The Michigan Daily - Friday, November 1993-5
'U' College Club reaches out to local minority high school students

By SARAH KIINO
DAILY STAFF REPORTER
The first question high school stu-
dents ask LSA senior Pamela Brown
is not about SATs or financial aid, but
ratherJalen Rose and Juwan Howard.
Nonetheless, neither the Univer-
sity students nor the students from the
18 high schools participating in the
Office of Academic Multicultural
Initiative's College Club Program are
long distracted from the program's
purpose: to spark minority high school
students' interest in college and pre-
pare them to deal with college-related
issues.
The 12 University students, or stu-
dent leaders, involved in the program
visit the high schools weekly in order
Event tells
students
dangers of
smoking
By AMY MENSCH
FOR THE DAILY
University students are breathing
easier thanks to the Great American
Smokeout, which took place on the
Diag yesterday.
The Great American Smokeout. a
national event sponsored by the
* American Cancer Society (ACS),
aims to help Americans stop smok-
ing. University Students Against Can-
cer (USAC) organized campus
Smokeout events.
Smoking is on the rise among col-
Jege students, especially women. Ac-
grding to ACS, people who begin
rspoking between the ages of 15 and
24 are 10 to 14 times more likely than
nonsmokers to die of lung cancer.
LSA senior Candice Weissman,
who helped organize the Smokeout,
said she believes smoking is on the
rise on college campuses because of
academic and social pressures.
"There's a lot of stress and anxiety
on campus and smoking helps to re-
lieve some of the tension, especially
around exam time," she said.
USAC targeted smokers and non-
* smokers alike. Members of USAC
tried to convince cigarette smokers to
break the deadly addiction and en-
couraged nonsmokers to get their
friends to quit with the "Adopt a
Smoker Program."
Participants in this program sign a
contract, either for themselves or for
a friend, saying they promise to stop
smoking for the day. The objective is
that these people will stop smoking
for the future.
USAC distributed literature from
the ACS about the causes and preven-

to conduct workshops, give lectures
and bring in speakers. The student
leaders cover a variety of topics, in-
cluding financial aid and the process
of choosing a school.
Program coordinator Onis
Cheathams said the program, which
is free of charge to the high school
students, does not push the Univer-
sity, but rather emphasizes that these
students should go to the college of
their choice.
Some of the student leaders also
provide one-on-one tutoring for the
students, although it is not an official
part of the program. "One-on-one par-
ticipation comes from the motiva-
tion of the student leaders them-
selves," Cheathams said.

'Students like the fact we take time out of our
schedules to come out to talk to them.'
- Onis Cheathams
program coordinator

Brown, a student leader for her
second year, cited the student lead-
ers' availability as a reason for the
close relationships that develop be-
tween them and the high school stu-
dents. "Students like the fact we take
time out of our schedules to come out
to talk to them," she said.
High school students who are in-
volved in the program also come to
the University campus to participate
in Martin Luther King Day activities.

Last year, 369 high school stu-
dents took part in the College Club
program. Cheathams said participants
are actively recruited through assem-
blies at the beginning of each school
year. This year most of the high
schools are targeting 9th and 10th
graders for the program, since the
schools feel early intervention is im-
portant in preparing students for col-
lege.
Before working in the program,

student leaders go through a selection
process involving an essay and inter-
view.
They are selected by their experi-
ence, enthusiasm and availability. Stu-
dent leaders must have flexible sched-
ules because the times for the pro-
gram activities are chosen by the high
schools.
Cheathams cited the availability
factor as a reason for the lack of
graduate students in the program.
Although there have been graduate
student leaders in the past, this year
there are none.
Since student leaders are required
to go through training and are given
workshop materials by the program,
they go into the workshops with a set

agenda they have to cover.
Brown said the satisfaction ofgiv-
ing to the minority community keeps
her involved in the program. "I enjoy
giving back to minority students. It's
important for them to know there are
people who care and are dedicated to
their overall academic growth."
She added that students, who may
not have good relationships with their
counselors or teachers, often come to
the student leaders with their prob-
lems. In student leaders, they have
someone closer to their own age.
Brown also said she has gained from
the relationships she has developed with
students, saying, "I think I've gotten a
sense of accomplishment. You develop
a rapport with students."


