:,N~ WEW Unl Friday December 8, 1995 Weather Tonight: 36 inches of snow, low in the 20s. Tomorrow: 4-7 inches of snow, high in the 20s. One hundredflve years ofeditorialfreedom II r L 1 I won't release details of lawsuit with comm. prof. Two sides settle out of court Murder heaningbegins By Jodi Cohen Daily Staff Reporter The University has settled a contract- dispute case with communication Prof. Jonathan Friendly out of court, but is refusing to release any details of the settlement. University lawyers contend that the settlement agreement reached in late October cannot be released because of a provision stipulating non-disclosure to a third party. A Freedom of Information Act re- quest for the out-of-court agreement filed by The Michigan Daily was de- nied for privacy reasons, said Univer- sity Chief Freedom of Information Of- ficer Lewis A. Morrissey. He said Sec- tion 13 (1) (a) of the Act protects the document from being released because it contains "information of a personal nature where the public disclosure of the information wouldl constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of an individual's privacy." Friendly, directorof the master's pro- gram injournal ism, sued the University in July 1994 on two counts, stemming from communication department en- dowment funds that he alleged were misused to pay part of his salary. As a member of the department, Friendly cooperated in 1993 with auditors who were examining endowment spending. During the case, Friendly alleged that afterchallenging the Weberand Howard R. Marsh funds, he suffered both eco- nomically and non-economically. He claimed that the University "failed to timely notify ... that his three-year con- tract would not be renewed," the com- plaint states. Instead, Friendly was given a one-year contract "containing less desirable terms and conditions." The second count alleged that the University's refusal to renew Friendly's contract violated the Whistleblower Protection Act, which protects an em- ployee who reports to a "public body" an alleged wrongdoing by their em- ployer. After months of pre-trial testimony, piles of submitted evidence and most 16 students charged under EMU code By Lenny Feller Daily Staff Reporter The halftime protest during a basket-' ball game Monday at Eastern Michigan University's Bowen Fieldhouse has led to charges against 16 EMU students for violating the university's student code. The students are but a small part of the contingent that delayed the second half of the EMU-San Francisco State basketball game by more than 30 min- utes. EMU officials said that at least 60 people participated in the rally, which was organized to show support for EMU student Aaron Johnson, 21, who faces trial on charges of aggravated assault and obstruction ofjustice during a fight inside a campus dormitory on Nov. 6. To identify the more than 60 indi- viduals, administrators are reviewing films and photos of the protest and talking to eyewitnesses. At least 10 protesters have been identified as indi- viduals not enrolled at EMU. School officials believe a significant number of other demonstrators also were not students. Following the code's stated policy, letters will be sent to the 16 identified recently the University's request for summary disposition, Circuit Court Judge Kurtis T. Wilder decided in late October to dismiss the second count. But, in his opinion, Wilder wrote that the first count should go to trial. "The disputed testimony concerning state- ments made by (LSA Dean Edie) Goldenberg and (former communica- tion department acting chair L. Rowell) Huesmann, as well as the timing and meaning of any such statements made, raises issues of material fact which pre- clude summary disposition as to Count I," he wrote. Wilder said the Whistleblower Pro- tection Act was inapplicable in this case. Friendly claimed the case fell under he act because he had reported his grievance to Regent Philip Power (D-Ann Arbor), who he said represented a "public body." Citing a Michigan Court of Appeals decision,Wilder wrote that Friendly "re- ported only to his employer, the Uni- versity of Michigan, and not to a higher authority." Wilder said he dismissed the count because he did not consider Power to be a "public body." A few days after Wilder's decision, the two sides settled out of court and Wilder agreed to dismiss the case. As part of the settlement agreement, the two sides agreed not to disclose information to another party. "Why FOIA does not supercede (the agreement), you have to talk to (Uni- versity General Counsel Elsa Cole)." Associate Vice President for Univer- sity Relations Lisa Baker said Cole was unavailable for comment yesterday. Both parties must agree to release any details of the agreement, Baker said, adding that the University has not yet contacted Friendly's attorney, James Fett. Friendly said in an interview this week that both sides were "mutually satisfied," but he would not comment further. Friendly will not be teachin'g at the University after the winter 1996 semes- ter. SARA STILLMAN/ Daily Dale Lipke and LSA sophomore Crystal Lujan, who are accused of murder, arson, and other charges, remain somber during their preliminary hearing yesterday. Prosecution witnesses recount bizarre story By Josh White Daily Staff Reporter LSA sophomore Crystal Lujan, who is accused of murder, wanted "to pay some girls to beat (her ex-girlfriend) and cut her hair and smash her com- puter," a witness said in riveting testi- mony yesterday. Another witness said Lujan planned 'to ice someone" and that Lujan LIter gave detailed accounts of how a man had been bound with tape and beaten to death with a sledgehammer and flash- light. Lujan and Dale Lipke. 