I Page 2-The Michigan Daily-Wednesday, November 25, 1987 Adviser resolves housing issues IN BRIEF Compiled from Associated Press reports (Continued from Page 1). * So that both sides can "spout off steam" be- 4fre amediation session, Veramay said she tries to talk with all parties concerned beforehand. Many of the participants are extremely angry at first but calm down by the actual session, she said. "Even though the actual mediation session is tie last step in this office, people come in here nervous," she said. "You have to establish an atmosphere of trust so people say, 'Hey! This can work!"' The process "sets up the parties to succeed," $aid Veramay. "You need to see if there's a common ground to work on." One student who asked Veramay for help, business school senior Kris Manlove, recalled, "I went into the mediation upset, but the atmo- sphere helped calm me down." "Sherie encouraged people to talk and feel comfortable. She was fair and always willing to listen," said Manlove. She added that Veramay lkept in touch with her after the session to find out where her case stood. "She was never too busy when I stopped in just to sit and talk." Manlove, however, did not settle her grievance in mediation, and could not talk about her case because litigation is still pending. Nevertheless, mediation "was a chance for everyone to talk openly without someone jump- ing on you. Although there was no agreement in my case, it felt better knowing that a third party was there to give advice," Manlove said. "Because of mediation, everyone knew where everyone stood for the first time," she said. "In many cases there is simply a lack of communication," she added. "(Mediation) may be the first time the two sides have actually spoken to each other," Veramay agreed. Even if the parties don't settle in mediation, Veramay said she still gets satisfaction from her job. "We're educating people on the way they can handle things successfully for themselves," she stated. "By talking with students and letting them try to work out their problems, they can learn skills to help deal with people." Looking around the office at the empty chairs surrounding tables soon to be filled with negoti- ating parties, Veramay sighed and pondered the future. "People will always have disputes with each other," she said. The Housing Office and the me- diation process will continue to try to act as a possible resource and solution for disputes, Veramay added. The majority of calls to Veramay's office in- volve requests for off-campus information and advice, she said. There were approximately 250 information requests last year. Veramay is a native of Albion, Michigan, and has been in student services since 1983. After leaving Hope College, she worked for two years, then studied student personnel at the University of Alabama before heading to Boston. Veramay eventually became a building director at a resi- dence hall at Miami University of Ohio. "I've made a full circle back home," she laughed. Peace groups caUllfor more arms talks (Continued from Page 1) '"The notion that we can't have negotiations with the 'Evil Empire' es out the window with this," said im Miller, spokesperson for the nuclear disarmament lobbying group SANE/Freeze (Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy). He added that the agreement would set an important precedent because it would be the first treaty -that requires dismantling existing nuclear weapons, instead of setting limits on future weapon building. Political Science Prof. Daniel Axelrod said that, although the treaty would only eliminate about 4 percent of the U.S. and Soviet arsenals, it would lower the risks of a conventional war escalating into a HEALTH & FITNESS W What's - H