THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Eleven THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Eleven .F Studying in a phone booth. By BARBARA ZAHS The dorm is too noisy. The UGLI is too crowded. The Grad Library gets to be a bore after a while. But wait - there's still hope. IF YOU INSIST upon being studious, or if a final exam less than 24 hours away makes the prospect seem inevitable, there are alter- native sfudy spots available. And while it's doubtful that they'll make the task any more enjoyable, they'll at least provide a much- needed change of scenery. ror example, a laundry room can furnish a quiet setting for serious study. Curl up with a copy of Thomas' Calc. while you wait for the rinse cycle to begin. If you want a more intellectual atmosphere, try the steps outside Angell Hall. The impos- ing white pillars have been known to inspire many a budding scholar. TRY RlEADING THE last few pages of Mo- liere over a cup of tea at Drake's. Or do that lastminute cramming at any other eatery- until the management kicks you out. Culture lovers might want to do some of their §tudying during intermission at a con- cert or play. You don't even have to wait un- til intermission. You can always crack the books for a fe wminutes during the second movement of that Beethoven piano concerto that you've always hated anyway. Or you can study during a lecture while still managing to take notes. Just try to sit in the back of theclassroom or lecture hall and remain inconspicuous. BETWEEN CLASSES, you can study in the lobby ofthe Michigan Union or Michigan Lea- gue. Both places are usually pretty quiet, and the comfortable couches and chairs are per- fect to curl up in. For something a little more out of the ordi- nary, you could try to do some of your read- ing in a phone booth, although the seating isn't likely to be as comfortable. Or study in the bathroom-where some of the world's greatest thinking has reputedly been done. Dormitory residents seeking so- Quelling the classroom crazies By RON DeKETT Rumor, has it that students were seen running from CRISP screeching horrid noises while white foam dripped from their gaping mouths. Their faces, distorted beyond belief, reflected the agony of finding out they had botched another obscure registration procedure-again. To relieve the frustrations of academic decision- making, many students consume large amounts of Canadian beer, snort coke or light a candle in a nearby campus chapel and offer a silent prayer. But these actions are only a temporary solution. For constructive aid, a visit to the academic coun- seling offices located in Angell Hall often helps- it may not be divine, but it should do the trick. STUDENTS CAN choose from two knowledgable sources of counseling information: the LSA aca- demic counseling service in room 1213 or the Stu- dent Counseling Office (SCO) in room 1018. The SCO is probably the least known of the University's academic counseling services. It does, however, exist, and its staff is eager to assist stu- dents on a walk-in basis. SCO is a student-run or- ganization with trained, fully-qualified student aca- demic counselors. "We are an honest-to-goodness student counseling service," counselor Sandra Feldman said. "We offer a different perspectvie than the regular LSA coun- selors." SCO OFFERS a variety of traditional services in- cluding advice about which courses to take to fill specific requirements for concentrations and de- grees. But SCO goes one step further, than most counsel- ing services. It provides student evaluations of classes and professors-frozn which prof stirs the students' interest to ecstatic heights and which prof bores students to the depths of despair. In addition, SCO counselors act as student advo- vates--a job many other-counselors simply don't have time to fulfill. SCO counselors can tell a stu- dent how to file a grievance petition or direct them to the appropriate dean who can explain transfer credits. If the SCO counselor can't resolve a prob- lem, chances are they know someone else who cans IF THE PUZZLED freshperson or sophomore de- cides to visit the LSA academic counselors they must first make an appointment with Isabelle Reade, the receptionist at 1213 Angell Hall. She sets up appointment times and can guide a baffled stu- dent to the counselor best suited to meet his or her needs. Juniors and seniors who have selected their major must still show up at 1213 Angell Hall, but they need to speak with Ruth Creger, who makes appointments with the concentration counselors who practice their craft in Angell Hall. Many departments, however, have their own concentration counselors-actually professors stuck with the job-it's a good idea to check with the department first. SOMETIMES STUDENTS have queries concerning new class offerings or minor questions, but they don't want toytake the time to see a counselor. This- is the time to use the