, the previous law used to make .08 presumptive that a motorist with a .08 BAC could have previously made a case that they were not, in fact, legally intoxicated," Bolger said. less than four drinks in the course of an evening according to the Uni- versity's website, could now land a diner or bar patron that gets behind the wheel under arrest. The National Restaurant Associa- tion claims that two drinks in a two- hour period could leave a 160 lb. person with a BAC above .08, w i I i