NEWS

The Michigan Daily - Monday, November 29, 2004 - 3A

ON CAMPUS
Lecture focuses
on impact of AIDS
on women
As part of the week long celebra-
tion of World AIDS Day, the Student
Global AIDS Campaign is sponsoring
a lecture on the effect of HIV/AIDS on
women and girls. The lecture will be
held today at 7 p.m. in room 2105B of
the Michigan Union.
Banjo, harmonica
player performs
folk songs
Mike Agronoff, a folk singer from
New Jersey, will perform at The Ark
at 8 p.m. today. Tickets, which cost
$13.50, can be purchased in advance at
Herb David Guitar Studio, the Michigan
Union Ticket Office and at other Ticket-
master locations. They can also be pur-
chased at the door.
Agronoff plays the banjo and har-
monica, performing traditional ballads,
ancient harp tunes and piano rags. He
also weaves stories and monologues in
between his songs.
Economist relates
wealth to mortality
Joseph Ferrie, an economics professor
at Northwestern University, will hold a
lecture called "The Rich and the Dead,"
examining the link between socioeco-
nomic status and mortality in the United
States since 1870. The lecture will be
held today at 4 p.m. in Room 259 of the
School of Public Health.
CRIME
NOTES
Sexually explicit
graffiti found in
Markley hall
Graffiti depicting two men in a sexual-
ly explicit position was drawn in perma-
nent marker on a wall in Mary Markley
Residence Hall on Saturday, the Depart-
ment of Public Safety reports.
Vacuum cleaner
goes missing from
Bursley closet
Staffers reported discovering that a
vacuum cleaner in Bursley Residence
Hall was taken from a closet, according
to DPS reports from Wednesday.
Police dogs check
building, no one
 found inside
Ypsilanti police requested a canine unit
Thursday to check the Ypsilanti Family
Practice Building after finding a broken
window, DPS reported. The building,
which is owned by the University, was
checked, but no one was found inside.

Bag stolen from
Dentistry building
A caller reported to DPS that her bag
was stolen from the School of Dentistry
when she left it unattended Wednesday.
The bag and its contents were recovered
and returned to the woman.

Auto recalls reach record high this year

DETROIT (AP) - Automakers can claim the
dubious achievement of recalling more vehicles in
the United States this year than ever before, though
analysts and other observers say the record stems
more from the increasing complexity of cars and
trucks and greater vigilance than a lapse in quality.
Led by General Motors Corp., the world's largest
automaker, manufacturers have recalled about 25
million vehicles so far in 2004, topping the previ-
ous high of 24.6 million in 2000, according to the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,
which oversees recalls for the U.S. government.
GM alone has recalled 10.5 million vehicles in
North America - the vast majority in the United
States - up from 7.8 million in 2003 and 5.7 mil-
lion in 2002, the company said. Japan's No. I auto-
maker, Toyota Motor Corp., has recalled roughly
890,000 vehicles in the United States this year, four
times as many as the total in 2003, Toyota said.
Experts offer several reasons for the balloon-
ing numbers: federal guidelines that require com-

panies to report more defect data to NHTSA;
vehicles that rely more heavily on computers and
electronics; the growing practice of sharing com-
mon parts among a larger number of models and
more safeguards at litigation-sensitive automakers
to catch flaws earlier.
In some instances it's a catch-22 for automakers,
which are adding more intricate safety features to
a broader range of vehicles but at the same time
adding to their complexity.
Honda Motor Co.'s American arm, for example, is
recalling 257,616 Accord sedans from the 2004 and
2005 model years because the driver's air bag may
not deploy properly, NHTSA said last Monday.
"New functionality always presents new com-
plexity, and complexity means more ways to fail,"
said Joe Ivers, executive director of quality at J.D.
Power and Associates, which rates vehicles annu-
ally in areas such as initial quality and longer-term
dependability.
Analysts say the rising number of recalls - most

Led by General Motors, manufacturers recalled about 25
million vehicles this year, up from 24.6 million in 2000.

of which are initiated by automakers themselves
- and the eye-catching volume of vehicles involved
shouldn't be considered an indictment on overall
vehicle quality, which has risen in recent years.
The average initial quality of new cars and trucks
has climbed significantly in the past year, J.D.
Power said in April, and each of Detroit's automak-
ers showed year-over-year improvement. GM fared
best among the Big Three, while Toyota, coupled
with its Lexus luxury brand, repeated as the com-
pany with the highest overall initial quality. .
J.D. Power's annual study of longer-term
dependability, released in May, showed similar
results - Toyota on top but marked improvement
from GM, Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler

AG's Chrysler Group.
"I don't view all these recalls like, 'Oh, there's
poor quality here,' because quality in general has
improved among all automakers," said Mike Wall,
an analyst with the forecasting firm CSM World-
wide. "Certainly there are some eyebrow-raising
volumes, but at the same time they can be for fairly
mundane things. They're important to get taken care
of, but it doesn't take very much to trigger one."
One factor not necessarily linked to the recalls
themselves but that can contribute to a massive
number of vehicles involved is the use of common
parts, when possible, on a variety of models. The
practice reduces costs and, ideally, improves over-
all quality if the parts hold up.

