Thursday, March 25, 2004
Opinion 4A
Sports 9A
Steve Cotner writes
about growing up
The hockey team heads
to New Hampshire
A guide to Ann Arbor's music scene ... Weekend Magazine
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www.michigandaily.com Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXIII, No. 120 ©2004 The Michigan Daily
A2crime
rate falls,
but thefts
increase
By Adhiraj Dutt
Daily Staff Reporter
While the city of Ann Arbor expe-
rienced a decrease in crime in 2003,
University students need to take pre-
cautions to protect themselves, par-
ticularly against property theft,
according to Ann Arbor Police
Department Chief Daniel Oates.
The overall crime rate declined in
Ann Arbor in 2003, but the eight
major crimes - those that police
departments are required to report to
the state - remained virtually
unchanged, Oates said.
"We had a modest decrease in
overall crime but not in major
crimes," he said. "Overall crime,
which includes lesser crimes, was
down by 1.9 percent."
The nine major crimes fell by 0.6
percent, including a 10.9 percent drop
in burglaries and a 6.9 percent decrease
in forcible rape. But some of the major
crimes increased substantially - car
theft rose by 25.4 percent and rob-
beries rose by 17 percent.
Several other crimes fell signifi-
cantly. Narcotics offenses were down
17.8 percent, driving under the influ-
ence by 18.5 percent and forgery by
29.7 percent.
Some of the most rampant crimes
committed against University students
See CRIME; Page 5A
AAPD 2002-03 crime stats
* Assault reports down 7 per-
cent in '03 from '02.
* 1 murder reported last year,
compared with 5 in '02.
Burglaries decreased by
about 10.9 percent.
There was a 17 percent
climb in robberies.
I
Mind
the
mice
Music exec
fuels debate
on file sharing
By Aynuw Jean
Daily Staff Reporter
As colleges and universities across the country
decide whether to release the names of students
accused of illegal file-sharing, the top record indus-
try executive defended the decision to subpoena the
students, saying the business is being "downloaded
to death."
Last night, during an online press conference, the
president of the Recording Industry Association of
America spoke to fl
members of the colle- 'W e felt we G
giate press about the bvand watch
organization's cam-
paign against the down- entire industr
loading and uploading vibrant musi
of copyrighted music.
"We felt we could the world - m
not stand by and watch do n 1d 1
while an entire industry wO oaueu 1
- the most vibrant
music industry in the
world - was being
downloaded to death,"
RIAA President Cary Sherman said.
RIAA announced Tuesday that it will subpoena
21 colleges and universities for the names of 89 stu-
dents suspected of sharing music files illegally. The
group has ordered Internet service providers to
release the names of 532 Internet users nationwide.
Administration officials estimate that RIAA will
subpoena the names of a number of students from
the University. The University has received nine
notices of intent to subpoena the names of students.
The University has notified the students who
may face legal action.
For months, RIAA has filed lawsuits against file-
sharers, settling more than-400 cases, and has seen
a decline in illegal file-sharing and an increase in
other file-sharing options that charge for their serv-
ices. Programs like iTunes charge 99 cents for each
song, and Wal-Mart recently unveiled an online
service charging 88 cents per song.
But record sales have consistently declined
despite RIAA's legal activity. Over the past three
A)
ry
years, Sherman said, sales have declined by one-
third. In 2000, the top 10 albums on Billboard's list
sold 60 million units, but in 2001 that number
decreased to 40 million. In 2002, it fell to 34 mil-
lion. Record stores near college campuses have
been hit especially hard, Sherman said.
Economics Prof. Stan Liebowitz of the Universi-
ty of Texas has researched file-sharing and the
recording industry and drawn some causal links
between music piracy and declining CD sales.
Liebowitz said lawsuits
should not be used to
>uld not stand stop file-sharing,
while an which he says will not
stop people from
m- themost downloading. He is in
n u r ifavor of other solu-
tions, like digital
as being rights management -
dea n the technology that
d Reathprevents individuals
from copying CDs.
