Page 8 --The Michigan Daily- Wednesday, December 9, 1992



MSA vows continued support
for student lobbying group

Student

by Megan Lardner
Daily Staff Reporter
The Michigan Student Assembly
renewed support for the Michigan
Collegiate Coalition (MCC), a
Lansing-based student lobbying
group, at its meeting last night.
The assembly passed a resolution
that proponents hope will bolster re-
lations between the two groups.
As a result of the resolution,
MSA will issue a letter to MCC ac-
knowledging the importance of the
organization to U-M students. The
letter will also recognize MSA's
continued support for the existance
of MCC.
"We still feel MCC is a very
valuable organization, and we still
want to be a member," said Tobias
Zimmerman, an LSA representative
and co-sponsor of the resolution.
The assembly passed the resolu-
tion 27-7 and will officialy write
MCC to express a desire to continue
U-M's membership in the
organization.
Zimmerman stressed the resolu-
tion will not involve any assembly
funds. He said the only result
brought about by the letter will be
continued friendly relations.
"The reason we only gave
$14,000 to the MCC has nothing to
do with a judgment of their merit,
but merely a judgment of our fiscal
situation," Zimmerman said about
MSA's budget allocation to the lob-
bying organization .
MSA was not able to give more
to MCC because the assembly
needed the money for various ex-
penses including a new photocopier,
Zimmerman said.
The assembly has not yet ob-
tained the copier and will have to
hold all action until a dispute over
backtaxes with the IRS is resolved,
he added.
MSA members said the assembly
has not been paying its dues to the
coalition and that MCC has been
lenient.
"We have not been able to pay
our dues. Sending a letter will cer-
tainly help our relations with the
MCC," said Rackham Rep. Roger
DeRoo, the resolution's second
sponsor.

"MCC is doing MSA a favor be-
cause we have not paid our dues,"
Zimmerman concurred.
The unpaid MCC dues are related
to the assembly's current IRS tax
status.
MSA Vice President Hunter Van
Valkenburgh declined to comment
about the MSA financial situation.
He did say, however, "The official
story is that the application is going
in and there won't be anything else
to say about it for another hundred
days or so."
Zimmerman said MSA "should
not allot any funds that will jeopar-
dize the tax-exempt status."
The resolution acknowledges that
the U-M was one of the charter

members of the MCC, and has been
important in the coalition since
1988.
"It would be hard for MCC to do
things like fight the speech code and
come out against conduct codes
without the support of U-M,"
Zimmerman stated.
The resolution also points out the
fact that the MSA has "endeavored
to disburse to MCC what funds it
could make available, up to the cur-
rent membership rate of $0.35 per
student per term, but was hampered
by other cost requirements."
Also included in the resolution is
the statement that the assembly
"shall continue to act with prudence,
taking no action which would jeop-
ardize the fiscal security of itself."


Despite initial hesitance, new MSA
members ready to make transition
by Robin Litwin at large is unaware of what it d
Daily MSA Reporter just as I was." sid LSA Ren.C

does,
raig

After getting their feet wet during
their first official Michigan Student
Assembly meeting, new representa-
tives said they are ready to plunge
in.

u~, - g1X
Greenberg. "I see things aren't that
easy to accomplish on MSA, but if
you have a good idea or proposition
then it seems as if it would eventu-
ally get it taken care of."

"I think the meetings are running School of Natural Resources and
pretty well," said School of Music Environment Rep. Linda Stalker
Rep. Lisa Silver. "They try to have a agreed.
good decorum that lets everyone "It has the potential to do a lot of
speak in turn and respect each others effective things, but it's not neces-
viewpoints." sarily using that potential right
Silver added that the old mem- now," Stalker said.
bers have helped her feel more However, not all of the assembly
comfortable. members were satisfied with their
"I was not completely familiar first experience on MSA.
with the procedures, but the other "It was kind of difficult because
members were helpful to me in how they really didn't tell us how it
I should conduct myself as far as worked and 50 percent of the people
tabling issues and things like that," didn't know," said LSA Rep. Tracy
Silver added. Robinson. "It was kind of a shock,
Engineering Rep. Mark Biersek but I'm sure we'll get the hang of
said attending MSA meetings prior it."
to the election helped him adjust. "It was long and drawn out, but it
"It's about what I thought it will get better," said LSA Rep. Erika
would be, but I have been to a cou- Gottfried. "People were making
p'e of meetings before and. I think amendm enq, tq things that ,seemed
that's helped me," Biersek said. kii ~t 'Vf t*;'
Some of the new members said Business School Rep. Jonathan
MSA has the potential to accomplish Brown said it is still too early to tell.
a great deal this year. "I'm still getting my feet in the
"I didn't realize how much MSA water. I'm not sure how I fit in yet,
actually did and what its jobs en- but I think it's too early to judge af-
compassed. I think the student body ter t16 first'ffithig," he aid.
xt* 4' i y ,a n r1r- : ,: , .i9 ~ -4, $ °.rP,,re S " : :

r

Wrapped up and ready to go
Dan Gardner sends a Christmas tree through the wrapping machine for
a customer at a local nursery.
College grads more
liIkely to pay loan

