- _ __th5 r Thursday 02003 The Michigan Daily Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXIII, No. 28 One-hundred-thirteen years ofeditorial freedom Mostly sunny throughout the day, with clear skies at night. H 79 LOW: 53 Tomorrow- wwwmichigandaily. comn --------------------- -- --- -- A little chalk goes a long way Influence of Calif. initiative still unclear Michigan considers issue rejected by California voters during Tuesday's recall election By Carmen Johnson Daily Staff Reporter California voters rejected Proposition 54 in Tuesday's gubernatorial election - a sign that voters did not favor eliminating the collection of race-related data. Now after the defeat of Proposition 54, supporters of race in admissions hope Michigan voters will also reject a similar proposed state constitutional amendment - which would ban use of race in admis- sions in Michigan - if it appears on the Nov. 2004 ballot. But opponents of affirmative action say California's Racial Privacy Initiative is too different to predict the outcome if Michi- gan voters are asked to vote on the subject of race. In Michigan, the American Civil Rights Coalition hopes to collect more than 317,000 signatures by July of next year in support of putting a ballot question regarding whether race should be used as a factor in hiring and in college admis- sions. With enough signatures, the initiative would appear on the ballot in November. Ward Connerly, University of California regent and chairman of the ACRC, spear- headed the Proposition 54 campaign in California and is also working to gain sup- port for Michigan's anti-affirmative action initiative. But state Sen. Liz Brater (D-Ann Arbor) said yesterday's defeat of Proposition 54 is a "good omen" for people against the ini- tiative in Michigan. "The result in California will give momentum to Michigan voters who are against the initiative," Brater said. "Although it is very early in the process, the coalition of people who are against will be raising their voices to gain sup- port." Connerly's initiative comes after affir- mative action supporters and opponents thought the Supreme Court decision released in June was the final say in the University's admissions policies. Because the court only sanctions and does not require the use of race-conscious admissions, a successful Michigan initia- tive could bypass the court's rulings. Justin Jones, director of policy and planning for the ACRC, said the outcome of California's proposition cannot fore- shadow how Michigan residents would vote on affirmative action. "What people in California were voting on was a new topic in public debate," Jones said. "But in Michigan, if it's on the ballot, they'll be voting for or against See PROPOSITION, Page 7A 'U'copes with state budget shortages By Tomislav Ladika Daily Staff Reporter Memory of Columbus challenged by chalk ings written around campus By Adhiraj Dutt and Ryan Vicko Daily Staff Reporters NELLY LNDaily LSA senior Jib Kidder chalks on campus. Kidder covers the ground yesterday under the Dennison Arch with his drawings. COnline voting offers students convenience By Andrew Kaplan Daily Staff Reporter In-state students planning to vote Democrat in the upcoming presidential election can now nominate their party's candidate online. The Michigan Democratic Party released new voting procedures last month for its Feb- ruary presidential caucus, where voters hold- ing Michigan residency will cast their ballots for the Democratic frontrunner in the 2004 presidential election. Caucus voters will also begin picking their state's delegates for the 2004 Democratic National Convention. The most important change to the voting process, party officials say, is that Michigan Democrats will now be able to vote online - which will make this year's caucus the most "accessible" caucus in Michigan's history. "As a party, we believe that voting needs to be made easier, particularly for young peo- ple," said Mark Brewer, executive chair of the state Democratic Party. University students agree that the new pro- cedures will stimulate voting on campus, where high-speed Internet gateways abound. "Online voting is a huge advantage to stu- dents," said Courtney Skiles, secretary of the University College Democrats. "With all the increase in online accessibility, I think stu- dents are constantly online - and this is yet another way make voting accessible to every- one. Students don't have to go seek out a place to vote." "Columbus = genocide," "Got genocide? Murderers don't deserve holidays" and "Columbus = murderer" are some of the chalkings that now appear on pavement around campus. Earlier this week, members of the Native American Student Association and La Voz Latina chalked central campus with these messages in protest of Christopher Columbus Day, which is Oct. 13. NASA Co-Chair Nickole Fox said that most people don't know or pay attention to the darker side of Columbus' historic arrival to the Americas. "It's an eye catcher so people will look into the issue a little bit more. A lot of people grow up with the idea that Columbus is a hero, but he also did a lot of bad things and we just wanted to point that out," said Fox, an LSA senior. "He killed a lot of Native Americans." But many students believe the chalkings improperly question Columbus Day. Speaking out against the chalkings, Bobby Raham, co-chair of the Young Americans for Freedom, believes they will lead to further criticism of American history. "Frankly it's ridiculous. If they're going to say this, they'll probably start saying