Wednesday, March 22, 2006 News 3 Voiceovers an overlooked career for theatre, music grads Opinion 4 Sports 9 David Betts reflects on his campus legacy Cagers prepare for rematch with Miami PmO' A': KL(lTqfl0 AT )UDERSTADT .ARTS, PAGE 5 One-hundred-sixteen years ofeditorialfreedom www.michzgandaily.com Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXVI, No. 96 @2006 The Michigan Daily PICKING A POVOSTS Coleman's choice taps into national debate over career administrators By Jason Z. Pesick Daily StaffReporter Either out of tremendous self-confidence or respect for a valu- able University of Michigan tradition, the University has long given deference to internal candidates for top administrative posts. Allegiance to that custom, which for a number of possible rea- sons University President Mary Sue Coleman, a relative newcom- er to the institution, did not follow when selecting a new provost, has caused concern in University circles over the recent search process leading to the selection of Coleman's right-hand officer. In January, the University announced the selection of the well- regarded University of Texas administrator Teresa Sullivan to be the next provost and vice president for academic affairs. For the first time in University history, neither the president nor the provost will be long-time Wolverines. Sullivan will also be the first external candidate chosen to be provost since James P. Adams in 1948, when the position entailed less authority. To some observers, this turn of events may merely be a coinci- dence. But to others it marks a departure from University tradi- tion and an acceptance of a troubling national trend turning the field of university administration into its own profession, separate from the faculty. According to a number of individuals familiar with the search process, no internal candidates made it onto the list of finalists given to Coleman by the head of the provost search advisory com- mittee, James Jackson, even though the larger list of finalists the committee members developed included internal candidates. In addition, individuals who spoke with The Michigan Daily on the condition of anonymity because of the secrecy surrounding the search said some of the strongest internal candidates withdrew from the process because they felt they would not be selected. This has led to intense speculation that Coleman influenced the search process out of a desire to select an external candidate. See PROVOST, page 3 Alum lives baseball fantasy Pursued by steroid scandals and other bad news, author escapes into world of fantasy baseball By Megan Kolodgy Daily Sports Editor The stories were becoming all too familiar to Univer- sity alum Sam Walker. He would pick up the paper in the morning and flip to the sports section, only to see another article about the steroid scandal or players holding out for BILL COUCH/Daily ridiculous salaries. The game of baseball was beginning to give off a miasmic odor rising from the pages. As a senior writer and sports columnist for the Wall Street Journal, Walker was fed up with listening to and writing about these disturbing tales from the sport he loved. He wanted to get back to the game itself - to the numbers and the players' lives sans 'roids and riches. So Walker took time off to write "Fantasyland," which chronicles his experiences in the world of fantasy baseball. ALUMNI PROFILES Sixth in a semester-long series STEVEN TAI/Daily The charcoal drawing "Hermaphrodite" by Natsuko Katayama hangs in the back room of The Good Beans Cafe in Flint. The drawing was moved from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Center at the University's Flint campus to the current off-campus location because administrators said it could make employees feel harassed. ARTWORK SPURS CONTROVERSY AT FLINT "I had always wanted to write a book and reconnect with baseball," Walker said. "Plus, I had had this idea: What would happen if I tried to actually manage and interact with my team?" Realizing that this dream was more complicated than simply throwing down $50 to join a league with his bud- dies, Walker applied to become a part of "Tout Wars," the most competitive, highly regarded fantasy baseball league in the nation. Once he was accepted to the elite group, Walker used his contacts in the game to try to alter the destiny of his team. "I made (the players) T-shirts, and if one of them was playing well, I'd give him a 'Player of the Month' trophy," Walker said. "I would look at their stats, and if I saw an odd one, I'd bring it to their attention. When I really got desperate, I lobbied the managers." Walker even went as far as to try to meddle in a couple of real-life trades, but he was unsuccessful. But he and several other "Touts" found Big League managers often appreciated their input. "They don't necessarily have the time to look at all these numbers," Walker said. Although he maintains that throughout this process he never completely lost touch with reality, Walker can think of one or two occasions that made him realize how entrenched he was in the pretend version of the game. "At one point, I was in second place because I had made this amazing trade," he