The Michigan Daily - Monday, April 13, 1992 - Page 3

I

GEO says
TAs were
* cheated
last year
by Karen Pier
Daily Graduate Schools Reporter
Graduate students working in the
math department last spring and
summer semesters were not compen-
sated properly, the Graduate
Employees Organization (GEO)
said.
After going through a three-step
grievance process, the case has been
in arbitration for a week and a half.
The issue is not expected be for-
mally resolved until the end of June,
said graduate student Patrick Nebel,
who was named in the grievance.
Last year, the 12 graduate stu-
dents who worked during the spring
and summer semesters were
comepensated more as temporary
hourly graders than they would have
been if they had been classified just
as teaching assistant, said Dan
Gamble, University manager of
compensation and staff relations.
"Each student received a $1,200
fellowship to supplement their pay
as temporary hourly graders and all
received health insurance and more
total compensation for the period
than they would have if they had
been appointed as GSTAs (Graduate
Student Teaching Assistants)," he
wrote in a letter to Amy Polk, then
the vice president of GEO.
GEO President Tom Oko said the
graduate students received fellow-
ships as part of their compensation,
but they should not have been re-
quired to work to receive them.
"They were not paid enough for
the work they did," Oko said.
Because the students were classified
as temporary hourly graders and not
teaching assistants, they were not
given tuition wavers.
"The employees in question may
have registered for summer classes,
if they had known that a tuition wa-
ver was available," a GEO letter told
LSA Associate Dean Jack Meiland
as part of the third step of the
grievance process.
At step three of the grievance
process, Gamble said the University
would do nothing about the present
I* complaint, but "steps have been
taken to assure that the department
of mathematics appoint and compen-
sate all students appropriately in the
future."
GEO claimed the graduate stu-
dents did the work of regular teach-
ing assistants because they graded
non-standardized answers and led
discussions, not hourly graders.
Because they were not given the
title of teaching assistant, the gradu-
ate students did not get tuition
waivers.

Laughtrack's low
turn out may be
due to no alcohol

Grad Bash '92
ABOVE: School of Natural
Resources junior Sarah Roat enjoys
the free Subway sandwiches that
were served by volunteers like LSA
Senior Jason Trankena on Ingalls
Mall atthe Grad Bash Sunday.
RIGHT: School of Natural Resources
sophomores Jen Smith and Evan
Meyer bounce around in the
moonwalk that was setup at the
Grad Bash.

Women of color relate their
concerns about lost heritage

by Tovah Calderon
The U-Club's decision to stop
serving alcohol at evening programs
last summer may be responsible for
Laughtrack's diminishing audience,
according to University Activities
Center (UAC) members.
Laughtrack, UAC's stand-up
comedy show, was originally bud-
geted to make money for UAC, but
has been unsuccessful due to the
consistent drop in student support
ever since the start of the fall term,
said student comedian Eric Kurit.
But UAC President Joe
Merendino said the organization re-
ceives most of its money from stu-
dent funding and that it never relied
on Laughtrack to earn money.
According to Merendino, other fac-
tors may have added to the lack of
student interest in Laughtrack.
"Attendance has been down but I
don't really think it has anything to
do with the alcohol. I would say the
main reason has to do with the fact
that it's always competing with other
events week to week. It often de-
pends what else is going on around
campus and which comedians are
performing," Merendino said.
Kurit explained that before the U-
Club stopped serving alcohol
Laughtrack used to be a weekly
show and often attracted hundreds of
people. This semester, however, the
show has performed to audiences as
small as about 25 people and has
switched to a biweekly program.
"The problem Laughtrack used to
have is that no one knew about it.
The problem it has now is that no
one wants to go to the U-Club any-
more," Kurit said. "It's obviously a
direct result of their decision to stop
serving alcohol, and it's really hurt-
ing student organizations."
But Merendino said Laughtrack's
decision to switch to a biweekly
format was not because the show
was struggling but rather to "make it
more of an event and to use the extra
money to bring in different comedi-
ans."
UAC member Jeffrey Geller
worked as a door host at the U-Club
last year and has noticed a smaller
crowd since it stopped serving alco-
hol.
"I think it was a very big mistake
as far as managing of the U-Club
goes. It has totally destroyed the U-

