w r One hundred four years of editorilfreedom ti Weather Tonight: Mostly cloudy, low in upper 40s. Tomorrow: Mostly cloudy, high near 70. Monday September 25, 1995 DPS suspects arson in Baits II house fire Housing Fire A fire on the ground floor of a North Campus housing unit is the first in University Housing this year. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. There. have been three fires near the. University over "l the last two Baits-Ewet weekends. [ous j Revised bill t cut $10 bil*xh4lo n By Anupama Reddy For the Daily Early Friday morning, residents of Baits 11 Ziwet House, on .North Cam- pus, were evacuated from their halls as flames ripped through a ground-floor room. According to the Department of Public Safety, the fire started at 1:30 a.m. in Room 2101 Ziwet, and there were no injuries. "The fire is being investigated as a possible arson," said DPS Capt. James Smiley. Engineering senior Chris Curtis. who lives across the hall, said, "I heard a whooshing sound and saw a yellow glow under my door. I was only asleep for 20 minutes." Resident Woody Bynus called DPS when his roommate told him there was smoke in the hall. Those living on the floor where the fire started were ques- tioned by DPS Officer Randall LaLonde. They noted that the room was-unoccupied for only 24 hours be- fore the incident. Some residents thought it was a fire drill since there had been several recent drills in other dormitories. Then, three fire trucks from the Ann Arbor Fire Department and several DPS officers arrived on the scene. Residents waited for about an hour while the firefighters entered the building, began to stop the flames and drew the smoke out of the room. DPS estimated damages to be $20,000, Smiley said. "The corner of the bed, part ofa chair and some carpet were burned," said Ann Arbor Fire Department Investiga- tor Ron Heemstra. He also said fire doors should have been closed to keep the fire from spreading up the stairway and into other halls. Resident Matthew Booney said, " I f Inset Area 2 orth campus i Campus Bursle '~Hall s- JONATHAN BERNDT/Daily was on the third floor using the phone in the hallway when I heard this rumbling noise and explosion. I smelled smoke and saw flames coming up the stair- way." DPS had no additional comment on the motive, and further investigation is still pending. Inside: Fire in EELS Building forces scientists to evactuate. Page 7. IVTI WANI/Spec~iUl theDily Firefighters cordoned off this section of Ziwet House in Baits 11 after a fire erupted early Friday morning. By Ronnie Glassborg Daily Staff Reporter With Senate Republicans unable to agree on reductions for student loans, Sen. Nancy Kassebaum (R- Kan.) is pro- posing a new plan that calls for more cuts to the direct loan program and elimination of the interest-free grace period. "I don't think any of us come to this session with any real relish for what we need to do," Kassebaum, chair of the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee, told The Associated Press. With committee Democrats opposed to any reductions to student financial assistance, the Republicans on the com- mittee need to agree on the cuts. The committee plans to reconvene on the plan tomorrow. The proposed cuts would amount to more than $10 billion over the next seven years. Kassenbaum's revised plan contains a 0.85-percent fee charged to universi- ties, based on the value of the federal loans that the school makes available to students and their parents. The initial proposal - which would have cost the University $1.7 million a year - called for a 2-percent fee. The new plan will cost the University $723,000 a year. "That's a move in the right direc- tion," said Walter Harrison, vice presi- dent for University relations. "I hope they reduce -it another 0.85 percent." The proposal also calls for an elimi- nation of the interest-free grace period after graduation on new student loans. The initial plan reduced this to four months from the current six-month pe- riod. Ken Tolo, senior adviser to U.S. Edu- cation Secretary Richard Riley, criti- cized the proposed elimination of the grace period in an interview yesterday, "Students appropriately need a short time period following graduation to complete their job search and assume employment, and the six-month period allows them to do that," Tolo said. The new plan also would cap the direct loan program at 20 percent of all federal loans - dowvn from 30 percent in the initial proposal. That wvouldelimi- nate one-third to one-half ofthe schools currently in the program. Harrison said he has assumed the University would not be eliminated from the program since it was one of the first to enter. "At the moment, I'm concerned See LOANS, Page 7A Duderstadt to earn- -ft $260,709 By Jcosh White Daily Staff Reporter Pursuant to a plan adopted in 1993, the University Board of Regents voted to raise President James J. Duderstadt's salary 5 percent and an additional sum of more than $16,000 at its monthly meeting Friday. Duderstadt's salary increased to $260,709 for fiscal year 1996, $28,288 more than he earned in fiscal year 1995. Regent Deane Baker (R-Ann Arbor) said at the meeting that the 5-percent increase - which accounts for $11,621 - and the $16,667 equity adjustment payment are funded by "the auxiliary activities fund rather than from tax dollars in the general fund of the budget." The equity adjustment program has been in place for three years, and Baker said the 5-percent increase for Duderstadt is "'consistent with past practice." "The merit increase and the equity adjustmentbring him more into line with the salaries of other Big 10 presidents," said University spokeswoman Lisa Baker. In other business: Chief Financial Officer Farris Womack announced at Friday's meeting that the University was named the 1995 Corporation of the Year by the Michigan Minority Business Development Council. "This shows our continued