I
The Michigan Daily - Thursday, September 4, 1986 - Page 15A,
A ore studying
Students
sweat off
studies at
CCRB
By ELLEN FIEDELHOLTZ
A sleek physique, it is said, will not
only attract members of the opposite
sex, but also help in withstanding the
high pressure of University life.
Though University students exercise
their minds in a library or lecture
hall, they flex their pecs at one of the
three campus recreational facilities.
The Central Campus Recreation
Building (CCRB), the North Campus ,
Recreation Building (NCRB) and the
Intramural Sports (IM) Building
provide squash, racquetball, swim-
ming, weightlifting and karate. But
these are just a few of the activities
available to jocks.
All registered students are
welcome and even encouraged to use
the facilities. The same yellow
student identification card that lets
you check out books from the library
lets you check out at others getting
physically fit.
CCRB staff person Edwina Ames
says the accessibility of the buildings
adds to their popularity.
Chances are one of the three
buildings are close to where a student
lives. The CCRB is near the Hill dor-
ms, while the NCRB is just across the
street from Bursley.
Ames, who has worked at CCRB for
three years, notices a lot more women
lifting weights, though she adds both
sexes are equally concerned about
staying in shape.
Popular in winter
"Swimming is especially popular
and the pool gets really crowded,
especially in the winter," Ames said.
Ames also noticed an increase in
use in the three weeks prior to spring
break. "It's obvious that people want
to look good for their vacations," she
said.
Patty Levy, an LSA senior, uses the
CCRB quite often, especially during .
the winter. "During the winter it's too
cold to run out of doors and the CCRB
has a good sized track," she said,
"though sometimes I feel like a ger-
bil." The track is one-eighth of a mile
around.
Cesar Ottey, a third-year law
student, works out on the universal
equipment every other day at CCRB.
"I want to be both mentally and
physically fit," he said. Ottey also
appreciates the other students who
are his interest in physical fitness.
I've seen some fine legs around
here," he said.
"Exercise provides a break from
studies, especially during the high-
pressure law school exams.
"Studying is intense 'and exercise
allows one to get their energy back,"
Offey said. "Then it's a lot easier to
sit down and study again."
Jason Duman, an engineering
senior, recognizes that daily workouts
aren't for everybody, but his weight
training and running helps him relax
and forget the pressures of his life.
doesn't mean
better grades
L-I/
"W-
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w
By MARTIN FRANK
A major concern for incoming.
students-and for that matter,
students already here-is deciding:
how much to study.
There is no simple answer. Students
must find out for themselves how
much studying they need to succeed.
For instance, some study six or seven
hours a day. others study two hours a
week.
Some of the less bookish students in
fact, end up doing better than those
who study several hours a day.
Students and professors, though,
agree that going to class helps.
According to a study by a Univer-
sity researcher last year, those with
the highest attendance received
higher grades. Those who went to 79
percent of their classes or less,
averaged a C, while those who went to
90 percent of their classes or more,
averaged a little over a B, the study
said.
Study less?
On the other hand, researchers fund
out that more studying doesn't nec
essarily mean better grades. Accor-
ding to the researchers, those who
said they studied less than two hours
a day averaged a 2.94 grade point
average, while those who studied
between four and five hours a day
averaged a 2.86 G.P.A.
Grades jumped to 3.25 for students
studying four to six hours a day, but
dropped to 3.18 for those who studied
six or more hours a day.
University Sociology Prof. Howard
Schuman, who led the study,
speculated that professors base their
exams and grades more on materials
covered in class, than reading;
assignments.
Supplementing lectures
University History Prof. Raymond
Grew, however, said this doesn't
mean students can get by without
studying.
"Students who can get into the habit
of staying up with the readings an4
going to lectures will be able to ask
questions in the discussion sections'
that solve their problems when it
comes to exam time," Grew said.
"It's much easier to find out what
your problems are in the beginning of
October than it is to find them out on
December 10th (just before finals),"
Grew said.
Grew also speculated that "the
student who goes to class tends to be
more interested in the course, and
because of that, will keep up with the
reading, as opposed to those who
don't attend classes.";
Students agree with Grew's
assessment that reading helps get
better grades. LSA sophomore Scott
Michaels said the reading assignmen-
ts reinforces the lectures, which in
turn helps him'study for tests.
