LOCAL/STATE

The Michigan Daily - Thursday, April 18, 1996 - 3A

Web pages offer
use resources
Want to find out how to contact a
vorite lobbying group?
How about receiving a free pamphlet
on how to drive better, courtesy of
Michigan's secretary of state?
The University's "Government Re-
soutces on the Web"home-page touches
on a wide range of topics, from foreign
politics to federal grants, and it has
even won special home-page awards.
Users seeking out valuable resources
'are most often directed to other web
ages, but brochures, microfiche and
-ROMS are also included.
Another insightful web page con-
nects browsers to government docu-
ments relating to current hot spots, such
as Bosnia and Taiwan.
The Document Center staff looks for
mentions of public documents in news
broadcasts and newspapers daily and
links them to the "Documents in the
News" web page for easy web-surfing.
"Government Resources on the Web"
n be found at http://
www.lib.umich.edu/libhome/
Documents. center/govweb. html.
"Documents in the News" is located at
http://www.lib.umich.edu/libhome/
Documents. center/docnews. html.
Prof. explains pollution
origins in magazine
Last Friday's issue ofScience magazine
tured Prof. Jerome Nriagu's explana-
n of the origins of modern pollution.
Nriagru argues that lead and mercury
poisoning and air pollution are not
modern concepts - in fact, they have
Been around since the beginning of time.
In Science he explains that lasting rem-
Snants of global air pollution exist in polar
ice caps, ancient bogs and oceanic matter.
Nriagu is the author of "Lead and
Lead Poisoning in Antiquity," which
*ints to lead poisoning among the ar-
istocracy as one of the possible reasons
for the fall of the Roman empire.
Astronomical images
delivered to classes
University astronomer Douglas
Richstone hopes more high school stu-
dents will soon be viewing extraordinary
stars - without even going outside.
Richstone has compiled "Image ofthe
'onth" packages - collections of pho-
tographs sent to teachers, each displaying
a colorful image of a star or planet. Along
with the photos, students get a short de-
scription of the object and an informa-
tional list of home pages, books and maga-
zine articles with more information.
,The images are photographed in
Tuscon, Ariz., by University faculty,
with a University telescope and help
m Dartmouth College and the Mas-
sathusetts Institute of Technology.
Prof. Emeritus Richard Teske and
Prof. Hugh Aller, chair of the depart-
-ment of astronomy, collaborated with
Richstone on the project.
Graduated licensing
system pending
Patricia Waller, director of the
rUniversity's Transportation Research
titute, says young drivers need more
experience.

A Waller is in favor of a three-tiered
. rtduated licensing system, currently
amending in the state Senate.
The plan would consist of three lev-
"ds, the first of which would allow older
14-year-olds to drive with a parent.
After they have driven with a parent for
six months and passed a road test, the
ins would be able to graduate to the
cond level. Then they would need a
parent to be in the car while driving
.between midnight and 5 a.m. Drivers
"mould gain a state-approved license
after they turned 17 and had been at
level two for at least six months.
- Compiled by Daily Staff Reporter
Alice Robinson.

Student mediation program underway at 'U'

By Alice Robinson
Daily Staff Reporter
Some might say students are more prone to caus-
ing trouble when they're visiting rival universities.
But students from a unique new program trav-
eled to Harvard and Syracuse Universities last
month to do just the opposite - stop trouble.
Mediators from the University's Student Dis-
pute Resolution Program, which began this se-
mester, visited Harvard and Syracuse, along with
the University of Massachusetts and State Univer-
sity of New York-Albany, to learn more about
mediation programs currently underway.
The University program provides students in-
volved in disagreements with certified mediators
who neutrally guide both sides to an acceptable

solution. The idea is for the mediators to intervene
before plaintiffs go to court or take violent action.
The student mediators are trained to handle a
variety of incidents - anything from a spat with
a roommate over the cable bill to an argument
with a boyfriend or girlfriend.
"SDRP has been incredibly successful," said LSA
sophomore Jenn Richards, the mediator in charge of
coordinating the volunteers."I feel good about what
we're doing and who (I'm working with)."
Since the program was launched in January, the
trained mediators have received requests to settle
two disputes, both which were off-campus room-
mate disagreements. The mediators were suc-
cessful on both occasions.
Program organizer Scott Pence cautions that a

slow start doesn't necessarily suggest a lack of
promise. "... Few mediation programs have any
actual mediations in their first year; I hope to see
many more soon," he said.
Law first-year student and mediator Megan
Fitzpatrick said a lack of awareness about
mediation's benefits may have contributed to the
low response it has received up until now.
The mediation team consists of 24 mediators
who were selected last fall. Intensive training
followed, in which the trainees role-played,
brainstormed and received lessons on impartiality.
The mediation service may help ease the burden
on the University's Office of Conflict Resolution,
which handles cases that violate the Code of Stu-
dent Conduct, said Mary Lou Antieau, assistant to

the vice president for student affairs. "I hope
(SDRP) will stop situations from escalating into
situations that might lead to the Code," she said.
"I really think that it's terrific that there are
alternative dispute resolution services on cam-
pus," Antieau said.
However, SDRP is the only campus programthat
trains students as mediators, "I think it's very im-
portant that students have the opportunity to have a
peer mediator if they want to," Antieau said.
Pence said next year they will try to train inner-
city elementary school students on peaceful con.
flict resolution. They will work to start the program
at the University's Flint and Dearborn campuses,
and eventually at Eastern, Western and Central
Michigan Universities, Pence said.

