LOCAL/STATE
The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, January 7, 2004 - 3
THIS WEEK
Five years ago ...
The U.S. Senate began the impeach-
ment trial of President Bill Clinton.
Proceedings were stalled by "deep dis-
agreements" over how the trial would
be conducted, how long it would last
and how it would end.
This was the first time the president
had been impeached in 131 years. The
Republican impeachment managers
from the House of Representatives
failed to get enough votes in the Senate
to convict Clinton and remove him
from office.
Ten years ago ...
The Michigan football team trounced
the North Carolina State Wolfpack in
the Hall of Fame Bowl in Tampa, Flori-
da. Michigan won 42-7, the largest mar-
gin in the bowl's eight-year history. The
Hall of Fame Bowl is now called the
S Outback Bowl.
Jan. 8, 1949
The Interfraternity Council and the
Office of Student Affairs met to dis-
cuss the controversy about the enforce-
ment of a two-year probation of
fraternities that did not have a mini-
mum 2.4 GPA among their brothers.
Eight fraternities were affected by the
Office's decision.
Jan. 7, 1981
The University Cellar, a campus
bookstore, installed a "new security
system" after losing more than
$100,000 a year to shoplifting. The
revolutionary system was comprised of
invisible tags and an electronic "booth
at the store exit."
These are now commonly used by
retailers. Owners said the $30,000 sys-
tem would eventually "pay for itself."
Jan. 8, 1960
The business manager of the resi-
dence halls announced that both dorms
and quads would begin serving an
extra hour-long brunch. The dining
rooms implemented the brunch to
accommodate students whose "sched-
ules do not correspond to the dining
hall hours."
Brunch began 15 minutes after the
regularly scheduled breakfast and
served lighter fare such as donuts and
bagels.
Jan. 8, 1993
While presidents from 85 universities
signed an advertisement on Dec. 13
opposing the ban on homosexuals in the
military, the absence of University Pres-
ident James Duderstadt's name raised
controversy on campus.
While the University administrators
said they "were going to change policy
in the military by working through asso-
ciations in Washington,' reactions from
members of the Lesbian Gay Male Pro-
grams Office and students ranged from
"unacceptable" to "disappointing."
Jan. 9, 1970
The case against an Ann Arbor
Argus editor was dismissed. Kenneth
Kelley was charged with violating a
state statute that forbids the "publica-
tion and distribution of any obscene,
lewd, lascivious, filthy, indecent or dis-
gusting newspaper."
Police arrested Kelley for the publi-
cation of a photograph of city council-
man James Stephenson with a
superimposed penis in his hand.
The judge dismissed the case
because prosecutors failed to prove that
Kelley actually sold or distributed that
edition of the paper.
Jan. 7, 1958
The university announced it would
erect a giant radio telescope costing
nearly $300,000. The astronomy and
electrical engineering departments
agreed to fund the construction and
maintenance of the satellite, which will
be built in June.
The satellite was lauded for its ability
to "track future 'Sputniks' " while still
tracing both radio fluctuations from
outer space and changes in the sun.
Jan. 8, 1997
Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day
O'Connor was the keynote speaker at
the winter commencement ceremony.
O'Connor would later become pivotal in
deciding the fate of the University's law-
suits regarding their race-conscious
admissions policies.
O'Connor encouraged the 1,300
graduates to "aim high" and "get
involved in their communities."
Jan. 7, 1988
Detroit diocese praised for fighting abuse
DETROIT (AP) - The Roman Catholic arch-
diocese of Detroit received four commendations
for its efforts under a new mandatory policy
adopted by bishops nationwide to prevent sex
abuse by priests, according to a church audit
released yesterday.
The audit, which determined that 90 percent of
the 195 U.S. dioceses were in full compliance
with the plan, also listed four recommendations
for improvement in the Detroit archdiocese,
which ministers to about 1.5 million Catholics
and is the fifth-largest in the United States.
The mandatory policy, adopted by bishops in
June 2002, dictates how priests guilty of sex
abuse should be punished and requires bishops to
take steps to protect children.
In its commendations, the Detroit archdiocese
was recognized for adopting a sexual abuse poli-
cy in 1988 and mandating background checks for
church personnel. It also was commended for
entering into an agreement with civil prosecutors
in the six counties covered by the archdiocese to
handle allegations of sexual abuse by minors.
