The Michigan Daily/New Student Edition - Thursday, September 7, 1989 - Page 12
Applications drop at 'U'
qy Minen amudoux
Daily Staff Writer
As of early June, 1989, the
'University had accepted just over
10,000 applications for admission to
this fall's first-year student class.
Approximately 4,600 students will
accept that offer to study, compris-
ing the Class of '93.
Maria Shay, an admissions coun-
sellor, said she sometimes gets to
know the students who apply and
that they some try unusual ways of
gaining admission. "We get all
kinds of things, videotaped applica-
tions, cassette applications, designed
T-shirts that say U-M is Number 1.
. . but we don't use them in our
evaluation."
According to Donald Swain, as-
sociate director of admissions, the
'University has received 16,800 ap-
plications for admission. About
6,800 applicants are Michigan resi-
dents and 10,000 are out-of-state stu-
dents. This year's total is down from
the 17,000 applications received last
year.
Swain cited a decrease in
America's high school population as
a reason for the slight decline in ap-
plications. "Fewer people are gradu-
ating from high school. The high
school population will be declining
for the next 10 years," he said.
The office of admissions differs
in its acceptance rates of in-state and
out-of-state applications. The Uni-
versity admitted about 80% of the
applications received from Michigan
residents this year, while only
accepting 50% of those from out-of-
state residents.
Regarding the high number of
non-Michigan residents attending a
Michigan-funded school, Swain said,
"We are trying to reduce the number
of out-of-state students. We have
35% non-resident right now. Our
goal is to run 30%."
Swain estimated roughly two-
thirds of Michigan residents and one-
third of non-Michigan residents actu-
ally accept their admission. "We ad-
mit more out-of-state students, be-
cause fewer of them come," Swain
said.
"We will accept less of them,
raise our qualifications and less of
them will be eligible for admission."
Applications from people of
color were slightly down from a year
ago, according to Swain. "There is
extreme competition for kinds of
students that we are trying to at-
tract," said Swain. He also cited ris-
ing drop-out rates and negative pub-
licity about racial issues on campus
as possible reasons for the decrease
in application numbers.
The acceptance process at th
U Tiu rit n nllcstlo _ in~
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anversty usuay takes 4-
according to Shay.
weekcs,
Members of the university's next
First-year student class will be com-
ing from all over the country and the
world, but primarily from Michigan,
Illinois, Ohio, New York and the
Middle Atlantic states, according to
the Office of Admissions.
Rising tuition figures, however,
are not a significant factor in the de-
crease in applications, said Swain.
"If tuition goes up, we get more aid
(from a reallocation of general
University funds)."
"We do our best to meet the full
amount of demonstrated need of in-
state residents. We give as much as
we can to out-of-state students, but
we sometimes fall short of meeting
100% of everyone's needs," Swain
said.
"College admission is getting
competitive everywhere," Shay said.
"The more competitive it gets, the
more prestigious it is to get in."
Shay attributes Michigan's popu-
larity to a positive reaction from
people who have studied in Ann
Arbor. "A group of people from a
certain area come and have a good
experience and word-of-mouth
spreads."
Students truly discover a "Brave New
Professors expand
by Peter Orner
Daily Staff Writer
During the past few years a
debate has raged through English
departments across the country
concerning which writers should
be studied in core English courses
and which should not?
One might think that the so-
lution would be an easy one -
let each professor decide for
themselves what books they want
to teach and which they don't.
But it is not that simple. Over
the more than two-hundred years
of literary tradition in America a
select few writers have emerged
as the writers to study. You've
got your Hawthornes, Melvilles,
Hemmingways, Twains,
Faulkners, and Fitzgeralds.
And what's wrong with this
picture? These men have had
amazing staying power on the
syllabi of university literature
courses. Left off the course de-
scriptions are Black and women
writers like Ralph Ellison, James
Baldwin, Flannery O'Connor and
Toni Morrison. Not to mention
those great writers of non-western
heritage.
The result, coined by people
who talk about such subjects for
a living, is called the canoniza-
tion of American literature. What
is considered by university's to
be great literature has been nar-
rowed down to a few good men,
albeit great men.
The debate does not center
around whether Hemmingway and
Melville are good writers or not,
but rather whether or not they are
the only good writers. Many
critics believe that the canoniza-
tion of American literature has
caused English departments to
limit the perspective from which
students study literature.
The result has been that stu-
dents begin by studying the
"biggies", the white males, and
then move on to everyone else -
Blacks, women, Hispanics,
Native Americans, Asians, etc.
Western culture, particularly that
culture as viewed from a male
standpoint, has been the vantage
point from which people learn.
