NEWS
The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 3
ON CAMPUS
Music student
to perform piano
concert tonight
The School of Music will spon-
sor a performance by Matthew Piatt,
a graduate student in the School of
Music, tonight at 8 p.m. at the Kerry-
town Concert House. Piatt will perform
Beethoven's Sonata for Piano and Vio-
lin in G major, op. 96 and Schoenberg
Das Buch der Hangenden Garten, Op.
15. The concert house is located at 415
N. Fourth Ave. Admission is free.
Psychology Dept
to hold open
forum tonight
The Department of Psychology is
hosting a forum tonight that intro-
duces the different areas of psychol-
ogy. The forum will be held in room
4448 of West Hall from 7 to 8:30
p.m. Admission is free.
Jazz concert to be
held at Pierpont
at lunchtime
The University Unions Arts and Pro-
grams will sponsor a jazz concert at
Leonardo's in Pierpont Commons today
from noon to 2 p.m. Admission is free.
CRIME
NOTES
..
Fire extinguisher
vandalized at
Bursley
A wooden board used to cover a fire
extinguisher holder was ripped off a wall
in Bursley Residence Hall and shattered
yesterday, the Department of Public
Safety reported.
Phantom caller
disturbs Northwood
resident
A Northwood resident reported receiv-
ing multiple calls from an unknown caller,
DPS said. The resident said the calls were
harassing. An investigation revealed that
the caller had the wrong number.
THIS DAY
MCRI opponents win
"
small Vi
Commission agrees to
delay hearings until more
facts are gathered about
alleged fraud
By Katerina Georgiev
Daily Staff Reporter
Before a meeting of the Michigan
Civil Rights Commission at the Uni-
versity Law School yesterday, about 20
students and BAMN members picketed
the meeting in an attempt to convince
the commission to hold more hearings
on the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative,
a proposal on November's state ballot to
ban some affirmative action programs in
the state.
"MCRI=Lies and deception," one
sign read.
The picketing worked.
In its third hearing to investigate
charges that representatives from
MCRI tricked people into signing
its petition, the commission voted to
file a stay that will delay a hearing
ctory at,
until further information is gathered
about the alleged fraud.
While MCRC does not have the power
to overturn the Michigan Appeals Court
decision that mandated MCRI be placed
on the November ballot, it could make
a recommendation to the Michigan
Supreme Court suggesting that it nullify
the appeals court ruling.
The MCRC, created in 1963,
investigates reported instances of
discrimination in Michigan.
MCRI, which collected more than
500,000 signatures supporting the
controversial ballot proposal, has
denied all fraud charges.
At the hearing, commission chair Mark
Bernstein assured people that the com-
mission is being deliberate and thorough.
"I want to iterate just how concerned
we are about the very, very serious
allegations being made," he said.
The commission also unanimously
voted to hold another meeting, this
one in Lansing, to hear from MCRI
representatives as well as people
who signed the petition.
Commission member Kelvin Scott
hearing
then asked the board to vote on the motion
to stay, leading to a heated debate.
Commission member Albert
Calille, a 1976 graduate of the Uni-
versity Law School, questioned the
relevance of further hearings.
"I know (information gathered
by the commission regarding the
alleged fraud) is relevant as a practi-
cal matter, but I am not sure it is rel-
evant as a legal matter," he said. "As
a litigator, I question if this informa-
tion is admissible evidence."
The other commission members
disagreed.
Scott said it is a prime opportunity for
the commission to carry out its responsi-
bility to investigate civil rights abuses.
"Let the Supreme Court decide
how to use the information," he said.
Luke Massie, a member of BA MN,
said the commission is the first gov-
ernmental body to give adequate
attention to the fraud allegations.
"This is a breakthrough ... a vindica-
tion for us," he said. "It is very unusual
for the commission to file for a stay, so
they are basically saying, 'What you've
AARON HANDELSMAN/ Daily
LSA freshman Maricruz Lopez pickets outside the Law Quad before a
Michigan Civil Rights Commission hearing yesterday.
found is what we've found."'
Monica Smith, a BAMN member and
presidential candidate for the Defend
Affirmative Action Party in today's and
tomorrow's Michigan Student Assembly
election, said, "(The commission's deci-
sion) will blow the lid off MCRI; they can't
argue the fact that they lied to people."
MCRI has not attended any of the
commission's hearings.
Navajo Supreme
Court visits U'
While visiting, Supreme
Court heard arguments
presented on current case
By Leah Graboski
Daily Staff Reporter
The Navajo Nation Supreme Court, the
judicial body responsible for upholding
Navajo law, made an unprecedented visit
to the University Law School Friday.
The court tried the case of a Navajo man
from New Mexico named James Kelly. In
a lower court, Kelly had been convicted of
reckless driving and vehicular homicide.
He appealed to the supreme court, arguing
the convictions violated the double jeopar-
dy prohibition in the Navajo Bill of Rights.
He argued that the charge of reckless driv-
ing is embedded in the other conviction.
The proceedings began at 1:30
p.m. in Hutchins Hall with two of
the court's attorneys conducting oral
arguments before three justices. The
presentation of oral arguments was
followed by a panel discussion.
No decision has been handed down.
In a country where indigenous peo-
ple are an ethnic minority, the Navajo
Supreme Court travels around the country
to increase public awareness of its exis-
tence, said Gavin Clarkson, a visiting pro-
fessor at the University Law School and a
member of the Choctaw Tribe.
