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LOCAL/STATE The Michigan Daily - Friday, January 24, 19
State Dems start year with family based bill
97 -3
Suspect steals
from Uncle Ed's
OH Shop
A caller who works in Uncle Ed's Oil
Shop at 1800 Pauline St. reported to the
An -Arbor Police Department that he
had . been robbed at gun point
Wednesday night.
According to AAPD reports, the
caller said a masked man approxi-
mately 5- feet 7- inches wearing a
black sweat suit came into the store
right before closing and stuck a small
e er revolver in his face.
"he suspect then took a green
NBD deposit bag containing more
than $350 and several personal
checks, according to the report. He
en allegedly proceeded to flee on
fotyelling "Now who's the man?
Who's the man?" AAPD is currently
investigating several suspects.
n artists rob
derly woman
An elderly resident living at 200 East
Davis St. reported to AAPD that she
had been robbed Tuesday night.
Acording to AAPD reports, the
caller said she was approached by
two men who claimed they were giv-
ing free maintenance inspection of
houses.
The caller reported that several
its were missing, including wood
sculptures and medicine from her
bedroom.
The caller became suspicious when
the two men began to leave with large
bulges in their jackets and began to
laugh loudly.
The suspects were chased by the
caller for three blocks and were spot-
fed driving a blue and red truck with
t license plate covered up. AAPD
h no suspects.
Resident of
apartment found
with cocaine
A resident of Stadium Palace
Apartment Complex called the
A PD reporting that a fellow resi-
ton the second floor was causing
a disturbance by blasting loud music
and yelling several obscenities at an
imaginary woman, according to
AAPD reports.
AAPD arrived 10 minutes later
and convinced the suspect to open
the 'door. He was subsequently
attested when police discovered 14
grams of cocaine and several unreg-
red firearms. AAPD is still
is tigating.
2 wallet thefts in
2 days
A caller reported that her wallet was
stolen in the Michigan League on
Tuesday night.
The wallet was taken from the com-
ntant's purse while she dined at the
League buffet. According to
Department of Public Safety reports, the
caller said the wallet contained more
than $200 and several credit cards.
Awaitress also reported that a suspi-
cious man was seen moving from table
to table without ordering food. DPS is
currently investigating.
In a separate incident, a caller report-
ed her wallet was stolen from the
l*hipan Union. The green wallet con-
taining more than $160 in cash was left
unattended for several minutes at an
ATM machine.
- Compiled by Daily Saff Reporter
Ajit K. Thavarajah
By Jeffrey Kosseff
Daily Staff Reporter
In an effort to be "family friendly" state
Democrats are opening the 89th Michigan State
House with The Quality of Life Act of 1997.
The package of bills includes proposals for tax
credits to families supporting children and depen-
dent elderly, poor families and households that use
child care services.
State Rep. John Freeman (D-Madison Heights)
plans to propose legislation to give the working-
class poor a tax refund. The bill is modeled after
the federal earned income tax credit.
"If the federal government wants to encourage
the policy of independence, we at the state level
should also," Freeman said.
Under Freeman's legislation, recipients of the
federal earned income tax credit may receive a state
tax credit equal to one quarter of the federal credit.
"People's wages aren't going up all that much;"
Freeman said. "This will help."
Freeman said he hopes the Republican-dominat-
ed state Senate will also support this bill because
it encourages working-class people to find alterna-
tives to welfare. "They ought to embrace it,"
Freeman said. "If Ronald Reagan embraced it, I
don't see why the Senate shouldn't."
But some Republicans see Freeman's bill and.
the entire package as simply partisan politics.
"This is pandering to politics at its worst," said
state Sen. Mike Rogers (D-Brighton). "(The pack-
age) sounds good, but it's fluffy and they have not
talked about how they're going to pay for it. I think
it's irresponsible."
State Reps. Karen Willard (D-Algonac) and
Dennis Olshove (D-Warren) are sponsoring bills
to give tax credits to families with dependent
adults and sick children.
