The Michigan Daily - Thursday, April 9, 1992- Page 5
ICC members say co-op living provides
work experience, friendships, diversity
I I
by Tovah Calderon
The Inter-Cooperative Council
(ICC) provides students who are
seeking a more open, democratic and
diverse living environment with an
alternative to University residence
halls, Greek houses and off-campus
apartments, said ICC representatives.
"The one biggest advantage is
democracy. We own and control our
*own homes. The disadvantage,
which comes naturally with democ-
racy, is apathy," said LSA senior
Ben Phillips, a co-op resident. '"A
co-op works because its members
work. They want to live here, they
want to contribute, and they are em-
powered."
Co-op members purchase shares
of their cooperatives, therefore be-
coming the sole owners. As owners,
Ethe members are required to share
the work involved in running them
by devoting four to six hours per
week to the house.
Since there are no landlords, ICC
members are responsible for the up-
keep of their homes. Cooking, clean-
ing and general repairs are all part of
residents' responsibilities, although
chores are not the only way a mem-
ber can serve the house.
"Work can include anything from
scrubbing toilets to coordinating so-
cial events," said ICC president
Michael Kwun. "But you have to
take responsibility."
"The work is not too bad. I cook
and I love cooking. It's a nice break
from schoolwork, and I like the
skills I'm learning," said Rackham
graduate student Leon Porter, a co-
op resident.
The ICC currently owns two
apartment houses, two houses on
North Campus, and 16 on Central
Campus. Most co-ops are equipped
'We own and control
our own homes.
- Ben Phillips
Co-op resident
with their own kitchen, television,
VCR, stereo, and other recreational
equipment and appliances.
The ICC - which has approxi-
mately 550 members - is a non-
profit organization, established in
1937. Its primary function is to unite
the cooperative houses, recruit new
members, handle financial affairs,
and oversee large maintenance. One
of the latest developments in the or-
ganization is the Minority Affairs
Committee, which was added last
year.
"The ICC needs more racial di-
versity, but in my opinion, great ide-
ological diversity does not make for
comfortable co-op living," Porter
said. "We don't want homophobes,
sexists, racists, or people who are in-
tolerant of different lifestyles
generally."
Kwun explained the Minority
Affairs Committee's purpose is to
look for ways to help integrate dif-
ferent lifestyles to create a comfort-
able environment for everyone.
"The question that we have now
is, 'How can we strive for diversity
and at the same time strive for a
wide range of people with different
life perspectives?"' Kwun explained.
Kwun said although ICC mem-
bership already includes people from
a relatively diverse range of back-
grounds and a large amount of inter-
national students, he would like to
see more members of minority
groups join.
"We don't actively try to go out
and appeal to people, but rather try
to be open and accepting to every-
one," he said.
Kwun also acknowledged stereo-
types ICC members often confront.
"There is definitely a perception,
and I think it may come from the
communes during the '60s, I don't
know. Maybe at one time there were
more crunchier, hippie-looking
people in the system," Kwun said.
"But the stereotypes aren't true. If
you look at the ICC video, you
won't see people dancing around
poking flowers or anything."
Kwun said cooperatives provide
a multitude of opportunities for stu-
dents who would like to explore par-
ticular interests or gain useful skills
for the future.
"Living in the ICC, I've learned a
lot about maintenance, and I've also
learned about interacting with a va-
riety of different people," Kwun
said. "But if you are interested in fi-
nance, you could serve as treasurer
of your house. If you would like to
improve leadership skills, you could
serve on the ICC board. You don't
have to do any of these things, but
the opportunities are available," he
added.
Kwun said the ICC is actively
seeking new members because of the
city's large housing pool and an in-
creased number of students joining
fraternities and sororities. "There are
usually vacancies. It could be be-
cause Ann Arbor has a soft market
and the Greeks are putting more en-
ergy into rush."
Many members feel that coopera-
tive living is a better alternative than
other housing options.
Architecture junior Jamie Bendor
said, "Cheap rent and fun people
make a co-op work. Dorms are bee-
hives, but we've got our own
house."
"There's no landlord to deal with
like in an apartment, and there's
more diversity and political sensitiv-
ity than in a frat," Bendor said.
Most ICC members agree that
making friends and exposure to dif-
ferent kinds of people has made their
co-op experience worthwhile.
LSA senior Jessica Schanberg
said, "I have made wonderful friends
and I have learned a lot about myself
a how to handle responsibilities."
