LOCALISTATE The Michigan Daily - Monday, February 24, 1997 - 3A UM.Serve sponsors student fee increase ~U Engineering 4emeritu1s dies Mechanical Engineering associate *of. Emeritus Joseph Akerman died .eb. 12, at St. Joseph Mercy .tospital. Akerman, an expert in heating and air conditioning, joined the University faculty in 1956 after 20 years on the mechanical engineering faculty at the ~University of Wisconsin. Akerman also researched in the fields of heat transfer ahid thermal fluid during his profes- sional career. Akerman taught engi- d ring skills in heating and air condi- 1 lonng through combined courses in the College of Architecture and Urban Planning. Akrman reev hi B. fo 193, danug.S.erom thrie Urndiversien 9,and ea Ph.D.in cand icalhengi- Website offers ~help on papers Infonautics Inc. recently launched a new website dedicated to research top- ics and ideas for student project papers. The site, located at http://www ~searchpaper corn, will contain more an 2,00 ideas on more than 100 dif- ferent topics for use in research and term papers. The research page covers topics in ~five different areas including art and literature, history, science, business and society. The service also allows stu- dents to link to the Infonautics Electric Library and a leading research engine. The website offers a writing center Oat gives a 17-step method to writing research papers as well as a discussion area that allows students to share ideas and views on a variety of topics. The structure and original idea for the website were adapted from Arco books' "10,000 Ideas for Term Papers, Projects, Reports & Speeches." AATA looks to expand busing options The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority is working to provide work- ers in the downtown area with an alter- native to driving in downtown Ann Arbor. AATA has begun to improve bus routes as well as provide park-and-ride Soptions as an inexpensive solution to a *ck of parking areas. *Many local businesses already have begun to provide subsidized passes for workers, as well as holding meetings to inform employees of the new options. The University is providing morc than 2,500 employees with subsidized bus passes that allow University employees to avoid the downtown traffic and park- * Emplyesand employees can obtain more information about commuting tions by calling AATA at 973-6500 or 677-3901. AATA also has a website *available at http://theride.org. Kaplan to COn- ~puterize GMAT The Kaplan Educational center will be holding the Graduate Management dmissions Test (GMAT) two more mes as a paper-and-pencil test this year. After the tests administered March 15 and June 21, Kaplan will only offer thIe Computer Adaptive Test. A recent C Kaplan survey showed that nearly 70 percent of students either don't know jiow the test works or have never heard ofit. ompiled by Daily Staff Reporter Jeff Enderton. * $1 increase would fund students community service groups After students voted against a fee increase in last term's Michigan Student Assembly election, UM.Serve will sponsor a revised fee increase bal- lot proposal in MSA's March election. The ballot question will ask students to approve a $1 -per student, per-semester fee increase to fund student groups for community service purposes. Money from the fee would be allocated by a com- mittee comprised of five students representing community service groups, five other students and three faculty or staff determined by UM.Serve and the Community Service Forum. .Service organization members collected 1,159 signatures to put the new question on the MSA ballot. At least I ,000 signatures were needed to bypass an assembly vote for a ballot question. LSA junior Jill Manske, a member of the Campus Programs Leadership Team, said students seem to support the revised question. "(Conducting the petition) gave us a chance to talk one-on-one to people who would be affected by this," Manske said. "(Students) seemed to be really receptive, especially after we explained." In the November MSA elections, students rejected an initial UM.Serve proposal that asked for a $1.50 per-semester fee increase from stu- dents. Last semestcr's question specified how some of the money would be spent. MSA Student General Counsel Dan Serota, who proposed the initial ballot question last semester,. said the purpose of the petition was to make stu- dents aware of the new proposal. "It helped to sort of inform students," said Serota, adding that members of more than one ser- vice group pitched in. "It's been a very broad pro- ject." RC senior Carmen Tomshack, a Campus Programs Leadership Team member, attributed last term's ballot question failure to numerous rea- sons, including student apathy and misinterpreta- tion of the