Other universities the court has visited
include Harvard and Stanford.
The court's visit was a component of
American Indian Law Day, an annual
event organized by the University's Native
American Law Students Association.
Expanding from Gallup, New Mexico
to Flagstaff, Arizona, the Navajo Nation
inhabits the largest land area of the 265
indigenous tribes in the United States.
With a population of about 300,000, the
Navajo Nation has its own executive, leg-
islative and judicial branches.
The most powerful manifestation of
tribal sovereignty is the tribal court, said
Paul Spruhan, the permanent law clerk
of the Navajo Supreme Court. The task
of the courts is to define and interpret the
,
relationship between tribal law and feder-
al law, said Navajo Supreme Court Chief
Justice Herb Yazzie.
There is a fundamental difference in the
aims of the federal court system and the
tribal court system. In the eyes of Yazzie,
in the federal system, someone is meant to
win and someone is meant to lose.
Yazzie said the task of the tribal sys-
tem is to ensure the reestablishment of
harmony in society. This harmony is
reached when all individuals feel that their
thoughts, positions and needs are consid-
ered, Yazzie said in his opening remarks.
This difference is not meant to sug-
gest total cleavage between the two
courts. Yazzie said the courts must work
together to coexist peacefully. Within
the tribal system, there is a push-pull
relationship between statutory law and
common law. Common law is adopted
from traditional values and cultural
norms of the Navajo tribe, especially
those passed down orally.
Over time, there has been an ero-
sion of the tribal common law, said
Justice Rudy Bedonie.
As a result of pressure to assimilate into
"Western" culture, tribal societies began
to eschew their traditional values, forget-
ting what it was like when "Indians were
red men," Bedonie said.
In 2000, Navajo leaders passed legisla-
tion mandating the use of common law
in Navajo tribal courts, Justice Lorene
Ferguson said. Common law has always
been in the background, but in the last few
years, there has been a strong push to get
back to Navajo values.
The GerjaiRci KForci SehooI ofPuie f-PoIicy
at the Univexrty ofIVlchigan presents
Lieutenant General David Petraeus
Commander of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center and
Fort Leavenworth
"Observations from
SolIdiering in Iraq-'-
Thursday, March 23, 2006
4:00-..5:15 p.m.
Ross School of Business, Hale Auditorium
701 Tappan Street
The public is invited to attend the lecture and the reception
that. fonlows.
This lectcitee is ade poss ibc by a senIerous gift from the C iigroup FoUridauon.
For more inforrmaion. c';ntat the Ford School at 73-764-3490 or visit
www'. Iordschoot. umich. e dU.
LECTURE SERIES
In Daily
His tor
y
* Store now only
offers textbooks
March 21, 1981 - University Cel-
lar Bookstore decided the "trade book
department" does not bring sufficient
profits to the store and will be discon-
tinued starting June 1.
Like the 14 bookstores in the area,
the trade book department in U-Cel-
lar offers non-textbooks to customers,
mainly students. Unlike other book-
stores, U-Cellar is losing money by the
minute, with losses of over $175,000
between 1979 and 1980 sales. It cannot
afford to offer trade books as well as
low-priced textbooks any longer.
A $40,000 loss in the trade depart-
ment is expected for this year.
John Sappington, staff manager,
explains that expenses were not the only
factor in the Thursday-night decision.
"Not enough people were taking
advantage of the department," he said.
Matthew Neumeier, president of U-
Cellar's Board of Directors, said the
decision was for the good of the store
and its ability to serve the University
community.
"It's to the point now where we can't
afford to have several loss centers,"
Neumeier said. "Here we had an alba-
tross drawing huge amounts each year.
Employees of the trade book
department, however, feel the depart-
ment still holds great importance in
the community.
"College trade book stores provide
great services because they carry
books that other stores won't carry,"
employee Lu Bjorklund said.
However, Bjorklund said the board can-
not ignore the looming financial losses.
Unlike the various bookstores
in the area, U-Cellar is decentral-
ized by department, with individual
STU DENTS!
Looking to sublet your house or
apa rtment this Spring/summ er.
Look no further than The MichigAn Dal[y'
Summer Su7let 5pecial Seciopn ~arcIet
CASH for your place while you re away from
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K~ate: $45x
If you're a junior, senior or a grad student, you could be one of the lucky
seven selected for an all-expenses-paid one-day internship with one of
these Michigan success stories:
David Brandon, '74, CEO, Domino's Pizza, Inc.
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Randy and Jason Sklar, '94, comedians, hosts of ESPN Classic's "Cheap Seats"
Location: New York, New York
0 Joe Schwarz, '59, HLLD'03, member of United States House of
Representatives, representing 7th district of Michigan
Location: Washington, DC
Aaron Dworkin, '97, MMUS'98, founder and president of Sphinx Organization
for minorities in the classical arts
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Harvey Briggs, '82, executive vice president and director of innovation for
Lindsay, Stone & Briggs
Location: Madison, Wisconsin
Linda McFall, '89, senior editor of Mira Books
Deadline: Noon on Friday, March 24
published: Thursday, March 30
3
Call the classified department at
The Daily for more info, 754-764-0557.
Or stop by 420 Maynard, next to the $A .
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SPACE IS LIMITED, SO RESERVE YOURS TODAY!
Text of ad:
(a division of Harlequin books)
-A
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