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.