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PERMIT NO. 13
Ninety- nine years of editorial freedom
Vol. XCIX, NO. 2-S Ann Arbor, Michigan - Friday, May 12, 1989 1968 Diy
FBI spies on campus groups
BY FRAN OBEID LASC, largely a student group, leaders in CISPES. Sessions said, "no substantial link
Files released by the Federal Bu- organizes opposition to US policy But last fall, in testimony to the between CISPES and international
reau of Investigation show that it in Central America and is a chapter US House of Representatives, Ses- terrorism activities was ever estab-
conducted extensive surveillance on of the Committee in Solidarity with sions admitted that the investigation, lished."
the Ann Arbor-based groups: the the People of El Salvador. which Sessions claimed was closed The FBI obtained the office num-
Michigan Alliance for Disarmament, Last year, the CCR released doc- in 1985, had actually involved every ber of LASC from a "contact" at the
the Coalition for Peace in Central uments showing that the FBI had FBI field office in the country. Michigan Student Union, according
America, and the Latin American conducted an extensive five-year in- Sessions said the FBI originally to the documents released by the
Solidarity Committee. vestigation of CISPES and its opened its investigations of CISPES CCR. The FBI then engaged in
The files were obtained two branches. College students, nuns, and its branches because an FBI in- physical surveillance of the LASC
weeks ago under the Freedom of In- and union members were among the telligence source alleged that CIS- office and of individual LASC
formation Act by the Center for citizens investigated. PES was, "under the direction of members, investigated the LASC
Constitutional Rights, a national According to the New York foreign terrorist organizations... and post office box, obtained the name
public interest group that litigates Times, in February,1988 FBI Direc- was preparing for terrorist activities of the boxholder and ran checks on
against civil rights violations by the tar William Sessions described the in the US." license plate numbers of members.
govemment. investigation as limited to a few Later in his testimony, however, The FBI has refused to release
the full documents on the investiga-
tion of the Ann Arbor and other De-
troit area groups for reasons includ-
ing "danger to national security" and
"disclosure of special investigative
techniques not generally known to
the public."
"It is outrageous that there
should be an FBI office here in Ann
Arbor, where so few major crimes
occur," said Hunter Van Valken-
burgh, a LASC member. "It's obvi-
ous that their sole reason for being
here is to conduct surveillance and
harass legitimate groups that
See FBI, Page 5
MSA freezes funds
to investigate debt
BY LISA POLLAK have as much concrete information
The Michigan Student Assembly as I would like to have," he said.
has frozen spending and allocations "We don't know financially where
to student groups while it and the we stand," said Coleman. "We've
University's Office of Student Ser- implemented the freeze to be cau-
vices investigate alleged discrepan- tious, in case we have to pay debts
cies in MSA's budget dating back later."
one to three years, assembly Presi- When contacted yesterday, how-
dent Aaron Williams announced this ever, the heads of SLS and the
week. AATU said they were unaware of
The Student Organization Ac- outstanding allocations. SLS Direc-
counts Service, an OSS division that tor John Forczak said the assembly
manages many student groups' fi- owed legal services $30,000 at the
nances, told Williams last month end of last summer, but added that
that the assembly owes up to former MSA President Michael
$60,000 in unpaid allocations to Phillips completed the payments
Student Legal Services and the Ann this year.
Arbor Tenants Union, said "Personally, I'm nervous about
Williams, which, if true, could put what could be an attempt by the Of-
the assembly in debt. SOAS offi- fice of Student Services so have
cials refused to comment yesterday. more control over student accounts,"
"The Office of Student Services is said AATU coordinator Moe
doing an audit of what we owe and Fitzsimmons.
should let us know next week," said Williams agreed that "having ac-
MSA Student General Counselor counts with the University can make
John Coleman., us dependent on them." He,
Rodger Wolf, an OSS official, Fitzsimmons, Coleman and many
Rdgher oln oomentao'others interviewed also criticized
said he could not comment on SOAS as "inefficient" and
MSA's finances, but said the reveue "inaccurate," saying students must
is "preparation to make a fee request often wait weeks to get correct bal-
to the regents next month. ances.
Williams said he and treasurer But some assembly members said
John Wilson, who is out of town current administrative scrutiny also
and unavailable for comment, were is the result of MSA's own ineffi-
not aware of the alleged discrepancies ciency and inaccuracy, with blame
when confronted by SOAS. But flying between Phillips' past and
Williams, following some Williams' present administrations.
investigation, says he now thinks it In fact, an SOAS official said an
"highly probable" that MSA owes April 19 Daily article - "Assembly
money for payments missed up to allocates over budget" -spurred
three years ago, "although I don't See MSA, Page 5
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Matt (far left) and Michael McSweeney (center) enjoy a family game of football in the Diag. I
Black faculty retention questioned
BY LISA WINER
Faced with what appears to be the
gradual "peeling off" prominent
Black faculty - potentially among
*them African scholar Ali Mazrui -
some faculty and students are voic-
ing a concern that the University is
not working hard enough to retain
its minority faculty.
"The University has worked out a
fairly reasonable recruitment re-
sponse to what might be called the
crisis in Afro-American and African
studies," said University Prof.
Lemuel Johnson. "What it does need
is a systematic strategy for reten-
tion." said Johnson. director of the
Center for Afro-American Studies ton. Also considering leaving the
"This need for a strategy of reten- University this year are sociology
tion is especially important given professors Walter Allen and Aldon
'a': the very high professional visi- Morris - two Black professors
bility of the Black faculty that we do considered to be at the forefront of
have here, and 'b': as is obvious their field and essential to CAAS.
from the case of what's going on Prof. George Jones of Biology is
with Ali Mazrui, (these faculty) are leaving the University this year to
extraordinarily attractive to other become Emory University's Vice
universities who are also trying to President of Academic Affairs in
meet crises at their schools," said September.
Johnson. Allen has been offered a position
Mazrui has been offered the pres- at the UCLA. Morris, who is cur-
tigious Albert Schweitzer Chair in rently a visiting professor at North-
the Humanities along with a western, said he is considering re-
$500,000 job offer at the State Uni- maining there.
versity of New York at Binghamn- See Retention, Page 5