Monday, February 14, 2005
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Opinion 4A
Elliott Mallen
discusses corporate
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Arts 10A Will Smith's talent
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in "Hitch."
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TOMORROW:
One-hundredfourteen years of editorialfreedom
www.mzch/gandatly.com Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXV, No. 81 2005 The Michigan Daily
Shiites
win Iraqi
elections
rLI I LH SGNUI II LNFtLS/DlO~lyO
Rackham students David Dick and Dan Rose and Architecture graduate student Andre Wilson participate in a negotiating session with the
University for increased protection of transgendered graduates.
GEO wants 'U' to protect
rights of transgendered
Majority religious group in
polls, electing religous Shiite
U.S.-backed secular
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Clergy-
backed Shiites and independence-
minded Kurds swept to victory in Iraq's
landmark elections, propelling to power
the groups that suffered most under
Saddam Hussein and forcing Sunni
Arabs to the margins for the first time
in modern history, according to final
results released yesterday.
But the Shiites' 48 percent of the vote Th
is far short of the two-thirds major-
ity needed to control the 275-member
National Assembly.
The results threw immediate focus
on Iraqi leaders' backdoor dealmak-
ing to create a new coalition govern-
ment - possibly in an alliance with the Th(
Kurds - and on efforts to lure Sunnis
into the fold and away from a bloody
insurgency.
Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi,
the secular Shiite chosen by the United 0
States to lead this country for the last -
eight turbulent months, fared poorly -
his ticket finishing a distant third behind Ira
the religious Shiites and Kurds. UW
"This is a new birth for Iraq," elec-
tion commission spokesman Farid
Ayar said, announcing results of the
Jan. 30 polling, the first free election
in Iraq in more than 50 years and the percent
first since Saddam fell. Iraqi voters Allawi
"became a legend in their confronta- or near
tion with terrorists." Part
Iraqi Kurds danced in the streets and compla
waved Kurdish flags when results were will be
announced in the oil-rich, ethnically Assem
mixed city of Kirkuk. Thousands more genera
Kurds - a people who were gassed and to the
forced from their homes by Saddam's ticketv
forces - turned out in Sulaimaniyah, tions v
firing weapons in the air and carrying stand t
posters of their leaders. Kurds4
"I feel that I am born again," said "Thi
Bakhtiyar Mohammed, 42. "I am Iraqi p
very happy because we suffered a a form
lot. Now I can say that I am an Iraqi ber of
Kurd with pride." bying]
President Bush praised Iraqis and said "We w
America and its allies should be proud elected
for making the election possible. "I con- ment m
gratulate the Iraqi people for defying and ele
terrorist threats and setting their country Othe
on the path of democracy and freedom," post in
he said in a statement. "And I congratu- ari, a
late every candidate who stood for elec- Adel A
tion and those who will take office once scientis
the results are certified." Abdt
The Shiite-dominated United Iraqi Iraqi g
Alliance ticket received 4,075,295 ficulta
votes, or about 48 percent of the total that re
cast, officials said. support
The Kurdistan Alliance, a coalition preside
of two main Kurdish parties, finished ing to r
second with 2,175,551 votes, or 26 choosir
Iraq turns out at
party and Kurds;
Graduates attended
negotiation session in skirts to
promote an anti-discrimination
clause in new contract
By Carissa Miller
and Justin Miller
Daily Staff Reporters
If a University department required a female
graduate student instructor to wear a skirt as
part of its dress code but did not ask the same
of a male, would the department be guilty of
discrimination?
Andre Wilson, lead negotiator for the Grad-
uate Employees' Organization, said that the
University's inability to acknowledge that
such a scenario would be gender discrimina-
tion led to a protest in which male and female
members of GEO attended a bargaining ses-
sion donning skirts and dresses on Friday. Wil-
son also emphasized that this situation would
also be considered discrimination on the basis
of sex in the state of Michigan.
"The University doesn't know gender dis-
crimination when they see it," Wilson said.
"And they don't think we need clarification of
this language."
