Friday, December 9, 2005 News 3 SUVs weak spot in Ford's future LIVING FOR M\/USIC .. FRIDAY FOCUS, PAGE 1( Opinion 4 Whitney Dibo on Ann Arbor's homeless Arts 5 Iron&Wineand Calexico descend on Detroit One-hundredffteen years ofeditorialfreedom www.mzcnaandaily.com Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXVI, No. 46 2005 The Michigan Daily Lennon exhibit comes to town Daily Arts Writer John Lennon might be one of the most recognizable musicians in the world, but few know that .,,,,,,,,,,,,,_, hisartaone So This is Xmas compared to SOTiISX a Pablo Picasso's. John Lennon Lennon's travel- Art Exhibit ing art exhibit, Dec. 8 -11 "So This Is 217 N. Main St. Xmas," opened yesterday in Ann Arbor and will continue through Sunday. The free exhibit, located at 217 North Main St., showcases the line-drawing talents of the man who was half of pop music's greatest songwriting team and fea- tures videos and music from the legendary Beatle. The exhibit opens just in time for the 25th anniversary of his tragic murder. "John has a great history with Ann Arbor, and Yoko (Ono, Lennon's widow) specifically wanted us to come to Ann Arbor to commemorate his death," said Rudy Siegal, a planner for the exhibit. "John and Yoko had a really special time in this area." In 1971, Lennon made an extremely rare, post-Beatles live appearance at See LENNON, Page 7 Harrison guilty of indecent exposure Football player to appear in court again Monday on felony charges of being a sexually delinquent person By Nate Sandals Daily Sports Writer Former Michigan football player Larry Harrison returned to Ann Arbor this week to face multiple charges for exposing himself to girls outside their houses near campus. On Wednesday, Harrison was convicted of indecent exposure, a misde- meanor, in Washtenaw County Circuit Court. Assistant Washtenaw County Prosecutor Blaine Longsworth brought the case against Harrison, charging him with exposing himself to multiple women on the 1300 block of Minerva Street on the night of Dec. 6, 2004. The jury deliberated for about two hours before returning with a guilty ver- dict. A conviction of misdemeanor indecent exposure can carry a sentence of up to one year in prison. Judge Archie Brown presided over the three-day trial. Harrison, 21, is not through dealing with the law. Judge Brown scheduled a Monday trial for the felony charge of being a sexually delinquent person, someone who repeatedly commits sexual acts without regard to conse- quences or the acts' effect on others. A conviction on the felony charge could carry a sentence of anywhere from one day to life in prison. In addition to the felony charge, Brown will preside over three pretri- al hearings for similar indecent exposure charges on Monday. State law requires the same judge to hear all cases regarding similar charges. Longsworth will prosecute the felony trial but would not divulge any of the prosecution's tactics. "The charge is different, so it is logical that there will be some differ- ences from the misdemeanor case," Longsworth said. "But beyond that, I won't speak on the prosecution's case against Mr. Harrison." Longsworth said Harrison's behavior warranted further prosecution. Harrison's defense attorney Anthony Chambers did not return messages requesting a comment yesterday. All of the charges stem from a series of incidents that took place during fall semester of last year near Central Campus. Harrison, a Detroit native, transferred to North Carolina A&T State Uni- versity this fall following his suspension from the Michigan football team in December of last year. He is now enrolled as a student at the Division I-AA school in Greensboro, N.C., where he played on the football team this past season. He recorded 39 tackles and one sack in 11 games. The North Carolina A&T Athletic Department has not yet released a state- ment on the conviction. "We will have a statement when the whole matter is resolved," said Wheeler Brown, associate athletic director at North Carolina A&T. Brown went on to say there have been no discussions regarding Harri- son's status on the football team. North Carolina A&T hired a new football coach last Monday, and Brown did not expect the Harrison matter to be brought up for at least a week. Michigan football coach Lloyd Carr suspended Harrison indefinitely from the Michigan football team last December following his arraignment See HARRISON, Page 7 JLH-MY , UH LIy Gabe Kleer looks at a drawing by John Lennon at the "So This Is Xmas" exhibit yesterday. The exhibit showcases the line-drawing talents of the late Beatle. Legal tussle over MCRI continues State Court of Appeals rejects request to reconsider placing initiative on next year's ballot LANSING (AP) - Opponents of a proposal that would ban some affirmative action programs in Michigan said yesterday they will appeal to the state Supreme Court after again losing a deci- sion in an appeals court. The Michigan Court of Appeals rejected a request to reconsider its earlier order that the pro- * posal be put on the November 2006 ballot. The appeals court, in an order released late Wednes- day, again ordered a state elections board to put the proposal on the ballot. The Board of State Canvassers has not com- plied with the order and apparently does not plan to act until all appeals are exhausted. "At this point, nothing has really changed," said George Washington, a lawyer representing the pro-affirmative action group BAMN. "The bot- tom line is we're now appealing to the Supreme Court, where we always thought we'd be." The ballot proposal, backed by the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, would ban race and gen- der preferences in government hiring and univer- sity admissions. MCRI executive director Jennifer Gratz said canvassers should obey the appeals court ruling and quickly approve the proposal for the ballot. "The board should do what is right and certify the petitions," Gratz said. The appeals court order also said the secretary of state's office "shall take all necessary mea- sures" to put the proposal on the ballot. The canvassers failed to approve or reject the MCRI's petitions this summer, prompting the group to seek court action to get on the ballot. The appeals court ruled in MCRI's favor in October. The elections board is obligated to cer- tify the petitions, the appeals court said, because there is no dispute that the form of the petitions is proper and that the MCRI collected enough signatures to make the ballot. State elections bureau staff in July had rec- ommended to the canvassers that the petitions be certified. But a vote to approve the petitions failed to win a bipartisan majority of the four- person board, which has two Democrats and two See MCRI, Page 7 Airbus becomes more popular with students I MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL By Drew Philp Daily Staff Reporter At the end of the winter semester of his freshman year, LSA junior Ben Gottlieb couldn't find a ride to the air- port to return to his sunny home in Hawaii. Instead of paying for a $50 cab ride, Gottlieb chose Airbus, a service spon- sored by the Michigan Student Assem- bly that takes students to Detroit Metro Airport before and after breaks. This Thanksgiving break, Airbus increased its ride service by 38 percent over last year, providing a total of 1,862 rides to and from the airport. This winter break, Airbus is plan- ning a record 88 airport trips and expects more passengers than it had last year. "In the past, we have had overfilled busses," said Josh Kersey, the adminis- trative executive for airbus. "This year, we have scheduled almost 50 percent more than last year." Hitch a Ride Buying Airbus tickets for winter break Students who need a ride to Detroit Metro Airport after finals can purchase Airbus tickets at the Michigan Union Ticket Office. Students can use their Mcards to buy walk-on seats, but space is limited for stu- dents without a reservation. E The cost of a ticket to the airport is $7, while a return trip is $10. improvements to its services besides providing more rides. New buses AARON SWICK/Daily A scene from a dress rehearsal of Alicyn Warren's "Mirror Story" yesterday. The performance is an electronic opera that tells the story of a young woman on her deathbed and will be performed today and tomorrow In the Video and Performance Studio In the Duderstadt Center. Some seniors ready to say goodb to 'U'