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One hundred four years of editorial freedom

Tuesday
February 14, 1995

faL CV* (0. 76 .

I

Pass/fail proposal meets opposition at special forum


By Cathy Boguslaski
Daily Staff Reporter
~A proposal to eliminate the pass/fail op-
tion for fourth-term foreign language classes
drew fire last night at an open meeting de-
signed to solicit student opinion.
About 35 students attended the forum, which
#as sponsored by the LSA Student Govern-
ment. Members of the LSA curriculum com-
mittee presented their proposal at the meeting.
The committee includes three students, LSA
Associate Dean Michael Martin, Director of
Academic Services Chuck Judge and two pro-
fessors who did not attend last night's meeting.
The proposal stemmed from the concern
that the high percentage of students taking
classes pass/fail was "having a devastating

effect on language instruction in LSA. It's
disheartening to the effort of the instructors;
and it's corrupting the classroom environ-
ment," said LSA junior Michael Cohen, one
of the committee's student members.
"It's hindering the opportunity of students
who honestly want to learn a language," he said.
Faculty members are scheduled to vote on
the proposal, which would affect students
entering the University in fall 1995, at the
Senate Assembly meeting in April.
Several students objected strongly to the
proposal.
"You're just limiting students' options. I'd
dare to say that even if you go through all your
classes (without pass/fail) you won't be able to
speak, because you're not forced to speak in

"Just changing the fourth semester won't
change the atmosphere in the class"
- Dana Richards
LSA senior

class," said Dana Richards, an LSA senior.
"Just changing the fourth semester won't change
the atmosphere in the class. People have to be
serious about it on their own."
The committee discovered that students use
the pass/fail option more often in foreign lan-
guages than in any other class and that grades for
students taking classes pass/fail in that depart-
ment are generally lower. About 40 percent of
the students in the romance languages depart-

ment, which includes French and Spanish, take
language classes pass/fail. Those students who
use the pass/fail option average a 2.48 for the
class, while those taking the class for a grade
receive a 3.41 on average, Cohen said.
Martin said improving the quality of for-
eign language education should be a joint
venture between teacher and student.
"The fact is, students do have an obligation to
participate in classes," he said. "We cannot pro-

vide good language instruction with large num-
bers of students electing the courses pass/fail."
Many students disagreed that removing the
pass/fail option would improve student learning.
"The problem lies within the foreign lan-
guage requirement itself. Many students don't
feel the teaching is worthwhile," said Rick
Bernstein, an LSA junior who is running for
president of LSA-SG. "It's not the student's
responsibility to reform your department foryou."
Part of Bernstein's platform is preserving
the pass/fail system and eliminating the for-
eign language requirement.
Students who want to have input on this
issue can speak with a faculty member before
the April vote, said LSA sophomore Shanth5
Rau, another student member of the committee.

C fi cty

Valentine's
Day full of
rosy charm
By Megan Schimpf
Daily Staff Reporter
Brian Irwin cut out hearts, sten-
ciled letters and put glitter on con-
ction paper to make a Valentine's
'Tay card for the girl he's seeing.
"I also got her a single, long-
stemmed red rose and a nice vase for it,"
said Irwin, an Engineering sophomore.
And since his girlfriend, Amy, is
sick, Irwin said he'll visit her tonight
instead of going out anywhere.
"I thought I
might get her
some ice cream,"
# - gal he said. "It's sup-
posed to be good
2: Ghost - if you have a sore
2, When Harry throat."
Met Sally Many red
3. Somewhere in roses and boxes of
Time candy will change
4, Casablanca hands today as
5. Pretty Woman students at the
. Moonstruck University cel-
0 Remember ebrate Valentine's
8 Dirty Dancing. Day. And while
9. An Officer and some students
a Gentleman might prefer to
0. Sleepless in treat Feb. 14 as a
Seattle regular day, it will
Source. Blockbuster Video be hard to ignore.
Normandie Flowers on South Uni-
versity Avenue has ordered between
2,000 and 2,500 roses for today, said
employee Robert Schafer. Orders are
*wn so far this year, Schafer said.
"I think because it's cold, people
don't want to go out and put their
orders in until they have to," he said
yesterday. "Actually, (Valentine's
Day) is going to be a big day."
Roses are the most popular order,
he said. Most people buy single roses,
a half-dozen or a dozen.
February is the busiest time of the
War for florists.
"I can remember in June '94, get-
ting in the hammock when it was nice
and sunny with a book, and thinking,
'It's still eight more months until
Valentine's Day,"' Schafer said.
Since Valentine's Day falls the
week before Spring Break, most stu-

Prosecutors
push Baker
indictment

Andrea Pfaff, a
University
graduate, took
5< yesterday off
from her "real
job" to help out
at Normandie
Flowers on
South University
Avenue. All the
romance in the
!<: V air puts extra
pressure on
local florists.
MOLLY STEVENS/Daily
you made paper hearts and every-
thing. It sounds kind of corny, but
that's how I am."
But the holiday isn't reserved com-
pletely for couples.
Marissa Nicolaescu, an LSA jun-
ior, bought cards for several friends
yesterday. She said Valentine's Day
has become more commercial than
meaningful.
"It's nice, and I like it," she said.
"But you should always be nice to
someone you think is special. You
should just go out and get them a card
for the heck of it."

