The Michigan Daily - Friday, February 11, 1994 - 5
U' Muslim
community
observes
Ramadan
By LASHAWNDA CROWE
DAILY STAFF REPORTER
From the deserts of India to the
grassy plains of the Orient, today Mus-
lims worldwide begin the observance
ofoneoftheirholiest months,Ramadan.
Ramadan, which runs from Feb.11
or 12 to March11 or 12, isacelebration
of the beginning of the holy Qur'an -
the Islamic religious text.
There are discrepancies about
when the holiday begins because it
starts at the sighting of the new moon.
According to Muslim beliefs, it
was during this month about 1,400
years ago the Archangel Gabriel re-
yealed the Qur'an to the holy Prophet
Mohammad-the messenger of God.
Muslims fast during this month,
only taking food or drink in the early
morning or late evening. Other aspects
of the holiday range from abstaining
from sex to controlling temperament.
Chair of the Muslim Students
Association's (MSA) Ramadan Com-
mittee, Deana Solaiman, said, "What
we want to try and do is unify Muslims
on campus so that we have support
when we are all under the preminance
of observance of one of the Pillars."
Islam has five pillars (main laws)
that each Muslim follows: fasting, daily
prayers, alms giving, a pilgrimage to
Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and the belief
that there is one God (Allah) and that
His last messenger is Mohammad.
MSA will be sponsoring several
events to support students during
SRamadan, such as free iftar (charity/
community) dinners at the local
mosque.
Housing will also offer alternative
mealplan options for fasting residents.
Students will receive a 70-percent re-
bate for canceled meals, which will be
deposited in an Entree Plus account.
As diverse as the Islamic world, so
are the functions of Ramadan for each
person.
Some feel being a Muslim in the
United States offers special chal-
*lenges.
AhmadAbdur-Rahman, a member
of the Muslim Community Associa-
tion of Ann Arbor, said, "In this coun-
try the abundance of temptation pulls
people away from spirituality and the
higher self. Fasting helps to counter
this pressure toward the materialistic,
physical life and to open the heart to
that which is highest and most impor-
tant, Allah."
For Kerwin Waldroup, an LSA
sophomore, this year's Ramadan marks
a turning point in his life.
Waldroup, converted to Islam two
weeks ago.
ICE CARVING
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Nazi death
survivor to
Sunday at 1
By ANDREA MACADAM 'I was
DAILY STAFF REPORTER
The memory of the Holocaust, al- God" I
though still a part of the world's con- saying
sciousness, can become distant as the
years go by. But Sora Seiler Vigorito but th
believes no one should ever forget the anoth
horror of the concentration camps --
a horror she understands all too well.
Vigorito is a survivor of
Auschwitz, a Polish concentration -
camp where she endured nine months States a fe
of "medical" experiments at the hands continued
of Nazi doctor Josef Mengele. ing mem
Vigorito will discuss her experi- Auschwi
ence as well as her road to recovery Becau
and quest for spirituality in a presen- ence, Vig
tation titled "Children of Night - tify spirit
Women of Light." She will deliver "I wasvei
her speech Sunday at 7 p.m. in the never sto
Pendleton Room of the Michigan but the sp
Union. Howe
"The purpose of my talk is to give gion abou
people hope," she said in a telephone her child
interview. "It wa
Vigorito's story begins in 1944, children t
when she and her twin sister, Hanna, a synago
became "patients" in Mengele's infa- Since
mous twin experiments. tive in th
Born into hiding and discovered spoken t
by the Gestapo before the age of 4, the eral occas
girls were torn away from their grand- She h,
mother and entered a world of torture. campaign
The twins' father was taken to a cal data f
concentration camp before they were "It gi'
born and their mother was killed in a Nazis," s
camp when they were just infants. "Since
Mengele - known as the "Angel ture som
of Death" - subjected the twins to how long
operations without anesthesia and to die?"
chemical injections which often in- Vigor
duced convulsions. portancei
Hanna died just before the Allied hand acc
invasion in 1945. "The}
After her liberation, Vigorito was so that th
eventually reunited with her father, said. "Ev
who had survived the camps, and her Vigor
grandmother. a Ph.D. in
The family moved to the United land Heig
camp
Speak
Union
very angry at
Snever stopped
g I was Jewish,
e spiritual part is
er story.'
ora Seiler Vigorito
Auschwitz survivor
ew years later, where Vigoito
d to struggle with the hau nt-
ories of her nine months at
tz.
