Page Four Advocates: Making life, - -r- - THE MICHIGAN DAILY Thursday, September 0), 1076 Thursd~v, SeDtember ~. 1 ~76 -- :,..,,;x .;,; . a ,,tk f::t.:a}°. ' , " , «s . tc+ ; ;: rwtr r 'r .- - f q ° :;m--" m , . , .1 I easier tor rn By BARBARA ZAHS Being a freshperson at a large and often impersonal university is an arduous burden to bare. But being a new addition to the cam pus community as well as a member of a minority group makes for an even heavier cross,. C reated to combat any problems incurred by minority students are the University's Chi- cano, Black and Human Sexuality Advocate ervices The advocates attempt to aid students with problems which they cannot take to other University counseling agencies -seeking to supplement rather than duplicate the serv- ices of other departments. "WE TRY TO make things a little easier," explained Lino Mendiola, the University's Chi- cano Advocate, who stresses the importance of creating an informal atmosphere to set his student clientel at ease. The advocates attempt to aid students with problems which they cannot take to other Uni- rersity counseling agencies - seeking to su pplenment rather than duplicate the services of other departments. 'Students are often made to feel uncomfort- able in formal University settings, he says. "We try to create a more informal setting here, and then try to resolve the student's problem." The Chicano Advocate's Office, which offers both social and academic counseling, deals largely with discrimination claims by Chicano students. The office has been instrumental in helping students battle unfair treatment in and out of the classroom. MENDIOLA ADDS that because minority students often perform poorly during their first semester here, the office counsels many stu- dents on the problems they incur adjusting to university academic life. "The University, we feel, does not provide enough counseling and tutoring in academic areas," Mendiola maintains. In addition to handling individual students' problems, the Chicano, as well as the Black Ad- PUI ,ON If you live on campus, why wait until the afternoon to find out what's happening when THE DAILY can be on your doorstep in time for breakfast-? Read THE DAILY and keep up on world, local and campus news, and sports. ONLY$12.O0 SEPT. thru APRIL (2 SEMESTERS) Order your subscription now- Don't miss a single issue! To Order Your Subscription Call 764-0558 between 10 a m -2 p.m or stop by 420 MAYNARD inorities vocates, also assist student organizations with the limited amount of money available to them3 for such aid. "WE HELP STUDENTS get their organiza- tions together. There is comfort in numbers," says Mendiola, He warns minority students, however, againstI isolating themselves by only associating with{ members of their own group. It's avoiding re-> ality, maintains Mendiola. Richard Garland, the University's Black Ad- vocate, emphasized the need for "survival in- formation and training" to help black students make it through the University. Part of the key to survival, lie suggests, is knowing what re- sources are at the disposal of the black stu- dents, and knowing how to use these wisely. "STUDENTS NEED to know what services are available, how these services can serve them, and whether these services are really serving them. If they aren't, then the student- should ask 'why not?'," he said. In addition to the Black and Chicano advo. cates, the University also has two Human Sex- uality Advocates to help individual students as x well as groups deal with sexual problems, in cluding homosexualty and bisexuality. Although the advocates try to make students more comfortable with their sexual orientation, they never tell the students what to do, said R.N. Marguerite Roos, Jim Toy, one of the Human Sexuality advo- next ailing client. cates. "WE HAVE THE STUDENTS define what their concerns are," Toy said. "A lot of times we are able to deal with the problem, but if we can't, then we act as a referral agency." T w o a s Services offered by the Human Sexuality Advocates' Office include dorm rap sessions ,By PHILLIPI panel discussions, peer consultation, and a Gay During your stay at t Hotline' inevitably be afflicted1 Toy emphasized that all of the problems illness. Whether it is a s which the Human Sexuality advocates deal with sickness, you will be co are held in strict confidence. Health Service. Although the advocates provide important Your first encounter w and worthwhile services, Mendiola and Gar- red tape will more than1 land said they hoped to create enough aware- so take two aspirin; dr ness so that students will learn where and how and take a deep breath to get help for their problems without seeking Health Service. the aid of the advocates. Mendiola said he hopes other University de- Even after the reception partments will eventually be able to handle the your little yellow piece c problems of minority students so there will be uncovered your records no need for special minority advocates. will be a form to fill rd of your visit. And even only half over. You will be sent fron one of the numerous clini maintains. These includ dermatology, mental hea family planning. And ye UIyou with many differe control. YUR DOORSTEP!"The people at the H *'prefer that you make an become ill, but they wil even if you walk in. It t t a staff nurse at University Health Service, waits patiently for the c"irin, Ia Isa fluids iCounseling away freshpeople woes By MICHAEL BLUMFIELD O.K., so you've taken your first hourly in intro chem id you think the world's going to end because you botched it up royally. Your paranoia in increasing rapidly because your prof is inaccessible, every other freshperson in your dorm is calling himself