The Michigan Daily - Thursday. September 8. 1983 -Pa
Beware of bureaucracy
By BILL SPINDLE
They gave it to you at freshman
orientation, and told you
to guard it with your life. That little,
yellow, two inch by three inch card with
the strange computer holes in it, your
University of Michigan student iden-
tification card.
You probably did not realize then the
incredible things that little card can do,
but you will soon, because that card is
your key to the University.
YOU CAN WALK around campus all
'you want, stroll through the law quad
<- on football Saturday, tour the libraries
sand dormitories with an admissions of-
,fice guide, even live in Ann Arbor, but
.you will never understand the heart of
the campus, never enter the bowels of
the University without that card.
Because at the core of the University
As bureaucracy. It is paper work, on top
,f paper work, inside thousands of file
.-abinets, in the corners of hundreds of
offices, somehow connected with a
eavy dose of incredibly complicated
omputer hardware and super-
ndvanced telecommunications equip-
aO'bment.
And it's all yours to punch in to with
that unimposing little card, although
" nce inside you may find yourself
longing for simpler times, perhaps the
-niddle ages.
THE UNIVERSITY IS full of
-bureaucracy. A lot of it can be avoided
ijust by being smart and well-organized,
Sibut there are places and processes that
students have to confront, they simply
c'annot be students without going
through them.
CRISP is one of those places. Yes,
Computer Registration Involving
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don't know," when asked why the
registration process was not cen-
tralized.
"WE WOULD BE more than happy to
give out election worksheets but LSA
(counseling) says 'we want to see our
students'," says Thomas Karunas, an
assistant registrar and head man at
CRISP, "Anybody and his brother can
pick up a handful and take them over.
We would be glad to give them out here
but it's just not what LSA wants."
Right next to CRISP on many studen-
ts' priority list is the financial aid of-
fice. Call them up some time if you have
questions, you get a nifty recording. A
courteous voice runs down the
American Top 40 of financial aid
questions along with all the the an-
swers.
Office officials say they couldn't get
by without that courteous voice. "The
office does in excess of 70,000 student
contacts a year," says James Zim-
merman, an associate director in the
office. "We simply can't handle every
call personally."
The financial aid office can be
another aggravating nest of
bureaucracy for the unwary student.
Unlike CRISP, Financial aid officials
have all the necessary forms in one of-
fice, but they are a lot more com-
plicated, contorted, and confusing.
"Basic financial aid requirements
can be completed in two forms," says
Zimmerman. "However, for Guaran-
teed Student Loans, or transfer studen-
ts, or to establish single support status,
or do anything out of the usual, more
forms are required."
See BEWARE, Page 13
Student Participation located on the
second floor of Lorch Hall. You can't
register for classes without CRISP,
although most students feel they
register in spite of it.
To CRISP, in its broadest sense, in-
volves visiting three buildings, filling
out two forms, having them approved
and stamped, and standing in line for
several hours.
STUDENTS HAVE to pick up their
Student Verification Form at the LSA
building, then walk across the street to
the LSA Counseling Office in Angell Hall
to get a student course election
worksheet. Only then can they stand in
line at Lorch Hall and wait for their
registration appointment.
Why make it so confusing? Most
people frankly do not know - even the
ones who are supposed to.
One of the top administrators in
University student services said "I
NEED A
COMPUTER TERMINAL?
RENT NOW
WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!
We rent and sell several kinds
of terminals, printers, modems,
and personal computers.
Come and visit our office at
543 Church Street, Suite 31.
We will show you how economical
and efficient our equipment
can be for you.
NOBODY CAN DO IT LIKE:
RENT-A-BYTE, INC.
543 Church St., Suite 31
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104
Tel. (313)-761-BYTE
Dorms take compromise
(Continued from Page 2)
,Quad (see below). Pilot program
students do not have Resident advisors.
Instead, they live with the teaching
assistants they take class from.
COUZENS-This dorm's jail-like
linoleum decor tends to curb corridor-
1fe, but Couzenites revel in the
homemade doughnuts they get each
,weekend. Close proximity to the
,'University hospital makes Couzens
home for many nurses and pre-med
students.
MARKLEY - The Markley cafeteria
is the place to be seen on the Hill. With
:a the socializing, people manage to
forget about the food. Markley residents
like to claim their dorm is the largest
(it's not) and the most diverse (it'
might be).
WEST QUAD- A diverse mix of
people, the worst food service on cam-
pus, and an unbeatable location keep
West Quad residents complaining but
usually bring them back for a second
year.
EAST QUAD-It is hard to find any
evidence of a conservative trend among
students in this dorm. The Residential
College, which is housed in the quad, at-
tracts the cream of each year's eastern
iberal crop. The dorm's snack bar
(popularly known as "the half-ass")
doubles as a night club and often hosts
live music.
BETSY BARBOUR and HELEN
NEWBERRY - The advantages of
living in these all-female dorms in the
middle of central campus are tempered
by rooms that are the size of walk-in
closets.
HENDERSON HOUSE - No one
ever hears from residents of this all-
female dorm, but rumor has it they are
happy with the lowest University
housing rates.
FLETCHER - This all male dorm
could be the most unpopular dorm on
campus. It is filled with men who could
not get into other housing for one reason
or another.
MARTHA COOKE - The Women of
Martha Cook know how to live in
college-waitress service for meals.
Martha Cooke is the sorority of dor-
mitories. Women have to be invited to
move in, and men are not allowed in the
rooms after 11 p.m.
BURSLEY - Also known as the
"Great White North," Bursley is the
largest and most isolated dorm. The
buses that take residents out to this Nor-
th Campus dorm are not really as bad
as everyone says, but be sure you com-
plain about them anyway-it's vogue. If
you are living here, expect to be con-
stantly asked "How did you get stuck
up there?" Despite its large size, Bur-
sley is one of the most friendly dorms.
BAITS - Another North Campus
Dormitory, Baits is occupied mainly by
exchange and graduate students.
Because the dormitory has no
cafeteria, residents eat at Bursley.
ATTENTION PARENTS:
Send your student "care packages."
For free brochure write:
The Snacker's Pantry,
Dept. 12, Box 2552, Ithaca, N.Y. 14850
SOUTH QUAD - The "Animal
House" of dorms, South Quad is the
home of Bo's little boys, the freshman
football team. It is probably the most
social dorm if you don't mind constant
noise.
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