commitment to minority business ,. eat the University," Womack said. "We have long wanted to w In this award, but this is the first year we have ever won it." Regent Nellie Varner (D-Detroit) said the award was quite an accomplishment. "We should appreciate this as a major milestone for the University," Varner said. "It reflects the image ofthe Univer- sity as one that welcomes minority business. It is really very rewarding. to see the University recognized for it." Despite a recent fire at the former Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house, the University continues to negotiate with the property's owner about buying the real estate located on the corner of State and Hill streets. A fire caused more than $400,000 in damage to the house a week ago Saturday, and complicated the sale of the prop- erty to the University, Womack said. "We continue to talk," Womack said. "We are waiting for additional information on the damage to the building before we can really know what the status is. We had agreed to buy the property for a certain price before the fire, and now we have to look at what happened, what type of damage there is, and we have to keep talking with the owners. "The University is still interested in the property." Residents upset by U' plan to relocate bistoric A2Z home By Amy Klein Daily Staff Reporter When the University purchased a his- toric Ann Arbor home, administrators viewed the sale as a solution to many problems - a parking lot would he built and the house would be moved to the Nichols Arboretum. But for city residents the problems were just begin- ning. After pleas from residents last week, the University Board of Regents de- cided to postpone the relocation of the historic Burnham House, pledging to work more closely with the community to find a mutually acceptable spot. The University purchased the prop- erty at 940 Maiden Ln. last May for additional parking for the Kellogg Eye Center, and residents agreed that the existing Burnham House should be pre- served and relocated. Last week the University unveiled a plan to move the house to the Geddes Road entrance of the Nichols Arbore- tum as the new Urban Environmental Education Center, which would host environmental programs and tours for school children, adults and University students. The University originally intended to construct a new building for the cen- ter - until estimates revealed a $1.5 million undertaking. Members of the Oxbri+_,c Neighbor- hood Association, which represents the area surrounding the north and west sides of the Arb, criticized University administrators at public comments last Thursday for failing to consult the corn- mun ity. "Once again the University has acted in a unilateral fashion without consult- ing its neighbors," said Barbara Levin Bergman, an Ann Arbor resident. "Someday you may want something from the citizens in my neighborhood -there is quid pro quo on these thing. Following public comments, many regents agreed that residents should be contacted in the future planning for the educational center. "I think there's a complete linkage between the University and Ann Arbor, which implies reciprocity and respect," said Regent Laurence Deitch (D- Bloomfield Hills). "This site, even See BURNHAM, Page 7A In mem riam 'TONYA BROAD/Daily Volunteer Chang-ming Fan, of Saline, lights candles to line the running track at Domino's Farms for the "24-hour Relay for Life," benefiting the American Cancer Society. Several University groups sponsored teams for the event held In memory of Ann Roddy, who died of cancer in 1994. See story, Page .3A rk Sf ' A iA~iiB EG I NS4 Jewish students choose between classes, worship By Kate Glickman For the Daily Jewish students and faculty face a difficult decision this time every year. They must choose between classes and worship services for their new year, Rosh Hashanah. "Traditionally, students who observe the holiday refrain from work to focus on the Jewish community, introspection and the coming of the New Year," said Marni Holtzman, Hillel program direc- tor. But observation becomes tricky for Jewish students when their religious faith and academic dedication clash, as the University does not cancel classes for either Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kip- pur. Students called Hillel this week to "I am missing two movies out of 12. I.'m going to have to work hard to catch up." - Jesse Levine LSA senior Marching, band to play tonigt at Members hope for live coverage of show on Monday Night Football By Kate Glickman For the Daily The Michigan Marching Band will give a special performance tonight on national television when it plays at the Silverdome for the Lions-49ers game. ABC will air the 9 p.m. match as its featured game for Monday Night Foot- ball. The band's pregame show will She said professors are strongly urged not to penalize any student for religious observation. "The University hands out notices of all religious holidays to faculty at the beginning of the year and asks pro fes- sors to try to accommodate," said phys- ics Prof. Paul Berman. "I know there are students who won't be here," he said. To help Jewish stu- dents who won't attend his class work or religious observation, Levine said. "~Considering the amount ofJews who attend this school, it wouldn't be a bad idea to cancel classes," he said, "be- cause even if work is made up for, holding classes gives Jews a tendency to think twice, and they shouldn't have to. Observant Jews said the pressure to attend class prevents some students from The Michigan Marching Band musters on the steps of Revelli Hail before the Michigan-Memphis game earlier this month. The band will play before kickoff during halftime at tonight's 49ers-Lions game at the Pontiac Silverdome. crowd our members' schedules." Members of the band say they are thing. It just seems more important that you get everything right," he said. I