The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, February 16, 1993 - Page 3
Dialogue
focuses on
experenes
of disabled
by Michelle Fricke
'U' nears sigmng
dorm cable deal
with Columbia
Disabled people don't have sex
and are always poor. Able-bodied
people are the centers of the uni-
verse.
These are just a few of the myths
a group of about 20 people con-
fronted last night at the Office of
Intergroup Relations and Conflict's
discussion entitled, "Dialogue be-
tween and among people with dis-
abilities and people without disabili-
ties.",
The event was the first of a three-
part series addressing the topic of
physical and emotional disabilities.
"The issue of disability is one we
often don't think about and in order
to make changes we need to talk
about it," said Kathryn Clements, the
organizer of the event and a peer
coordinator at the Office of Inter-
group Relations and Conflict.
Conversation focused on indi-
vidual experiences dealing with dis-
'U' staffer!
by Kelly Bates
Susan Gavula - who works as a
consultant at Computer Showcase in
the Michigan Union and as a data
processing assistantat the Angell Hall
Computing Center - is in a wheel-
chair because she has Cerebral Palsy
and arthritis.
Gavula said she has not experi-
enced much discrimination from stu-
dents or co-workers.
"Honestly I don't think it makes a
difference.... They see me as a com-
petent person and I do my job as well
as anyone else," she said.
However, Gavula said she some-
times becomes uncomfortable when
her co-workers have to help her with
certain tasks, such as stocking high
shelves or lifting heavy objects.
Gavula said, that while the Uni-
versity community accepts her, many
campus facilities still need to be im-
proved to become more accessible.
Geological Studies TA Jill
Andy Katz (left)and Kristen Hedger talk after last night's dialogue on issues related to disabilities.
abled people.
Participants stressed the need for
understanding between people with and
without disabilities.
"The biggest barrier is attitudinal.
People have prejudices and mispercep-
tions against people with disabilities,"
said University alumna Beth Barclay.
The need to break down physical
and psychological barriers was one rea-
son participants cited for engaging in
the discussion.
"Accessibility is a right and so much
of the relevance of people with and
without disabilities getting together to
dialogue is that we need to address the
barriers to access," said Shannon
Rhodes, a staff member at the School of
Social Work.
Mark Knox, a student in Informa-
tion and Library Studies, emphasized
the idea that everyone has something
to offer to each other in life.
"Love transcends boundaries, be
they race, class, gender, ethnicity,
sexuality, andas this meeting reflects,
disabilities."
by Nate Hurley
Daily Administration Reporter
MTV in Mary Markley, ESPN in
East Quad and the Cartoon Network in
Couzens are beginning to look more
likeareality than acouch potato's dream.
As the University and Columbia
Cable move closer to signing a contract,
Columbia Cable is beginning prelimi-
nary installation and the Housing Divi-
sion is outlining plans for three of the
University's 80 channels.
"Acontractstillhasn' tbeen signed,"
said Ron Harmon, vice president and
general manager of Columbia Cable.
"We're still just working out all the
details."
Starting this fall, students will be
billed$15 per-room per-month for cable
service, unless they return a form say-
ing they do not want it. That cost will
include basic cable stations and addi-
tional University channels. Premium
channels can be ordered for an addi-
tional charge. Columbia Cable will ab-
sorb the estimated $2.6 million installa-
tion cost.
While Columbia will begin prelimi-
nary installation this week, the cable
will not be operational until at least the
fall.
"We' rescheduled to start some work
this week. We'll be installing some race
wings to hold cable," Harmon said.
Randall Root, director of office in-
formation systems for the Housing Di-
vision, said a schedule has been drawn
up for residence hal cable installation.
"We're only going 60 days at a time
because we're not sure how long it will
take," he said. "We'll be updating it
every two weeks."
Root said the first residence halls to
undergo the installation process will be
South Quad, East Quad and Mary
Markley.
With the signing of the contract, 80
channels - in addition to regular cable
- will be available to the University.
The University has already determined
uses for three of these channels - a
bulletin board, a student access channel
and a Housing Division movie channel.
"New video releases will be on the
movie channel," Root said. "There'll be
a national contract signed with a pro-
vider."
He said the residence hall student
councils will be able to choose which
movies will be broadcast on the Hous-
ing Division's movie channel.
The student access channel will also
be available for use by the residence hall
student council.
"What we're hoping to do is to pro-
vide cameras and editing equipment for
students to request," Root-said.
He said students may wish to video-
tape and broadcast speakers who come
to campus, special events or meetings.
"We may also show student-made
movies," he added.
Although some University person-
nel have been considering televised lec-
tures as a possible use for the remaining
77 University channels, Root said no
definite plans have been made.
"We've had a lot of talk with other
departments who want to broadcast
something unique to their department,"
he said.
Installation is expected by fall, but
Harmon said he is not sure cable will be
available in all residence halls by then.
