Thursday October 16, 2003 @2003 The Michigan Daily Ann Arbor, Michigan TODAY: One-kundred-thirteenyears ofeditorialfreedom Partly cloudy dur- ing the day with a most- ly clear sky at night. LOW- 34 Tomorrow: ' 30 Vol. CXIII, No. 31 www~michigandailycom - -------------- - ------------------------------ - ----------- Harassment suit against former 'U' prof revisits court By Jeremy Berkowitz Daily Staff Reporter A landmark legal victory for a former Music School student could be diminished if the Uni- versity gets its way. Attorneys for the former student, Maureen Johnson filed a brief this week, expected to culminate at another hearing in eight to 10 months. Johnson sued the University in 1999 on charges of sexual harassment, retaliation, dis- crimination and race discrimination. In April 2002, a Washtenaw County jury awarded John- son $250,000. In November, Washtenaw Coun- ty Circuit Court Judge Melinda Morris upheld the jury's verdict after the University requested past medical history, including a session with a therapist after being raped when she was 14. As a result, according to precedent, she could not claim emotional distress damages. "A defendant facing a claim for emotional distress damages must be allowed unfettered discovery not only into the existence of any alleged emotional distress but also into possi ble alternative causes of that distress," Univer- sity attorneys wrote in the brief. "In this case, (the) plaintiff initially did not assert the privi- lege. Rather, she simply failed to disclose the: existence of medical treaters." But Johnson's attorney. Miranda Massie, said Johnson had simply forgotton about that partic- ular therapist because she only went a few KLLLLINDaily Ann Arbor resident Tim Hawkins displays one of the new $20 bills while at Stucchi's on South University Avenue. The new bills, released last week, are the focus of a new advertisement campaign to increase public awareness and prevent confusion. Colorful dollar bills begin to circulate amid dCampaig reconsideration. Univer- sity attorneys officially appealed to the Michigan Court of Appeals in August. Johnson entered the Music School in Fall 1997, and participated in the University Philhar- monia Orchestra, direct- ed by former visiting Music School Prof Pier Calabria. Johnson alleged that Calabria made several demeaning remarks to her, including comments regarding her clothes. After Johnson com- "While (the) plaintiff alleged that Calabria made sexually suggestive comments in orchestra rehearsals, these commnents were made to the group, and not directed at (the plaintiff)' times and the incident had occurred 10 years earlier. "They tried to make that into her committing per- jury," Massie said of the University's attorneys. The University also made its original claims that. Johnson could not show proper evidence of a hostile situation.4 "While (the) plaintiff alleged that Calabria made sexually suggestive com- ments in orchestra, rehearsals, these comments were made to the group, and not directed at (the plaintiff)," the brief stated. Calabria made a number of By Ashley Dinges Daily Staff Reporter This fall, leaves aren't the only things changing colors. The new, colored $20 bill was unveiled and released into circulation last Wednesday. The most visible change in appearance of the currency is the ink colors, with the new green and peach backgrounds on each side of the note. Blue ink was also added to the "TWENTY USA" text and eagle picture, each visible on the sides of Andrew Jackson's face. In addition to the colors, several other designs were added, including two Ameri- can eagle symbols and small 20s printed in yellow on the back of the note. Jack- son's portrait was also altered, removing the oval border and lines surrounding it, and extending into the bottom border. Upon the release of the new currency, the Department of the Treasury launched an advertising campaign to increase awareness of the new bills and help pre- vent confusion among both merchants and consumers. In total, the government plans to spend $53 million over the course of five years to educate the public about all of the new notes, including the new $50 and $100 bills. "The combined efforts of public educa- tion, law enforcement, the changes made to the currency in the late 1990s and increased public awareness have all kept currency counterfeiting at low levels," said Dawn Haley, head of the Office of External Affairs in the Bureau of Engrav- ing and Printing at the Treasury Depart- ment, in a written statement. The Treasury Department's website offers free CDs, posters, and training materials to cash-handling businesses. These materials are also included in the total cost of the campaign. They hope to train employees about what to look for when handling the new bills. The ads stress that "all bills are good, for good." Business School Prof. Christina Brown See NEW BILLS, Page 7A i -- C. PriceJoe News Editor But Massie said plained, he demoted her from her first-chair oboe position and repeatedly humiliated in her in front of other students, Johnson said. After she protested to University officials, she said they did not assist her in any way and broke several promises, including allowing Calabria to continue teaching. Johnson withdrew from the University in the middle of 1998 and filed suit a year later. In its brief to the Court of Appeals, the Uni- versity claimed that Johnson failed to reveal sexual remarks and advances toward Johnson. "The only way they can ignore that