ELI: A crash course on the
United States
By JEFFREY WOLFF
First in a two-part series
Somewhat haltingly, but with great animation, the small
class mimics their teacher.
"Hail to the victors valiant! Hail to the conquering
heroes! Hail, hail to Mi-chi-gan, the leaders and the best!"
THE RAISED fists of the foreign students in the class
would be the pride of any Michigan end zone crowd.
This recent scene is not unusual at the University's
English Language Institute (ELI), where every eight-week
term over 200 students from around the world learn not only
English, but also Americana, the culture and habits most of
us never study.
The result of ELI's role in providing a complete ac-
culturation into the United States and its language, is to turn
its cramped quarters - tucked away on two floors of the cen-
tral campus computer center building (NUBS) - into a con-
centrated conglomeration of Angell Hall, the UGLI, a dor-
mitory, a social club, and a tourist office.
ELI students, who range in age from 17 to 60, intend to
apply their English ultimately to programs as diverse as
those of their counterparts in the University-at-large:
Everything from engineering to opera to biology to history.
THE FOREIGN students seek information not only on
problems such as relating to passports and visas, housing,
choosing colleges, and test applications, but also chat infor-
mally with ELI staff about how to get a driver's license and
where to take driving lessons, how to pursue an interest in
ham radios, where to go for golf, or a free swimming pool,
how to get a child into a nursery or public school, or even
simply how to get a phone installed.
For some, being at ELI is a great opportunity to play
tourist and their itineraries in the United States rival the
stereotyped action-packed European tourof their American
counterparts.
The general atmosphere of camaraderie is further
boosted by the fact that the small building contains ELI's
classrooms as well as its administrators, its 10-12 permanent
lecturers and professors, and the over 20 teaching assistants.
For Maryam Abdullah from Quatar, it is "all like family
here."
THE STUDENTS don't receive grades or credit from
ELI - the world's first such institute for teaching intensive
English as a foreign language - but must satisfy instructors
at each of six levels to move on in their attempts to master
English.
For almost all of the students, the ultimate goal is to
score well on one of two difficult standardized tests: the
TOEFL exam designed by the Educational Testing Service
(ETS) in Princeton, New Jersey or the Michigan test,
designed and graded at ELI. A good score is essential for ac-
ceptance into virtually all regular American undergraduate
or graduate programs, as well as for any other career
aspirations.
NOT SURPRISINGLY, these tests are an obsessive
theme in the life and talk at ELI, often discussed in a tone of
fear. This constant pressure makes a gruelling load of the
weekly routine. Five days a week there are four hours'of
classes in reading, writing, speech, and oral comprehension,
plus an hour a day in the language lab. Consequently, "many
students," observe ELI's Student Services Associate Joanne
Glass, "are very occupied with the tests and do little else but
study."
See ELI, Page 8
MEXICOCHANCY
See editorial page High-70s
N eteeSee Today for details
Nintety Years of Editorial Freedom
Vol. LXXXX, No. 21 Ann Arbor, Michigan-Saturday, September 29, 1979 Ten Cents Eight Pages
'Rock' pep
rally draws
3,000 people,
eight horses
By BETH PERSKY
Today's the day of the big game. And
since every big game merits a rally,
there was lots of chanting and clapping
on Ferry Field last night.
All of it for Slippery Rock and Ship-
pensburg.
DRAWING A crowd of 3,000, the rally
proceeded the duel between two small
Pennsylvania colleges in Michigan
Stadium today, small-time ball in a big-
time arena.
"A lot of people didn't know there was
a Slippery Rock," emphasized
Michigan Athletic Director Don
Canham at the rally. Performers in-
cluded the Slippery Rock band and a
dancing group called the "Rocklettes."
And, of course, the cheerleaders.
The ceremonies also included
speeches from Canham, Slippery Rock
Mayor Frank Martleoni, football coach
Bob DiSpirito, S. R. Athletic Director
Robert Oliver, the President of Slippery
Rock State College, Herb Reinhard,
and the Student Government presidents
of the three colleges, Joe Coudriet of
Slippery Rock, Rich Troutman of Ship-
pnsburg andJim AHand of Michigan..
Carter to.
release Cuba
plan Monday
Daily Photo by JO SEIDLER
FANS AT LAST NIGHT'S pep rally included more than 2,000 who made the trek by bus from Pennsylvania, home of
both the Slipper Rock and Shippensburg teams. "I want to thank everyone from Slippery Rock who came up for this
weekend," said Slippery Rock Mayor Frank Martleoni. "I hope Slippery Rock gets on the map after this ball game,
because everyone wants to know where Slippery Rock is."
