Wednesday, February 23, 2005


Opinion 4

Jordan Schrader:
What scuttlebutt?

Arts 5 Video director Dave
Meyers speaks
on his success

- JASON RYZNAR'S LONG TRIP TO MICHIGAN ... SPORTS, PAGE 9
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One-hundredfourteen years ofeditorialfreedom
www.mz'hiandaily.com Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXV, No. 88 ©2005 The Michigan Daily

MSA
finids
,oke
guilty
By Jeremy Davidson
Daily Staff Reporters
The Michigan Student Assembly
voted yesterday to support the actions
of the Coke-Campaign Coalition, an
anti-Coke group, and also to accept
the allegations brought against the
soft-drink giant regarding human
rights violations.
When the vote passed, many mem-
bers of MSA's Peace and Justice
Commission, and dozens of repre-
sentatives from the Coke-Campaign
Coalition fell silent.
Though the coalition had been
fighting for this resolution to be
passed, it was unexpectedly modified
during the meeting and when voted on
did not include language that would
demand the University to terminate
its contract with Coca-Cola.
The Coke-Campaign Coalition,
which consists of 11 student activist
groups on campus, brought this reso-
lution to MSA as a part of a world-
wide campaign against Coca-Cola,
accusing the company of significant
human rights and labor violations.
But before the vote, in an unex-
pected move, MSA President Jason
Mironov proposed two revisions to
the resolution; one, that the resolu-
tion be divided into two parts, and
the second that, instead of demand-
ing the University terminate its con-
tract with Coca-Cola, the resolution
state that the MSA will stand behind
the actions of the Coke-Campaign
Coalition. Mironov said he separated
and amended the resolution in order
to divide the question into two dis-
tinct elements.
The revision that toned down
the language of the resolution was
reworded to give credence to the Dis-
pute Review Board, which looks into
allegedly unethical practices of Uni-
versity business partners. The board
consists of faculty and students,
including members of MSA and Stu-
dents Organizing for Labor and Eco-
nomic Equality, Mironov said.
The coalition said it was more
See MSA, Page 7


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LEO
stages
picket
Union claims the University is not
complying with the provisions of last
June's contract regarding job security
By Ekjyot Saini
Daily Staff Reporter
Chants of "This is what democracy looks like, that is what
hypocrisy looks like," echoed with gusto all over campus yes-
terday as members of the Lecturers' Employee Organization
staged an informational picket to protest what they allege to
be the University's lack of coordinated effort to implement
provisions of last June's labor contract.
Lecturers formed picket lines outside of University build-
ings, chanting and passing out fliers to students and faculty.
The picket culminated in a rally at the West Hall arch, where
members of Students Organizing for Labor and Economic
Equality and the Graduate Employees' Organization showed
up to express their solidarity with the union.
At the rally, LEO members voiced their concerns about per-
formance evaluation criteria - which helps determine rehir-
ing and promotions for lectures - and the reclassification of
lecturer titles. Both issues have set LEO and the University
at odds with each other as to how contractual language about
See LEO, Page 7

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JASON COOPER/Daily
Residential College lecturer Mireille Belloni helps clean-up after LEO's informational picket outside of Angell Hall
yesterday. LEO held the Informational picket because it claims the University has not complied with the contract they
negotiated last June.

Levin ambivalent about Dean as DNC chair

Senator also calls for
reform to Democratic primary
process and criticizes Bush 's
personal savings accounts
By Justin Miller
Daily Staff Reporter
Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) expressed reser-
vations about new Democratic National Com-
mittee chairman Howard Dean yesterday in the
Michigan Union.
"I have mixed feelings in terms of Dean," he
said. "I think he brings some tremendous plusses to
the table, in terms of his appeal to people that have
never been involved. He opened up a whole new
way of raising money that is healthy and success-
ful. The minuses are that the image he brings to the
party is not the image that attracts a lot of indepen-
dent voters. That's why he wasn't nominated."
Despite being an early favorite for Democratic
presidential nominee last year, Dean, the former
governor of Vermont, was unable to stop Sen.
John Kerry's (D-Mass.) momentum after Kerry

won in Iowa and New Hampshire. Levin criti- ment with McAuliffe that kept Michigan's caucus
cized the privileged position these two states hold date after the New Hampshire primary. In return,
in the nominating process. he was appointed by McAuliffe to a commission
"I would end Iowa and New Hampshire's huge- that is studying the Democratic primary schedule.

ly disproportional impact on
this system," he said. "Where "The imag
we go is not important to me
frankly. We should alternate brings to 1
by who goes first, probably .o
region-by-region. The Demo- is notthe
cratic Party is an egalitar- that attra(
ian party. We don't believe 1
in privilege. Those two states independe
have privileges that no one
else has - that's wrong." That's wh3
In 2003 Levin co-wrote a
letter to Michigan Democrats Wasn t non
urging them to move their
caucuses to the same date as -
New Hampshire's primary.
Then-DNC chairman Terry
McAuliffe threatened to take
away half of Michigan's del-
egates to the party's convention if the state moved
its caucus date earlier. Levin reached an agree-

e he
the party
image
cts a lot of
ent voters.
y he
minated."
Sen. Carl Levin
(D-Mich.)