Recommendations included better documenta-
tion of, and protocol for, contact between the
archdiocese and victims, as well as the imple-
mentation of a basic monitoring plan for clergy
removed from active ministry.
All recommendations had been addressed as of
Dec. 1, and would continue to be worked on, the
archdiocese said.
"I think we certainly have tried to take serious-
ly the recommendations that have been provided.
We're grateful for the commendations that we've
received and we'll continue to move forward,"
Bishop Walter Hurley said yesterday.
"This is not something that is resolved on one
day or in a week or in a year," he added. "It's
always an ongoing process in terms of trying to
make sure that children are being protected and
that people are being served."
Among the 20 dioceses considered out of com-
pliance are the archdioceses of New York,
Anchorage, Alaska and Omaha, Neb. Four dioce-
ses were not audited.
Also considered out of compliance was the
Eparchy of St. Thomas the Apostle of Michigan.
An eparchy is a geographic district for Catholics
who accept the authority of the pope, but follow
different rituals.
Hurley said the Southfield church belongs to
one the nation's two Chaldean dioceses, which he
said have not had any reported cases of sexual
abuse by priests and therefore may not have
implemented all the recommendations of the
bishop's 2002 policy. But Hurley said St. Thomas
now is working with the Detroit archdiocese to
adopt some of its practices and programs
designed to protect children.
The prelates commissioned the audit from the
Gavin Group of Boston, a firm led by former FBI
official William Gavin, and the investigation was
overseen by Kathleen McChesney, a former top
FBI agent and head of the bishops' watchdog
Office of Child and Youth Protection.
Victim advocates said bishops had too much
control of how the audit was conducted, so it
should be viewed skeptically.
To check on the effort to carry out the
reforms, the auditors - mostly former FBI
agents or investigators - traveled the coun-
try from June to October in small teams,
interviewing bishops, diocesan personnel,
victims, abusive priests, prosecutors and lay
people. The audit, which is to be conducted
annually, is part of the church's plan to pre-
vent abuse.
The most recent case in the Detroit archdio-
cese involved the Rev. Thomas Physician, a
retired priest who was placed on an adminis-
trative leave of absence effective on Saturday.
The archdiocese, which announced Physician's
leave yesterday, said it received an allegation of
sexual misconduct involving the retired priest and
a minor boy.
The allegation dates back more than 30 years
to Physician's early years of service in the arch-
diocese, Hurley said. It was turned over to Wayne
County prosecutors who chose not to investigate
further because of the passage of time, the arch-
diocese said.
Physician, who retired in 2002, may not exer-
cise public ministry, wear his Roman Catholic
priest's collar or identify himself as a priest while
on leave.
The archdiocese of Detroit has removed or sus-
pended 20 priests because of sexual abuse allega-
tions during the past two years, Hurley said. It
has paid about $950,000 in settlements to abuse
victims during the past 15 to 20 years, he said.
I I
Fixing the connection
New Dearborn mosque
to be the nation's largest
DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) - The
Islamic Center of America will com-
plete its new $12 million mosque this
summer, a centerpiece in what mem-
bers say will become the largest Arab
American religious and cultural
facility in North America.
"Our community has grown nearly
tenfold since the beginning of the
original Islamic Center," said Dan
Mekled, the technology administra-
tor for the 3,000-member center.
"We've planned to move and fit the
community with a larger building."
He said the original 17,000-square-
foot center, which the Islamic Center
plans to sell, was projected to last 30
years and made it to 40.
In addition to the new mosque, the
center's 120,000-square-foot complex
will feature an auditorium, library and
community center.
It also will retain the Muslim
American Youth Academy, which
opened with 35 students in 1997 at
the site.
About 170 students now are
"Our community has grown nearly tenfold
since the beginning of the original Islamic
Center ... We've planned to move and fit the
community with a larger building.'
- Dan Melded
Technology Administrator, Islamic Center of America
enrolled in kindergarten through
fifth grade.
The new mosque will provide addi-
tional space as well as heightened
exposure from its new location, but
officials said they still expect some
overcrowding.
"Like any other religion, you get a
big holiday and you can never dream
of building enough room (to accom-
modate everyone)," said Ed Bedoun,
chairman of the group's construction
committee.
