The Michigan Daily- Thursday, November 14,1991 - Page 3,
'Cult figure' to
.retire from 'U'
Fraker inspires his students
by Jean Marie Balconi
Independents
sue Party for
libelous fliers
,1
Spanish Prof. Charles Fraker is a
cult figure.
Wearing a gray jacket and
brightly colored bowtie, Fraker
looks like a stereotypical college
professor as he lectures about Span-
1ish medieval epic poetry. But, his
teaching style has converted many
people to what one student called
"'the Cult of Fraker."
Melissa Shellenbarger, a senior,
said Fraker impressed her on the
very first day of class, two years
ago.
"I was astonished," she said.
"le stood up and lectured with his
*eyes closed. He started in English
and went to Spanish as a transition.
He asked students about their back-
ground and really made us feel at
home. I just love him and think he's
the greatest."
At 68 years old, Fraker, a Spanish
medievalist, is retiring this term af-
t.er 26 years at the University. But
*ke won't retire from studying. He
recently published a book on a me-
dieval Latin poem, "Libro de Ale-
jandro," and said he plans to con-
tinue writing.
In class, he often uses pop cul-
ture to illustrate medieval themes.
Graduate student Matt Wyszynski
recalled, "We were reading a pas-
sage and suddenly he said, 'And this
reminds me of a scene from the
Marx Brothers.' He went on and,
yes, you realized that Groucho and
Harpo repeated the same scene hun-
dreds of years later."
In his bright office with its tidy
piles of papers and books leaning
together onshelves, Fraker wel-
comes visitors - students, former
students, and colleagues. He is the
sort of man who helps a visitor
with her coat and brings a sandwich
in a plastic bread bag so he can eat
lunch with his guests.
When asked about his teaching
style, he laughed. "I'm not trying to
moralize," he said, "but too many
teachers view students as clients.
We should treat students as con-
temporaries."
His students obviously appreci-
ate his approach. Graduate student
Steven Gauntt is taking his second
class with Fraker. He said he was in-
timidated at first when he heard
about the professor's academic
background. He said his first sight
of Fraker only heightened this fear.
"Here was this old man giving
us a bibliography of La Celestina in
Latin, French and Italian," Gauntt
said. A meeting with Fraker, how-
ever, put him at ease.
Prof. Charles Fraker gestures while lecturing his Spanish 450 seminar in
room 2106 MLB.
"I spent two hours in his of-
fice," he continued, "but hardly
anything was said about Spanish. We
talked about the sixties, Monty
Python, Jimi Hendrix and food. It
surprised me. He just seems like a
funny, wise old man."
One of the first things people
notice about Fraker - besides the
ever-present bowtie - is his vision
difficulties. Fraker suffers from a
nervous system disorder that blurs
his vision. It made him ineligible
for military service in World War
II, but he refused to let it interfere
with his studies or his sense of
humor.
"One time I saw my mother on
the street and I didn't recognize
her," he said. "She was a real joker,
so she said, 'Hello, Professor
Fraker.' I was wearing a beret and I
had my arms full of books. I shifted
the books into my left arms so I
could reach my beret." After tip-
ping his cap, he continued on his
way.
Fraker's humor is also apparent
in dealing with colleagues, said
Laura Perez, who teaches modern
Spanish feminist literature. "He
lives in a land of perpetual jokes,"
she said. "He's an ironist, satirist,
and he's very subtle. It makes you
think about yurself - which
makes some p c. -e uncomfortable
- but he also !aughs at himself."
by Purvi Shah
Daily MSA Reporter
Adding to the recent tide of
Michigan Student Assembly elec-
tion campaign complaints, indepen-
dent candidates Brian Kight and
Rob Van Houweling have filed a
joint suit against the Progressive
Party for posting allegedly li-
belous and slanderous fliers.
Kight and Van Houweling
claim that Progressive Party envi-
ronmental fliers gave students the
mistaken impression that fluores-
cent fliers were not made from re-
cycled material. The independents'
fluorescent fliers contained 50 per-
cent recycled material.
Kight and Van Houweling
charged that the Progressive Party
fliers damaged their reputations by
making them look like liars for
placing the words "printed on re-
cycled paper" on their own fliers.
The two independents claim
that the Progressive Party
"willingly committed libel" be-
cause Progressive Party co-manager
Todd Ochoa was informed of their
concerns and continued to post the
controversial fliers.
The independents' demands in-
lude that the Progressive Party
remove the objectionable fliers,.
stop printing fliers stating recy-
cled fliers do not include fluores-
cent colors, and pay a fine to both
candidates to pay for fliers "we
must print to refute the Progres-
sive's false charges."