From AP and Reuter
WASHINGTON-President Carter
will make a broadcast report to the
nation at 8 p.m. EDT Monday on his
plans to deal with the presence of Soviet
combat troops in Cuba.
The White House press office. an-
nounced the address yesterday in a one-
sentence statement which said the
speech would deal with "issues connec-
ted with the Soviet combat brigade in
Cuba."
MEANWHILE, President Fidel
Castro yesterday hotly denied U.S.
allegations that a brigade of Soviet
combat troops had been established in\
Cuba.
The number and function of Soviet
military personnel on the island to train
Cuban soldiers has not changed since
the 1962 missile crisis, he told a news
conference.
Cuba had Soviet military personnel in
all its military facilities to a greater or
lesser degree, the bearded Communist
leder said, adding that there are more
at the establishment in question,
"training centernumber 12," than at
others.
But he said they were there to train
Cubans, and not as a combat unit.
THE SOVIET Union also showed
anger with President Carter over his
handling of the "Soviet troops in Cuba"
issue, accusing him of using inventions
and threats against Moscow and its
allies.
A commentary issued by the official
Tass news agency and published
prominently in all Soviet newspapers
said Mr. Carter was guilty of "crude
and tactless" attacks against Cuba in
recent speeches on the problem.
The language of the commentary,
which came soon after another Tass ar-
ticle accusing him of adopting an
"unlalwful and inconsistent approath"
over the affair, was the strongest used
against Mr. Carter in Moscow for many
months.
CARTER PLANNED to put finishing
touches. on his address at his Camp
David retreat. He was scheduled to fly
there -today, returning to the White
House some time Monday.
Secretary of State Cyrus Vance
cleared his weekend schedule as mem-
bers of the administration continued
their discussions on the Cuban
situation, sources said.
The State Department said Vance
yesterday afternoon canceled a speech
scheduled today in New Haven, Conn.,
and a subsequent trip to Panama,
where he was to have been part of an
American delegation at ceremonies
Monday marking the first effective day
of the Panama Canal treaties.
CARTER HAD first attempted to
schedule the address for Sunday
evening, according to a White House
source. Later, another aide, who also
requested anonymity, said the Monday
night time was picked in part to give'the
president the largest possible audience.
It comes at the start of the usual
Monday night NFL football game,
ON CAMPUS:
Kaplan defends test skill centers
By ADRIENNE LYONS
In most college and university cirdles,
his name is synonomous with standar-
dized tests, the LSAT or MCATs. His
ideas are controversial, as are his
educational programs.
But Stanley Kaplan, founder of the
Stanley Kaplan Educational Center,
staunchly defends his program. "We
teach basic skills in taking a test," he
said in an interview at his Ann Arbor
center. Each center offers courses
designed to aid students in improving
their scores on the myriad of standar-
dized examinations.
"Our whole philosophy is that only an
improved student can get an improved
score," Kaplan said. "That's why we're
a supplementary educational center."
Kaplan explained that while the cen-
ter's short-range goal is to improve test
scores, there is also a longer-range goal
of improving a student's ability to use
the test-taking skills as well as other in-
formation gleaned from the program.
YET THE PROGRAM and others
similar to it have fallen under attack
recently by critics making allegedly
false advertising claims. In response,
the Federal Trade Cbmmission (FTC)
conducted a study to examine the ad-
vertising practices of the so-called,
"coaching courses." Released several
months ago, the report indicates that in
certain instances, the courses may help
students, therefore, partially verifying
the ads.
Kaplan hails from New York City and
said he always has enjoyed teaching.
"When my friends would play doctor,
I'd play teacher," he says with a grin.
After obtaining his B.S. and an M.S.
in education from City College of New
York Kaplan began private tutoring.
When the Scholastic Aptitude Test
(SAT) was finally developed in 1945, he
said, his students began asking him for
help in preparing for the test.
ACCORDING TO Kaplan, this, was
the turning point in his career. Before,
Kaplan had been teaching on a one-to-
one basis. But after student requests for
help, he began to tutor small groups of
students at once.
By the 1950s, he had moved his work
area from his basement to an office. As
the competition grew to enter college,
so did the center's reputation for help.
Kaplan said he especially remembers
See STANLEY, Page 8
Meany' surrenders
Many college legal aid groups forbidden
to handle student-university litigation
By MITCH CANTOR
While the Student Legal Services has been forbidden
by the Regents to take on cases involving the University,
many other campus legal agencies around the country have
been faced with the same restriction from their respective
colleges.
