The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, June 12, 1985 - Page 3
SADD has difficulty
adapting to campuses
By NADINE LAVAGNINO educate students through a film called
In 1980, more than 7,000 teenagers "Kevin's Story," about a boy who
were killed in alcohol-related traffic killed a classmate in a drunk driving
accidents. In response to that accident and was sentenced to talk
statistic, high school students across about the incident for a year.
the country have formed a grass-roots The Huron chapter loans the film to
movement to educate teenagers other high school groups, and sends
about the dangers of drinking and lecturers through Huron classrooms,
driving. said Susan Force, treasurer of the
But the movement, Students Again- high school SADD group.
st Driving Drunk, has had limited Organizing and working in a group
success on college campuses. that prohibits drunk driving among
GARY Abrahams, a 22-year-old 16-24 year olds during an age period
LSA senior, is planning to start a when peer groups and peer pressure
SADD group on campus, but tran- is strong is sometimes not widely ac-
sferring the organization to a college cepted. Henson admits some of the
community has proved to be difficult. high schoolers make fun of the Huron
"The difficulty I had when I began SADD members and the group's ef-
working on organization during win- forts to stop their fellow classmates
ter term was how to orient this high from drinking and driving
school program toward a college BUT STUDENT President Reindel
campus," he said. said, "compared with last year, they
Abrahams added that the confines are a more acceptable group and there
of high school - such as parents and a has been a high jump in the number of
closed campus - make it easier to memberships this year.
start a program like SADD, but that "We hear people say we have made
"with a college, you do not have the an influence on them. We hear them
limits and boundaries you have in a say, 'I didn't let my friend drive' or 'I
high school." did let my friend drive because I was
DESPITE the obstacles, Abrahams too drunk,' " Reindel said.
said he wants to launch an informal The national chapter of Students
program at open University dor- Against Driving Drunk was formed
mitories for the rest of the summer. two years ago in Massachusetts by
He plans to organize alcohol Robert Anastas, a high school
awareness programs, lectures, and teacher, after two of his students were
anti-drunk driving films. killed in a car crash.
Abrahams said he has met several According to SADD brochures,
people who were seriously injured for teenagers have signed hundreds of Associated Press
life because they were hit by a drunk thousands of "Contracts for life" and
driver, and said the drunk driving the death rate has dropped more than C up
problem is still significant despite in- 2,000 in drinking and driving acciden- d
creased public awareness. ts in the 16-24 age bracket. Part of the Four year old Scott Zierlin of Grand Rapids gets a little crossed up while
ONE REASON Abrahams gives for contracts are signed by a teenager downing a chocolate ice cream cone at a downtown festival this past
his interest in SADD is altruistic. "Out who agrees not to drive drunk. The weekend.
of a social consciousness, a social other part is signed by his parents
awareness, I want to really do who agreed to get the drunk youth at
something about the matter," he said. any hour, any time, or any place with
But Abrahams also has a more no questions asked. exchange competed
selfish motive: fear for his own Like MADD (Mothers Against
safety. "I have this paranoic fear of Drunk Driving), SADD is aimed at (ConnuedfromPage sentenced tolife imprisonment.
being on the other side and being in- preventing fatalities and serious in- sWE HS niiul o enZened to sifenipisromrsen as
jured for life," he said. juries from drunk driving. While the 'WHEN THESE individuals moved Zehe, a scientist from Dresden, was
Many victims of drunk driving focus is on future drivers, the original to the Western side of the Glienicke sentenced in Boston to eight years in
aren't lucky enough to escape with groups were formed with the memory Bridge, they were very, very happy jail for espionage. He was arrested in
their lives, so a group of seven active of tragedies that already occurred. peopleindeed," said a U.S. official. 1983 and confessed to buying naval
and 20 regular members at Huron Most of the agents released by the secrets from a U.S. serviceman.
High School in Ann Arbor have helped Soviet side had been serving life ter- MICHELSON pleaded guilty May 31
Hsaigh So AD captrs in Pioeper ms in East German prisons for to aiding agents of a foreign country HihShoGenil col O I EwrigfrUS nelgne ee-adwssnecdt 0yasi
Hsaigh Shool Grhiles SchPooleer working for U.S. intelligence. Seven- and was sentenced to 10 years in
Gabriel Richard High School, and teen were Germans; the rest were prison.
high schools in Chelsea, Manchester, unidentified Europeans. Kosadinov was indicted in New
Dexter and Ypsilanti. N O EtJ U.S. officials said it took three years York in 1903 on espionage charges and
"The mission we are on is to make to arrange the swap with East Ger- was awaiting trial.
