THE MICHIGAN DAILY NEW STUDENT EDITION PERSPECTIVES THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1994


Page 7B

Student Government
* Assembly
works to
better campus
environment
Michigan Student
Assembly voices
student concerns
By JACOB STERN
The Michigan Student Assembly is
the elected student body on campus.
MSA is comprised of four execu-
tive officers - president, vice presi-
dent, treasurer and student general
counsel - and 46 other elected repre-
sentatives. Each school in the Univer-
sity provides a certain number of rep-
resentatives based on its enrollment.
As the campus wide student gov-
ernment, we are responsible for a wide
range of activities and events that
take place on campus. In addition, we
lobby for students' rights on the cam-
pus, local, state and federal levels.
On campus, MSA is responsible
for many activities that affect stu-
dents' lives. There are committees
that allocate money to student groups,
place students on various committees
throughout the University commu-
nity, and provide bands and other
forms of recreation for students around
the campus.
Other committees have the task of
lobbying at the local, state and federal
levels as well as providing for MSA's
elections twice a year. There are also
commissions in MSA that are respon-
sible for fighting for students' rights,
planning Earth Day, and looking at
issues concerning minority students

Greek leadership stresses
scholarship, compassion

ANASTASIA BANICKI/Daily
MSA President Craig Greenberg hands over the gavel to the new president,
Julie Neenan.

By JULIE STACEY and
KIRK WOLFE
The University's Interfraternity Council (IFC) and Panhellenic
Association (Panhel) work together to coordinate the 37 fraternities and
19 sororities on campus in areas of leadership development, scholastic
achievement and community service learning.
The basic goal of IFC and Panhel is to promote the ideals of a Greek
community and provide support to individual chapters. Because of this
goal, many issues that are current both on the University campus and in
society as a whole are addressed.
A major focus of Panhel and IFC has been directed to improving the
quality.of our system and promoting positive public relations for the
fraternities and sororities. Working with the University administration
and other organizations, Panhel and IFC have helped sponsor Alcohol
Awareness Week, Sexual Assault Awareness Week and voter registra-
tion drives.
Within the Greek community, IFC and Panhel continue to sponsor
major programs including, Greek Week and a leadership conference.
Adopt-A-School is a pilot program instituted in 1993 which pairs
volunteers from the Greek system with students in local elementary
schools. Tutoring is done in a variety of elementary academic areas and
special mentor relationships are formed between elementary students
and their personal tutors.
Service to our community is an integral part of sorority and fraternity
experiences. This is perhaps most evident during Greek Week: a week
set aside annually where through a special series of events and activities,
Greeks raise and donate funds to charities and non-profit organizations
in Ann Arbor.
Over the past three years the Panhel and IFC have implemented and
enforced a system-wide comprehensive policy on alcohol - a policy
that improves the system by stressing responsibility and accountability
during social events.
This is yet another area where self-governance and student leader-
ship within the Greek Community have shown their effectiveness.
The Greek system's emphasis on fostering leadership development
is having an increasing impact on the entire University community as
Greeks are assuming leadership roles in other student organizations
throughout campus. Among these roles are Engineering Council Presi-
dent, Michigan Student Assembly President, LSA Student Government
President and Mortar Board President.
With more than 5,000 men and women, the University Greek system
is one of the largest and oldest in the nation - it has a history dating back
almost to the beginning of the University. These men and women
comprise about 21 percent of the undergraduate population and are as
diverse as the University itself. Through the work of Panhel and IFC,
sororities and fraternities can work together for the ideals that are
common to them all.
- Stacey and Wolfe are Panhellenic and Interfraternity Council
presidents, respectively.

Assoc sposorsl
( ( r , ev e n t s f o r
Black Greeks
By RONALD JACKSON
The Black Greek Association (BGA)
is the governing body of the eight Black
Greek lettered organizations at the Uni-
versity. These groups are committed to
scholarship, campus and community ser-
vice, as well as social enrichment.
Sorority and fraternity members are ac-
tive in a number of extracurricular and civic
activities and many BGAmembers hold lead-
ership positions on campus.
The BGA helps produce and maintain a
harmonious atmosphere for the respective
organizations as well as the entire student
body. This is done through our promotion of
unity and kinship among ourselves and those
with whom we come in contact.
Each year, BGA holds the Icebreaker for
Black students at the beginning of fall and
winter terms. We are also responsible for
planning and implementing the fall BGA
open house, a program designed to showcase
as well as introduce each of the eight organi-
zations to the students on this campus. At the
end of the year, a final BGA Stepshow is put
on to provide entertainment as well as deter-
mine the BGA Stepshow champion.
Other activities include picnics, leader-
ship retreats, as well as various activities
which further cohesiveness.
BGA serves as an umbrella organization
for the community service organizations,
which make up its members. Members are
not admitted through the BGA but is gained
as a direct result of joining one of the eight
Black Greek lettered fraternities or sororities.
It is through membership in a Black Greek
lettered organization that a wonderful oppor-
tunity is provided to build lasting friendships.
-Jackson is president of BGA.