ballot question. Several organizers agreed that students may have incorrectly assumed the money would go only to UM.Serve and the Black Volunteer Network. "The intention has always been to distribute to all student service groups" Tomshack said. Tomshack said the new question is more concise than last semester's proposal "I think the question is more inclusive of many student groups. this time:' she said. . Serota said he expects students to support this semester's effort to allocate more funds for cdmi- munity service. "Students; I think, will support (the ballot ques- tion)," Serota said, adding that he would like to go and talk to student groups about the ballot ques- tion. However, RC first-year student Jordan Bates said he plans to vote against the $l fee increase. "I don't think you should force anybody to donate to a group they don't necessarily support:' Bates said. v~ Bates suggested that individual students he way to check "yes" if they want the fee ada o their tuition bills.* about By Sam England Daily Staff Reporter to observe classes,, celebrate teaching: Only minutes into his lecture Friday, Witold Rybczynski acknowledged that he was addressing a troublesome issue. The renowned architect, author and urban scholar told the crowd it can be difficult to stay upbeat about the future of the nation's cities. "It's a depressing subject because Americans are so down on their cities, by and large," Rybczynski said. His lec- ture, titled "What Kind of Cities Do We Need?," gave historical insight into the importance of cities in western cultures and the role of cities today. He spoke seriously with the packed Art and Architecture Building's lecture hall, where many people in attendance brought copies of Rybczynski's most recent book, "City Life," for him to sign. "All cultures have had cities," he said. "Cultures are cities." The role American cities will play in the future is unclear, Rybczynski said. "You can't have cultures without cities, but what are cities? What kind of cities? Those are the questions we need to be asking ourselves," he said. Rybczynski said a national trend of negativity has made cities less impor- tant to people. "There is no sense of social responsi- bili ty in this country for its cities. They're pretty much on their own," he said. "The result is there is no single place that stands for the country the way it does (in European nations)." Changing his focus to college cam- puses, Rybczynski spoke about the role of urban campuses. Surrounded by the By Janet Adamy Daily Staff Reporter Although many students like to keep their parents as far away from campus as possible, graduate student instructors are inviting parents into University classrooms for a day. More than a dozen GSIs invited par- ents to attend classes this week as part of a weeklong celebration of graduate teaching across the country. Graduate Educators Organization Secretary Erie Dimnbach said GEO is encouraging the invitation because par- ents don't usually get the chance to speak with the GSIs who teach their children. 'We just want everyone to realize that we make a crucial contribution to the University" Dirnbach said. "GSls teach over 40 percent of the classes here at Michigan and parents often don't have the chance to see the work we do." GEO Vice President Darcy Leach said GSIs sent more than 600 letters asking parents to attend classes. While dozens of GSIs sent the invitations, only about 25 parents have confirmed their attendance. "Logistically, it's going to be difficult for every parent to conic, but we're still extending the invitation to everyone:"' Dirnbach said. LSA first-year student Keisa Reed said that although none of her GSls invited parents to sit in on her classes, her parents would not have been able to attend anyway. "I would probably invite them, but most likely they wouldn't be able to. conic because they work during thie time when I have classes:' Reed said.1 Leach said she invited parents to her Sociology 100 section because she thinks most parents do not really know what is going on in the classes. "I just really wanted people to know that I care about teaching and that I have been trained and that sometirnes I have more contact with the students than the professors do - but that that's not necessarily a bad thing" Leach said, noting that two parents are planning to attend her section this week. Leach said she thinks the visitation will help give GSIs a niore positive image. "A lot of GSls have internaliied this negative image of GSls," Leach sgid. "I think having parents come will be'an very empowering experience for then." LSA first-year student Jason Perla said that although the GSI for his Amcrican Values class invited parents to attend the section, his parents