SUMME ' \
One hundred and one years of editoriai freedom
Decisii
by Victoria Kuohung
Daily Staff Reporter
A recent unanimous Su-
preme Courtruling is forcing the
University to reconsider its con-
troversialInterim PolicyonDis-
criminatory Conduct.
The Supreme Court's June
22 decision in R.A.V. v. St. Paul
ruled that restricting speech
"solely on the basis of the sub-
jects (it) addresses" is unconsti-
tutional.
Adopted in 1989, the
University's Interim Policy on
DiscriminatoryConductprohib-
its "verbal slurs ... referring to
... race, ethnicity, religion, sex,
sexual orientation, creed, na-
tional origin, ancestry, age or
handicap."
But the Court's ruling invali-
dates the policy.
"We cannot enforce the in-
terim policy," said Shirley
Clarkson, director of presiden-
tial communications.
Inreaction totheruling,Vice
President for Student Affairs
Maureen Hartford said the Uni-
versity plans to draft a replace-
ment for the old interim policy.
Previous drafts for a new
'U' shifts
Office of
Student
Affairs
by Victoria Kuohung
Daily Staff Reporter
The Office of the Vice Presi-
dent for Student Affairs is being
restructured, but some members
of the University community are
uncomfortablewiththeproposed
changes.
By this fall, the position of
Associate VicePresidentforStu-
dent Affairs will be expanded to
include a new function -Dean
of Students. Current Associate
Vice President for Student Af-
fairs Royster Harper will assume
the Dean of Students responsi-
bilities upon regental approval.
"'There has been no office
with a central focus for (serving
students).... We built the Dean
of Students office to serve as a
general assistance center," said
Maureen Hartford, Vice Presi-
dent for Student Affairs. "We
hope to make it easier for stu-
dentstogetthroughbureaucratic
red tape."
invalidates -nt
policy had already been consid-
ered before the Supreme Court
ruling.
Last winter, law students
Michael Warren and Peter
Mooney, membersoftheMichi-
gan Student Assembly's Student
Rights Commission (SRC),
asked the University to rescind
the interim policy because they
believed it violated free speech.
This stance was then adopted by
MSA.
Students have complained
they had no input into the vari-
ous drafts being considered to
replace the interim policy.
To address these concerns,
Hartford met with members of
the SRC, the Senate Advisory
Committee on University Af-
fairs, Minority Student Services,
the Center for Education of
Women, andstudentgrouplead-
ers and Deans.
Hartford said the meetings
were productive in formulating
an alternative tothe code. "There
was a fair amount of consensus
aboutadopting an approach simi-
lar to Stanford University," she
said.
Stanford's Fundamental
S tandard,adoptedin1906,states,
"Students at Stanford are ex-
pected to show, both within and
without the University, such re-
spect for order, morality, per-
sonal honor and the rights of
others, as is demanded by good
citizens. Failure todothis willbe
sufficient cause for removal from
the University."
The Office of the Vice Presi-
dent for Student Affairs is now
working on a ninth draft of a
replacement policy, tentatively
tided "The Student Community
Statement of Student Rights and
Responsibilities."
Hartford said the University
plans to have students enforce
any new policy. "It's like an
honor code with students chal-
lenging (other) students' inap-
propriate behavior," she said.
Under the proposed policy,
charges would be presented to a
six-member Student Hearing
Board (SHB) drawn from a ran-
domly-selected pool of 50 stu-
n code
dents. SHB members would be
screened for potential biases and
their participation may be chal-
lenged by both parties of a case.
A faculty member - with-
out voting privileges - would
chair the SHB and collect infor-
mation about the case.
Hartford said the University
has the option of going into the
Fall Term without a speech code
or implementing the draft as an
interim policy.
See CODE, Page 2
Court ruling sparks
throughout 'U' comp
by Victoria Kuohung Graduate s
Daily Staff Reporter boardmember
Many people in the University community are Court is acce
questioning theimplicationsof the recent Supreme racism."
Court decision in R.A.V. v. St. Paul, which ruled "(Burning
prohibitions on hate speech based on its content intention to ha
were unconstitutional. said. "I thinkf
LSA senior Jewel Shim said she felt the ruling more difficult
was ominous. Executive
"People can take this further," she said. "Burn- Walter Harris
ing crosses can be put under arson or trespassing general intent.
but the motivation behind it is racial."
concern
munit
tudent and Baker-Mandela Center
rReginaFreersaidshebelieves the
pting and protecting "a history of
crosses) to me indicates graphic
aim if the fear isn't heeded," Freer
fighting racism on campus is a far
task because of this ruling."
Director of University Relations
on said he agrees with the ruling's
.
See REACTIONS, Page 2
Abortion activists frown
on Pennsylvania ruling
Harper
The Dean of Students will
oversee four Associate Deans of
Students, each with separate ar-
eas of responsibility: Student
Assistance,CounselingandSpe-
cial Services, Activities and
Programmingand Multicultur-
alism.
Hartford mentioned the
Office's reorganization was con-
sidered even before she became
Vice President in January. She
also noted the University had a
Dean ofStudentsuntilthe 1970s.
"This is not new to the Univer-
sity," she said.
Executive University offic-
ers and the Directors of Assess-
mentandDevelopment,Univer-
See DEAN, Page 10
by Melissa Peerless
Daily Staff Reporter
A week after the Supreme
Court's controversial ruling in
the Planned Parenthood v.
Casey abortion case, local poli-
ticians and abortion activists
ore criticizing the decision.
The ruling struck down the
Pennsylvania law requiring
married women to receive
spousal consent before obtain-
ing an abortion.
However, the Court upheld
a statute mandating parental
consent for abortions for girls
under the age of 18 who are
supported by their parents.
The Court alsoleft in place
a mandatory 24-hour waiting
period for women who want
abortions and a provision al-
lowing health care institutions
to make records of abortions
and the women who have them
available to the public. Health
care facilities are also required
to inform women who want
abortionsof alternatives to ter-
See ABORTMON, Page 2
MOLLY STEVENS / Daily
Rachelle Driscoll and Jean Leverich read some of the
literature passed out at a rally protesting the Casey
decision June 29 in front of the Federal Building.
. -r..