LSA Checkpoint Newsletter. The newsletter contains capsulized information on the BA/BS and BGS degree requirements, new cour- ses, CRISP dates and drop/add procedures. The newsletter is thorough, yet concise, and could save time and hassle. The dorm Resident Advisor (RA) is another source of academic information. Part of their job is to ans- wer questions about the University and its complex procedures. If they don't know an answer, they will either find it or send you to someone who does. Things really aren't so had. If you have an over- whelming problem, don't resort to guzzling beer. Just sit back, take a deep breath and practice a lit- tle self-help with the advice of a counselor. READING & LEARNING SKILLS CENTER: Prescription fo racademic success I Daily Photo by ALAN BILINSKY It's 'not exactly comfortable, but studying. in a phone booth at least provides a change of scenery from the dull surroundings of the Grad Library. lace have been known to plop themselves down on the cold, tiled floors, book in hand. A word, of warning, though-bathroom light- ing can be harsh on the eyes after a wehile. For relaxation and privacy, fill up the bathtub with warm water and do your study- ing there. Just fight off any sudden urges to plug in your calculator and tackle those phy- sics problems. By DENISE FOX A 17-dollar investment plus a little motivation might be all it takes to insure academic suc- cess at the University. "A lot of material indicates that students enter the Univer- ty with high grades but are not used to the pressure of aca- demic work and the increase in study overwhelms them," ex- plained Daryl Dickson 'of the Reading and Learning Skills Center. I TO HELP students prepare for "'the rigors of college life, the Center offers several study skill' courses. Each course costs $17 and meets weekly for six weeks. The Center's College Reading and Academic Skills program of- fers three different services to students. Its speed reading course is de- signed for those who are inter- ested in improving their reading rate and comprehension through s u r v e y and skimming tech- niques. "IT'S COMPARABLE to the commercial courses," said Dick- son, director of the Center's Col- lege Program. "We've put a great deal of effort into investi- gating the commercial pro- grams." The Center also offers a com- bined speed reading and study skills course. .In class, instruc- tors emphasize improving read- ing rate and time-and task man- agement. Outside of class, stu- dents work through a. book for basic skill instruction in areas like note-taking and exam prep- aration. "Through social and non-aca- demic activities, high school stu- dents coming here lose the bal- ance in their lives," Dickson said. "Our management classes teach students how to set up a schedufe so they can work through their requirements at a steady pace so they don't have to cram." THE CENTER'S third skills service is a self-instructional lab designed for students 'who want immediate assistance or prefer to work outside a formal class- room. Th6 lab includes training in test-takingstrategiesas well as reading rate exercises and mock lectures for note-taking drills. Dickson said specific reasons for coming to the Reading Cen- ter vary. Some students com- plain they spend hours studying and do'not pass an exam. Others will sit over a book for hour but only concentrate for min- utes. And then there are those who simply want to improve or sharpen skills they already have. The Center also offers a writer's workshop to aid stu- dents who have difficulties in any phase of the writing process. In class, emphasis is placed on pre - writing, organization and editing skills. Students are en- couraged to use the self-instruc- tional lab outside of class to work on their weak areas diag- nosed on a test given the first day of class., STUDENTS can also take ad- vantage of two other writing services offered by the Center- individual counseling for imme- diate writing programs or a per- sonalized instruction program based on individual needs. For those who panic at test- taking time, the Center offers tdst anxiety reduction training. MSA gaining studentr "A key characteristic of test anxiety is when you get the test back you (find that you) knew all of the answers, but because of your anxiety you were ren- dered inoperable," Dickson~ ex- plained. "It's good to be anxious to an extent, but when it inter.. feres with your productivity, you have a problem." BEING A student, she warned, "is one of the most demanding jobs-you are a student 24 hours a day." (Contnued from Page 3) events. MSA took the complaints of students caught in lengthy and time-consuming lines for tickets to sporting events and organized a referendum on its fall election ballot to seek stu- dent opinion on }what distribution system should be used. Students indicated approval for a compu- terized distribution s y s t e m. Technical details