Weather Tonight: Partly cloudy, low 44°. Tomorrow: Mostly sunny, high around 55. Eh 'Elan ti One hundredfve years ofedftorialfreedom Wednesday October 25, 1995 I -.-~ Local residents celebrate U.N.s 50th anmiversary By Anupama Reddy Daily Staff Reporter To honor the 50th anniversary of the ratification of the U.N. Charter, a small group of Ann Arbor citizens gathered at noon yesterday in City Council chambers at City Hall. They commemorated the occasion with thoughts on the goals and efforts of the United Nations and ended the celebration by raising the U.N. flag outside City Hall. "Even though we are one small room in one small town, the idea of some other city holding a similar event right at this very time gives me hope that we humans will realize just . - how interconnected we are," O . 2"4-0 IS said Rob Carpenter, a staff member for Ann Arbor's In- celebrated as terfaith Council for Peace and , Justice and the main speaker for the event. I orld W eek Carpenter criticized the United States for not paying ff the $1.3 billion it owes the United Nations and for failing to ratify U.N. documents such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Rights of Women and the Rights of the Child. "We have, in a sense, lost our moral leadership in the international arena. We should take some responsibility for our high-minded ideas," he said. University Prof. Emeritus Cecil Nesbitt introduced carpenter. Mayor Ingrid Sheldon declared the week of Oct. 24-30 as "World Week of Peace" in Ann Arbor, reciting the proclamation adopted by the U.N. General Assembly on July12. "We should support the sentiments of the proclamation willingly," Sheldon said. "The design for world peace progresses from the self to the home to communities - then moves to local, state and national governments, and finally nations coming together," said Alice Steinbach, president of Huron Valley United Nations Associa- tion-USA, who welcomed the crowd. The event was sponsored by the HVUNA-USA, the Ann Arbor chapters of the League of Women Voters, Zonta International and the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. gee g S4 Bijing- delegates: By Heather Miller ence was the meet Daily Staff Reporter and participants Expressing the overall idea of the cially appointed d "world as one," five local participants Marcia Federbu of last month's women's conferences Michigan Women in China gathered last night to discuss veled at seeing their experience. Serbian and Mush The five participants attended the ging each other. Non-Governmental Organizations Fo- "I was left with rum in Huairou, 35 miles from Beijing. of the power of w Only one member of the panel attended audience of Uni the U.N. conference. The U.N. confer- members at a dis Talks between U.S., ma ma help relations The Washington Post NEW YORK - President Clinton met with Chinese President Jiang Zemin yesterday for a summit that U.S. offi- cials said afterward showed relations between the two nations are beginning to thaw after months of bitter estrange- ment. Winston Lord, Clinton's assistant secretary of state for East Asian affairs, said the two hours of talks between the two leaders was a "significant step for- ward" toward the "stable and healthy relationship" that the administration is seeking. But he and other administra- tion officials said no concrete agree- ments emerged from the session, and acknowledged disagreements remain over Beijing's human rights record and Washington's relationship with Taiwan. It was the second day in a row the administration declared forward move- ment in a touchy relationship while providing few details. After meeting Monday with Russian President Boris Yeltsin, Clinton reported "some progress" on disagreements over Bosnia, but declined to elaborate. The administration's approval of a visa last June to Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui enraged China and led to the most serious rupture in years with the United States. And, earlier yester- day, Jiang highlighted the differences over human rights with a speech to the United Nations in which he protested "certain big powers" were meddling inappropriately in Chinese affairs "un- der the cover of 'freedom,' 'democ- racy' and 'human rights."' Lord said Clinton raisedhuman rights with Jiang in their meeting - in par- ticular the issue of political prisoners - but said the Chinese leader politely reiterated his country's traditional po- sition: that China has its own cultural history and economic problems that require it to "determine its own path" on human rights. Against these obvious differences, Clinton was determined to put a hap- pier face on the relationship. "These are two great countries that have a real interest in maintaining a constructive dialogue with each other and, wherever possible, a partnership," Clinton told reporters before his session with Jiang. After the meeting, the Chinese simi- larly put a soft edge on the differences. Chen Jian, a foreign ministry spokes- man, said Clinton and Jiang agreed "to avoid confrontation ... and act on the basis of equality and cooperative spirit." The spokesman said Clinton assured Jiang that "Taiwan is part of China" under the U.S. "One China" policy, which recognizes Beijing while main- taining informal relations with the is- land-nation of Taiwan. Referring to the Lee visit, in which the Taiwanese president entered the United States to attend his college re- union at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., the spokesman said, "China wishes for no more such incidents." But Lord said the United States would not make any such pledges. Clinton, he said, told Jiang that future visits of Taiwanese officials "would be consid- ered on a case-by-case basis. They'd be unofficial, private and rare." Despite such episodes of tension, at the end of the day the Clinton adminis- tration has chosen to pursue concilia- tion, just as it has in the past. As a presidential candidate, Clinton criti- cized President George Bush for not taking a harder line on China's human rights record. But as President, con- fronting China's large andgrowing eco- nomic importance, Clinton decided af- ter a season of equivocation to continue most-favored-nation trading status. Still, the relationship has stayed prickly, a fact that was highlighted in almost-comic fashion