LOCAL/STATE
The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, January 28, 2004 - 3
THIS WEEK
Five years ago...
The fight to end the use of race as a
factor in admissions to Michigan uni-
versities and colleges gained speed as
an outspoken affirmative action oppo-
nent considers attempting to bring the
issues to voters in November 2000.
Ward Connerly, a former regent
for the University of California Sys-
tem said he is very interested in
seeing a proposal on the Michigan
ballot that would prohibit universi-
ties from choosing prospective stu-
dents based on racial background.
Conncrly was the main proponent
of California's Proposition 209, which
ended the use of racial preferences in
government programs in California.
He eventually decided to back off
from the initiative until after a deci-
sion was reached in the University
admissions lawsuits.
Ten years ago...
In a step to provide emergency
phone services to users of the Nichols
Arboretum and the University's Mat-
taei Botanical Gardens, the Depart-
ment of Public Safety installed call
boxes powered by solar cells in both
locations this week.
These phones were installed
because many are attracted to the
Arb by the peace and quiet of its
natural beauty and seclusion, this
seclusion means contact with the
outside world can be difficult in an
emergency.
In the time needed to get a phone
outside the Arb, an attacker could
escape, or a critically injured person
could loose valuable time before
being transported to a hospital.
Jan. 26, 1965
Trigon fraternity, found guilty of
religious discrimination by the
Interfraternity Council, was given
until Sept. 1, 1965 to revise its ritu-
al or risk losing all privileges regu-
lated by the IFC and possibly
expulsion from the IFC.
IFC President Lawrence Lossing
said that the date of Sept. I was
selected because the meeting at
which the ritual would be changed
would be held during the summer.
The changes had to come before
the meeting of the Grand Council,
which represents the entire fraterni-
ty and meets annually during the
summer months.
Jan. 30, 1974
A small group of Purple Pickle
employees, human rights activists and
othercommunity members picketed
outside the Purple Pickle restaurant
yesterday to protest the firing of a
waitress who worked there.
The fired waitress, Mary Roth of
428 Hamilton Place, filed a successful
lawsuit three months earlier against the
manager of the Purple Pickle, seeking
minimum wages with retroactive back
pay, and charged the before that the
suit was the central reason for her ter-
mination.
Jan. 26, 1987
A chain of Georgia National
Guardsmen flanked more than 20,000
civil rights marchers on both sides of
Old Buford Road as they walked to
the Forsyth County courthouse in
Cumming, Ga.
The Guardsmen, equipped with
riot helmet and batons, separated
the marchers from crowds of white
supremacists yelling, "Go home,
niggers."
The march was the largest civil
rights demonstration in America since
the 1960s. It attracted activists and
politicians from across the country, as
well as 30 members of the Guardian
Angels from Atlanta and New York.
Jan 26, 1998
The lawsuits which challenged
the University's admissions policies
also challenged some students'
notions of how they fit into the
campus community.
"I certainly have spoken to a num-
ber of University students who have
expressed the feelings of vulnerabili-
ty, as a result of the lawsuit, and
understandable resentment," said Uni-
versity President Lee Bollinger.
The lawsuits were filed against
the College of Literature, Science
and the Arts and the Law School.
The Center for Individual Rights
represented plaintiffs Jennifer Gratz
and Barbara Grutter, who sued after
being rejected from the LSA and
Law School.
January 26, 1980
Housing candidate touts budget experience
By Aymar Jean
Daily Staff Reporter
While at the University of Missouri, Frankie
Minor said he presided over the construction of
the first new dormitory in 35
years - even though the school
faced budget constraints.
Minor was the second of four
candidates for director of Uni-
versity Housing to present his
qualifications for the position.
"I tend to have lofty visions
but I also remain grounded ink
reality," Minor said yesterday at TIR D IN A
the Michigan Union. He added PART SE
that his financial proposals have
withstood massive budget cuts at the Missouri,
where he is currently director of residential life.
"Bottom-line, we're a bottom line institution."
Minor presided over the construction of a $30
million facility with about 700 beds scheduled to
open this fall. In addition, the school will raze
three of its dorms this year to build a new 656-
bed complex on campus.
Minor has also has held similar jobs at
Saint Leo College in Florida and Saint
Louis University in Missouri.
Minor explained the importance of
collaboration discussed themes of unity
and consistency during his talk. To
demonstrate the need for an administra-
tive philosophy, Minor cited the pillars
FIVE. of his department in Missouri: Respect,
Responsibility, Discovery and Excel-
lence. "I have a vision, but it needs to be
a common vision, not just my vision, but our
vision," he said.
Stressing that students come first, Minor added
that services must be tailored to student needs.
"Policies, procedures and practices over time
become adapted to make them easier to deliver,
but not necessarily to be more effective," he said.
Minor said he fostered a residential experience at
Missouri that supported academic success and
"programs that challenged students to think differ-
ently about the world around them."
Among these programs are various learning
communities, in which 60 percent of hall resi-
dents are involved, and grouping students by
major and academic interest. In one type of learn-
ing community, freshman interest groups, stu-
dents tend to do better academically regardless of
ability. These groups consisted of students and a
faculty member, interacting and supporting each
other through their fist year of college.