At least 300,000 people of Middle
Eastern descent are estimated to live in
the Detroit area. Nearly 30,000, or 30
percent, of Dearborn's population
claimed Arab ancestry in the latest
census.
The Islamic Center's complex is
one of several projects underway
designed to meet the needs of south-
east Michigan's growing Arab Amer-
ican community.
A $12.8 million Arab American
National Museum, the first of its kind,
also is slated to open in Dearborn in
October.
Projects like the new mosque "will
lead to the greater understanding (of
cultures) that we all strive for," said
Imad Hamad, director of the Ameri-
can-Arab Anti-Discrimination Com-
mittee of Michigan.
Pharmacology Prof. Jonathan Maybaum and School of Information
employee David Chmura attempt to repair the audio after a break in a
satellite field at a technology conference held yesterday at the
University. Apple CEO Steve Jobs appears on the screen.
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INITIATIVE
Continued from Page 1
Concerned that the constitutional
amendment will nullify last summer's
court decision, BAMN seeks to halt the
campaign before it spreads to other
states. "If he can defeat us here, he can
go anywhere," LSA senior and BAMN
member Cyril Cordor said.
Since MCRI's plans are still in the
formative stages, they have not decided
on which areas of Michigan to focus.
O'Brien said that "obviously (they) are
going to go to the areas where the sup-
port is strongest" but added that, accord-
ing to recent polls and research, support
is relatively strong across the state with
the exception of Detroit. The strongest
supporters, surveys indicate, are
younger adults and college students.
To execute their plan, MCRI will
rely most heavily on volunteers going
door to door. But O'Brien said that
"the more efficient way to do it is to go
to events where you'll get lots of peo-
ple showing up."
Adequate funding is crucial to the
group's success. Although volunteers
significantly reduce the cost of the ini-
tiative, the organization is unsure
whether it can rely solely on this
employment base. Some of those col-
lecting signatures will need to be paid.
MCRI will most likely hire a company
to pay petitioners anywhere from 75
cents to $1.50 per signature, O'Brien
said.
Currently, MCRI has commitments of
about $30,000. Although Connerly,
when estimating the total cost of the ini-
tiative, had approximated $750,000,
Drolet stressed that they have not offi-
cially begun to raise money. Soon the
group will create a website and start a
mailing campaign to raise more funds.
"If Washington and California can do
it, and our threshold (for signatures) is
lower, then we can do it," Drolet said.
On the back of each petition printed
by the MCRI is a copy of the proposed
constitutional amendment. The first
clause of the amendment states: "The
University of Michigan ... and any other
public college or university, community
college, or school district shall not dis-
criminate against, or grant preferential
treatment to, any individual or group on
the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or
national origin in the operation of public
employment, public education, or public
contracting."
"The wording is so simple and
straightforward that it's not really subject
to misinterpretation," O'Brien said.
Opponents say the wording of the
amendment, which O'Brien says is pri-
marily taken from the Civil Rights Act of
1964, misleadingly works to MCRI's
favor. University General Counsel Mar-
vin Krislov said the wording is similar
but not identical to the Civil Rights Act
of 1964 and explained the possible
implications of the amendment.
The language is similar to that of
Proposition 209 - the successful refer-
endum in California spearheaded by
Connerly that sought to accomplish a
comparable goal. The California courts
interpreted the amendment very broadly
and have in effect eliminated traditional
affirmative action initiatives in financial
aid, recruitment, admissions, public con-
tracting and employment.
Krislov noted, however, that Michigan
law is different in some respects.
"(The amendment) is something that,
if it passes, I'm sure there'll be a lot of
lawyers looking at," he said. "The
Supreme Court has interpreted the Con-
stitution and that's what we're following
at this University."
Escaped murderer
located in Montana
LANSING (AP) - A convicted
murderer who escaped from a Michi-
gan prison was caught yesterday morn-
ing in Montana, state corrections
officials said.
The Montana Highway Patrol
arrested Ervin Brown about 8 a.m.
1/2-foot crawl space and into another
building, then climbed the prison fence
and squeezed through an opening in
the razor wire on top of it. Brown, who
is about 5-foot-4 and weighs 145
pounds, apparently took advantage of
his small stature, corrections officials
m