The Michigan Daily - Thursday, July 7, 1983 - Page 3
While we were away
Gay Pride Week rally
marred by gunman
By JACKIE YOUNG presented motion for a change of venue
saying sentiments in Ann Arbor would
Gay rights activists from the Ann Ar- prevent Higgins from receivng a fair
bor area gathered on campus to trial. District Court Judge G. W. w
r
celebrate Gay Pride Week last month,
participating in seven days of
workshops, social activities, and
protests in a commemoration of the fir-
st gay pride demonstrations in New
York City 14 years ago.
But the highlight of the week, a June
26 rally in front of the Federal Building,
was marred by a man who threatened
rally paticipants with a gun while hun-
dreds of people protested
discrimination against gays and
lesbians.
36-YEAR-OLD Robert Higgins of Ann
Arbor was arrested at the rally and
arraigned June 27 in Fifteenth District
Court, where Judge S. J. Elden charged
him with assault with a deadly weapon.
Rally participants say Higgins kicked,
pushed, and verbally abused them in
the earlier part of the rally, and later
returned with a shotgun, which wit-
nesses say he pointed at demonstrators.
Higgins, who owns local brokerage
and investment firms, was released on
$2,500 bond on his own recognizance.
And Elden warned he would jail
Higgins without bail if he provoked any
further confrontation with members of
the city's gay community.
IN PRE-TRIAL testimony yesterday,
Higgins and his attorney Robert Magill
Alexander said he could not rule on the
motion.
The case is scheduled to be heard in
Washtenaw County Circuit Court July
19.
The incident triggered fear and anger
among some of the demonstrators.
Many rally participants said they felt
the police responded too slowly to a call
for help, which one rallier made before
Higgins arrived later in the protest with
the gun.
Other participants said, however,
that one man did not destroy the spirit
of the march against discrimination.
City Council members Lowell Peter-
son (D-First Ward) and Raphael
Ezekiel (D-Third Ward) said they
would examine the matter of police
negligence in the case, after the council
unanimously passed a resolution of
solidarity with the Ann Arbor gay
community June 27.
Other events during the week in-
cluded workshops on identity problems
for lesbians and gays, health concerns,
and an emotionally-charged session on
"coming out." The events and ac-
tivities were sponsored by the Ann Ar-
bor Lesbian/Gay Pride Week Planning
Committee, the Gay Liberation Front,
and the Michigan Gay Undergraduates.
Charging the Ann Arbor community with being homophobic, a largi
gathered in front of the Federal Building for a rally celebrating Ga
Week, June 19-26.
Supporters attack Phys. Ed.
By GEORGEA KOVANIS which the panel recommended be cut by 40 percent.
About 20 speakers gathered to voice their support Some of the speakers attacked the BPC for
for the University's physical education department, charging in its recommendation that the department
slated for a 30 percent cut, at a public hearing last historically has been an entry port to the University
month. for student athletes with poor academic records.
The speakers addressed the University's executive
officers and sparse 30-member audience about the MARY ANN Swain, head of the BPC, said the
future of the department which is currently part of physical education department should not water
the School of Education. The program is being down admissions standards or class requirements for
reviewed under the University's five-year plan to student athletes.
shift $20 million to high priority areas. "(Athletes) need to proceed through a program
"THE OVERALL degree of the vitality of the like other students do," Swain said.
department should be maintained," said Physical About 45 percent of the students enrolled in the
Education Department Chairman Dee Edington. department are student athletes, said Stephen Galetti
The Budget Priorities Committee, a key University associate professor of physical education.
panel recommended last May that the department But several speakers at the meeting lauded the
cut its budget by 30 percent. The department is being quality of the students. "Some of the best students
reviewed independently of the School of Education I've ever had have been from physical education,"
CBS puts PIRGIM members
By CHERYL BAACKE be divided into seven smaller regional centralized long distance
Members of the Public Interest companies next January 1, to decen- the breakup, however, th
Research Group in Michigan tralize the telephone service service will be eliminate
(PIRGIM) appeared on national When Michigan Bell asked the state panies may be forced to i
television last week, because of their Public Service Commission for a rate rates to make up for the los
involvement in issues surrounding the increase of $451 million or 50 percent in A spokesman for Mi
impending breakup of AT&T, and a December 1982, PIRGIM intervened however, said the rate inc
recent fight to block a Michigan Bell during the commission's hearings to directly related to the dive
rate hike. reduce the requested increase to $182.3 "THE ($451 million) wa
A five-minute report on the CBS million or 18 percent. Michigan Bell determine
Evening News last Friday featured PIRGIM members said such a for the company to co
PIRGIM members on a program drastic increase was unneccesary, and healthy posture," said
dealing with the AT&T's court-ordered that Michigan Bell wanted to ensure white of the consumer a
divestiture of telephone companies , they would not lose money after "It's the amount we wou
nationwide. CBS producers found PIR- AT&T's divestiture of the telephone requesting even if we
GIM to be the consumer group most in- companies. ticipating divestiture."
volved in issues surrounding the PIRGIM AND Michigan Bell agreed, Satterwhite said the con
breakup, said Todd Ambs, PIRGIM divestiture may cause rate hikes, for the lower increase b
outreach director. because AT&T companies have sub- needed to revenue as soon
AT&T IS made up of 22 telephone sidized the costs of maintaining local But Ambs said that no on
companies around the country, but will service with the money earned from the divestiture will really aff
program cuts
said John Kirscht, interim dean of the School of
Public Health.
KIRSCHT'S SCHOOL is one of three targets named
in the committee's recommendation as possible new
locations for the physical education department. The
panel's report also said the program could be tran-
sferred to the medical school's physiology depar-
tment or to LSA.
Edington and Education School Dean Joan Stark
said they support the recommended move, which
school administrators proposed two years ago. "We
belong somewhere other than our current location,"
Edington said.
Physiology Prof. John Faulkner also said he would
support a transfer to the physiology department. The
move, he said, would help instructors and resear-
chers in the two inter-related disciplines to combine
teaching and research efforts.
in the news
service. After
e centralized
d, and com-
ncrease local
st subsidy.
chigan Bell,
rease was not
stiture.
is an amount
d we needed
'ntinue in a
Greg Satter-
affairs office.
ld have been
weren't an-
mpany settled
because they
as possible.
ne is sure how
fect Michigan
Bell, and PIRGIM will continue
studying the effects of the breakup on
consumer rates.
PIRGIM MAY be aided by a recent
Michigan Bell decision to establish a
research fund public interest groups
can use to study divestiture and other
factors affecting phone service rates,
Said David Nonforton, a Wayne State
University student who has been in-
volved in PIRGIM's research.
"It's a pretty big victory to get them
to agree to that," he said. "It's a step in
the direction of giving public interest
groups a way of competing with
utilities."
PIRGIM also plans to push the Public
Service Commission to approve a rate
structure that distributes the rate in-
crease to large telephone service users
"more fairly," Ambs said.