Tuesday, October 5, 2004 Oninin 4 St Cp (tna dic c Weather C- vplnon Oeve %-Mrer uscuss- es problems with vot- ing technology eA~kri4uni aiv Arts 8 The sun' begins to set on R.E.M Sports :1 Sophomore corners bond with Playstation 32 TOMORROW. 56 / One-hundredfourteen years of ediorialfreedom www.michzgandaily.com Ann Arbor, Michigan * Vol. CXV, No. 5 62004 The Michigan Daily Applicants who sued 'U' seek fees University lawyers say requests are too high By Kristin Ostby Daily Staff Reporter Although the University's admissions lawsuits ended with last year's U.S. Supreme Court decisions, the two sides continue to tussle over the cases, with a new brief filed Friday by lawyers representing two of the plaintiffs. The rejected white applicants who sued the Uni- versity to stop its use of race-conscious undergradu- ate admissions policies won their case, although the court allowed affirmative action at the University to continue in a modified form. Now, the success- ful plaintiffs are seeking compensation for their legal fees in the case. In response, University lawyers and officials said the requests are unreasonably high. In a plaintiff's motion, lawyers for Jennifer Gratz and Patrick Hamacher - who sued the University after being rejected from the College of Literature, Science and Arts - are asking for $2.1 million, which would cover the $1.74 million in legal fees and $334,000 in other costs they say have amassed since the lawsuit was filed in October 1997. Such a motion is standard procedure in the after- math of a lawsuit, University officials said. The Cen- ter for Individual Rights, a Washington-based law firm which represents Gratz and Hamacher, origi- nally motioned for the award in early August. CIR declined to comment for this story. In June 2003 the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Law School's race-conscious admissions policy but struck down the LSA system for awarding 20 points to blacks, Hispanics and Native Americans. A district court judge in Michigan will decide the next step in determining attorney's fees, University spokeswoman Julie Peterson said. The judge may decide to call a hearing or may encourage the two sides to reach a settlement outside of the courtroom, she added. The motion, written by lawyers for CIR, said, "Plaintiffs are entitled to their requested attorneys' fees because they ultimately prevailed in obtaining a final adjudication that the defendant's admissions systems ... are unlawful and unconstitutional." University attorneys filed a legal brief countering the plaintiff's motion for an award, in which they said the amount requested is a "grossly excessive award." The brief, filed in September, also said the request fails to take into account the plaintiff's limited suc- See FEES, Page 7 WATCHING FROM AFAR Week celebrates gay identity, By Justin Miller Daiy__af__eprterNa tional Coming Out Week in full swing On Oct. 11, 1987, a half-million people marched in Washing- ton for gay and lesbian rights, attracting national media atten- tion and launching celebratory events in 18 states. Seventeen years later, the march has spurred National Coming Out Week events on college campuses across the United States. The week of celebration for and awareness of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students started yesterday and will continue throughout the week with luncheons, movies, discus- sion sessions, games and a rally on Friday. "National Coming Out Week brings visibility to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer issues and gives students an opportunity to celebrate their LGBTQ identities within a culture that is not fully supportive of LGBTQ folks," said Kelly Garrett, assistant director at the Office of Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Affairs. The "week" is designed to help gay students tell their fami- lies, friends and communities of their sexual orientation. LSA senior Christian Knudson said while he did not use the, week as a venue for coming out, he supported National Coming Out Week. "I think that anything to give comfort or to provide a source of support for gays and lesbians that are considering coming out is a great idea," Knudson said. Not all students may come out during the week, but Garrett believes it can help those who do. "If students come to our rally and see how many people are supportive, including heterosexual allies, they may feel empow- ered to come out to themselves or others," Garrett said. "Also, sometimes a student may be 'out' to themselves, and they're ready to come out to others, but they don't know how to do it." The event features different venues for students to meet other gay students and staff, who can aid those who are ready to come out. "Support is the key, and we strive to provide sup- port," Garrett said. Even the Friday rally on the Diag will have a closet door through which people can "come out." For all the fun in the atmosphere, there remains a feeling of anxiety for some students. "It's an especially trying time for minorities in this country," said Knudson. "In light of the anti-gay pro- posals circulating in many states - some of which have already been approved - there's definitely a great sense See WEEK, Page 7 tai i ELECTIONS 'U4 Economists say Kerry can't stop outsourcing - - z u r; ,1, By Donn M. Fresard Daily Staff Reporter "When you think of all the other problems the economy is facing, (outsourcing) has gotten attention out of all proportion to its significance," said Gary says curtailing job Saxonhouse, a University economics professor. LSA freshman Justin Cuellar outsourcing tops his list of eco- nomic reasons for supporting Democratic presidential can- didate John Kerry. "Jobs are going overseas with Bush, and I think less would go overseas with Kerry." According to a Zogby Inter- national poll released last month, 71 percent of Ameri- cans believe outsourcing is bad for the U.S. economy. But economists say the idea that Kerry can alter the tides of "... (Outsourcing) has gotten attention out of all proportion to its significance." - Gary Saxonhouse Economics Professor Saxonhouse cited recent reports by the General Account- ing Office and Department of Labor, which found in a survey of 2003 mass layoffs that only 13,000 job losses - less than 1 percent of the 1.5 million lost in layoffs of more than 50 workers - were due to offshore reloca- tion. "While it's extremely painful for the 15,000 people who, in a year, might lose their jobs to a company moving its operations an important economic issue for COURTESY OF PROFESSOR MARTIN JAKOBSON, UNIVERSITY OF STOCKHOM Swedish icebreaker Oden smashes through ice last month for the Arctic Coring Expedition. The ship, one of three expe- dition vessels, was fitted with scientific equipment and living space for scientists from eight countries. I Arctic expedition breaks ice on global warming the global economy may be one of the most pervasive misconceptions in this presidential campaign. For all the attention given to job outsourcing this election year, most economists maintain that it is an inevi- table part of global trade and a relatively small factor in the economy and in the loss of jobs. overseas, it's not the economy as a whole," Saxonhouse said. "Prob- ably any economist that doesn't work for a union has a similar view." But if Kerry's economic team and economic plan See KERRY, Page 7 Study: Low-income students don't consider college entry By Naila Moreira Daily Staff Reporter Anyone dreading the onset of winter might shiver at the thought of the frigid Arctic. But a team of 19 scientists, includ- ing a University geology professor and a former University graduate, braved the region's chill this fall to confirm that balmy, subtropical weather once dominated the North Pole. Last month, the team brought home the first deep sediment samples ever drilled below Arctic ice. Previous attempts to of oceanic mud that span 80 million years of Arctic history. The sediment cores, which arrive onboard in long plastic cylinders, record geological clues that provide a crucial record of changing climate at the Pole. Most importantly, Moran said, the sediments include an interval considered the warmest in Earth's history since the extinction of the dinosaurs - the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, which occurred 55 million years ago. Scientists had predicted a warm climate for the Arctic during the PETM, but the expedition's researchers are the first to show unequivocally that no ice covered the Pole By Alexa Jenner For the Daily The competition of the job market continues to increase stress across the nation for jobseekers with college degrees - but the employment search is even worse for students from low-income families, whose "I think they have the desire, but they don't under- stand that it's doable. They think. 'Because I'm poor I can't spend four years getting a degree,' " Fowler said. Although the Pell Institute reports that 11 percent of students at public four-year universities nationwide are from the lowest income group, only 8 percent n + a TvI- - -,.ani. ra.. . nJ. . nr ...n. Ten n is r i - I