Miami Hurricane, April 13, 1990

              Deity dilemma	
Students debate the existence oi God and the need for	
religion.	Opinion — page 4
Keeping the faith	
Students discuss their experiences with dating outside	
of their religions.	Accent — page 6
Sidelined
The women’s tennis team will turn down a national tournament bid.
Sports — page 9
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-"HTT

THE MIAMI
7
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Volume 67, Number 46
University of Miami, Coral Gables, Fla.
Friday, April 13, 1990
Polling places reducèd to two
Chiappone wants ‘bullet-proof elections
By MICHAEL R. MORRIS
Contributing Editor
Election procedures were changed Wednesday, as the Student Government Senate approved the third elections calender of this semester at its weekly meeting.
Instead of voting at five locations around campus, students will cast ballots at the University Center and the Memorial Building. The lark of an accurate commuter list and the last-minute unavailability of Cane Card validators forced the Elections Commission to abandon the residential college polling locations.
Stephanie Palubtcki, director of Commuter Student Affairs, sent a memo to Mark Chiappono, Elections Commission chairperson, informing him that some students living in the residential colleges are listed as commuters on the official rosters.
‘‘The enrollments services database is sadly inaccurate and. in my opinion, should not be used as an elections roster." Palubirki wrote.
Originally, Chiappone had planned to use Cane Card readers to ensure no student voted more than once and that students only voted for their respective senators. A memo from Robert Fuerst, director of Academic Services, forced Chiappone and the Elections Commission to change plans.
Fuerst wrote that it would be "impossible" to reprogram the card
machines in time tor elec lions, iI on this information, the F.lectinns Commission planned to use rosters of residence halls students and commuter students in order to properly administer the elections.
Several senators questioned why student rosters couldn’t be used to ensure students each voted only once and in the right area.
HOW TO VOTE
Student Government spring elections are scheduled to take place trom 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the Elections Commission Voting will take place in the University Center and the Memorial Building. Students must have a valid Cane Card in order to cast a ballot.
Presidential candidate Howard Rubin, granted floor rights by the senate, argued for five polling places. Rubin called the residential college rosters "flawless" and dismissed fears of students trying to sabotage the elections as "paranoid."
"The students are fed up. They’re disgusted. They're embarrassed by the Student Government process,” Rubin said. "We want to make it painfully easy for them to vote.”
Chiappone admitted it would lie possible for the elections to be conducted using residential college rosters, but claimed it would increase Ihe possiblity of error, saying he wanted to "bullet-proof" the elections as much as he could. Using five locations and the rosters would increase the number of election coni-missioners needed, beyond those
now Hwnrn in. ««fording to ('hinp-
pone.
Various schemes were proposed for increasing the number of people manning the polling places, including having senators staff election booths, having graduating senators resign to serve as elections commissioners and having administrators man the ballot boxes.
DAVE BFRGMAN/Assistant Photo Editor
Having a ball
Junior Ray Romeu plays softball with his accounting fraternity. Beta Alpha Psi, on the Intramural Field.

USA critics: Minorities to lose voice

SPRING
ELECTIONS
VOTE ’90
By BETH EILERS
Assistant News Editor
The Roadrunners Commuter Student Organization, along with United Black Students, the Council of International Student Organizations, the Federation of Cuban Students and the Federation of Black Greeks, is petitioning students to reject the Undergraduate Student Association referendum, according to a Roadrunners newsletter.
In a flier attached to the most recent newsletter, which is mailed to all commuter students, the organizations condemned the USA proposal.
USA, authored by presidential candiate Howard Rubin, would radically alter the current Student Government structure. Under USA. there would be 10 senators, representing the academic college and schools, which would act as a review board. Bills would be written in task forces that students would create to deal with specific problems.