Protest in Nepal
Demonstrators cheer around the burning effigy of Interior Minister Sher
Bahadur Deupa in Katmandu yesterday. The protesters set fire to the effigy
an hour before authorities enforced a curfew-which allowed police to
shoot protesters on sight- for the third night in Katmandu.
New Higher Education
Act may provide direct
assistance to students
Bishops say U.S. Catholic
Church should fight in
forums to combat sexism
Former Democratic presidential hopeful Paul Tsongas works out at a
Lowell, Mass., YMCA yesterday. Tsongas finished second in New York's
Democratic presidential primary.
Associated Press
Sexism is a moral and social evil
that the U.S. Catholic Church should
fight in forums ranging from its own
youth education programs to legisla-
tive battles for equal pay and for
equal work, a committee of bishops
said Thursday.
Treading between risking Vatican
censure and the anger of millions of
Catholic women, the committee did
not back down to the demands of
some top church leaders that its
pastoral letter be downgraded to a
pastoral statement.
In the third draft, the bishops also
call for each diocese to establish
commissions on women and society
and more discussion on allowing
female deacons and altar servers.
They also say the willingness of
priesthood candidates to treat
women as equals should be taken
into consideration for ordination.
The document by the Ad Hoc
Committee for a Pastoral Response
to Women's Concerns also adheres
closely to traditional church teaching
in upholding the male priesthood
and bans on artificial contraception.
Abortion is described as an
"unspeakable crime," and lesbians
are called to practice chastity.
"It's a symbolic beginning," said
Susan Muto, the principal writer of
the document and the first woman to
claim that position for a pastoral
letter.
The letter will now go before the
June 18-20 meeting of the National
Conference of Catholic Bishops at
the University of Notre Dame. It is
expected to be voted on at the bish-
ops' November meeting in
Washington.
"My biggest pleasure with the
third draft is ... we're finally at the
moment when our conference, as a
conference and in public, will take
up these themes," said Bishop
Matthew Clark of Rochester, N.Y., a
committee member.
The letter has undergone a nine-
year odyssey in which bishops were
delayed by criticism from women
'My biggest pleasure
with the third draft is
... we're finally at the
moment when our
conference ... will take
up these themes.
- Bishop Matthew Clark
committee member
that the subject was inappropriate for
an all-male hierarchy and by con-
cerns from Rome that the U.S.
church would move too far too fast
in advancing women's issues.
In a special meeting at the
Vatican last May, church leaders
urged downgrading the proposed
document from a pastoral letter, the
highest level teaching that can be is-
sued by a national bishops' confer-
ence, to a pastoral statement, which
would have less authority.
The new document - "Called to
Be One in Christ Jesus: A pastoral
Response to the Concerns of Women
for Church and Society" - main-
tains its status as a pastoral letter.
by Barry Cohen
Daily Government Reporter
University students will have ac-
cess to direct student loans, a new
means of obtaining financial aid, if
U.S. senators and representatives can
reach a compromise proposal be-
tween their separately passed reau-
thorizations of the Higher Education
Act.
The House version includes a
demonstration program providing
$500 million in direct loans to stu-
dents in qualifying schools.
Currently, $13 billion of financial
aid is distributed in the form of
Guaranteed Student Loans (GSL),
such as Stafford Loans.
"I would like to see the size of
the demonstration program increased
so that more schools and larger
schools can participate," said Tom
Butts, executive director of the
University's Washington, D.C.,
office.
Financial aid in the form of direct
student loans provides advantages
that GSLs do not, Butts said. While
the money for GSLs is financed by
private institutions, funds for direct
loans are arranged via the
government.
Direct loans take advantage of
the government's ability to acquire
cheap capital and grant students
loans with lower interest rates than
GSLs, Butts added.
"There is an excellent chance it
will be proven to be better and
cheaper that the GSL program," said
Ken Holdsman, legislative director
for Rep. Robert Andrews (D-NY).
Rep. Andrews proposed the
amendment to add direct lending to
the reauthorization act.
Also, the application to receive
direct loans is less complicated than
the GSL application, Butts said.
While students have to file separate
applications to'receive separate GSL
loans, students would file only one
application to receive a direct loan.
"The goal is to replace over a
five-year period Guaranteed Student
Loans with a program of direct lend-
ing," Butts said.
The direct lending program
specifically targets middle-income
families, giving them greater access
to higher education loans; lower-in-
come students have the same access
as before, Butts said.
