12 -- The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, April 22, 1997 ,9 , ',.,... NWlNATIONtWORLD 'There was always a new hole in the middle of the Diag' 1997 Continued from Page 2. strength, diversity and excitement unique in its history; said former University President James Duderstadt, Campus face-lift During the four years, cranes and yellow bulldozers occu- pied the campus, demolishing buildings and reconstructing them. Construction on the Shapiro Library began nearly four years ago, just as the class of 1997 had first set foot on University turf- a foreshadowing of the years of renewal to follow. All told, about $62 million was spent to renovate the Shapiro Library, the Randall Laboratory and East Hall. A connector was built link- ing the Shapiro and Harlan Hatcher libraries, a pedestrian plaza replacedT grassy knolls and asphalt around East rdICu loi University and South University avenues, and on North Campus, the Media Union Weeki and. the Lurie Memorial Carillon Bell! Tower were erected. 'Americ "North Campus is totally different. It's a lot more centralized," said Engineering forsthe o senior Allison Eisele. "But the bell lower is ridiculous. There's no clock or music at any certain timne. Last week, it was playing ngineering 'America the Beautiful' for the longest time. "If they put a clock on it, it would be fine," Eisele said'. Barry said it seemed as if there were a new construction project every fall. "Every year when we came back in the fall, there was always a new hole in the middle of the Diag," Barry said. Some seniors said they grew accustomed to walking in dirt ditches and amidst sawdust, but complained that they would not benefit from the years of construction. "The whole time I've been here, the campus has been under construction," said LSA senior Rachael Hackmann. "I'm disappointed because I won't get tie chance to really enjoy the new buildings." As the campus facade slowly transformed, Ann Arbor also changed with it. Around the town, several landmark shops disappeared and were replaced by new ones. Drake's sandwich shop, which has now been replaced by Brueggers Bagels, closed its doors in November, 1993, after servicing Ann Arbor for 65 years. The O'Sullivan's Pub on South University shut down two years later, in 1995, after Good Time Charley's expanded, buying out the space. + Student Body The composition of the student body also changed. becom- ing more diverse than ever In 1993, students of color com- prised 22.8 percent of the student body. Today, it has risen to about 25 percent. "Through the Michigan Mandate and the Michigan Agenda for Women, we achieved the highest number of students, faculty and staff of color in our history," Duderstadt said. "And we put in place programs to bring women more fully into all aspects of the life of the University." Accompanying the increased diversity was a growing backlash against affirmative action programs. The passage of California Proposition 209 and a court decision in the Hopwood v. Texas case posed a threat to affirmative action programs nationwide, including the University's tower is initiatives. In October 1995, 500 last University students poured into the streets as was playing part of the "National Day of Action" in defense of a the Beautiful' affirmative action pro- grams. Tng;est time."Demonstrations, large or small, became a com- - Allison Eisele mon sight at the senior, on the Lurie Bell University during the past Tower four years., "I think that activism has increased since I first arrived here four years ago, said LSA senior Andy Schor. "(During) my freshman year, I don't remember many activists on campus. Now we have environmentalists, women's rights, rape prevention, Homeless Power and several other groups." In March 1996, half of The Michigan Daily's press run was stolen by a group of students in protest of a cartoon and edi- torial the Daily had published. Several days later, 250 pro- testers clamored outside of the Student Publications Building, home of the Daily, accusing it of being racist. That same month, yellow placards checkered the campus after 1,000 members of the Graduate Employees Organization staged a two-day walkout, suspending classes for those days. Out with the old Inside the classrooms, the course curriculum also shifted= with the times. A quantitative reasoning requirement was passed by LSA in January 1994, which required students to take courses that test mathematical and logical abilities. The journalism department disappeared as quickly as the Entree Plus system. In January 1995, LSA announced it would remove all film, video and journalism coursework from the communications department. The department switched its focus to understanding the process of mass com- munication in society and abandoned classes that had a pro- fessional focus. "I was quite annoyed by (the switch),"said L.SA senior David Scott. "Before you could get practical experience - as much as a college could offer. Now it's all communication theory. "What does that do you? Nothing," Scott added. The use of Netscape and cyberspace also altered the face of education, playing a prominent role in the classroom. Students and professors adjusted to the information highway and became more reliant on the Internet for information. At This the University, the MTS e-mail system was phased out by 1995 and replaced by Pine. differe Registering for classes also became much easier for students. Before phone than an CRISP was introduced in January 1995, students waited in long lines at Angell Hall came