Club and their elimination of alcohol
has destroyed any interest of stu-
dents," Geller said.
"You don't really need alcohol to
enjoy the comedy - they didn't sell
that much. But the alcohol attracts
more people and more people want
to go when a lot of people are there,"
Kurit said. "It's good that now
they're coming because of the com-
edy, but now less people are com-
ing."
Laughtrack's co-producer Chris
Curtis is also a comedian and said he
has noticed a significant difference
while performing.
"There's been a smaller audience
and a different audience attitude.
When you have a lot of people there
you have a better chance of someone
getting your jokes," Curtis ex-
plained. "The alcohol isn't neces-
sary, but it would help."
"It may have had an indirect af-
fect," Merendino said. "I think now
people are getting the impression
that the U-Club doesn't exist any-
more. It has a negative image around
it that now it's just a restaurant and
people have the misconception that
nothing goes on there anymore."
"The Best of Laughtrack" will be
the group's last show of the term and
will take place Wednesday at 10:00
pm. Senior student comedians will
perform along with Tim Cavanagh, a
professional stand-up comedian
from Chicago, previously known for
his work on "The Dr. Demento
Show." The show will cost $3.00 for
all students. Residents of Stockwell,
Mosher-Jordan, and North Campus
dormitories will only be charged
$1.00 as part of Laughtrack's newest
publicity campaign.
Curtis and Merendino said they
hope to revive Laughtrack's
popularity with new ideas and by
trying different promotion tactics for
next year.
"We'll have to do more advertis-
ing and we might try taking the
show up to North Campus a couple
of times," Curtis said.
Merendino explained that be-
cause UAC is sponsored mostly by
student funds the Laughtrack com-
mittee intends to keep the show at
the U-Club rather than moving it to a
local bar or night club to ensure that
nobody is excluded and students of
all ages can attend.

by Mona Qureshi
Daily Staff Reporter
Four women shared their experi-
ences with discrimination and erod-
ing cultural heritage in a conference
titled "Women of Color in Higher
Education" on Friday.
During the conference in
Rackham, the speakers gave their
personal perspectives as African
American, Asian American,
Hispanic American and Native
American women.
Beverly Guy-Sheftall, director of
the Women's Research and
Resource Center at Spelman
College, emphasized that African
Americans - especially women -
were once restricted from attending
institutions of higher education.
"Whenever I have classes of stu-
dents who are a little slow at doing
things, I tell them it was actually il-
legal to do that (100 years ago)," she
said.
Blandina Cardenas Ramirez, di-
rector of the American Council on
Education's Office of Minorities in
Higher Education and commissioner
of the United States Commission on
Civil Rights, said this also affected
Hispanic Americans.
She said most Hispanic
Americans did not have access to

higher education until 1910. A 1929
desegregation court case was the
first challenge for Mexican
Americans to be admitted by white-
populated schools, she added.
Ramirez said Mexican Americans
- particularly light-skinned indi-
viduals - were admitted to schools
after being categorized as white. In
1948, Latinos were designated with
a minority status.
Roberta Anne Ferron, associate
director of the Equal
Employment/Affirmative Action
Office at the University of
Washington, said intermarriage,
community infighting, alcoholism,
the feminist movement, and cultur-
ally-insensitive child care are deteri-
orating the culture of Native
American women.
Ferron related worries about her
grandchild, who is the product of an
interracial marriage.
"We have the beginnings of the
death of a culture in child care pro-
grams," she said. "It's very seldom
that I run into any American Indian
in the classroom that speaks in their
own language. At the same time I
know the culture is going to die in
that child."
Ramirez said conflicts for
Pope wil
visit U.S.
in 1993
DENVER (AP) - Pope John
Paul II said yesterday he will travel
to Denver for the Roman Catholic
Church's eighth annual world youth
day next year, his first U.S. trip in
six years.
Denver edged out Buffalo, N.Y.,
and Minneapolis-St. Paul to play
host to the papal visit, which will
coincide with the weeklong youth
conference in August 1993.
"I have selected the city of Den-
ver, in the noted Rocky Mountains,
in the state of Colorado, which has
not been included on the itinerary of
my previous apostolic trips" to the
United States, the pope told 30,000
worshipers at an open-air Palm Sun-
day Mass at Vatican City.

