NEWS The Michigan Daily - Friday, October 22, 2004 - 3 ON CAMPUS NAACP holds bash to inform students on issues, voting The University's chapter of the National Association for the Advance- ment of Colored People will have a Voter Education Bash on Sunday from 7 to 10 p.m. at the William Monroe Trotter House. The event aims to edu- cate students about everything that will appear on the Nov. 2 election bal- lot, as well as to provide information about the voting process in general. Among the groups sponsoring the event are the College Democrats, Col- lege Republicans and the Stonewall Democrats. Fair provides info on housing options The University's fifth annual Hous- ing Fair will be Monday from 1 to 5:30 p.m. in the Michigan Union. The fair will give students the opportunity to learn about many on- and off-campus housing options for the 2005-06 school year. Landlords and representatives of University Housing will be on hand to answer student questions, and city lead- ers will also provide information about Ann Arbor services for the rental com- munity. Cookout features samples of Greek foods, recipes An ethnic Greek cooking extrava- ganza will be held at 4 p.m tomorrow at the Trotter House. Recipes for Greek foods and samples will be provided at this free event, which is sponsored by the Hellenic Student Association. Religious group to monitor Detroit polls By Mary DeYoe Daily Staff Reporter The race to win Michigan in the Nov. 2 presi- dential election may come down to how many Detroit residents, many of whom vote Democrat, come out to the ballots. But such residents are most often hassled at polling booths. Students, with the help of national and local organizations, are working to ensure that citi- zens' rights at polling sites in the city are not threatened. The groups are collaborating to combat illegal tactics to scare people away from the polls on elec- tion day in Detroit and surrounding areas, in a pro- gram called Election Protection. Metropolitan Organizing Strategy Enabling Strength, which works to unite the community of the metro Detroit area, is working in conjunction with the National Association for the Advance- ment of Colored People and People for the Ameri- can Way in the project. The Election Protection program is a nation- wide effort created to ensure a fair election pro- cess, including monitoring of polls in Florida. Ryan Bates, MOSES electoral organizer and LSA senior, stressed the importance of protecting the polls from potential "vote challengers" whose actions infringe on civil rights. "These challengers or vote suppressors may hassle people in polling lines, and ask to see their voting registration cards," Bates said. "Some people have been falsely notified that they will be unable to vote if their child sup- port is not paid, and these efforts to suppress the vote have been mainly targeted at immigrants and people of color." This summer the Detroit Free Press quoted state Rep. John Pappageorge (R-Troy) as saying, "If we do not suppress the Detroit vote, we're going to have a tough time in this election." Eighty-three percent of the Detroit population is black and the majority vote Democrat. Pappageorge has since apologized for his remarks and resigned from his position as chair- man for Michigan Veterans for Bush-Cheney, but the statement is one reason MOSES is pre- dominantly concerned with monitoring polls in "Some people have been falsely notified that they will be unable to vote if their child support is not paid, and these efforts to suppress the vote have been mainly targeted at immigrants and people of color." - Ryan Bates, LSA senior and MOSES electoral organizer Detroit. The Election Protection program was cre- ated after thousands of black voters were turned away from the polls in Florida during in the 2000 election. Black lawmakers in Florida said poll workers were unhelpful, directions on how to fill out ballots were confusing, precincts were changed and road blocks were set up in front of polling places. Tomorrow in East Quad Residential Hall, MOSES will train individuals on how to identi- fy acts of disregard for civil rights and intervene appropriately in the polling lines. A strike team of lawyers will also be onhand at polls on Election Day, to help voters by explaining their rights to them, such as what type of identification is needed to cast a ballot. "This mobile legal squad will be able to appear at a moments notice and apply legal remedies," Bates said. Student volunteers are needed to ensure a fair election process, Bates said. The training work- shop will be held tomorrow at East Quad from 1 to 3 p.m.. General information as well as infor- mation regarding alternate training times can be found by e-mailing moses.core@umich.edu. Proposal would restructure Detroit schools' leadership By Elizabeth Belts Daily Staff Reporter Detroit residents will vote to determine the structure and power of the Detroit Public School Board during the upcom- ing Nov. 2 election. For the past five years the school district has been run by a seven-member reform board, which