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. READ THE DAiLY;*O.NLINE AT W.IKGNALCM :.x . . .., S4 4 xxk bxk" {~ ,iy 'I 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