The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 28, 1988 - Page 5 Seminars offer small classes for new students BY NICOLE SHAW Entering its tenth year, the University's "Freshman Seminar" program has given incoming students a chance for more personal contact with professors. These courses emphasize writing, unusual topics, and small class sizes. The seminars of under 20 first-year students are. taught mainly by emeritus professors - professors that are retired but are still interested in teaching. The topics range from "Current Issues in Sport Sociology" to "Comedy as a View of Reality." The seminar instructors, who are allowed pick their own course topic, are typically as enthusiastic about teaching as their students are about learning. One such instructor is psychology professor Bob Pachella. Hid course, "Alienation, Identity and Free- dom" exemplifies the uniqueness of the seminars in its informality. He bases the course on recommended readings and a journal - there are no exams, papers, or required read- ing. Pachella wants to "experience the first fifteen weeks of college" with his students and "reduce their general sense of alienation." Discussions in class range from the transition from high school to college to problems with roommates. "Each student has their own profile as to what they are doing- I try to guide them," said Pachella. His goal is to positively motivate his students to read and write, without the traditional pressures of a college class. He wants his students to see themselves as decision-makers, with real responsibility for what they do. Students seem to be very encouraged by the format of the class. Sagel Shah, an LSA first-year student, enjoys the class because,"We talk about anything and everything." The "Freshmen Seminar" program has been so suc- cessful that University officials say they will launch a similar Collegiate Seminars program, which will offer four new courses for first-year students and sopho- mores. The program will begin in the winter term. The Collegiate Seminar program will also have small classes taught by senior professors. The only prerequisite is English 125. Hopefully, the program will be expanded next year when students are more aware of the courses, said LSA associate dean Jack Meiland. The "Freshmen Seminars" have been a popular course selection for both faculty and students. The courses give "students an opportunity for critical thinking while they participate more and learn more about a topic," said David Schoem, LSA assistant dean of first and second year students. ALEXANDRA BREZ/Daily Jonathan Selbin, an Amnesty International campus group coordinator, addresses a crowd of interested students at a mass meeting yesterday. Computers aid visually impaired Amnesty to expand human rights activities this year BY M. ANNA SCHLOSSBERG More than 100 students attended Amnesty International's mass meet- ing yesterday, where they heard speakers from both the year-old ;campus chapter, and the Ann Arbor ,chapter. Amnesty members write letters to authorites and conduct public aware- ness work and fundraising on behalf of people whose human rights have been violated. The campus group's activities this year include a bi-weekly nfor- mation table in the Fishbowl, bene- fit concerts, vigils, bucket drives and continuation of a "children's cam- paign" to educate young people about human rights abuses, said co- ordinator Julie Rancilio, an LSA ju- nior. The group also hopes to in- crease efforts opposing the death penalty. "The death penalty is very arbi- trary and racial, and there needs to be more public awareness about it," Rancilio said. The Ann Arbor group differs from the campus group in that it "adopts" a prisoner who Amnesty feels is be- ing detained unjustly, and focuses on obtaining that person's release. They recently achieved that goal, and await a new "adoptee," said member Lindsey West. Meanwhile, the group is focusing on problems in Columbia and the Andean region. Last year, the Ann Arbor group presented speakers from the Soviet Union, South Africa, and Chile. They will continue such events, and will join the campus group in cele- brating the 40th anniversary of the United Nations Human Rights Dec- laration this December. Neither group will join in the ac- tivities of the United Coalition Against Racism, Free South Africa Coordinating Committee or similar groups, Rancilio said. "We would like to do events with them, but a feature of Amnesty is that it is apolitical. This gives us credibility with governments across the political spectrum. If the oppor- tunity arises where we can work with them without violating that mandate, we will," Rancilio said. The next campus group meeting is Monday, October 3 at 7:30 pm in 2413 Mason. Call 761-7527 for in- formation. The Ann Arbor Group 61 meets the second Tuesday of each month at 7:30 pm in the Michigan Union Welker Room. Call 761-3639 for information. Students can also join the Urgent Action Network, where the only ac- tivity is writing letters on behalf of victims of human rights violations, and there are no meetings. For more information, contact Bob Hauert, Michigan Union Room 2408, 764- 7442. * - 0 e" *. * f f * 0 e - apparel* e - accessories* " " * 0 S325 E. Liberty * 995-4222 ",,,,,,,,",,,,,,,,,,,,,,: BY MARK KOLAR Try reading a computer screen with your eyes closed, or typing a paper when the letters on the screen are too fuzzy to see. That's what most visually im- paired computer users have faced at the University, until now. In the second week of August, the Low Vision microcomputer User Area was relocated from the North University building to the fourth floor of the UGLi, near the rear of the computer cluster there. The Low Vision center contains equipment specially designed to aid visually disabled and learning im- paired persons. One Macintosh and one Zenith computer with a giant- screen monitor comprise the main hardware for the user area. Both have connections to MTS, and both sport speech synthesizers that let the computers read screen data aloud. "The machines are very easy to understand," said Donna Fischer, the UGLi computer cluster supervisor. A braille printer will be ready for use when some'minor bugs in the machine are fixed. Thompson said he feels the braille printer especially will be a big help to vision impaired users. The machines' enhancements use special software that expands on- screen characters to allow easier readability. The software is avail- able at the front desk of the UGLi The Computing Center staff will train individual users of the special equipment, according to Fischer. Anyone interested in receiving the training should contact the Office of Disabled Student Services in the Union. Special Student and Youth Fares to EUROPE from New York on Scheduled Airlines! DESTINATIONS OW RT LONDON $210 $400 PARIS 235 450 MILAN 260 500 FRANKFURT 285 550 MADRID 245 470 COPENHAGEN 275 550 STOCKHOLM 275 550 OSLO 270 520 Above fares also apply from Washington, D.C. to London and Paris on non-stop service. Add-on fares from Boston, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis and many other U.S. cities are also available. WE SPECIALIZE IN AROUND-THE-WORLD ITINERARIES FOR STUDENTS. CALL OR WRITE FOR OUR SPECIAL FARES TO THE SO. PACIFIC, AUSTRALIA, SO. AMERICA Eurail and Eurail Youth Passes available immediately. 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