Although last week's University
Record reported that a contract had al-
ready been signed between the Univer-
sity and the cable company, this fact
could not be confirmed.
University News and Information
Services Director Joseph Owsley said
the information had probably come from
a housing official and the agreement
between the University and Columbia
Cable still hasn't been signed because
of technical details.
recount accessibility problems
McMahon agreed. She had her leg am-
putated a year-and-a-half ago and now
wears a prosthesis. She said she has
little trouble walking, but uses a hand-
rail while walking up steps.
She added that her peers treat her
differently, but not in a negative way.
"Sometimes you get the extremes
(where) people are not sure what you
can do, so they are very conservative
andask, 'Can youdothis?' and then you
get the other extreme where ... people
forget that you do have a disability,"
McMahon said.
While McMahon said her disability
helps get her attention, Gavula said the
students she helps rarely even notice
she is in a wheelchair.
"The majority of my job there is
spent sitting and handing out computer
stations," Gavula said. "It doesn't mat-
ter that I'm sitting in a wheelchair ver-
sus in a real chair."
The University has made many
changes to accommodate disabled
people, but more improvements need to
be made for campus buildings to be
totally barrier-free, said Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator
Brian Clapham.
Title II of the ADA- the section of
the act that mandates services and pro-
grams - is the most important to the
University, Clapham said.
The ADA stipulates that all new
buildings at public universities must be
barrier-free and renovations to existing
structures must also increase accessi-
bility.
In the past five years, the University
has made efforts to make campus build-
ings more easily accessible, in accor-
dance with the law. A wheelchair en-
trance was added to the back of the LSA
Building, andnew entrances and wheel-
chair-accessible restrooms were in-
stalled in Hill Auditorium. Some cam-
pus buildings have automatic doors for
people in wheelchairs.
Many campus buildings have eleva-
tors, with control panels written in
Braille for the blind. Most stairways
have handrails to help those who
cannot walk up stairs without them.
McMahon said when the Geo-
logical Sciences Library moved from
the Natural Sciences Building to the
Undergraduate Library (UGLi) it
became more accessible.
Gavula said her biggest problem
is with buildings the University rents
but does not own. When she worked
at the 611 Church St. computing cen-
ter, she had to enter through the ser-
vice entrance. Sometimes, however,
the door would be locked.
Clapham said he thinks the Uni-
versity has done well with its renova-
tions so far, but the campus commu-
nity has a way to go in accepting
disabled people.
"You can have all the barrier-free
buildings in the world ... but it won't
be enough until we get rid of attitude
barriers."
Senate Assembly wants
'U' to follow procedure
Says program tennination didn'tfollow the rules
New organization starts quest to bring leaders together
by Adam Anger
Daily MSA Reporter
The Student Leader Board (SLB)
-an organization created lastyear to
build communication among student
groups and administrators - is
searching for new members to con-
tinue providing a forum for student
leaders.
In a letter to leaders of student
organizations across campus, the SLB
said its goal is "to maintain a board of
studentleaders which is arepresenta-
tive depiction of the student commu-
nity and is responsive to its con-
cerns."
The organization was first created
last March by five officers of student
groups. The officers said creating such
an organization would fulfill the need to
provide a source of leadership for the
student community and be able to coor-
dinate the efforts and resources of stu-
dent organizations on campus.
"Our objective is to get student lead-
ers communicating," said SLB member
and former president of the Panhellenic
Association Laura Hansen. "Hopefully
this will become an organization where
student leaders will want to get in-
volved."
Current members claim that by
bringing together leaders who are in-
volved in student organizations, direct
contact with a large and diverse student
constituency will be established.
The SLB plans to discuss issues
concerning students and then work to-
gether to instigate change. The group
asked Vice President for Student Af-
fairs Maureen Hartford to act as its
adviser and liaison to the administra-
tion.
Since it was created, members said
they have consulted with Hartford and
other administrators concerning student
issues such as the Statement of Student
Rights and Responsibilities, busing
problems on North Campus, student
riots, lack of student programming and
the Michigan Union Access Policy.
Student groups
U Ann Arbor Committee to De-
fend Abortion & Reproduc-
tive Rights/National Women's
Rights Organizing Coalition,
meeting, MLB, Room B119, 6
p.m.
Q Arab-American Students' As-
sociation, Michigan Union,
Welker Room, 8:30 p.m.
Q Bisexual, Gay and Lesbian Al-
liance at Michigan for Stu-
dents in the Arts, call 930-0558
for location, 8 p.m.
Q The Christian Science Organi-
zation, meeting, Michigan
League, check room at front
desk, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Q Graduate Employees Organi-
zation, meeting, Rackham Am-
phitheater, 5-7 p.m.
U Hillel, orthodox Shachrit ser-
vices, Hillel, upstairs lecture
room, 7:30 a.m.
Q In Focus, meeting, Frieze Build-
ing, Room 2420, 6 p.m.
