Thursday
January 8, 2004
@2004 The Michigan Daily
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Vol. CXIII, No. 72

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Proposed rule change
irks council speakers

By Mona Rafeeq
Daily Staff Reporter
Residents continue to express con-
cern that a recent Ann Arbor City
Council proposal will limit their abil-
ity to freely speak about important
issues, even after the council amend-
ed the resolution.
The original resolution, proposed by
Councilmember Michael Reid (R-2nd
Ward), would have limited speakers in
the public commentary-reserved time
section at the beginning of council
meetings to agenda items only. This
section allows members of the public
who want to address City Council to
call ahead of time to sign up for a time
slot.
The time limit for each slot would
also have dropped from four minutes
to three.
After discussion of the proposal,
City Council amended it to include
time for non-agenda speakers.
The number of slots of reserved

time would increase from eight to 10,
but speakers on agenda items would
receive priority over those bringing up
other issues.
Councilmember Joan Lowenstein (D-
3rd Ward) said she agrees with this pri-
oritization because it would give her a
chance to hear comments about issues
on which she will be voting.
"Otherwise, people who just want a
soapbox can take up all the places and
we don't get to hear issues that relate
to our meeting," Lowenstein said. She
added that other cities, such as Ypsi-
lanti, have also had to restrict com-
mentary time because of "abuses."
Mayor John Hieftje said he was
opposed to Reid's original resolution
but supports the amended version.
"It's very important that we allow
time for people to express their con-
cerns about non-agenda items, but it's
also important that we don't push aside
others who want to speak about agen-
da-related issues," he said.
The council has not yet voted on the

amended resolution. A city rule
requires that proposed resolutions be
put forward two weeks prior to a vote.
Hieftje said he expects the resolution
will be approved at the council's next
meeting on Jan. 20.
But some Ann Arbor residents are
still concerned.
Farouq Shafi, a resident of the 2nd
Ward, called the original proposal
"anti-democratic" and said he thinks it
limits free speech.
"The public commentary section has
been a part of the City Council meet-
ing for a long time and citizens should
be able to use it to bring issues to the
council's attention that they were not
aware of before," he said.
Shafi said he would prefer the pub-
lic commentary section remain
unchanged than have either version of
the resolution instituted.
He said he believes that some coun-
cil members support the resolution
because they want to curb citizens who
See CITY COUNCIL Page 3A

IFC members upset over

supposed 'U


PHOTOILLUSNTATlION t tV ORCrAM BELLL/Ually
Penalties for smoking marijuana on campus include up to a year in jail, whereas the city of Ann Arbor has decriminalized
marijuana use and issues a $50 ticket for off-campus use.
Penaltks for mariuanadir for
on- and offCampus weed ifrachns
By Victoria Edwards on all University property. Possession offender appears in court for having
Daily Staff Reporter can land the lawbreaker in jail for up committed a misdemeanor. Ann
to a year, Washtenaw County Prose- Arbor's decriminalization law does not
In Ann Arbor, the difference cutor Joseph Burke said. apply in such cases.
between getting up to a year in jail and "If AAPD ennounters someone on U The sophomore said DPS caught
a simple $50 ticket for the use of mari- of M property, they call DPS and we'll him smoking marijuana in his dorm
juana can depend wholly on which respond and take over," DPS Lt. Bob room with his friends.
police agency issues the citation. Neumann said. "I was the only one with pot in my
Ann Arbor passed an ordinance The issue of marijuana use becomes possession. They said it would be
in 1972 that decriminalized the use even more blurry on property adjacent between six to eight weeks before I
of marijuana, making it the only to the University. In areas such as State heard from them again because they
city in Michigan with such an Street, where both DPS and AAPD had to send the pot to the lab. I got the
ordinance. have jurisdiction, either agency can citation over Thanksgiving break about
The Ann Arbor Police Department catch offenders and write tickets seven months after it happened," he
can enforce the city ordinance with a according to their separate edicts. said.
$50 ticket in its jurisdiction, which An LSA sophomore who wished to He added that his case was some-
comprises the city of Ann Arbor out- remain anonymous said he made the what unique. Besides being caught
side of University property. mistake of possessing marijuana on for marijuana possession, he also
By contrast, the Department of University property. Due to DPS's got a citation for being a minor in
Public Safety, the University's police enforcement of the harsher state law, possession of alcohol, for sub-
force, must enforce state law rather he said he has paid sorely for it. stances found in his room.
than city ordinance - punishing mar- When DPS cites an individual for "My parents don't know I'm going
ijuana use with up to 90 days in jail the use or possession of marijuana, the See MARIJUANA, Page 5A

