Vol. Cl, No 86 Ann Arbor, Michigan -Thursday, January 31, 1991 Topyrighg01Da91
Copyricigt Daily
'U' pres.
*receives
activist
messages
y Henry Goldblatt
Daily Administration Reporter
Students walking through the
fishbowl yesterday were bom-
barded with hot-pink flyers which
asked to do something they proba-
bly had never thought of before:
Zap the Dude.
The "Zap the Dude" campaign
was sponsored by the New Queer
Agenda - a group formed this fall
ldedicated to pressuring the Univer-
sity's Board of Regents to amend
the University's bylaw 14.06.
The current bylaw is designed
to affirm the University's commit-
ment to anti-discrminatory policies
"for all persons, regardless or race,
sex, color, religion, creed national
origin or ancestry, age, marital sta-
tus, handicap, or Vietnam-era vet-
eran status."
0 New Queer Agenda is outraged
that this bylaw doesn't affirm the
University's commitment against
discriminatory policies based on
sexual orientation.
The group's sole goal is to
amend the bylaw, said Julie De-
Laurier, co-founder of New Queer
Agenda, who called the exclusion
of gay males and lesbians from the
bylaw "a glaring omission."
"Every person is covered in the
anti-discrimination bylaw except a
person who is gay," DeLaurier
said.
The flyers called for students to
send a prepared message to Uni-
versity administrators via Michi-
gan Terminal System (MTS), a
computer mail service.
By typing in a computer code,
* See PROTEST, Page 2
12 marines
die in Iraqi
tank attack
Borderlands
U.S. Marines charge through a trench during ground combat training in the Saudi desert. The Marines maintain
front line positions in Saudi Arabia along the borders with Kuwait and Iraq.-
Conservativesdiscuss
MSA eetinprospects
DHAHRAN, Saudi Arabia (AP)
- U.S. Marines fired anti-tank
weapons and called in air strikes
to repel an assault by tank-led
Iraqi forces yesterday. Twelve
marines were killed and heavy
Iraqi casualties were reported, U.S.
military officials said.
The Marines were the first
American ground forces to die in
battle in the 2-week-old war with
Iraq. It was the heaviest ground
fighting so far in the Persian Gulf
war.
The battle, which started Tues-
day night, began when Iraqi tanks
were spotted moving into Saudi
Arabia.
As the fighting intensified, al-
lied troops engaged Iraqi soldiers
along a 25-mile long front extend-
ing from Kuwait's Al Wafra oil
field to the abandoned Saudi bor-
der town of Khafji, a Saudi mili-
tary spokesperson said.
Twelve Marines were killed
and two were wounded in the fight-
ing, U.S. commander Gen. H. Nor-
man Schwarzkopf said at a news
conference in Riyadh, Saudi Ara-
bia. He said 24 Iraqi tanks were
destroyed by allied forces.
By late afternoon, about 50
Iraqi troops in armored personnel
carriers were holding central
Khafji, U.S. Marines and Saudi
troops deployed on the outskirts
said. It was the first time Iraq held
any Saudi territory since the war
began.
As the ground battle broke out,-
air-sea clashes were reported in
the gulf, and allied warplanes con-
tinued bombing Iraq.
A Pentagon source character-
ized the Iraqi ground action as a
"probing attack" aimed at assess-
ing allied strength and weaknesses
not meant to seize and hold
ground.
Reports from Marines on the
ground spoke of street fighting in
Khafji. Marine Lt. Col. Cliff Myers
described the fighting as
"hellacious" as the Marines bat-
tled Iraqis in the moonlight in
freezing temperatures.
About 20 Iraqi armored vehicles
were destroyed and 25 Iraqi sol-
diers were reported captured, ac-
cording to pool reports. Army Lt.
Greg Peoin told reporters at the
Pentagon that allied "casualties
appear to be less than 20." He did
not elaborate.
According to government
sources in London, Iraqi fatalities
could run into the hundreds, the
British news agency Press Associ-
ation reported.
In an apparent ruse, an Iraqi
force of up to 80 vehicles and
3,000 to 4,000 troops approached
Saudi troops with the tanks, turrets
turned around as if they planned to
surrender. However, the Iraqis en-
gaged the Saudis, who were
backed up by Marine artillery and
air support.
Marines in a small weapons
and scouts platoon said the two
sides exchanged artillery and
small arms fire throughout the day.
The Iraqi forces also fired rockets
toward the rear positions of the al-
See MARINES, Page 2
by Jay Garcia
Daily MSA Reporter
Students for a Conservative
Campus (SCC) discussed presi-
dential candidates for April's
Michigan Student Assembly elec-
tions at a meeting Monday, but
nothing was officially decided,
said MSA representative James
Green.a
One source who did not wish to
be identified said it was under-
stood in the meeting who might be
vying for MSA leadership posi-
tions: Green, engineering junior
Bill Cosnowski, and former MSA
president Aaron Williams.
Green expressed interest in the
position. "I believe I'm qualified to
be president," he said.
Cosnowski and Williams could
not be reached for comment.
The coalition has dominated
conservative campaigns for MSA
in the last three years. The pre-
election discussions are part of a
broader conservative campaign
which will probably run candidates
under the CC banner.
