The Michigan Daily - Thursday, December 9, 1993 - 3
Clinton signs NAFTA, urges other nations to close deal on GATT
WASHINGTON (AP)--President can Fi
Clinton signed legislation yesterday the U
-reating the world's largest free-trade into a;
zone and used the ceremony to prod "T
other nations to "seize the moment and defin
close the deal" on liberalized global Clint
trading rules. includ
With considerable fanfare and eight helpe
pens, Clinton signed the North Ameri- measu
.0K OUT ANY WINDOW
ree Trade Agreement, which links
nited States, Canada and Mexico
single market.
his whole issue turned out to be a
ing moment for our nation,"
on told an audience of supporters,
ding many of the lawmakers who
d him win uphill passage of the
ure.
And, in a fence-mending gesture
toward organized labor, which fought
the trade agreement fiercely, Clinton
vowed to send to Congress early next
year legislation "to create the world's
best worker training and retraining sys-
tem."
"We owe it to the business commu-
nity as well as to the working men and
women of this country," he said.
The' trade agreement already has
been ratified by Canada and Mexico.
It takes effect Jan. 1 and over the
next 15 years eliminates tariffs and
other trade barriers. It creates the world's
largest and richest trading bloc, cover-
ing 360 million people and stretching
from the tropics to the Arctic.
The United States has had aseparate
free-trade agreement with Canada since
1989.
Clinton used the ceremony to call
forcompleting 116-nation trade talks in
Geneva.
Trade negotiators are working
against a Dec. 15 deadline to wrap up
seven years of talks on a new set of
trading rules under the General Agree-
ment on Tariffs and Trade.
Although the most contentious dis-
pute - a long squabble between the
United States and France over farm
subsidies - appeared resolved in the
talks, South Korea threw up a potential
obstacle yesterday by balking at open-
ing its market to rice imports.
Credit cards offer students
headaches, spending sprees
By APRIL WOOD
DAILY STAFF REPORTER
A single swipe through a little ma-
chine and the purchases are paid in full.
Credit cards have become the most
convenient way to pay for necessities
like books, clothes and CDs, but the
consequences of abusing that privilege
can be expensive in more ways than
one.
More than 65 percentofundergradu-
ates in four-year colleges hold at least
one major credit card, according to a
press release from KM Publishers of
Manassas, Va. Many of those students
will pile themselves into debt before
they graduate and end up having their
parents bail them out.
Even though there are many ways
to use credit without overcharging,
difficulties still arise when the bills
come, especially for first-time card
holders.
"I had to borrow like $200 from
my parents freshman year after I got
my card," said School of Education
junior Carri Vanderbeck.
The University Alumni Associa-
tion offers an alternative to the hassle
of dealing directly with major credit
card companies with its Alumni As-
sociation VISA card. The card is is-
sued through MBNA America bank,
which sponsors credit cards for pri-
vate organizations and contributes to
the Alumni Association with every
use of the card.
The Alumni Association currently
holds about 12,000 student accounts.
The association has found that Uni-
versity students have a better record
with prompt and complete payment
than students at other universities that
use the same card.
"The students will carry it because
it's an attractive card," said Alumni
Association Associate Executive bi-
rector Jerry Sigler. "It's interest is as
good or better than other cards."
As of Jan. 1, 1994, the card will
also carry a Sprint personal calling
card number so students can utilize
long distance services and personal
charges and pay for both with the
same card. The bank also waives the
annual fee for the card the first year,
which can be a helpful privilege con-
sidering that some other credit com-
panies can charge an average of $55-
$75 a year for their services.
Planning an arrangement forcredit
payment with parents before obtain-
ing a credit account can help new card
holders avoid future problems with
overcharging and division ofpayment.
LSA first-year student Brian
Murray made such an arrangement
with his parents. "Anything my father
doesn't approve of, I have to pay for,"
he said, adding, "I never have to worry
about debt with a company, but I do
with my parents."
Although interest rates are cur-
rently dropping, not using credit cards
at all is also an option.
