4A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, December 5, 1996 bE rbCuigjun tti~g 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan RONNIE GLASSBERG Editor in Chief ADRIENNE JANNEY ZACHARY M. RAIMI Editorial Page Editors Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of the Daily's editorial board. All other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. FROM THE DAILY A place to calh City Council should approve sale for shelter NOTABLE QUOTABLE 'This Is not a University of Michigan vs. the newspapers issue. The issue has to do solely with what is the best public policy for the people of the state of Michigan.' - University Regent Philip Power (D-Ann Arbor), on the state Legislature's plans to amend the Open Meetings Act Yu KUNYUKI GROUND ZERO - / ~~ kEH rf A A4 I MC' VIEwIPOINT Minority enrollment must be higher Ann Arbor's homeless population may soon have a new shelter where it can escape the harsh elements. The Shelter Association and the Homeless Action Committee want to procure a former National Guard armory that sits vacant in downtown Ann Arbor and convert it into an additional shelter. The armory is a large building that has rested in a state of disuse on the corner of Ann and Fifth Streets for the past six years. Converting it into a homeless shelter is an innovative solution. It would help solve the homeless problem - and it would revive the now-lifeless but historic building in the center of the city. The committees must win approval from the Ann Arbor City Council, which is still entertaining one other offer for the space. Developer Ed Shaffran intends to purchase the property, demolish part of the structures and turn the rest into 10 high-end condo- miniums. But to build the condos, the city must approve rezoning. Shaffran would also have to win the approval of the Historic District Commission, which protects the armory - and deems sites historic so that they may remain intact. The city administration should bar Shaffran at every request - turning a profit should not take priority over preserving history or especially helping Ann Arbor's homeless population.- And the locals concur. At a City Council meeting Monday, the board was going to vote on the rezoning proposal - but post- poned it after 15 city residents urged the Council to save the building for a homeless shelter. Homeless advocates have two weeks to design a feasible plan, or the Council will reconsider the rezoning request at the Dec. 16 meeting. The city has a significant homeless pop- ulation. As recent welfare cuts may soon impoverish hundreds in Washtenaw County, the numbers will likely grow. And it's not getting any warmer; area shelters are trying to set up women's shelters and provide tem- porary additional accommodations for the winter months to come. Need for precious space is great. Those that can pay for condos will have a warm bed elsewhere all winter. The homeless can only afford to sleep in shelters - or the streets and park benches. Moreover, hang- ing the armory into a homeless shelter would improve the entire community by reducing the number of people living on the street. By sharp contrast, the condos would benefit Shaffran, and maybe some select members of the community - the upper- middle class. No matter who gets the building, it will not come without a price. The Michigan Department of Military Affairs, which presently owns the armory, marked the tag at about $1 million - not the kind of cash raised at bake sales and car washes. Over the past six years, several city departments have considered buying it, but the purchase and ensuing renovation are expensive. To obtain the building, the Shelter Association must produce a large sum of money. It must also convince the City Council to refuse Shaffran's rezoning request, which would be justifiable under the circumstances. The homeless problem will not go away if ignored - the city must deal with it. Securing the armory for the Shelter Association is an expedient means to do so. BY NoRA SALAS While it is important to take full advantage of the opportunities that have been created here at the University in the name of diversity, it is equally, if not more impor- tant, to recognize the histori- cal struggles and current con- ditions that are necessary to support such diversity. In a recent Daily editorial ("Mofongo, anyone?," 11/27/96), the benefits of exploring events such as Puerto Rican Week were high- lighted, while the less positive and more difficult task of exploring the impending cri- sis in Latino/a enrollment has not been given the attention it deserves. The Michigan Daily show- cased the University's superfi- cial commitment to diversity with the headline "Minority Enrollment Tops 25%" (11/19/96). While the enroll- ment of people of color as a whole has increased, for the second year the enrollment rate of Latinos/as has dropped. While the Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives and the Office of Admissions attempt to dimin- ish the significance of this Salas is the co-chair of public opinion for Alianza and an LSA senior. and last year's decline, a close look at the numbers demon- strates that a genuine problem is being denied. From 1986 to 1993, the last year for which there was significant growth in Latino/a enrollment, the Latino/a enrollment on campus grew by an average of 118 individ- uals. In contrast, according to the figures obtained from the Office of the Registrar, in 'U' must pay attention to the impending Latino/a enroll- ment crisis. 