use of her traumatic experi-
gorito said she couldn't iden-
ually with the Jewish faith.
ry angry at God," she said,"I
upped saying I was Jewish
iritual part is another story."
ver, she returned to the reli-
ut nine years ago on behalf of
ren.
s a sense of obligation to my
that made me step back into
gue," she added.
then, Vigorito has been ac-
e Jewish community and has
o college audiences on sev-
sions about her experiences.
as also been involved in the
to prevent the use of medi-
from Nazi experiments.
ves too much credit to the
he said.
v when is it research to tor-
eone and then wait to see
it takes for that person to
ito also emphasized the im-
[n Holocaust survivors' first-
ounts of their experiences.
y give over their experiences
e world will not forget," she
il should not be forgotten."
ito is currently studying for
clinical counseling in Cleve-
ghts, Ohio.
REBECCA MARGOLIS/Daily
Mosher Jordan Head Chef Martin Folk carves a train from a block of ice outside Stockwell
Folk was participating in the Second Annual University Ice Carving Exhibition.
Residence Hall yesterday.
Winter chills don't scare patrons away
By TEDRA WHITE
FOR THE DAILY
Freezing winds, snow and ice-
glazed sidewalks have been difficult
for Ann Arbor to shake lately. Despite
the cold days so far this winter, traffic
at area businesses hasn't been bad.
Some businesses have even been
attracting more customers than usual
because of people's desire to escape
from the cold.
This is especially true for Espresso
Royale Cafe. The early-morning rush
of customers has made it almost im-
possible to find places to sit, said Tracy
Holman, who works at the coffee shop.
"It's a- lot busier because people
want hot drinks," Holman said.
Cie Woodring, another employee,
said she noticed more than just the
morning rush. "What's more dramatic
is that we get more homeless people,"
she said.
While the warmth of the coffee
shops attracts patrons, the cold has
not managed to slow down business
at Stucchi's. Gucci Marantette, man-
ager of the South State Street ice
cream parlor, appeared optimistic
about business this season. Loyal cus-
tomers still come in regularly for ice
cream and frozen yogurt as well as
hot soup and bread, Marantette said.
"We have our tried-and-true regu-
lars that will come even when it's 19
below," Marantette said. "If you are an
ice cream lover, you'll come out re-
gardless."
However, the cold made a dent in
one business, as patronage slowed down
at the State Theatre during the cold
snap. Colin Harrington, an usher, said
this past weekend was the first time the
"Rocky Horror Picture Show" has not
sold out.
The chilling temperatures made a
slight difference at Gratzi Coffee House.
Gratzi supervisor Steve Bradley said-
people are still coming in, but he no-
ticed a change since the temperature
has dropped.
"It is definitely busier when it's
nicer out," Bradley said.
It looks like the cold weather is
here to stay for a while. There is a
chance of light snow predicted for to-
morrow.
Faculty members scrutinizeflexible-benefits program
By PATRICIA MONTGOMERY
DAILY STAFF REPORTER
Members of the Senate Assembly
passed a unanimous motion Monday
to continue scrutiny of the flexible-
benefits program recommendations
and objectives.
"We have very few unanimous
decisions. (But) based on the dynam-
ics of this body, the message is clear,"
said Henry Griffin, chair of the Sen-
ate Advisory Committee on Univer-
sity Affairs.
Griffin added, "The motion means
that flexible benefits need to be (fur-
ther) addressed. ... There are still
many questions that need to be an-
swered. There is no urgency to imple-
ment flexible benefits."
The proposed program is designed
to offer faculty members more op-
tions in choosing an insurance policy
that is best suited for their needs.
The purpose for implementing
flexible-benefits plan is to increase
the value of the University employ-
ees' benefit dollars. The rationale for
the change is an incentive to improve
the morale of faculty and staff.
While considerable flexibility and
designated choices are positive as-
pects of the plan, some University
faculty members said they believe
that "increased complexity, cumber-
some administration, cost-shifting and
take-aways" will be implemented,
according to an article in The Univer-
sity Record.
The proposed program does have
its drawbacks. Griffin stated, "There's
a great deal of concern with the de-
tails of flexible benefits."
Biostatistics Prof. Morton Brown
said at the meeting, "There is no in-
centive to participate in flexible ben-
efits." For example, "Under flexible
benefits staff and faculty can take
cash instead of buying benefits and
there is no specific reason to but ben-
efits through the University," he said.
