The Michigan Daily - Monday, January 31, 1994 - 3 * Scared of Macs, they look to 'U' . for support By LISA DINES DAILY STAFF REPORTER "It's all paranoia - that's what it is.' Lauren Korn, an RC sophomore, is afraid of computers. While at the University, she has not typed a single paper on a computer. "I sit there like I do not want to press this because it could do some- thing bad," she said. Korn is not alone in her aversion to the information age. While the University offers pro- grams to make computers user- friendly, many students say the pro- grams are unpublicized and inad- equate. Tansy Rodd, an LSA first-year student, was reluctant to admit the problems she first had with a Macintosh personal computer. "I had never used a Mac before. 'With the mouse, I was lifting it up. I didn't realize that you had to roll it. I saw somebody doing it after a while and figured it out," she said. Rodd's problems started when she was required to print out notes on the $ computer for a biology class. "Nobody told me how to do things. They just assumed that I knew what e- mail was and how to get an account. It was a big mess," she said. Stewart Blacklock, an East Quad computing consultant, said the resi- Psssst. Did you hear the one about the Grad? Rumors fly as 'U' steps up security By ROBIN BARRY FOR THE DAILY The size of the labyrinthine Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library has rumors flying and students feeling nervous. Recent crimes in the library have made some students feel uneasy and have prompted a University committee to increase security. DPS reported that larcenies made up the majority of crimes in the Grad. There were 61 larcenies in 1993 and three sex offenses that were primarily cases of indecent exposure.I James Barger, an aerospace engi- neering junior, agreed that the size and layout of the Grad is overwhelming. "It's like a labyrinth. With all they nooks and crannies, there has to be somewhere (in the Grad) no one has been in 20 years. You have to wonder what goes on in that place." LSA sophomore Christie Compton said some stacks remind her of scenes from old horror movies. "I don't like going up there; if you screamed no one would hear you. It's like a dungeon," she said. The Grad has an area of 225,780 square feet and serves an average of 3,768 people each day. "The guys next door said that there was no bottom floor to the Grad. I think they're right; I haven't found it yet,"' JUDITH PERKINS/Daily Like it or not, computers are a fact of life. One student works at the Angell Hall Computing Center yesterday. dence hall consultants see many people like Korn and Rodd. "I see people with no basic under- standing, and they have to be in- structed which button to push to turn the Mac on," Blacklock said. ResComp Director Mary Simoni said the residence hall computing cen- ters are trying to overcome the fear of computers that many students face. "We do sessions at new student orientation during the summer and we also sponsor the ResComp World Tour which is designed to jumpstart students to computing," she said. As part of the tour, consultants teach classes in each of the residence halls. Classes start with Macintosh basics, such as turning on the com- puter and using the mouse. The Information Technology Di- vision (ITD) also offers free instruc- tion for students. Through ITD and ResComp, students can take classes in certain advanced applications, such as Delta-Graph Pro and Excel. Korn said students are often un- comfortable attending the classes. "The classes are not inviting enough. They need to be really nice to me so that I won't feel stupid. They need to say that it is okay to know nothing," she said. .Altruist, dental student wins prestigious scholarship By ZACHARY RAIMI DAILY STAFF REPORTER Alyssa Uddyback lost her first tooth when she was about five. Less . than four years from today, she will be working to help others keep their teeth healthy. Late last year, Uddyback, a first- year dental student, was awarded a Select Scholar scholarship from the National Dental Association Founda- tion (NDAF), through a grant from the CdlgtePalnolive Co.The $2,000 award is renewable each year, pro- vided she maintains an appropriate grade point average. "I was really happy," Uddyback said upon hearing of her award. "(School is) really expensive. ... It has helped me out a whole lot. I use that money to help me live comfort- ably and for other things, like sup- plies." The award was created for this purpose; said NDAF President Dr. Roosevelt Brown. "We're trying to make the (graduate) experience as easy as possible instead of going out and getting a part-time job," he said. Uddyback's life-long desire to help people has led her into dentistry. "I want to help people. I want to serve the community. For me, den- tistry is the best way to do this," she said. "For dentistry, you are not only a doctor to the patients, you can talk to them and detect different things go- ing on in their lives," Uddyback added. Uddyback's friend and classmate, William Carey, said her personality will help her patients. He explained, "She (has) a lot of motivation. She has a way of picking up spirits, making you feel relaxed. People in general are afraid of dentists, (but) she will make patients feel relaxed. She has a positive attitude about everything, and that'll be help- ful." To be selected for the award, the potential recipients had to achieve good undergraduate grades, demonstrate par- ticipation in extracurricular activities and offer recommendations from pro- fessors or advisors. While attending Dillard University in New Orleans, Uddyback kept busy. She was a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority and the pre-med club. She tutored illiterate adults, bagged food and made sandwiches for the homeless. She was also a Howard Hughes Scholar recipient. Dr. Lee Jones, director of minority affairs for the dental school, wrote a recommendation on Uddyback's be- half for the NDAF scholarship. He said her involvement in community affairs, plus her background as an African American, will help her to be asensitive and successful dentist. "Her background has made her aware of the tremendous need for the dental care in the African American community. She'll be welcome into the community because she is a highly motivated young lady. Plus, there is a tremendous need for her professional skills. The African American commu- nity is under served," Jones said. Uddyback said she believes young African American children will look to her as a good role model. "Kids (will) see another African American out do- ing something in the community. I (will) be a good influence because they see