The Michigan Daily -Thursday, November 1, 1990 - Page 3
City seeks contract
with recycling firm
Students
contend
with
"by Chris Afendulis
Ann Arbor's collection and pro-
cessing of recyclables will be ex-
panded as the city takes bids from
.private firms vying to perform those
,services.
: Bryan Weinert, the city's Man-
ager of Resource Recovery, said the
'eity will be taking bids from private{
firms in December or January to se-
lect a group to collect recyclables
beginning on July 1, 1991, when
the city's contract with Recycle Ann
Arbor runs out.
y "It's prudent to see what's out
there," Weinert said about the city's
.lan for private bids.
.RRecycle Ann Arbor, with a pro-
eessing facility located on Ellsworth
'road, will continue to process the
city's recyclables until Ann Arbor
completes its Material Recovery Fa-
ility (MRF), near the city landfill,
in early 1993.
Weinert said the future facility
will be owned by the city and oper-
ited by a private firm.
Mike Garfield, Environmental Is-
sues Coordinator of the Ann Arbor
- cology Center, said the new ar-
rangement would increase recycling
pickup for single-family housing
Students1
by Chris Afendulis
from monthly to weekly, and would
expand collection for multi-unit
housing in the city.
Garfield said the Ecology Center
- which is affiliated with Recycle
Ann Arbor - supports the idea of
the city looking at other firms' pro-
posals for collection and processing
of recyclables, but added, "We're
very confident we (Recycle Ann Ar-
bor) will get the bid."
"We're not going to go out of
business if we lose the curbside bid,"
said Ed Boucher, Recycle Ann Ar-
bor's Director of Commercial Recy-
cling Services. He said the organiza-
tion is still committed to environ-
mental goals, and would continue to
educate the public about such con-
cerns even if the group no longer
collected the city's recyclables.
Buck Marks, the University's
Recycling Coordinator and represen-
tative on the city's solid waste
commission, said a firm's access to
vendors should be a prime considera-
tion in deciding its effectiveness in
managing the city's recyclables.
Martin Caman, Executive Direc-
tor of Recycle Ann Arbor, said the
changes would improve service for
the city.
TA accents
Increased awareness of the need to recycle has caused boxes such as
this one to crop up all over campus.
by Jesse Snyder
When LSA junior Nancy Vander
Velde took Chemistry 125 as a first-
year student, her foreign teaching as-
sistant's accent was so difficult to
understand that she and her lab part-
ners took turns asking questions.
"We would fight over whose turn
it was," she said. "I couldn't under-
stand him at all. All I understood
was when he said 'safety first.'
Alexa McCulloch, an engineering
senior, also experienced language dif-
ficulties with foreign instructors.
"I had a chem. TA who never
knew what you were asking. He
would always nod his head 'yes, yes,
yes,' even if you were wrong," she
said.
Engineering Assistant Dean
Gene Smith said while communica-
tion difficulties do not constitute a
major problem, there are occasional
reports of difficulties with foreign
TAs.
"We usually ask students to give
it a couple of weeks of acclimating,
and often the problem disappears,"
Smith said. "Some cases are more
trouble, and we try to find another
section and notify the department.
We don't ignore problems."
"Fifty percent of graduate stu-
dents are foreigners," Smith said. He
explained that hiring graduate stu-
dents to teach sections is necessary
in order to reduce class sizes.
Leonald Leung, a foreign TA in
the math department, acknowledged
he has had some problems commu-
nicating with his students but the
difficulties are not insurmountable.
"I try to explain the problem to
them. It can be overcome," he said.
While language problems occur
in almost every department, Smith
said that most of the problems that
have come to his attention deal with
first-year level LSA instructors, par-
ticularly in the mathematics field.
When interviewed, history Prof.
Rhoads Murphey, an LSA academic
counselor, focused on the problem in
the math department, and in Math
115 in particular. Murphey said stu-
dents often complain about their
Math 115 instructors.
The problem, he said, lies in the
lack of faculty teaching the course.
"The faculty thinks it's beneath
them," Murphey said. "My advice
(to students) is to drop the course or
take it elsewhere."
"The course is mostly taught by
TAs, and a great majority of the TAs
are foreign," Murphey said. "Math is
not a skill you need a spoken lan-
guage for."
"It's the worse course in the col-
lege, a disgrace," he added.
However, Prof. James Kister, as-
sociate chair of the math department,
said students sometimes use accents
as an excuse when they do poorly in
a class. "We have seen students who
have trouble understanding math,
push it off onto the actual language
communication," he said.