Although no such scenario exists, GEO is
currently in negotiations with the University
on the content of its new contract and, among
other things, wants to protect the rights of
transgender graduates against gender discrimi-
nation.
GEO promoted its nondiscrimination clause
during negotiations with the University at Fri-
day's bargaining meeting requesting that the
University change its bylaws to shield trans-
gender individuals from discrimination and
also add anti-discrimination language in its
new contract.
The nondiscrimination clause and other
demands concerning wages and health care
are hold-ups to finalizing a new contact before
Feb. 24, when GEO's current labor agreement
will expire.
"The last response by the University on the
non-discrimination discussion was that we
should trust them that they wouldn't discrimi-
nate on the basis of gender identity and gender
expression," Wilson said and added that the
See GEO, Page 7A
t. And the Iraqi List headed by
stood third with 1,168,943 votes,
ly 14 percent.
ies have three days to lodge
aints, after which the results
certified and seats in the new
bly distributed. Seats will
illy be allocated according
percentage of votes that each
won. It appeared only 12 coali-
would take seats. The Shiites
o gain up to 140 seats with the
could end up with about 75.
is is a great victory for the
eople," said Ahmad Chalabi,
er Pentagon protege and mem-
the Shiite ticket who is lob-
for the prime minister's post.
'ill have an assembly which is
d by the people and the govern-
which is completely legitimate
ected by the people."
er leading contenders for the top
clude fellow Shiites Ibrahim Jaaf-
vice president; Finance Minister
bdul-Mahdi; and former nuclear
t Hussain al-Shahristani.
il-Mahdi told al-Arabiya the next
overnment is burdened with "dif-
and complicated responsibilities
quire national unity and the wide
I of the national assembly," and the
ncy. He said his alliance is "seek-
ealize a wide national harmony in
ng" for those positions.
"
March 21, 2003
Graduates hold informa-
tional pickets to share
their concerns with the
campus. The picket does
not disrupt classes.
Nov. 12, 2003
The union threat-
ens another walk-
out due to potential
rising health care
costs.
Nov. 26, 2003
Threats of work stop-
page are abandoned
when the union votes to
settle with the University'
on the health care issue.
Feb. 1, 2005
Although GEO contracts are
scheduled to expire, the union
votes to extend the contracts
to Feb. 24 in hopes of continu-
ing negotiations.
ARTNERHIP BNE.FITS
Local law firm says A2
schools violate Prop. 2
MWOMMON9
WISH UPON A
STAR
By Anne Joling
Daily Staff Reporter
A new appeal of a 2003 court
action could affect the Univer-
sity's ability to offer benefits to
same-sex couples.
The Thomas More Law Center
is appealing a court decision that
dismissed a lawsuit that tried to
stop the Ann Arbor Public Schools
from offering benefits to same-sex
couples. The center is now asking
the court to consider the passage
of Proposal 2 in its ruling.
Proposal 2, passed in November
2004, amended the state constitu-
tion to state that marriage between
a man and a woman "shall be the
"People of the state of michigan
have a unique interest in protecting
the institution of marriage as it is
traditionally understood."
-LPatrick Gillen
Lawyer, Thomas More Law Center
Student s
business
idea wins
By Amine Tourki
For the Daily
When second-year MBA student Michael
Crowley came to campus a year and a half ago,
he had three years of accounting experience
under his belt. He had worked for a firm that
served startup companies, had a few startups
of his own and was focused on finding the right
idea for a new enterprise.
"I came back here specifically to start a busi-
ness," he said.
Crowley says he knew growth would be in
the small-tech sector, which includes nanotech-
nology and microtechnology. After a year, he
came up with a business idea that won his com-
considers the issue in this case
and that we will receive the quick-
est and most efficient resolution to
that question," Gillen said. "That
decision would bind every subdi-
vision of the state of Michigan."
University Law Prof. Samu-
el Gross said a decision by the
The idea for the lawsuit origi-
nated when some Ann Arbor resi-
dents came to the Thomas More
Law Center and complained that
their tax dollars were being used
to . provide benefits for school
employees in same-sex unions.
Gillen said the appeal contends
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