teens aware of the dangers of drunk many and that Moscow was only in- No information was available on the
driving," said Donald Henson, adult Car broken into directly involved in the negotiations. Western agents.
orgnizr o th Huon addIn contrast to the 1912 exchange of A U.S. official said the four U.S.
organizer of the Huron Sadd group A missing FM-cassette radio -imprisoned American U-2 spy pilot prisoners were flown to Berlin from
and a-driver edcucation instructor at valued at $100 and $200 worth of Powers for jailed Soviet spy Col. the United States on Monday night
the school. damage to an auto outside of Fletcher Rudolf Abel on the same Berlin and arrived at Templehof airfield in
Huron's senior president, Susan Hall was reported to campus security bridge, none of the agents freed West Berlin yesterday "after it was
Reindel, said SADD doesn't try to turn late Sunday evening. Tuesday were thought to be of major verified that the 25 Europeans were
students ito teetotalers. "We present . importance. present on the GDR side of the
the facts about drunk driving. We're Officer and A U.S. official said there is "no, Glienicke Bridge.
not trying to say, 'don't drink.' In- student assaulted relationship whatsoever" between the "The four were moved in a van to
stead we are saying, 'Here is the in- spies released Tuesday and the the Blienecke Bridge, ..."
formation. You can decide for your- An Ann Arbor resident faces Walker naval spy case in the United "When those individuals were in-
selves,' "she said, charges for assault in an incident on States. terviewed, they were told that they
The SADD group discouraged the Diag Monday. A graduate student THOSE freed by the Americans had the right to come across the
students from drinking on prom night, was "punched in the nose" by a were identified as Penyu Kostadinov bridge. A bus was brought up to the
when many alcohol-related traffic ac- woman, said Leo Heatley of campus of Bulgaria, Marian Zacharski of middle of the bridge. The individuals
cidents occur. The eroun oosted signs security. When a security guard went Poland and East Germans' Afired in the GDR bus were moved to the
throughout the school warning of the to investigate the matter, the woman Zehe and Alice Michelson. middle of the bridge and the 23 who
danger of drinking and driving, and assaulted the officer. She was then Zacharski was convicted in Califor- wished immediately to come to the
posted a sign outside the prom itself arrested and taken to the police nia in 1981 of "conspiracy to transmit West were able to leave the bus and
1efore studepts l.ft.. -...station. ' information relating to the national boarded the American bus that we
THE HUBtQ grnupialsv tries to , . - . . - -Lgura.Bischiff defenseof the United.States" and was .had brought-up ..... .
Senate
nixes death
penalty
proposal
LANSING (UPI) - The Senate
yesterday dealth a crushing blow to
supporters of capital punishment,
rejecting 21-13 a measure that would
have imposed the death penalty on
first-degree murderers.
"It is apparent by the vote what the
conviction of this body is," Sen. Kirby
Holmes said after his proposed con-
stitutional amendment received
barely half of the 25 votes needed for
adoption.
Holmes declined to ask for a recon-
sideration of the vote, meaning the
issue is virtually dead in the
Legislature. However, the Utica
Republican had earlier predicted suc-
cess for a petition drive to place a
capital punishment measure before
voters.
If approved by the Legislature, the
defeated measure also would have
had to gain passage by the voters at a
general election.
The resolution would have removed
Michigan's 139-year-old ban on the
death penalty and required the
Legislature to pass a law imposing
death on people guilty of first-degree
murder.
As a state, Michigan has never
executed a criminal and was the first
government in the English-speaking
world to formally ban capital
punishment.
The prohibition "is a humane
provision, it is the sign of a civilized
society," ssid Sen. Jack Faxon, a
Southfield Democrat.
Faxon was a delegate to the state's
1963 Constitutional Convention, which
enshrined the ban in the Michigan
Constitution.
"While there are many who clamor
in the streets for death, there still are
many who clamor for life," Faxon
said.
But Sen. Alan Cropsey, chairman of
the Senate Judiciary Committee,
which had earlier approved the
resolution, said voting for the
measure "is the right thing to do."
Said the DeWitt Republican: "You
have to have the proper punishment
for certain crimes.
He said the current law, which im-
poses a mandatory life sentence with
no chance for parole, "is nota proper
penalty."
Holmes said the measure would not
apply to killings associated with
"barroom brawls" or "husband and
wife spats." He said the death penalty
could only be imposed in cases of
calculated murders, "that is, a
rational taking of life, as hard as that
might be to believe."