A foreign math 116 TA, who
didn't wish to be identified, agreed.
"In general, I suspect students think
they have problems because they
don't do well," she said. "Some are
spoiled, and they blame things on
the foreign TAs. They should think
first."
Kister said Math 115 has im-
proved in the past year due to fel-
lowship support that has enabled the
hiring of more faculty.
"There haven't always been a lot
of faculty teaching 115, but there
have always been some," he said.
"There are around 60-65 sections in
Math 115 and this year faculty are
teaching 32 of them."
Kister admitted that this was un-
usual. In past years, as few as 10
sections have been taught by faculty.
Kister also said the department has
become more careful in screening
potential TAs.
"There are fewer of these prob-
lems, but they do happen," he said.
take part in recycling craze
From attempts to step up collec-
tion in the Law Quad to promoting
the use of recycled paper in course-
Packs, various groups on campus
Und in Ann Arbor' are working to
expand collection of recyclables and
encourage the purchase of recycled
goods.
- Andy Duncan, a member of Re-
cycle UM's Steering Committee,
said the student-run group is trying
to increase concern for recycling col-
lection in the Greek system, as well
as in off-campus, multi-unit housing
currently not serviced by the city.
Martin Caman, Executive Direc-
tor of Recycle Ann Arbor, said the
facility works to increase collection
at such apartment complexes.
"We've worked with people on a
unit-by-unit basis," he said. He es-
timated the number of units serviced
by these efforts at 3500.
The city's current program con-
sists of monthly collection for sin-
gle-family housing, but will soon be
expanded to include apartment com-
plexes.
Recycle Ann Arbor also offers
four recycling bins throughout the
city, where residents may drop
newspaper, glass, and tin. They are
located at the city garage, 721 N.
Main; the city landfill, 4170 Platt;
at Pauline Plaza, west of Stadium
Blvd.; and the Veteran's Pool and Ice
Arena, 2150 Jackson.
Additional materials such as cor-
rugated cardboard, car batteries, plas-
tic milk jugs, and scrap metal may
be taken by students to the drop-off
station at 2050 S. Industrial.
LSA senior Helen Johnson lives
in a 23-unit apartment complex
without recycling collection service,
but said she and her roommates
make recycling trips regularly. "At
first it's a pain," she said, "but once
you start it, it's worth the pain you
put into it."
Bill Krebs, an LSA first-year stu-
dent who lives in Markley, said re-
cycling procedures in University res-
idence halls were too confusing, and
discouraged him from recycling.
"The bins all look alike, so I just
throw it in," he said.
Christa Wyatt, an LSA Senior
and member of the South Quad resi-
dence hall staff, said she experienced
difficulty in motivating some stu-
dents to recycle. "There's only so
much we can do on an everyday ba-
sis," she said.
She suggested recycling informa-
tion be posted on residence hall
room doors, like fire procedures, to
remind students what can be recycled
and where it should be taken.
The University's grounds and
waste management division currently
collects corrugated cardboard, news-
paper, office paper, and wood waste
from residence halls, family housing
and administration buildings. Buck
Marks, the University's recycling
coordinator, said a new, $119,000
grant from the state will help expand
recycling collection in administra-
tion buildings.
The Law School's Environmental
Law Society is currently seeking to
expand recycling collection in the
Law Quad using some of that grant
money, said member Lynnelle Det-
zler.
Recycle UM also promoted the
use of recycled paper at local copy
shops, an effort so successful that it
now costs no more for a coursepack
printed on recycled paper than for
one on virgin paper.
"It's really well established,"
Duncan said regarding the shops' use
of recycled paper. He also said once
one store began using the paper, the
others followed "like a domino ef-
fect."
Use of recycled paper in coursep-
acks at printshops varies. Dollar Bill
Copying estimated that 95% of its
coursepacks were printed on recycled
paper, while Kinko's put their esti-
mate at 50%.
Michigan Document Services
said all of their coursepacks are
printed on 100% recycled paper.
Owner Jin, Smith said pure recycled
paper costs more, but, "We find that
demand is such that it's worth it."
THE
LIST
Student Locator
joins Campus Info.
What's happening in Ann Arbor today
Meetings
LAGROC (Lesbian & Gay Men's
Rights Organizing Committee),
weekly meeting. Union, Rm. 3100,
7:15-8:30.
Michigan Video Yearbook,
weekly meeting. Union, 4th floor,
6:30.