A2 nothome' for
thousands of 'U'
commuter students


By Erena Baybik
Daily Staff Reporter
Some University students wake up
at 5 o'clock in the morning only to
find themselves caught in rush-hour
traffic an hour later on highway US-
23.
Although the majority of students do
not commute to classes, a research sur-
vey of 36,617 students conducted by
University Housing found that more
than 18 percent commuted during this
academic year.
University Housing considers any-
one living outside a one-mile radius of
the Diag a commuter. "Older students
are far more likely to commute - vir-
tually all married graduate students will
live beyond that one-mile radius," said
Director of Research and Development
Ed Salowitz.
One reason students commute is the

have to get up early just to make it to
Ann Arbor on time," Jones said. "Once
I get to Ann Arbor I'm stuck driving
around for half an hour just to find a
parking spot. Usually there is no place
to park - the back seat of my car is
filled with unpaid parking tickets."
Salowitz considers parking a seri-
ous problem because of the time wasted
driving back and forth while looking
for a parking spot. He said this time
could be better spent working to pay
for rent and other expenses so that
students could then afford to live in
Ann Arbor.
"The extra time could be used more
productively, such as for studying,"
Salowitz said.
Jones said she would study more if
she lived on campus. "I don't study as
much as I would if I lived on campus,"
Jones said.

JOSH BIGGS/Daily
Wayne State University Law School Prof. Jonathan Weinberg listens to Bruce Taylor from the National Center for Children and
Families speak on the Internet at a debate last night.
Panel deae nentlaws
Speakers ink Jake Baker case to discussion

shortage of
available hous-
ing in Ann Ar-
bor. "We can't
accommodate
more than 1,600
families because
the availability
of apartments
that are more
conducive to

"1 ilk. Ann Arbor
in small doses - I
like to visit but I
like to leave too." f
- Sarah Cheyne

Sometimes
commuting stu-
dents feel left out
of campus events.
"I feel like I miss
out on a lot of cam-
pus activities.
Also, I don't know
as many people as
I would if I lived
on campus," Jones
said.

LSA junior

family occu-
pancy are harder to find," Salowitz
said.
Another factor is cost - some stu-
dents simply cannot afford to live in
the city. "I don't want to live in a dorm
and I don't have the money to live on
campus," said LSA junior Anne Jones,
who drives half an hour each day from
the outskirts of Ypsilanti to attend
classes. "Besides, I've got free food
and rent at home. Why not take advan-
tage of it?"
LSA junior Sarah Cheyne, a
Dearborn resident, said she prefers to
live off-campus because she sees Ann
Arbor apartments as run-down and ex-
pensive. "I like Ann Arbor in small
doses-I like to visit but I like to leave
too," Cheyne said.
Although commuter students may
seem lucky because they drive cars on
campus, many of them have parking
problems.
"Parking is the No. I problem - I

Then again, there are students who
get more than enough Ann Arbor just
from attending their classes. "I get a
break from Ann Arbor this way,"
Cheyne said.
Whatever the reason behind the deci-
sion to commute - family responsi-
bilities, cost or just plain dislike of Ann
Arbor- Salowitz said everyone should
experience living in Ann Arbor, even if
it is just for one semester.
"There's a whole experience you can
have in living in Ann Arbor-where else
can you experience the aura of a college
football game, or stay at the Shapiro
library till 12 p.m. and not have to worry
about going home," Salowitz said.
Jones said that when it comes to
making a decision between spending an
hour in traffic or attending a different
college, there is no question that she
would rather brave the traffic."Yes, it's
definitely worth it--I wouldn't have it
any other way."

By Melanie Cohen
Daily Staff Reporter
With the recently proposed legisla-
tion to limit Internet speech, four ex-
perts of communication law came to-
gether to discuss the Communications
Decency Act and the regulation ofonline
postings. The panel attracted about 120
students and professors to Hutchins Hall
at the Law School last night.
Daniel Weitzner, deputy director of
the Center for Democracy and Tech-
nology, began by broadening the focus
of the discussion from last year's Jake
Baker case. Baker was suspended from
the University after posting a sexually
explicit story on the Internet, which
named a woman in one of his classes.
"This issue is much more important
than the Jake Baker case," Weitzner
said. "I think this is critical because the
courts and Congress are now making
decisions about how our First Amend-
ment rights apply to the Internet."
Weitzner also said the Internet was
different than the broadcast media,
which could be regulated.
"The Internet is fundamentally dif-
ferent than the broadcast medium be-
cause on the Internet there is not the

