Monday, April 4, 2005 Weather . { { F 5R ,. Opinion 4A Elliot Mallen opposes the Greenway Arts 5A Comic film noir 'Sin City' spills onto the big screen c . t Y t iii TOMORROW: One-hundredfourteen years ofeditorialfreedom S www.mie'kigandaiy.com Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXV, No. 111 @2005 The Michigan Daily 1w, Od Campus mourns John Paul II By Rachel Mwuer Daily StaffReporter As the world mourns the passing of Pope John Paul II, Univer- sity students and faculty reflect on his impact on Church doctrine and their own personal connection to the man who was the face of Catholicism for the past 26 years. Some Ann Arbor residents praised the pope for speaking out against communism, fostering tolerance of all religions and chang- ing the role of women in the Church, while others criticized him for going too far or not far enough. Dennis Glasgow, associate pastor of the St. Mary Student Parish, said he met the pope about 10 times over a period of eight years while living in Rome. He said the pope left a legacy that embodied the progressive mentality molded by Vatican II - a general council of the Church in the 1960s that introduced several reforms. "I think that the pope was a man of the Second Vatican Council. I think he'll be remembered for the duration and courage of his reign, by going everywhere and bringing the Gospel values to every nook and cranny of the world. He went to the periphery - he went to the poorest of the poor, " Glasgow said. The pope also upheld one of Vatican II's greatest changes - allowing liturgy to be recited in vernaculars instead of Latin. But Glasgow said the pope still wanted to maintain tradition and imple- mented parameters for the liturgy so different cultures could enrich services while maintaining the core ideology. Along with these reforms, Glasgow said he remembers the pope for his impassioned, trembling prayer. "He really was in communion with God. He had a deep prayer life - there would be tears in his eyes, and he would groan dur- ing prayer. He would pray so intensely that his being seemed to be 1wrapped up in the presence of God," he said. Many associate the pope not only with his intense faith but also for his contribution to democratic reform in the world. Political Science Prof. William Zimmerman said the pope was instrumental in bringing about the fall of communism by visiting See POPE, Page 7A AEP shut down By Jameel Naqvi Daily News Editor The University chapter of the Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority was closed by its national orga- nization yesterday, according to Panhellenic Association spokeswoman Lindsey Fediuk. "There were some risk-management issues," said Fediuk, citing the University hazing report that found the sorority house guilty of hazing its pledges - a violation of the Univer- sity's code of conduct, the Statement of Stu- dent Rights and Responsibilities. The report revealed AEP had been placed on social pro- bation and mandated educational programs for the sorority's members. The sudden and late closing of the Pi chap- ter of AEP forces the house's residents - who will be allowed to remain in the house until the semester ends - to seek alternative housing beginning in the spring, according to Fediuk. She said the women were informed of the chapter's closing yesterday afternoon. "Panhel is supporting the national associa- tion's decision to close the chapter," she said, adding that neither the national organization nor the Office of Greek Affairs will assist the displaced women in finding housing. "That's not (the national organization's) job," she said. Fediuk said the national organization will remain the owner of the house. The University's hazing report was released in February in response to allegations of severe hazing after Fall 2004 Rush. The University's investigation found evidence of forced food consumption, marijuana use, coerced theft and trespassing, excessive alcohol consumption and psychological abuse. AEP was the only sorority found guilty of hazing. AMY DRUMM/Daily University alum Jeremy Mouser picks up a fallen flower by a photo of the late Pope John Paul i after the Sunday Mass at St. Mary Student Parish. ,GSIs to, vote -on contract GEO members will submit votes on contract via mail-in ballot By Ekjyot Saini Daily Staff Reporter The Graduate Employees' Organization unanimously voted yesterday to submit the tentative contract reached between GEO and the University for ratification by all members through mail-in ballots. After months of negotiations, GEO and the University reached an agreement late Thurs- day night after 15 hours of discussion. Significant progress was made on Thursday in regards to benefits and wages - the two key issues that remained on the table after a week of negotiations between the two parties. The tentative contract provides graduate stu- dent instructors who work more than 10 hours a week with salary increases that will be the same size as increases provided to LSA fac- ulty. This provides for a minimum 2.5-percent increase next year, and a 3 percent increase for each of the following two years. Low-fraction graduate student instructors - those who work fewer than 10 hours a week - will receive pay increases based upon the fraction that they work. GSIs who work a .10, .15 or .20 fraction (about 4, 6.5 or 8 hours respectively) will receive a 5-percent increase. Those employed at the lowest fraction, .05, or about 2 hours a week, will receive a 30-per- cent increase in salary. "We didn't get the kind of raises we were See GEO, Page 3A Students light up for reform of weed laws Qv ~ A.. M0011 Dy viga maniuma For the Daily An estimated 900 people gathered this weekend for Ann Arbor's annual Hash Bash, a peaceful and music-filled rally that brought together a diverse group of participants. Their reasons for attending ranged from educating people about marijuana reform laws, to supporting a recently passed pro- posal to allow the use of medicinal marijuana, to witnessing the Ann-Arbor tradition for themselves. Among the speakers at the rally were Scio Town- ship trustee Chuck Ream and Melanie Karr, vice president of the Michigan chapter of The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. The Diag rally was followed by a street fair held across from the Law Quad and an impromptu march to City Hall led by Ream. The march made its way downtown with 150 participants, including Karr, who held signs that read "74%," the percent- age by which Proposal C, the medical marijuana initiative, passed last November. "This march is about implementing the mari- juana initiative in Ann Arbor," Karr said. But Ann Arbor City Attorney Stephen Postema said that the issue that activists like Karr are fight- ing for is a nonissue. "There's been no prosecution for people who use marijuana for medical uses," he said. "If you have a valid prescription for marijuana, it is legal. That's state law." Postema said that although the vote for the mari- juana initiative was valid, the result is unenforce- able to the extent that it conflicts with state and federal law. The U.S. Supreme Court medicinal marijuana case Raich v. Ashcroft, on which a ruling is expected today, was one of the issues proponents of medicinal marijuana discussed at the rally. The case will have significant impact on the future of medicinal mari- juana, states' rights and the federal government's power in determining the legal scope of its usage. Although the organizers of Hash Bash said they were present at the rally for both political and recreational reasons, some students scoffed at the See HASH BASH, Page 7A University student Stephanie and friend Jarim light a pipe at Hash Bash. MSA reps dissatisfied with Levine's appeal Supporters of a student chapter of PIRGIM feel new president is too soft on issue By Laura Van Hyfte Daily StaffReporter Jessie Levine, the newly elected president of the Michigan Student Assembly, filed an appeal Friday, March 25, against the Central Student Judiciary's ruling that the assembly could not fund a student chapter of the Public Interest Research Group in Michigan. But Matt Hollerbach, an MSA representative, along with more than 26 other MSA representatives, filed an amicus brief in response to Levine's appeal, which said they felt was not comprehensive in detail- ing all the issues Students for PIRGIM wanted to highlight in its effort to create a chapter on campus. The representatives said they did not feel that Levine had been strong enough with the language in his appeal, Hollerbach said. "There is a majority of people who don't think that Jesse filed an adequate appeal," Hollerbach said. He added that the language of Levine's appeal - which refers to CSJ's decision as "questionable" and "concerning" - is too soft. "Our amicus brief is much more comprehen- sive,"he said. Hollerbach added that, although Levine did agree with many issues that were raised, many MSA representatives are still displeased. Among these reasons is what many MSA mem- bers said they feel is CSJ's power over the assem- bly. CSJ voted against a student chapter of PIRGIM because it mandated that guidelines must first be in place before such funding can be approved. Now, MSA members say they feel that CSJ is dictating what the guidelines should be. But CSJ's allegedly dictatorial behavior was not the only reason Levine said he filed his appeal. He, along with other representatives, said he believed CSJ's ruling was too strict and that it violated MSA's compiled code. However, drafting the appeal and deciding exactly which issues to address was a source of great dispute within MSA. Levine, who was desig- nated to file the appeal as student general counsel, clashed with other members on what the appeal should say. Levine did not agree with appealing the CSJ ruling, stating that MSA had to create neutral guidelines that it would adhere to when funding student groups. "He did come around on some of the points and didn't spend a lot of time on it. It was put together pret- ty hastily and sloppily," Hollerbach said. "We didn't think that Jesse was really considering the whole case See PIRGIM, Page 7A Students rally against measure to end affirmative action By Amber Colvin aily Staff Reporter in Michigan, the march around campus ended on the Diag, where speakers - including national with Smith, saying that a survey conducted by BAMN found that 95 percent of Detroit voters who action is racism" and "Not all white men are privi- leged," while shouting remarks in defiance of the way to do it." BAMN did not have permission to march in the