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Students find
study space in
'U' libraries
By KELLIE PORTH
Daily Staff Reporter
It is Sunday evening, you have a quiz tomorrow, and
your neighbor is still learning "Stairway to Heaven" on his
electric guitar. Looks like it is time to head to the library.
Now which one of the 22 should you visit? If you're
looking for peace and quiet, stay away from the Under-
graduate Library, or UGLi.
"The UGLi tends to get noisy," said LSA senior Puma
Viswanathan. "And it gets cold in the winter, but it is open
late and has a Safewalk station."
Others, prefer the Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library.
"The Grad has a better selection of magazines and newspa-
pers," said Fan Zhang, a Pharmacy graduate student. "I like
to read the magazines they have in Chinese."
If these study areas start to get old, there is a host of other
libraries comfortable for studying and that offer a full range
of valuable research opportunities.
For a study break, head up to the Special Collections
room on the seventh floor of the Graduate Library. Here
there are different exhibits showcasing the rare holdings of
the library. Students also are welcome to use these resources
for their research topics.
"These collections are open to all interested research-
ers," said James Fox, assistant head of the Special Collec-
tions Library. The seventh floor also houses the Labadie
Collection, which contains anarchist materials and social
protest literature from 1911 to the present, published by both
liberals and conservatives.
If you are in need of information from 1974-77, hop a bus
and head to the Gerald Ford Library on North Campus. Be
sure to bring some identification and change for the copy
machine. The collection includes all of Ford's White House
papers, congressional files, and even the Warren Commis-
* sion report on the investigation into the death of JFK. You
could really impress a professor with these references, and
the people there are really nice.
The University also houses North America's largest
collection of ancient manuscripts written on papyrus.
Located on the eighth floor of the Grad, the papyrology
FOA officer holds
key to 'U' secrets
Students have been known to get lost in the Grad.
library contains the published translations of some of the
papyrus that would be useful to any research topic con-
cerning ancient Egypt.
For psychological or medical topics, a visit to the
Public Health Library or Taubman Medical Library may
be needed. The Public Health Library is right across from
Mary Markley Residence Hall, and Taubman is a block
north of Couzens Residence Hall. If you go to Taubman
and have any elevator fears, take the stairs.
The Art Library in Tappan Hall is the place to go for that
art history class. It is never busy, but finding that book can be
tricky. Plan on going up and down the same stairs a lot.
If you're having trouble getting into an academic frame
of mind, head to the Law Library. Its high ceilings and stone
walls make studying almost fun. Various passes allow you
to venture down into the underground library. Be sure to
catch it on a sunny day, but don't breathe too loud.
If all this library hiking is wearing you out, the Ann
Arbor Public Library is nice. Their magazine collection is
excellent and it is rarely crowded, but the copies are a little
expensive. Show proof that you live in Ann Arbor, and
you get a complimentary library card.
"Being in a library and seeing others study motivates
me to study," Viswanathan said. But if the smell of old
books is wearing you out, there are other places to find
peace and quiet.
By DAVID RHEINGOLD
Daily Staff Reporter
Looking for information about the
University? Then you may need to use
the Freedom of Information Act, or
FOIA,alaw thatguarantees thepublic's
right to government information.
Activists, journalists and other dirt-
diggers routinely use the FOIA to get
information about what their govern-
ment is doing. That information spans a
variety of formats, from internal reports
to canceled checks to office memos.
And "government" can mean any
agency from the U.S. Department of
Agriculture to the city of Ann Arbor.
Government also means the Univer-
sity, since it's apublic institution. (There
are differentFOIA laws on the state and
federal level; the University falls under
the state one.)
Whatever the case, anybody can use
the FOIA for any reason.
"People aren't required to tell us,
'This is what I want,"' explains Lew
Morrissey, the University's chief FOIA
officer. "We're obligated to treat a re-
quest regardless of the rationale or mo-
tivation for it."
People who request information
about the University through the FOIA
inevitably deal with Morrissey, who
took over the position this past January.
His office receives about 100 re-
quests a year from students, faculty,
staff, attorneys and the news media -
including The Michigan Daily.
Different people seek information
for different reasons. During the Per-
sian GulfWar, protesters used the FOIA
to investigate military research on cam-
pus. Animal-rights activists frequently
ask for information about animal re-
search conducted here.
Of course, information seekers may
simply call the appropriate office and
ask for what they want - an option
Morrissey considers preferable.
"They might find that in addition to
getting the documents they wanted, they
might get the opportunity to talk to
some people and get a deeper under-
standing," Morrissey says. "But once
you go the FOIA route, everything be-
comes very official, very formal."
Then why use the FOIA?
"This is a public institution, but
there are people who for whatever rea-
sons feel that what they do is private in
nature, that what they do is nobody
else's business," acknowledges
Morrissey, who worked as a reporter
and editor for 23 years at the Flint
Journal. Hejoined the University's Flint
campus as director of public relations in
1989.
The FOIA does allow the govern-
ment to withhold information if it meets
certain conditions.
Information that would jeopardize
an ongoing police investigation or pri-
vate, personal information, such as So-
cial Security numbers, are two such
examples.
Denial "could very well mean -
and often does - that what they're
asking for doesn't exist as a document,"
Morrissey adds.
People who'feel they have been
wrongfully denied information may opt
to take the University to court, as Uni-
versity alum Chet Zarko did earlier this
year.
Zarko sought a printout of the Uni-
versity Board of Regents' private com-
puter conference. The University con-
tended that it was private, but agreed to
release the information afterthe Detroit
Free Press and the Ann Arbor News
threatened suit.