Olshove's bill provides an income tax refund of
up to $2,400 to families supporting incapacitated
children, mentally-ill relatives and invalid elderly
family members.
Olshove said he began working on the legislation
after he campaigned door-to-door and discovered
many households caringfor sick family members.
"You'd besurprised how many people have hos-
pital beds in their homes;" Olshove said. "This bill
is a way of easing the cost."
Willard's bill gives families tax exemption for
adults who depend on their family for more than
half of their support.
"You're basically taking care of an adult who
requires time, support and also money;'"she said. "It's
often difficult for people to care for their loved ones:"
Willard said the Republicans who do not support
her bill are contradicting a family values platform,
However, some Republican senators said they
support the legislation because they believe it will
ultimately save the state money.
"It is less expensive for states to provide income
tax credits for people to take care of the sick at
home rather than in an institution," said Sen. Bill
VanRegenmorter (R-Jenison). "It reinforces a
strong family values concept.
Evaluation forms
undergo changes
Volunteer David Thomas looks through plants to record whether they are blossoming
Thomas has been volunteering at the gardens for three years and keeps a garden of I
'U' conservatory to get
* Directors hope to
attract more students
with renovations
By Susan Port
For the Daily
Attempting to reach out to University
students, the Matthaei Botanical
Gardens conservatory is about to
undergo its first major renovation in
more than 30 years.
Brian Klatt, assistant director of the
gardens, said itsis time for the conser-
vatory to undergo a transformation.
"There is a real need to remodel the
physical characteristics," Klatt said.
A new walkway system will be made
to increase accessibility to the displays.
Extensive additions to the plant collec-.
tions will include a bog garden with
Venus' fly traps and other plants dis-
played in a more natural environment.
Already, the orchid collection has been
upgraded.
"The various renovations will pro-
vide and better interpret the relation-
ship between the cultural and natural
world," Klatt said.
Garden Director James Teeri said the
conservatory aims to be more visitor
friendly.
"We are trying to make a much more
visually pleasing and informative
exhibit," Teeri said.
Klatt said he is enthusiastic about the
renovations.
"The mission is to take a good look,
gain knowledge and pass it on," Klatt
said.
While the conservatory was designed
primarily for student usage, many stu-
dents are unaware of the conservatory's
existence, Teeri said.
LSA first-year student Kelly Brown
visits the gardens - but she does so as
a requirement for a practical botany
class.
"I never heard about the conserva-
tory before I signed up for the class,"
Brown said. "it seems like the classes
are the only students there."
By Janet Adamy
Daily Staff Reporter
University students in more than
12,000 classes graded their teachers in
a new and improved way last semester.
The updated version of the Center for
Research on Learning and Teaching's
teacher evaluation form that students
completed is more influential and
detailed than ever, said CRLT Director
Connie Cook.
Cook said the forms' usage has
expanded since they were first intro-
duced in 1975 to provide instructors
with student feedback.
"Over the years as teaching has
become increasingly important at the
University, the forms have become one of
the criteria for tenure, promotion and
merit pay" Cook said. "Because itis dif-
JoSH IGGS/Dally ficult for administration and fellow facul-
at the Matthael Botanical Gardens.- ty members to know the quality of a col-
his own. league's teaching, they often rely on stu-
dent ratings to provide that information."
Cook said one of the major changes in
n e w o othe forms is the addition of questions that
allow instructors to compare themselves
to other teachers in their departnent who
Teeri said one of the reasons for the teach classes of
conservatory's low attendance levels is similar sizes and
that the garden's administration has levels.