Lal tiers may
revise Detroit
schools tietable,

LANSING (AP) - State lawmakers
who plan to address the Detroit Public
Schools' financial troubles this week
are questioning the district's proposal to
sell bonds and wondering why it hasn't
submitted an annual audit.
The Senate, back from a two-week
recess, is prepared to introduce a reso-
lution tomorrow that could move up
the state's timetable to help deal with
the district's deficits - $48 million

"The district told us they want to bor-
row money now and make tough deci-
sions later, but that is not acceptable,"
Sikkema said.
Sikkema, Burnley, state Superinteri-
dent Tom Watkins and other officials plan
to meet today to discuss the problem.
The Senate's resolution would kick
in a law under which Watkins could
appoint a team to investigate the finan-
cial situation. The House may introduce

last school year and
year. The result
could mean the
appointment of an
emergency man-
ager to oversee the
schools' finances,
though lawmakers
say that's not what
they want.
The issue cen-
ters on a disagree-
ment between
legislative leaders
and the district
over how to handle
its money.
TheDetroitschool
district says selling

$150 million this
"Either way
to make th
decisions b
now and (t
summer). .
will not pu
- K
Detroit Publi
bonds - which

a similar resolutio

on.

COURT.
Continued from page ;LA
then there is a different situation.
"If (the newly appointed justice) is
someone who is hostile to affirmative
action, then it could be that the court
would reverse Grutter, or it could be that
a new conservative justice would simply
vote in favor of the precedent," he said.
Friedman added that it is always pos-
sible a justice might want to come in and
assert their power, becoming the extreme-
ly powerful swing vote. "It could well be
that a justice comes in and wants to throw
out the previous decision," he said.
But Communications lecturer Tony
Collings said there is a good chance the
new court would not reexamine the Uni-
versity admissions rulings, since justices
normally do not overturn decisions once
they are made.
Friedman said this is only the second
time in history that the court has endured
for so long without a change of its bench.
"It has been the same nine justices for a
long, long time. Sooner or later someone
will have to leave," he said.
All of the justices except Clarence
Thomas are older than 65. The three
oldest of these judges are Rehnquist,
John Paul Stevens and Sandra Day
O'Connor.
"People tend to think that the jus-
tices plan (their retirements) political-
ly," Friedman said. During Bush's first
administration, Rehnquist, Stevens and
O'Connor were all rumored to be think-
ing about retirement, yet all three defied
speculation and remained in office. Four
years later, there are again strong factors
encouraging them to retire.
Rehnquist's failing health and recent
treatment for thyroid cancer have kept
him from the court for more than six
weeks. Despite Rehnquist's hopes of
a fast recovery and a speedy return
to court, he continues to review cases
from home.
"In addition to Rehnquist who is
really sick, the justice who will have to
be replaced sooner or later is John Paul
Stevens. He is the most liberal member
of the court, but he is 84 years old. How
long can he go?" asked Larry Greene, a

political science professor.
Friedman echoed Greene's observa-
tion, saying, "It is not unprecedented-to
have an 88-year-old justice. Justice Ste-
vens is 84, but will he go another four
years? It's hard to say."
While Bush would appoint a new
chief justice if Rehnquist retires, a more
important presidential nomination would
be of a new associate justice.
"The chief justice doesn't have much
power. He or she is really one among nine
equals. The real power is in the hands of
the swing voter," Collings said. "That
swing voter is the most powerful justice
on the Supreme Court."
Collings served as a CNN Supreme
Court correspondent for nine years and
worked with the University in 2003
while the court considered the admis-
sions lawsuits. In Grutter v. Bollinger,
the Law School case, the swing vote was
O'Connor, Collings said.
O'Connor has had breast cancer
and is 74 years old. "I don't think that
(O'Connor) is really going to resign. I
think that she realizes she's involved in
women's rights and that a more conser-
vative court could seriously constrict
Roe v. Wade," Greene said, referring to
the ruling which legalized abortion.
He added that it would be of major sig-
nificance if she chose to retire in the next
four years. "If she is replaced by Bush,
this appointment will have.major effects
in the affirmative action case. I can see
how in this area, Bush would pick some-
one who is not pro-affirmative action to
replace her," he said.
Despite Bush's socially conservative
political stance, it is uncertain who he
would appoint to replace justices should
they choose to step down.
"There are. rumors about (Attorney
General nominee Alberto) Gonzales -
it's hard to know, sometimes presidents
surprise people. However it would be
someone who would be relatively conser-

