Monday, March 13, 2006
News 2A Slobodan Milosevic
autopsy suggests he
died of heart attack
Opinion 4A
Suhael Momin won't
buy American cars
V/ITHI SWEEP, ICERS DO SME SPRING CLEANING ...SPORTsMONDAY
One-/zundred-ffteen years ofedton'alfreedom
Arts 8A Of Montreal gets
laid at the Blind Pig
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www.mihirandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Vol. CXV, No. 89
@2006 The Michigan Daily
o
SEECIONSUNDAY
NOT DANCING
Cagers miss tourney for eighth straight year
MCRI loses
steam in polis
Late-season collapse
leaves team with only
consolation prize: NIT
By Matt Singer
Daily Sports Editor
When the Michigan men's basket-
ball team jumped out to a hot 16-3
start, few expected it to be left out of
March Madness for the eighth straight
year.
But last night, when the NCAA Tour-
nament selection committee released
its selections, Michigan's name was
nowhere to be found. The commit-
tee refused to ignore the Wolverines'
monumental late-season collapse, in
which Michigan lost seven of its last
nine games.
"I would say that I'm frustrated with
how we finished," Michigan coach
Tommy Amaker said. "Certainly, I
think that's how everyone feels right
now. We didn't finish strong, and that
cost us an opportunity to play in the
NCAA Tournament field this year."
Instead of donning dancing shoes,
the Wolverines will participate in the
ugly stepchild of the college basketball
postseason - the National Invitation
Tournament, where the 18-10 Michigan
squad earned a No. 1 seed. The Wolver-
ines will face the winner of Tuesday's
UTEP-Lipscomb match-up on Mar. 16
at 7 p.m. in Crisler Arena. Tickets go
on sale at 9 a.m. this morning.
In addition to being one of the most
talented squads in the bracket, Michi-
gan has plenty of NIT experience. The
Wolverines ran the NIT table two years
ago, earning the right to raise a cham-
pionship banner to the Crisler Arena
rafters. But while the team's 2003-04
NIT run appeared to be a stepping
stone to bigger and better things, this
year's appearance is only a depressing
reminder of unfulfilled expectations.
"This one may be different," senior
captain Graham Brown said. "We were
a younger team at that point (in 2003-
Support for initiative
to ban some affirmative
action down about 20
points from two years ago
By Neil Tambe
Daily Staff Reporter
Heading into the final months before
November's election, support for a ballot
initiative to ban some affirmative action
programs in Michigan is waning.
If the initiative passes, it will have a
significant effect on University admis-
sion policies.
According to a statewide poll of 600
likely voters released last week, 47 per-
cent of the people in the survey opposed
the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative.
Forty-four percent favored it and 9 per-
cent were undecided.
The poll, administered by EPIC/MRA
for WXYZ-TV in Southfield, has a sam-
pling error of plus or minus 4 percent.
Two years ago the same polling firm
showed the initiative, which at the time
was still gathering signatures, had the
support of 64 percent of those surveyed
- 17 points higher than the most recent
poll. Last December, another EPIC/
MRA poll showed 53 percent in sup-
port of MCRI with 32 percent voters
opposed.
MCRI executive director Jennifer
Gratz told the Associated Press that she
was still confident voters would vote to
pass the initiative. She also said the poll
results were a special case and that many
credible polls on MCRI show a margin
of support that is nearly two to one.
The University's College Republicans
has endorsed MCRI.
College Republicans Vice Chair
Robert Scott said campaigning hasn't
ended.
"There's still a lot of work to be done
on both sides," he said. "It's close enough
so you can't really tell which way it's
going to go yet."
Students who hold opposite views on
the issue are also involved.
"We are trying to inform as many peo-
ple as possible," said campus NAACP
By the numbers
Public support for MCRI
has slipped since 2004
2004
percent
supported the
initiative
percent
opposed the
initiative
Last December
53
3..2
percent
supported
percent
opposed
Last week
44
419
percent
supported
percent
opposed
RODRIGO GAYA/Daily
Tommy Amaker addresses the press after the team found out they had been left out of the NCAA tournament yesterday. The
team will play in the National Invivational Tournament Instead.
04). We were satisfied with the possibil-
ity of making the NCAA Tournament,
but we were satisfied with making the
NIT also.... I think this year, we were
really focused on trying to make the
NCAA Tournament."
Michigan's six-member senior class
- which also narrowly missed out on
the NCAA Tournament in 2003-04
- was especially disappointed by the
news. But the team didn't blame the
selection committee. The Wolverines
knew they had every opportunity to
play their way into the tourney. They
just didn't take advantage.
"It's really disappointing," Brown
said.. "This is something we've strived
for four years, and we really wanted it.
It's a tough pill to swallow right now,
but we've got to try to build on it."
For the second straight season, sus-
pensions and injuries hamstrung the
Wolverines.