it can be done." She added, "Their dreams too can come true." The youngest of five children, Uddyback grew up in Detroit and at- tended Mercy High School in Farmington Hills. She said her parents are very supportive. "My mom and dad were really help- ful. If I don't do as well as I would have liked on a test, they come up or I go home to talk to them. They are always there," she said. Once she starts practicing dentistry, Uddyback said she hopes to spend Fri- days servicing the elderly. "When Iam a dentist, I plan to go to underprivileged nursing homes and serve the elderly," she said. Compton added. The immensity of the Grad also encourages the spread of rumors. Engineering senior Dave Hyatt heard most of these rumors his first year at the University. "My freshman year, I heard about people having sex in the Grad because it is so big," he said. Compton said she heard the same rumors during her orientation. "I think it's one of those things that they tell the freshmen as a joke." Despite the humorous rumors, se- curity in the Grad remains a serious subject to staff and students. Margo Crist, assistant director for public services for University Librar- ies, said the recent improvements intle Grad's security were in response tp students' concerns. "About a year and a half ago :a committee was formed by faculty -and the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to discuss issues in the stacks." Crist said the library has: E hired more monitors; added security mirrors at critical intersections in remote areas; and, *installedDPS-fundedtelephone, . "Students were alittle worried abot being in stacks alone. We want them to know we're taking care of their con- cerns," Crist said. Handgun sales soa r in Mcigan DETROIT (AP) - The number of new handgun registrations in Michigan increased 15 percent in 1993 over the previous year, bringing the total to 22 million, a local newspaper reports. "The industry has never seen any- thing like this," said Wayne Knowles, operator of Target Sports in Royal Oak. "I can't buy enough handguns (o satisfy my customers. Ap;I'Irp( - ng exotic stuff. Standard Smith & Wessonrevolveii'i#in iinaters. y distributors says they don't have thle stock," he told The Detroit News fora story yesterday. Police agencies statewide registered 96,522 handguns in 1993, a 15 percent increase from the-registrationsnadein 1992, according to the News. The newspaper also found: Wayne County led the state's 83 counties with 14,560 registered guns last year. Statewide, the only large geo- graphic area to show a decrease was Detroit, where handgun registry fell by 13 percent last year compared to 1992. Fewer than 3,000 guns were legally bought in Detroit last year. Saginaw County had a 27-per- cent increase in handgun sales. That county'shandgun buyers registered one pistol for every 62 residents last year, the highest such figure in the state. Detroit police officials Said the low number of registrations could mean a drop in crime. "Our crime stats have been consis- tently going down. Maybe people feel safer in the city," said Sgt. Chris Buck. The state has 12,145 licensed gun dealers. About 500 are in Detroit and 3,100 in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. Criminal justice experts vary on explanations for the increase in gun sales. "Fear of crime is a national trend and escalating," said Robert Trojanowicz, director of the National Center of Community Policing. FILE PHOTO Alyssa Uddyback, a first-year dental student, is shown above. She is the recipient of the Select Scholar scholarship valued at $2,000 annually. She added that she will bring "all my equipment and help them. They will be really glad someone is coming to spend time with them as well as treat them." As a dentist, Uddyback is sure to ; come acrossresistance from patients in fear that her treatment will cause physi- cal pain. But this is necessary to cure them, said Uddyback. Dentists, she said, "might cause a little pain, but (they) alleviate it in the long run." Advances in technology awe, frighten long-time employees By MARIA KOVAC FOR THE DAILY Remember when the only com- puters on campus were the mainframes in payroll, or when only 25,000 people showed up to football games and when protests were common events? Many University staff members remember these times clearly. Re- cently, three long-term staff mem- bers offered their insights on what they consider to be the biggest changes at the University in the years they've been here. Nancy Bates, a budget adminis- trator in the psychology department, began working at the University in 1952. "At that time there were 13,000 students at the University. It's amaz- ing the way the University has grown from a small organization to a huge institution," she said. Bates added that the computeriza- tion of the campus is a big change from the 1950s when personal com- puters were nonexistent. Frank Parker, a supervisor of in- strument services in the Chemistry department, has worked at the Uni- versity for 30 years. He cited the electronic revolution as being the most significant change in the Chemistry department. "(It) has transformed the study of chemistry. In the past a researcher might have spent years working on a thesis project, and today we can solve his problem in a day," Parker said. The problem with this revolution is the high equipment costs it presents to the Chemistry and Physics depart- ments. The high costs of equipment have outpaced the University budget. Victoria White, a clerical worker in the off-campus work study pro- gram at the Office of Financial Aid, began working at the University 20 years ago. One of the biggest improvements in the work-study program has just occurred in the last month, White said. Students can now check job postings on-line from any computing site instead of flipping through index cards or notebooks. The last 20 years has brought an increase of financial aid applicants and a 60-percent staff increase, White said. These staff members said they have also noticed changes in the students at the University over the years. White recalled the many protests. that occurred on campus when she be- gan at the University during the early 1970s. "(Students) seem to think thatwhat's going to happen is what's going to happen, and there's nothing they can do about it," she said. Parker said one thing that hasn't changed is the students' good work habits. "Students are still here 24 hours a day trying to get out." Bates, Parker and White, along with hundreds of other long-term staff mem- bers, were honored at a University ban- quet in December. 'I ., Executive Positions Available Y~a a ppe" ~ .j~~ Ing I EIn nni~ uurA] iz'i r.&