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The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, February 11, 2004 - 3

THIS WEEK
Five years ago...
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans-
gendered Visibility Week kicked off
at the University. The week hosted an
array of events including a Kiss-In
rally, a Glow in the Dark March on
the Diag and a poetry reading.
"I think it's important for gay peo-
ple to be involved because there is
not a real sense of community on this
campus," LSA senior Shannon Sak-
sewski said.
Ten years ago...
Three Michigan basketball players
pleaded no contest to charges of steal-
ing beer from the Ann Arbor Dairy
Mart. The players - Ray Jackson,
Jimmy King and Chris Fields - were
later put on probation for six months
and ordered to complete 72 hours of
* cmmunity service.
Student had mixed reactions to the
players' punishments. LSA freshman
Amy Klein said even though she
though their sentence was a little
lenient, she was happy to see them
playing again. But Law School stu-
dent Adam Perry's attitude was a lit-
tle more stringent.
"I think they should be treated like
anyone less - just because they're
well known, they shouldn't be treated
differently," he said.
Feb. 8, 1988
Water flooded the Michigan
Union Computing Center, damaging
21 computer terminals. The flood
began when a copper line in a win-
dow unit heater ruptured in the floor
above the computing site. Damage
was estimated at around $50,000 to
$60,000.
"The water just kept pouring down,"
said Rackham student Louis Markus,
who was in the lab at the time. "It was
pretty wild to watch."
Feb. 13, 1985
Ann Arbor bar patrons reacted to a
new statewide ban on two-for-one drink
specials during happy hours. The state
originally passed the ban to cut down on
the number of drunken drivers.
"If they're going to drink and drive,
they're going to drink and drive no
matter how the drinks are," said Diane
Warmington, a bartender at Rick's
American Caf6.
But some students said the law
would prevent patrons from buying
more alcohol.
"If you stick it in front of someone,
they'll drink it," said Steve Gasser, a
customer at Good Time Charley's
restaurant.
Feb. 10, 1976
University President Robben
Fleming dined at South Quad Resi-
dence Hall with several students. He
apparently enjoyed his meal of
minute steak with boiled potatoes
and salad. Students were pleased to
see the president inside the resi-
dence hall.
"I invited him about two weeks
ago," said South Quad resident Rick
David, an LSA junior. "I wanted to
give him a chance to meet the stu-
dents - humanize him a little bit,
especially with this food."
Feb. 8, 1978

The Michigan Daily reported that
the University had the second highest
residence hall fees of all the Big Ten
Schools. The University charged
$1,638 for a double room, a little less
than Northwestern University's charge
of $1,176 for the same space.
Acting Associate Housing Direc-
tor Norm Snustad said that the Uni-
versity pays higher labor costs than
other schools. He added that the
University's unlimited food service
and large windows are items not
many other schools offer in their
residence halls.
"I'd like to think we have classy
rather than efficient design in our
dorms, such as Mo-Jo and Stockwell,"
Sustad said. "Our students expect
maybe a bit of higher standards than at
other schools."
Feb. 12, 1956
The University lowered the driving
age on campus from 26 years to 21.
Several of the University Regents
said they believed they should give
students more responsibility on cam-
pus. The last time the University had
changed driving rules for students
was in 1927.
Feb. 14, 1962
The University chapter of the
r nm annhlirnnnn e- n nnh

MSA funds buses to abortion rights march

By Cianna Freeman
Daily Staff Reporter
After deliberating and listening to constituents
and deliberation, the Michigan Student Assembly
passed a resolution last night to fund buses to
take students to the "March for Freedom of
Choice," in Washington. The March is a demon-
stration for abortion rights.
Among students attending the meeting, both
supporters and opponents of abortion voiced their
opinions.
"I came to speak about funding civil engage-
ment. The resolution is an opportunity to partici-
pate in our government. The role of the student
government is to facilitate participation in that
government," said LSA senior Clair Morrissey,
president of Students for Choice.
Some MSA representatives, such as Gerald
Funderburg, asked if the atmosphere of the trip

