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Monday, October 29, 2007
DIRTY HOLD
MSin
election
catch-22
Assembly required to give seat
to Public Policy undergrad,
but Compiled Code prohibits it
By DAVE MEKELBURG
Daily News Editor
The Michigan Student Assembly may not be able
to conduct next month's MSA elections in a way that
complies with both its constitution and governing
code.
A proposal breaking down the number of MSA rep-
resentatives for each of the University's schools and
colleges was voted down 20-13 at Tuesday's meeting
because the proposal failed to give a seat to the under-
graduate School of Public Policy.
MSA President Zack Yost said the assembly will
vote on an amended version of the proposal that pro-
vides for a Public Policy seat at its meeting tomorrow.
MSA will also vote on whether to hold elections Nov.
29-30.
The assembly's Compiled Code states that MSA
must use the most current enrollment information
from the registrar when determining seat allotment.
Yost said the most current information available is
from the 2006 winter semester - when the school did
not exist.
Under the currentcode, this means that Public Pol-
icy should not have a seat.
"Following the procedure of the code, you don't
ive Public Policy a seat," Yost said.
MSA's constitution, however, states: "Each student
or college shall receive at least one representative."
It is unclear if Public Policy is covered by this clause
because it may not be defined as a college under MSA's
code without a registrar sanctioned population.
Whether or not Public Policyis granted a seat, MSA
may be in violation of some form of its governance.
Either way, the code calls for the Central Student
Judiciary to oversee the apportionment plans.
CSJ will then have final say on official seat appor-
tionment, according to the code.
A code change, which would allow MSA to use the
enrollment estimates from a college's dean, will also
See MSA, Page7A
ALLISON GHAMAN/Daily
Business School senior Matthew Klein, a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, carries the ball during Saturday's Mudbowl. SAE beat Beta, a fraternity that is no longer part of the Universi-
ty-recognized Interfraternity Council, in the annual charity game. The game raised $20,000, up from $16,000 last year, for Mott Children's hospital and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
At halftime of the fraternity game, Kappa Kappa Gamma beat Delta Delta Delta in a short sorority game.
A CAMPUe MST SOLVE0
Bogger steps out from shadows
Johnny Quest, who
found in Greek system a
source of humor, is
Daily film editor
By GABE NELSON
Daily News Editor
For several months, LSA senior Paul
Tassi was one of campus's most notori-
ous figures, even though most students
didn't know him by that name.
On his blog, hosted at collegeotr.
cm, Tassi wrote under the pen name
Johnny Quest - a slightly different
spelling of the name of the cartoon
action hero. He ranked the top 10
fraternities and sororities on campus
and judged this year's sorority pledge
classes by attractiveness. He insinu-
ated that members of one fraternity
drug and rape women attending their
parties. Before classes began this fall,
Tassi scoured Facebook.com for the
"hottest" incoming freshman female.
Then he posted her picture and some
of her interests, predicting that she
would join Kappa Kappa Gamma in
her first semester. His reasons: "Her
hotness; brunetteness and Jewish-
ness." She did.
Tassi and two other student authors
also wrote posts about campus news
and events, but it was Johnny Quest's
discussions, of the Greek system that
garnered thousands of page views and
hundreds of comments. The most pop-
ular post on the blog, which ranked the
top 10 fraternities and sororities, had
8,000 page views and 170 comments as
of last night.
Many commenters criticized Johnny
Quest for posting anonymously. In one.
instance, he replied saying it was essen-
tial to his goal of critiquing the Greek
system.
"It's the only way to do it," he wrote.
"I don'tneed a bunch of assholes storn-
ing my apartment because I said they
pop their collars or wear their hats
crooked."