I

proposals
By Alison Go
Daily Staff Reporter
An errant document and lack of communication has
muddied relations between the University administra-
tion and members of the Interfraternity Council.
Rumors and concerns over policies to be imposed on the
Greek system by the administration were presented at an
IFC meeting last night, where members expressed unease
over what they said was an official document that outlines
changes proposed for the Greek community.
The rumors regard the administration's plans to
implement hazing prevention measures, delayed Rush
and substance-free housing in the near future.
In response to a letter sent by Alumnae Panhellenic
Association to E. Royster Harper, vice president for
-student affairs, the IFC received a four-page document
titled "The Plan," which outlined future goals "to pro-
mote healthy behaviors through individual and group
focused approaches." The document proposes to "adopt
proactive practices to prevent hazing."
Members of the IFC expressed outrage over the lack
of student input in the administration's drafting of the
document.
"I'd like to sit down and hammer this out," said IFC
president Casey Bourke. The Greek community did not
receive input from the administration during its strategic
planning commission, said Bourke, an LSA sophomore.
Harper recognized the document as her own personal
brainstorm, but said she had no knowledge of how it
landed in IFC's hands.
"I understand (IFC's) anger because they are reading
this out of context, without any conversation. What I
don't understand is how that happened," Harper said. "I
See FRATERNITIES Page 7A

Interfraternity Council President Casey Bourke speaks last
night In the Michigan Union about a plan proposed by the
University administration affecting the Greek community.


'U' researchers
study image, race
issues in Detroit
By Aymar Jean
Daily Staff Reporter
For years, researchers have strived to understand Detroit's
most infamous characteristic, segregation, a consistent point
of contention for most of the 20th century.
During the economic boom of the 1990s, the city experi-
enced similar development with a disturbing caveat: racial
segregation persisted. One researcher's desire to explain this
problem raises questions about the ever-changing relation-
ship between Detroit and the University.
Sociology Prof. Ren Farley's study, which starts this
spring, will examine the causes of racial and residential seg-
regation. He said he wonders if "white opposition to living
with blacks and black opposition to living with whites (is)
rooted in racial discrimination, or is it rooted in other factors
such as perceptions of socioeconomic differences?"
Professors and philanthropists flock to Detroit for obvious
 reasons - with a history of civil rights activism and persist-
ent segregation, the city provides numerous opportunities
for research and community service.
But some see the relationship between the University and
the city as unequal. Professors expressed concern about the
image of academics from distant Ann Arbor venturing into
Detroit with hypotheses and agendas, seemingly without
consideration for the community they seek to study and aid.
Given these concerns, some professors are ever-mindful
of their image in Detroit.
"'The relationships historically have not been all that won-
derful," political science Prof. Gregory Markus said.
nil+ t%^ - . v 2 -- 7 krafll ma +Pkt/Qf'n+ +lp IT Tia..Aty hn-, n

Grand re-opening

'Morning after' pill receives
mixed reviews on campus

By Andrew McCormack
Daily Staff Reporter

With the Food and Drug Administration
expected to approve the Plan B emergency
contraceptive pill for over-the-counter sale,
many students on campus find themselves
questioning the wisdom of that policy.
"I think it's a bad idea," LSA freshman
Chrissy Via said, referring to the easy pur-
chase of the drug, commonly known as the
"morning after" pill. "People will use it to
replace birth control and condoms."
The pill, which was recommended for non-
prescription status by an FDA committee last
month, must be taken within 48 hours of hav-
ing sexual intercourse.
University Health Service officials say the
drug is safer than initial fears warrant.
"Plan B changes the environment of the
uterus so that the sperm may not have the
normal motility and the egg may not implant
in the lining of the uterus," said UHS Direc-
tor Robert Winfield.
"Theoretically, there should be no long-
term side effects."
Many students said they share similar con-
cerns, citing the likelihood that knowing how
easy it is to obtain the "morning after" pill
will make people less careful when imple-
menting other contraceptive and preventive
measures.
"It's amazing how many people don't use
any protection," LSA sophomore Suzi Mon-
tair "(Now) it will he easier for neonle to

"It's amazing how many
people don't use any
protection.... (Now) it will
be easier for people to not
use other forms of
contraception:'
- Suzi Montasir
LSA sophomore
a doctor for a prescription.
Also, eliminating the time and expense of a
medical appointment will encourage people
to obtain the pill and avoid an unwanted preg-
nancy.
Others will be glad for the chance to possi-
bly avoid the moral questions involved in an
abortion.
"It needs to be more accessible to people,"
said LSA sophomore Miriam Bhimani said.
She added that if a woman is in the wrong
"demographic," she might not have the means
to visit a doctor.
Winfield added that the benefits of the
drug's increased accessibility should not be
underestimated.
"There is substantial evidence that wide-
spread use of (Plan B emergency contracep-
tive) will decrease the need for abortions due
to contraceptive failure," he said, referring to
the occasional dysfunction of traditional con-

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