"Under the current system.” according to the flier, ‘‘commuters have six senators, in addition to the Roadrunners senator, to voice our concerns in Student Government. The chances of there being a significant number of commuters on the USA senate are slim to none. Therefore, without any commuters in the senate who we have selected to stand up for our rights, any commuter proposals would be easily defeated."
‘‘The individuals behind USA are counting on the traditionally low commuter turnout to push this referendum through," the flier concludes. “We must prove them wrong!”
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American Students Association, explained why sonic international students oppose USA. She said the USA structure would deprive minority organizations of any power.
“The task forces are just to quite our fears and keep our mouths shut," said Herman. "The real power would be with the senate, who would strike down
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SG seeking larger budget
Students to contribute $3 per semester if referendum passes
By MICHAEL R. MORRIS
Contributing Editor
When students vote in Student Government spring elections, they will be voting for several referenda as well as candidates. One referendum would give SG an automatic $3 per student, per semester, allocation from the Student Activity Fee.
SG now gets $28,000. Based on an undergraduate population of 8,500, the referendum would give SG $51,000 a year for an operating budget.
The bill putting tins referendum on the ballot was authored by SG President Troy Bell. According to the bill, the purpose is to provide SG a guaranteed budget.
"A larger budget would enable Student Government to do more for the students,” Bell said.
Bell said one of SG's problem is its relatively small operating budget. Student governments at other universities have budgets ranging into millions of dollars.
according to Bell. After paying the organization’s secretary $16,000. SG lias about $12,000 to work with each year.
Among Bell’s proposals for the increased funding is the formulation of a central advertising club to assist organizations with the creation and distribution of promotional materials.
The automatic allocation would also allow "more relevant campaigning,” according to Bell. Under the present system, candidates for office do not know the next year's budgetand therefore cannot make any monetary commitments to programs.
"It's kind of chaotic to have the outgoing president create a budget for the incoming president," Bell said.
Bell said he’s spoken to students about the referendum and the response has been positive.
“I think your average student sees the logic behind it," Bell said.
Bell: Allocation would aid all through SG programs.
Ex-justice Kline: SG makes me sick
Says removal not within ‘spirit’ of rule
By MICHAEL R. MORRIS
Contributing Editor
Christ an Kline, ousted Student Government Supreme Court justice, claims he was never removed from the court, but instead resigned.
Kline, who did not comment on his dismissal earlier this week, wrote a letter to The Miami Hurricane in which he claims to have resigned due to dissatisfaction with the operations of SG.
"This mess turns my stomach,”
Kline wrote, alluding to recent delays in the spring election schedule.
Kline said he should not have been dismissed because he falls "within the spirit” of Article V, Section 9 of the SG Constitution, whcih states"... graduating seniors completing their annual tenure in their final semester may remain in office during the semester while taking only the credits necessary to
Tlease sec pane 2/ K I I N E
Students sidestep Butler chat at UC
By JOSE LLERENA
Stall Writer
Despite recent uproar over lack of student participation in University of Miami administration decisions, no students attended Wednesday's open forum with two members of the administration.
Dr. William Butler, vice president for Student Affairs, and his assistant Dr. Philip Mann, director of grants and special projects at the School of Business Administration, held the first of two scheduled open discussion sessions with the student body Wednesday in the University Center. No students showed up in the three hours the two administrators were in UC room 245. The discussion was to begin at 9 a.m. and last until noon. A second meeting was scheduled for yesterday between 1 and 4 p.m.
Butler said the discussions’ purpose is to provide students with a forum where they can voice their opinions and feelings about the University.
"The idea [of the meetings) is to collect data so that you could improve whatever needs to be improved and identify those things that are really working well for us," Mann explained.
He added that the meeting is one in a series of about 20 meetings and said the previous 14 forums had an average participation of 15 students in each, respre-senting a “broad spectrum" of UM undergraduates, such as minority groups, resident assistants, freshmen, and students from the academic divisions.
