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Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXIII, No. 129
©2004 The Michigan Daily
-- - a - -
HOUSING
YMCA site to
be
renovated
City Council votes to redevelop
old site on Ffth Avenue
By Advran Chen
Daily Staff Reporter
Last night, the Ann Arbor City Council voted 9
to 1 to approve a plan to redevelop the old YMCA
site, guaranteeing affordable housing on the prem-
ises for low-income individuals.
The proposal, drawn up by the Downtown
Development Authority committee - a partnership
between the City Council and other city staff -
contains a number of goals and strategies the com-
mittee suggests developers keep in mind as they
begin to develop the site of the old YMCA at 350 S.
Fifth Ave.
The YMCA offices will move out once the new
building is completed in spring 2005. The City
Council approved the purchase of the site in
December. Chief among these goals is keeping 100
units of "very affordable" housing available at the
site - the number currently provided by the
YMCA, said City Councilwoman Kim Groome, a
member of the DDA.
These apartments can be used as either perma-
nent living spaces, or can be "transient" - used as
temporary housing, much like a hotel.
Currently, the YMCA only offers temporary
housing. Originally, the DDA considered distribut-
ing the housing throughout the city. But during the
meeting, DDA head Susan Pollay said the units
should not be moved elsewhere because of the site's
"central" location.
By last fall, the YMCA had raised $6 million to
construct a new facility at the corner of Washington
Street, Third Street and Huron Road. The Ann
Arbor Transportation Authority originally planned
to buy the land to expand the neighboring Blake
Transit Center, but the council rejected that motion
on the count that AATA would not be able to pro-
vide housing.
With the plan approved, developers will now
submit proposals for the construction of the hous-
ing units and other, mixed-use buildings - such as
the transit center - which may end up being
included in the redevelopment.
Councilmember Joan Lowenstein said the build-
ing should add appeal to the city.
"I hope that the DDA looks into a project with
some kind of innovative architecture - something
that both serves the community with housing and is
aesthetic," Lowenstein said.
The plan also offers the option that the AATA
develop an expansion to the neighboring transit
center on the land.
Council members Robert Johnson, Leigh
Greden and Margie Teall voiced their support
for the plan.
"The proposal and recommendation is very well
done, clear and a wonderful vision," Greden said.
But Mike Reid, the sole dissenting councilman,
said he believed the site was not the best use of the
costly real estate on which the YMCA now stands.
"It is not good policy to commit what is arguably
some of the most valuable property in Ann Arbor to
very affordable housing," Reid said.
DORY GANNES/Daily
Lori Pemberton is a resident of the Ann Arbor YMCA who pays $380 a month for rent. She has lived there for two years and would have had to
move if the YMCA building was torn down. The current building is located at 350 S. Fifth Ave, near the Ann Arbor District Library. The City Council
approved redevelopments last night.
LABOR NEGOTIATLONS
LEO w
Lecturers vs. professors:
walkout lncre
comparin their duties
aan i hs arr
Twelve Marines
die in Iraq attack
By Melissa Benton
and Victoria Edwards
Daily Staff Reporters
With the threat of a lecturer walk-
out occurring tomorrow, students still
remain unclear on how lecturers differ
from tenure-track professors.
"Sometimes I can't tell the differ-
ence and when I do, I don't think
(professors are) better; it's just a dif-
ferent style. I think professors are
more abstract and lecturers are more
concrete," Rackham student Mike
Galloway said.
Lecturers' Employee Organization
negotiations last ended Monday with
little breakthroughs in agreements.
Both sides are expected to meet again
this afternoon, hoping to avert tomor-
row's one-day strike.
Most lecturers are classified on a
scale of one to three, depending on
seniority. Lecturers at level one must
have their contract renewed every
term, while those at level two have
contracts for one year. If they stay at
the University long enough to reach
level three, they have contracts for
three to five years.
LEO also includes adjunct faculty
members. These are instructors who
work part-time; many teach only one
class a week.
University spokeswoman Julie
Peterson said LEO comprises a large
range of faculty, but their one dis-
tinct characteristic is the lack of
tenure.
