The Michigan Daily-Tuesday, November 6, 1979-Page25 NEW PIRGIM GROUP FIGHTS HOUSING WOES Task orce aids troubled tenants By AMY DIAMOND Traditionally, tenant organizations have taken two routes to confront what they see as Ann Arbor's housing problems. One has been through community organizing. It has proved to be a slow and tedious process. The second route often taken has been through local and state legislation. Now, in an effort to tackle housing problems head-on, Ann Arbor's Public Interest Research Group in Michigan (PIRGIM) has formed a housing task force that will combine the two ap- proaches. ACCORHING TO task force Coor- dinator Richard Levick, the new method of combining top-down organizing with community organizing has never been tried with success. But he said he is optimistic. "Most tenant organizing in the past has consisted of top-down organizing which consists of a few individuals per- ceiving the problem and then working on a solution through legislation. The problem in community organizing is that it is a slow process because you need massive education and organizing. But the community decides what the problem is going to be," said Levick. Levick serves as Campus Programs Coordinator for Ann Arbor PIRGIM and Oakland University's PIRGIM. He was coordinator and spokesperson for Maryland's PIRG's tenant project In addition to the pending legislation, the housing task force has begun efforts in long term community organizing by talking with members of Ann Arbor's clergy and community organizations, particularly the Salvation Army. "THE GREATEST difference with this 'The first step to be taken is to get people to understand that there is a better way.' -Richard Levick, coordinator of the Ann Arbor PIRGIM housing task force :. .{} v s .: . .}....... . .. . .: :t;::: r{: ..... ... ::":svv ::::" :: v:."}{..:{v. .+..v:: .. ...... :...:{{. force) will be working with the Tenants Union hasn't been decided, but I'm going to feel them out to see which issues they're interested in," Levick said. The coordinator speculated that the Tenants Union would be interested in working together on selective rent striking, tenant law legislationand a tenants hotline. "The first step to be taken is to get people to understand that there is a bet- ter way," Levick said. The task force has suggested workshops, a petitioning drive, and photographing housing violations after houses have been inspected. The group is also planning to release a pamphlet on how landlords make profits. Finally, the task force hopes to hold an open hearing in February to which city council members will be invited along with University officials and housing inspectors to listen to in- dividual tenants talk about their housing problems. "People who are interested in housing will come to the open hearing and we'll find out who the core group is," Levick said.- before coming to Ann Arbor in Septem- ber. The task force has three pieces of legislation before the state legislature: " The Security Deposit Bill to give in- terest rates on security deposits to ren- ters; " The Retalitory Eviction Bill to prohibit landlords from evicting tenan- ts for joining tenant organizations, and; " The Just-Cause Eviction Bill, which lists specific reasons a landlord can use to evict a tenant, to prevent capricious evictions. method is that there is always the per- ception of short term change and com- munity organizing has to be done. It has to be a constant process because student housing is so transient," said Levick. Levick was also optimistic about forming a coalition with other housing organizations to achieve the group's goals. In addition to the 15 members of PIRGIM's housing task force, Levick said there will be 15 people from the Tenants Union working on the project. "How closely we (the housing task 'U' study: I By TIMOTHY YAGLE Industrial accident research falls un- der many labels - "human engineering" and "biomechanics," for example. Today this research attracts experts in such fields as psychology, occupational health, physiology, and physical education, according to a University engineering professor. "In the engineering field, education traditionally focused on how chemical, mechanical, and electrical components function. But these hardware com- ponents are combined into systems in- volving humans. Unfortunately, engineers often sidestepped the human components in planning and designing systems," explained Prof. Donald Chaffin, chairman of the Department of Industrial Operations Engineering at the University. UNIVERSITY researcher Paul Green, the first of only two people at the University to receive a doctorate in M'achines n both industrial and operations engineering and psychology, said he believes the inability of many mechanical systems to meet human needs is a reflection of the traditional narrow scope of scientific fields. "Engineers rarely consider human factors (when designing machines), while psychologists and physiologists would not be attuned to mechanical considerations," Green stated in a recent study. e Such inadequate design tends to frustrate workers and leads to an in- crease in the risk of on-the-job injury, Chaffin explained. ENGINEERS MUST be instilled with specific knowledge on how humans react in various operating conditions, Chaffin added. "Studying machines is not sufficient - students must learn about person-machine systems," he said. Chaffin is also director of the Univer- eglect human element sity's Human Performance and Safety reports claim that human error - Research Laboratory, one of the stemming from poorly designed largest such facilities in the country. equipment and instruments - con- Under grants from the National In- tributed to the nuclear accident at stitute for Occupational Safety and Three Mile Island. Health and other sponsors, the lab in- IN STUDYING a wide range of in- vestigates how improved juries, Chaffin and others have mechanization, procedures, and layout discovered that lower back problems in factory settings can reduce oc- consistently have been the most cupational injury and disease as well as disabling, while hand and wrist injuries improve productivity. are the most frequent problems. These are some examples the resear-" chers cited: EA j : " In many industrial plants, the wheels on carts used to haul equipment are so small they get caught in cracks GMAT *i+ . or dirt on the floor, causing workers to slip and overexert themselves; . The handle of a popular tool, the locking, or "vice grip," wrench, opens to a position so wide it is almost im-NT ENG B OR possible for many people, particularly Flexible Programs & Hours women, to grip it properly. T,rs a derence. . Some governmental and news 2-5"x7" or 18"eXl 0' - -- - - -- --- 2-5"x7" from same color negative or 1-8"x10" from color negative for One coupon 00 per order I Coupon must accompany order L _ Valid Nov. 1 thru 17, 1979 *On processing done by Guardian Photo only. PURCHASE CAMERA SHOP 1115 SOUTH UNIVERSITY AVENUE ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN PHONE: 665-6101 THE JIE~T E T s' Announces The 1979 -80 Season Subscriptions e ON SALE NOWI a PTP Ticket Office- The Michigan League 01 Mon.-Fri. 10-1 and 2-5 pm at Power Center Phone: 764-0450 ChrstasDance Concert Featuring; Britten's "CEREMONY OF CAROLS" Stravinsky's "RENARD" December 7-9 Fr.& Sat. at 8p -Sun. at 3pm Featured: MEMBERS OF THE ANN ARBOR CANTATA SINGERS Choreographed by ELIZABETH WEIL BERGMANN January 26 at 3pm& 8pm Orif's DANCE SOLOISTS: Christine Dakin (courtesy of Martha Graham Dance Co.), Gay Delanghe, Willie Feuer, Susan Matheke and Gus Solomons Jr. CHOREOGRAPHER: Elizabeth Weil Bermann-CONDUCTOR: Thomas Hilbish March 13-16. Thu,Fri&Sat. at8pm-Sun at 3pm LSA faculty review renovations By ADRIENNE LYONS LSA Assoc. Dean for Research Paul Rasmussen ticked off major physical changes in progress or in the planning stages for the college at the monthly LSA faculty meeting yesterday after- noon. Rasmussen said a tight college budget has kept renovations to a minimum. He said last year the college spent $517,480 on physical improvemen- ts. RASMUSSEN PRESENTED a slide show of various buildings on campus where major renovations have been, or will be, completed. One major renovation is at the Edward H. Kraus Natural Science Building, where several laboratories are undergoing ex- tensive refurbishment. Also, Rasmussen said, the building's ven- tilation system is being repaired. The Chemistry building has also un- dergone extensive renovations on an in- take duct on the building's roof which recycled noxious fumes back into the building, Rasmussen said. In addition, he said, a Chemical Containment Lab is under construction on the fifth floor which would recycle the more toxic chemicals in the same room. R Other areas under repair include a shop in the back of Randall Hall, a photo lab in Kelsey Museum, and the English Composition Board headquar- ters in Angell Hall. The college is also combining the libraries of the Cass Cen- ter for Afro-American and African Studies and the Center for Research and Development in the Old Architec- The great racehorse of the early 1990s, Equipoise, was known as the "Chocolate Soldier." St AMN at St. 761-9700 FormeFif th ocum Thatw THE $1.50 BARGAINI lowt Brian. .I MONTY PYTHON' "" ture and Design Building. Rasmussen noted that repairs on the heating system in Tappan Hall have been completed, but that a project for renovating the Fine Arts Library is at a standstill. This project would include an addition to the building on the north side, making it even with the side of the Museum of Art and the President's House on South University Avenue. Rasmussen also told the faculty of future physical moves by four LSA departments. Because the former Journalism Department merged this year with the former Speech Depar- tment, forming the Communications Department, Journalism will move from the LSA building to the Frieze Building. The Theater Department will move from its present location to another place in the same building, Rasmussen said. Also, the Computer and Communication Sciences depar- tment will move into the Anthropology Department's office in Angell Hall, while Anthropology will occupy the old Journalism offices. Rasmussen said all moves will be completed next summer. I Wool Navy All Insulated Pea Coats Vests Reg, 49.98 S Re~4.8SALE 3998 20 % off Army WOODS POLARGUARD Field Jackets Sleeping Bags 2 lbs. Ooz.fill Reg. 29.98 rated approximately 15 SALE Reg. 44.98 SALE A full line of winter coats, boots, shirts, sweaters, gloves and military surplus clothing. SALE ENDS NOVEMBER 10, 1979 201 E. 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