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November 14, 2003
@2003 The Michigan Daily
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Vol. CXIII, No. 52
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RHA votes
to enforce
campaign
regulations
By Ryan Vicko
Daily Staff Reporter
Michigan Student Assembly candi-
dates hoping to focus their campaigns
on students in residence halls may
have to start looking for a new
avenue.
Last night, the Residence Halls
Association voted to uphold a cur-
rent resolution that prevents what it
calls the disorder that arises from
having too many candidates cam-
paigning at once.
The decision comes just days
before MSA elections, which begin
Nov. 19.
At the RHA meeting in Mosher-
Jordan Residence Hall, MSA Treasur-
er Elliott Wells-Reid and Student
General Counsel Jason Mironov tried
to convince the RHA to suspend its
rule of limiting the number of candi-
dates that can campaign in residence
halls at the same time.
Mironov said MSA would like the
RHA to "suspend this rule and allow
us to continue as we have for eight or
S10 years."
Currently, no more than 10 candi-
dates can be in a residence hall at one
time - three per major party and one
independent. But the rule has tradition-
ally only loosely been enforced,
Mironov said. Still, a rash of break-ins
and rise in robberies have prompted the
RHA to take the rule more seriously.
"It is viewed as a security issue to
keep the residence halls open, if (stu-
dent government candidates) were
allowed to solicit from door-to-door
- potentially 60 people at once," said
RHA President Amy Keller. She
added that many RHA members, who
also live in the residence halls, also
did not want to meet with the MSA
hopefuls.
"Students didn't want to deal with
the hassle of students knocking on
their doors in such a large volume,".
Keller said.
The resolution to keep the law as it
is was initiated by RHA and is not
See RHA, Page 7
Lawmakers
step up
'p
e Legislation would land
underage drinkers with too
many MIP citations in jail
By Michael Gurovitsch
Daily Staff Reporter
-
deterrent. "With no jail time, repeat
offenders can just keep violating pro-
bation," George said.
But Sen. Liz Brater (D=Ann Arbor)
said all the bill would do is clog up
already overcrowded prisons. While
visiting the Washtenaw County Jail
recently, Brater said she witnessed
inmates sleeping on mattresses on the
floor of the gymnasium, an environ-
ment in which minors should not be
exposed to for violating alcohol con-
sumption rules.
"I definitely think we should work to
curb underage drinking, but I don't think
this is the way to go about it,
But George said it is the duty of socie-
ty to cure alcoholism among minors
The Michigan Senate approved legis-
lation Wednesday that would increase
penalties for repeat minor in possession
offenders, including the possibility of
jail time. The bill also allows the records
of first-time offenders to be cleared pro-
vided they comply with their terms of
probation. Opponents of the legislation
argue that jail time is too severe of a
Education junior Becky Growhowski listens to "Speak up and Speak out" last night in the Michigan League. The event was
sponsored by the Michigan Battered Women's Clemency Project and University's V-Day Campaign.
SurVivors of pnsoner abuse
recount stones, offer solutions
punishment.
The bill "cre-
ates more lenien-
cy for the first
time offender and
creates more seri-
ous consequences
for the recurrent
offender," said
Sen. Tom George-
(R-Kalamazoo),
who sponsored
the legislation..
The bill stipu-
"I definitely think we
should work to curb
underage drinking,
but I don't think this
is the way to go
about doing it:'
- State Sen. Liz Brater
(D-Ann Arbor)
before the problems
become more serious.
"If society is inca-
pable of addressing
(the problem) and
turns its back by
repeatedly giving pro-
bation, you are not
helping them. A com-
passionate society is
going to intervene,"
he said.
"I think judges
By Jameel Naqvi
Daily Staff Reporter
A crowd assembled in the Hender-
son Room of the Michigan League
yesterday to hear accounts of the phys-
ical and psychological abuse victim-
ized women suffer at the hands of their
husbands, boyfriends and the U.S.
prison system.
"Speak up and speak out," presented
by the Michigan Battered Women's
Clemency Project and the V-Day Cam-
paign, addressed the brutality of
women's prisons.
"You were abused enough in your
life - we need to abuse you more.
This is the attitude of the U.S. prison
system," said Susan Fair, founder of
the Michigan Battered Women's
Clemency Project, who addressed the
overwhelmingly female audience. Fair,
who served 10.5 years for second-
degree murder, said she "rarely talked
to a woman who had not suffered sexu-
al abuse as children and adults."
Fair and other women, including
keynote speaker Susan Rosenberg,
depicted female inmates as victims of
a system that failed to intervene when
the abuse was occurring and that
placed those women in an oppressive
system.
Rosenberg was in prison for over
16 years, until former President Bill
Clinton granted her clemency two
years ago. She attributed the success
of her clemency plea to activists who
campaigned in the name of justice to
free a stranger from a flawed system.
"I don't think we can get justice
until we dismantle the system brick
by brick, bar by bar, crack by crack,"
she said.
Rosenberg proposed nonviolent
solutions to the prison dilemma, sug-
gesting that the various prison reform
movements need to work together for a
solution.
"We need a mass movement of peo-
ple taking political and social action,"
she said.
Lara Brooks, a sexual assault and
outreach advocate, tried to explain why
so many battered women are inside
prisons.
"In many ways, the prison system is
a replication of the power and control
relationships the.women experienced
in their abusive relationships," said
Brooks. She added that a majority of
female inmates have been the subjects
of domestic abuse and were wrongly
convicted, acting in self-defense or
protecting their children.
