Friday, February 25, 2005 ,; Weather Opinion 4 Sports 7 Jasmine Claire on keeping Bill Cosby quiet Tankers finish day in sixth place ietc au 32 TOMORROW: One-hundredfourteen years ofeditorialfreedom www.mcknganday.com Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXV, No. 90 @2005 The Michigan Daily Bush challeges Russian president President: Real democracy includes freedom of press and viable political opposition BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) - Struggling to repair troubled relations, President Bush prodded Vladimir Putin yesterday about Moscow's retreat from democracy but the Russian leader bluntly rejected the criticism and insisted there was no backsliding. "Strong countries are built by developing strong democracies," Bush said he told Putin. "I think Vladimir heard me loud and clear." "Russia has made its choice in favor of democracy," the Russian leader replied. Confronting criticism that he is quashing dissent and consolidating power, Putin said Russia chose democracy 14 years ago and "there can be no return to what " r we used to have before." Four years after Bush c said he had gotten a sense of Putin's soul and found are built b him trustworthy, the two leaders talked for 2 1/2 developing hours at a hilltop castle in hopes of easing mounting strong distrust between Moscow and Washington. Bush democracies. said he had not changed I think his opinion of Putin and wanted to remain friends. Vladimir "This is the kind of fel- low who, when he says heard me 'Yes,' he means yes, and when he says 'No,' he lour and means no," Bush said. Yet Bush challenged clear. Putin about his govern- ment's behavior, saying - President Bush that democracies reflect a country's customs and culture but must have "a rule of law and protection of minorities, a free press and a viable political opposi- tion." He said he talked with Putin about his "concerns about Russia's commitment in fulfilling these universal principles" and about Putin's restrictions on the press. "I'm not the minister of propaganda," Putin said, standing alongside Bush at a news conference. They also confronted differences over Moscow's arms sales to Syria and Russia's help for Iran's nuclear program. While Bush tried to keep a smile on his face throughout the session with reporters, Putin seemed tense. It was their first meeting since Bush opened his second term promising to spread democracy and freedom and asserting that relations with all leaders would be predi- cated on how they treat their people. Bush faced pressure from home - from prominent Republicans and Demo- crats alike - to get tough with Putin, and their talks were seen by some as a test of whether the president would put his inaugural pledges into practice. For over an hour of their meeting, the leaders were alone with only translators, in a private session that was the longest they have had in over four years. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the discussions were never heated. In public, Putin compared his move to end direct pop- ular election of regional governors to the American pro- cess of electing presidents through the Electoral College rather than by the results of the popular vote. "And it's not considered undemocratic, is it?" Putin said. He suggested that Russians who oppose his actions, such as a campaign against the Yukos oil company and See BUSH, Page 3 Smoking resolution fails RHA will form task force to address concerns of those who want to ban smoking in courtyards By Laura Van Hyfte Daily Staff Reporter The Residence Halls Association reject- ed a controversial proposal yesterday that would have extended the nonsmoking area outside of residence halls to include the outdoor courtyards. Twenty-four RHA representatives voted against the proposal, three abstained and none approved. The proposal is being considered as a response to the growing number of com- plaints regarding second-hand smoke entering residents' rooms. Due to the wide range of emotions RHA representatives said they observed among residents over the resolution, a task force was created to further investigate the mat- ter and to consider all sides of the argu- ment. Residents voiced both approval and disdain for the smoking resolution, said Kevin Johnson, an RHA representative for Alice Lloyd Residence Hall. "Residents that I talked to are pretty mixed about the situation," Johnson said. While many residents expressed concern for smokers' rights, some who do not like smoke "just want something to be done," said Paul Edick, an RHA representative for West Quadrangle Residence Hall. Many residents have explained that they understand the sacrifices already made by smokers, said Dan Ray, an RHA representa- tive for East Quadrangle Residence Hall. "They were worried about smokers' rights because smokers already accommodate non-smokers and go outside," Edick said. Some residents who resent smoking that takes place outside of their windows still recognize the difficulty of stopping smok- ers from smoking outside of the building, said Jessica Jolly, an RHA representative 'for Oxford Housing. "Residents said that the resolution just didn't seem fair, because smokers pay the same room and board as nonsmokers, and they should have the same freedom," Ray said. "They'll still have to deal with smok- ing, just in a different place; a lot of them are not too concerned with smoking in the courtyard," Jolly said. "Many think that there are other, more important issues that could be addressed," she added. In response to the levels of opposition and approval, Edick proposed a task force to examine all of RHA's options to the smoking issue and to consider all of the residents' views. Another issue raised by committee members was the proposal's effect on indi- vidual residence halls. Under the resolu- tion, individual halls would not have been allowed to set their own rules on smoking areas. Smoking issues would no longer have been building-specific, and dorms where there are many smokers would have the same nonsmoking - boundaries as those with few smokers, Ray said. See SMOKING, Page 3 Hard-at More students find jobs to pay off loans By Justin Miller Daily Staff Reporter A record number of college freshmen nationwide expect to work this academic year, taking on more per- sonal debt and borrowing more to pay for college than any