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One-hundred-sixteen years of edtoralfreedom
www.michikandaily.com Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXVII, No. 11 @2006 The Michigan Daily
Campus
group
to play
'Catch'
Anti-illegal
immigration game
condemned as
insensitive
By Andrew Grossman
Daily Staff Reporter
The University's chapter of
Young Americans for Freedom
is planning a "Catch an Illegal
Immigrant" game on the Diag
for next week.
Participants in the game will
try to catch a volunteer dressed
as an illegal immigrant,
YAF Chair Andrew Boyd
said. Boyd stressed that the vol-
unteer will not represent any
particular ethnic group.
The winner will receive
a $200 cash prize, but Boyd
refused to disclose the source of
the money.
Last week, The Michigan
Daily reported that Morgan
Wilkins, an independent con-
tractor hired by the College
Republican National Commit-
tee to rally Michigan college
students, was considering hold-
ing "Catch an Illegal Immigrant
Day" at campuses around the
state.
The Republican National
Committee,DemocraticNation-
al Committee, CRNC and the
University's chapters of Col-
lege Republicans and College
Democrats have all denounced
the plans.
YAF, a group further to the
political right and more extrem-
ist than other conservative cam-
pus groups, hopes to capitalize
on the publicity surrounding the
event.
"It's a huge issue right now'
Boyd said.
Campus activist groups have
already expressed their distaste
for the idea.
"The Dems strongly con-
demn it in every way possible"
College Democrats spokesman
Ryan Werder said. "After the
national anger and campus out-
rage, you'd think they'd get the
hint that their tasteless brand
of xenophobia and bigotry just
isn't welcome here."
On Friday, the College Dem-
ocrats, the Michigan Federation
of College Democrats and the
Michigan Democratic Party
called on the CRNC to fire
Wilkins at a press conference
held on the Diag.
College Republicans Chair
Rob Scott also condemned the
See YAF, page 7
What the
polls aren't
telling us
Ann Arbor Police Sgt. Craig Flocken stands guard outside City Hall last night. Flocken said students can still have fun while
respecting the rules.
Knodw your drinking rights
in Kre trt
Experts say
support for
MCRI is likely
underestimated
By Walter Nowinski
Daily Staff Reporter
The Michigan Civil
Rights Initiative, a proposal
that would ban some affir-
mative action programs in
Michigan, could dramati-
cally change the way the
University operates.
The question is, will it
pass?
Despite poll data that
shows voters are split on
the issue, there are indica-
tions that the proposal is
likely to pass.
The Detroit News and
the Detroit Free Press have
both released polls in the
past two weeks. The News
showed MCRI, which will
be listed as Proposal 2
on the ballot, up by nine
points. The Free Press had
it down by two points.
Both polls also showed
unusually high numbers of
undecided voters.
And both are likely
wrong.
Along with others, these
polls seem to indicate that
Proposal 2 remains in a
dead heat, but there are
three stories that these
numbers do not tell, say
several political analysts.
Support for Proposal 2
- and opposition to affir-
mative action - may be
significantly underesti-
mated.
Similar initiatives
passed by large margins
in California in 1996
and Washington in 1998,
despite pre-election polls
that predicted a close vote.
The polls showed sup-
port for Proposition 209
in California and I-200 in
Washington weakening as
the pro-affirmative action
campaigns intensified their
efforts in the final weeks
before the vote.
One week before the
Washington election, a poll
published by the Seattle
Post-Intelligencer claimed
that Proposition I-200's
20-point lead had evapo-
rated.
Election returns proved
this finding false: 1-200
passed with a comfortable
16-percent margin.
Michigan could follow
the lead of California and
Washington.
In general, voters are
reluctant to tell pollsters
their opinions on sensitive
issues, especially those
concerning race, said Ed
Sarpolus, vice president
of EPIC/MRA, the firm
that conducted the Detroit
News poll.
In the final weeks before
an election, opponents can
usually put a serious dent
in support, and undecided
votes tend to check 'No',
he said.
Supporters of a ballot
initiative would want to
have about 60 or 70 per-
cent of voters planning to
vote 'Yes' at this point in
the election cycle, Sarpolus
said. Based on the News
and the Free Press polls,
Proposal 2 doesn't have
that. Although Proposal
2 is now polling below 50
percent, Sarpolus said it
has a good shot to pass.
Mark Grebner, founder
of the Lansing-based Prac-
tical Political Consulting,
said people who would vote
for MCRI are often reluc-
tant to voice their opinions
over the phone.
"When you ask someone
about race over the phone,
there is a lot of pressure to
be a righteous person," he
said.
More people may be
against affirmative action
than those who are willing
to admit it on the phone.
