Rafi Martina on the unprincipled
opportunism of student politicians
OPINION, 4A
Rap mogul Diddy crafts latest
product: his solo album
ARTS,5A
ATHLETES TURN TO PSYCHOLOGISTS THE STATEMENT
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Ann Arbor, Michigan~
www.michigandailycon
Wednesday, October25,2006
AND HERE COMES THE PITCH
Two campus
groups and
the student
between them
PETER SCHOTTENFELS/Daly
Engineering sophomore John Jensen demonstrates how to pitch a tent for Kinesiology senior Jenny Bartloff during a seminar hosted by Outdoor Adventure on
ethical camping techniques outside of the Elbel Building yesterday.
'M wide receiver charged
with dome,.stic violence
Black Student Union
member stripped of
position after joining
divisive senior society
By GABE NELSON
Daily StaffReporter
LSA senor Tony Saunders woke up
in the middle of the night last month to
the sound of a ringing phone.
When he answered, an angry voice
called him names like "Uncle Tom,"
"racist" and "sell-out."
The voice belonged to a member of
the Black Student Union, whose exter-
nal relations committee Saunders
chaired until he was stripped of his
position in mid-September.
The two top leaders of BSU's execu-
tive board took away his title because
Saunders had joined the controver-
sial senior society formerly known as
Michigamua.
Saunders is the latest in a string of
society members ousted from their
other student groups.
Saunders, alsothe campus president
of the National Pan-Hellenic Council
and a representative in the Michigan
Student Assembly, was worried about
a backlash when he joined the society
in the spring.
When the society revealed this year's
class in April, Saunders refused to
include his name on the list of members.
"I withheld my name from public
announcement preciselyto avoid drag-
ging BSU through this public confron-
tation now unfolding," Saunders said
in an e-mail interview. "I would have
thought the rest of BSU leadership
would support this approach."
But the executive board of the BSU
didn't take it the way Saunders had
hoped.
Saunders told BSU Speaker Jessica
Perkins that he was a member of the
society in early September.
Shortly afterward, Perkins and BSU
Vice-Speaker Sheldon Johnson called
Saunders into a meeting. They told
him he was no longer needed to serve
as a committee chair.
Saunders has filed a complaint with
the University's Office of Student
Activities and Leadership.
BSU's decision to remove him vio-
lates the ideals of BSU's constitution
and the All-Campus Constitution,
Saunders said.
Saunders also said his dismissal
was in violation of Student Organi-
zation and Recognition procedure,
OTHER SENIOR SOCIETY
MEMBERS BOOTED FROM
THEIR CAMPUS GROUPS:
Who: Neat Pancholi
Group:South Asian Awareness Network
When: April 2005
The story: Pancholi was co-chair of SAAN until the
group discovered his membership in Michigamua.
He was forcedlto resign from thegroup.
Who: Sam Woll
Group: Students Supporting Affirmative Action,
Coke Coalition
When: December2005
The story: Woll was aleading member of several
social action groups. SSAA and the Coke Coalition
asked her to stop participating in the groups when
her Michigamua membership became known.
Who: Brian Hull
What group: Students Supporting Affirmative
Action
When: December 2005
The story: Hull, an advocate for the LGBT campus
community and a former MSAsecretary, was
barred from SSAA meetings when the group dis-
covered he was a Michigamua member.
because the BSU constitution contains
no clause governing the removal of a
committee chair.
BSU declined to comment on the
details of their decision to remove
Saunders from the position, but
defended its action in a statement.
"The Black Student Union main-
tains that its removal of Tony R. Saun-
ders II from a leadership position in
the organization was proper under the
organization's constitution and all rel-
evant university guidelines," Perkins
and Johnson wrote in the statement.
"Because the matter is currently the
subject of an active, and as-yet-unre-
solved complaint under the Student
Organization and Recognition pro-
cess, the BSU declines to discuss the
particulars at this time."
In April, the society announced
its intention to reform. In addition to
releasing the names of most members
from the classes of 2006 and 2007, the
group officially threw out the name
Michigamua, which was coined a
century ago to sound like a mythical
Native American tribe.
But the society remains controver-
sial to much of campus.
BSU is one of many student groups
on campus that opposes the society
because of its past.
The society used Native American
artifacts and traditions in its rituals
See SAUNDERS, page 7A
Carr says he's reserving
judgment until he hears all
the facts
By KEVIN WRIGHT
Daily Sports Editor
Michigan wide receiver Adrian Arrington
has been charged with domestic violence for
an incident with his girlfriend on Oct. 13.
After being arraigned last week in dis-
trict court, Arrington will attend a pretrial
hearing scheduled for the morning of Nov. 1
in 14A-2 District Court in Ypsilanti. If he is
found guilty of the misdemeanor charge, he
could spend up to 93 days in jail and pay a
$500 fine.