"not paid enough attention to public The new The ra
programs in the past." forms nore
Along with boosting attendance to clearly identify reSponSe
the gardens, the planned renovations whether theilr
also will help visitors learn more instructor being varied.
about "the role of humans in interac- evaluated is the - Rob
tion with the natural world," Klatt lecturer, discus-C
said sion section
LSA first-year student Natalie Zorn leader or lab
said miore students should take advan- instructor.
tage of what the conservatory has to Cook said the department began
offer. planning the changes three years ago
"The lab is a lot of fun. More stu- when instructors expressed a need to
dents should know about the conserva- make the forms more user-friendly and
tory," Zorn said. "The renovations contain more meaningful data. CRLT
should bring in more students." representatives met with groups of fac-
The full renovation cost has not yet ulty from the schools and colleges and
been determined, Teeri said, but the consulted student groups including the
University and private donors are fund- Michigan Student Assembly, the Black
ing the project. Student Union and the University's
The main renovations will begin in Panhellenic Association,
late spring. Chemistry Prof. Thomas Dunn, who
chairs the faculty's governing body,
said the "grossness" of the questions on
the conference. the forms in the past have not allowed
"It requires a tremendous investment for a fair evaluation of teaching.
by the medical students who are "People are new, they're in a large
involved in the program;' Schwartz class and don't have much contact with
said. the professor and they tend to rank
Suarez-Benet them low," Dunn said. "The latest intent
trying to said he is excited
to have Kozol
, secure and Jordan par-
ticipating, and
expects between
300 and 400 peo-
ngela Wandera ple to attend.
tant professor The Medstart Free billiards. Satellite sports. "I
Conference will Food & drink specials.
begin at 8 a.m.
tomorrow in the Towsley Center of the
University Medical School. Workshops College Night. 500 pitchers tii' 10.
will run until 5:45. Student fees are No cover wlstudent ID 21+
$15; non-student fees are $40.
e
CI
is an improvement to compare things in
the same categories."
Education Prof. Valerie Lee said the
only difference she has seen in the
forms is that the results have come
more slowly than in past years.
"My own feeling is that if the
University is serious about evaluating the
way teachers are teaching, they'd better
go way beyond the CRLT forms:' Lee
said.
While different schools, colleges and
departments place varying amounts of
weight on the evaluation results, nearly
all of the assessments areused to evalu-
ate teaching.
Chemistry chair Robert Kuczkowski
said the forms are factors in ranking the
cuality of teaching and handing out
awards in the department.
"The range of responses is so varied
that sonetimes you have difficulty find-
ing patterns" Kuczkowski said. "You
often wonder why some students thought
you were the most wonderful teacher and
others just couldn't stand you."
Dunn said students don't always eval-,
uate lecturer's by appropriate criteria.
"Itsis possible
for some people
to play a bit on
ige eothe theatrical
. aspect of lectur-
S15 5O ing and tend to
neglect the con-
tent of the lec-
rt Kuczkowski tusre," Dunn said.
.m t ca "I'm hoping that
hemistry chair in the future we
can find a wayto
have a better
overall view of what people's teaching
is like, not viewed narrowly in terms of
classroom performance."
Cook said one ofherconcems is a lack
of student effort to fill out the forms.
"I think students don't realize how
important these ratings are in regard to
tenure, promotions and merit-based
pay" Cook said. "Itsis important for stu-
dents to take ratings forms very serious-
ly because their results have an influence
on the careers of their instructors"
First-year Music and LSA student.
Heidi Meisenhelder said students could
put more effort into filling out the forms.
"If they gave them to me at the end of
class, then I didn't really have time to
think about it," Meisenhelder said. "But
if they gave them to me at the beginning,
then I put more thought into them."
MEDSTART
Continued from Page 1
"My own intention would be that
attending students would get involved
in the topic and pursue research pro-
jects depending on their interest in the
area," Danziger said.
By bringing together professionals
and leaders from various fields, the
Medstart Conference seeks to address
many problerns facing today's children
and adolescents through an interdisci-
plinary approach.
Educators will demonstrate how var-
ious disciplines interact by presenting
the specific roles each one plays in
childand health safety issues.
Angela Wandera, assistant professor
of orthodontics and pediatric dentistry,
said her presentation will link oral health
issues with the theme of the conference.
"It's going to be in keeping with the
there of the conference," Wandera
said. "We're
trying to ensure
a promising We're
and secure
future for the ensure a
children of
Michigan, and future
of the world, by
increasing edu.
cation and Assis
access to care."