do not plan to corpe. "It's nice to do, but I wouldn't cnn- sider having them come'" Perla said~ "I don't think it's going to be, like, hell ful or anything:' GEG is scheduled to join gradijate students nationwide Thursday for a "National Day of Action" to celebrate graduate student teaching. A rally v'ill begin at noon on the Diag.a JEANNIE sERVAAS/Oaily Urban planner, architect and creator of Home magazine, Witold Rybczynski, spoke Friday about the problems, cultures and potential of the nation's cities. more open lands and quiet forests of North Campus, Rybczynski cited the popularity of urban schools. "All Americans, 1 think, want to go to col- lege in cities:' he said. "I'm always struck by the fact that Americans send their kids away to col- lege," he said. "I dare say, there aren't a lot of people here who are from Ann Arbor."' Rybczynski closed his 45-minute lecture by retlecting on the complexity of the issue. "There are going to be certain cities that succeed and certain ones that fail,"' he said. "But that's the way it's always been."' Following the lecture, several audi- ence members asked Rybezyn ski about Detroit, a city attempting to recover froni hard economic times. "We can't have a casino in every city. We can't have a tourist center in every city," he said. "I don't think I'd go to Detroit on vacation." After the lecture and questioning ses- sion, Rybczynski signed books and fielded questions on a variety of topics, including the relationship between the University and Ann Arbor. "In the past, there were always col- lege towns," he said. "And I think Ann Arbor was part of that." Rybczynski said Ann Arbor reflects the national situation. "In nmany cities, the University supports the city'"he said. LIKE TO READ ThE DAILY? WANT TO WRITE FOR TH E DAILY? WORK 0 SR,'T4M/ ~'T~'OtA' t &0k4 4'GF tfdPt OVMF4'T PRO GRAM ban garag imorts C4~P~f/~ PRL~F/T4 Tf OAf S~~*'~s FROM tO#/OO$/ Tuts. /~e 25. ~OOPM-&3OPM fMTFAW4T/OM4t C6,VT~4~ A'Oc'M 9 0/SPLAY/IMFO TAet fO'OOAM S~OOP~ MI6WfC4A/ //R/fOM tOBSY - 'a,.' ~aa,. 4 ~a $ [ a, 4* a * I. - LANSING (AP) - If"ajourney of a thousand miles must begin with a sin- gle step," a bill to ban garbage imports to Michigan is taking that first step. Not only does the legislative road stretch before it, but its effectiveness depends on Congress giving Michigan power to take such action. And federal cooperatipn with state wishes never comes easy. But state Sen. Loren Bennett (R- Canton) portrays his bill as the means to let Michigan quit being a dumping ground for garbage generated in other states and Canada. His Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Committee is scheduled to begin dis- cussion of the bill this week. i "I'm trying to say to the people of Michigan that we need to turn up the heat on our federal legislators" Bennett said. "It's important to start that ball rolling. I'm trying to get the attention of the federal government."' The bill is a short one. It says a solid waste hauler can't transport or dispose of waste in Michigan if the garbage was generated in another state or country. But it also depends on Congress pass- ing a law authorizing the states to regu- late the transportation and disposal of solid waste within their borders. The courts have held that a flat ban violates interstate commerce, and experts say that to get around the rulings a state must be able to demonstrate there is a valid state interest in protecting the health, welfare and safety of its citizens. "Michigan is currently a net importer of certain solid wastes;' Bennett said. "This is not a legacy we wish to leave to our children, nor is it a title to which we want to lay claim while attempting to, increase our tourist trade. S"Michigan should not be a dumping ground for its neighbors, the rest of the nation and ... not another country," he said. CALL 76-DAILY. SPOA/SO~~6O 85' t/-M A'T~M4T/oM4t CiwT~' B IJJV/1C '64-93/0 GROUP MEETINGS Q Bibie Study, 741-1913, AngelI Hall, G-144, 7 p.m. lQ Biomedical Engineering Student Association, H.H. Dow Building, Room 1013, 7 p.m. 11 Women's Book Group, 66'2-5189, Guild House, 802 Monroe, 12-1 p-Nm. EVENTS 6:30 p.m. QJ "internshlps in Ann Arbor" spon- sored by CP&P, MLB, Lecture Room 1, 5:10-6:30 p.m. IQ "Just What is Cultural Studies?," sponsored by The Center for Russian and Eastern European Studies, Lane Hall, Commons Room, 7 p.m. lQ "Staff Selection," sponsored by Campus Information Centers, applications available at the C!C SCampus Information Centers, 763- INFO, info@umi ch.edu, and wwwumich.ed/~info on the Q English Composition Board Peer Tutoring Angell Hall, Room 444C, 7-1pm Q Northwalk, 763-WA LK, Bursley Loby 8.m.- 1:30 a.m. LO Psycholg Peer Academic Advising, 647-3711, East Hall, Room 1346, SERVICES