1994 enrollment grew by only 35 persons, while in 1995 and 1996, it dropped by 35 and 27 persons, respectively. While 30 or so people may not appear significant, the University's inability to con- tinue the rate of growth of 1986-1993 beyond 1993 has compounded year after year. In fact, if Latino/a enrollment had grown in the last three years at rates comparable to the six years preceding 1993, we would currently have 1,851 Latinos/as on campus, instead of only 1,471. It is appalling that due to the dis- mal Latino/a enrollment rates of the last three years, we are now missing 380 Latinos/as. The University must con- sider the 380 Latino/a deficit significant enough to merit new initiatives, such as a Latino/a Cultural Center, increased recruitment and financial aid, and efforts to foster a more supportive cam- pus environment in order to recruit and retain more Latino/a Students. If the Daily seeks to truly support diversity, it must do more than simply celebrate the aspects of diversity that enrich the campus communi- ty. It must also critically con- front the aspects of the University that negatively affect diversity. It must accept the challenge that many Latinos/as on this campus are forced to accept every day - the challenge of maintaining one's identity while constantly insuring that what opportuni- ties we do have to express our identity and succeed are not taken away. Those of us in Alianza, and many others, are eager to see an investigative report and editorial concerning the issue of Latino/a enrollment that will more completely reflect the high value the Daily places on diversity. MARSH MADNESS1 'Twas the night before-finals I3 oy, the holidays are rough," Billy Crystal says to Meg Ryan in "When Harry Met Sally." "Every year, I just try to make it from Thanksgiving to New Year's." "A lot of suicides," she grimly responds. So, you survived Thanksgiving. Great, wasn't it? A happy preview of the three-week spree of guilt trips, petty arguments and recrimination, coming soon to a homestead near you. The holiday sea-ERIN son is once again MARH upon us, bringing M SH with it burdens the weight of fruitcakes. Tidings of com- fort and joy? Whatever. Before we haul out the tinsel, stu- dents must deal with the definitive naughty-or-nice list. That's right final exams are just around the corner. Finals (read: a gorging and purging of the brain, to try the tests of physics - no pun intended -- and determine just how much useless information you can cram into your head in a one- week period) start in a week, when your skin will assume that lovely, pasty, library-fluorescent-light sheen, as your days and nights are spent in the UGLI or the Grad or the computer lab It's really a very unattractive time. Don't plan on meeting future spouses during finals week. Likewise, don't form study groups with anyone you find even mildly attractive. Besides the obvious disadvantage of sharing quantum physics with your beloved when you really look like a quark, there are the potentially dangerous lev- els of caffeine to consider. You could become temporarily possessed by th insane amount of coffee in your sys- tem, suddenly look up into your study partner's eyes, and attack him or her, right there in Bruegger's - and wouldn't that be unpleasant? (There are bagels watching, for heaven's sake.) The just-before-exam hour is a very special time of introversion and, well, despair. If they weren't before, stu- dents tend to become very religious during this hour. Dinner, for exampl can take on the morbid culinary feel of the Last Supper. I distinctly recall the phrase "I am going to meet my maker" escaping my lips last December before a Stats 402 final. And then of course, there's "Please, God, ohpleasegodoh- pleasegodohpleasegod" - a favorite mantra on the long walk to Examland (i.e., Armageddon). The exam-taking experience is on of those rare, precious moments wher you can witness 600 of your class- mates sacrificing themselves to the gods of academia on the steps of Angell Hall. It's not a pretty sight. Scantrons, mechanical pencils and high blood pressure. That's about what it amounts to. It elicits different reac- tions, though; during the aforemen- tioned Stats 402 exam, the guy behind me laughed and the girl next to me sniffled - both lost in the big sea Oi "I'm screwed" hopelessness. So you resign yourself to academic mediocrity, sell your books back for 17 cents and chalk it up as another semester survived. Now for the fun part! Home awaits you, my friends. Too many relatives, too much food, too much stress and not nearly enough narcotic action to dull the pain. Your father will expect you to adhere t your high school curfew (although you were an adult then, and you are an adult old enough to buy beer, now). Uncle Pete and Auntie Gertrude will condemn your social habits ("What do you do there at college, anyway? Do you watch that 'America's Funniest Home Videos' show?"). Grandpa George will be kind enough to inform you that you will "never, never, ever get a job. Not with that stinking us less degree." You'll collapse in the kitchen, beg- ging your mother to tell you that you were adopted. (No such luck.) When Bing Crosby croons "There's no place like home for the holidays," you may experience some particularly unkind thoughts. (Please - do not kill the stereo.) You'll manage to stay sane by pounding eggnog and spending quali t time in the linen closet (hey, it worked when you were five and your parents wouldn't get you a dog ... ). You may call up the old high school buddies - and discover all you have to talk about are old high school stories. 