But even though the charges appear
severe, Michigan coach Lloyd Carr is reserv-
ing judgment until he hears all the facts.
"I think I made a statement after the game
that the facts do not support the allegation,
and I maintain that's still true, and I think
it will prove to be accurate in the outcome,"
Carr said yesterday during the weekly Big
Ten teleconference. "I think there are a few
cases down through history where there are
inaccuracies, and that's really all I'm going
to say on that matter."
According to police reports, Arrington's
girlfriend, an Eastern Michigan University
student, and he went to an Ypsilanti bar on
Oct. 13 to pick up Arrington. They then went
back to her apartment. An argument ensued
when Arrington wanted to drive her car
home. Arrington forcibly removed her from
the car and drove away. His girlfriend then"
called the police at about 3 a.m.
Police found scratches on her hand, but f
she said she was just worried about the 20- '
year-old Arrington driving after drinking. J
Arrington later called his girlfriend and letM
her know he had parked the car on Stadium
Boulevard inthe vicinity of the Department of
Public Safety, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Internet reports last week rumored that
Arrington had been suspended from the team=
before Saturday's game against Iowa. Carr, eooeioo yi
though, played Arrington, who had a career- rRGo a a y
high eight receptions for 79 yards. Michigan wide receiver Adrian Arrington answers
ep fr hquestions after the teams 20 6 win over Iowa in
See ARRINGTON, page 7A Michigan Stadium on Saturday.
Empty
seats in
MSA
chambers
Defend Affirmative
Action Party missing
as Proposal 2 looms
By LAYLA ASLANI
Daily StaffReporter
With Michigan voters going to
the polls in less than two weeks to
decide the fate of the affirmative
action in the state, you would think
Michigan Student Assembly repre-
sentatives elected from the Defend
Affirmative Action Party would be
more involved than ever in student
government. They aren't.
Three of the five most prominent
DAAP members in the assembly
have stepped down from their posts.
The other two have been skipping
At 'U' hospital cafeteria,
debit funds go missing
PETER SCHOTTIENFELS/Daily
All of the representatives elected with the Defend Affirmative Action Party were miss-
ng from last night's Michigan Student Assembly meeting.
out on their MSA duties. bly members.
Each week there are four events If the assembly decides they
MSA representatives are expected have a legitimate extenuating cir-
to attend: the opening and closing cumstance, MSA may pardon their
role call of the Tuesday night MSA absences, but if they do not have valid
meeting, office hours and one com- excuses or don't show up, they will
mission or committee meeting. be removed from their positions.
After 12 absences, members are Lastnight marked the final oppor-
sent e-mails telling them they have tunity forthemto plead their cases to
two weeks to come before MSA the entire assembly. MSA President
to explain their poor attendance Nicole Stallings may excuse them at
record. At least three elected DAAP the MSA Steering Committee meet-
party members have received the ing next Sunday if they can prove
notices, along with nine other assem- See DAAP, page 7A
Unsuspecting
customers fleeced
for thousands
By ASHLEA SURLES
Daily StaffReporter
If you have charged a pur-
chase from the University Hos-
pital dining services in the last
six months, you could be a vic-
tim of fraud.
Hospital security and cam-
pus police are investigating
the theft of thousands of dol-
lars from unsuspecting cus-
tomers. Police are speculating
that someone obtained account
information from debit and
credit cards used in hospital
retail food outlets.
Hospital security has
received more than 40 reports
of unauthorized debits or
charges processed to individu-
als' accounts this month. Police
say the common denominator
linking the victims is that all of
them used debit cards at hospi-
tal retail food outlets.
Because most of the unau-
thorized transactions have
been purchases made outside
of Michigan, the FBI is helping
with the investigation.
Police are pursuing several
possibilities but currently have
no suspects.
"It is too early in the inves-
tigation to rule out anything,"
Department of Public Safety
spokeswoman Diane Brown
said.
Brown said causes could
include glitches in the comput-
er or network systems, employ-
ee theft and server or network
hacking, among others.
"It's a linear process from
when you hand the card to the
cashier," Brown said. "It goes
through a lot of steps, and
you have to check all of those
steps."
On Oct. 20, DPS sent out
an e-mail alerting University
Medical System employees of
the fraud investigation.
"As of October 13, all debit/
credit services within the U-
M Hospital retail food service
were suspended until this mat-
ter is completely investigated
and resolved," the e-mail said.
However, signs at some hos-
pital food stands yesterday read
that the inability to accept debit
and credit cards "is due to the
system being down."
"I didn't even know what
was going on until my co-
worker told me the real deal,"
said Deshauna Lewis, a nursing
aide.
Lewis said one of her co-
workers reported the theft of
$2,000 charged to her debit
account at a Wal-Mart in Mex-
ico.
Aramark is the company the
See DEBIT, page 7A
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