But now, Tassi has unmasked him-
self. The blogger wrote a final entry last
night revealing his identity and display-
ing his photo. In the background was a
poster of the cartoon character who
See BLOGGER, Page 7A
CAMPUS PUBLICATONS
300 turn out for dedication of
Lipsey publications building
Buffalo News was Lipsey himself, a former Daily
and Michiganensian photographer
publisher, alum in the 1940s who contributed $3
million to the renovation of the 75-
endows six $5k year-old building.
Lipsey, who won a Pulitzer Prize
scholarships in 1973, shared his experiences
from a lifelong career in journalism
By ANDY KROLL with the audience.
Daily StaffReporter "(Journalists) have to ask the
questions," said Lipsey, who is now
More than 300 Michigan Daily, publisher of The Buffalo News.
Gargoyle and Michiganensian "They have to have the tenacity and
alumni from the past 80 years knowledge, and we see that spirit
gathered on Friday to dedicate the right here."
renovated and renamed Stanford Lipsey also said he would endow
Lipsey Student Publications Build- six $5,000 annual scholarships for
ing. staff members at the three student
At the center of the ceremonies publications.
He said-that if the United States
is to move in the right direction,
today's young journalists must
reach out to their fellow young
people to create a knowledgeable
public.
"It's the journalists who can
inform, clarify and verify," Lipsey
said. "And who could be better on
figuring out how to reach their
peer group than the thinking and
committed -journalists from the
Michigan Student Publications
Building?"
University President Mary Sue
Coleman, former University Regent
Phil Power, co-chairof the Univer-
sity's Board for Student Publica-
See BUILDING, Page 5A
FAITH AT THE UNIERSITY
Muslim students seek prayer room
CLIF REEDER/Daily
Democratic presidential candidate Mike Gravel called for more lenient drug laws on the Diag Friday.
Gravel: Loosen drug laws
Administration
refuses to set aside
space only for prayer
By KYLE SWANSON
Daily StaffReporter
The Muslim Students' Associa-
tion wants a prayer room on cam-
pus.
LSA Junior Zeeshaan Bhatti, its
president, said the group is hoping
to discuss the possibility of obtain-
ing a perranent prayer room with
University administrators later
this year.
But University spokeswoman
Kelly Cunningham said the Uni-
versity would not establish a room
that is specifically set aside for
prayer.
"The University does not provide
religious facilities for any of its stu-
dents, faculty or staff," Cunning-5
ham said inan e-mail interview.
Bhatti said he doesn't think a
prayer room would violate the
separation of church and state. He
said the room should be available
for all students to use for reflection
regardless of their religious prefer-
ence.
Four reflection rooms on campus
are currently available for students
and faculty to use. Prayer rooms
are larger than reflection rooms
and do not provide the secular use
that reflection rooms can.
Bhatti said the room would ide-
ally be large, empty and could
be used for individual and group
See ROOM, Page 5A
On Diag, presidential
candidate attacks
U.S. policy on Iran
By EMILY BARTON
Daily StaffReporter
Democratic presidential hope-
ful Mike Gravel said the Bush
administration is lying to the
American public and spoke out for.
the legalization of marijuana on
the Diag on Friday afternoon.
He spoke to a crowd of about
150 people for nearly 15 minutes
on the steps of the Harlan Hatcher
Graduate Library.
Gravel's eniourage consisted of
just one man holding an umbrella
over the candidate. It wasn't rain-
ing.
Because Gravel has only raised
$130,598, he is ineligible to par-
ticipate in the next Democratic
debate. His candidacy has drawn
attention mostly for his incendi-
ary and often angry remarks dur-
ing the debates.
. Perhaps a reflection of his inad-
equate funds, the campaign post-
ers and banners that typically
appear at politically rallies were
absent from the speech, though a
few supporters handed out flyers.
One student carried a Ron Paul
sign.
Gravel represented Alaska in
the U.S. Senate from 1969 to 1981.
Before that, he was a member of
the Alaskan House of Representa-
tives from 1963 to 1966.
As senator, Gravel was most
See GRAVEL, Page 7A
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