are now being worked out with implementation set for some time in the next year. FOLLOWING THE success of these two ventures coupled with campus-wide support on the Barbour-Waterman issue,- MSA has surfaced as a respectable student government. Executive Vice President Chris Bachelder says the respect gained during these projects has had recipro- cal effects. Success on one pro- ject gained favorable publicity which gave the group power to tackle another issue. "We also gained respect from the Regents (during Barbour- Waterman) from dealing with them in their own way," Bachel- der says. "They saw the amount of research that went into ourI proposal.". MSA's future is uncertain. Perhaps it will continue at its current pace, making up for lost growth by gaining maturity in leaps and bounds. But perhaps this is only a golden period be- fore a regression, ultimately ob- scurity or death. Its fate re- mains to be seen. SMSA FACES another fight in the fall, this time from within: Although the assembly's mem- bership currently consists of 36 members--half appointed from the school and college student governments within the Univer- sity, half elected at-large from the entire student body-its com- position has been ruled illegal. The Central Student Judiciary -a student - appointed campus court which issues verdicts on legal matters concerning student government - has ruled that schools and colleges which have low enrollment are over-repre- sented by their one assembly member while large schoolsand colleges such as LSA are under- represented. It is certain that this verdict will soon lead to the reorganiza- tion of MSA, but the type of structure which lies ahead is unknown. MSA IS ALSO plagued with what has become its perennial problem - funding. Allocations for MSA were previously man- datory., Now, following a cam- pus-wide mandate, MSA funding is optional. Students are charged for MSA support on their tuition bill each term, but by checking "NO" on a form enclosed with the bill, this assessment can be cancelled. Assessment f o r individual school and college governments is still mandatory. Voluntary funding has led to financial difficulties for MSA. In addition to expenses for its own operation, MSA considers one of its primary functions to be granting small sums of money to various student organizations. This may soon end, however. "We are quickly approaching a time when we-need more mon- ey," Bachelder said. Only 65 per cent of University students chose to fund MSA, just enough to support a somewhat bare- bones operation. One of MSA's pet projects ov- ~GIM TU applying for aid must meet fed- eral poverty income guidelines. Housed in six rooms on the fourth floor of the Michigan Union, the office handles over 1000 cases each year. These in- clude referrals as well as direct legal action over extended ap- peals processes. er the past few years has been the Housing Law Reform Pro- ject. Two full-time lawyers re- search ways to improve housing conditions in Ann Arbor by im- proving housing laws. Currently,' the Assembly is attempting to persuade the Regents to approve a 25 cent per student assessment to conti, 'e operation of the Housing Law Reform Project. If this measure is not approved, the project could be discontin- ued. M D WORLD ERFAMOUS V WI MAKER &DEALER SU I 2 B IN MUSICALGUT RS DI INSTRUMENTS HISTORIC iIINU EUIFOREIGN DOMESTIC 3A SALES ACCE~O1IES RENTAL USEW LESSONS MUSIC INSTRUMINyTS1a CLASSIC CUSTOM ELECTRIC PHONE 665- i 5806 FXCEPT SUN' 209 S. STATE, ANN ARBOR (UPSTAIRS) I _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _--_ -~----- .-.- SHOP THE Activism lives at PIR (Continued from Page 3) Legal Aid also offers students an opportunity to get involved. But more importantly, the or- ganization provides legal assist- ance for students otherwise un- able to afford attorney fees. ITS SERVICES extend to stu- dents who meet specific eco- nomic guidelines. They include assistance in filing claims in small- claims court, legal repre- sentation in criminal proceed- ings, assistance in tenant-land- CANCER AN.D lord hassles and even help in getting a divorce. The campus Legal Aid office is a subdivision of the Washte- naw County Legal Aid Society, and is aimed specifically at working w it h University stu- dents. Because Legal Aid re- ceives federal funding, students I Lungs Eig~erttes ane I(jilers AmericanI Cancer Society* MICHIGAN BOOK STORE 322 S. STATE ST. Enlarged Text Floor More Used Books Than Ever Easy to Locate and Browse Texts For All Courses MEDICAL, DENTAL, LAW, NURSING, SOCIAL WORK, and PUBLIC HEALTH are upstairs. r ARE YOU SURE YOU KNOW WHAT FAMILY PLANNING IS ALL ABOUT? )f If you think it means preventing unwanted pregnancy.. you're partly right. But it means more than that. Like counseling young It's important to know all about family planning ... it means more than you may have thought. Fn~r infncrmatjcnr or help. contact -- . 11,r