"I knew a few guys in my sociology
course who never went to class and
still got A's. These guys, though, were
really smart, and they knew exactly
what to study, so they got away withf
it. Most students, though, can't get
away with that kind of stuff,"
Michaels said.
Melt Daily Photo by ANDI SCHREIBER
Icy, wet slush is a fact of life during Michigan winters, as it is here in front of the Fishbowl.
RAs are freshmen's best friends
By EUGENE PAK
One of the first people an incoming
freshman meets at the University is
the resident advisor (RA) - called
resident fellows in East Quad. RAs
look and sound just like regular
students, and they are. But they are
also counselors, guides, and often
friends to new students.
Most dorms are divided into houses,
which are then divided into halls. Each
hall is supervised by an RA.
"The RAs duties range from
providing individual programming,
peer counseling, and academic ad-
vising, to eating dinner with students
and getting them together with other
people," said Andi Kapp, a former
RA at Bursley.
According to former RA Karen
Katz, now a resident director at West
Quad, RAs duties vary widely from
dorm to dorm. "Different dorms
stress different things to different
degrees," said Katz.
East Quad, South Quad, and Bur-
sley RAs emphasize education and
attending lectures, but West Quad is a
little "less stiff" and stresses being
available and getting to know studen-
ts, Katz said.
Programs prepared by RAs for
their halls range from seriour mat-
ters - such as how to choose a major,
alcohol awareness and study skills -
to fun things like massage classes,
pizza parties, and how to keep plants
growing in a dorm room, according to
South Quad building director Marty
Antieau.
Stephanie Patterson, an RA in South
Quad last year, held "Munchies
Night" once a week in her hall. Every
resident was invited to bring and eat
snacks, and socialize with other hall
residents.
"It helped my students and myself
get to know each other," said Patter-
son, "Although it kind of died around
midterms."
Job requirements
All RAs must be University juniors
with a 2.5 grade point average.
RAs are selected in a two-step in-
terviewing process, where applicants
are judged on trainability and how
well they work in groups. "It's almost
like fraternity or sorority rush," Katz
says.
According to Antieau, most dorms
"seek a very diverse staff; racially,
socially, and culturally."
Training
The selection process takes about a
month. Following that, the new RAs
must attend a one- to two-week
training period before the term
begins. They must also attend
meetings and lectures throughout the
year designed to help them help their
residents.
"They don't expect you to know
everything when you begin," said
Patterson, "that's why trainability is
so important. You're expected to
learn and grow throughout the year."
In exchange for all their hard work,
RAs are given free room and board.
RDs, who supervise RAs, also get a
salary of about $2000.
Negative ii
(Continued from Page 3)
more responsibilities as you get older
with classes and job interviews," Balz
said. "I would say rush second term
freshman year," LSA junior Craig
Johnson, who rushed Delta Tau Delta
in his sophomore year. "Ideally, you
have a term under your belt," he said.
"For incoming freshmen not from
around the area, it's an excellent way
to meet people. You gain 100 friends
right off the bat," said Sizemore,
who joinded Zeta Tau Alpha last fall.
Is rushing superficial?
The key to getting into a house,
members say,'is making friends - no
matter how superficially - with as
many people as possible. Recently,
Kavangh says, he's seen a upsurge in
"suiciding," where rushees go to only
one fraternity to ingratiate them-
selves with the active members. "I
think that's silly," Kavanagh says,
"They know someone who can get
them in, or else they don't know a lot
of the other houses."
Actives adivise pledges to see as
many houses as possible during the
week to decide which the best for each
person. "In most cases it works out,"
says Johnson, "It's better just going
into the house. It's better than
worrying about adapting."
Inevitably, not everyone gets a
"bid." Cuts were really bad," said
Iwa]
Difficult situations .
Since Ras are students themselves,
they often find it difficult to split their
time between their RA duties and
studies.
"It's very difficult to walk that line
between being a peer counselor,
student, and friend around the cor-
ner," Antieau said.
"The first semester is very dif-
ficult, especially the first month
when people don't know what to do and
what classes to take," said Patter-
son, who took only 12 hours in an-
ticipation of this dilemma.
Katz experienced a different
situation. "Actually, my grades went
up," she said, "I had to learn to
budget my times better.
