4A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, November 21, 1996
art
E firtict [ m ttilg
420 Maynard Street'
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
RONNIE GLASSBERG
Editor in Chief
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
'The MSA elections aren't the kind of in-your-face races
you find in national elections. There shouldn't be anyone
mooning anyone else out there tomorrow.'
- Liberty Party Chair Martin Howrylak
YUKI KUNYUKG GROUND ZERO
Edited and managed by ADRIENNE JANNEY
students at the ZACHARY M. RAIMI
- University of Michigan Editorial Page Editors
Ufnless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of the Dailys editorial board. All
other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily.
FROM THE DiLY
ip .
Closing the gap
Minority enrollment increase is a good start
T he University recently announced that
the percentage of enrolled minorities
has risen to more than 25 percent. For the
second year in a row, the total number of
enrolled women comprises more than 50
percent of the incoming class. Increased
minority representation is a step in the right
direction for University admissions. But
statistical success must not stop efforts to
increase the numbers. In addition to
increasing the numbers of women and
minorities, the University must also focus
on retaining the students already enrolled
- the University must constantly review
and update this ongoing process.
Former University President James
Duderstadt started some of the original
efforts to attract and maintain high enroll-
ment percentages of minorities and women.
In 1987, he implemented the Michigan
Mandate, a program aimed at increasing such
rates. In 1994, he conceived the Agenda for
Women. Part of his goal has been realized -
minority enrollment percentages have dou-
bled since he initiated the mandate.
These programs are valuable assets and
should continue to thrive. University
President-select Lee Bollinger and his
administration will soon begin their term.
They should be on the lookout for more
ways to increase the percentages of enrolled
women and minorities.
More women and minorities contribute
to the diverse atmosphere many incoming
students seek. The recent release of figures
attesting to the all-time high for minority
enrollment comes closer to reflecting the
national population. In the same vein, the
number of women entering the University
historically has not been true to national
proportions. By making the University
community more representative of the
national spectrum, the institution is actually
improving its representation in the work
force. John Matlock, director of the Office
of Academic Multicultural Initiatives, said
that the majority of individuals seeking jobs
in the near future will be minorities and
women.
To increase future enrollment, the
University should maintain the initiatives it
conducts to attract applicants. The
King/Chavez/Parks program is a successful
example of community outreach that serves to
increase and improve minority enrollment.
University representatives working for the
program introduce junior- and senior-high
school students to the University and encour-
age them to strive for higher education.
Beyond increasing admissions, the
University must strive to maintain enroll-
ment and keep the valuable students it has.
Several programs attempt to keep students
at the University. The Comprehensive
Studies Program offers mentor-type rela-
tionships with advisers and more one-on-
one attention than students could get
through LSA academic advising. The
Bridge Program, which brings students to
the University several weeks before classes
begin, provides summer classes and work-
shops to assist students with the adjustment
from high school to college.
The University has made progress, but
its success should not halt the progress that
must continue. Bollinger and his adminis-
tration should foster the University's valu-
able programs and create more initiatives to.
bridge the gap between the national face
and that of the University community.
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MARSH MADNESS6
Caffeine, stress
and homework:
This is the life!
We have it so good. Yeah, yeah, i
VVknow - by this time today;
you've already consumed at least
7'000 milligrams of caffeine and/o
nicotine, groaned about how late you
stayed up last
night and com-
plained about how
late you'll have tou'
stay up tonight to
get everything
done. I've done .
the same. But
don't kid yourself
- as students, we
have it pretty darn
good.
We basically ERIN
choose our own MARSH
schedules -
except, of course, for those required
concentration classes only offered at 8
a.m. Otherwise, we can pretty much.
decide when we want to get up, how
long we want to sit in classes each day
and how long our coffee/lunch/nal
breaks are.
We can even - and this is really
cool - decide how much work we
want to do. Go with me on this - have
you not read the course descriptions in
the Bible of all schedule-makers, the.
Course Guide? Now, some class
descriptions say: "The course requires,
perfect attendance, frequent and intel-
ligent participation and a 35-page term
paper on an aspect of thermodynamica
that you find particularly engaging
Hint: Those are the ones we don't sign
up for, kids. (Unless, of course, it's one
of those aforementioned 8 a.m
required concentration classes. In that
case, I am terribly, terribly sorry.)
Other class descriptions say: "Show
up as often as you can. If/when you
make it to class, feel free to sleep jo
the back row. Drool. Express your
individuality by systematically refu
ing to participate in discussions. One
three-page paper required - unless,
of course, you don't feel like doing it."
But then, we can't all be communica-
tion majors. Buh-dump-buh. (Oh, for
heaven's sake, I'm kidding. No nasty
letters from comm. majors, please.) "
Yup, student life is pretty good. We
can call pretty much any of our friends
at 2 a.m., and be reasonably confident
that they're awake and willing to chat
We can wear the same sweatshirt t6
class for two consecutive weeks if we
want to (though I doubt this will do
wonders for your social life).