was appointed after the state took over the board and fired its members. A "yes" vote on Proposal E would allow Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to appoint a chief executive officer to head the city's school system, while a "no" vote would permit a restored school board to choose a superintendent to fill the role. The proposal would also allow voters to elect a nine-mem- ber advisory school board, which would have the power to approve or veto the mayor's choice for CEO and rate his or her performance. The board would also review contracts of more than $250,000 and approve the annual district budget. If Proposal E does not pass, the school board will return to its structure before the takeover. Under this scenario voters would elect an 11-member school board next year, which would have the power to elect a superintendent and have authority over all district decisions and the annual district budget. The most debated portion of the proposal involves the process of appointing a CEO to oversee all district functions and decision-making. In addition to allowing the mayor to appoint a CEO, Proposal E also gives him the authority to remove the CEO from power. Education Prof. Percy Bates, director of Programs for Educational Opportunity, which works with public school districts, said two main issues are at stake in November vote. The first involves determining the structure of the school board and whether the accountability of the district would fall into the hands of a CEO or to an elected board and super- intendent. The second issue involves the citizen's right to elect a representative school board or to sacrifice the power of the CRIME NOTES Car stolen from Hill Street lot A caller reported to the Department of Public Safety that his car was stolen sometime between Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon. The car had been parked in the parking lot at 300 Hill St. Solicitor sells coupons in front of Grad library A person was seen selling coupons on the Diag in front of the Harlan A. Hatcher Graduate Library on Wednes- day afternoon, a caller reported to DPS. DPS breaks up fight at hospital parking lot A University Hospital employee reported to DPS that a fight was going on Wednesday evening at the hospital's park- ing lot. DPS officers made an arrest and took the suspect to the police station. THIS DAY In Daily History Student charged with sexual assault Oct. 22, 1992 - A 15th District Court judge determined that enough evidence existed to bring an LSA sophomore to trial on charges of third degree crimi- nal sexual conduct. The judge made the decision based on testimony from the survivor of the assault, an LSA senior, who alleged she was molested in her Vera Baits apartment. The survivor said during the pre- liminary examination that she met Moore Oct. 1 and later invited him to her apartment. He tried to kiss her, at which point she pulled out a bottle of mace, but he grabbed it and threatened to use it on her. Moore had no comment, but his h attorneys said he was "asserting that board to a CEO with supreme authority over all dis- ision-making, Bates said. nizations such as the coalition "Vote for Kids, Vote Proposal E" support the transition from a superin- to a CEO because "a professional educator should nsible for the daily operations of the district," said Stancato, co-chair of the newly formed coalition sists of a cross-section of community activists, civic itions and grass-roots and business leadership. ;ver, some opponents feel the proposal will take away a right to choose who controls the school district. "Pro- is an attempt to privatize and charterize (the public ," said Luke Massie, national co-chair of BAMN. n public school districts in Illinois, Ohio and Massa- have also experienced similar state takeovers in the ade. While the organization of the districts may have :d, a modified school board and CEO-run system in will not necessarily solve the problems of low gradu- tes and poor academic achievement, Bates said. id the residents of Detroit cannot look to Proposal E swer to the issues that plague the district. "I don't e have any empirical evidence to suggest this is the to these problems," he said. ite their varying takes on Proposal E, both sides say ieve in accountability of leadership of Detroit public Both agree that lowering class sizes and increasing lability of resources and materials is essential for the to overcome its current hardships. xample, the 2003-2004 school year Michigan Edu- Assessment Program scores show that the achieve- ap between schools across the state and Detroit School children is wider than before the state took district five years ago. rdless of what type of school board is implemented, residents will elect its members during the November ayoral elections, and it will resume control of many Public School decision-making in January 2006. Regardless of endorsements, Rackham student Haroon Ullah said their impact will be minimal as he says Muslim voters at the University will still remain in the category of undecided voters. "What you find