LOCAI/sItAirt The Michigan Daily - Thursday, March 9, 1995 - 3 y. F f ! !" v ' , ' i 'U' to offer direct deposit for extra financial aid funds Complaint filed against prof. for 'explicit' lecture A $2.5 million sexual harassment complaint has been filed against a Sacramento State University psychol- ogy professor by a student who claims the professor made offensive sexual comments during a lecture. Craig Rogers, a 33-year old stu- dent, filed complaints with the Cah- fornia Board of Control and the uni- versity. He claims Prof. Joanne Mar- row violated a state ban on using sexually 'explicit pictures when she gave "how-to" tips on masturbation and showed slides of children's, men's and women's genitalia. The California agency that handles claims made against the state has rejected Rogers' claim, saying the matter would be better handled in court. Rogers has not decided if he is going to sue. His complaint remains under investigation by the university. Rogers told The Associated Press that he filed the complaint because he felt that Marrow, who is a lesbian, was pushing her beliefs onto the class. "I just felt like she was really pushing onto me her sexual philoso- phies, her sexual preferences," Rogers told the AP. He indicated that after the lecture he wanted to vomit. Marrow has refused to comment, but her attorney told the Wall Street Journal that the complaints are akin to "fundameuntal Christian McCarthyism" designed to "put sexu- ality back in the closet." Miss. judge rules on higher education desegregation A Mississippi federal judge ruled on Tuesday that the state cannot close either a mostly Black univer- sity or a mostly white university to claim it has ended the state's ra- cially segregated higher educational system. U.S. District Judge Neal Biggers proposed that to combat the segre- gation that exists in the higher edu- cation system, the state must estab- lish one set of admissions standards for all of its eight universities, which now vary widely from school to school. The state must also redistribute n many of its higher education pro- grams, particularly on the graduate level, and-spend about $30 million to strengthen the mostly Black schools. Biggers' ruling quieted a move- ment in Mississippi to shut down his- torically Black and white institutions and to merge them with other institu- tions. Biggers ruled that institutions can- not be shut down for desegregation - only for financial or other school reasons. - Compiled by Daily Staff Re porter Kelly Feeney. The Associated Press contributed to this report By Ronnie Glassberg Daily Staff Reporter University students who receive excess funds from financial aid won't have to wait for a check next year to get their money. The University payroll office will offer students the opportunity to de- posit these funds directly into their bank account. The change could po- tentially impact thousands of Univer- sity students who receive a check for the additional funds from financial aid. "It will mean that students can have the money that would be coming to them deposited directly into their bank account," said Judith Harper, interim director of financial aid."With direct deposit, at the time the check would be cut, the money will be elec- tronically transferred and it will be there immediately." Students receive the extra funds if their financial aid exceeds the charges on their student account. Federal regu- lations require that students use the additional funds for educationally re- lated expenses, such as textbooks and living costs. Until this fall, students needed to wait in line at the cashier's office to receive a check for the excess funds. This year, the University's payroll of- fice has taken charge of the disburse- ment process, and it mails the checks. Norel Tullier, manager of Univer- sity payrolls, said the University can directly deposit payments in student accounts at 14,000 to 15,000 finan- cial institutions nationwide. "I think we can make it a lot easier for them to get their money," she said. The University has offered direct deposit to its employees since the 1970s. For University employees on a monthly payroll, which includes faculty, 88 percent use direct deposit. Of the employees on semi-weekly payroll, 65 percent use direct deposit. Cynthia Cross, director of recruit- ment and support for the Rackham School of Graduate Studies, said di- rect deposit for financial aid will be an improvement for graduate students. "A lot of Rackham students are. not always in town," Cross said. "We are constantly dealing with issues to get payment to them." The direct deposit authorization will