or herself "pre-med", and you just know that mommy and daddy aren't going to talk to you if you don't fulfill their dreams and become a doctor. Fret not. There are people around to help. You might run back to the office that you first carne in contact with during registration-the academic counselors at 1213 Angell Hall. Friendly Isabelle Reed, the receptionist, helps smooth a wrinkle or two from your furrowed brow with her sym- pathetic nodding and warm smile as she finds a counselor to talk to you, who' can help delay your suicide. YOU'LL SOON FIND that you're not alone in feeling panicky about the way the first year is starting. Freshpeople tend to use the services of the office more than any other group. With over half of incoming freshpersons expressing interest in pre-med, the counselors expect to do a lot of counseling related to the field. One of the first things you might be told is where you can find help from someone in the chemistry department. If, after ; you've talked to that person, you still can't get the knack of it, the academic advisors might help you investigate your study habits. The fact that so many University students never had to do any serious studying in high school means that many are not prepared for it in college, report the counselors. "Setting up priorities as' far as classes and parties go is an important consideration," says Terrance Brown, counselor and residence hall co-ordinator. "The idea we try to emphasize is not to get behind in your studies because it can be impossible to catch up." IF IT TURNS out that you're not cut out for the sciences, advisors can be useful in helping you explore other fields that may be more along your line of strength. The requirements for majors (concentrations) in different disciplines can be spelled out by counselors as well as the distribution demands of your school in general. This latter consideration can be particularly perplexing these days since there are three different plans from which ISA students can choose. However, "once they've gotten beyond any initial confusion, most people find the new requirements pro- gram very flexible," ,Brown says. If you've decided to major in liberal arts, despite the folk's ostracism and potential post-graduate unemployment lines, you still might need some advice of a more immediate nature, like what to take next semester. For that, there exists an elaborate system called "checkpoint" which can give you all the informa- tion you need for registration, as well as tell you what new courses might be available. Reading the newsletter is perhaps the most essential act of your academic planning attempts and the recorded phone information can keep you up to date on such things as what classes have been closed. ONE OFFICE, often neglected by new people, that cft cast a different light on the academics of the 'U,' Is the Stu- dent Counseling Office (SCO). The student-run office offers as its primary service notebooks full of evaluations of courses stu- dents have taken in the past which are being offered again. The forms record the subjective reactions of students to the courses and also include descriptions of course requirements. Impressions of instructors are available from the forms and the students who operate the office. The SCO is also useful in hoep ing students with such tasks as late drops and academic gr ev- ance filings. Once you get into a specific program, you'll probably want to see people in that field for designing, a program of study. In the meantime, rest assured that there are plenty of people around who can lend an open ear or some constructive advisd. BOKOVOY he big 'U', you will by some variety of ore back or sleeping ompelled to visit the with the mountains of likely be traumatic- ink plenty of fluids, before entering the t, so take your place. ist has asked you for of plastic and finally , be patient. There ut stating the nature then, the battle is m the main desk to cs the Health Service de general medical, alth, gynecology, and es, they will provide ent means of birth iealth Service would n appointment if you 1 find room for you is advisable to call ahead because if you don't you will probably have to wait even longer. IN ADDITION to being an out-patient clinic, the Health Service provides .emer- gency care add maintains a small infirmary for those too sick to sleep in the dorm.' It also provides a number of services de- signed to inform students in various areas of health care. Among these are problem pregnancy counseling, contraceptive lectures and special seminars to help you quit smok- ing. New forums are always being started and it would be best to get in touch with the Health Service to see when they, are being offered. Lillian Carter, a Health Service aide, be- lieves that many students are not aware of the wide variety of services provided. "If a student is interested in any aspect of health care our health educators will try to answer their questions. In addition, we have an input department that we urge stu- dents to use to let us know how they feel we can improve our service," she says. Although you may encounter many prob- lems at the Health Service, rumor has it that they are trying hard to provide you with good health care. It's just that, like every- where else at the 'U', they are short of funds and overrun with students. 1: :.:.. .,::1"rar."'4:::": rJ."N:..: ;1:. """rr.Yh .;. J:.11 rI.R..: r:r: rY.,{.}."r"" :1":::r.. :{. .."r.;.;.;v:r :°4+:::::o:..; :.: {{:;r ":{."., :fiir:: :::::..; r r ":::: {,," ": "F" vrvt fir ' r.{G: titi:=:'":i¢: rv:+:i::%fi " _ r.".r. .,:":v}:v::. fi}:":.:. ... ro.r.:.a., :r:...,« .."?a:...:."r.".....rs.......".i:::ti"."S}.....$X. .:"}-rrn "St: r,........ "i.