"So we’ve covered a very large number of young people representing a lot of different arenas of participation,” Mann said. "We think that this will give us a good picture, hopefully an understanding of what the students see as strengths and also areas of weakness that we have within our program so that we may make things better.”
EARTH WEEK
Earth Week is being sponsored by EarthAlert. There will also be teach-ins at the University Center Rock through out Earth Week.
•	Tomorrow — Gifford Arbo return tour at noon. Meet in front of the Cox Science Center.
•	Sunday — Everglades day trip; meet at Hillel Center, 10:30 a.m.; cost $3; bring a bag lunch.
•	Monday —Earth Week kickoff; a globe will be placed on the University Center Rock with oil rings and nuclear power plants to be purchased and replaced by trees Proceeds will go to a cause determined by contributors; at 7:30 p.m Never Cry Wolf at the Beaumont Cinema
•	Wednesday — Fake oil slick on the UC Rock; at 7 p.m,
Doyle McKey will speak on rainforests and show a short film In LC 190
e Thursday — Signing of the "Green Pledge" on the UC Rock; at 7 p.m. Mike Burns will speak on oil drilling and spilling in LC 160
e April 20 — Styromonster will be unveiled on the UC Rock
Jackson hospital officials: Stable income needed soon
By AIMEE RAPAPORT
Stall Writer
Representatives from the University of Miami Jackson Memorial Hospital attended local legislative hearings Friday to let Dade County's state legislators know the hospital needs money "for the good of the education of the medical students and for the quality of care the hospital offers, which go hand in hand,” said Ira Clark, president of Jackson.
Following a recent infusion of $14 million from a county loan, the hospital is just beginning to crawl out of the worst financial crisis in its history.
However, if a stable source of income is not generated for JMII, "the hospital will continue to flounder from crisis to crisis,” said Metro-Dade Commissioner Joe Gersten.
Gersten said he will propose a new taxing district later this year that could generate up to $250 million annually for JMH.
A 12-year veteran of the legislature, Gersten said there is no realistic chance the state will give considerably more than it has in the past.
The 1990 session of the state legislature began Tuesday and the Health Appropriation Subcommittee is already facing "an incredible shortfall" of income for state health programs, said State Rep. Michael Abrams, head of the committee.
‘The medical school may have to look for other locations to teach its students, or it may have to alter its system.'
Joe Gersten, Metro-Dade commissioner
Abrams is a Democrat representing Miami in District 101.
In the meantime, a concern has arisen over how the JMH financial situation is affecting the UM medical students.
Gersten said the UM School of Medicine has been placed "in jeopardy” as an integral part of Jackson. If the publicly owned hospital’s debts are not paid soon, ‘‘The medical school may have to look for other locations to teach its students, or it may have to alter its system,” he said.
"I don’t think the students will be affected immediately, but in the long run ... the quality of the hospital will decline and therefore, the quality of how others view their degree will, also,” said Peggy Bieley, Public Health Trust. The trust is the county-appointed governing body of JMH.
Dr. Jerry Kaiser, deputy dean for Clini-
cal Affairs at JMH, said the abnormal debts which have developed “ ... in just the last two or three months did not as yet affect the quality of care" the hospital offers and consequently did not negatively affect the quality of the medical students’ education.
As a matter of fact, Kaiser said the students are gaining a learning experience as a result of the financial situation.
The University has begun making efforts to teach its students how to provide cost-effective quality care, according to Kaiser. For example, he said socio-economic issues were raised for the students in a February retreat.
The future physicians are learning things like, "Don’t order extra tests when there is no one to pay for them. Quality care is not necessarily ordering many tests and building up a large bill. It's knowing which tests to order," Kaiser said.
Clark also pointed out JMH matched 100 percent of its available slots for residency in all categories for fall 1990 and that 48 percent of incoming new house staff at JMH are UM School of Medicine graduates.
"The students have perceived that while it [JMH1 has problems, it doesn't adversely affect their education." Clark
said.
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