7 0 01 0 World AIDS Day Day of remembrance urges global unity Sunday marked the 9th annual World continued - education and protection are AIDS Day. The theme for this year's the key factors in reducing rates of infec- event was "One World, One Hope," empha- tion. sizing that people all over the world must University students are constantly unite and work together to halt the AIDS reminded of the AIDS threat. Most of them epidemic and support those affected by realize the need for safe sex. However, the AIDS. It is a reminder that AIDS can affect "it will never happen to me" feeling also anyone. The global approach to solving the endures. World AIDS Day is a reminder to crisis must continue - AIDS has become students that they are not immune from the everyone's problem. tragic epidemic. World AIDS Day came on the heels of a Before society can work out the AIDS United Nations' agency report that nearly a tragedy on a global scale, individuals must quarter of the 6.4 million AIDS deaths to act responsibly. Students must take action date have occurred in the past year. In 1996, to protect themselves by learning the facts 3.1 million people were infected with HIV, and applying them to their everyday lives. the virus that causes AIDS. This startling They must also fight stereotypes and mis- statistic brings the total number of people conceptions about the disease; AIDS is not living with HIV or AIDS to 22.6 million an illness that affects isolated factions of worldwide. the University or global community. The alarming statistics revived energy Misinformation must end. throughout this year's World AIDS Day. A striking demonstration of AIDS' glob- Across the globe, activists put up posters, al effects will come to the University later distributed condoms, joined AIDS walks, this winter. Feb. 6-9, 1997, the University wore red ribbons and added patches to community will have the privilege of view- memorial quilts. All of their admirable ing a portion of the AIDS Memorial Quilt. actions serve as a reminder that AIDS will The Quilt has more than 32,000 panels, not simply go away. The people of the world each of which were made to remember the need to come together to support, remem- life of a person lost to AIDS. Every week, ber and prevent. more than 50 new panels are added to the Prevention took on a significant role this quilt, exemplifying the vast number of peo- year as World AIDS Day recognized the ple whose lives are claimed by the AIDS AIDS explosion in Asia. By the year 2000, virus. Every student should take the time in more than 1 million Chinese may be infect- February to view the quilt. It reminds us of ed with HIV - 10 times the current num- the reality of the AIDS virus - that AIDS ber of people infected. In Thailand, 800,000 has no survivors. people have HIV, while 50,000 have died of "One World, One Hope" is a strong AIDS. Activists took on strong preventative reminder to all that AIDS is indeed the measures in Asia by passing out condoms in world's problem. It can affect anyone from I l f t t LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 'U' buses do not serve students' needs To THE DAILY: So I'm walking to the bus stop by Angelo's to get to my 9 o'clock class on North Campus. Of course, like most mornings, the commuter gets there before I do, so I help- lessly watch it drive off. Right behind the good ole' commuter (which is the only bus that will take me to the Xavier Building, in the far corner of North Campus) is the Northwood. I can take the Northwood also; it just means I have to walk a little further. No biggie. By now, I'm dashing for the Northwood bus. When I get to the corner, the bus dri- ver won't let me in the bus because he has driven exactly 20 feet past the bus stop while he waits for the light to turn green. Apparently, let- ting me in would be a viola- tion of federal law or some- thing. So I'm asking myself, "What good does it do any- one to have two buses arrive at the same time?" fni nnw I'm ct.ndincr gods, but the answer to the second question is five! Yes, five. One, two, three, four, five Bursley-Baits buses went by until the next commuter came along at exactly 9:17 a.m. I would write this off as a coincidence, but this is the second time in two weeks that this has happened to me at this bus stop. What the hell is going on?! Who needs five buses to one place in 14 min- utes? It seems that yet anoth- er University department has lost touch with its most important customer: the stu- dent. Just as the Information Technology Division can't seem to keep printers or com- puters running in the Media Union, and Transportation Services can't seem to work out a bus schedule that makes sense. The saddest thing is that these buses to Bursley always seem to be empty, but every single time I get on a Commuter, I end up standing. Wake up, Transportation Services! You've got another dissatisfied customer! I'm late for class. RICHARD HOFER ENGINEERING SENIOR Curriculum ("Four years and out," 12/4/96). As a four-and-a-half year senior in Engineering who's graduating on Dec. 15, the idea came too late to help me. However, after reading about how Curriculum 2000 is planning to achieve this goal, I cheered up, because this farce won't help anybody graduate on time. The College of Engineering is asking us to believe that combining Engineering 103-5 and EECS 100 into one class and increasing the number of electives will help students graduate in four years. Right. For now, ignore the fact that most Engineering majors only require a student to take one of the aforemen- tioned courses - not all four. Speaking from personal experience, it didn't take me four and a half years to grad- uate because Engineering 103 was a three-credit class. Like most majors, engineers take a long time to graduate because most upper-level courses fea- ture low credits and high workloads. Most 300 and 400 level Engineering courses require three hours in the lec- ture hall and 15 hours in the computer lab. The Curriculum Task Force wants to "enable the student to have a more