during the wran- gling leading up to yesterday's meet- ing. The Chinese initially wanted a full- fledged Washington summit, but Clinton refused. Clinton proposed lunch instead, but the Chinese, their feelings apparently hurt, said no to that. Then the location of yesterday's afternoon meeting was abruptly changed after the Chinese learned the New York Public Library, the origi- nal location, was showing an exhibit titled "What Price Freedom," with unflattering references to China's bloody confrontation with pro-democ- racy protestors in 1989 at Beijing's Tiananmen Square. The site was moved at the last minute to Lincoln Center, the performing arts complex on Manhattan's Upper West Side. JOE WESTRATE/Daily Dick Brown, a nuclear physicist and a member of the United Nations Organization for Peace, raises the flag at city hall yesterday afternoon. Conference proml ing of governments, were typically offi- elegates. sh, a member of the 's Hall of Fame, mar- Bosnian, Croatian, im women all hug- the incredible sense Nomen," she told an versity community cussion last night in the Michigan Union. "The diversity of people were defi- nitely seen at (the NGO forum)," said Prof. Deborah Oakly. "You had the opportunity to meet together with people from other cultures." Peace activist Odile Hugonot-Haber agreed. "It was not unusual to see an Indian woman sitting next to a Yugoslavian woman, next to an African woman, next to an American woman," she said. otedum Michigan Public Radio journalist Rachel Solom said women need to be incorporated into the process of making a better world. Activist Alan Haber agreed, saying that patfiarchy is the center of the prob- lems that need to be solved. Hugonot-Haber gave the example of rape in war-torn countries. "Rape is used as a weapon (in war)," she said. Soldiers would take a woman See CONFERENCE, Page 8 U - ----- ---------------------------------- Studen choice By Marisa Ma Daily Staff Reporter Along with exams and paI incompatible roommate can Some of these students ch conflicts by living in a subs Nursing sophomore Rach ing that her roommates will "I don't drink and I don't sm quieter and I don't really lik LSA first-year student M would live in a substance-fr cerns about coming to the U. In 1989, the University b substance-free in response ti would have mandated soir made available in all public The bill failed, but the Un to provide substance-free l universities across the natio "We are one of the very fi it in a serious fashion," said spokesman. He said that tod the whole country." Substance-free living spa 1989 to 2,600 this year and, by someone who signed for Levy said anyone can chi room, unlike other institut which provides substance-f covering from drug abuse. The rules for substance-fr and illicit drug use. Enfor residence hall, but repeated tion of the lease. Levy said compliance is n ts cite a mosphere in of substance-free living pers, many students find that an U iniversities 1iratch be one more source of stress. oose to reduce the potential for rooebates y interest tance-free room. el Malone said she likes know- By Marisa Ma share some of her preferences. Daily Staff Reporter noke," she said. "It is generally Many universities do not stop at substance-free hous- ke drunk neighbors." ing preferences when they match roommates -they also ikerra Bostic said knowing she ;look'into hobbies, interests and personalities. ee environment eased her con- Institutions. like the University of West Virginia, Jniversity. Dartmouth College and St. Louis University match room- egan to designate some rooms mates using more complicated processes, such as psy- o proposed state legislation that chological inventories or thorough questionnaires. ie substance-free housing be At the University of West Virginia, students fill out institutions. forms, answering lifestyle questions about habits ranging iversity continued with its plan from smoking and sleeping to qualities like neatness and iving for students. Now many music preferences. n have followed suit. Elaine Wolfe, a room assignments assistant at the rst in the large institutions to do University of West Virginia, said that smoking is the Alan Levy, University Housing most important criterion in deciding a match, while the day it is "the largest program in othersanswers can help reduce conflict between room- mates, ce has grown from 500 rooms in But Wolfe said she recognizes the limited effective- Levy said, "Every one is filled ness of these questions. Sit." ."Literally speaking, this (questionnaire) is, somewhat oose to live in a substance-free in my mind, superficial," Wolfe said. But more useful ions like Rutgers University, questions like how well students are able to cope and get ree living only for students re- along are not asked, she said. "A lot of people will take offense with questioning ee living ban smoking, alcoholR cement is localized within the - See ROOMMATES, Page 8 offenses may lead to termina- not a major problem. "There are said that people who smoke do so outside out of respect for JOE WESTRATE/Daily Miriam Galtz tells her story ti the men and women who attended "speak out" in the union ballroom last night. Survivors 'Speak t about sexual aSsault By Laurie Mayk Daily Staff Reporter Some clutched the hand of a friend and some defensively clutched them- selves; some cried and others shouted in frustration. The painful sobs, angry words and even the awkward silences in the Union Ballroom last night were all part of what survivors called "the healing process." The Sexual Assault Prevention and The speakers, ranging from first-year students to Law School graduates, recalled stories of rape, incest and sexual assault. Part of the program's focus was to assure survivors that although their sto- ries and reactions differ, they are not alone in their pain or their confusion. Although many of the survivors spoke. of the empowerment of sharing experiences and sending a message to attnA,-nrc nt.nfAnani n nrrnatrntrrc media" microphone would not be pub- lished. "When I hear people say, 'This is my second or third or fourth Speak-Out,' it reminds me of how important it was," Cain said. While personal healing in a transi- tion from "victim" to "survivor" was a main goal for the evening, a broader purpose of community and education also was present. i