Since pollsters started
measuring public support
for the proposal last year,
the 'Yes' vote has eroded
from 70 percent to less
than 50 percent as groups
opposing the measure -
including the Democratic
Party, labor unions and
several large Michigan cor-
porations - have waged
an aggressive ad campaign
against the proposal.
In Michigan, supporters
and opponents of MCRI
have been campaigning
since the U.S. Supreme
See POLLS, page 7
By Drew Philp
Daily Staff Reporter
Every weekend, it's another story.
This past Saturday, it was a 20-year-
old wearing a Michigan T-shirt. He
was sitting handcuffed on the curb of
Greenwood Street with Mace-tainted
tears in his eyes and two Ann Arbor
police officers standing behind him. He
was underage and he had been caught
drinking.
Ann Arbor Police Sgt. Ed Dreslinski
said the 20-year-old had stumbled onto
the sidewalk with a red plastic cup in
hand. When officers asked to speak to
him, he started to run.
The police officers caught up to him,
Dreslinski said, and sprayed him in
the face with Mace when he struggled
further. Instead of receiving a minor-in-
possession ticket, he said, the suspect
probably will be charged with resisting
and opposing a police officer, which is a
felony in Michigan.
"He made a bad situation worse by
not cooperating," Dreslinski said.
That minor's story ended much
worse than most MIP viola-
tions, and the entire ordeal
could have been avoided by
recognizing what to do
- and what not to do- when drinking
in Ann Arbor.
Here's a run-down of a few laws to
remember if you don't want to end up
like that 20-year-old.
holds a no-tolerance policy on open
intoxication violations. If you're caught
on the street with alcohol, you will be
issued a ticket.
Police may issue noise violations
after 11 p.m.if any noise can be heard
beyond the property line.
Dresleski said officers rarely show up
at house parties unless the department
receives a neighbor's noise complaint.
See MIP, page 7
CLASSES STILL OPEN
Econ too tough? Can't attend that early-morning class? Does your
ex sit across from you in bio?There's still time to switch out and get
a new course. Classes are filling up this semester, but there's still
time left to take an open spot by the drop/add deadline Sept. 25.
The easiness rating was designated to each professor by students
on the website ratemyprofessors.com. The ratings and remaining
seats are as of last night. Here's a sample of what's left:
Website brings
menus to 'U'
WORKERS UNITE
Class Seats
left
Religion 127
201*
CAAS 53
111
Biology 31
140
PoliSci 28
339
Geography 24
115
English 16
267
PoliSci 13
300
' Mgmt & 10
Org 314
Law Hist 8
& Comm
412**
Theater 4
& Drama
321***
Lecture
time
MWF
2-3
T, Th
1-2
MWF
10-11
F 10-1
MWF
10-11
MW
10-11:30
T, Th
11-12
T, Th
1-2:30
T, Th
10-11:30
MW
1-2:30
Credits How
easy?
4 3.2
Students bank
on ad revenue to
support online
ordering site
4 3 By Laura Frank
Daily Staff Reporter
4 3.5
It's only been live for two
4 3 weeks, but LSA sophomores
Matt Lerner and Nick Fari-
nella expect their new web-
1 4.5 site, EatBlue.com, to reap big
sales.
4 2.9 They said they anticipate
close to $1 million in food
4 3.9 sales in the first year.
The website, which had
3 N/A handled more than 200 orders
as of last night, lists dine-in
3 N/A and takeout menus as well as
nightly bar specials at almost
50 local restaurants, and pro-
3 2 vides online ordering for 18
popular establishments.
Neither Lerner nor Fari-
nella have extensive business
CASS 200 and ssPrIS 200
**crosslisted as HIS47T 6 experience, but they said they
***Crosslisted as ENG 443 were inspired to delve into
the area of online sales and
advertising after listening to
their friends complain about
the difficulties of ordering
takeout and delivery meals
by phone. Some of their
friends said they could not get
through to restaurants during
busy times, while others had
their orders misheard and the
wrong food delivered.
To solve these problems,
Lerner and Farinella part-
nered with YNot Advertis-
ing, a company based in State
College, Penn., which runs
several other campus-based
dining websites. YNot bought
out U-Grub six months ago.
Before the buyout, U-Grub
was a website listing informa-
tion about restaurants located
near various college campus-
es.
Lerner's previous business
experience was limited to a
marketing internship with
Spin magazine last summer.
Farinella had dabbled in web
design.
But over the past eight
months, the two have had a
See WEBSITE, page 7
*Crosslsted as A(
A worker for the Ann Arbor's Planning and Development Service Department calls for
a police officer to honk her horn during a protest yesterday. Nearly 150 union workers
from the Local 369 American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees
braved the rain to display their dissatisfaction with the city's labor relations manager,
Nicole Beyersdorf. The workers protested her unwillingness to extend city union
worker's labor contracts. The contract, which has previously been renewed every year
since 1969, expired on June 30 and has not yet been extended.
A