She said that her organization, the
First Step Project Against Domestic
and Sexual Violence, is "working to
free women who killed abusers in self-
defense, who are now serving long-
term or life sentences. These women
See WOMEN, Page 3
lates that a judge has the option of send-
ing a minor to. prison for up to 30 days
after the second conviction and up to 60
days for the third conviction, George
said since the first time a minor is
caught with alcohol it will most likely be
taken off their record, jail time is really
only considered after a third offense.
The legislation, which passed by a
vote of 24-14, also defined what con-
stitutes a minor in possession. Any
person under age 21 with a blood
alcohol content of over .02 or any
minor who is seen by a law enforce-
ment officer consuming alcohol could
be ticketed.
George said the bill is necessary
because judges need a way to threaten
repeated offenders other than with
probation, fines and community serv-
ice - which has been an ineffective
will apply it appropriately and reserve
(jail time) for people with serious sub-
stance abuse problems - and maybe
save their lives," George added. "I am
not looking to lock up every college
student who has ever had a beer."
During the debate in the Senate,
Brater unsuccessfully tried to attach an
amendment to the bill that would allow
for what she called a "safe harbor,"
which would give underage drinkers
immunity from minor-in-possession
tickets if they call the police or other
similar authorities for help, such as for a
ride home or to the hospital.
Brater said she plans to introduce the
failed amendment as a bill in the future.
George said a House vote on the bill
has not been scheduled yet and will
not be for at least two weeks since the
House is in recess.
En guarde
Lawmaker criticizes 'slanted
view of reality' on 'U' campus
By Bartosz Kumor
and Michael Kan
Daily Staff Reporters I
SHUBRA OHRI/Daily
LSA sophomore Jessica Stith fences with coach Jim Vesper and the Fencing Club yesterday. Stith
has been fencing for two years.
White House hopeful promises
relie from tui tion, loan bills
Arguments over the best way to promote diversity
in the University collided during last night's monthly
meeting of the College Republicans.
State Rep. Leon Drolet (R-Clinton Twp.) addressed
a group of 30 students about the lack of intellectual
diversity at the University. He stressed that the Uni-
versity was not offering students a broad range of
political thought because the majority of the school's
professors are liberal.
"The students on campus are exposed to a one-
sided slanted view of reality," Drolet said. "Even if a
liberal professor will try to represent the other view-
point, he cannot do it as well as representing his
viewpoint," he added.
Drolet explained the University justified its admis-
sions policy in the U.S. Supreme Court by citing
diversity as a central concern.
He said the University is contradicting itself by
having only liberal professors, allowing for only a
"skin-deep" policy on diversity.
"I hope the University will stop treating people like
pieces of skin, but rather as minds."
These remarks then sparked a heated debate
between Drolet and BAMN members in the audience
on the issue of affirmative action at universities.
Both sides agreed that the current admissions sys-
tem is flawed. But they did not agree on how to reme-
dy the situation.
BAMN national organizer Luke Massie questioned
if Drolet was suggesting that minorities were inferior
to whites and if Drolet was defending whites from
affirmative action.
Regarding the hiring of professors, Massie said,
"The reason that the majority of professors have left-
leaning opinions is because the majority of educated
people tend to tilt to the left."
Other BAMN members criticized Drolet for his
methods to support the desegregation of educational
institutions. But Drolet flatly denied these allegations
and stated his goal is to eliminate race as a factor.
"The University advocates a fascist-like enforcement
of race. But the concept of ideas of the human mind
are not as well represented (in admissions)."
SHUBRA OHRI/Daily
State Rep. Leon Drolet (R-Clinton Twp.) speaks at the
Michigan Union last night. Drolet told the College
Republicans that University professors do not offer
students a broad range of political opinions.
affirmative action based on race and ethnicity.
"I believe a socioeconomic affirmative action is
acceptable. I don't believe in a, 'Oh you're black, so
you are poor' admissions policy," Drolet said.
He also added he did not want the University to
conduct an affirmative action-like policy when hiring
professors. "I just want an unbiased (hiring) process."
Drolet supported his arguments from a study he con-
ducted based on the website Opensecrets.org. Through
this website, he said, he found that, a disproportionate
amount of money donated by University professors
went to liberal candidates in recent elections.
He found that in the 2000 presidential election, 63
percent of election donations went to presidential
candidate Bill Bradley (D-N.J.), while U.S. Sen. John
McCain (R-Ariz.), the Republican who received the
highest amount of donations totaled only 11 percent.
President Bush received 0 percent from University
professors in the same year.
Data from Partisan Donations from 2000 to 2004
also show that 85 percent of University professors'
donations went to Democrats. The number of profes-
cnrc who donatedA 1-hriniQ these time pneriodls was
By Andrew Kaplan
Daily Staff Reporter
The staggering costs of higher edu-
cation have convinced many students
and lawmakers to lobby for cost-
reducing measures. Howard Dean, the
former Vermont governor seeking the
Democratic presidential ticket nomi-
nation, has taken the latest step to
address their concerns.
Following in the footsteps of his
released his own plan yesterday to
save students money on their college
tuitions.
The proposal grants federal finan-
cial aid - up to $10,000 - to all col-
lege students who, during the eighth
grade, consented to participate in
Dean's designated college preparatory
program.
Dean has also offered students
relief on their loans. His plan states
that students will receive tax credits if
ments, all loans will be considered
"paid in full," according to a written
statement from Dean's New Hamp-
shire campaign office.,
Finally, students who enter into
public service careers - such as fire-
fighting or teaching - will never
have to spend more than 7 percent of
their incomes on loans.
Redoubling his efforts to increase
the size of public service organiza-
tions, Dean has also pledged to
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