23. face mul- tiple charges in connection with a bru- tal Superior Township murder in Sep- tember and a Vera Baits II residence hall fire a few days later. Judge Elizabeth Pollard Hines lis- tened to prosecution witnesses in Washtenaw County Courthouse yes- terday as part of Lujan's preliminary hearing on counts of carrying con- cealed weapons, assault with intent to murder. arson, open murder, felony murder and conspiracy to commit felony murder. Lipke faces similar charges.. H ines scheduled the hearing to con- tinue at 9:15 a.m. today, when pros- ecutors will present additional wit- nesses, and Hines may decide which, if any, of the charges will be bound over for trial. For more than eight hours, witnesses painted a gruesome picture of the third week of September.in which Lujan and Lipke allegedly planned and carried out a plot to rob and kill Daniel Rice. a Superior Township man who had worked with Lujan. They then alleg- edly set fire to his home. That same week, Lujan allegedly paid two women to assault School of Music first-year student Erika Banks, who lived in Baits, and then Lujan and Lipke allegedly set fire to Banks' room, intending to kill her. The week begins Carlina Harrison, a friend of Lujan, said the chain of events began the night of Friday, Sept. 15. "She would talk about Erika almost every day," Harrison said, referring to the fact that Lujan and Banks had just ended a relationship. "She would say that she wanted to kick her as or have someone kick her ass. She also wanted (Banks') hair cut ... because it would hurt her because Erika cherishes her hair." See HEARING, Page 14A Clinton offers third spending plan of'95 Bid would cut welfare by another $15B Los Angeles 'Times WASHINGTON - In a new bid to crack the budget stalemate, President Clinton yesterday formally offered his third omnibus spending plan of the year, a 1,000-page document that would eliminate the deficit in seven years by squeezing a whopping 20 percent from lower-priority do- mestic programs. Responding to GOP demands for specific spending cuts, Clinton laid, out a $465-billion savings inventory that would leave almost untouched - the administra- tion's top-priority programs for education and the envi- ronment, Medicare and Medicaid, as well as a $98 billion tax cut package. But it would pare an additional $15 billion from welfare spending, and save another $36 billion from lower cost-of- living raises for Social Security recipi- ents and others. The revised budget would carve deeply into hundreds of lower- priority domestic spending efforts, prob- ably including highways and mass tran- sit, housing, energy and arts funding, some budget experts predict. "We presented on behalfof the Demo- crats a seven-year proposal to achieve balance and protect the priorities the presi- dent is concerned about." said White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta. But the Republicans lost no time re- jecting the plan. "This is a tremendous disappointment, and frankly they have got to come back to the table," said House Budget Committee Chairman John Kasich (R-Ohio). The Clinton budget plan basically squeezes the essentials ofClinton's pre- vious 10-year deficit-cutting program into seven years. to match the deficit- cutting achieved in the omnibus plan the Republicans shepherded through Congress last month. Clinton's budget and the Republican version, which cuts more deeply into future entitlement spending, will now become the basis for face-to-face nego- tiations to complete the year-end spend- ing legislation that is already two months overdue. Clinton's plan slices only $465 bil- lion to eliminate the deficit, compared to the GOP's $812 billion, because it assumes that higher future govern- ment revenues and lower expenses will make the extra savings unneces- sary. NOPPORN KICHANANTHA/Daily Ann Arbor residents have started to decorate their homes with wreaths from the Farmer's Market. Even during s wee stdents stock up on By Kate Glickman Daily Staff Reporter Tess Raymo, manager of Middle Earth, shuffles around customers as she rearranges merchandise shipped in for gifts, cheer Saturday before Christmas to start buy- ing," Ladd said, "after exams are over." Students, busy studying for exams, decorate their rooms and look forward to a break when they can see their families. Chiims feels good to be surrounded by family and friends and people that you know care about you." Business junior Jessica Scoon said she has managed togo shopping forhermother i i f