Friday, March 12, 2004 Opinion 4 Sowmya Krishnamurthy criticizes hip-hop Arts 5 The Daily interviews WWE's Ric Flair Sports 8 The basketball team has one last chance to dance Exploring the surreal world of online comics ... Friday Focus, Page 10 One-hundred-thirteen years feditorialfreedom Weather Hl-. 32 LW13 TOMORROW: 47/35 I I I III I IN I III 118111111911111011 Mall , I I I , , I I -------------------- - - - - ----------- - -- - ... -------------- ---------- - - - wwwmnichigandaily.com Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXIII, No. 111 02004 T he Michigan Daily FACULTY AND STAFF Lecturers may walk out in April By Michael Kan Daily Staff Reporter Frustrated that the University has reacted too slowly to its demands, the Lecturers' Employee Organization is resorting to stronger measures, threatening to hold a walkout April 8 in order to compel University officials to accelerate the bar- gaining process. Since August 2003, negotiations between LEO and the University over what they call low wages and lack of job security for nontenured lecturers have occurred every Friday. Originally LEO, formed in May 2003, hoped a contract would be signed this month resolving these issues, but no concrete solutions have been agreed upon. Instead, many within the organization feel the University is reluctant to make any fundamental changes to their employment system. "The University has been politely and professionally ; CRIME Greeks resol house conflic stalling," LEO Vice President Dennis Pollard said. This week LEO has been issuing a notice to many of the non tenure-track lecturers, outlining the possible measures the organization might take if the pace of negotiations does not improve. If the vote for a walkout is authorized during LEO's March 23rd meeting, ballots will be mailed out to lecturers who then must vote by March 27th. If the initiative passes, non-tenure track lecturers said they will not teach any of their classes on Thursday April 8. After the walkout, LEO would further discuss other possi- ble actions, such as protesting and withholding grades until the administration settles with the union. The Graduate Employees Organization made similar threats last year when they faced potential rises in health care. After several negotiations, they reached a compromise with the administration. Pollard said while the University acknowledges there are problems with the job conditions of lecturers, administrators still do not want to make any fun- damental changes to the employment system. "They seem to be unable or unwilling to revamp the entire system. They want to tinker with parts. We think it needs to be rethought and reworked, to make the fundamen- tal change," Pollard said. Although lecturers number about 1,600, or one third of the University's teaching staff, Pollard said the University seems to almost be abusing their services. "Most of the lecturers in my department make around $28,000 a year. That might be someone who has been teach- ing for 20 years." The University will not satisfy LEO until they improve job conditions and recognize that lecturers are professional staff that cannot be taken advantage of, Pollard added. "We are trying to stop the University from thinking of us as casual labor, almost like migrant workers. They need to "The University has been politely and professionally stalling. - Dennis Pollard LEO Vice President start thinking of as professional educators." But University administrators said they see success in the negotiation's progress and don't think lecturers will need to take stronger measures. "We believe that the negotiations are moving at a good pace. It's important to understand that this is not a renewal of a contract. This is the construction of a contract from the bottom up. It will take time," University spokeswoman Julie Peterson said. See LEO, Page 7 Alpha Tau Omega admits involvement in Feb. 13 incident By Donn M. Fresard Daily Staff Reporter The judicial board of the Greek system is set to issue a formal ruling today against the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity for its involvement in a fight at the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity house last month, recom- mending a set of sanctions that includes payment for half the dam- ages to the DKE house. The fight resulted in several minor injuries and extensive damage to the DKE house, including 16 broken win- dows. Members of Alpha Tau Omega were also involved, ATO president Joel Stone said, and may also have to pay for damages. In response to a complaint filed by DKE against SAE, the Greek Activities Review Board ruled in a hearing on Tuesday that SAE was partially responsible for the inci- dent, said Jared Stasik, Interfraterni- ty Council vice president and GARP chief justice. Stasik said he would not com- ment on the specifics of GARP's recommendation until the panel delivers a formal decision today to the presidents of the fraternities involved. But SAE president Dustin Nelson described the set of sanctions, which he said had been given to him in advance of the formal announcement. "The ruling was that we were only half responsible for the damages," Nel- son said. In addition to paying for half of the damages to the DKE house, SAE will be required to host a phi- lanthropy event by next year and issue a formal apology to DKE, Nel- son said. See GREEKS, Page 3 'U', DPS finish flyer investigation By Ashley Dinges Daily Staff Reporter The University's Department of Public