In fact, "this will cause what is known
as 'adverse selection,"' Brown added.
The Record reported that a survey
to faculty and staff on the flexible-
benefits plan indicated a mostly fa-
vorable response. The consistency of
those respondents prompted the com-
mittee to go ahead and convince fac-
ulty and staff that the flexible benefits
are a viable program.
Biology Prof. Thomas Moore said,
"We don't yet know enough about the
complexities in the issue. Until we
really know what is recommended,
we all should be reluctant to move to
a new plan."
If the flexible plan is adopted, it
will be effective Jan. 1, 1995. Enrdll-
ment in the program would take place
this October.
College Republicans to celebrate Reagan's birthday with rally, jellybeans
*By BARBARA McKELVEY
FOR THE DAILY
Jelly beans in the Fishbowl. Yum!
Or at least that's what the College
Republicans think President Ronald
Reagan would say.
To commemorate Reagan's 83rd
birthday, College Republicanswill dis-
tribute his favorite confections and in-
formational flyers about the party this
afternoon in the Fishbowl. His birth-
day was Feb. 6.
The event will center around
speeches held on the Diag between
noon and 1p.m. Republican senatorial
hopeful Bill Anderson, College Re-
publican President John Damoose and
others from the organization will speak
in Reagan's honor.
The rally culminates a week-long
effort by the group to inform students
about party issues through flyers and
posters.
College Republican and LSA
sophomore Mark Fletcher said he ex-
pects a turnout of about 50 people.
The speeches will begin after the
gatherers pledge allegiance to the flag
on the Diag.
Damoose said he hopes the
speeches will put Reagan in a positive
light."IwanttodefendReagan'slegacy
from those who wish to rewrite his-
tory," he said. "Reagan really stood
for something, and we believe he's
the greatest president of modern
times."
Fletcher also stressed the need to
defend Reagan. "We're holding this
because on this campus, Reagan is
mocked. I have had several professors
who mocked his accomplishments,
and I want to defend his record."
College Repubican members said
they respect the former president's
belief in minimal government and tra-
ditional values.
Fletcher expressed hopes that
Reagan really stood for something, and we believe he's the greatest
president of modern times.'
- John Damoose
College Republicans presidet
today's speeches will debunk popular College Republican and LSA jun- "I think that when people get older
Reagan myths, particularly the notions ior Christian Cali said students who are and wiser and move away from the
that during his era philanthropy de- deaf to the Republican message now Snoop Doggy Dog syndrome, they'll
creased and job creation consisted will agree with the party's ideas later in find we're right about most things,"
solely of "burger-flipping" hells. life. Cali said.
MAJOR BLOWOUT?
Friday
U 76-GUIDE, peer counseling
phone line, call 76-GUIDE, 7
p.m.-8 a.m.
Q Campus Information Center,
Michigan Union, 763-INFO;
events info., 76-EVENT; film
info., 763-FILM.
U Ninjutsu Club, IM Building,
Room G21, 6:30-8 p.m.
U North Campus Information
Center, North Campus Com-
mons,763-NCIC,7:30a.m.-5:30
p.m.
;U Psychology Academic PeerAd-
vising, West Quad, Room K103,
walk-ins welcome or call 747-
3711 for appointment.
Swami Brahmavidyananda,
sponsored by the Hindu Students
Council, Michigan Union,
Pendelton Room, 7-9 p.m.
Saturday
Q 76-GUIDE, peer counseling
phone line, call 76-GUIDE, 7
p.m.-8 a.m.
Q Campus Information Center,
Michigan Union, 763-INFO;
events info., 76-EVENT; film
info., 763-FILM.
Q Safewalk, 936-1000, UGLilobby,
8-11:30 p.m.
Sunday
Q 76-GUIDE, peer counseling
room, 7-9 a.m.
Q Campus Information Center,
Michigan Union, 763-INFO;
events info., 76-EVENT; film
info., 763-FILM.
Q Detroit Folk Mass, Lutheran
Campus Ministry, 801S. Forest
Ave., 10 a.m.
Q Dinner and Discussion: Com-
mon Threads - Activism in
Response toAIDS, GuildHouse
Students, 802 Monroe, 5 p.m.
Q Opportunities in the Peace
Corps for Biology Majors,
Natural Science Building, Room
2003, 2426 Tyler, 8 p.m.
Q Phi Sigma Pi National Honor
Fraternity, East Quad, Room
1 AEA
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