"Personally, I would not use a
credit card. I think they're conve-
nient, but it's just as easy for me to go
to the ATM. I think people tend to
overspend because they don't realize
what they're spending," said LSA
first-year student Roberto Rodriguez.
Credit may still be one of the easi-
est ways to handle money, as it elimi-
nates the problems of carrying large
amounts of cash around or worrying
about a check being accepted or find-
ing an ATM machine.
"I think it's turning out to be a
good deal," Sigler said.
MAR KOKHB/aily
Lynnette Michalik, the art teacher at Father Gabriel Richard High School, and 9th grader Adam Sorini prepare to pair
holiday designs on the windows at The Real Seafood company on Main St. yesterday.
*Variety of activities planned for Martin Luther King Jr. Day
By MAGGIE WEYHING
DAILY STAFF REPORTER
With Martin Luther King Jr. Day
still more than a month away, the
University is making its finishing
touches on the commemorating
events.
"American Culture or America
the Multiculture?" The University's
observance will attempt to deal with
this Qontroversial, yet unavoidable
question.
The Office of Vice Provost for
Academic and Multicultural Affairs
is sponsoring events that will take
place during the holiday.
Although these events won't start
for several weeks, groups wishing
to plan activities for the commemo-
ration must submit information to
coordinator Michael Jones-Coleman
by Dec. 15.
Jones-Coleman, program asso-
ciate of the Office of Vice Provost
for Academic and Multicultural
Affairs, said this year's Martin
Luther King Jr. Day symposium is
going to be different from the events
that have been held in previous
years.
"Our initiative is mirrored by the
speech by Coretta Scott King (to the
United Nations), we want to look at
Martin Luther King Day in a new
way - a day for everyone to cel-
ebrate our diversity as a nation."
Jones-Coleman also mentioned
that this will be the first year music
will be incorporated into the obser-
vance.
Kicking off the symposium
Jan. 16 will be the performance by
the Black Arts Orchestra featuring
music written by African American
composers.
Dr. Charles Long, director for
Black Studies at the University of
California, will deliver the keynote
address Jan. 17. Following the
speech is the annual Unity March
sponsored by the Black Student
Union .
In the afternoon, University fac-
ulty, along with faculty from insti-
tutions all across the country, will
participate in panel discussions.
Jones-Coleman said the topics
of the discussions are going to cover
a wide variety of multicultural is-
sues.
"Basically, we are going to dis-
cuss four different topics, which are
equity and education, evaluation of
the civil rights movement, social
injustice, and the multicultural at-
mosphere of the University."
Jones-Coleman emphasized the
importance of the panel discussion
concerning multiculturalism at the
University.
"We need to plot a direction if
we are going to develop a true
multicultural environment at the
University."
To end the holiday with a bang,
the symposium will include a per-
formance of the R&B/gospel group,
the Winans.
Mo-Jo residents
0 throw bottles
Several residents of Mosher -Jor-
dan Residence Hall allegedly threw
glass bottles at passersby Sunday
night.
According to University Depart-
ment of Public Saftety (DPS) reports,
the bottles were thrown from the fourth
or fifth floor.A DPS officer contacted
residents who had their windows open
:and allegedly displayed suspicious
behavior in the hall.
The matter has been turned over to
the residence hall staff.
A DPS officer said glass debris
littered the southbound lane and west
side of Observatory Avenue follow-
ing the incident.
rroup assaults man
An Ann Arbor man was playing
pool early Sunday morning at 603 E.
William when about seven to eight
males allegedly began to harrass him.
According to Ann Arbor Police
Department (AAPD) reports, the man
was hit from behind as he walked
away. After he fell to the ground, the
suspects allegedly beat the man.
AAPD Sgt. Phil Scheel said this
incident is under investigation.
Police0
Man cashes in
counterfeit bills
According to AAPD reports, a man
came in to Falsetta's Market at 2200
Pittsfield Rd. Tuesday night and asked
for two $50 bills or one $100 bill for five
$20 bill.
The man bought lottery tickets with
some of the money. After the man left,
an employee noticed the bills were coun-
terfeit because two shared a common
serial number.
Scheel said the matter has been
turned over to the U.S. Secret Service.
