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a, low around 370.
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21v41
Un'11
One hundredfve years offeditorialfreedom
Tuesday
April 2, 1996
n -.m t
ederal dept
Stephanie Jo Klein
)aily Staff Reporter
After last month's discovery of a large-scale
omputer error that delayed almost 1 million
nancial aid applications, the U.S. Department of
ducation is approaching its goal of processing
11 of the forms received this year.
an effort to make up for lost workdays due to fed-
I shutdowns and technical problems, the depart-
ent set additional deadlines for processing the forms.
The first deadline just passed on March 31,
nd although the total figures have not yet been
eleased, as of March 28 the department's goals
ad almost been reached. Of the 2 million Free
pplications for Federal Student Aid received in
anuary and February, 81 percent have been
rocessed. By April 15, the department aims to
sh the 1.5 million March applications.
. works on backlog of student aid forms
In a letter sent to the presidents of several
major universities on March 6, Education
Secretary Richard Riley said the department was
making efforts to remedy the problem.
"Please be assured that processing the 1996-97
FAFSA is a very high priority for the
Department," Riley wrote, adding that contrac-
tors who deal with the forms have hired new
employees and added worksites to process appli-
cations 24 hours a day, seven days a week."
In another statement, Betsy Hicks, deputy
assistant secretary for student financial assis-
tance programs, said the department is confident
of its ability to meet its committments, "since we
have developed the capacity to process over
100,000 applications a day."
The delays will most affect prospective stu-
dents who are waiting on financial aid awards in
order to choose which school to attend next fall.
Laura McClintock, legislative director for the
U.S. Students' Association, said students are not
as aware of the issue as they could be.
"This is a huge issue for students, but it's not
immediately felt,"she said. "It hits on deadline time"
Incoming first-year students must pay enroll-
ment deposits by May 1, the national enrollment
decision date. With the deadline just two weeks
after the April 15 processing deadline for March
FAFSA forms, students could run short on time.
"We're all just sitting on the edge of our
chairs," said Judith Harper, University interim
director of financial aid. "The closer it gets, the
more anxious families get."
Harper said the University has a long way to go until
all students are notified of their monetary awards.
"We're geared up to get those (award letters)
out just as soon as we get those (federal records)
in," Harper said. "If the Department of Education
is on schedule with their processing, then we
would expect to have award notices out to new
students in time for them to make their decision."
The University mailed 2,500 financial award
notices to students last week. At this time last
year, Harper said, 5,600 had been sent out.
Although McClintock said many college pres-
idents have discussed extending the May I
response deadline, an official from the American
Association of State Colleges and Universities
said such action will not happen on a large scale.
"Neither the association or the Department (of
Education) has made a request that institutions
push back the May 1 date," said Ed Elmendorf,
AA SCU's vice president of government relations
and policy analysis.
-Federal Aid Stowed
As of March 31,
FAFSA is 1.6
million applications
behind schedule Aitions
- . .Received
Total
Applications
ReceivedApp
EinApplcatons
. -- B---
Feb. 29 March 31
*Numbers in millions
JOSH WHITE/Daily
isc jockey
ues 'U for
ormation
* denial
Flint radio personality
sought information on
vehicles of 'U' athletes
y Jodi Cohen
aily Staff Reporter
the University now faces a lawsuit
may point to larger allegations
bout benefits granted to college ath-
etes.
Dave Barber, a Flint radio disc jock-
y, filed a suit yesterday alleging that
he University unreasonably denied
lim documents he had requested
nder the federal - Freedom of
nformation Act.
Barber submitted two FOIA
-equests in February. The documents
*wanted - records showing the
>wner or leasee of the cars that student
thletes drive - were not released.
Barber's first request asked for "all
he writings ... that pertains to the
ossession and use by one Maurice
aylor ... of a 1996 Ford Explorer
imited automobile." About a week
ater, Barber then asked for records of
ehicles "owned, leased, rented or in
way possessed" by University stu-
athletes who receive basketball or
ootball scholarships.
Barber said basketball player
aurice Taylor's Feb. 17 car accident
parked the investigation into the own-
rship of athletes' cars.
'I read a story that said this
37,000 vehicle was leased by his
randmother. I called her and when I
ked her when she leased it, she
ouldn't remember," Barber said.
t seemed odd. It's a 1996 car.
en I pressed her further, she said
une. The car wasn't even manufac-
until the fall.
"So obviously there was a lapse in
. Lloyd's memory. It was surpris-
ng that someone wouldn't remember
hen they leased a 1996 car at
37,000," Barber jokingly added.
Under NCAA regulation, student
thletes cannot receive extra benefits,
uding the use of or assistance in
btaining an automobile. To ensure
'ompliance, University student ath-
etes complete an automobile registra-
ion form.
"There are rules and regulations
hat govern amateur athletes and col-
ege athletes," said Keith Molin, spe-
ial assistant to the athletic director.
It is helpful to know who owns what
ars to make sure they are not in vio-
onof NCAA regulations."
Whe University cited the Family
ucational Rights and Privacy Act as
reason for not releasing the informa-
'on. The federal law intends to protect
nformation about students.