t in order to register. "It was a pain, but it was only one day," said LSA senior Arthur Cote. "It was Vice Pres helpful back then (because) when you didn't have a class, or it was canceled, (the CRISP monitors) would help you imme- diately." Finally, there was the disappearance of Entree Plus, fondly nicknamed by many seniors as "Entree Parents" Entree Plus "was almost like free money," said LSA senior Aaron Hartman. "It was like coming to the (Michigan) Union and eating for free." Barry said the arrival of the M-Card system was drastic. "it was like this big leap forward, and Entree Plus got left behind," Barry said. Administration At the administrative level, the names and faces in the Fleming Administration Building changed as quickly as the buildings around campus. Duderstadt's resignation in September, 1995, stunned many students, leaving widespread speculation about why he stepped down. "The president is the closest thing we have as an embodi- ment of institutional values and vision," said Vice President for University Relations Walter Harrison. "For me, (Duderstadt's resignation) was one of the biggest changes." Following Duderstadt's resignation, the search for the next president began --- a search that would eventually land the University in the courtroom. The University Board of Recats selected Vice President I in for Research Homer Neal as interim president, marking the first time an African American held the post. Neal served as interim University president for seven months. "I think it is great that he happened to be, among other things, an African American," said Regent Rebecca McGowan (D-Ann Arbor). "But we picked him because he was the best person in the minds of all eight regents to lead the University at that time." The search process resulted in the selection of Lee Bollinger as the 12th University president. Ironically, Bollinger managed to leave the University and return within the four-year cycle of this year's graduating class. Bollinger left his post as the dean of the University's Law School in 1994, only to return three years later. is a very On the board, four new faces made their way to the regents' ' i am putable since 1993. Gone are regents Paul Brown, James Waters, De $ Baker and Nellie Varner. The n additions to the board are regents P Andrea Fischer Newman, Daniel Horning, Olivia Niaynard and S. - Walter H arrisn Martin Taylor. lent for University "I don't think the dynamics Relations have shifted," McGowan said. "Our way of operating has always been formal with emphasis on consensus building." So long and farewell Along the way, the Class of 1997 lost some of its class- mates and professors. LSA senior Arati Sharangpani and Rackham Associate Dean Betty Jean Jones died in January's Comair flight 3272 crash. As the Class of 1997 chants the fight song one last time on May 3, it will remember the best and the worst of times. It will remember the massive facelift the University underwent, the resignation of Michigan Football Coach Gary Moeller, the demonstrations and the cheers. "This has been a period of extraordinary change," Harri* said. "The whole University was going through enormous change at the same time as many undergraduate students were. "This is a very different campus than any student came to in 1993,"' Harrison said. For some members of the Class of 1997, the University has been a far better place than they've ever known. "For as many changes as I've seen at the University, prob- ably the biggest ones are the changes I've made personally because of the University" said Kinesiology senior Rusga Ordonia. I Ashes of '60s icons launched. to space Los Angekls Times Turn on, tune in, blast off. The cremated remains of '60s icon Timothy Leary were among those roc eted into orbit yesterday for the fi commercial burial in outer space. The ashes of others on board a rocket launched from the Canary Islands included those of "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry. space colony advo- cate Gerald O'Neill and Simi Valley, Calif., realtor James Spellman, who was the nephew of the late Francis Cardinal Spellman. In all, remains of 24 men were car- ried on this "Founders Flight" sp4 bored by Celestis, a Houston-basec company created in 1994 with the expressed purpose of offering what it calls "space memorials." The funds for Leary's final trip were primarily contributed by his friends Susan Sarandon, the actress, and Tony Scott, director of "Top Gun" and other films, according to Carol Rosin, a space industries consultant. Rosin said she told Leary abcd Celestis a few weeks before he died in Beverly Hills, Calif., on May 31 last year. "He loved the idea that he was going to take this flight," said Rosin, who was on hand for the launch. "He would say, 'Ride the light into space."' More symbolic gesture than burial, the Celestis flights are designed to carry only about a quarter-ounce of a from each person encased in an indi- vidual. aluminum capsule about the size of a lipstick. The capsules, attached to the second stage of the rocket, are predicted to remain in low-flying orbit for about two-to-six years, Celestis officials said, before the remains are re-cremated upon re-entry into the atmosphere. The consumer cost: 54,800 per per- son, with a money-back guarantees0 something goes wrong during a launch. For at least this first flight, it seems Celestis will be able to keep the money. "It was a perfect launch, right on the path;" said Celestis founder Charles Chafer, from his hotel on Grand Canary I I%. wl~ y . -. - r,- I -