M a r y
Schwartz, prograr coordinator for the
conference, praised student volunteers
for the enormous amount of time and
energy she said they put into planning
tl
S'
Want My MTV!" All videos-all night
wNJ Chuck Jasman. $1 cover.
. Ann Arbor's Biggest & Best
Modern Rock Dance Parties
Correction
Prof. Thomas Dunn and Fiona Rose mediated Monday's Affirmative Action Symposium. This was incorrectly reported in
rsday's Daily.
What's hg
FRIDAY
0 "The Composition of the Continental
Crust: The View from Down
Under," lecture by Roberta
Rudnick, sponsored by The
Department of Geological
Sciences, C.C. Little Building,
room 1528, 4 p.m.
J "Conversations with Courtney
Clixby," programming sponsored
by Unions Network Television,
channel 24,3 p.m. and 8 p.m.
* "Delivering Shabbat Meals," spon-
sored by Hillel, 1429 Hill St., 3
p.m.-4:15 p.m.
* "Race Unity Dance," sponsored by
The Bahai Club, Trotter House, 9
p.m.-1 a.m.
"Summer Programs Study Abroad
Fair," sponsored by The Office of
International Pro rams, Michigan
Union, Pendelton oom, 3-5 p.m.
-."Race, Whiteness, Feminism: A ped-
agogical Perspective," sponsored
by The Institute for Research on
Women and Gender, Rackham
(ALLN LAR
appening in Ann Arbor this weekend
Building, West Conference Room,
12-1:30 p.m.
U "Weekly Rummage Sale," sponsored
by Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor,
Kiwanis Building, 200 South First
St., corner of Washington, 9 a.m.-
1 p.m.
j "Welcome Back Shabbat," spon-
sored by Hillel, 1428 Hill St., fol-
lowing services
SATURDAY
U "Careers in Social Work," sponsored
by CP&P, Rackham, 10 a.m.-12
noon
U "Multicultural Career Conference:
Pre-conference Workshop,"
Sponsored by CP&P, Angell Hall,
Aud. C, 10.a.m.-12:30 p.m.
J "Student Co-Op Mass Meeting"
Sponsored b Inter Cooperative
Council, Michigan Union,
Anderson Room, 1-3 p.m.
J "US Job Search: Strategies for
International Students,"
Sponsored by CP&P, International
Center, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
SUNDAY
U "Epiphany Service of Holly
Communion," sponsored by The
Lutheran Campus Minestry, Lord
of Light Lutheran Church, 801
South Forest Ave., 10 a.m.
U "Huron Valley Greens and Student
Greens," meeting, 995-3065, 7-
8:30 p.m.
Q "Lenard Nimoy," Sponsored by Hillel,
1429 Hill St., 7 p.m.
U "Israeli Dancing," Sponsored by
Hillel, 1429 Hill Street, 7:30-
10:00 p.m.
U"Now the Feast and Celebration
Liturgy for Holy Communion,"
opening performance, sponsored
by Lutheran Campus Minestry,
Lord of Light Church, 801 South
Forest Ave. 11:30 a.m.
J"Sunday Service," bible study, spon-
sored by Laymen's Evan elical
Fellowship, Ann Arbor YMCA, 10
a.m.
Are you.*
...tired of the cold?
...anxiously awaiting the return of warm weather?
Why not have even more to look forward to
a Summer Abroad".
Cometo the -01 "SUMMER Programs
* TUYAROAD FAIR!TDYA*
Friday, January 24, 1997, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
in the Michigan Union Pendleton Room
If you're looking for a change of scenery this Summer, come to the Fair and talk
to past participants about their experiences abroad. Don't miss out! We can
show you all of the exciting Summer programs the University of Michigan has to
offer! For more information contact the Office of International Programs,
G5I3 Michigan Union, (313) 764-4311, oip@umich.edu.
*_____________7V ____,Fv *7575
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