The Michigan Daily, Thursday, September 10, 1987- Page 3
i
Strugge's over
With fee system battle won,
PIRGIM can return to work
By MARTHA SEVETSON
The battle is won. After two
years of hanging posters,
distributing petitions, and lobbying
to save its skin, the Public Interest
Research Group in Michigan can
return to projects such as fighting
hunger and cleaning up toxic waste.
"We've spent two years working
on a new funding system," said
PIRGIM chair Judy Hyslop. "That's
why we haven't been as visible. We
have done some project work, but
nothing like we could do."
Hyslop, an LSA senior, led the
environmental group through the
struggle to receive funding through a
refundable student fee system. Under
this system all students are billed to
support the group, but any student
who doesn't want to pay the fee may
request a refund. .
UNTIL 1985, the group was
funded by a "donation system" -
students who wanted to fund the
group checked off a positive box on
the Student Verification Form. But
this funding system - the only
SVF fee for a student group ever
approved by the University's Board
of Regents - was cancelled two
years ago when fewer than 15
percent of the student body supported
PIRGIM.
In July, the regents removed the
clause allowing groups to receive
funding through the SVF form,
preventing PIRGIM or any other
group from returning to this system.
According to Hyslop, removing
this clause will not affect PIRGIM
because the group does not plan to
solicit another positive checkoff
system. "It's kind of a moot point,
right now," she said.
Even before the clause was
removed, the regents were unwilling
to reinstate the funding mechanism
for PIRGIM. Despite a 16,800-
signature petition in favor the
funding method in 1986, several
regents advised the group to develop
a liaison with MSA for future
funding.
yet for the refund system, but we're
trying to make it as easy as possible
for people who want their money
back to get it back."
At least two students, however,
do not think the refund system is
"easy" enough. Law students Steve
Angelotti and Randy LaVasseur
spoke at the June regents' meeting
against PIRGIM, and said that they
will sue the group for an
"unconstitutional funding system."
"EVEN under the refund
mechanism, a student would be
'We've spent two years working on a new funding
system. That's why we haven't been as visible.'
- Judy Hyslop, PIRGIM chair
THEN MSA President Kurt
Muenchow strongly opposed the
suggestion of such a funding mech-
anism, but the majority of assembly
members endorsed the proposal.
After heated debate, MSA decided to
put the proposal to a student yote in
the MSA elections last March.
Students-voted overwhelmingly
to support PIRGIM, and the fee was
officially merged with the MSA fee
students pay each term. Unlike the
MSA fee, however, students may
request a refund if they do not want
to fund PIRGIM.
"We expect 70 percent of students
will contribute," said Hyslop. "We
haven't signed a contract with MSA
forced to ask for his refund,"
LaVasseur said.
Regent Deane Baker (R-Ann
Arbor) also strongly opposes the
funding system. In June, Baker
proposed an amendment to prohibit
MSA from financing PIRGIM, but
the 'motion failed.
"If the regents empower this
taking of money it is clearly
apparent that a court challenge of
this patently unconstitutional
limitation of student rights will
follow," Baker said.
Although the MSA funding
allocation for PIRGIM will not be
decided until fall, MSA President
See PIRGIM, Page 21
Daily Photo by ANDI SCHREIBER
Boy meets plant
Second-year graduate student Dave Fraser carries home a plant he bought at the plant sale at the Michigan
Union.
Unerrad initiatives
have been annouced
By LISA JORDAN
Last January the University
administration announced it would
divide $1 million among the
University community to improve
undergraduate life and education. Out
of 150 proposals received, the
administration decided in July to
fund 22 which cover such areas as
classroom size, student-professor
interaction, and expanding
i ducational facilities.
Proposals provide for TA training, classes
Affairs James Duderstadt said the
initiative allows faculty members to
"focus their talents on activities that
will improve the quality o f
undergraduate education at the U of
M."
But associate political science
Prof. Donald Herzog feels the
the University's reputation as a
research institute and to draw more
high school students to attend.
REGARDLESS of the reason
for the initiatives, however, the
University community responded
with enthusiasm to the initiative
when the call for proposals went
Winning proposals were to have
been announced May 1, but due to
the unexpected number of ideas
received, the initiative selection
committee delayed the
announcement.
The majority of the winning
proposals deal primarily with
educational opportunities for first-
year students and sophomores.
Introductory classes in many
departments will have fewer students
and cover more in-depth material.
Assistant sociology Prof. and
proposal submitter William Frey
said, "If it wasn't for this initiative
thing, we couldn't offer this type of
program." Frey's project -
Investigating .Social and
Demographic Change in America -
will introduce first-year students and
sophomores to social, political, and
economic influences on the
demographic structure of the United
States.
THE CLASS of 25 students
will stress computer proficiency and
group interaction. Students interested
in the class will also be asked to
See INITIATIVES, Page 17
Vice President for Academic initiatives were introduced to combat out.
ood :mnot sitting
around doing nothing'
By LISA POLLAK
Charles Moody wants people to
:know that he's not the Messiah, a
miracle worker, a lone crusader, or
the man with the final solution to
solving the problems of University.
minorities.
But Moody, the University's Vice
;Provost for Minority Affairs since
'June 1, wants people to know that
:he's "not sitting around doing
:nothing, either."
Appointed to the provost position
as part of the University's "six point
:plan" to address minority concerns,
Moody spent the summer not so
much developing new strategies to
fight campus racism but improving
:old ones - "we don't need to
:reinvent the wheel," he said.
BUT his guidelines for change
and improvement - backed up with
years of experience fighting racial
and sex discrimination as director of
the Program for Educational
;Opportunity and Center for Sex
Equity in Schools - include a
.personal commitment to the "four-
:dimensional fight, against discrim-
*ination."
Moody defines the first dimension
-"access" - as the "struggle to
-bring minority students to the
University in the first place."
"Minority students shouldn't feel
as if someone has done them a favor
betting them come here," Moody
said.
By hosting different educational
r
M "
programs for minority students this
summer, the University "has worked
with the students early enough in
their careers to provide incentive.
We're getting it known that these
people have strengths and are capable
of handling such work."
THESE programs include the
Martin Luther King/Rosa Parks
College Day program to introduce
minority students to the University
as well as various seminars hosted
by the Business, Engineering, and
Rackham graduate schools.
Moody stressed that such
programs are advocated by his office
but sponsored through the
collaborative efforts of many
University departments. Other plans
include the presentation of
fellowships in a variety of academic
subjects to visiting minority
professors.
The second dimension of the fight
is for "process" - "to insure people
See MOODY, Page 22
Why Settle
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