Gymnastics team
asks regents to
keep varsity status

By BRYN MICKLE
DAILY STAFF REPORTER
The last rites may have been given,
but the men's gymnastics team refuses
to die.
Yesterday, Coach Bob Darden and
his team appealed to the Board of Re-
gents for a chance to retain the team's
varsity status after being dropped last
March.
In an impassioned set of speeches,
coaches and athletes extolled the vir-
tues of men's gymnastics and ques-
tioned the fairness of Athletic Director
Jack Weidenbach's decision.
Darden was joined by gymnasts
Seth Rubin and Rich Dopp, along with
assistant coach Mike Milidonis and
parent Bob MacDonald, in asking the
regents to reverse Weidenbach's deci-
sion.
The athletic department dropped
the sport to satisfy potential require-
ments of gender equity, a policy de-
signed to open more athletic opportu-
nities to female athletes.
Rubin said the Athletic
Department's approach to the gender
equity issue is "a cancerous and dan-
gerous policy that takes away from the
very opportunities the University is
here to create."
He added the University, by cutting
men's gymnastics, is lagging behind
other Big Ten institutions.
"(Other schools) are the trend-set-
ters in being financially creative and
incorporating positive platforms like
gender equity and tiering to create op-
portunity and succeed," Rubin said.
Darden asked the regents to rein-
statethe team until a"fairand equitable

review" is made.
"The decision to cut men's gym-
nastics was arbitrary," he said. "Mr.
Weidenbach's reasons for the decision
have changed over time as they have
been challenged."
Weidenbach did not attend the ses-
sion.
Each speaker was given five min-
utes to speak. Remarks were met with
applause from the audience of current
and former men's and women's gym-
nasts.
The team's pleadings did not fall on
deaf ears.
RegentRebeccaMcGowan (D-Ann
Arbor) said the issue deserves a serious
response.
"I'll be interested in hearing the
athletic director's response," she said.
One regent said he was interested in
the issue from a parent's point of view.
"Iam intrigued with the opportuni-
ties for co-ed sports," said Regent
Laurence Deitch (D-Bloomfield Hills),
whose daughter is a high school track
runner.
He added that co-ed sports are a
marvelous paradigm of how society
should function.
There was no announcement for a
timetable of when the issue would be
discussed, but thoseregents interviewed
said Weidenbach would be asked to
explain his decision and the factors that
influenced him.
Darden said he was pleased with
the session and added he would talk to
each of the regents individually in an
attempt to convince them to re-exam-
ine the Athletic Department's deci-
sion.

LSA first-year student Athanasia Panopoulos picks up info from a booth staffed by Engineering senior John Rose.

tion of cancer, especially lung cancer.
To smokers, they passed out anti-
smoking kits consisting of headless
matches, buttons, stickers, candy and
literature.
USAC also targeted people who
chew smokeless tobacco because they
say many of the people are not aware
that it can cause cancer of the mouth
and gums.
Elena Sarkissian, LSA senior and
event coordinator, said her organiza-
tion "knows what works with the stu-
dents since we have organized the
Smokeout for the past few years."
Scott Callahan, a senior in the
School of Nursing, sat on the Diag
distributing information to students.

Although he is not amemberofUSAC,
he joined the event as a Community
Intervention Project for his Commu-
nity Health nursing class. Callahan
said he had to identify a group at risk
for a health disorder.
"It's important to supply students
with information because this is a
health risk that people can control,"
said Callahan, who has lost some fam-
ily members to cancer.
Many of the students who stopped
by the tables on the Diag had positive
reactions to the Smokeout.
A former smoker and student, who
wished not to be identified, thought
the smokeout was "a great idea be-
cause a lot of people who want to stop

smoking need the encouragement and
support to stop smoking. They need
someone else on their side."
LSA sophomore Alisha Jefferson
said she thought the Smokeout was a
good idea, but questioned its effec-
tiveness.
"I think it is a good idea but it will
be difficult to get students to stop
smoking altogether because cigarettes
and coffee houses go hand in hand,"
Jefferson said.
Jefferson herself is not a smoker,
but many of her friends and acquain-
tances are. She said she believes
"smoking is an expensive habit for
which people do not get a lot in re-
turn."