The commission will make its
recommendations before the
next primaries begin in 2008.
College Democrats Chair
Ramya Raghavan agreed that
her party should change the
primary schedule.
"I think that manufactur-
ing and industrial centers
like Michigan are sometimes
overlooked," she said. "Iowa
and New Hampshire are two
of the least diverse states in
the Union. I think Michigan
is a good representation of
the dynamics of the country. I
would say that goes for Demo-
crats and Republicans."
College Republicans Vice

necessarily be the first to choose who the presi-
dential candidates should be."
Levin prefaced the question-and-answer session
with a short speech to the predominately Demo-
cratic crowd about the future of Social Security.
He said the debate over Social Security reform is
not just about the budget and benefits.
"At the heart of the issue is a philosophical
issue. It is not a dollar issue," Levin said. "The
proposal is now, on one hand, to dismantle it -
partially - or on the other, to keep Social Secu-
rity solid. When Republicans say that Democrats
are obstructionists, we are trying to obstruct the
dismantling of the system."
Levin said the current system of retirement bene-
fits has dramatically lowered poverty among seniors
and guarantees payouts for everyone, instead of
creating "winners and losers" - which Levin con-
tended would happen if individuals are allowed to
invest part of their Social Security taxes.
"I think that's wishful thinking," Saukas said,
about letting Social Security remain as it is. He said
if the system is not reformed, it will go bankrupt.
Another concern of Levin's audience was how the
See LEVIN, Page 7

Chair Ben Soukas agreed, saying, "I know a lot of
Republicans agree that those two states should not

'RHA votes today on smoking resolution

If passed, the resolution
would ban smoking in
residence hall courtyards
and courtyard doorways
By Breeanna Hare
For the Daily
Citing concerns of second-hand smoke
seeping into residence hall rooms, the Resi-
dence Halls Association will be voting on a
resolution that would impose a ban on smok-
ing in courtyards and courtyard doorways
surrounding on-campus housing. If passed,
this resolution will revise the Community
Living at Michigan Handbook to include the
new rule.
According to the Community Living at
Michigan Handbook, all residents have the
right to live in smoke-free residence halls.
West Quad Residence Hall Representative
Paul Edick, said the multiple complaints he
has received from students residing in the
residence hall about second-hand smoke
drifting into rooms via open windows sug-
gests that this right is being violated.
"We've had more than 20 people complain
about smoke coming into their rooms, mainly
those who live near the courtyard or near the
loading docks where workers will smoke,"
Edick said. As of now there is nothing on
paper that can force a smoker to move out of

Not all RHA representatives agree with
Edick's stance. East Quad Residence Hall Rep-
resentative Daniel Ray said that passing the reso-
lution in its current form would infringe upon the
rights of students who smoke.
He added that there would be more reper-
cussions from banning smoking from the
courtyards of residence halls because stu-
dents will begin to smoke in their rooms.
"It would be better to enforce the rules we
already have, such as the rule that it is illegal to
smoke within 15 feet of a building," Ray said of
the rule that mandates smokers stay a certain
distance away from buildings when smoking.
Although Ray said he has had some com-
plaints about second-hand smoke distur-
bances from East Quad residents, the level of
complaints was not enough to prompt him to
take any action. "I can see it passing, but not
as it is written," he said.
The resolution will define a courtyard as
any area of a residence hall surrounded by at
least three sides and will be considered part
of the interior of the residence hall. With the
new definition, the resolution will also ban
smoking in doorways of residence halls.
Engineering sophomore Danielle Layher,
who lives on the 5th floor of Markley, said
she frequently complains that smoke from
the entrance of her residence hall harms her
health and studies.
"We usually leave the windows open to air
the room out, and smoke from cigarettes and
pot will drift up," she said.

Greeks
respond
to report
OSCR didnot punish
individuals, but is working with
the Greeks to develop a program
to prevent future incidents
By Carlssa Miller
Daily Staff Reporter
In wake of the conclusion of the University's
hazing investigation, the Greek community and
the University are adjusting to the changes and
implementing programs to prevent future haz-
ing incidents.
Last Friday, the University released a report
of its investigation into hazing allegations in the
Greek community - an investigation that began
early last semester. As a result of the investiga-
tion, the University was able to prove many of
the hazing allegations but also failed to find
substantial evidence for some accusations, such
as "pledges being placed in the trunks of cars;
pledges being stripped to their underwear and left
in a cold room; non-consensual sexual behavior;
the theft of a road sign as a pledge requirement;
and incidents of paddling and beating."
The three fraternities and one sorority found

I

TONY DING/Daily
University alum Evan Demko smokes outside West Quad last night. The Residence


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