teaching
amnended
by Hope Calati
Daily Government Reporter
Aspiring teachers across the state
may have to meet different require&
ments if the governor signs a bil
that would amend the certificatio|
process for elementary and sec
ondary teaching.11
The amendments would allo
students seeking a Teacher'Q
Certificate to perform student teacld
ing without taking a test in their sped
cialized field, but they will still haveg
to take a basic skills test before
stepping into a classroom.
The subject area test will be d
vided into elementary and secondar
tests. Currently, all students wishing
to receive certification take similai
tests.
John Truscott, Gov. John
Engler's press secretary, said the
governor supports the bill, particu-
larly the section requiring that cur-
rent teachers take a revised subject
test.
"He feels that it will improve the
quality of teachers and improve thei4.
stature in the community," Truscot
said.
Truscott expects the governor to
take action within two weeks.
State Rep. William Keith (D
Garden City), chair of the House
Education Committee, introduced
the bill to address student concerns
about taking a subject area test be-
fore completing course work and
taking the samettest regardless of the
level they plan to teach.
Jim Fordell, staff aide to the
House Education Committee, said,
he was contacted by at least six stu'
dents a day during the height of th
legislative action.
Fordell said the subject area test
was divided in the legislation to ac-
count for the different levels J
knowledge necessary to teach in elt
ementary and secondary classrooms.
Students will be more prepared to
take the subject area test after they
have completed their student teach;
ing, Fordell said.
"The student teaching is the cuZ
mination of the education," Forde "
said.
Pat Natalie, U-M School o6
Education coordinator of studen
services, said her office is waiting
for action from the governor to no-
tify students about the proposed test-,
ing changes.
All U-M students who wished to,
student teach in the winter semester
have passed the current tests, Natalie
said.
She said she supported the
changes. "I think it will only benefit,
(teaching students) in the sense th
they only need to take the basig
skills test."
She added that teaching students
will be more prepared to take th
subject area test after they have
completed more of their major an(
minor requirements.


by Sarah Kiino
Increasing graduation rates lead
to a decrease in university student
loan defaults, a recent study
reported.
"Obviously, students who com-
plete a degree are ready to enter the
job market and thus enjoy better
employment prospects," the study
found. Students who graduate have a
10 percent greater chance of repay-7
ing their loans than other students.
The study was performed by
Laura Greene Knapp, assistant direc-
tor for policy analysis at the College
Board, and Terry Seaks, an eco-
nomics professor at the University'
of North Carolina at Greensboro.
As of next year, colleges and'
universities with a default rate in ex-
cess of 30 percent will be subject to
suspension from the loan program,
said Margaret Rodriguez of the U-
M's financial aid office.
Institutions with a default rate1
higher than 20 percent will have to1
participate in the default manage-
ment plan and explain to the gov-
ernment how they are going to lower
their default rates. .
Rodriguez said she does not fore-
see U-M being penalized for a high+
default rate.
She did not have estimates on
loan defaults at the university, but1
said they are not a problem because1
the U-M has a higher graduation7
rate, and thus a higher probability of+
students repaying their loans.

U-M students are "very employ-
able" and have been "very conscien-
tious about paying debts," she
added.
The study continues, "The same
intangible characteristics that enable
students to persevere in the comple-
tion of a program of study may
cause these students to be attentive
to other responsibilities such as loan
repayments."~
The study also found that African
Americans borrowers are more
likely to default on loans than white
borrowers - but young African
American families have only 18 per-
cent of the wealth of young white
families. The differences in default
rates among racial groups "reflects
differences in a variety of economic
and social circumstances experi-
enced by racial group members," the
report said.
Parental income was also found
to be influential in default rates. A
higher rate of default occurs among
lower-income families.
The final factor found to be sig-
nificant in default rates was family
situation. Students from two-parent
homes have lower default rates than
students who were raised by only
one parent.
The study questions the current
practice of penalizing colleges who
have high default rates, since the
probability of default appears to be
related to individual characteristics
of the student rather than institu-
tional characteristics.

GIFT CERTIFICATES IN ANY AMOUNT ARE SURE TO PLEASE!

p

F

74 %H ftIGAN 4( s
E wa
RECORDS
1140 South University
(Above Good-Time Charley's)
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Ph: 663-5800
Hours: Mon.-Thug. I a.m.-1I p.m.
Fri.- Sat. !a 1 1a.
Sun. /13 .iP
WE ARE A
TICKET CENTER an
nBt CEMR
IENTER TODAY BY BUILDING YOUR,
IULTIMATE AMERICAN STANDARD I
BURGER....
I I-
I I
What colors are the hat on the cover?
'How many song titles have 3 or more
1 words? i
I. I.. . . .

JUST FOR
ENTERING
RECEIVE A
FREE MARY'S
DANISH CD
SAMPLER!
HURRYI
SUPPLIES
ARE
LIMITED!
$6.9
on cassette

GROCERIES
FOR
HOLLYDAYS!

rTiUTTTr~

0
0

x;

i

,11

H

1MAfRI1A N

I