Ochoa said that the intent of the
flier was not to exclude other par-
ties who use recycled paper. "We
don't say that we're the only ones
who use recycled paper," he said.
"The bottom line is that they're
having a hard time getting expo-
sure and this is a beautiful way to
get a Daily headline."
Last Sunday the Progressive
Party received a $10 fine for using
Conservative Coalition's (CC)
name on posters without writing a.
disclaimer and for obstructing a:
CC poster since the tape over-
lapped.
*Union policies result in party exodus
by Uju Oraka
Daily Staff Reporter
The new Union entrance policy
ias caused a lot of anger in the Black
student community at the Univer-
sity, so LSA senior Ony Danchimah
and University alumnus Inger
Lovett decided to throw a party
elsewhere.
They formed a company called
Polka Dot Production and took ad-
vantage of the newly-remodeled
Nectarine for the event.
"Finally an alternative to the
harassment students have been fac-
ing for much too long since the
shooting incident at the Union last
fall," Lovett said.
LSA senior Renee Clay echoed
Lovett's sentiment.
"I can see that the students here
would appreciate the option of go-
Corrections
Due to a production error in yesterday's Daily, a story about the
Democratic presidential forum in Detroit omitted part of a quote by
former California Gov. Jerry Brown. The sentence should have read: "I
want to cut that umbilical cord and return the power to the people ...
This candidacy is not about me it is about you, the people."
A headline in yesterday's Daily above a story about the Higher Educa-
tion Act should have reported that a U.S. Senate committee took action.
Also, David Karle's name was misspelled.
Also due to a production error in yesterday's Daily, the last three
paragraphs of a news analysis about the Detroit forum were printed in
the wrong order.
THE LIST
* What's happening in Ann Arbor today
'Meetings
Michigan Video Yearbook, weekly
tg. Union, 4th floor, 7:30.
Tagar, Zionist student activists. Hillel,
6:30 p.m.
Intervarsity Christian Fellowship,
"tg. Dana, Rm 1040, 7 p.m.
Campus Crusade for Christ, weekly
J.tg. Dental School Kellogg Aud,
GOD5, 7-8.
External Relations Committee,
weekly mtg. MSA Office, 3rd floor
Union, 7 p.m.
Rules and Elections Committee.
MSA Office, 3rd floor Union, 1 p.m.
Communications Committee.' MSA
Office, 3rd floor Union, 7 p.m.
U-M Pre-Med Club. Discussion on
animal rights and experimentation
Union, Pendleton Rm, 6:30.
Institute of Industrial Engineers.
439 Mason, 7 p.m.
Amnesty International, weekly mtg.
SMLR; B137, 7 p.m.
Islamic Circle. League, 3rd floor, 6:15.
ACT-UP Ann Arbor. Union, Crofoot
Rm, 7:30.
Palestine Solidarity Committee.
Union, Michigan Rm, 8 p.m.
Circle K. Union, rm 1209, 6 p.m.
Speakers
"How Private Are We?" U.S. District
Judge Avern Cohn. Law School, 100
Hutchins Hall,.7:30.
"The Soviet Occupation of the East-
ern Half of Poland," Dr. Jan Gross,
New York University. Rackham East
Lec Hall, 8 p.m.
"Electronic Structure of Oligomers
of Polythiophenes," Dr. Duane Birn-
baum. 1640 Chem, 4 p.m.
"Settlement Pattern Archaeology
on the Central Plains of Thailand:
Site Survey in Lopburl Province,"
Karen Mudar. Nat Sci Museum, rm
and Fri. and Sat. 8 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.
Stop by 102 UGLi or call 936-1000.
Extended hours are 1 a.m. -3 a.m. at
thc Angell Hall Computing Center or
call 763-4246.
Northwalk, North Campus safety
walking service. Sun-Thur 8 p.m.-1:30
a.m. and Fri. and Sat. 8 p.m.-11:30
p.m. Stop by 2333 Burslcy Or call 763-
WALK
U-M Shorin-Ryu Karate-Do Club,
practice. CCRB Martial Arts Rm, 7-8.
U-M Swim Club, Thursday workout.
IM Pool, 6:30-8:30.
ECB Peer Writing Tutors. An-
gell/Mason Computing Center, 7-li.
Women's Rugby, Tuesday practice.
Mitchell Field, 5:45-8.
Jewish Feminist Group Study Ses-
sion. Hillel, 7 p.m.
