Tuesday, News 3 September 19,2006 JOHNSON TO STAY FOR SOPHOMORF SEASON ... SPORTS AGE 1 Bipartisan group calls for more stem cell research Wear a helmet to fight terror, get la Kanye protege breaks out with first album Opinion 4 Arts 5 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