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Since 1890
Vol. Cl, No. 140 Ann Arbor, Michigan - Wednesday, April 24,1991 Thhaly
Criticism of MSA fuels debate over mandatory fee
a
by Julie Foster
Daily MSA Reporter
Summer. The season of convertibles,
beach parties, long sunny days, and of
course, the determination of student allo-
cations to the Michigan Student
DAILY NEWS ANALYSIS
Assembly.
In July, the University's Board of
SRegents will decide, with recommenda-
tions from MSA President James Green,
how much funding MSA will receive for
the year, and the sessions are not likely to
take place at a friendly backyard barbeque
at University President James
Duderstadt's house.
Considering that an average of only 12
to 15 percent of students vote at each
MSA election, many students could prob-
ably care less how much money is allo-
cated to a student government that they
feel hasn't represented them properly.
University Regent Philip Power (D-
Ann Arbor) senses student animosity
toward MSA.
"I get the feeling a lot of people are
not happy with the way MSA has-been
acting in the past few years," Power said.
This year, many people felt MSA was
too involved with foreign policy issues
and making political statements that
didn't directly represent student inter-
ests.
In the past, when either the students or
the administration were highly dissatis-
fied with the student government, it was
either disbanded and restructured, or the
funding process was altered significantly.
In 1975, the regents created the
Commission to Study Student
Governance (CSSG) to give a recommen-
dation on how to improve the Student
Government Council (SGC). The com-
mission was formed partly because, ac-
cording to the regents, the behavior of the
SGC was no longer tolerable. In October
of 1975, SGC was disbanded.
Former Regent Thomas Roach said the
circumstances surrounding the destruc-
tion of SGC were unusual and that simi-
lar action against MSA was unlikely. He
said the former Council had embezzled
funds and were extremely fiscally irre-
sponsible.
"In those days it appeared people were
shoving money out the back door," Roach
said. "They were very irresponsible with
their money, and it really wasn't repre-
sentative of the students. MSA came out
See MSA, Page 2
Hnicapped
permits: used
and abused
GEO,
'U' fail
to agree on a
new contract
by Lari Barager
Daily Staff Reporter
Even the casual observer notices
the symbolic blue handicapped
parking space signs that dot every
campus parking lot; they are in no
short supply, say Parking
Operations Officials. But few peo-
ple know just how one applies for
handicapped parking permits and
how these privileges are abused ev-
ery day.
Parking Operations Admin-
istrative Assistant Betty DeWolf
says a student or staff member can
obtain a permanent handicapped
staff-paid perniit by showing their
state handicapper permit to
officials at Parking Operations. Or,
if they only need a temporary
permit because of an injury or
operation, they can bring in a
doctor's note and the permit is is-
sued for a limited period of time.
But possessing a handicapper
permit does not always assure a
person a parking place.
"We have staff call us and say
that they can't park their car be-
cause someone is parking ille-
gally," DeWolf said.
There are 442 handicapped spots
on campus for the 162 people who
have handicapper permits, and that
would seem like enough. But the
system is both unknowingly and
blatantly misused, DeWolf said.
DeWolf said they have had inci-
dents of staff members using other
people's permits, and they have
been investigated.
"We ran into a case where the
person (a University staff mem-
ber) was using his wife's permit
and his wife had died," DeWolf
said.
Parking Operations then noti-
fied the Secretary of State's office
and ticketed the man for parking
with an invalid handicap permit.
The office also investigated a
case where a student was using her
father's handicap sticker. DeWolf
See PERMITS, Page 3
by Robert Patton
Daily Staff Reporter
Yesterday's negotiations be-
tween the University and the
Graduate Employees Organization
(GEO) failed to produce an agree-
ment on TA contracts for the next
two years.
The inability of the two sides to
produce a settlement means TAs are
likely to work without a contract
this summer, and could result in a
TA strike next fall.
GEO spokesperson Alan Zundel
said there was little said at the
meeting, and that little progress
was made on any of the issues.
University spokesperson
Colleen Dolan-Greene also called
the negotiations "a pretty quiet
session."
"We received (GEO's) proposal
and agreed with the mediator that
we would be back in touch when
GEO wanted to meet again," she
said. Dolan-Greene added the
University had given the GEO team
a re-wording of the language defin-
ing the duties of a TA.
Michael Kozura, a member of the
bargaining team, agreed that
progress had been made in that area.
However, even there it was minor,
he said.
On the other major issues "there
is a large space between their posi-
tion and our position," he said.
'I don't foresee either
side changing its
position much over
the summer'
Chris Roberson
- GEO President
Kozura added while no agree-
ment has been reached, the
University did not resort to tactics
such as threatening striking TAs
with legal action.