said. "The sense of accom- plishment was tremendous. There was this swell of pride, but then I looked around my apartment, and it was just me, my computer and my dog chewing on a toy. There was this disconnect between what I felt and what was actually there." The player in question was former Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim player Jose Guillen. That evening, the Angels were in New York to play the Yankees, and Walker took a cab down to catch the end of the game and talk to the man who helped him rocket up in the rankings. "I just wanted to talk to him," Walker said. "I felt like I had to go - for affirmation." In general, fantasy baseball primarily revolves around statistics, and some critics assert that baseball itself has been trimmed down to a mere game of numbers. "The best statistical methods can predict about 60 per- cent of what happens in baseball," Walker said. "But 40 percent is art - the injuries, the weather, what's going on at home. It's a people game. That 40 percent is the redeeming quality of baseball." Since finishing his book, Walker has returned to the world of journalism, where he has been involved since See FANTASY, page 7 0 Complaint that drawing of hermaphrodite angel is sexually intimidating sparks battle By Gabe Nelson Daily Staff Reporter Administrators at the University's Office of Insti- tutional Equity had a difficult decision to make. They had to determine the fate of a controversial piece of art. Worried that a charcoal drawing of an angelic figure with breasts and male genitalia might make employees at the University's Flint campus feel sexually harassed, the office insisted it be removed from UM-Flint's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans- gender Center. The decision prompted people at UM-Flint's carn- pus community to cry censorship. The drawing, titled "Hermaphrodite," had hung for two years when the equity office sent a letter requesting its removal in September. "It is very unnerving to a lot of people, because they don't feel this is a valid expression of the human body," said Regina Coon, a UM-Flint student and LGBT Center advisory board member. UM-Flint's LGBT Center obtained the drawing from a Seattle transgender artist named Napsuko Kapayama as part of an exhibit, said Zea Miller, a UM-Flint student and LGBT Center volunteer. After the exhibit ended, the office could not return the drawing because it had lost touch with the artist, so the drawing remained on display in the office, Coon said. Anthony Walesby, the senior director of the equi- ty office, said one anonymous employee's complaint about the drawing prompted the office to suggest the drawing be removed, although the tipster never filed an official complaint. During its investigation, the office interviewed some employees offended by the presence of the drawing, Walesby said. "(The equity office) conferred with their attor- neys and decided it should be taken down because of workplace standards," University spokeswoman Julie Peterson said. "There are different issues at play in workplaces than there are, for instance, in art galleries." The drawing poses an issue of sexual harassment, UM-Flint spokeswoman Jennifer Hogan said. The equity office's website says that the display of sexu- ally offensive material is considered sexual harass- ment when "the conduct creates an intimidating or hostile academic, work or student living environ- ment." "We want an environment that's open and engag- ing, but not discriminatory against any single group," Walesby said. Calling the office's decision to remove the draw- ing censorship, some LGBT Center volunteers pro- tested it by chalking messages on the sidewalks See ARTWORK, page 7 Apartheid activist talks on experience Ahmed Kathrada, who spent time in jail with Nelson Mandela, speaks on what happens when 'nonviolent activity becomes impossible' By Marlem Qamruzzaman Daily Staff Reporter Ahmed Kathrada, an activist who spent 26 years in To balance budget, Bush guts Americorps funding Five-percent overall cut's effect on 'U' programs still unclear By Carissa Miller Daily Staff Reporter President Bush's 2007 budget request, released last month, pro- posed a 5 percent reduction in the federal AmeriCorps service pro- gram funding and could complete- ly eliminate at least one section of in the form of grants. The University's main Ameri- Corps program, the Michigan AmeriCorps Partnership, is sup- ported by state-allocated funds, as well as contributions from indi- vidual colleges at the University. Addell Anderson, program director of the partnership, said it is difficult to estimate what the impact of the proposed cuts would be on the University's program. She said that while she doesn't believe the program will be at risk will not affect administrative support, one of the crucial areas of the the University program's budget, because federal funding for administrative expenses is not permitted after a program's sev- enth year. I am more concerned about other programs across the state, which may close since they nec- essarily depend more heavily on federal dollars to operate their programs," Anderson said. After former President Clinton iw. C I