I LOCAL/STATE The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, November 13, 1996 - 3 Yale prof. killed i plane crash TheYale University community suf- fered a loss last Thursday when a *oeing 727 jet crashed in the jungles of Nigeria and killed about 142 pas- sengers and crew, including visiting political science Prof. Claude Ake. Ake, a prominant critic of Nigeria's current regime and the Shell Oil com- pany taught a lecture and a seminar on African politics at Yale in New Haven, Conn. Witnesses saw the plane circle a few times then disappear in an explosive all of flames before it crashed, 4cording to wire reports. Nigerian officials said they are investigating the cause of the crash, which remains unknown. Brigham Young students promote orange juice As part of a nationwide contest, trigham Young University's chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America was one of 13 chapters selected to implement a new national orange juice campaign for "100-percent pure Florida Orange Juice." BYU's campus Dining Services' orange juice dispensers now sport the Florida Orange Juice logo, tables hold displays telling the benefits of orange ice and members of the student group are targeting football fans on Saturdays. The contest, which is looking for the "best" juice campaign, is spon- sored by the Chicago-based public relations firm Golin/Harris Communications. The client for the campaign is the Florida Department of Citrus, an organization representing jrowers of Florida oranges. i Winners of the contest will be flown to Florida to present an evaluation of their campaign to the Florida Department of Citrus. Northwestern names Delta Chi alcohol-free The arrival of Delta Chi will mark first-ever substance-free fraternity 'ik Northwestern University's campus, the school's Office of Student Affairs announced Monday. Fraternity Adviser Steve Dealph said the new chapter is expected to be ready for Winter Rush because the fra- ternity has obtained housing. Delta Chi was the top recommenda- tion of the Fraternity Expansion Committee, which also had consid- ed Alpha Epsilon Pi and Alpha igma Phi for substance-free living. "All three fraternities had strengths, but since Delta Chi is not founded on a specific religious tradition, it might have broader appeal," Dealph said. Texas A&M closes fraternity The Texas A&M chapter of the *appa Alpha Order was suspended for three years last Wednesday by nation- al Kappa Alpha officials and the University's lnterfraternity Council Judicial Board. The suspension resulted from an incident at a fraternity function during which a pledge sustained an injury to the groin area. As a result of the injury, a Dallas physician surgically moved one of the pledge's testicles. The chapter will not be recognized as a unit of the national fraternity, nor will..it be allowed to hold any orga- nized functions until the suspension period expires. Compiled fromi University Wire by Daily Staff Reporter Janet Adamy. Project links Shapiro library to residence halls By Christopher Wan For the Dly Late at night, it may seem as if the Shapiro Undergraduate Library - and all its resources - are miles away. But a project to interactively connect the Shapiro Undergraduate Library toall the residence hall libraries aims to bring the information closer to home, The Interactive Reference Assistance project will provide a visual and audio link for residents to see and talk to a librarian at the Undergraduate Library reference desk via a small eyeball camera fixed on top of the com- puter terminal. "This application is to allow the residents to establish a connection with the reference librarians at the Undergraduate Library from the comfort of their own residence halls," said Valeda Dent, direc- tor of Residence Hall Libraries. "The kinds of questions the residence hall librarians usually get demonstrates that there's a need for reference experience at some point of their academic careers." Dent said. She said many students experience "librarian anxiety," such as not knowing how to use online facilities such as MIRLYN or what questions to ask when they need help in their research. Dent said IRA would help to "alleviate" some of those problems. "It would be a good idea for the library to come to (the residents), instead of having them go to the library," said LSA sophomore Thompson Marzagao, information reserve library consultant at South Quad. "I think it's important to show that they have a new way of doing research:' Marzagao added. "It can make research more interesting because many people don't like to go to the library and it's more comfortable in the dorms." LSA first-year student Jamie Cowden, librarian assistant at Mary Markley residence hall, agreed that IRA is a "convenience thing." "It's a good idea because people feel more com- fortable talking one on one:' Cowden said. "It would be easier for you to help (the reference desk librarians) and them to help you to get your infor- mation." Because of technical problems, the availability of the service has been inconsistent. The lack of publicity has also made the service little known among students. LSA sophomore Eslena Eng, library informa- tion assistant at Bursley residence hall, said that no one had used IRA for its intended purpose and the few who have, tried it because they thought the technology was "cool." The project, which started in October 1995, is still in a troubleshooting phase. "We're still working out all the bugs making it a standard service that's offered in the residence hall libraries," Dent said. "Hopefully