cover all funds distributed to stu- dents, including financial aid, Uni- versity employment and work-study. It will remain in effect until a student cancels direct deposit. "It will be a more reliable way of getting the money because the money goes from the payroll office directly into your account," Cross said. "If they have an account someplace else in the country, they can have the check deposited there." Students who do not anrange for direct deposit will receive aid and fellowship disbursements by checks mailed to their local addresses. The deposit notifications for all direct de- posits will be mailed to the local ad- dress on file at the Registrar's Office. To receive direct deposit, students need to turn forms into the payroll office by Aug. 1. In the 1994-95 academic year, the Office of Financial Aid disbursed $130 million in financial aid to Uni versity students. U.S. House may eliminate subsidized student loans, Crazy seniors Susan Isaak and Kelly Faigin, both Art School seniors, ham it up with their crazy hats and smiles for Art School senior Jennifer Parisi, as she takes their pictures for the Art School Senior Poster. Office of 'U' Relations seeks graduating student to speak durng spng By Jennifer Harvey Daily Staff Reporter The Office of University Rela- tions is looking for a good man or woman who wants to be heard by about 6,000 peers. A student speaker is being sought for the April 29 graduation ceremony in Michigan Stadium. Anyone receiv- ing an undergraduate degree from any University college in winter term 1995 or summer term 1995 may apply. Susan Ederer of the Office of Uni- versity Relations said the office is looking for someone "who can speak to the students' experience." Applicants must send in: A typed version of the speech, no longer than five minutes O An audio cassette tape of the ceremony applicant delivering the speech A cover letter or resume detail- ing the student's academic history, activities at the University and any prior public speaking experience. "The information of the cover let- ter is not criteria for selection. It's something for us to keep in mind when we're listening to the speech," Ederer said. Ederer said only about a dozen students have thus far expressed inter- est in the speakership. Previously, when LSA chose student graduation speak- ers, it generally picked two out of 20 applicants per graduation, Ederer said. All application materials must be delivered to the Office of University Relations by 5 p.m. on Monday, March 13. By Patience Atkin Daily Staff Reporter Graduation day is a relatively happy time, when students can finally relax - at least until their loan repay- ments begin and interest starts piling up. The interest, however, may come even sooner. The House Appropriations Com- mittee is scheduled to vote next week on a proposal to eliminate funding for interest exemptions from the edu- cation budget. This may cost some students up to $4,000 a year and save the government as much as $3 billion. Save Student Aid, a sub-organiza- tion of the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students, was formed to actively oppose the elimi- nation of the exemption. "We want to keep the exemption included, to make sure the Republi- cans in the House Budget Committee do not support a movement to elimi- nate the interest exemption," said Kevin Boyer, NAGPS executive di- rector. The plan would eliminate subsi- dized loans, in which the federal gov- ernment pays all of the interest that accrues while the student is in school. Students who receive unsubsidized loans must pay the interest themselves. A representative of the Office of Financial Aid said the office esti- mates that, if approved, the proposal would affect up to 8,000 University students. SSA has slated March 13-20 as a target week for students nationwide to lobby Congress via phone calls, letters and e-mail. "We've set up a special e-mail address so that students can e-mail a letter, and we will print it out in stan- dard letter form and hand deliver it to Congress," Boyer said. Rackham student Peter Harbage, communications director for the Col- lege Democrats, is spearheading a letter-writing campaign. "Our goal is 1,000 hand-written letters," he said. "We will have form letters that students can sign their names to, but we're going to focus on the hand-written letters." Harbage said the government is trying to cut the program because students have little political influence. Scholarship to remember 'U' student By Melissa Koenigsberg For the Daily The friends and family of Marc Feldmann will gather together on March 18 for a memorial