Safety closed its case regarding flyers posted last week throughout Central Campus with a photo of and warnings about English lecturer Ray- mond McDaniel. The flyers, discov- ered last Thursday, accused McDaniel, who also teaches in the Lloyd Hall Scholars Program of knowingly trans- mitting sexual diseases to students. DPS and the University were con- ducting separate investigations, but they have both stopped. DPS looked into who posted the harassing flyers, while the University investigated the accusations made on the flyer. "It's not being investigated as a criminal matter. It appears to be a one- time incident. We have closed the case," said Lt. Robert Neumann, head of criminal investigations for DPS. Neumann said if the postings con- tinue, it could develop into a more serious case and DPS would resume investigations. "If somebody engaged in a pattern of harassing conduct against some- body, then it could fit the definition of stalking. But at this time, that is not what we have," Neumann said, in refer- ence to the flyers. University spokeswoman Julie Peter- son said the University cannot continue investigation of the case because no stu- dents have come forward and the flyers were posted anonymously. "Right now we do not have a com- plaint from a student besides for the anonymous flyers. That does not give us the opportunity to conduct a formal investigation," Peterson said. Unless another student complains of harassment by McDaniel, the Universi- ty will not investigate the incident fur- ther, Peterson added. "There's really no basis on which to pursue it at this time," she said. Although the accusations are not being investigated at the time, one stu- dent in McDaniel's class who wished to remain anonymous said the flyers haven't made her more concerned See FLYERS, Page 2 AP PHOTO Demonstrators hold up their hands as a signal to stop during a demonstration yesterday in Seville, Spain, after 10 bombs exploded in Madrid during the morning rush hour, killing at least 190 people and Injuring more than a thousand more. Terrorist bombing in Spain kills 192 MADRID, Spain (AP) - Ten ter- rorist bombs tore through trains and stations along a commuter line at the height of the morning rush hour yes- terday, killing more than 190 people and wounding 1,200 others three days before Spain's general elections. Spain initially blamed Basque sepa- ratists for the bombings, but the interior minister also said other lines of investi- gation were opened after police found a van yesterday with detonators and an audiotape of Quranic verses near where the bombed trains originated. The Arabic newspaper Al-Quds al- Arabi said it had received a claim of responsibility issued in the name of al- Qaida. The e-mail claim of responsibility, signed by the shadowy Brigade of Abu Hafs al-Masri, was-received at the newspaper's London offices and said the brigade's "death squad" had pene- trated "one of the pillars of the crusade alliance, Spain." "This is part of settling old accounts with Spain, the crusader, and Ameri- ca's ally in its war against Islam," the claim said. Spain had backed the U.S.-led war on Iraq despite domestic opposition, and many al-Qaida-linked terrorists have been captured in Spain or were believed to have operated from there. After an emergency cabinet meet- ing, a somber Prime minister Jose Maria Aznar vowed to hunt down the attackers. "This is mass murder,"he said. The bombers used titadine, a kind of compressed dynamite also found in a bomb-laden van intercepted last The Arabic newspaper Al-Quds al-Arabi said it had received a claim of responsibility in the name of al-Qaida. month as it headed for Madrid, a source at Aznar's office said on condi- tion of anonymity. Officials blamed the ETA separatist group at that time. Police found a van with detonators and an Arabic-language tape with Quranic verses in the town of Alcala de Henares, 15 miles east of Madrid, Interior Minister Angel Acebes said last night. Police found seven detonators and the tape on the front seat of the van, Acebes said during a news conference. He added that ETA remained the "main line of investigation" in the blasts, Europe's worst terror attack since the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jetliner over Lockerbie, Scotland, that killed 270. Three of the four trains bombed yesterday originated in Alcala de Henares and one passed through it, the state rail company said. Panicked commuters abandoned bags and their shoes as they trampled each other to escape the Atocha termi- nal, where bombs struck two trains. See BOMBING, Page 2 SOLE calls for publicized wages By Victoria Edwards Daily Staff Reporter Members of Students Organizing for Labor and Economic Equality bombarded the office of University President Mary Sue Coleman with between 80 and 100 calls yesterday in support of greater University wage disclosure. During SOLE'S demonstration yesterday on the Diag and Haven Hall, members offered their cell phones to students to call Coleman Peterson said the committee typically reviews such proposals and passes a recom- mendation before Coleman responds to them. "We have a process for handling issues like this, and it's the Advisory Committee. And the Advisory Committee is the process through which SOLE must go," Peterson said. She added that the committee most likely will not pass the recommendation today, and that Coleman will not be present at the meeting. At the demonstration yesterday, seven .1 = MI rO 0 glokumml