Lots of us can't wait to
find the "real" world,
make "real" money
LE ER - . T TH E DI .T-
L.ETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Keeping the connection
UM Online' provides valuable service
oon, recent University alums and par-
ents will receive a brochure in the mail
detailing the Information Technology
Division's newest service. "UM Online,"
formed in conjunction with Academic
Outreach, has been operating since last
spring, with approximately 330 alums
online. With this mailing, ITD is trying to
expand the service to include more people.
The services will be available to families,
alums and retired faculty nationwide as it
should keep University friends, alums and
patrons connected to the community at a
reasonable cost.
Upon graduation, the service can serve
as a link for new alums to maintain their
ties to the University. According to the pro-
motional literature, it gives students
"resources to manage their lifelong educa-
tional and professional growth." The pro-
gram will help prevent former students
from being isolated from the University
and, in the process, will expand the
University community beyond campus
boundaries.
In providing a link to graduates, UM
Online is narrowing the communications
gap between individual alums, alumni orga-
nizations and the University. These groups
provide millions of dollars in donations and
scholarships each year - UM Online can
facilitate fund raising because the
University's computer network serves as a
central communications hub.
The service will allow alums to maintain
their membership in the University commi-
nity far beyond graduation, thus increasing
their devotion to the University and - the
administration hones -- the size of their
to maintain a cheap communication route
between parents and their children, many
families pay for commercial Internet access
providers and use e-mail. Though the rates
for in-state and out-of-state residents differ,
the program is cheaper than most commer-
cial services. UM Online offers an opportu-
nity to not only save money, but to access
the superior technology resources the
University has to offer.
The program includes e-mail software
and Netscape Navigator -- providing users
with many of the same features that present
students have. However, UM Online has
unique features, such as access to online
museum exhibits and live sports broadcasts.
The service features are user-friendly - an
advantage for beginners on the information
superhighway and recent alums who are
comfortable with the services they already
know.
Students can also access the additional
services for a charge of 16 cents a month --
ITD would deduct the fee from the student's
account.
With its vast technology resources, the
University should commit itself to distrib-
uting computing and communication tech-
nology to those who may not already have
access to it. UM Online is a positive step in
the right direction. The service provides
alums, parents, retired faculty and others
the opportunity to be - or stay -- connect-
ed with the University community.
UM Online will not only make commu-
nication with students and alums easier and
cheaper but will help support alumni net-
works. Its features will distribute technolo-
gy to many neople who may not have access
Vote for $1
TO THE DAILY:
I am writing to urge each
of you to vote "yes" on the
ballot proposal for a $1 per
term increase in the Michigan
Student Assembly fee. As the
chair of the Budget Priorities
Committee I've repeatedly
seen the dire need for an
MSA fee increase. We are for-
tunate to benefit from a com-
munity, supported largely by
student groups, which
addresses infinite interests.
Many of these groups require
funds to function in this role
and MSA has traditionally
been a primary funding
source. However, MSA cannot
possibly offer significant sup-
port to more than a fraction of
needy student groups. This
fall, for example, BPC was
forced to waitlist funding
requests after appoximately
the first 100 received because
we couldn't possibly affect
even that many groups.
Consider that there are
roughly 600 MSA registered
student groups, even by limit-
ing funding to 100 groups
each group will only receive
$450 on average. These 100
groups requested nearly
$200,000 from MSA (this
does not include funds
requested of other sources).
Such minimal funding pro-
vides little help for most of
the campus events which we
all enjoy. Ask any student
group who received funding
from MSA this fall and they
will more than likely tell you
that they received far less than
they need. Additional funds
are clearly needed by BPC to
continue to support the intei-
ests which make our
University community vital.
KARIE MORGAN
BPC CHAIR
lTD trying to
fix problems
To THE DAILY:
I'd like to respond to your
editorial "Chaos with
Computers" (1 l/13/96).You
addressed two problem areas:
station assignments at the
Angell Hall Computing Site
and concerns about the cost
of printing. As manager of
the Information Technology
Division Computing Sites,
I'm happy to speak to the
Angell Hall system. Kitty
Bridges, ITD's director of
product development and
deployment has in the past,
and will continue to speak to
ITD's printing service.
However, I would like to
mention that we are creating a
place for students to set up or
add money to their UMCE
Self-Funded Accounts on an
around-the-clock basis. We
wait-list system after the site
fills up. (The white-board at
the entrance announces when
the wait-list is in effect.)