The Cleveland Fellows Program.
Hillel, 1-6.
"The Taming of the Shrew," film.
Hillel, 8 p.m.
Russkij Chaj, Russian conversation
practice. MLB 3rd floor conf rm, 4-5.
U-MOSU Blood Battle. East Quad,
2-8.
The Yawp Literary Magazine, sub-
missions accepted. 7629 Haven.
Journey Women, worship. Guild
House, 802 Monroe, 7:30.
Army ROTC Turkey Shoot. Rifle
Range, 12-5.
Emerging Leaders Program Group
Leader applications available at
SODC, 2202 Union. Applications due
Nov. 22.
"Promising Educational Interven-
tions for Disadvantaged Youth,"
seminar. 6006 ISR, 10 - noon.
Serpent's Tooth Theatre, auditions.
Tappan Middle School, 2251 E. Sta-
dium, 7-9.
Alyson Hagy, visiting writers series.
Rackham Amphitheater, 5 p.m.
Cn"raar PDannint and Placement.
ing to the Union or a party at the
Nectarine," Clay said.
Clay also said she hated how the
Black students on campus are al-
ways singled out as problematic.
"This is not an entirely Black is-
sue. I hear about whites having
problems at their parties, they have
just the same number of fights. The
new Union policy singles Blacks
out to further abuse from the po-
lice," she said.
"And when the actions from the
police are questioned you read about
an investigation that justified their
actions. There is no way any one can
win because the police department
are being checked by their own peo-
ple and they justify anything that
happens.
"No one hears about the other
problems on campus such as white
on Black violence. The Ann Arbor
police are tired of college students
and even more so of Blacks students
and as a result many Black students
get treated unfairly," Clay added.
Danchimah said she hoped that
Gov't set
to indict
Pan Am
terrorists
WASHINGTON (AP) - The
Justice Department has obtained an
indictment against alleged terror-
ists for the Dec. 21, 1988 bombing
of Pan Am Flight 103 over Locker-
bie, Scotland, a government source
said yesterday.
The indictment is the first set of
criminal charges arising from the
bomb, which destroyed the New
York-bound airliner after it took
off from London.
The specific nature of thecharges
and the identity of the suspects
could not be determined, but there
have been reports that the interna-
tional investigation was focusing on
Libyan agents.
The bomb concealed in a radio-
cassette recorder killed all 259 peo-
ple on board and 11 people on the
ground.
The flight originated in Frank-
furt, Germany, and changed aircraft
in London.
The government source, who
spoke on condition of anonymity,
confirmed that federal prosecutors
who have investigated the case had
obtained a criminal indictment from
a federal grand jury in Washington.
Acting Attorney General
Wilin'm Rnrr.- ild connotnr von.tn_
more parties could be held at the
Nectarine in tne future because it
provides a different atmosphere.
"People are under a lot of stress
so we decided to give a party to re-
lieve some of the tensions. We felt
that there has been a lot of problems
in the Union and it was time for a
change," she said.
"The policy the Nectarine has of
allowing people to rent out for pri-
vate parties gives us the club atmo-
sphere, less restrictions such as
showing U-M identification and
only having one guest, and we can
all have a A time," Danchimah
said.
Present at both opening
and closing roll calls
Art
Cheryl Hanba
Business
Andrew Kanfer
Antonio Vernon
Engineering
Alexia Fink
Brian Kight
John Vandenberg
Aaron Williams
Law
Michael Warren
LSA
Ken Bartlette
Tom Cunningham
Julie Davies
David Eng lander
Heather Johnston
Joel Martinez
Jeff Muir
Andy Petrella
Melissa Saari
Brett White
Nursing
Nicole Shupe
Pharmacy
Ian Nordan
Rackham
ISean Herlihy
Jeff Hinte
Social Work
Colleen Crossey
1 _-- -'
Absent for either opening
or closing roll call
Library Science
Paula Jabloner
LSA
Mark Bernstein
Scott Gast
Jong Han
Kevin Killian
Megan Landers
John Line
Priti Marwah
Anitra Nolte
Kim Watson
Natural Resources
Nena Shaw
Rackham
Tim Darr (excused)
Max Ochoa
Amy Polk
Ben Witherall
Maria Yen
Italics denotes absence at both opening
and closing roll calls.
The weather outside is frightful
Two Ann Arbor residents walk through the Diag yesterday morning attired in winter wear.
Yep, it's a big thought on everyone's mind. But do
you know what you're doing for Thanksgiving,
winter, and spring break? If not, check out