is the majority of the com- munity feels alienated from Bush, and they feel he hasn't been sensitive to their concerns. And I think a lot of the endorsement is their dissatisfac- tion with the administration, rather than a huge endorsement for Kerry," he said As for Arab students, LSA junior Rama Salhi said the endorsements don't hold enough power to be the main determinant of how the commu- nity votes, but definitely boosted Kerry's stand- ing in the Arab American community. EN DORSEMENT Continued from page 1. - Osama Siblani, AAPAC's treasurer and former president, said reneged promises, an unjustified war in Iraq, and America's reputation in tatters underline the reasons fueling the disappointment and betrayal many Arabs and Muslims feel toward Bush. Built on a platform of arrogance and neglect, Siblani added, Bush's presidency backtracked on its 2000 election promises to end racial profil- ing. The Patriot Act and its enforcement caused a sharp rise in racial profiling, he said. "In (AAPAC's meetings) with him, he said to us that racial profiling would not be used, and he was sensitive to our concern. But what hap- pened? We have had more secret evidence and racial profiling since he was elected," he said. Further underscoring the opposition to Bush of many Arabs and Muslims is the Iraq war. A nationwide poll by Bendixen and Associates, a Florida-based consulting group, found more than 70 percent of both Arab and Muslim Americans rate Bush's handling of Iraq negatively. At the same time, 54 percent of Arab Americans believe Bush misled America about the need for war. Both Muslim and Arab groups say while Kerry does have weaknesses, they judge Kerry's poli- cies superior and more progressive than Bush's. AMT President Saeed said, "Kerry has at least taken half a step. But Bush stands still." Not all Muslims and Arabs believe the endorsements reflect their community, said Jafar Karim, national coalitions director for the Bush campaign. From the support he has seen in the Muslim and Arab communities, Karim said, "I'm cer- tainly not convinced of the polling. We are seeing a lot of great support." Karim added that many Muslims and Arabs recognize Bush's contribu- tions and are drawn by Bush's consistency and his efforts to listen to the community. "This president has appointed more positions to Arabs and Muslims then any previous administration," he added. I EXECUTIONS Continued from page 1 that adolescents are more deterred by the prospect of "rotting in prison" through life without parole than they are by the death penalty. "Deterrance is also irrelevant to adolescents, since they do not plan their actions or engage in cost-benefit analyses," Streib said. Simmons was 17 when he was indicted and was consequently convicted and sen- tenced to death. The Missouri Supreme Court ruled in August 2003 to re-sen- tence Simmons to life without parole. The court said that because Simmons was under 18, his execution would violate the "evolving standards of decency," which defines cruel and unusual punishment by gauging the mood of national law. The Missouri state attorney then peti- tioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case. Streib said along with the drop of juvenile death sentencing - only two juveniles were sentenced in 2004 - the actual number of juvenile executions has dropped from five in 1999-2000, to four in 2001-2002 and only one in 2003-2004. "Prosecutors appear to be less willing to bring capital charges in juvenile cases," Streib said. International law has also been called into question, as the United States is the only country in the world where the death penalty is legal for people under 18. While the Court is split on whether to acknowledge international law as a factor for shaping domestic constitu- tional standards, this argument will cer- tainly be a factor in the final decision, Streib said. While Streib said it is "foolish to try to predict the Court's decisions," he and other organizers of the lecture anticipate a 6-3 decision in favor of Simmons to effectively overthrow the juvenile death penalty. Many justices have expressed opinions in the past on this issue, with Sandra Day O'Connor representing an important swing vote that could sway the decision. Although the death penalty has not been legal in Michigan since 1846, University students still feel strongly about the issue. Bob Koch, a second-year law student, said, "It's easy to lose sight of the impor- tance of this issue here at Michigan since this state hasn't executed somebody in over 100 years. But this school produced national leaders, and in this country reral juveniles face real execution, and that's a real problem that we have to face. I THE 2004 (STUDENT POLITICAL DEBATE ,w( Wl D1 ' ' The Michigan Head*Pain & Neurological Institute is seeking individuals 18 years of age and older to participate in a research trial evaluating an investigational medication for early treatment of migraine. If you (or someone you know) experience an average of 1 to 4 headaches per month and are in good physical health, you may aualifv