on campus.
Newly formed task forces will take
a look at campus safety, the Univer-
sity budget and try to put a student on
the University Board of Regents.
One very important aspect of MSA
is that a person does not need to be an
elected representative to take an ac-
tive part on MSA. Most of the com-
mittees and commissions have mem-
bers who are not elected by the student

body, but just concerned studentswant-
ing to get involved. Student involve-
ment is the key to our success as the
student government at the University.
MSA is looking forward to a pro-
ductive and exciting year. Our offices
are at 3909 in the Union and the
weekly meetings are Tuesday nights
at 7:30. Come get involved with your
student government.
-Stern is vice president of MSA.

LSA Student Government sets sights
on academic, non-academic issues

By RYAN BOESKOOL
This school year could be the most
significant year in the history of the
Student Government of the College of
Literature, Science and the Arts
(LSASG). The government's purpose
of making LSA students' academic
and non-academic lives better at the
University is the driving force behind
many new policy and programming
efforts this year.
To enhancestudents' non-academic
4 lives LSASG has traditionally spon-
sored two events, a public forum and
Grad Bash. The public forum is a de-
bate on a typically hot topic with first-
rate speakers. In January, we held a
debate called "Multiculturalism and

the University." The speakers were
Dinesh D'Souza, whose book "Illib-
eral Education" takes a jab at the
University's multicultural practices,
and Ron Walters, a professor at Howard
University who played an instrumental
role in resolving the racial conflicts at
the University in the late 1980s.
Last term LSASG allocated about
$8,500 to student groups for debates,
speakers and publications.
LSASG's primary responsibility is
to serve students' academic needs. In
years past LSASG has been instrumen-
tal in overhauling teaching assistant
standards and creating a comprehen-
sive study of graduation requirements.
This year we will be taking a look at

the pass/fail option, the University's
new alcohol policy and the Joint Stu-
dent Faculty committee's suggestion
of an LSA Honor Code.
LSASG also facilitates policy
change by appointing students to the
Michigan Student Assembly, the Joint
Student Faculty Committee and the
Curriculum Committee.
LSASG has a small scope that en-
ables it to produce tangible results to
the students it represents. Although
voting members are elected winter term,
new students are welcome to get in-
volved now as there are many new
projects underway.
-Boeskool is president of LSA
Student Government.

Lambda Phi Epsilon
By TIM CHU
Lambda Phi Epsilon is the only Asian American
fraternity at the University. Friendship and loyalty
are the cornerstones of our organization, which was
formed in 1992.
Together we stay up late passing out blankets at
a homeless shelter or help the Salvation Army sort
food donations for the Christmas season.
We take pride in our diversity. We develop a
sense of brotherhood. Brotherhood means feeling

free to be Asian American with a group of guys who
understand where you're coming from. It is
discovering Asian American camaraderie and
learning to be proud of who you are.
Brotherhood is providing purpose and belonging
on a campus where so many just drift through four
years without doing a thing. The brotherhood
teaches each and every member to step up and take
charge; to possess loyalty and commitment.
Brotherhood is Lambda Phi Epsilon.


So you've moved into your
residence hall. Now take the
opportunity to meet the friends
you'll have for the rest of your life.

You might even meet up with friends
in high places, like these members of
the Class of 1993. Who knows where
a Michigan graduate might end up? -
you might be living next door to a
future Nobel Prize winner, or the
majority leader of the House of

Representatives, or the CEO of Time
Magazine, or a world-acclaimed artist,
or maybe even the first First Man.
We hear over and over again fmm U-M
alumni that the best friends they have
come from their years of living in one
of our residence halls.

We offer the kind of community
at a time of your life that you'll
likely never duplicate again. The
staff of the Housing Division
extend our best wishes to all U-M
students, whether you're living on
or off-campus.

A


L~ 77W IN IF9LM~~

f