Junior Brent Petway was declared
academically ineligible for Michigan's
non-conference season and missed the
team's first 11 games. Redshirt junior
Lester Abram, who played just three
games in 2004-05, struggled with inju-
ries once again. Toe and ankle injuries
kept him out of 12 games. Key con-
tributors Chris Hunter (knee) and Dion
Harris (ankle) also succumbed to the
See BIG DANCE, page 7A
NIT tickets
TICKETS:
$10 Blue reserved
$8 Gold General
$5 Student Bleachers
GAME TIME:
Thursday, March 16, 7
p.m.
LOCATION:
Crisler Arena
President Riana Anderson. She said
NAACP has been taking an approach to
educate, but will work to mobilize oppo-
sition to MCRI over the summer.
Anderson said her group has hosted
forums to debate both sides of the issue
as well as to distribute educational infor-
mation.
Anderson said she thinks people can
use the new information in the poll to
campaign against MCRI.
Eboni Mack, publicity chair for Stu-
dents Supporting Affirmative Action,
said her group will discuss strategies to
combat MCRI next week, and will hold
Residence Hall events about the initia-
tive toward the end of the month.
- The Associated Press contributed to
this report
Rare falcons
invade Burton
Two peregrine falcons
that may be nesting in
bell tower prompt U'
to silence ringing
By Leah Graboskl
Daily Staff Reporter
If you noticed less music around Central
Campus last week, you weren't alone. Two
peregrine falcons have silenced the hourly
bells on Burton Memorial Tower.
The falcons, which are quickly becoming
the most talked-about birds in Ann Arbor,
were spotted Wednesday perched on the
highest ledge of the 70-year-old tower.
While on a lunchtime stroll, Jacco Gelder-
loos, a member of the Washtenaw Audubon
Society - an organization that promotes the
protection of birds within the county - first
spotted one of the falcons circling the tower.
Peregrines are the fastest animals in the
world. During dives, they have been known
to top speeds of 200 miles per hour. In the
1960s, peregrine falcons were near extinc-
tion and could not be found anywhere east of
the Mississippi River.
"For most of my life, these birds were
basically legendary phantoms," Dave Sing,
a student in the School of Natural Resources
and the Environment, said in an e-mail inter-
view.
Experts believe the bell tower's newest
residents are the first of their kind - there
are no documented cases of Peregrines nest-
ing in Ann Arbor.
It is not yet clear whether the birds are
nesting in the bell tower, but bird experts
believe it is highly possible.
"There is strong evidence that the falcons
are nesting'" said Ray Stocking, president
of the Washtenaw Audubon Society. "We
know there are two. We've seen the court-
ship dance. We've seen them fend off crows.
This is not proof, but it is encouraging"
Bradley Bloom, associate dean for admin-
istrative affairs at the School of Music,
Burton's bird
Scientific
name: Falco
pererinus
Falcons'
fastest record-
ed speed: 242
mph
Preferred
nesting site:
High cliffs
Favorite
food: Smallert
birds
Incubation
period: 32 to
35 days g j
Symposium
focuses on
d1gitizat10on
Professors, librarians, search-
engine junkies talk about
necessity of putting books online
By Ekjyot Saini
Daily Staff Reporter
Search-engine junkies gathered in Rackham
Auditorium last weekend for a University sympo-
sium on digital information.
The symposium was organized around the Uni-
versity's involvement in the Google Book Proj-
ect - a massive digitization campaign in which
Google aims to copy and digitize books available
in the University libraries as well as others.
Google is hoping to create a searchable data-
base of copyrighted works that would present
searchers with snippets from books.
Because of this project, the Authors Guild - a
group that represents 8,000 published authors -
is suing Google for allegedly violating copyright
laws.
University President Mary Sue Coleman opened
the symposium with continued strong support for
the project.
Coleman stressed the need for mass digitization
to protect books murky heritage and culture.
"Our work is about the social good of promot-
ing and sharing knowledge," she said. "As a uni-
versity, we have no other choice but to make this
happen."
Coleman addressed the legal concerns of the
publishers who object to the project.
"We know there are limits on access to works
covered by copyright," she said. "If, and when, we
pursue those uses, we will be conservative and we
decided to stop the chimes at Burton Tower
because "one of the society's members
observed that the hourly striking of the bells
caused the birds to fly away."
Steven Ball plays the tower's bells, which
See FALCONS, page 7A
A peregrine falcon atop Burton Tower. Since the endanged
animals have nested in the tower, the bell has not been rung.
A2 Says goodbye, Faz
Legendary pizza
man remembered for
charm, generosity
By Ashiea Surles
Daily Staff Reporter
When Infonnation on Husain's
memorial service Is available, it
will be on The Wire blog at
www.mchlgandally.com.
with idiopathic lung disease sev-
not been smiling and laughing
and talking to us," said Wajeeha
Shutwtari, vice president of
Muslim Students' Association.
"He was very personable and
friendly, and he was just a really
good man."
.~- ,,~ I