Computers overtake scantrons for some standardized tests

By LARA TAYLOR
DAILY STAFF REPORTER
No more filling little dots on a
scantron. No more sharpening No. 2
pencils. Computers are taking over stan-
dardized tests, and the Graduate
Records Examination (GRE) is start-
ing the trend.
Students now have the option of
taking the GRE on a computer, as op-
posed to using apencil and paper. The
computerized test, which can betaken

on an IBM PC or an IBM compatible
computer, boasts year-round appoint-
ment scheduling and immediate scor-
ing.
"It's going to revolutionize the way
we take tests," said Sharon Schwartz, a
representative of GRE Services in Tren-
ton, N.J. "CBT (Computer-Based
Testing) will eventually take the place
of pencil and paper."
Students who opt to use the com-
puter take the exact same test as the

scantron test, but with different rules.
Repeating the test is restricted, and
only limited testing locations are avail-
able. The price, $93, as opposed to $48
for the written test, is also a deterrent
forstudents.
"We discourage taking the CBT,"
saidAlan MillerofExcel Testing Prepa-
ration. "The CBT is awkward be-
cause the GRE is not designed for the
computer. It's adapted. For example,
the questions are on a different page

than the reading passage, which makes
looking back difficult."
Amy Johnston of Princeton Re-
view agreed. "CBT is still too experi-
mental," she said. "It's too disorga-
nized. Sometimes they let you use a
calculator or scrap paper, sometimes
not. We don't recommend it."
Because the CBT is the same as
the written test, both Excel Testing
Preparation and Princeton Review
said they do not plan on changing

their GRE prep classes to accommo-
date it.
Students who have taken the CBT
GRE say they like the convenience
and same-day scores.
"You can schedule an appointment
by credit card over the phone, which
makes life a lot easier," said Daniel
Ringrose, a Rackham graduate stu-
dent. "Also, you get your scores the
same day, which is a lot better than
waiting three months."

The National SAT Planning Board
said it has no plans to change the
written SAT or LSAT to computer
until it sees how the computerized
GRE fares in the next few years.
Advises Kathy Hintz, a history
teaching assistant, "Take it on paper.
It's less hassle to repeat it, and it's a
lot less expensive. Unless you're a
procrastinator who needs your scores
fast, just get a pencil and fill in the
scantron."
Ohhowthe
Dailyhates
OhioState!
Go Blue!1

Friday
U Blood Battle, sponsored by Al-
pha Phi Omega, Michigan
Union, Ballroom, 1-6:30 p.m.
O Caribbean Peoples Associa-
tion, mass meeting, Mosher-
Jordan, Nikki Giovanni Lounge,
6:30 p.m.
O Dispelling the myth of the noble
savage, sponsored by the Of-
fice of Academic Multicultural
Initiatives, West Engineering,
Women's Studies Lounge, noon
O Korean Campus Crusade for
Christ, fellowship meeting,
Campus Chapel, 1236
Washtenaw Ct., 8 p.m.
O Health Insurance for Interna-
tional Students, sponsored by
the International Center, Room
9, noon
U Japan Student Association,
general meeting, Michigan

vising, walk-ins welcome or call
for appointment, 747-3711,
West Quad, Room K-103, 11
a.m-4 p.m.
Q Rowing Team, novice practice,
boat house, men 3, 4, and 5
p.m.; women 3:30, 4:30, and
5:30 p.m.
Q Safewalk Nighttime Safety
Walking Service, UGLi, lobby,
936-1000, 8 p.m.-l1:30 p.m.
Q Saint Mary Student Parish,
campus prayer group, 7 p.m.,
rosary group, 7:30 p.m., 331
Thompson
Q Shorin-Ryu Karate-Do Club,
everyone welcome, CCRB,
room 2275, 6 p.m.
Q Students Concerned About
Animal Rights, meeting, Caffe
Fino, 1214 S. University Ave.,
5 p.m.
Q Tae Kwon Do Club, everyone

Awareness Week Dance, spon-
sored by the Lesbian Gay Male
Programs Office, Museum of
Art, 10 p.m.
U Safewalk Nighttime Safety
Walking Service, UGLi, lobby,
936-1000, 8 p.m.-11:30 p.m.
Sunday
Q Alpha Phi Omega, Pledge Meet-
ing, 6p.m.; Chapter Meeting, 7
p.m., Michigan Union, Kuenzel
Room
Q Christian Life Church Sunday
Service, School of Education,
Schorling Auditorium, 11 a.m.
U Israeli Dancing, beginners and
advanced welcome, Hillel, 8
p.m.
Q Palestinian Dabkeh, sponsored
by Arab-American Student's
Association, Michigan Union,
Anderson Room D, 7 p.m.


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can. change a life!
All over the world people need something you have. An education. Hav-
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i