Getting Informed
To file a request under the
Freedom of Information Act,
simply write a letter that
begins: "Under the provisions
of the Michigan Freedom of
Information Act, lam
requesting access to and a
copy of (what you seek)."
Address your letter to Lew
Morrissey, the University's
chief Freedom of Information
Act officer.
* Each page photocopied
costs 5 cents, and the
University charges $5.30 for
each hour of staff labor.
Be sure to include an
address and phone number
where you can be reached.
You also may wish to indicate
how much you're willing to
spend.
Entree Plus
*Entree Plus to bid adieu, will make way for expanded program
By JAMES M. NASH
Daily Staff Reporter
Entr6e Plus and local merchants
have shared a peculiar love-hate rela-
tionship, one that University officials
hope will blossom into a happy mar-
riage of commerce and education.
Entree Plus is the University's
*debit-card system, a magnetic strip
encoded on student ID cards. The
University bombards incoming stu-
dents with plugs for the card, which
allows them to draw funds from a pre-
paid account.
Here's how it works: Students (or
their parents) deposit funds into an
account at the beginning of the se-
mester. Money is withdrawn from the
account whenever the student makes
a purchase with the Entree Plus card.
At the end of the school year, the
University refunds leftover cash from
each account. Once a student has ex-
hausted an Entree Plus account, the
student can't use Entree Plus until
more funds are added.
It sounds convenient, and for the
thousands of students - mostly first-
and second-year - who use Entree
Plus, it's the best invention since the
credit card. But off-campus merchants
take a different view.
These retailers criticize Entree Plus
and the University's sponsorship of
the program, which deprives them of
access to the money flow. Because
Entree Plus is a University-managed
debit card, extending it off campus
may violate banking regulations, Uni-
versity administrators fear.
But they found a way around the
web of banking laws: The next debit
card program will likely be co-man-
aged by the University and a bank,
and will be accessible to any retailer
who pays a start-up fee.
Florida State University has ad-
ministered such a program for about
five years, and University officials
are using the FSUCard as a model for
the their own program.
"You use it just like a Visa or
Mastercard," said Jeff Staples, asso-
ciate director of technical services for
the FSUCard.
In fact, the FSUCard boasts a host
of added features that Entr6e Plus
lacks. University officials say the new
debit card will probably have a new
name and new uses - possibly as all-
purpose currency.
Unlike old ID cards, the new iden-
tification the University now issues
to first-year students is identical in
size and shape to a credit card or ATM
card. The new configuration clears
the way for students to use the card in
automatic teller machines, said Uni-
versity Controller Robert W. Moenart.
But the University must first link the
debit card to a banking network, he
said.
At least initially, the Entr6e Plus'
successor will resemble the current
program, officials said. "Our intent is
to provide a card like Entree Plus that
has functionality off campus and is
affiliated with 4 bank," Moenart said.
Academic, Counseling Services
'U, provides numerous
services for students
I i
Looking for academic
and personal, try one
of the dozens of
support services on
campus
By ANDREW TAYLOR
Daily Staff Reporter
As the summer winds turn into a
crisp fall breeze, the inevitable occurs
on campus - an influx of bright-eyed
and eager new students arrive like the
first robins of spring.
Academics often find their way onto
the top of students' lists of concerns.
Fortunately, tuition dollars pay for more
than just classes, and everyone has a
full access to the many services pro-
vided by the University.
The LSA Academic Advising of-
fice is staffed by more than 30 faculty
and staff members from various de-
partments in the college. They are avail-
able to help with anything from decid-
aling which courses to take, to how to
weed through the University bureau-
cracy. Formany students this is the first
step when an academic problem arises
(764-0330).
After a few weeks at the University
it quickly becomes time to sit down an
write that first term paper - and sud-
denly a case of writer's block sets in
that could be fatal to the GPA if not
immediately cured. Thankfully, the
English Composition Board swoops
into the rescue. Here students can find
staff members to help them decide on a
topic, work out grammar problems,
read the final paper for flaws, and do
virtually anything else a student might
Counseling Services can provide
assistance for many people with per-
sonal problems. Services include crisis
intervention, personal counseling and
short term psycho-therapy (76-
GUIDE).
For some students drugs and alco-
hol can find their way into the daily
regimen. Luckily, there are people who
care and can help at the Alcohol and
Other Drug Education Program. Rep-
resentatives can provide referrals to
treatmentprograms and support groups
for those in need (763-1320).
While support organizations such
as these help many students each year
through their troubles, other groups
serve a slightly different purpose.
The Lesbian-Gay Male Bisexual
Programs Office has been serving the,
University community since 1971. This
office provides social and support
groups forindividuals uncertain of their
sexual identity. Educational programs
as well as advice and counseling are
offered to anyone who wishes to learn
more (763-4186).
Students with disabilities should
find University services available to
help accommodate their needs. A dis-
ability can be anything that seriously
limits an individual's ability to com-
plete daily activities. Examples include
diabetes, asthma, dyslexia and clinical
depression, as well as problems with
hearing, sight and movement.
The Services for Students with Dis-
abilities center helps students locate
appropriate services, such as acces-
sible campus busing, sign language
and oral interpretation, readers and other
volunteers. etc. (763-3000).
CHRIS WOLF/Daily
Thinking about studying abroad?
Stop by the International Center for
advice.
Numbers to Know
Affirmative Action: 763-0235
Alumni Association:
764-0384
Athletic Ticket Office:
764-0247
Campus events: 76-EVENT
Campus movies: 76-FILM
Campus info: 763-INFO
Computing Center: 764-HELP
Counseling Hotline:
76-GUIDE
Health Services: 764-8320
International Center:
764-9310
Lesbian/Gay Male Hotline:
763-4186
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