Hispanic American women in higher
education include maintaining cul-
ture, attaining access to bilin-
gual/bicultural education and financ-
ing their education.
She said people have often la-
beled her as passive due to cultural
stereotypes. She recalled Vice
President Dan Quayle's comments
before her nomination as
commissioner.
"He told me, 'You aren't tough
enough.' I looked at him and told
him there's a difference between
being tough and strong. Then he told
me I was too nice. I said there was a
difference between being nice and
well-mannered and educated,"
Ramirez said.
Speeches were followed by a se-
ries of panels and workshops con-
cerning student life, teaching and
learning styles and concentration
areas.



I

THE LIST
What's happening in Ann Arbor today

Meetings
Undergraduate Philosophy
Club, Angell Hall 2220 7-8 p.m.
American Advertising
Federation, 3040 Frieze 6:00 p.m.
Environmental Action
(ENACT), weekly mtg, 1040
School of Natural Resources, 7 p.m.
Public Relations Student
Society of America (PASSA),
mandatory mtg, 2050 Frieze
Building, 5:00.
Society for the Advancement
of Environmental Education,
1046 School of Natural Resources,
7:30 p.m.
Undergraduate Psych Society,
2235 Angell Hall, 7:30 p.m.
U of M Sorin-Ryu Karate-Do
Club, weekly meeting, CCRB
Martial Arts rm, 8:30-9:30 p.m.
Speakers
"Narratology, Narratological
Criticism & Gender," Fourth
Floor Commons, MLB, 4:10 p.m.
"Education and the Racist
Road to Barbarism," Dr. George
Reisman, UM Students of
Objectivism, 8:00 p.m.
Composers forum, recital hall
8:00 p.m.
"Decolletiviation in a
Planetary Perspective,""Lane
Hall Commons Rm, 2:00 p.m.
.711 rthn1mm1n1-0

p.m.
Free Tax Help, 3909 Michigan
Union, 11-7 p.m.
Cantebury House, Lesbian-Gay
Men's Open House, 218 N Division,
8:45 p.m.
Safewalk, night-time walking
service. Sun-Thurs 8 p.m.-1:30 a.m.,
Fri-Sat, 8 p.m.-11:30 p.m. Stop by
102 UGLi or call 936-1000. Also,
extended hours: Sun-Thurs 1:30-3
a.m. Stop by Angell Hall Computing
Center or call 763-4246.
No r th w alk, North Campus
nighttime team walking service. Sun-
Thur 8 p.m.-1:30 a.m. Stop by 2333
Bursley or call 763-WALK.
U-M Taekwondo Club, Monday
workout. CCRB Martial Arts Rm.
2275, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
U of M Ninjitsu Club, practice,
I-M Bldg, wrestling rm, 7-8:30 p.m.
ECB Peer Writing Tutors.
Angell/Mason Computing Center, 7-
11 p.m.
Stress and Time Management,
Consultations with peer counselors
available, 3100 Michigan Union, 2-
4 p.m.
Undergraduate Psychology
Department, Undergraduate
psychology advising, walk-in or
appointment, K-108 West Quad, 9
a.m.-4 p.m.
Guild House Campus Ministry,
discussion group, Women's Book
Group, open group to women who

Take me out to the ball game
Two football fans take advantage of the low attendance at Saturday's Blue-White game by using some leg room
they won't have during the regular season.

Rafsanjani
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - The
government predicted yesterday that
backers of President Hashemi Raf-
sanjani would win a landslide vic-
tory in parliamentary elections, bol-
stering his drive to liberalize the
economy and mend ties with the
West.
The early results from Friday's
election appeared to be a sharp set-
back for more radical followers of
the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khome-

victory foreseen in Iran

ini, who have dominated the 270-
seat parliament, or Majlis.
Iran's official news media said
55 of the 123 candidates who won
enough votes to capture a seat out-
right were members of the Society
of Combatant Clergymen, whose
leader is Rafsanjani.
The other 68 decided races were
in remote areas and the affiliation of
the winners was not immediately
clear.

But the fact that the government-
run news agency was predicting vic-
tory early indicated confidence that
the measures Rafsanjani took before
the vote to eliminate as many radical
critics as possible proved successful.
University Lutheran Chapel
1511 Washtenaw, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Md-week Lent Service
Wednsdayat 9 p.m.
maund Thursday SederSupper
at 6:30 p.m.


I

Sociology 389, 3 credits
Fall semester.1992

The ffie o theVic Prsidet fr Suden Afair

The Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs
presents the
1992 Student Recognition Awards


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