Q Michigan Student Assembly,
meeting, Michigan Union,
Room 3909,7:30 p.m.
Q Phi Sigma Pi, mass meeting,
.irrhrnn TiTninn A ndercnn
Q Socially Active Latino Student
Association, meeting, Trotter
House, main room, 7 p.m.
Q TaeKwonDo Club, regular
workout, CCRB, Room 1200,
7:45-9:15 p.m.
Q U-M Asian American Student
Coalition, meeting, East Quad,
Room 52 Greene, 7 p.m.
Q U-M Shotokan Karate, prac-
tice, CCRB, small gym, 8:30-
10 p.m.
Events
Q Center for Chinese Studies,The
Cultural Fever in China in the
1980's, Brown Bag Lunch Se-
ries, Lane Hall, Commons
Room, 12 p.m.
Q Making a Major Choice, Stu-
dent Activities Building, Room
3200, Career Planning & Place-
ment Conference Room, 4:10-5
p.m.
Q March on Washington, general
informational meeting, Michi-
gan League, Conference Rooms
1 and 2, 7-9 p.m.
U Object Lesson, The Power of
Twins: Ibeji Figures of the
Vnrihn Peonle Art Musenm
Lecture Series, Chemistry
Building, Room 1640,4 p.m.
Q Pressure to Succeed in
Academia, Lon Allison,
speaker, Michigan Union, Ball-
room, 7:30 p.m.
Q Teaching Options Without Cer-
tification, Student Activities
Building, Room 3200, Career
Planning & Placement Program
Room, 5:10-6:30 p.m.
Q Tribute to Thurgood Marshall,
Law School, Hutchins Hall,
Room 250, 12:30-1 p.m.
Student services
Q ECB Student Writing Center,
Angell Hall, Computing Cen-
ter, 7-11 p.m.
Q Kaffeestunde, Department of
Germanic Language and Litera-
ture, MLB, 3rd floor Confer-
ence Room, 3:30-5 p.m.
Q Northwalk Safety Walking Ser-
vice, Bursley Hall,;763-9255,8
p.m.-1:30 a.m.
Q Peer Counseling, U-M Coun-
seling Services, 764-8433, 7
p.m.-8 a.m.
Q Psychology Undergraduate
Peer r :vising. Denartment of
Hansen said she hopes the SLB will
become a group where students can call
on administrators for discussion instead
of administrators calling on students.
Three SLB members presented the
organization to the Michigan Student
Assembly at the Feb. 2 meeting and
proposed the possibility of becoming
affiliated with MSA.
But MSA representatives expressed
concern that SLB's intentions are the
same as those of the assembly.
Hansen told MS A, "We are trying to
add to you, not take away from you."
Engineering Rep. Brian Kight said
there is reluctance to formally make the
SLB a committee or commission of
MSA, but he would like to see MSA
executive officers have more contact
with the SLB.
In a recent meeting with MSA rep-
resentatives, the SLB agreed to abolish
the process of requiring applications
from student organizations for mem-
bership. Instead, they agreed to hold a
mass meeting inviting one representa-
tive from each student group on campus
to attend.
All of the current SLB members are
graduating in April, and they said they
hope to find interested students who
will make the SLB an active organiza-
tion.
CALL FOR ART:
Jewish Women's Art Exhibit
March 22-April 8
Michigan Union Art Lounge
ENTRY FORMS DUE BY MARCH 14
Call Debbie 995-9439 or Mara 741-0139
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by Kenneth Dancyger
Daily Faculty Reporter
After an emotional debate yester-
day, members of the Senate Assembly
agreed that the University did not fol-
low proper procedures in its decision to
discontinue an academic department.
In early December, the Executive
Committee of the School of Public
Health voted to phase out the Depart-
ment of Population Planning and Inter-
national Health (PPIH) by 1995.
ButYuzuru Takeshita, chairofPPIH,
sparked concern among the Senate As-
sembly that faculty were not consulted
in the process, which is required by
standard guidelines for discontinuing a
department.
The Assembly unanimously passed
a resolution recognizing the violation
and urging the University to adhere to
the strict guidelines for program termi-
nation outlined in the Standard Prac-
tice Guide 601.2.
Provost Gilbert Whitaker, who ap-
proved the decision by the executive
committee, said that he approved only
a review PPIH, and not a definite termi-
nation of the department.
But Takeshita said he was told by
Dean of the School of Public Health
June Osborn that the department is "at
the point of no return."
Discontinuance of PPIH would af-
fect more than 70 students, who were
informed of the decision when they
returned from winter break.
"The abrupt announcement of such
areview is inappropriate," said Medical
School Prof. George Brewer. He added
that he hopes in the future there will be
more communication prior to such re-
views.
Currently, the University is return-
ing applications and fees to students
applying to the Department of Popula-
tion Planning and International Health.
Along with the applications are letters
explaining the possible discontinuation
of the program and suggesting students
apply to other schools within the Uni-
versity.
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