Wash- ington and Jefferson were racists," said Raham, an LSA sophomore. "Columbus' contributions changed the course of history. ... Everybody makes mistakes." "But I'm not saying they shouldn't be allowed to do the chalkings. They are entitled to their opinion," he added. History Prof. Nancy Hunt said it is debat- able whether Columbus himself committed genocide or any of murders. "It's good that it makes people think about history and allows people to question why Columbus is a hero or whether he is a hero. Holidays tend to create public debates over what historical interpretations are made," Hunt said. Despite the party's pledge that online vot- ing will facilitate the voting process, Democ- ratic hopeful Al Sharpton has said the new policies favor wealthy voters who can afford computers. In an effort to build resistance to the policies, he has publicly appealed to Democratic contender Howard Dean to oppose online voting. Dean, whose online campaign front has won him much of his sup- port and funding, has yet to meet Sharpton's request. But Brewer said Sharpton's claims are "simply not true," adding that the new poli- cies will make voting easier for all Democ- rats. "We have three different methods of vot- ing," he said. In addition to taking to the polls See CAUCUS, Page 7A KELLY LIN/Daily Chalkings like this, found near the Dennison Building, have appeared across campus since Sunday. Law School student Michelle d'Amico said she appreciates the right to free speech but the way the groups are speaking out is pointless and misguided. "It's cowardly. If you make a bold state- ment like that, you need to back it up. These people should hold some sort of a forum to discuss the issue," she said. "I would like to see the research in a comprehensive fashion. They are trying to change people's minds and in order to do this, they need to present facts. No one will change their mind just because See CHALKINGS, Page 7A Public universities could face "sig- nificant dismantling" and may be forced to decrease their academic quality as a result of a state budget shortfall that could reach $800 mil- lion, an official representing Michi- gan's 15 state universities said yesterday. "Most of the cost efficiencies on the operating side of the budget, we've done," said Mike Boulus, executive director of the Presidents Council State Universities of Michigan. A n y additional budget cuts that the universities may have to in a k e would be "daunting" because m o s t schools would be forced to decrease their financial aid coffers, eliminate courses or make other cuts that hurt academic quality, Boulus said. The state Legislature most likely will not decide on decreasing state aid to the universities until late December, when the budget adjustments must be finalized. But cuts to the higher educa- tion budget are a realistic possibility because the state may face a budget shortfall that is twice as high as the initial estimates of $400 million. Any cuts to the higher education budget would hit universities especial- ly hard because they would most likely be announced midway through the higher education fiscal year which begins July 1, Boulus said. "What that means is we have to come up with twice as much because we're halfway into our fiscal year," Boulus said. University spokeswoman Julie Peter- son said administrators are watching the state budget process closely but will wait before making final decisions on the University budget. But she added that officials have not been caught off guard by the reported shortfall. "We've been anticipating that and planning accord- ingly" Peterson said. The University was forced to make mid-year cuts last winter when then- Gov. John Engler approved a 3.5-percent cut to the higher education budget in response to a shortfall of about $100 million. State universities handled the 2002 decrease in state aid without increasing tuition, Boulus said. But this year's shortfall is expected to be much greater, and Boulus said he is not certain how much more schools can decrease their administrative and operating expenses before beginning to slash academic programs. Peterson said University administra- tors are concerned about the conse- Mom-and-pop diner, home of 'Collider,' changes hands By Victoria Edwards Daily Staff Reporter The small diner is filled wall-to- wall with pictures of University stu- dents eating, smiling and laughing. These pictures hold memories much !ike the memory that Rod's Diner itself is to become tomorrow when the current owners, husband and wife Rodney and Susan Craig, sell it to Kee Chang. These pictures act as a visual reminder of the Craig's goal of becom- ing an intricate part of the campus community by providing a place But even with the personal gratifi- cation Craig said he got from the stu- dents, he said that the economic aspect of the diner was difficult for him to maintain. Neither he nor his wife had any business background, and he said that in general he "didn't really like money." "Rent goes up so bad. Everything goes up, but your money coming in doesn't go up. ... (Rent) started at $1,300 a month nine years ago and moved up. If we'd stayed it would have been $2,200 a month. I understand why family business have a hard time making it especially in Ann Arbor," "Rent goes up so bad. Everything goes up, but your money coming in doesn't go up .. -,Rodney Craig Rod's Diner owner the many economic problems facing small business owners, one of them being their inability to compete with chain stores. "T'm .. na..nnr mnra ninc in Ann _ I