Monday, December 12, 2005 ~ITKfI'~7A~V~1Y] 2: ~ [;1<~j~ />~ ~ JAY News 3A MLK symposium theme and speakers chosen Opinion 4A Suhael Momin wants the military to ask and tell ri t..k aug YI Arts 5A Children's classic enlightens audiences One-hundredfifleen years of editoriIdfreedom www.michgandady.com Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXVI, No. 47 ®2005 The Michigan Daily BREAKING IT DOWN NYU cans Coke contract Administrators say Coca-Cola violated an agreement by refusing to submit to an independent investigation of its practices. By Jeremy Davidson Daily Staff Reporter Another school has joined the list of nearly a dozen institutions worldwide that have divested from the Coca-Cola Company on the grounds of alleged human rights violations in Asia and South America. New York University began pulling all Coke products from its campus last week after Coke refused to submit to an independent investigation by its Dec. 8 deadline. This decision could have significant implications for the University of Michigan, which decided in June to cut its contracts with Coca- Cola if the company failed to agree in writing to an independent investigation by Sept. 30. But 72 days later, Coke has not agreed in writing to an independent inves- tigation and the University has not taken any action. Timothy Slottow, the University's chief financial officer, has said it would be premature to cut the contracts now because the University believes the company is acting in "good faith." He cited Coke's recent signs of willing- ness to work with the University The call for the University to review Coke has been the first test of the University's Vendor Code of Conduct, which was established last year to ensure that all vendors who conduct business with the University adhere to specific ethical guidelines. Members of the Coke Campaign Coalition, a group of campus organiza- tions that are pressuring the University to cut its ties with Coke, said the University is not living up to its own standards. "I think that we are telling Coke through our inaction that our Vendor Code of Conduct is just there to make us look good," said LSA Senior Ilan Brandvain, a member of the Coke Campaign Coalition. "This shows that a large university can take a stand and it should set a precedent for the University of Michigan," Brandvain added. Activists said they think it's not too late for the University to stand by its word. "I hope the University will be able to take a really strong stance like NYU has done" said Jory Hearst, a Coke Coalition member and RC junior. NYU junior Erin Keskeny, who is involved in the school's campaign against the company, said that she hopes other schools will follow NYU's example. "We are certainly glad that our university has taken a strong stand against Coke'" Keskeny said. "We would prefer that Coke would cooperate, but we're still glad that our university is getting involved." Ed Potter, Director of Global Relations for Coca-Cola, said the company couldn't agree to the investigation because of unresolved legal complications. Potter has asked Terry Collingsworth, the lawyer representing plaintiffs who are suing the company's affiliate in Miami, to agree that investigations the company undergoes for its review of contracts with universities be withheld from trial. Collingsworth has adamantly refused Potter's request, saying that it would be an ethical violation to agree to the request. EUGENE ROBERTSON/Daily Ren performs two songs from his new album Anno Domini, which can be found at trooprecords.com, at The Remix presented by FOKUS at the Union on Saturday. Attorneys come cheap efor students By Karl Stampfi Daily StalReporter When they get into legal trouble, stu- dents are faced with a choice: either pay thousands of dollars to hire a private law- yer or take advantage of the $6.50 they've already paid to Student Legal Services as part of their student fees. Art and Design sophomore Patrick Con- nor chose the latter. And he has no regrets. By receiving his fourth minor-in-pos- session pen- alty near the This is the end of last second story school year, in a three-part Connor . series on the violated his University's probation, student services. "Without SLS, my parents would have had to pay for a lawyer, whatever thousands of dollars it would have cost." - Patrick Conor Art and Design sophomore who give students legal counsel on top- ics as wide ranging as divorce/family law, employment grievances, bankruptcy and criminal defense. At $6.50 per semester - much closer to the cost of a pizza than to the cost of a private lawyer - students can receive top- notch counsel, said SLS Director Doug Lewis. "It's bargain basement prices;" Lewis said. Students may be asked to pay certain fees, which max out at about $200 and are usually less, Lewis said. These fees include long-distance calls, postage and litigation costs, such as court-filing costs. Unlike other student services, where it is often difficult to schedule a timely appoint- See SLS, Page 7A which meant he could have faced up to 30 days in jail and a $200 fine. But SLS helped him get the charges dis- missed in exchange for the completion of 36 hours of service at a local community kitchen and a substance abuse class. "Without SLS, my parents would have had to pay for a lawyer, whatever thousands of dollars it would have cost," Connor said. "To get the same quality, I don't know how much money I would have had to spend." SLS is the University's team of attorneys 'U' makes music with new label CLASS OF '71 Block M Records hopes to put spotlight on unconventional tunes By C.C. Song Daily Staff Reporter E3Q, a band of three Residential College faculty members, would not have the record of their dreams if Block M Records did not exist. Last Thursday, the University publicized Block M Records, the University's first official record label. As Block M Records's current feature artist, E3Q's music is a combination of jazz, contempo- rary, rock, funk and other genres of music, said Mark Kirschenmann, a band member and an RC lecturer. Because of its unconventional- ity, E3Q's music would probably face alteration if produced by other record labels, said RC Prof. Michael Gould, who is also a band mem- ber. But through Block M Records, Gould said that their music's origi- nality is preserved. "I do not have to alter my aes- thetic for the sake of commercial Other than providing an oppor- tunity for University faculty and students to produce unconventional music, the label will also provide listeners with the performances that alumni and students want to hear but don't have the opportunity to attend. Wolff said with the growing interest in downloading music online, the School of Music wanted to capitalize on the growing trend. "The recording industry is hav- ing a difficult time these days," she said. "There will be pieces never be heard outside of auditorium." The music is now available on Block M Records's website for streaming. But to download the pieces, Wolff said, listeners will have to pay a fee. Torrella said that because art- ists can act as their own producers through the record label, Block M Records also allows the artists to control their works more directly and retain more royalty fees. He said that after a portion of the profits goes to copyright clearance, the remainder will be shared by the School of Music and the artists. Torrella said that Block M Daily elects new set of edlitors By James V. Dowd Daily Staff Reporter The Michigan Daily elected current news editor Donn Fresard as its new edi- tor in chief on Friday, Nov. 11. Fresard will succeed current Editor in Chief Jason Pesick on Jan. 30. Fresard said he hopes to follow his predecessor's penchant for pushing the Daily to write in-depth news stories and help readers stay on top of breaking news as it happens. "I want to take the Daily further in the direction that it has been going over the last year with more aggressive news coverage," Fresard said. "I think we're going to try to do things that make us more connected to and more account- able to our readers." Upon assuming the position of edi- tor in chief in January of this year, Pesick appointed former news editor Alison Go to the newly created position of managing editor. Over the summer Pesick and Daily staffers revamped the PETER SCHOTTENFELS/Daily Marching Band alum Randy Safford, class of '71, performs at the 7th Annual Tuba Christmas led by George Thompson of Ypsilanti on the corner of State and North University avenues yesterday. Students support embattled prof MSA member begins leter writincy camnaip' Al-Arian, an outspoken pro-Pales- tinian activist and former engineer- family friend. A jury acquitted Al-Arian last II I I