In the letter, University Chief
reedom of Information Officer
wis Morrissey also stated that the
nformation was protected because it
as "information of a personal
re where the public disclosure
ould constitute a clearly unwarrant-
d invasion of an individual's priva-
y.
Associate Vice President for
niversity Relations Lisa Baker
ould not comment on the lawsuit.
I "I am not going to resnond to a law-
Russian cease-
fire produces
mixed results
Analysts, critics say
Yeltsin's order is only
a political move
The Washington Post
MOSCOW - Fighting eased but
the dying apparently did not stop in the
breakaway Russian region' of
Chechnya yesterday after President
Boris Yeltsin ordered a unilateral
cease-fire and political steps to end the
15-month-old conflict there.
Most of the president's adversaries, as
well as neutral analysts, regarded his
proposal more as a political gambit I 1
weeks ahead of June's presidential elec-
tions than as a serious attempt to resolve
the conflict - the bloodiest, in terms of
Russians killed, since World War I.
Chechen fighters also were deeply
wary ofYeltsin's latest proposal, which
in many respects was a rehash of
Moscow's previous positions.
However, there was no direct word
from. the rebel leader, Dzhokhar
Dudayev, with whom Yeltsin said he
was prepared to negotiate through
intermediaries.
The Interfax news agency reported
that 28 Russian troops died and 69
were injured when Chechen fighters
ambushed their convoy in the
Caucasus Mountains of southern
Chechnya shortly after Yeltsin's cease-
fire order was to take effect at mid-
night Sunday. There was no word on
Chechen losses.
The report was unconfirmed. If
true, it would represent one of the
Russian forces' heavier one-day casu-
alty tolls in recent months of fighting.
More than 30,000 people, the large
majority of them civilians, have died
since Yeltsin ordered troops into
Chechnya to crush a separatist rebel-
lion in December 1994.
There were conflicting accounts -
including some from Russian mili-
tary officers - of the extent to which
the Russian cease-fire was observed
yesterday. Yeltsin's previous pro-
nouncements and decrees concerning
the war, including cease-fires, often
have not been translated into reality
in the field.
Quoting Russian forces in Chechnya,
Interfax reported that aside from
"insignificant incidents," most fighting
had come to a halt yesterday afternoon
after a month of an intensive Russian
offensive against separatist rebels.
Resonant
recorders
Above: John Ballbach, a first-year
member of the Ann Arbor
Recorder Society, plays an alto
recorder at the monthly meeting.
Left: Doris Allen, president and
member of the Society for five
years, plays a soprano recorder
at yesterday's monthly gathering
at Forsythe Middle School.
"(Recorders) are more fun to
play than to listen to," said
Kennith Boulding, one of the
Recorder Society's founders.
Photos by SARA STILLMAN/Datly
Local residents reach
the end of the Line
Computer group pushes for a
LU' multimedia concentmation
By Will Weissert
Daily Staff Reporter
Imagine if more than 50 high school
seniors and their families suddenly
began camping out in front of the
Fleming Building on Thompson Street
to be assured a spot at the University
next year.
Now imagine a similar campout -
this time for the chance to go to a cer-
tain high school.
At 8 a.m. yesterday morning, that
marathon campout came toa close.
Fifteen days of waiting in the Line
around the clock came to an abrupt
end for 50 eighth graders and their
exhausted families, as Community
High School distributed its final 50
first-year student openings for the
coming year.
"A good education is worth as much
as it takes," said Rosemary Metz,
whose daughter Liza is now assured a
spot at Community next year. "Fifteen
days is a long time, but versus four
years it is definitely worth it."
The Metzes were just one of more
than 100 families who began waiting
in line in front of the Ann Arbor Public
Schools' Balas Administration
Building on State Street on March 17
See COMMUNITY, Page 2
By Carty Blatt
for the Daily
With computer-related arts rapidly
becoming a major part of society, the
Ann Arbor Computer Artist Coalition
"entity" is campaigning for the
University to create a structured mul-
timedia concentration.
Members of the group entity say#
there is no all-encompassing defl'ini-
tion for multimedia.
"The definition is constantly being-
redefined," said School of Art and
Design junior Heather Bradley, direc-
tor and founder of entity.
Although multimedia-related courses do exist at the
University, they are not organized into any type of major.
"Students have done (the proposed program) on their
own, but haven't called it multimedia. About 80 of our 550
undergraduates (in the School of Art and Design) are
working on non-formal, joint degrees," said Eugene
Piianowski, assistant dean of undergraduate studies at the
_. . :
r
t,
Engineering.
Currently, many students who
would enroll under an established
multimedia program are Individual
Concentration Program majors in
\- various schools.
According to entity, the ICP major
is not sufficient in today's increas-
ingly competitive multimedia indus-
\ try.
Michael Rodemer, co-director of
the International Symposium on
Electronic Arts and assistant profes-
sor at the Art Institute of Chicago
said, "Students need a degree that is
recognized. (They need) knowledge in the field to be cov-
ered in an organized way."
Because multimedia combines art and technology, stu-
dents educated in both will be at an advantage, said School
of Art and Design junior Sara Osborn, assistant director of
entity.
Some fine arts students see potential in the idea of com-
I
IMEE