Please help us to further
refine this system, or design a
new one! Send suggestions
via e-mail to improve.angell
@umich.edu. I regret that we
may not be able to reply to all
messages individually, but we
do value our users' creative
input in helping us develop a
system which will work for
them. I'd also like to speak to
the role that sites users need
to play in helping us maintain
a viable system. It is difficult,
if not impossible, for our
small staff to "police" users
bent on circumventing our
systems. Students who leave
for extended breaks without
giving up their stations, who
pass their stations on to
friends while ignoring others
who are waiting, or who roam
the site intent on snagging a
station even when there is a
wait-list - these are prob-
lems that are often out of our
control. We appeal to all sites
users to respect each other
and abide by the principles of
fair play. On a different note,
we'd like to let everyone
know that many of our sites
do not have wait lines, even
during peak use times. It may
be helpful for Angell users to
explore some of the other
options available to them.
Liz SALLEY
OPERATIONS MANAGER,
TD CAMPUS
COMPUTING SITES
BPC works
TO THE DAILY:
I would like to speak on
behalf of the fee proposals
which you will be voting on
in the Michigan Student
Assembly election. Voting to
increase the MSA fee by
$1.50 would set a dangerous
precedent. The proposal sub-
mitted to MSA was seriously
flawed. To begin with, the
bulk of the $120,000 raised
would go into the coffers of
two groups: Project Serve
would automatically receive
$70,000; Black Volunteer
Network would be given
$25,000. These amounts are
far more than any other stu-
dent or student-service organi-
zation currently receives. For
all the work that the Ann
Arbor Tenants' Union has
accomplished on behalf of
students, that organization
only receives $20,000 from
MSA. Moreover, Project
Serve also acts as a University
department and has been the
recipient of about $100,000 in
the past two years from the
University provost. It is
unclear why Serve still needs
the additional funds.
Finally, there is no distrib-
should vote for the $1
increase in the MSA fee and
the $1 increase in the school
and college government fee.
MSA's Budget Priorities
Committee has been the main
agency through which stu-
dent groups are funded. BPC
consists of elected MSA rep-
resentatives and students at
large. There is a wide variety
of backgrounds, schools and
viewpoints represented.
Moreover, MSA has
entrusted BPC to allocate
more money to student
groups this year - $90,000
- than at any other time in
MSA's history. All indications
are that this process has been
successful: This semester
alone, MSA will fund about
100 student groups a total of
$45,000. Unfortunately, these
student groups have sought
more than $168,000 in fund-
ing from MSA. Thus, the pro-
posal to increase the MSA fee
by $1 will help address this
unmet need. But this alone is
not sufficient. Who makes up
the difference when MSA
cannot fully fund student
groups? The school and col-
lege governments. Both
Rackham Student
Government and LSA
Student Government, the two
largest school and college
governments, have felt the
pinch as more student groups
seek more funding from both
bodies. Unfortunately,
Rackham Student
Government and LSA-SG
have less than $15,000 per
term, combined, to award to
student groups. This amount,
however, doesn't come lose
to amounts requested from
student groups. An additional
$1 per student per term will
help address the problem, so
that more student groups will
be awarded more funds.
Furthermore, unlike the
more generalized nature of
MSA funding, which awards
monies to any student organi-
zation, the school and college
governments are the most
appropriate bodies to evaluate
the merits of funding propos-
als from their constituent stu-
dent groups. Hence,
University of Michigan
Engineering Council would
best know how much to fund
engineering societies,
Rackham Student
Government would likewise
know about grad student
groups and so on. Please vote
to increase the school/ college
government fee by $1 and the
MSA fee by $1. These are in
everyone's best interests. The
Project Serve/BVN proposal,
as presently worded, is not.
JOHN C. LOPEZ
BPC VICE CHAIR
MSA e-mail
misused
We can fit all of our worldly posses
sions -- you know, used tissues,
unbalanced checkbook, Michigan
Money Saver coupon books - in a
backpack. (Unless you're still playing
"dress up like Mommy and Daddy"
and carry a briefcase. You must have
had a rough childhood - I apologize
for all of the abuse you suffered on the
playground.)
I'm firmly convinced that this stu-
dent thing is great. As much as I whine
about all the stuff I have to do, in my
heart of hearts, I know I've got it
made.
Along with this feeling of great sat-
isfaction comes the knowledge that
soon I will probably have to give it up.
Then comes all the great fun: job
search, interviews, sleepless nights, no
way to pay the rent. Yuck. These ae
the days when the majority of my time
will be spent composing suck-up let-
ters like this:
"Dear Employer/God:
I want to be just like you when I
grow up. If you give me a job, I will
spit-shine your shoes until the day I
drop dead of dehydration.
All the sincerity I can muster,
Erin E. Marsh"
Giving up studenthood means deve
oping a vested interest in things lik
health care packages and 401(k) plans.
I can foresee a lot of us saying things
like, "Gee, I used to be really psyched
to find a clean, used textbook ... now
look at this fab benefits package!"
I have remarkably little interest in
rising at the same time every day to go
to the same place and do essentially
the same thing. It's easy to change my
perspective now - if I don't like
class, I can drop it. If I don't like the
place where I live, I can move. If I
don't like a summer job, it's only four
months until I can go back to the world
of books and learning and change.
A lot of people I know can't wait to
and wait for our "real"
lives to start.
I