1': 11, 1 , 1'::,. 11:1,: .:., 1', 1 1, Im"m OLM r v ................. ................ ... .. - lbe £idiipan ailg Monday, July 24, 2000 One hundred nine years of editorial freedom www.michigandaily.com iBollinger to act on recommendations By Casa Koivu Daily News Editor Since the panel on Space Allocation for Student Organizations and University Involvement with Student Organizations issued its recommendations to University President Lee Bollinger regarding how University office space should be assigned to student groups last April, the University commu- * has been waiting to hear whether or not llinger would follow the recommendations. WRC The panel, consisting of psychology Prof. Patricia Gurin, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Christina Whitman and Earl Lewis, dean of Rackham Graduate School, was formed in response to the takeover of the Michigan Union's Tower by the Students of Color Coalition last February. The SCC protested, among other things, the granting of privileged space and the usage of the tower by three senior societies - Michigamua, Phoenix and Vulcan. The panel's job was to review the University's current policy for space allocations and make rec- ommendations for how student groups should be assigned space, and also whether certain groups should be granted privileged University space. On Thursday, Bollinger issued a letter to the members of Michigamua, Phoenix and Vulcan, in which he said he agrees with the majority of the recommendations issued by the panel. "On the whole, I believe the recommendations are fair, sound and infused with the best of our community values," Bollinger said in the letter. "We have evolved from the days when only a few student groups were in existence into a modern- day University with several hundred student orga- nizations, all of which deserve to be recognized and welcomed by our community." "The recommendations are fully consistent with our principles of fairness, access and tolerance that all space allocated to student organizations be available to all of these student groups on a rough- ly equal basis, regardless of the group's viewpoint, See BOLLINGER, Page 7 p - council Tieets By Michael Grass Daily Staff Reporter WASHINGTON - The move- ment to help end sweatshop abuses in factories producing collegiate apparel took a giant step forward on Thursday with the first meeting of * governing council of the Worker's Rights Consortium. To date, 57 colleges and universi- ties, including the University of Michigan, have signed onto the WRC, under pressure in part by anti-sweat- shop student activists nationwide. The group plans to team up with non-governmental organizations and human rights groups to monitor *or practices in factories world- wide that produce apparel for col- leges and universities. The WRC's critics, including commercial giants like Nike, have deemed the organization a weak and uncooperative group, run by student radicals. Even University President Lee Bollinger was hesitant about signing onto the group in February. following the invasion and three-day occupation of LSA Dean Shirley Niman's office. C senior Peter Romer-Friedman, a campus anti-sweatshop activist and member of the WRC governing board. said Bollinger should be See MEETING, Page 7 GM files brief supporting 'U' By Anna Clark Daily Staff Reporter Adding to the tally of public figures and institutions support- ing the University in the upcom- ing affirmative action lawsuits, the General Motors Corporation filed a brief last Monday that announced the company's agree- ment with the current University policy of considering race in admissions. GM adds to the slowly grow- ing list of backers resulting from the University's active recruit- ment of support in the upcoming lawsuits, University President Lee Bollinger said. "This is the world's largest corporation saying they also believe in what we're doing," Bollinger said. "This is a very important voice on behalf of the University's position." The University is currently facing two lawsuits that are scheduled to go to trial this year. On behalf of three white rejected applicants from LSA and the Law School, the Center for Individual Rights, a Washington D.C.-based firm, is challenging the University's system of considering race in admissions. But not everyone agrees that GM's support matters much. "Nordoubt the executives at GM are taking this step to appease the gods of political correctness and liberal hyste- ria," LSA senior Rory Diamond said in a written statement. "I certainly hope that no one on this liberal campus is looking to the Fortune 500 for. moral sup- port." In the past year, former U.S. President Gerald Ford and for- mer Michigan governor William Milliken both announced they are in favor of the University's position with signed editorials in national newspapers. But the recruitment effort isn't wholly supported by stu- dents. Dustin Lee, an LSA junior and president of VOICE, a student group against the use of race in admissions, said the public statements are irrelevant to the case. "Regardless of the support the University garners from outside people, organizations, and companies, this issue is going to be fought in the courtroom," Lee said in a writ- ten statement. He added "the Center for Individual Rights has put togeth- er a marvelous case, and in the See GM, Page 2 NORMAN NG/Daily Women browse through the booths on Liberty Street at the Art Fair on Thursday. The fair ran from Wednesday to Saturday and took over most of downtown Ann Arbor. By Sara Fedewa Daily Staff Reporter The streets of Ann Arbor took on a whole nesv atmosphere last week as people from all over the country gathered to be part of the annual Ann Arbor Art Fair. According to Becky Best, tourism director for the Ann Arbor Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, an estimated 500,000 people came to the fair for the chance to see and pur- chase art from across the country. "500,000 people has been the estimate used for a few years now, but there is no clear way to count the actual number," Best said. "I think it is possible that there are even more here this year becautse of the great weather See ART FAIR, Page 3 I I Taking the Initiative Blind? No, deaf. Th Mi'hi' n L aderhip Initi' ti e is attemnptin to Third Lye Blind: heavy or the- mprove the quality of teamwork education ir c asses. atrics, low on talent \ <.Page3 A R ,Page8 Stay in the NIT, 65 Columnist Chris Dupre tackles the pos- sibility of a 65-team NCAA tournament. 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