by fall '97, we would like to see it being implemented" There are two main technical difficulties the libraries are experiencing at this point, Dent said., "The first problem is .compatibility of the kind of computer that we're using and the software.'she said. "We're trying to make adjustments with the amount of memory that's allocated to the software to make the IRA run more efficiently." The other problem is with the ethernet connec- tion. Dent said. "The Ethernet has a certain capacity for the amount of information that can be transported at any given point of time and we suspect that the IRA might exceed that capacity." she said. "We're left trying to get IRA to work given the limita- tions." Engineering sophomore Rachel Bautista. library information assistant at Mosher-Jordan residence hall, said she shares Dent's frustration. "I think (IRA) is a great idea - when you have reference questions it's a lot easier:' Bautista said. "But I just wish it would work." DPS drive aims to raise food for holidays By Jenni Yachnin Daily Staff Reporter Can you bag 600 pounds of gro- ceries? The Department of Public Safety's community oriented policing can. DPS-COP's food drive, which began Nov. 1, is in its second year. "The COP effort started last year," said David Dupuis, Ann Arbor police officer and founder of the food drive. "It is a way for us to get across to the community that we are not only here to police it, but also to help the communi- ty." Last year's effort was conducted on short notice, Dupuis said. However, the department still man- aged to raise about 600 pounds of' food for donation. "We tried to find (a charity) that deals with food," Dupuis said. DPS- COP selected the Huron Harvest Food. Bank and Food Gatherers as the recipi- ents. "They cover all of Washtenaw County," Dupuis said. "They're very supportive" The food collected from the drive adds to the two tons of groceries that Food Gatherers distributes every day in Washtenaw County. "We're encouraged and inspired by whatever volunteers decide to do," said Eileen Spring, executive director of Food Gatherers. "There .is a role for everyone to play in community hunger." Safe OfficerI Tiffany Nesbitt. an LSA senior, said. "Anyone who does a food drive to give to charity has a good idea. It helps show that DPS cares about the community." The main contributors to the DPS- COP food drive are employees. This year DPS-COP placed an ad in The; Ann Arbor News and passed out fliers to spread awareness. "As we do this more, we'll get 4 little better and get students involved." Dupuis said. "There are lots of those who go without during the holidays." The more people involved. the more food that can be collected, said Elizabeth Hall, DPS spokesperson. "We try to raise student awareness about the drive," [all said. "We distrib- ute information through the student. paper and with fliers." DPS-COP has set up collection sites. for canned and boxed foods within its offices. Food can be dropped off between 7:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday" through Friday at the DPS main office at 1239 Kipke Dr. Students can also donate food at the DPS substations 525 Church St., Room G419 Mason Hall and Pierpont Commons. Food can be donated at these offices from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday Donations will be accepted until Nov. 21. Requested items for donation, include baby food canned meats, pas~ tas or rice, powdered milk and other non-perishables. JOSH BiUGS Da, And here's the question Muslim Students Association member Yusef Saad talks to Ypsilanti resident Stephen Shurtlifter after a round of Islamic Jeopardy in the Michigan Union. The game is part of Islamic Awareness Week and will continue all week. MSA -pharties squen off in firost-ever re*t*%:,hprez 1sentative debate By Bram Elias Daily Staff Reporter The first-ever Michigan Student Assembly debate between parties touched on the University fight song, the concept of improving things by destroying them and the death of the television character "Barney." And that was all before the modera- tor had finished reading the party names. Representatives from the Victor's Party, the Nihilist Party, the Crush the Purple Dinosaur Party and the Michigan Party squared off in the first of two one-hour debate sponsored joint- ly by WCBN radio and WOLV-TV last night at 6 p.m. While the debate may have shed light on MSA candidates, audience members said they didn't feel any more confident about the University's student govern- ment. "What some of the people said tonight sounded really contrived" said Engineering junior David Barrett. "This makes me feel really bad about MSA if some of these peo- ple are elected." Panelists spent the hour trying to define their respective party's plans, but the debate often slipped into open bash- ing of MSA. "We're here to cast out the demons of' stupidity that currently dominate the MSA," said Jim Riske, chair of the Victor's Party. "MSA does nothing pro- ductive." MSA Rep. Michael Nagrant. repre- senting the Michigan Party, said he did- n't think that was the case. "When I first joined MSA. I was amazed at the depth and breadth of the people involved," Nagrant said. "Overall, we do seek to help this cam- pus . Andrew Serowick. chair of the Nihilist Party, said if elected, his party would change MSA's priorities. "We've heard (from MSA), 'lob- bying. lobbying, lobbying,' and 'task forces, task forces, task forces.' We're spending a lot of money on this, with questionable results," Serowick said. "Our party has more realistic goals -- end excess spend- ing and return the money to student groups.' The Crush the Purple Dinosaur Party's goals are simple, said Chair Trent Thompson. They want MSA to be taken seriously again, and are seeking to do this by removing the existing sense of partisanship. "Parties shouldn't matter so much," Thompson said. "Once you're elected to MSA. parties don't matter. What matters is getting things done and how to get them done." After outlining general party stances, discussion turned to specific issues. Serowick said the Nihilist Party takes issue with MSA's policy of spending money for real-world political lobbying efforts. "(MSA) should primarily be about dispersing student funds to student groups," he said. "We should lobby regents, but we shouldn't spend money galavanting people ofl to Lansing and Washington, D.C." Nagrant highlighted the Michigan Party's hopes for new University President Lee Bollinger. "We should feel that the president is accessible," he said. "I don't know if it's possible, but if he had office hours, when students could just come in and talk to him, that would help. If he is going to try to improve student life, he needs to know the content of student well-being." The Victor's Party, Riske said, advo- cates "common sense" legislation. "It's time for MSA to do some- thing productive." he said. "We should reform (the Information Technology Division) because charg- ing 8 cents per page is ridiculous. Move the drop/add deadline to after midterms. Look into monorail trans- portation to North Campus. It's not that hard." Thompson, of the Crush the Purple Dinosaur Party, said whether or not a student is part of MSA isn't as impor- tant as some people think. "Groups can make a difference with- out being elected," he said. "I'm here because I want to help the University." Videoconference to explore diversity By Alice Robinson, Daily Staff Reporter When most people think of diversity, the first associations that usually come to mind are race and ethnicity. But University staff members who helped set up tonight's videoconference exploring diversity said they hope par- ticipants will leave with a much more accurate understanding of the familiar term. They point out that the word diversity is wide-reaching. "Diversity is not limited to race and ethnicity," said Tait Sye, Asian Pacific American coordinator for the office of Multi-Ethnic Student ' Affairs. "Diversity is a very broad concept." he said. Sye said the conference, which is in the Kellogg Auditorium at 7 p.m.. will also focus on how sexual orientation. age, religion and class affect our daily lives. Students will hear from two estab- lished scholars on multicultural issues during the summit, titled "The Way Things Are ... The Way Things Can Be." The University will be one of 200 schools chatting interactively with the panelists - University of California at Berkeley Prof. Ronald Takaki and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Prof. Michael Dyson. Student Activities and Leadership employee In Taik said diversity is important because it affiects everybody. "For me personally, I think that all these issues play a role in just about every relationship that we have with people," she said. Takaki, an ethnic studies professor, wrote the 1993 book "A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America." Dyson calls himself a "hip- hop" intellectual. He is the author of "Between (God and Gangsta Rap: Bearing Witness to Black Culture," published this year. ,Jeff Howard, who directs the Office of Community Service Learning and helped involve the University in the videoconference, said issues of mul- ticulturalism surface at all universi- ties. "U-M is no different from any other campus here in the United States," Howard said. "We all wrestle with issues and problems related to diversity and multiculturalism." Five University offices, including the OCSL and SAL, are sponsoring the multimedia conference. Organizers said they hope 100 to 200 students will show up to make the activity a success. Time Warner and Project Change, a division of the Levi Strauss Foundation that supports anti-racism efforts, are the national sponsors of the event. What's happening i Ann Arbor today Know of any news Call the Daily. 763-2459 GROUP MEETINGS J College Republicans, meeting, Dennison meeting, Room 296, 9 p.m. jPre-Med Club, Student-Faculty Mixer, Michigan Union, Pendleton Room, 6-8 p.m. Reform Chavurah, weekly meeting, 669-0388, Hillel, 1429 Hill St., 7 .. EVENTS "Bible Study and Evening Prayer," sponsored by Lutheran Campus 'Ministry, Lord of Light Lutheran Church, 801 South Forest, 6 Maize/Blue, 1st Floor SAB, 6:10-7 p.m. :J "MSA Rep. Debates," sponsored by WCBN 88.3 FM and WOLV-TV 70, South Quad, WOLV Production Studio, Room 9001, 5:30 p.m. audience welcome J "Second Wednesday Supper Forum," sponsored by Guild House Campus Ministry, Guild House, 802 Monroe, 5:15-7:15 p.m. j "Starting Your Job Search," spon- sored by CP&P, Maize/Blue, 1st Floor SAB, 4:10-5 p.m. J "Study Skills Workshop," sponsored by Counseling and Psychological Services, Michigan Union, Room Union and Pierpont Commons, 763- INFO, info@umich.edu, UM'Events on GOpherBLUE, and http:// www.umich.edu/-info J English Composition Tutoring, Angell 444C, 11 p.m. Board Peer Hall, Room J Northwalk, 763-WALK, Bursley Hall, 8 p.m.-1:30 a.m. j Psychology Peer Academic Advising, 647-3711, sponsored by Psychology Department, East Hall. Room 1346, 11a.m.-4 p.m. J Safewalk, 936-1000, Shapiro Library Lobby, 8 p.m.-2:30 a.m. J Student Mediation, sponsored by i i I - - -.