Jack Nelson, executive director
of the Michigan Higher Education
Assistance Authority is opposed to
the direct lending demonstration
program outlined in the House bill.
"We basically have a program
that works (GSLs). Direct loans are
drastic changes to the program that
are unproven and untested," Nelson
said.
The Michigan Higher Education
Assistance Authority, the Michigan
'The goal is to replace
over a five-year period
Guaranteed Student
Loans with a program
of direct lending.'
- Tom Butts
Higher Education Student
Assistance Authority, and the
Michigan State Board of Education
oppose the idea of direct lending, he
said.
Nelson said any expanded direct
lending program would increase the
federal debt by $10-15 billion until,
the loans are paid back.
Also, defaults would increase be-
cause the internal controls existing
now would be eliminated, he said.
Representatives from banks, in-
cluding Comerica and First of
America, have expressed concerns
about direct lending programs, he'
added.
The House and Senate will now
enter a joint committee to devise a
compromise bill between the two
versions. A final version of the
Reauthorization of the Higher
Education Act will appear in 4-6,
weeks, Nelson said.
Butts said while the Senate ver-
sion of the act, which passed
February 21st, does not include q
provision for direct loans, the Senate
is on record for supporting direct,
lending.
The House version passed March
27th.
If the final version includes a di-
rect lending demonstration program,
the University will know Jan. 1,
1994, whether it is eligible to receivi
direct loans, and the program will
begin in July 1994.
"We want to give plenty of lead
time to have it start out right - we
don't want direct lending to go down
in flames," said Butts.
CLINTON
Continued from page 1
Chair Ronald Brown both mini-
mized the flipside of the Arkansas
governor's victories in New York,
Kansas and Wisconsin.
"There are serious problems
for George Bush, too," the party
chair said on NBC's "Today"
show. "He hasn't learned to roll
up his sleeves and get his hands
dirty" dealing with the nation's
problems, he said.
Clinton's trip to a strike-idled
Caterpillar factory in Peoria, Ill.,
seemed just that, and he said the
Bush administration should
become involved in attempting to
mediate a settlement.
"Remember going back to the
Kennedy years there was always
an attempt by government ... to
avoid prolonged strikes and keep
people working to settle," he said
after meeting separately with
management and labor leaders,
and shaking hands with pickets.
"If I were president ... I would
have the Labor Department
aggressively involved."
Asked earlier about the polls
showing voters dissatisfaction, he
said, "I'm not interested in
whether they love me or not. I
want them to respect me and want
me to be their president."
The Democratic maneuvering
continued as Patrick Buchanan
said he would next contest
President Bush in the North
Carolina primary on May 5. Bush
has won every contest over his
conservative challenger, holds a
963-54 delegate edge, and is on
track to clinch a nominating
majority on May 5.
Brown's campaign reported
taking out loans of $600,000 to
wage a media war in New York.
Clinton spokesperson Jeff Eller
said the governor began the New
York campaign $900,000 in debt,
"and I think it's fair to assume we
went back to the bank again."
In Peoria, Clinton said he
wasn't picking sides in the five-
month strike by the United Auto
Workers at the Caterpillar factory.
About 13,000 workers are off their
jobs, and the company began
advertising this week for
replacements.
OLIVET
Continued from page 1
"This is when everything broke
out about racial tensions," said a
student who wished to remain
anonymous. He described the fight
as "white against Black."
Although approximately 35 stu-
dents will miss the remaining two-
and-one-half weeks of class, many
made arrangements with their pro-
fessors to take final exams.
Olivet President Donald Morris
said it was unfortunate that the stu-
dents were leaving, but he under-
stood their fears.
"Students who (leave) for reasons
of personal concern about their
safety are excused from classes for
the remainder of this week," Morris
said.
Tuesday morning, Morris ad-
dressed a list of demands presented
to him earlier by a group of Black
students, including the immediate
fer a class on Black history and also
a new sociology course, The African
Experience.
Four Black faculty members will
be hired to full-time positions by
1994, the first by fall 1992.
The college hired security guards
this week to monitor the campus'
three residence halls. Currently, the
dormitories' doors are locked at 10
p.m. However, students said it is not
uncommon for residents to copy
keys and give them to friends.
The administration granted a final
provision - a student escort service
- right away Tuesday night.
One student, who spoke on the
basis of anonymity, said although
white students are still going to
classes, the town in general - with
a population under 2,500 - was
taken by surprise.
The student said he sympathized
with the Black students, particularly
in the hiring of minority faculty,
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