+Cary Sherman Students at the
RIAA President University have had a
variety of experiences
with sharing files online. While some students
have never shared, others share often.
"I guess I don't understand how they could find
out whether you do or not," Art and Design sopho-
more Jeff Sanchez said. "But it hasn't stopped me."
Students like Sanchez who have continued to
download and upload files despite the lawsuits.
LSA freshman Susan Gilliam downloads music
"all the time" and still shares files, although she
plans to stop. Most file-sharing programs allow
users to disable to uploading of files.
RIAA cites that most of the downloaded files
derive from the Billboard 200 - the nation's
most popular songs. But both Sanchez and
Gilliam download songs from disparate genres,
old and new, popular and underground. "When I
hear of a name - and I've never heard of it
before - then I'll just download their music,"
Gilliam said.
Others students have curbed their downloading
See RIAA, Page 5A
MIKE HULSEBUS/Daily
Mary Heng, a student in the neuroscience doctoral program, works with a colony
of mice as part of a projected four-year study of Huntington's disease, a
neurodegenerative disorder.
ELECTIONS '04
Abortion may be key
issue for female voters
OVERT1* \ A[N BOW
By Mona Rafeeq
Daily Staff Reporter
With the approach of the Democratic and
Republican national conventions this summer,
women's groups on campus say that candidates will
have to address a woman's right to choose as a key
issue during their campaigning.
The women's issue groups on campus said this is
an issue that mainly includes abortion, but also con-
cerns reproductive rights and health.
According to Ashwini Hardikar, the outgoing
chair of the Women's Issues Commission of the
Michigan Student Assembly, abortion will be an
important issue because of the "attacks" on choice
that occurred under President Bush's administration.
"Generally, the Bush administration has been
ignoring medical evidence and health reasons for
the benefits of abortion, and instead justifies its
actions based on religious reasons," said Hardikar,
an RC sophomore. These actions include the
appointment of right-wing federal judges to district
courts and a preference for sexual abstinence pro-
grams over those promoting safe sex, she said.
But Louise Conlon, president of Students for
Life, said Bush is the better candidate based on
his commitment to the anti-abortion position.
"The abortion industry has a lot of money
behind it, but it is time for the politicians to
start standing up for the women and children of
America," Conlon said.
"Women deserve better than abortion and their
children deserve better than to be aborted," she said.
See ABORTION, Page 5A
'Boxes
museum captures
the sting of stereotypes
DORY GANNES/Daily
Fans celebrate after Michigan's 88-73 win over Hawaii in the quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tournament. It was the Wolverines' final game of
the season at Crisler Arena. They now head to Madison Square Garden in New York on Tuesday to face the winner between Notre Dame and Oregon.
Start spreading the news: Mcools
off Hawaii to reach NIT semifinals
By Nura Sediqe
Daily Staff Reporter
The museum ... features various
photographs, news stories and other objects
displaying different social prejudices.
Hoping to increase awareness
of stereotyping and discrimina-
tion of students in college, three
University students organized
the University's first "Boxes and
Walls" museum, which features
various photographs, news sto-
ries and other objects displaying
a .4flfarnt enni a nraindi1A-
during January's Reverend Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. sympo-
sium. They sought help with
the project by contacting stu-
dnt ramnisati n on mpus.
women, Jews, the gay commu-
nity and various socio-economic
classes. Each group helped cre-
ate a room depicting common
stereotvnes that the Grouns o
By Chris Burke
Daily Sports Editor
The Michigan basketball team is about to
wake up in the city that never sleeps.
The Wolverines put together one of their
and we beat a basketball team that's pretty
darn good."
Hawaii, which like Michigan had just one
day of rest after playing a second-round
game at home on Monday, stayed with the
Wolverines through the initial moments of
points, and the Wolverines dished out 18
assists while carving up Hawaii's defense.
"The more we played over the course of
the season, the better we got as a team,' Hor-
ton said. "Early on, we had a lot of guys
doing a lot of great individual things, but
I