Shuttle may ,face delay . WASHINGTON - The head of the nation's space flight program cautioned Sunday that NASA might not be able to launch space shuttle Discovery on the first attempt late P this month. "I think that when we do get to a launch date on the latter part of this month, it wouldn't surprise me at all if it took us two or three times to get airborne," said Rear Adm. Richard Truly, the head of the shuttle program. Truly, who is NASA associate administrator for space flight, said that if two recent successful simulations of crew and launch systems had been the real thing, a launch would not have taken place because of weather and winds. "We're going to wait until we have it right, and then we're going to do it," said Truly, a two-time shuttle astronaut. "I think the American people expect that of us and that's what we're going to do." He said there has been no administration pressure to have the shuttle program restart before the election for whatever political advantage that might give to George Bush. The Michigan Daily - Monday, September 12, 1988 - Page 7 Students try creative admissions BY CARRIE WEBSTER How did you get into the Univer- sity? Was it your grades? Your long list of extra-curricular activities? Maybe, like presidential candidate Dan Quayle, you got in through a special program. Or maybe it was the videotape your parents shot of you last year at the country club. Probably not, admissions officers say. But that's not because students haven't tried. With the current crunch in admissions - 18,850 applicants vied for 4,500 spaces this year - high school seniors are doing all they can to stand out. AND STAND out they do. While they didn't improve their chances for admission, the 15 students who sent in videos this year made a fun lunchtime diversion for the 23 admissions personnel, said Donald Swain, associate director of admissions. Swain said some of the videos were "really bad," along the lines of "'Susie going to the Hunt Club,' and 'Susie getting on her horse."' More common, said Swain, are cassette tapes sent by LSA applicants attempting to show their "well- LISA WAX/Daily Miss October? Sarah Yelin, looking to be the next Reggie Jackson, concentrates on a pitch tossed by her father, Mitchell, during an afternoon practice yeasterday at Burns Park. I ont want a lot of hype. I just want something can count on.~ roundedness" with voice and instru- mental samples. The University re- ceived 40-50 cassettes this year, he said. "THERE'S nothing wrong with people trying to demonstrate their talents," Swain said. But the Univer- sity will not give priority to people who have the facilities to make tapes, he said. Other types of gimmicks used by applicants include photographs, pub- lications and portfolios by non-art students. Like many high school seniors, Kurt Phoel, an incoming first-year student from Williamsville, NY, felt the most important parts of his ap- plication to the University were his "activities and involvement in school." BUT SWAIN said, "We try not to get too much into assessing extra- curricular activities except for those that are outstanding. Just being on student council or NHS isn't going to make the difference." Nor willa personal interview "They do come in and try to impress you, Elizabeth Robinson, a supervi- sor in the Registrar's Office, said. "There's a lot of desperation, parents pushing students to the extreme." But few qualifications can sway. the minds of admissions officer Grade point averages and standardized test scores are the key, Swain said, and applicants can't compensate for either. THE GPA requirements start at about 3.0 and most SAT scores are in the upper 1200's, he said. For out- of-state students, the GPA require- ments are a few tenths higher, and SAT scores are about 100 points higher. And the standards have grown tougher every year. Students who would have been accepted severaf years ago are now being rejected, said Elizabeth DiFiore, a guidance coun- selor at Hollow Hills East High, School in New York. Out-of-state students, such as those from Hollow Hills, face much stiffer competition this year because a new state law requires the Univer-, sity to enroll fewer non-residents. But even in-state students are seeing the crunch, counselors say. "SO MANY kids heard it was so hard to get into Michigan that they said 'why bother?"' said Don Laatch, head of the counseling department at Birmingham Seaholm High School. And in light of the huge pool of applicants, the University has decided not to bother recruiting them. The recruitment efforts will be limited to "College Nights" and visits to vari- ous high schools this fall, officials said. But though the University's ef- forts will not include steak dinners or extravagant programs - like those run by peer institutions such as Brown and Cornell - there are pro- grams designed especially to attract minority students to the University. * "WE ARE QUITE concerned that we are missing many minority students who cannot demonstrate financial need by not being able to come up with a merit based award,' Swain said. Although specific percentages were not available, Swain said the University has enrolled more minor- ity students, both in- and out-of- state, than last year. The University's Ambassador program, in which enrolled students return to their high schools to share their impressions with prospective students, is one of the touted minor- ity programs. Already-admitted stu dents are also encouraged by phone' calls from students involved in the program. Yolanda Davis, an incoming first- year student from Cass Technical High School in Detroit, said her de.- cision was made easier by the fliers; and phone calls from students. "I was having a hard time deciding which (of, her prospective schools) had the most to offer me," she said. w " V Some long distance com- panies promise you the moon, but what you really want is de- pendable, high-quality service. That's just what you'll get when you choose AT&T Long Distance Service, at a cost that's a lot less than you think. You can expect low long distance rates, 24-hour operator assistance, clear con- nections and immediate credit for wrong numbers. And the assurance that virtually all of your calls will go through the first time. That's the genius of the AT&T Worldwide Intelligent Network. When it's time to choose, forget the gimmicks and make the intelligent choice, AT&T. If youd like to know more about our products or services, like International Calling and the AT&T Card, call us at 1800 222-0300.