English Professor Lemuel
Johnson said that such a practice
is potentially harmful because it
limits the scope of student think-
ing. "It is dangerous for any dis-
cipline to propose to make com-
ments on 'universal values' and
'mankind' without taking into
consideration a great portion of
society," he said.
But there are many more like
Secretary of Education William
Bennet who said in a recent New
York Times article that opening
up the canon of literature to in-
clude more diversity would
threaten western cultural domi-
nance.
"The west is the culture in
which we live, it has set the
moral, political, economic and
social standards for the rest of the
world," Bennet said.
What many professors and
students at such schools as Duke,
Harvard, Stanford, and Michigan.
want is more representation of
minority and women writers.
The movement has gained a
wide range of support in the past
few years. Those who support the
opening of the canon are urging
English departments to include
more minority and women writ-
ers as well as literature from
other cultures in their curriculum.
In a highly publicized move
last March, Stanford eliminated
its core list of classes, replacing
them with works by "women,
minorities, and persons of color."
At Michigan, English majors
are required to take three core
English courses that cover every-
one from Chaucer to Keats to
T.S. Eliot. Though the many
sections of the core classes often
teach the same books, some pro-
fessors teach more minority and
women writers than others.
In addition last year the
English department added the
New Traditions requirement
which stipulates that students
must take a course focusing on
the cultural traditions of minority
groups and women.
Many believe that "canon-
busting" is nothing but a natural
process. Professor Andrea
World"
'canons
Beauchamp who himself teaches
Core III said, "The canon has
never really been fixed. This'
isn't a new movement."
Critiquing which authors are
studied and which are not has,
been around since long before ther
last twenty years, Beauchamp;
said. Some authors simply fall,
out of favor, while others emerge
and take their place.
"In the sixties Longfellow.
was out and Kate Chopin was
in," Beauchamp said.
Beauchamp also expects that
eventually what happened at
Stanford will happen here. "We
seem to be going in that direc-
tion," he said. Beauchamp em-,
phasized that rather than being a,
altered by a certain movement,
literature has a tendency to
change gradually by itself.
But English professor Alan'
Wald said that though he believes,
that literature is always subject to,
gradual change, it took student
and faculty protests to bring
about change at Michigan.
"I think that the anti-racist
protests of the past few years
have had a significant effect on
the changes that have been made
in the English department."
Wald said that though the
New Traditions requirement is a
step in the right direction, the de-
partment has along way to go if
it wants to incorporate the works
of minorities and women fully
into the English curriculum.
He believes that the works of
Blacks, Indians, Asians,
Hispanics, and women are the
dominant forces in American cul-
ture today. Those white male
writers that we have long thought'
to be the best represent a very
narrow view of the world accord-
ing to Wald.
"One course can make a differ-
ence, but the emphasis is still
heavily weighted on traditional
white male writers," Wald said.
What English departments
need to do, Wald said, is to study
the works of white male writers
and minorities and women with
See Authors, Page 14
t
a
The one thing all those accepted to the University dread, CRISP. Perhaps a good strategy to reduce enrollment
would be to publicize the registration process to scare away potential applicants.
Bring your aches, pains, bumps
and bruises to Health Services
by Diane Cook
Daily Staff Writer
The flu? Chicken pox? Common cold? Acne? No
sweat. The University has just the place for you to go
when in need of medical services.
The University Health Service (UHS), an out-pa-
tient, primary-care facility is staffed by full-time medi-
cal professionals. Depending on the patient's need, a
physician, nurse practioner, physician's assistant or
registered nurse can be seen in one of the four medical
clinics or the nurse health center.
Walk-ins are welcome, but to reduce waiting time
in the lobby, appointments are suggested and can be
made by calling 764-8325.
In the event of an emergency, call the Nurse Health
Center at 763-4511. The staff will determine whether
the UHS or University Hospital is the appropriate
place for care.
For most injuries and illnesses currently enrolled
students can receive free treatment. There is a fee for
prescriptions, which can be filled at the pharmacy at
the UHS.
In addition to the medical clinics, the UHS has sev-
eral specialty clinics including nutrition, gynecology
and allergy and immunization. There are also clinics in
dermatology, neurology, opthamology, ear-nose-
throat, orthopedics, sports medicine, physical therapy,
x-ray. Treatment at these clinics requires a reference by
a clinician in one of the medical clinics.
Counseling services are also offered at the UHS on
a limited basis. There is a charge for an appointment
with a staff psychiatrist. The Counseling Services in
the Michigan Union (764-8312) are a free alternative.
The reception area is loaded with free brochures on
topics ranging from nutrition to STD's (sexually
transmitted disease) to dandruff.
Non-enrolled students, alumni, faculty, staff, UM
retirees and spouses and dependents of the above are
also eligible for services.
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