Green, who was elected on the
CC ticket last fall, said the Con-
servative Coalition (CC) party
would support any of several quali-
See MSA, Page 2
Students' reaction to affirmative action policies mixed
by Sarah Schweitzer
Daily Staff Reporter
While affirmative action poli-
cies exist at the University today
in great part due to the student ini-
tiative of the 1970s, today students
stand divided on the issue of affir-
mative action.
Some students say they support
0affirmative action because nothing
better exists and so it must be tol-
erated.
"Affirmative action is good be-
cause there isn't anything better,"
LSA senior Amy Weissfeld said.
"It's like the welfare system. Peo-
ple should be working for some-
thing better."
Others say affirmative action
seeks to correct a problem which
can only be attacked at the roots
- at the primary education level
and in the socialization process.
"It's a plan with good goals but
the plan itself is totally screwed,"
said LSA senior Reginald Goeke,
a West Quad Resident Advisor.
"They are trying to correct a prob-
lem that has developed in the edu-
cational system.
"It is a half step and a way for
white people to feel better about
themselves," he added.
Yet some students unequivo-
cally oppose affirmative action at
the University and question one of
its primary goals - achieving a
diverse student body.
"We' have diversity right now,"
LSA junior Charles Bletsas said.
"The University doesn't have to be
a microcosm of society. It's unnat-
ural to alter the balance of people.
"Affirmative action doesn't
seem to be shaping up in a benefi-
cial way. Is it to benefit the minor-
ity or the University as a whole?"
Many of those who oppose all
or part of affirmative action said it
was the negative side-effects
which made them question affir-
mative action's place at the Uni-
versity.
For instance, some majority
students suggested that minority
students feel inferior because it is
often assumed they are admitted
on lower standards.
"The minority students have to
prove themselves," Bletsas said.
"It's unfair to ask one minority kid
to represent an entire minority
population. It's like they're here
because they're a number and now
let's see if they can prove them-
selves."
Some minorities agree their
performance is scrutinized by ma-
jority students and professors wait-
ing to see if the they can measure
up.
LSA junior Ann Smith said she
feels majority students view her as
inferior and tend to assume she got
into the University on the color of
her skin, rather than on her own
merit.
Smith said professors and
teaching assistants tend to ignore
her because "they don't think mi-
nority students can learn as well
(as majority students.)
"Minority students don't feel in-
ferior. They just resent this kind of
treatment," she said.
Yet other minority students say
they are confident they were ad-
mitted to the University based on
merit and therefore do not feel
threatened by majority students.
"I think minority students have
no place to feel inferior because
they know the struggle they have
to face going to a predominantly
white university," LSA sophomore
Marc Bozeman said.
Bozeman added that having
been accepted at Rice University
in addition to this University gave
him an added assurance that he is
qualified.
While minority students such as
Bozeman and Smith differ in their
Candidates prepare
*for council elections
assessment of how majority stu-
dents and faculty perceive them,
they agree affirmative action is a
necessary and beneficial policy for
the University.
"It gives minority students the
chance to go to a school like this,"
Smith said. Bozeman said he sees
affirmative action as a way "to
correct the current problem."
Some majority students endorse
affirmative action for similar rea-
sons.
LSA senior Jerry Galea, a Res-
ident Director in West Quad, said
by creating a diverse atmosphere,
affirmative action not only benefits
the minority students but also pre-
pares majority students for the
"real world," which is increasingly
diverse. See ACTION, Page 2
Soviet
pullout
may spur
peace
VILNIUS, U.S.S.R. (AP) -
Lithuanian President Vytautas
Landsbergis said a Soviet with-
drawal could set the stage for new
talks between Moscow and the
breakaway republics, as two con-
voys of Soviet troops left the
Lithuanian capital yesterday.
Lithuanian President Vytautas
Landsbergis said Kremlin promises
to remove at least some troops
were a good sign, but Soviet forces
still occupied Lithuania's buildings
by Lynne Cohn
Daily City Reporter
The Apr. 1 Ann Arbor City
Council election is already spark-
ing interest in four of the city's
five wards.
Councilmember Terry Martin
(R-Second Ward) is stepping
down, opening the arena to new
candidates. Independent Green
candidate Valerie Ackerman, Re-
publican Kirk Dodge and Democ-
ract Daniel Klimaczewski are vy-
ing for the Second Ward seat.
Opposing Councilmember Nel-
son Meade (D-Third Ward) are
Robert Barry (R) and Dalynn Park
(I-Greens). Kurt Zimmer (D) will
oppose Councilmember Jerry
Schleicher (R-Fourth Ward).
decision not to run a candidate in
the First Ward was a tactic to in-
fluence the mayoral race. Because
the ward is heavily Democratic,
Republicans hope less voters will
turn out since there is no contest,
she said.
Councilmember Terry Martin
(R-Second Ward) will not run for
re-election.
"My feet aren't going to walk
another 3,000 houses this year,"
Martin said. "We need some new
ideas and creative thoughts."
Ackerman, who is running in
the Second Ward despite a loss in
last year's election against Coun-
cilmember Ingrid Sheldon (R-Sec-
ond Ward), said she feels that af-
fordable housing should be the top