Monday, January 31, 2005 News 3A ITCS cans spam e-mail Opinion 4A From the Daily: a new term ATHLETIC DEr. TIES TO SAY C-YA TO HOCKEY CHEER ... PAGE 8B One-hundredfourteen years of editorialfreedom Weather p :31 LOW: 14 TOMORROW: 39/is Arts 8A Eastwood and Swank team up in sentimental boxing drama ...... - ----------- -- 0 www.mchikandaiy.com Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXV, No. 70 02005 The Michigan Daily v J GEO pushes contract extension By Melissa Benton and Karl Stampfl Daily Staff Reporters On the eve of the Graduate Employees' Organization contract expiring, the union will vote on extending its contract with the University to allow for more negotiat- ing time on unsettled matters. Three years after its last battle, the organization is again sparring with the University over the rights and benefits of graduate student instructors as stipulated in its union contract. Since November, the two sides have held negotiations ranging from expanded health care coverage to increased wages. Tonight GEO's bargaining team plans to recom- mend continuing negotiations by having the union vote to extend its current contract to sometime in late February, GEO president Dave Dobbie said. This will allow GEO and the University additional time to negotiate on matters ranging from salary to healthcare, but will not give them more than a month to do so. "We don't want to hold up the (negotiat- ing) process, but we also don't want to give the University endless amounts of time," he said of extending the date. In 2002, the last time the three-year con- tract expired, GEO staged a walkout after negotiations with the University failed and GSIs operated for one day without a contract. Last November Dobbie said that GEO has not ruled out a strike or a walkout in the future, but said it would have to be voted on by members. In past years, GEO has held a one-day walkout, but never this early in the bargain- ing process, University spokeswoman Julie Peterson said. "A walkout is never desirable because it interrupts our teaching activities," Peterson said. "We're always hopeful GEO will not feel the need to do that." So far, the union has yet to make any choices about which issues to push more than others. That is part of the decision- making process that will take place in the next month, Wilson said. "It's not so much about letting one (issue) go for another," Wilson said. "It's about finding gains everywhere and reducing barriers for everybody - not leaving some groups behind." "In recent bargaining sessions, we've been making good progress," Peterson said. "The University is feeling good about the discussions. We hope we can reach an agreement that will balance the needs of GSIs and still stay within the University's budget." GEO's has a number of issues it will bring up to the University before a contract is agreed upon: Because GEO believes the cost of living in Ann Arbor increases faster than wages, one proposal aims to ensure pay for GSIs keeps pace with inflation. GEO wants automatic cost-of-living increases to achieve a living wage by the time the con- tract expires. Another demand is to protect trans- gender members of the union. A lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender taskforce recommended that the University change its bylaws to shield transgender individu- als from discrimination, but GEO members said the University has not taken any action to change them. GEO members also demand- See GEO, Page 7A Iraqis turn out for vote BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Iraqis embraced democracy in large numbers yesterday, standing in long lines to vote in defi- ance of mortar attacks, suicide bombers and boycott calls. Pushed in wheelchairs or carts if they could not walk, the elderly, the young and women in veils cast ballots in Iraq's first free election in a half-century. "We broke a barrier of fear," said Mijm Towirish, "The world an election official. Uncertain Sunni turnout, is hearing a string of insurgent attacks that killed 44 and the crash the voice of a British military plane drove home that chaos in of freedom Iraq is not over yet. Yet the mere fact the vote went off seemed to center of the ricochet instantly around a world hoping for Arab Middle East" democracy and fearing Islamic extremism. "I am doing this because - President Bush I love my country, and I love the sons of my nation," said Shamal Hekeib, 53, who walked with his wife 20 minutes to a polling station near his Baghdad home. "We a're Arabs, we are not scared and we are not cowards," Hekeib said. With helicopters flying low and gunfire close by, at least 200 voters stood calmly in line at midday outside one poll- ing station in the heart of Baghdad. Inside, the tight security included at least four body searches, and a ban on lighters, cell phone batteries, cigarette packs and even pens. The feeling was sometimes festive. One election volunteer escorted a blind man back to his home after he cast his vote. A woman too frail to walk by herself arrived on a cart pushed by a young relative. Entire families showed up in their finest clothes. But for the country's minority Sunni Arabs, who held a privileged position under Saddam Hussein, the day was not as welcome. No more than 400 people voted in Saddam's hometown of Tikrit, and in the heavily Sunni northern Baghdad neighbor- hood of Azamiyah, where Saddam made his last known public appearance in early April 2003, the four polling places never even opened. Iraqi election officials said it might take 10 days to deter- mine the vote's winner and said they had no firm estimate of turnout among the 14 million eligible voters. The tick- et endorsed by the Shiite Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani was the pre-voting favorite. Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's slate was also considered strong. "The world is hearing the voice of freedom from the cen- ter of the Middle East," said President Bush, who called the election a success. He promised the United States would continue training Iraqi soldiers, hoping they can soon secure a country America invaded nearly two years ago to topple Saddam. FOREST CASEY/Daily (Clockwise from top) The Indigo Girls, Clarence Fountain of the Blind Boys of Alabama and Keb Mo' perform at the Ann Arbor Folk Festival at Hill Auditorium on Friday and Saturday. A 2 Folk Festival rocks Hill By Kat Bawden Daily Arts Writer Hill Auditorium looked like an opulent opera house but smelled and sounded like a roadside bar on Friday evening. A thick, pungent mix of fruity alcohol, cigarettes and musk hung in the dimly lit air as every seat was filled for the 28th annual Ann Arbor Folk Festival, which gathers folk musicians from around the country. But this was not traditional Tom Joad folk music; in fact, it may not even be defined as folk music at all. There was a prophetic singer/songwriter who sound- ed like a Welsh Bruce Springsteen, a petite and timid woman who sang in soft Taiwanese and a gospel group led by three blind men. Irreverent MC Susan Werner even played songs of the big band variety while joking that she decided to try the genre because "most of the competition is dead." Dancing in the aisles of the packed audi- torium, the crowd was as eclectic as the varied musical acts. Though mostly middle aged, the audience was more energetic and excited than teenagers at the hippest rock show. For their part, the artists were person- able and informal, as if playing at an open mic night for a group of close friends. The opening act on Friday night was the bluegrass group Steppin' In It, which consists of four men wielding an acous- tic guitar, a steel guitar, a harmonica and a stand-up bass. The group played with a casual ease, barely looking at the crowd and focusing intensely on their instruments and harmonies. Next was Jeremy Kittel, a fiddler backed by deep, resonating stand up bass and steady acoustic guitar. After Kittel took his final bows and the crowd took a short breather, broad-jawed, thick-necked Welsh baritone Martyn Joseph emerged onstage announced as making "Leonard Cohen look like Julie Andrews." Compared to his sledgeham- mer voice and bulky frame, Joseph's gui- tar looked fragile in his arms, as chords and notes were practically pounded out. The Blind Boys of Alabama were the second headliners and perhaps the most unassuming and delightful act of the night. The band, three elderly blind men, led by their younger drum- mer, bassist and guitarist, appeared on stage to much fanfare and played an energetic set. The Blind Boys took turns taking lead, as their soulful vocal harmonies hushed the crowd and filled Hill's high ceilings. Their gospel sound was accompanied by loud bluesy rock, making for an appealing twist. Before launching into an animated and omi- nous version of "Amazing Grace," See FESTIVAL, Page 5A Lecturers demand 'U' LEO wants U to provide criteria for evaluations By Michael Kan and Ekjoyt Saini Daily Staff Reporters After meeting last week, the Lecturers' Employee Organization has voiced concerns regarding the University's alleged failure to comply with certain provisions established in the contract laid out last June and has estab- lished tomorrow as a deadline for the University to respond. The central focus of the meeting was what LEO considers the University's lack of coopera- tion in presenting the criteria used when evalu- ating lecturers and considering them for another year of employment - an agreement made in last summer's contract. The contract states that each college within the University will be responsible for creating the criteria used when hiring new lecturers, pro- moting them or deciding on renewals of current lecturers, LEO President Bonnie Halloran said. She added that the University is in violation of this policy because it should have provided comply with contract lecturers with the criteria last semester. evaluation process set up by individual depart- She said that various departments in some of ments. These titles would essentially act as the colleges have provided criteria for perfor- promotions, bestowing the lecturer benefits mance reviews, but overall, the colleges have according to that title, Peterson said. not provided the necessary information. With the staff of University lecturers num- "We have been talking with the administra- bering at around 1,300 - many of whom have tion for the last three months, once a week, ask- worked at the University for a varying number ing for this criteria," Halloran said. "They tell us of years - developing the criteria and allocat- one week it's coming, then the next week it's still ing all the instructors to an appropriate title will coming, and the next week it's still coming." take more time than was originally estimated But drawing up the new criteria is proving during last year's negotiations, Peterson said. to be a more difficult task than was previously "I understand it is causing some frustration, thought said University spokeswoman Julie and we are working together with the depart- Peterson. ments, because it is something that has to be Under the new contract, the University is done with the departments and can't be done required to appoint lecturers a title through an See LEO, Page 7A South Asian students urged . to form closer community Conference uses dance, workshops to bridge gap By Amber Colvin Daily Staff Reporter ABC News Now anchor Hari Sreenivasan encouraged South Asian students Friday night to look past their separate identities, such as Indian or Pakistani, and embrace their common South Asian heritage. "We have these divisions that we have to get over. ... It's our responsibility to figure out how we inte- South Asian community. "It tells them to take the notions that they have, whether right or wrong, and take it a step farther and mold it into something they can do after gradu- ation," Trivedi said. The national conference was comprised of speeches, workshops, small group activities and vocal and dance performances by students. Speak- ers included Indra Nooyi, president and chief financial officer for PepsiCo, Inc. and DJ Rekha, :; 4, .;/S I 4&I4 Iy Lj.'.