By Josh White
Daily Staff Reporter
LSA sophomore Jake Baker may
face a grand jury indictment before
Friday's probable cause hearing, said
U.S. Attorney Ken Chadwell.
Chadwell said he is working to-
ward an early indictment in order to
get to a trial as early as possible.
Baker, who is charged with violat-
ing Title 18 U.S. Code sec. 865 (c) by
sending threatening e-mail messages
over the Internet, sits in the Wayne
County Jail as a federal prisoner.
Defense attorney Douglas
Mullkoff said he is preparing briefs to
appeal the decision to detain Baker.
Mullkoff said he is "working dili-
gently" on Baker's second appeal,
which will be considered by the 6th
Circuit Court in Cincinnati.
"The decision to hold Mr. Baker
without bail will be taken up with the
6th Circuit in Cincinnati as soon as
possible," Mullkoff said from his Ann
Arbor office. "We should get their
decision within 10 days."
Mullkoff expects that the appeal
will be granted, but said the next step
after Cincinnati would be the U.S.
Supreme Court.
"We will present the court with
the same release conditions we sug-
gested in the detainment hearing,"
Mullkoff said. "I don't expect to lose
in the 6th Circuit."
Mullkoff presented a set of re-
lease conditions to Magistrate Judge
Thomas A. Carlson and Judge Ber-
nard A. Friedman. Under the condi-
tions, Baker would live- with his
mother, Vilma Baker, in Boardman,
Ohio; have a curfew; meet with Pre-
trial Services regularly; and undergo
psychological evaluations.
Baker told Department of Public
Safety officers late last month that he
did not want to be examined by psy-
chiatrists, who he called "the sha-
mans of our age," said FBI Special
Agent Greg Stejskal.
In denying Baker's bond Friday,
Carlson called Baker a "ticking bomb

| ... - .>

ing take place, an
indictment would
still be required
for the case to go
to trial.
Chadwell de-
clined comment
on the grand jury
proceedings as
"they are se-
cret."
FBI Special
Agent Dawn
Moritz said the
FBI has con-
tacted the
Ontario Provin-
cial Police in the
investigation of
an Ontario man
Baker had e-
mailed in the last

If a grand .jury
indicts Jake Baker
(above) before
Friday, the trial will
begin within the
next few weeks.
Baker's attorney is
appealing his
detainment in the
Wayne County Jail.

waiting to go off," and Friedman de-
scribed him as "too dangerous for
society."
Chadwell said that if a grand jury
indictment is reached by Friday, the
scheduled hearing will be bypassed.
Should Friday's probable cause hear-

dents have exams and papers due this
week, complicating Valentine's plans.
"It's a hectic week, with exams
and everything," Irwin said. "It's hard
to do anything."
School of Education junior Kim-
berly Sitz and her boyfriend will cel-
ebrate later, since both have classes
and other commitments tonight.
"He is going to make meaValentine' s
Day romantic meal, but it won't be until
after spring break," she said.
Buying a card for that special per-
son proved to be quite a challenge for
some students yesterday, since nu-

ances of relationships are difficult to
put into words.
"I'm going to get her something a
little more simple," LSA first-year stu-
dent Charlie Lowell said while look-
ing at Looney Tunes and Snoopy cards.
"First of all, having someone else
saying your mushy stuff for you is
just silly," he said of cards like Hall-
mark. "I'm a big fan of simplicity."
Sitz also made a card for her boy-
friend, Engineering senior Jeff Heydt.
"Instead of buying one, I thought
it would be neat to make one," she
said. "Like in elementary school when

few months. According to the FBI,
the e-mail correspondence included
plans to abduct, rape, torture and
murder women.
"The OPP has been notified of the
case," Moritz said. "The matter has been
referred to them and they are trying to
identify (Arthur Gonda) over in Canada."
But Ontario police officials said they
had not heard of the case other than from
local newspaper and television reports.
"Both the criminal investigation
and anti-racket branches of the OPP
have not been contacted in regards to
this investigation," said Staff Sgt. Terry
Blace of the Toronto branch of the
OPP. "Those two departments would
receive an official request for assis-
tance, but neither has reported know-
ing of the case. However, the FBI may
have made a request and it may have
been redirected to another agency.
"I am not saying that the FBI didn't
See BAKER, Page 2

Jiesidence staff urges 71
advances for women

Suspect investigated
for rapes in Inkster

By Stephanie Jo Klein
Daily Staff Reporter
Members of the residence hall staff
urged University President James J.
Duderstadt to expand a new plan to
+ crease women's opportunities at the
University last night.
On the top of the priority list is a
new center to report safety concerns
and centralize people who could serve
as role models during college.

fully in University activities. The
agenda, which is similar to the Michi-
gan Mandate, grew out of discussions
with students, faculty and staff.
The agenda's mission statement
says that "by the year 2000, the Uni-
versity of Michigan will be become
'the leader among American universi-
ties in promoting the success of
women of diverse backgrounds."
Duderstadt said, "(The agenda's)

By Frank C. Lee
Daily Staff Reporter
Suspected serial rapist Ervin D.
Mitchell Jr. is being investigated in a
string of Inkster, Mich., rape-homi-
cides while attorneys in an Ann Arbor
assault and robbery trial involving
Mitchell did some legal maneuvering
in the form of pre-trial motions.
Michigan State Police Sgt.

from four of the five women raped in
Ann Arbor by a serial rapist, but he
has yet to be charged with any of those
crimes.
Meanwhile, the prosecution in the
Christmas Eve assault and robbery of
an Ann Arbor woman filed six mo-
tions including a witness list of 51
names Thursday. The 44 pages of
motions were in response to the


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