problem of a captive audience."
Bruce Taylor, president and chief
counsel of the National Law Center for
Children and Families, said he assisted
in the drafting of the CDA.
Taylor also began his speech by re-
ferring to Jake Baker.
"In my opinion, they should have
charged Jake Baker with an obscenity
account," Taylor said. "It is a crime to
rent or see any indecent material."
Taylor also said indecency is not too
vague a term to be used in the act.
"In my opinion, indecency is not an
overbroad statute and I interpret it nar-
rowly. Indecency has a history that's
discussed in case law," Taylor said.
Robert Hamilton, a lawyer who fo-
cuses on the First Amendment and
media cases, disagreed with the CDA.
"When you have a child, it changes
you. I have a child and I understand
where Bruce Taylor is coming from,"
Hamilton said. "I still think the damn
(CDA) is silly."
Hamilton also said he does not think
the CDA will work.
"Because it's a global medium, the

CDA will not solve the problem of
child access to indecent material. The
only thing that will work is software
installed in the computer."
The last speaker called the CDA po-
tentially dangerous.
"The 'Net's got the potential to grow
- even into new forms of speech," said
Wayne State Law Prof. Jonathan
Weinberg. "It is important not to short-
circuit the Internet for this reason."
Wienberg said he enjoyed talking to
the students.
"I think it's great to hear thoughts
from people I've not been debating for
the past year and a half. The students
were new, thoughtful -and softballs."
Some students said the debate was
interesting, but unfair.
"It was a good debate," said Marcus
Wood, an LSA sophomore. "They out-
numbered the supporter of the CDA
three-to-one and I don't know -if that
was a good idea."
"I thought it was intelligent, and I
liked the fact that it lacked name-call-
ing," said Gene Krass, an LSA senior.
"The debate could have been more bal-
anced."


Drowsy driver program' promotes safety

DETROIT (AP)- A program aimed
at measuring crashes caused by people
falling asleep at the wheel, as well as
trying to prevent such accidents, was
announced yesterday by the Henry Ford
Health System.
The problem is more widespread than
people are aware, said Thomas Roth,
division head ofthe health system's Sleep
and Disorders and Research Center.
"People do it over and over, just like

drunk drivers who keep drinking and
driving over and over. And just like
drunk drivers, ifthey do it enough, even-
tually they get in accidents," Roth said.
Statistics on sleep-related accidents
are hard to verify because drowsiness
often is not included on accident reports.
But Roth said studies have shown that
one in five drivers has admitted to falling
asleep behind the wheel at least once. He
said studies estimate that people falling

asleep are responsible for 1 percent to 8
percent of all accidents and a higher
percentage of fatal accidents.
"That's because they don't take any
corrective action," Roth said. "They
don't brake. They don't turn. Fre-
quently they just drive right off the
road."
The program is being funded by a
AAA-Michigan grant of $250,000,
which also will be used to focus on how
to limit brain and spinal cord damage
following accidental injury.
The drowsy driver program has three
main parts:
Learning the mechanisms of
drowsy drivers, such as who is most
likely to fall asleep, when and why.
Educating the public about the
problem.
Seeing how the education works.

v,..,
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What's happening in Ann Arbor t dy

The -*for this semester
The
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beginning - 
Display sales 764-0554.
Thank you for a term!
SFind odut;
Teinside e story on"
med school admissions.
1 What to expect "n
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(0Some of KAPLAN sscr
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So You Want to Be A Doctor?

GROUP MEETINGS
U AIESEC Michigan, International
Student Happy Hour, 662-1690,
Arbor Brewing Company, 9 p.m.
U.. Campus Crusade for Christ, Real
Life, 930-9269, Dental Building,
Kellogg Auditorium, 7-8:15 p.m.
- Homeless Action Committee,
weekly meeting, 663-4568, 802
Guild House, 5:30-7 p.m.
EVENTS
, I' "1-hn n. .n 4kh , .n _ P

struction in Northern Bohemia,"
Marek Zvelebil, brown bag semi-
nar, sponsored by the Museum of
Archaeology, Museum of Natural
History, Room 2009, 12-1 p.m.
Q "Public Meeting on Oversight of
Department of Public Safety,"
sponsored by Association of Black
Professionals, Administrators,
Faculty and Staff, Institute for
Social Research Library, 426 Th-
ompson Street, 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m.
U "Understanding Medicare and Med-
icaid," Barbara Zarat, brown bag
education series, sponsored by
South Central Michigan
A ,-,7himar'c Aeni-tinn flonne,.

Q Campus Information Centers, Michi-
gan Union and Pierpont Commons,
763-INFO, info@umich.edu,
UM.Events on GOpherBLUE, and
http://www.umich.edu/-info on
the World Wide Web
Q English Composition Board Peer
Tutoring, Mason Hall, Room 444C,
7-11 p.m.
Q Mediation, student dispute resolu-
tion program, 763-3241,
mediation@umich.edu
Q Northwalk, 763-WALK, Bursley, 8
p.m.-1:30 a.m.
Q Peer Counseling for Undergrad

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