English lecturer Margaret Dean
said most lecturers hope to receive
tenure, but that economic conditions
prevent everyone from receiving
tenure.
Associate and assistant professors,
however, are on the tenure track.
While teaching, they are also working
See LECTURERS, Page 3
NAJAF, Iraq (AP) - Insurgents
and rebellious Shiites mounted a
string of attacks across Iraq's south
and U.S. Marines launched a major
assault on the turbulent city of Fallu-
jah yesterday. Up to a dozen Marines,
two more coalition soldiers and at
least 66 Iraqis were reported killed.
Reports from the city of Ramadi,
near Fallujah, said dozens of Iraqis
attacked a Marine position near the
governor's palace, a senior defense
official said from Washington. "A sig-
nificant number" of Marines were
killed, and initial reports indicate it
may be up to a dozen, said the official,
speaking on condition of anonymity.
U.S. authorities also launched a
crackdowp on radical Shiite cleric
Muqtada al-Sadr and his militia after a
series of weekend uprisings in Bagh-
dad and cities and towns to the south
that took a heavy toll in both Ameri-
can and Iraqi lives. The fighting
marks the first major outbreak of vio-
lence between the U.S.-led occupation
force and the Shiites since Baghdad
fell a year ago.
Two more coalition soldiers - an
American in Baghdad and a Ukrainian
in Kut - were killed in fighting. The
deaths brought the three-day total to up
to about 30 Americans and 136 Iraqis
killed in the worst fighting since the
The fighting marks the
first major outbreak of
violence between the
U.S.-led occupation
force and the Shiites
since Baghdad fell a
year ago.
war that toppled Saddam Hussein.
In the Ramadi fighting, heavy casu-
alties were inflicted on the insurgents
as well, officials said. It was not
immediately known who the attackers
were, nor whether the attack was relat-
ed to fighting under way in nearby
Fallujah. 4
On the Fallujah front, Marines
drove into the center of the Sunni
city in heavy fighting and then pulled
back before nightfall. The assault had
been promised after the brutal
killings and mutilations of four
American civilians there last week.
Hospital officials said eight Iraqis
died yesterday and 20 were wounded,
including women and children.
U.S. warplanes firing rockets
See IRAQ, Page 3
Survey shows
political views
of Muslims
Daily S Reporter
Rackham student Fatima Ashraf says she is a strong advo-
cate of race as a factor in college admissions. A new study
released yesterday about American Muslims in southeast
Michigan found that she is not alone. The study revealed -
among other things - that 79 percent of Muslims surveyed
support affirmative action.
The Detroit Mosque Study which provides statistical infor-
mation on the political beliefs and behaviors of American
Muslims was funded by The Institute of Social Policy and
Understanding and aims to inform public-policy makers about
Muslim viewpoints.
"We wanted to influence the way this community is viewed
and understood," said Farid Senzai, director of research at
ISPU He added that the report would be sent to every member
of Congress to provide them with information about American
Muslims that could influence public policy.
Researchers surveyed about 1,300 Muslims last summer
who attend mosques in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb coun-
ties. The study's average participant was 34 years old, married
with children, with at least a bachelor's degree and an annual
Keep big
lT
the fai
ACLU pushes for
transgender rights
By Kristen Przybylskl
Daily Staff Reporter
Michigan transgendered individuals
are trivialized by the lack of anti-dis-
criminatory laws and specific health
care coverage, American Civil Liber-
ties Union lawyer Kara Jennings said.
Jennings is currently working on
the ACLU Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual
and Transgender Legal Project in
Michigan.
In an effort to educate themselves
about transgender rights, the Universi-
ty of Michigan Stonewall Democrats
hnct c Tnina t1 c 'their m tina iin th
"The health care issue has been real-
ly problematic," Jennings said. "Many
times they say that no gender reassign-
ment surgery will be covered. Some-
times companies will redefine
treatment so that more and more pro-
cedures can't be covered."
In addition to being denied insur-
ance coverage for certain medical pro-
cedures, transgendered individuals
may also suffer from the lack of state
laws prohibiting discrimination based
on gender identity. While attempts at
anti-discriminatory legislation have
been made, they have been relatively
in Ti-ivT~tI ina-, cau
II
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