is to totally distort the record," Massie said. "It's sending a message to the campus that it won't change its policies towards sexual harassment," The University also dispelled Johnson's argument that they responded inadequately to her case. "The University doesn't tolerate sexual See LAWSUIT, Page 7A Game catches heat for content By Carmen Johnson Daily Staff Reporter A new board game, Ghettopoly - whose logo is a cartoon of a black man holding a gun and a 40 oz. bottle of malt liquor - is gaining criticism from people who say the game is racist. Organizations like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the National Asian Pacific American Legal Consor- tium have publicly criticized the game for stereotyping blacks as pimps, prostitutes and drug users. Ghettopoly was created by Pennsylvania- based David Chang, who is hoping to release his next game, Redneckopoly, this fall after the first game sold out on his website. "Ghettopoly is controversial because it's both fun and real life," Chang said in a written statement. "The graphics on the board depict every race in the country and both genders. It draws on stereotypes not as a means to degrade, but as a medium to bring together in laughter," he added. His other games include Thugopoly and Hoodopoly. The game was pulled from the shelves of many stores after protests from students at the University of California in Berkeley. Now campus members of the NAACP and the Black Student Union are calling attention to Urban Outfitters on State Street, the only store on campus selling the game. Erin Johnson, NAACP campus chapter presi- dent, said she was shocked when she walked into the store last week and discovered the games were sold out. "They told me the games were on back order, which means people are actually buying this game," Johnson said. "This really is disturbing that stores would sell stuff like this especially so close to a diverse campus like ours." Both local and national managers at Urban Outfitters declined to comment on the board game. Kweisi Mfume, president and chief execu- tive officer of the NAACP, said in a written statement released last week that Chang should turn his talents to "more positive See GHETTOPOLY, Page 7A PHOTO COURTESY of Ghettopoly.com. Ghettopoloy, a new board game, has drawn ire from campus and national groups who say the game perpetuates negative stereotypes of black people. After hiatus, Entr6e credit makes return to Big House By Margaret Engoren Daily Staff Reporter Entree Plus is back at the Big House. "Students were very upset when the Entree Plus option was taken from the stadium this year," said Angela Galardi, Michigan Student Assembly president. "So, I worked with the Division of Student Affairs and the Ath- letic and Housing departments to bring back the program for the rest of the football season." Galardi called the reinstatement a "Band-Aid" for the Entree Plus program because its future for the 2004 sea- son is not guaranteed. "The stadium's Entree Plus option was a pilot pro- gram," Galardi said. "It was tried as a service last year and then evaluated." Financially responsible for three expensive Entree Plus machines, the Athletic Department opted to discontinue the program when it did not see an increase in profit, Galardi added. The program was questioned last year when it led to a decreased service quality in stadium refreshment lines. "We decided last year that perhaps the program wasn't something we should continue," said E. Royster Harper, The funny man can 'U' set to modernize its pharmaceutical facilities By Aymar Jean Daily Staff Reporter Rarely in a University renowned for its modern facilities will faculty and students decry the labo- ratory conditions. But the College of Pharmacy's facilities, last renovated in the 1970s, are outdated enough to merit concern. To rectify the situation, the federal government recently awarded the school's investigators with a $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to help renovate the Pharmacy Research Building located on central campus. Since the NIH requires the University to match federal funding, the total cost is $4.1 million. The new laboratories will include facilities for the Center for Molecular Drug Targeting, a coali- tion of faculty members consolidating their research interests to research molecular- and cel- lular-based drug therapies. Both faculty and students said the facility needs updating. The current facilities are limiting, and though faculty members are able to get by, there is a risk that working conditions will decrease productivity, said Henry Mosberg, asso- ciate dean for research and graduate education. And the outdated facilities have also compro- mised recruitment efforts. "First of all, it's hard to recruit bright, young graduate and postdoctoral students if they see "So this was a nice boost for us, being able to tell people that we will renovate these labs. The University (Office of the Provost) has provided some matching funds for this grant," he added. One student confirmed that current facilities are not up to par. "The equipment that we used was not up-to date. Especially for the students, all of it was not modern," Pharmacy graduate student Kurt Ham- mond said. "Some of the lab assignments in my first year didn't work because the equipment was faulty. It did not do what we needed it to do. But the new facilities will improve upon cur- rent conditions and will house the CMDT, creat- See RENOVATIONS, Page 7A i LAURA SHLECTERIDaily i I