service to remember the outstanding University student who touched the lives of many. A highly regarded chemistry stu- dent, Feldmann contributed to the chemistry department as a teaching assistant and researcher. The LSA senior died Feb. 20 in a skiing acci- dent. Feldmann's family extends an open invitation to people who wish to pay their last respects. "Friends, classmates, students and professors are welcomed and encour- aged to come by. Everyone will have a chance to sneak (about Marc)" said E-mail adde"s Students interested in lobbying Congress may contact NAGPS at NAGPS@netcom.com. The address for letters to Congress is save-student-aid@netcom.com. "(The government) is really going after programs that don't have con- stituents," Harbage said. "Schoolkids can't say anything about their lunches being taken away, so 'we'll cut their programs. "It's the same thing here. They think that college students aren't in- terested in government." Rep. Lynn Rivers (D-Ann Arbor) said this kind of a movement could sway some votes. "I think a group like this could be very effective," Rivers said, adding she will vote against eliminating the. interest exemption. Although each year's interest may not be only a small sum, Boyer said, it compounds over time. "I think the average time it takes to get a Ph.D. is about seven years," he said. "You're talking, then, about I1 years of interest accruing. This would be an average loss-of about $35,000 if you started school when there was no interest exemption and you went for 10 or 11 years." "(The government) is really going after programs that don't have constituents." - Peter Harbage Rackham student Robert Way, an LSA junior who presently receives both subsidized and unsubsidized loans, said that if the proposal is passed, it would not ad- versely affect him too much. "It would affect me if they made: me pay while I was in school, but if they let the interest accrue while I was in school, it'll just be a bigger bill to pay at the end, once I graduate," he said. Boyer said that even if the group blocks the proposal, the initiative may be revived at a later time. "The most likely outcome at this point is that (the proposal) will make it into the House budget," Boyer said: "This battle is going to be the tough; est, but if we win, we won't necessar- ily have won the war, but we'll have delivered a knock out punch." ::>> >: i v. iiN v is h} ?? i.... r. v :: q ". What's happening in Ann Arbor today GRouP MEETINGS Q Bible Study and Fellowship, spon- sored by ICM, 763-1664, Baits II, Coman Lounge, 6-8 p.m. Q Eye of the Spiral, informal meeting, 747-6930, Guild House Campus Ministry, 802 Monroe, 8 p.m. Q Hellenic Students Association, meeting, 998-1044, Michigan Union, Wolverine Room, 8 p.m. Q intervarsity Christian Fellowship, 764-5702, Dana Building, Room 1040, 7 p. Q Queer Unity Project, meeting, 763- 4186, Michigan Union, 10 p.m. Q WOLV Channel 70 Programming: S and M, 7-8 p.m.; I.M. Broomball, 8- 10 p.m; MSA, 10-12 p.m. EVENTS U "Advanced Study Center Seminar," sponsored by International Insti- tute, Lorch Hall, Room 361, 3-6 p.m. Q "Can We Keep Community Net- physical seminar-thesis colloquium, sponsored by Depart- ment of Chemistry, Chemistry Building, Room 1640, 4 p.m. U "Environmental Job Panel," spon- sored by Project SERVE Environ- mental Committee, Michigan Union, Pendleton Room, 4 p.m. J "Introduction to the Internet," spon- sored by ACM/VCC, everyone wlecome, IFS account required, Angell Hall Computing Center, Classroom D, 7-9 p.m. C] "Meiji Daughters, Showa Politi- cians," sponsored by Center for Japanese Studies, Lane Hall Com- mons Room, 12 noon J "One-on-one Creative Writing Cri- tiques for Engineering Students," sponsored by College of Engineer- ing, Rackham Building, Room 2506, 9-11:30 a.m. Q "Reduce Your Stress Through Yoga," sponsored by Pre-Medical Club, Michigan Union, Pendleton Room, 6:30 p.m. F1 "Rnhart Dinckv RDadiwnd rnm INis Population Planning and Interna- tional Health, SPH 1, Room 3026, Faculty Lounge, 3 p.m. U "Virginia," film, sponsored by CREES, Angell Hall, Auditorium C, 7 p.m. Q "Work Abroad Worldwidel" spon- sored by International Center, In- ternational Center, Room 9, 5:30- 7 p.m. STUDENT SERVICES Q 76-GUIDE, 764-8433, peer coun- seling phone line, 7 p.m.-8 a.m. Q ECB Peer Tutorial, A Hall Comput- ing Site, 7-11, Mary Markley Li- brary, 7-10 p.m. SCampus Information Center, Michi- gan Union, 763-INFO; events info 76-EVENT or UM*Events on GOpherBLUE Q North Campus Information Center, North Campus Commons, 763- NCIC, 7:30 a.m.-5:50 p.m. Q Northwalk, 763-WALK, Bursley Hall, 8-11:30 p.m. I I I I .'