See GEO, Page 2
A car displaying a temporary handicapper permit is parked in a
handicapped parking zone outside of Mason Hall.
[ In
S i
Future of city
by David Rheingold
low-income
housing uncertain
Daily City Reporter
Despite the Homeless Action
Committee's (HAC) failure to gar-
ner enough signatures on a recent pe-
DAILY NEWS ANALYSIS
tition drivelo put the Kline's park-
ing structure on a referendum bal-
lot, HAC members say there is a
growing citizen dissatisfaction
lTD to cut
consulting
hours at
main sites
by Andrew Levy
Daily Staff Reporter
The University agency responsi-
ble for campus computing, the
Information Technology Division
(ITD), is making changes in the way
it provides computer consulting
services, an ITD official said yester-
day.
Starting with spring term, on-
site consulting hours will be cut by
an average of 32 percent, while tele-
phone consulting through the 4-
HELP line will be increased. The
change is an attempt to provide a
more "efficient" service, while off-
setting the consequences of budget
cuts that go into effect with the
new fiscal year.
"We're not cutting consulting
services, but we are changing the
way we do give services to make it
more effective," said ITD consult-
ing services director Cheryl Munn-
Fremon.
Munn-Fremon said that cur-
with the proposed project.
HAC member Leslie Mead said
Monday that 90 percent of the peo-
ple who signed it asked to do so on
their own. It seems likely, then, that
the issue of the Kline's structure
will return to city hall in the near
future.
But whether HAC can continue
to use it as a rallying point in its
perennial fight for low-income
housing remains to be seen.
Although the city budget cur-
rently allots no money toward low-
income housing, HAC argues that
there are funds available within a
local outlet called the Downtown
Development Authority (DDA) -
which should be used on housing in-
stead of the Kline's parking
structure.
The DDA, which will fund the
$8.6 million structure, was estab-
lished in 1982 primarily to maintain
downtown business districts.
This does not mean, however,
that it cannot contribute some of its
resources toward affordable hous-
ing. Recently, for example, it built
63 affordable housing units at the
Ann Arbor YMCA in conjunction
with sidewalk repairs, said DDA
coordinator Reuben Bergman.
Bergman said getting the DDA
to fund a project that is strictly
low-income housing could be
difficult.
"We are not a housing authority.
The housing authority is called the
(Ann Arbor) Housing Commis-
sion," Bergman said.
The housing commission is cur-
rently in the process of building 25
low-income units, said its interim
director, Conrad Benson.
Benson said the federal approval
of the 25 units was a big step for the
city, as government funding of new
construction has been slashed 80
See HOUSING, Page 2
'U' students choose
a variety of locales
for final exam cram
by Lad Barager
Daily Staff Reporter
They are a procrastinator's worst
nightmare - they're final exams
and they're here.
And, for students whose
coursepacks are still sitting unread
at Kinko's, the time has come to
forego those wild evenings at the
bars and romantic strolls in the
Arb. Cramming will demand a week
of solitary confinement for many
prospective exam takers.
Of course, University students
have different perspectives on the
studying experience, from students
who are idiosyncratic in their study
habits and have a specific system to
those who go to the libraries to re-
lax and talk with their friends
while doing what they describe as
"light studying."
The Daily reported in its Best of
Ann Arbor survey that the Graduate
library was students' favorite place
to study. With its tomb-like reading
room and labyrinth of secluded cu-
bicles in the stacks, it satisfies the
need for "serious studying."
"They're (the cubicles) spacious
and bland and it's dead quiet," LSA
sophomore Perry Ganz said.
"There's nothing there to distract
me."
But for Ganz, the Grad is actu-
ally his second choice for optimum
studying. "My favorite place to
See CRAM, Page 9
Richard Kratt, a second-year space engineering student, studies in front of Hill Auditorium yesterday before
the rain came.
I
Comprehensive drug and alcohol policy to be ready by fall
by Sarah Schweitzer
Daily Administration Reporter
After more than two years of re-
search and numerous revisions, a
comprehensive University drug and
ainnh l nni:- '1101hP r a.r -
Federally-mandated code will address 'significant'
alcohol, drag probkm at'U'; replaces interim policy
"We will have more systematic
policies. People and behavior are
less likely to slip through the
cracks."
In addition to these general rec-
ommendations, the task force specif-
made by the Task Force on Alcohol
-a ('ltl-nar..nrime fr inl-:,..nn ina .
Yet, according to the task force,
t n t n h.an..t.ial rnet.to t -
abuse. If problems are found to ex-
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