could keep a neutral viewpoint. They expressed
concern that the buses to the march would not
accept everyone - such as students who oppose
abortion.
Other representatives supported funding the
buses and said the assembly was obligated to fos-
ter student participation in current issues, regard-
less of their stance.
"The money does not go to funding the pro-
choice event. You can't not fund someone
because of their belief," MSA Treasurer Elliot
Wells-Reed said.
Political belief is not a reason to reject funding
to a student group, MSA Student General Coun-
sel Jason Mironov said.
The communications committee members
assured that they would impartially advertise the
ride to D.C. for the march, which is scheduled to
take place April 25, 2004.
Among its sponsors as the National Organiza-

tion for Women, Planned Parenthood of America,
Feminist Majority, National Latina Institute for
Reproductive Health and Black Women's Health
Imperative.
Cynthia Wilbanks, the University's vice presi-
dent of government relations, also visited the
chambers last night.
Wilbanks informed the assembly that the High-
er Education Act is up for renewal this year.
The bill to renew the act affects financial
aid programs and programs for international
students, which are funded by the federal gov-
ernment.
One of the proposals Wilbanks discussed was
government-imposed price controls on tuition,
which would penalize public and private institu-
tions if they exceeded the federally mandated
tuition increase.
Wilbanks said she disagreed with this proposal.
"Every institution looks different from each
IGM us(

other, so requiring everyone to adhere to the same
standards would be difficult," said Wilbanks. The
University's priority is affordability and accessi-
bility, she said.
No tuition increases are implemented without
concerns of affordability, accessibility and main-
taining academic excellence, Wilbanks added.
"We are going to consider all the options, we
will model the impact of what governor says on
Thursday. We are going to do models of all the
proposals," said Wilbanks, referring to the Gov.
Jennifer Granholm's plan to release her proposal
for the state budget later this week.
The assembly also passed a resolution to fund
AirBus - a cheap alternative to airport taxis -
during spring break.
AirBus began last year as an experiment, and
this year it expanded to be able to provide over
3,000 rides for students, said Neil Greenberg,
AirBus coordinator.
s fuel cells


The

sound

of music

and hydrogen to
generate electricity

FREEPORT, Texas (AP) - Gener-
al Motors isn't just producing cars
these days.
The world's largest automaker along
with Dow Chemical Co. yesterday
began generating electricity when Ener-
gy Secretary Spencer Abraham flipped
a switch combining GM's fuel cells
with excess hydrogen from the Dow
Chemical Co. plant in Freeport.
The resulting electricity, produced as
hydrogen flows over the metal plates in
fuel cells, eventually could power 2
percent of the chemical plant -
enough electricity to power 25,000
homes for a year.
"This isn't some esoteric idea, some
pie-in-the-sky theory. This is real,"
Abraham said, referring to the agree-
ment that is considered the largest com-
mercial application of fuel cells to date.
"It proves that hydrogen is already
playing a key role," he said. "These
technologies are on the horizon - not
something in the far off distant future,
but something tangible that happens to
help America become more energy
independent and at the same time
improve the environment."
Through the deal, which lasts
through 2010, GM hopes to reduce the
cost of fuel cell technology in order to

put the battery-like power producers
into vehicles by 2010.
"Today is about much more than an
isolated innovation," Texas Gov. Rick
Perry said. "Today is about pushing the
envelope of science and technology to
revolutionize how we live as a society.
Fuel cell technology has great promise
to shift us away from a dependency on
fossil fuels and to help build a hydro-
gen-powered economy."
Bringing about a hydrogen-based
economy has become a goal of Presi-
dent Bush's administration, Abraham
said. He said the president has commit-
ted $1.7 billion over five years to fuel a
turn toward a hydrogen-based economy.
However, Abraham said it is going
to take more than the government's
investment.
"Ultimately, it is our view that it
isn't government that is going to build
the hydrogen economy of the future,"
he said. "The future will not be con-
structed in the halls of government, but
in the labs and factories of places like
General Motors, Dow Chemical, the
other auto companies around the world
and other innovators."
Dow, which produces chemicals,
plastics and fertilizer, approached GM
about a deal in October 2002.

The University Symphony Orchestra performs a set of world premieres, Including "Into the Blue" by Steven Simpson and
"A Letter Home" by Matt Tommasini, at Hill Auditorium last night.

Corrections:
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