A search committee assembled by Vice Presi-
dent for Student Affairs E. Royster Harper is ask-
ing the four candidates for their vision of Univer-
sity housing.
Diane Nafranowicz, chair of the search com-
mittee, enjoyed Minor's presentation. "I think he
did a good job of sticking to the question that was
posed to him," she said. Carole Henry, Monday's
presenter, discussed more specific plans on facili-
ties renewal, apartment suites that went beyond
"traditional double-loaded corridors."
Bursley Dining Services Manager Dave Ander-
son said Minor handled the posed question well,
despite the challenge of answering it without
prior knowledge of the University. "It's a fairly
tough question to answer, because you're on the
outside looking in, so you don't have the benefit
of being part of the community," he said.
Once all four candidates have presented, the
search committee will choose the next director.
k
At Trotter House, MSA discusses
possible renovations to building
By Cina Freeman
Daily Staff Reporter
Giving its members a first-hand perspective
on a future vote the Michigan Student Assem-
bly held its weekly meeting at the William H.
Trotter House last night.
The Trotter House, a student multicultural
center, is in need of renovations such as handi-
cap accessibility and storm windows.
Next week, the representatives will vote on
whether to place a question on the March MSA
election ballot asking students if they are will-
ing to add $2 dollars to their student fees for the
Trotter House restoration.
"I have felt some appreciation for this build-
ing since I was a freshman," LSA senior Vanes-
sa Sanchez said. "Student organizations
especially minority organizations, use this space
for a lot of events."
The assembly had an intense discussion on
MSA involvement with the Trotter House reno-
vation project, talking about whether the cen-
ter's administration had attempted to raise
money for their building on their own.
The Trotter House has made many efforts to
raise money but they need some assistance
from the University administration to be able to
adequately fund their project, MSA Vice Presi-
dent Monique Perry said.
Companies have attempted to donate to the
center, but their contributions were not utilized
for the renovations and instead were directed
towards scholarships, MSA Rep. Deirdre Shel-
ton said.
Another issue raised was why students are
funding the renovations of the Trotter House
rather than the University, which asserts a dedi-
cation to diversity. "It is our job as the student
government to tell the administration what they
are doing wrong," said MSA Communications
Committee Chair Rachel Fisher.
The assembly also voted to amend the Stu-
dent Code concerning MSA's committees and
commissions and the distribution of funds to
student groups.
An addition to the code was that com-
mittees and commissions will now
require applications for membership every
semester.
In regards to funding, student groups will not
be allocated money to pay Festifall or Winter-
fest registration fees, or to pay for T-shirts or
newspaper advertisements.
Michigan Student Assembly President Angela Garlardi and
Student General Counsel Jason Mironov discuss Trotter
House renovations during last night's MSA meeting.
Speaker: Southeast Asian community needs recognition
By AnneJolng
and Lucille Vaughan
For the Daily
As the University community continues to cele-
brate the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of
Education ruling, people within the Southeast
Asian community voiced their concerns last night
about the University's refusal to recognize them as
underrepresented minorities.
Students gathered in the Residential College
Auditorium in East Quad at an event sponsored by
the Hmong American Student Association and the
United Asian American Organizations.
Keynote speaker Bo Thao, director of Hmong
National Development argued that University racial
policies are too broad-brush and despite the under-
representation of Southeast Asians within the Uni-
versity community. Thao said according to the U.S.
Census there are 200,000 Hmong Americans, an
ethnic group from Southeast Asia, in the US. But
she said the population is closer to 300,000.
"It is the responsibility of policymakers that all
groups have the same opportunities," Thao said.
"Data and statistics make it look like Asians are
doing very well, but if you look at subpopulations
(such as Southeast Asians), you find that some of
these groups are very poor, even more so than the
communities of color we hear about," she added.
Thao said the median family income for Asian
Americans and Pacific Americans is $57,874, near-
ly $8,000 higher than the U.S. average. But among
Hmong Americans the median family income is
$32,224, and the average family size is seven or
more people. That means the average per capita
income for Hmong Americans is $6,613, nearly
$15,000 less than the national average.
Students voiced mixed opinions about the event,
some saying they are happy with current racial
policies, others calling for change.
LSA sophomore Laura Davies, a member of
Young Americans for Freedom, said she opposed
grouping people by their race of ethnicity. "We
shouldn't be granting preference to any race ...
(House Resolution 333) shows the hypocrisy of
defining who is a minority and who isn't - it's
rather arbitrary," she said, referring to a current bill
under consideration to allocate funding to institu-
tions with a 10 percent Asian American enrollment.
LSA junior Pete Woiwode was skeptical about
current University policies. "The perception of race
and being Asian is so cut-and-dry, so to be con-
fronted with an issue that is so underrepresented in
our public consciousness is really important and
challenging and presents a lot of issues that should
be talked about more,"Woiwode said.
-Additional reporting by Ryan Vcko, Daily Staff
Reporter
Correction:
A story on Page 1 of yesterday's Daily
should have said Dean criticized Bush for letting
the federal deficit grow to $500 billion.
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