vative," Friedman said.
"We do know that the president has said
that thetwo justices, he considers models
for Supreme Court justices are Scalia and
Thomas - the most conservative justices
on the court. You could logically assume
that he would want to nominate a very
conservative justice," Collings said.
But at the same time, the president's
choice will be affected by politics, as his
nominee must be approved by a major-
ity vote in the Senate. "The president
will nominate someone and the more
the Democrats like (that person), the less
problems the president will have getting,
that person confirmed. Some say that
because of this, the president will nomi-
nate a moderate conservative instead of a
hard-line conservative," Collings said.
While the Republicans hold a major-
ity in the Senate, the Democrats still
have the ability to stop a nominee by
filibustering the deliberations. The ces-
sation of a filibuster on the Senate floor
requires 60 votes, and with the Repub-
licans holding just 55 Senate seats, the
Democrats could unite to block a very
conservative judge.
"If the Democrats want to use their
power in the Senate, they could block a
justice. Does the president want to have
a big fight? Or would he want to put up a
more moderate judge? I just don't know,"
Collings said.
Another factor the president will
consider when appointing a nominee
is age. Should Bush appoint a relatively
young conservative, the Court will
have that conservative base for many
more years. "Bush will appoint a young
conservative who will be there 20 to 30
years," Greene said.
What does all this mean for the future
of affirmative action? "Maybe not very
much. The affirmative action case has
already been decided and once a case
is decided, the justices normally do not
overturn it," Collings said.

needs legislative approval - would help
while the district considers cutting up to
4,000 jobs and closing schools.
The district plans to submit a more
detailed deficit reduction plan by Feb-
ruary. But if the bond-selling measure
is approved and the district gets wage
and benefit concessions from union-
ized employees, it will still cut up to
2,000 jobs and close between 20 and 40
schools.
"Either way, we have to make the
tough decisions between now and (the
summer)," said Kenneth Burnley, chief
executive officer for the Detroit Public
Schools. "We will not put this off."
But Senate Majority Leader Ken Sik-
kema (R-Wyoming) wants to see a spe-
cific plan first and questions the bond
proposal.

If the state and
, we have school district
couldn't agree
e tough on how to fix the
deficit, a financial
etween manager would
L be appointed and
hie authorized to make
W. the necessary cuts,
** V Sikkema spokes-
t this off" man Ari Adler said.
"We don't want
to see that happen,"
enneth Burnley dler said. "But
c Schools CEO dow is the time to
step .up and make
tough decisions."
Sen. Hansen Clarke (D-Detroit) said
the Legislature shouldn't, consider the
bond measure until it sees an indepen-
dent audit. He said the public lacks coi-
fidence in the district's willingness to
provide financial data.
The district has lost 9,300 students
since the fall of 2003. As a result, it's
expected to receive $66.8 million less
funding from the state - $24 million
more than it had budgeted to lose from
projected enrollment drops.
Overall, the district has lost 35,000
students in the past eight years, or more
than $250 million in funding per year,
Burnley said.
Also this week, the House could con-
sider legislation that would replace the
high school MEAP test with a version
of a college entrance exam - likely the
ACT and an ACT work-skills exam.

Students
Fl y Che aper
holiday travel, study abroad, spring break
Visit StudentUniverse.com for cheap student airfares
on the world's major airlines to 1,000 destinations
across the US and around the world. Fly on major
airlines for discount airline prices.
Sample roundtrip Student Airfares from Detroit to:

THIS DAY
In Daily History
Union ends sale of
erotic magazines
due to low interest
Nov. 29,1973 - The Michigan Union
removed all editions of the magazines
Playboy, Penthouse and Oui from shelves
in the lobby's concessions stand.
The Union's management said the
magazines were removed because they
were not generating enough sales due to a
lack of interest from students. "We weren't
making our margin of profits," said Stan-
field Wells, Union general manager.
Employees at the Union, however,
said the erotic magazines sold better
than any of the others on their shelves.

TRUE OR FALSE?
/ Animals have languages much like human languages
/ Deaf children go through the same stages of language
development as hearing children
/ English is like so degenerating before our eyes (ears)
/ Inuit languages have hundreds of words for snow
/ The average high school graduate has approximately 45,000
words in hi/her vocahlarv

Miami
New York
Minneapolis/St. Paul
San Francisco
London
Paris/Rome
Mexico City

$194
$199
$209
$259
$225
$262
$429

I

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Baby Killer
On Killing: The Psychological

'VL
UA?.

Lima $549

1 1