The Michigan Daily - Thursday, July 21, 1983 - Page 3
DECISION ADDS TO 'U' COSTS
New draft-aid law burdens 'U'

By JACKIE YOUNG
University financial aid officials this we
mass-mailing forms to nearly 11,000 studen
ply with a law linking student aid to Selectiv,
registration.
The law, ordered into effect July 1, by
Supreme Court following a number of tur
requires all students applying for federal ai
form certifying they have registered with
tive Service.
THE UNIVERSITY last year gave out r
$11 million in federal student aid.
"Right now we are prohibited from paying
any money without the necessary form con
said Lynn Borset, assistant director of fina
Students must send their forms to the
August 12 to avoid delays, she said.
Although the education department this
tended the deadline for sending in forms fri
to Sept. 1, Borset said University students
affected because the financial aid offic
disperse funds until September.
BUT IT WILL cost the University $10,000
to send out the forms, Borset estimates. Cost
Gays form
panel with
police to
improve
protection
By JACKIE YOUNG
Local gay rights activists have formed
a committee to work with the Ann Ar-
bor Police Department to ensure better
protection for the gay community.
"We want to build protection and
support groups with the gay community
and the police department," said '
spokesman Donovan Mack.
THE MOVE came in reaction to an
incident last month, when- Robert
Higgins allegedly threatened par-
ticipants in a gay rights rally with a
gun.
Some demonstrators claimed that the
police responded to their calls for help
too slowly, and did little to help once
p they arrived. A city council in-
vestigation into the matter found that
the police did respond promptly and
conducted themselves properly at the
rally, however.
Gay rights activists have planned
another rally for July 30, to "show that
we have the right to meet without being
threatened," spokesman Tom
Gaughan said.
RALLY planners are organizing their
own security system in preparation for
the demonstration, Mack said, although
they are also seeking Ann Arbor police
protection.
Meanwhile Higgins, the man
accused of threatening participants at
the June rally, was arraigned Tuesday
on charges of assault with a deadly
weapon in Washtenaw County Circuit
Court.
Judge Henry Conlin ordered a closed
pretrial hearing set for Aug. 17, and
scheduled Higgins' trial for Sept. 19.
Halle Czechowski filed a report
for this story. . ..............

postage, printing, increased computer time used
processing student applications, and about $5,000 in
staff overtime.
Since the high court's decision was announced,
Borset said the University has spent about $4,000 to
enforce the law.
Usually the federal government subsidizes univer-
sities for administering federal programs, but "no
additional funds were allocated by Congress for the
law," said Bob Jamroz spokesperson for the Depar-
tment of Education in Washington.
"THERE IS NO way the Secretary of Education
could increase the appropriations without any action
taken by Congress to do this," he said.
Universities could have avoided the last-minute
scramble if financial aid offices had asked students to
voluntarily sign the forms when they applied for aid,
Jamroz said.
BUT THERE has been nationwide confusion over
the law since it was signed by President Reagan last
September.
Several events over the past year have made it un-
clear whether universities should enforce the law.
" Minnesota Federal Judge Donald Alsop, tem-
norarily blocked the law in March and it was unclear

whether his ruling affected students nationwide or
just those in Minnesota.
" Alsop ruled the law was unconstitutional in late
June, because it is self-incriminating and denies
students due process. Alsop specifically ststed that
his decision affected students nationwide.
" The U.S. Supreme Court a week later ordered the
law into effect until a formal appeal by the U.S.
Justice Department can be heard.
To combat the confusion, the University's financial
aid office will send students a newsletter in August
detailing the law's requirements, Borset said.
Students can also call the Campus Information
Center (763-INFO) to hear a recording which ex-
plains the law.
University officials have not said whether the
school will subsidize non-registrants whose federal
aid is cut. But officials at other schools such as Yale
University said they will replace federal aid or offer
loans at market interest rates to students who failed
to register.
Universities would not be violating any federal
laws by setting up their own funds to subsidize
students, said Jamroz.

Daily Photo by ELIZABETH SCOTT
Jim Austin and his paintbrush bring a new sign to life on the side of the Blue Front, at the Corner of State and Packard.
Group to study toxie substances

By DAN GRANTHAM
A recent rash of toxic waste dump controversies has
sparked several Ann Arbor groups to push for a permanent
committee to monitor management of hazardous substances
in Washtenaw County.
Five local groups, including the Public Interest Research
Group in Michigan (PIRGIM), have formed an ad-hoc com-
mittee which they hope will be approved as an official ad-
visory panel to the Washtenaw County Board of Com-
missioners.
WITH OR without the board's stamp of approval, the
committee will not only monitor the disposal and use of toxic
substances in the county, but will study possible effects of
proposed toxic waste sites, said PIRGIM Campus Program
Director Wendy Rampson.
The committee will also educate the community to the
dangers of toxic waste; draw up criteria to evaluate county
waste disposal sites; and assist small firms, usually ignored
by the state's monitoring procedures, in their efforts to dump
hazardous substances.
But Rampson and representatives from the other groups
believe they can be much more effective as an arm of the
Board of Commissioners.
IF THE committee gets the board's approval at its Aug. 3

meeting, the panel would have the county's clout, money, and
staff resources behind their work, Rampson said.
The Board of Commissioners would pick committee mem-
bers from area administrators, industrialists, and citizens
who have had experience with hazardous substances. While
the citizen's groups would remain active in the committee's
activities, they would no longer have a direct influence over
the panel, Rampson said.
Other organizations working on the committee include
League of Women Voters, who originated the proposal; the
Ann Arbor Citizen's Council; the Ecology Center of Ann Ar-
bor; and the American Association of University Women.
CURRENTLY, there are no county guidelines governing
disposal of toxic waste. Dumps are monitored by the state's
Department of Natural Resources, which fields complaints
from the Washtenaw County Department of Public health.
The existing toxic waste guidelines - namely, the
state's "Act 64," which offers rules for managing toxic
waste - do not provide for enough citizen imput into dealing
with toxic waste before it becomes a community problem,
rather than after, according to Rampson.
In addition, the DNR has been notoriously slow to cope with
toxic waste problems, said Barry Johnson, a public health
See TOXIC, Page 5