She also said she had no problems
being friends with residents, though
some RAs have problems being both
friend and supervisor.
"Some RAs befriended students
and spent time drinking with them,
she said, "but the next night they
have to enforce the alcohol policy and
this creates a conflict."
But probably the biggest conflict,
according to Katz, is when an RA
becomes romantically included with a
resident.
41T V-mg3g~E i gc IQA el cf
computers on Camps
(Continued from Page 1) fee four to one.
But Van Houweling defended tht
Computer training - fee, saying that computers are
Of course, all this technology is necessary. "If students understood
useless if no one knows how to use it. how much of their tuition goes to suij
MEC offers several short introduc- port the libraries every semestdr,
tory courses. The residence halls also then I'm not sure they'd vote to haveia
offer computer courses. library," he said.
But advances cost money. The
1
r
t
Board of Regents last fall caused an
uproar when they imposed a $100 per
term mandatory computer fee. Some
students complained the fee was un-
fair to those who do not use com-
puters. A referendum last April, in
fact, found that students opposed the.
WEEKEND
MAGAZINE
Fridays in The Daily
763-0379
w4
mage plagues
nursing sophomore Sizemore. "The has "chan
competition was really ferocious. "Everyone
Everyone was trying to outdress The active;
everybody else. The rushees were house look
callous and cold. They didn't want the house, they
competition." I
LSA sophomore Melisa Taylor Perhaps
rushed last fall, but wasn't accepted. coming fre
Although she wasn't "totally upset," Greek is of
she regretted the time she spent tives. Whil
hurrying back from classes, changing goes on in
clothes, and joining the active having ple
sorority members. "It was like going Street, to d
to a job interview and auditioning," the house.
she said. Actives a
Her roommate Kris Mathews, who servient;
was accepted by Alpha Phi, agreed usually req
that rush consists mainly of actives ties. But h;
and potential pledges trying to im- to house an
press each other, judging per- "You ha,
sonalities without really knowing role as a ri
each other. four years;
"There's so many girls it's hard to - cleaning
know them, which is one weakness of a pain in th
rush. But I have no idea what a better the more ju
idea would be," she said. "Pledge:
Sizemore said there is always the "You do a
risk of finding that a sorority sister cleaning, a
Greeks
ged" after the rush is over.
puts on a phony attitude.
s are trying to make their
best. Now that I'm in the
're laid back and cool."
Hazing still exists
the greatest concern of in-
shmen who consider going
'hazing, kept secret by ac-
e hazing is illegal, it still
n varied degrees. - from
dges run nude across State
drinking games, to work on
admit that pledges are sub-
for instance, they are
uired to clean up after par-
azing will vary from house
d year to year.
ve to deal in a subservient
-shee," Balz said. "You're
younger than everyone else
up after parties gets to be
he ass. The younger you are
istified it seems."
s are dirt," Broucek said.
ll the dirty work, all the
ll the duties."
College students are
*prone to suicides
)(Continued from pafe 3)
year seriously consider taking their
own lives. Suicide is the second
leading cause of death among young
people today, according to the
National Center for Health Statistics.
The popular perception is that
academic stress pressures, or family
problems lead students to take their
own lives, but those factors are only
part of the explanation, suicide exper-
ts say.
"SOMEONE who interprets a failure
in these areas as an indication or their
self-worth is most vulnerable to
suicide," explains Gauthier. "A per-
son who will actually commit suicide
is one who sees no other solution for
his problems."
Dr. Robert Lobis, an authority on
suicide and a psychiatrist as the
Leonard Morse Hospital in Natick,
Mass., says the most likely candidate
is the student who interacts with
peers very little and who frequently
appears depressed. But another can-
didate, he says, is the over-achiever
who experiences some blow to his
hack record and can't put the blow
ihto perspective because of low self-
esteem.
Often, students may attempt
suicide out of a need to be appreciated
for their achievements or to be fairly
&dealt with, Gauthier says.
wanted to end their relationship. That
news, her hallmates believe, pushed
her from depression into despair.
Her friends were shocked when one
of the hallmates discovered her later
that night, hunched over her desk, her
wrists slit.
DYJACH AND other hallmates say
they were hesitant to probe their
friend's ominous statements and tell-
tale signs of depression because they
thought talking about suicide might
encourage it.
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