Most student legal service organizations collect their
operating funds through their universities, which bill studen-
ts a certain amount per year or term. Many colleges, like the
University of Michigan, stipsilate that the funds will only be
collected if the legal service abstains from handling court
cases involving the university.
j s IF THE LEGAL services refuse to acquiesce to that
policy, universities face the loss of the fund collection
process, which would mean forfeiting much more money
than the colleges could likely raise on their own.
A 1979 study released by the National Resource Center for
Consumers of Legal Services questioned 39 student legal ser-
vice organizations about their ability to represent students in
court in university-related matters. Twenty-one of the groups
said they were restricted from such action, 13 said they had
the privilege, and five of the organizations said they weren't
sure.
Several reasons for the representation objection have
been given by the, University of Michigan and the other
colleges. Administrators say they're opposed to having the
universities funding both sides of an adversary situation.
Others say the condition provides a conflict of interest, since
the universities are indirectly hiring the attorneys opposing
them.
WHETHER THEIR privilege is ethical is unclear. "You
can't really give out any general rule," said State Assistant
Attorney General Vince Leoni,
The organization at Michigan State University, like the
one at the University of Michigan, can't represent students in
See UNIVERSITY, Page 3
AFL-CIO 11
From Reuter and AP
WASHINGTON-The end of an era
was announced yesterday: George
Meany is retiring as the country's most
powerful labor leader after 37 years as
For an analysis,
see Page 4
a trades union official.
His voice choking, Secretary-
Treasurer Lane Kirkland of the ALF-
CIO announced what has been rumored
all year, that the 85-year-old tough-
talking and cigar-chomping president
of the labor confederation was stepping
down.
MEANY HAS been in bad health sin-
ce early spring, and his retirement
from one of the nation's most influential
jobs had been expected.
eadership
Kirkland, 57, Meany's closest ad-
viser, is considered a near certainty to
become president of the 14 million
member labor federation at its conven-
tion here in November.
Meany, who has appeared at his of-
fice only rarely since he became ill in
April, is completing a 12th two-year
term as federation president. His aides
said he will remain in office until the
AFL-CIO's November convention.
MEANY HAS been ugder growing
pressure in recent years from younger
labor leaders to step down. His critics
felt the labor movement was stagnating
and needed a younger leadership more
in tune with the changing work force
and economic pressures affecting
unions.
Kirkland said the ailing Meany had
telephoned him to . relay to the labor
group's ruling executive council that he
would not run for reelection to another
iVHeaitti-
two-year term at the November con-
vention.
Meany has been-the only president of
the AFL-CIO since the American
Federation of Labor merged with the
Congress of Industrial Organization in
1955.
But Meany's role as a labor leader
goes back to the days after he joined the
plumber's union in 1915 and became
head of his union local iA New York
seven years later.
wr
r
i
O
Pe
See
1{ y°
heard of the Sherpas-a Tibetan people who have un-
dergone rapid modernization as a result of mountain clim-
bing expeditions and tourists. Assoc. Anthropology Prof.
Sherry Ortner, whose book "Sherpas Through Their
Rituals" was published last year, claims the findings of the
Sherpa study can be' applied to sother countries and
societies. Proxmire contends the $39,600 research project
funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) involved
"at best an esoteric question." The Democrat explained,
"It has been said the government is foolish enough to send
the taxpayer's money to the end of the earth. Now the NSF
has done it." On a recorded University News Brief
I
his candidacy. Teddy may or may not declare, but Reocord
zproducer Bob Thiel has already begun marketing the ban-
dwagon part. Theil plans to begin distributing a song sung
by Theresa Brewer, entitled "Teddy" next week. The gem
starts out, "Teddy, Teddy, I will follow you. Lead the way
and we will see it through."' And it ends,~"My favorite
guy . . . If you say you're ready to fly, Teddy, you'll be
number 1."
-
they will nonetheless be banging heads on the field and that
appears good enough for the more than 70,000 fans who are
expected to watch Slippery Rock play Shippensburg State.
Also featured will be the state's foremost high schoolhands
on hand for the traditional Band Day.
On the inside
A look at the highlights of George Meany's career as head
of the AFL-CIO is on the editorial page . . On the Arts
page is a review of "When a Stranger Calls," a new horror
movie which opened yesterday. . . and Sports brings you
un to date on the matchuns for today's Michigan-California
rta-il
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