previous freshman class, according to a survey by the Higher Education Research Institute at the Univer- sity of California at Los Angeles. The survey of incoming college freshmen found that 47.2 percent of freshmen said there was a "very good chance" that they would work during the academic year. This rise in work follows a trend of increasing tuition rates and lower buying power of federal Pell Grants, which have shifted some of the burden for paying for college onto students. A new high of 29.6 percent of freshmen anticipate owing at least $3,000 in debt after their first year, up from 24.1 percent in 2001, and a record 8 percent - up from 5.6 percent in 2001 - predict they will have to borrow more than $10,000. The trend has been felt inside the University's library system, which employs hundreds of students during the academic year. "When jobs were available (when the economy was better), we had problems getting positions filled, although we always filled them," said Laura Woolly, who works in human resources for the University library system. "Now, when we have openings, they are filled fast and there's less turnover." But while more students are taking more hours to work, they often lose studying time. Engineering freshmen Christina Sadler worked in the University's Undergraduate Research Opportunity Pro- gram last semester so she could pay for expenses other than tuition. Because Sadler had to devote so much time to work, she said she lost time she would have used for studying. She added that she found herself calling in to tell her employer she could not come in on exam days or that she would make up work another day. UROP is a part of the University's work-study pro- gram that awards money to students only after they have applied for financial aid. Students receive a paycheck as they would at a normal job, but their employers are reimbursed for 65 percent of their paychecks by the fed- eral government. UROP employs about 900 students, who work with about 600 faculty members. The pro- gram aims to help improve academic achievement and retention of students. The cheap labor cost as a result of government subsidies makes employers - including the Univer- sity - eager to hire work-study students, so much so that some positions are reserved for the pro- gram. Sadler decided not return to the chemis- try lab this semester because she is tak- ing stressful classes, but plans to apply for UROP next fall. Another UROP employee, LSA freshman Paul Wil- lard, said his work Fresh experience has not work hurt his grades. "I work 11 hours a week," Willard said. "I really don't find it that hard. I sched- uled my classes so I could work during the day, so it's pretty much like a really long class." Willard receives college credit for UROP and uses his paycheck to fund his college career. "It's a sort of a point of pride for me that I get my own paycheck," Willard said. "I think its good for stu- dents in general. I know some of the students here didn't have jobs in high school. It's good that they'll have skills because they can get out of college and have no man say there was a good chance" they would during the academic year. Freshman this year said they anticipate owing at least $3000 in debt of their first year. Freshman in 2001 said they anticipated owing at least $300b in debt after their first year. GRAPHIC BY MATHEW DANIELS, PHOTO BY MIKE HULSEBUS job background." But some students say the continue to work just to spend on themselves. "I'm working just for extra money," LSA freshmen Alex Delgado said while he worked behind the front desk at Mary Markley Residence Hall. "They had shifts they needed to fill, and I just applied - it's right in my dorm." Delgado said his job does not interfere much with classes. Training to be offered for promotion of equality New help for men facing depression Student designs new logo for campaign for LGBT allies to distinguish campaign By C.C. Song For the Daily The Ally Training Program is a one-day program designed for students who want to assist the LGBT commu- nity promote tolerance and equality. The University was not able to start the program until now due to a shortage of staff, Almquist said. She said that the LGBT office has finally received enough money from the Office of the Dean of Students and the Office of Equity and Diversity Servic- es to make the necessary hires. "Right now, it's a pilot program. It's ing, the participants will display logos to let other people know that they sup- port LGBT rights," Almquist said. She said a distinct logo will help students identify the program. "The schools that have training find that logos really help the community. There are lots of general logos out there, but (a distinctive logo is) really effective ... because it identifies the affiliation," she said. The winner of the contest, a first year Law student who wished to,- ramnin nnmr rvnnii 0 ,'.rnn t Men cope with depression differently than women, often neglecting to seek help By Jacqueline E. Howard Daily Staff Reporter If a male seems antisocial, less ener- getic than usual and isolated, he could be suffering from depression, accord- ing to a recent study by the National Tnct't.,ta 'f NMental T-'aolth' the University Hospital collaborated with NIMH to launch the campaign this week, which consists of a hotline where psychiatrists give advice to men suffering from depression. "We hope for the campaign to reduce stigma about depression," said University associate dean of students, and lead coordinator of the three- month campaign, Stephanie Pinder- Amaker. Glick added that depression is espe- cially common on college campuses, making male students no exception. " Di-nrac inn isrnnrP ,'nmm nnn with FROM THIE EDITOR An aspect of yesterday's lead story about Ann Arbor News employees who worked as temporary replacements for striking workers at a Youngstown, Ohio newspaper did not live up to the Daily's stan- dards of ethical journal- ism. The story named four Ann Arbor News employ- ees; however, it should not have named sports writer Antoine Pitts. There is only scant evidence to suggest that he was in Youngstown, and there is significant evidence sug- gesting that he was not there. The error in iiidpmeet Next month, the Office of Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Affairs will launch the LGBT Ally Training