Caller reports stolen
tree
Tuesday afternoon a caller to DPS
reported the theft of a pine tree from the
grounds around Aerospace Engineer-
ing. The tree was later found and placed
in storage. At this time there are no
suspects.
-By Ronnie Glassberg
Daily Staff Reporter
'U' installs Ethernet network in Mo-Jo
By SCOT WOODS
DAILY STAFF REPORTER
For residents of Mosher-Jordan resi-
dence hall, getting connected got much
easier this year.
Over the summerMo-Jo was wired
for Ethernet, a telecommunications net-
work that is quickly becoming a com-
puter industry standard.
Alan Zubli, Mo-Jo's resident com-
puter systems consultant and a civil
engineering graduate student, said,
"From your room, you can run any of
the site applications and course soft-
ware, you have access to any of the
printers on campus, and you can do e-
mail directly from your room.
"It's everything you can do from a
computing site, but you can do it from
your room," he said.
Zubli ticked off other Ethernet ben-
efits. "You can also use your computer
as a file-access computer, which elimi-
nates the need to carry disks around
campus," Zubli added. Simply put, you
can access your hard drive from any
other computer on the University
Ethernet network.
Zubli also noted that Ethernet is
much faster than a modem, and does not
tie up the phone line.
Bringing all this technology to your
computer requires purchasing an
Ethernet card or adapter for about $120,
which will be installed by the Informa-
tion Technology Division (ITD).
So far, 23 residents' rooms have
been hooked up, in addition to 20 resi-
dent staff rooms, bringing the service to
about 75 Mo-Jo students.
LSA sophomore Dave Chen got an
Ethernet card for his Macintosh
Powerbook early in the year, and said-
he has been happy with the service.
"I use it to get all the network sup-
port I can get on the campus, play
games, print out papers," he said.
What about electronic mail?
"Oh, of course. That's the main
reason I got it," Chen added.
Catherine Dunn, an LSA sopho-
more, said she likes the Ethernet service
- when it works.
"Sometimes, it won't start-up right,
or connect right, and you have to shut
the whole thing down," Dunn said. "It's
gotten worse lately."
Zubli said ITD will evaluate the
success of the service at Mo-Jo and
decide whether to run Ethernet lines to
roomsin other residence halls. Headded
that ITD was considering adding a
monthly charge for the service.
Dunn said a monthly charge on top
of purchasing the Ethernet card might
make the cost prohibitive.
"If they start charging large fees,
people won't do it," she said.
In its seminal year, this residence
hall service has its problems and its
benefits, but holds the promise of liber-
ating students from long lines at cam-
pus computing sites.
ETH r
Mosher-Jordan' residence hall
is the guinea pig in the
Information Technology
Division's trial of the Ethernet
computer telecommunications
network, With an Ethernet
hook-up in their room, Mo-Jo
residents can:
B access the applications and
course software available
through University servers;
print to any campus
computing site printer;
sign on to e-mail; and,
® access their hard drive from
any computer on the
campus Ethernet network.
9 5
NON-STOP (OP/ES.
Student groups
[ Amnesty International, weekly
meeting, Dana Building, Room
1040, 7:30 p.m.
" Archery Club, meeting and
practice, Sports Coliseum, 6-
10 p.m.
" Campus Crusade for Christ,
weekly meeting, Dental Build-
ing, Kellog Aud., 7-9 p.m.
n ru"nea vhnaa Q' ..Pa a
Q People Opposing Weapons Re-
search & Promoting Eco-
nomic Conversion, weekly
meeting, Angell Hall, Room
444C, 8-10 p.m.
U Phi Sigma Pi, ritual meeting,
Michigan League, Room D
(third floor), 7 p.m.
Q Psychological Society, movie
night, Angell Hall, Room 4007,
7 .,,
Angell Hall Fishbowl, 10 a.m-3
p.m.
" Holiday Choral Festival, spon-
sored by the School of Music,
Hill Auditorium, 8 p.m.
d Smith Barney Shearson, spon-
sored by Career Planning and
Placement, Michigan Union,
Anderson Room, 5-7 p.m.
Studeint services
C Copy
VSO S-
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