Amnesty International, weekly
meeting 'of local chapter. B116
MLB, 7:00.
Palestine Solidarity Commit-
tee, weekly meeting. International
Center, 7:30.
El Club de Espanol, weekly
meeting of the Spanish Conversa-
tion Club. MLB 4th Floor Com-
mons, 2:30-4.
ACT-UP Ann Arbor (not affili-
tated with the Revolutionary Work-
ers' League, which is listed below),
weekly meeting. Call Patrice (665-
1797) or David (662-6282) for loca-
tion or info. 7:30.
ACT-UP, weekly meeting. Union,
7:30.
In Focus Filmworks. Real to
Reel -. first showing of student
filmmakers' films. Bring pennies.
1008 Frieze Bldg., 6:00.
German Club discussion of work
and study opportunities in Germany.
MLB, Rm. 2212, 6:30.
Rainforest Action Movement.
Group yearbook picture to be taken
at 6:30. Brazilian Greens presenta-
tion follows. School of3Natural Re-
sources, Rm. 1520, 6:30.
Intervarsity Christian Fel-
lowship, "Lordship of Christ/
Holiness." Michigan League base-
ment, 7:00.
Speakers
"Earning Prospects for the
Post Yuppy Generation,"
"Microchips and the Mouste-
rian - My Summer at Combe
Capelle," David Hamermesh,
speaker. Brown bag luncheon.
Ruthven Natural Science Musuem,
12-1:00.-
"Scanning Tunneling Mi-
croscopy: Techniques and Ap-
plications," sponsored by Chem-
istry Dept.; Prof. Bradford Orr,
speaker. Rm. 1640, 4:00.
Furthermore
Safewalk functions 8-1:30 am
Sun.-Thurs., 8-11:30 Fri.-Sat. Call
936-1000 or stop by 102 UGLi.
Northwalk functions 8-1:30 am
Sun.-Thurs., 8-12:00 Fri.-Sat. Call
763-WALK or stop by 2333
Bursley.
ECB Peer Writing Tutors
available to help with your papers
Sunday-Wednesday, Angell/Haven
Computing Center, 7-11:00.
Forum on Pornography &
Censorship, sponsored by Con-
sider. Michigan League Ballroom,
7:00.
The Dancing Turtle Prayer
Circle, sponsored by Guild House
Campus Ministry. Guild House, 802
Monroe St., 7:30.
University of Michigan Jazz
Combos in Concert. Rackham
Lecture Hall, 8:00.
Arts at Mid-day, providing a
preview of the forth-coming produc-
tion of the play, "Joe Turner's Come
and Gone." Union Pendleton Rm.,
12:15.
This is Zionism. Information on
Zionism being provided in the Fish-
bowl during the day.
Jobs on campus for F-1 stu-
dents, Ally Adnan, speaker. Inter-
national Center, Rm. 9, 3:30-5.
The Attic, appearing at the U-
by Lynne Cohn
When students dial 764-2330 ex-
pecting to hear a Student Locator
operator's voice, they may be sur-
prised to hear a recording.
Campus Information combined
with Student Locator Oct. 28; stu-
dents can now call 764-1817 to re-
ceive student or University numbers.
Some students have already no-
ticed a positive change when using
Campus Information.
"Combining the two services
should make information more ac-
cessible for students," said senior
Ted Wagner. "The operators are ex-
tremely helpful, considering that
they must be bombarded with
requests."
Campus Information employees
refused to comment on the change.
Campus Information operators
will provide student, faculty, and de-
partment phone numbers. Operators
will continue to connect callers with
the number they have requested as
long as it is not a student phone
number.
"Student Locator was very help-
ea
7"c
ful," said senior Alan Taylor. "It was
easier to get in touch with someone
by using Student Locator because it
was designed exclusively for student
phone numbers."
Campus Information provides
services from 8 a.m. until 2 a.m.,
extending Student Locator services
from its previous hours of 10 a.m.
until 10 p.m.
"I think it is very efficient and
convenient that the University has
decided to combine all information
by calling one number instead of
several," said Karen Habra, an LSA
sophomore.
Food Buys
1 1v
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1 Enjoy the Game with
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I Voted Ann Arbor's Best Cookie <jiyi
Gifts shipped anywhere in US + L 61
1 Call orders 761-CHIP O '*
1~j 715 N. University
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(LOWER LEVEL)
665-2034
DINEINOR CARRY OUT
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CHEESE PIZZAS 8 warm stick;
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