LOCAL/STATE The Michigan Daily - Thursday, February 27, 1997 - 3A arch to move loser to Mars in d-March 'he planet Earth will be just 60 mil- ion miles from Mars on March 17 - he closest distance until 1999. Directly south of Michigan at mid- ight, Mars is a "bright red lamp hanging halfway up from the southern horizon," aid astronomy Prof. Richard Teske. The close encounter between Mars nd Earth will take place due to a con- inuous "game of orbital tag" Teske aid. Earth, moving swiftly, chases the *er Mars, gaining one full lap and assing once every 26 months. In addition, astronomers said the resent near-equality of day length and equatorial inclination for Mars and Earth is a coincidence. Theorists think hat Mars' equatorial tilt changes sig- 'ificantly over millions of years. Teske said that 160 million years from ow, the length of an Earth day and a day will be equal. After that, Earth will continue to grow longer. 'U' profs. publish study on movies Movie-going has become a social habit, according to two University pro- fessors. In their recent book, "The Movies: Texts, Receptions, Exposures," English . Laurence Goldstein and film and vi eo studies Prof. Ira Konigsberg con- tend that movies will continue to appeal to all levels of society in the future. The most successful films are those that "make the most sophisticated use of psychology and sociology to frame their narratives,"' Goldstein and Konigsberg said in a written statement. While films entertain audiences, the have intrigued scholars who ques- t what qualities give a film the com- plexity and resonance of high art, according to the statement. The writers also studied how the appreciation of a film may be depen- dent on elements such as the screen, stars, mindframe and even petty busi- ness deals in Hollywood studios. The book offers essays on such clas- sics as "The Wizard of Oz," "The Silence of the Lambs" and "The Last Emperor." announces grant solicitation The Environmental Protection Agency is soliciting grant proposals to establish a national network of pollu- tion prevention centers. The grants range from $750,000 to $1 million. Several reasons for the proposal tests include the creation of new .centers for collection, synthesis and dissemination of pollution prevention information for states not currently served by such a center. Also, the EPA seeks to support exist- ing regional pollution prevention infor- mation centers and coordinate work among new and existing centers. - To participate, contact Paul Cunningham via e-mail at Sdc@umiich.edu by April 28. U.S. to support quake research The U.S. Department of the Interior's National Earthquake Reduction Program is planning to support research in earthquake hazards protection by pro- 'viding data essential to determine seis- hazards present in the United States. nformation will also be collected to offset preventable earthquake damage. NEHRP supports research related to the following areas: evaluating hazard risk on national, regional and urban levels, understanding earthquake processes and providing efficient haz- ard assessment. Contact Paul Cunningham via e-mail at paulc@umich.edu by March 28 for more information. 0- Compiled by Daily Staff Reporter David Rossman. Kirk re-elected College Republican pres. By Jeffrey Kosseff Daily Staff Reporter After the re-election of Nick Kirk as president of the campus College Republicans last night, members of the group said their overall sentiment could now be summed up in one word - unity. "There is no division," Kirk said. "It's about this group needing a leader." Kirk was impeached last Wednesday by the organization's executive board after vice president Elias Xenos asked Kirk to resign. The general membership does not vote on impeachments. Xenos now said he will work with Kirk for the rest of the term, which ends at the conclusion of the winter semester. "Nick and I definitely have our differences," Xenos said. "But we're both committed to the con- servative movement on campus." Kirk was the only mem- ber nominated for president last night, so a vote was not needed to determine the winner.j "I have the overwhelm- ing support of the mem- bers," Kirk said. The tone at last night's meeting was a far cry from Kirk the meeting one week ago, when accusations of forgery and vote rigging filled the room. "I think it's foolish for us to continue fighting," Xenos said. "I will stick by Nick." Members of the group said they are pleased that this internal issue has been laid to rest. "Last week was a pretty dark cloud," said LSA first-year student David Taub. "Tonight we cor- rected a mistake." As his first duty as president. Kirk proposed an amendment to the group's constitution that would alter the impeachment procedure. Currently, the votes of three officers are needed to impeach another officer. Kirk's proposal would require a vote of two-thirds of the general membership to impeach the president. "I'm trying to put power back into the general membership," Kirk said. Elections for next year's officers will be held March 19. LSA sophomore Mark Potts, who is currently running for president unopposed, said he is optimistic about the coming year. "We are a cohesive group." Potts said. "I was pleased an-d I'm really optimistic." For the rest of the semester Kirk is working on continuing to bring speakers to the group. In the spirit of victory, Kirk returned to fighting for the conservative cause and concentrating on what his re-election means to other groups on campus. "My re-election tonight will tell the Democrats where we stand," Kirk said. The executive board impeached Kirk last -week because they said he allegedly forged a press iden- tification from the Michigan Review. 'U, mock' trial team nationals By Sarah Volaric For the Daily The University may be famous for its athletic prowess, but its mock trial team hopes to bring home a national title as well. "The University's mock trial team sent two teams to the regional competi- tion in Toledo last weekend and came home with third and fourth place," said LSA junior Alexis Grigoras, one of the team's co-captains. Grigoras said 16 teams competed for four slots at the national competition. At the regional competition, LSA junior Seth Merl received the Outstanding Witness Award and LSA sophomore James Liggins received the Outstanding Attorney Award. "It was a great experience qualifying for nationals after being on the team for only one year," Merl said. "All of the hard work this term was well worth it when we placed so high. The icing on the cake was when the tournament per- sonally recognized us for making a good impression." The University's mock trial team split into two 9-person units for the competition, both of which qualified for the national competition. LSA senior Michael Elkon, the team co-cap- tain, said it is rare for two teams from the same school to qualify. "I am really proud of this team for working as hard as they did and for hav- ing two teams qualify for nationals," Michigaan- sees rise in numb'er employed DETROIT (AP) - Michigan contin- ued to get more people on payrolls last month, reaching another in a string of record-breaking numbers of employed. The number of workers with jobs went up 34,000 last month, for a total of'4.6 million, according to statistics released yesterday by the Michigan Employment Security Agency. The size of the labor force also increased to 4.9 million. Unemployment went up one-tenth'of a percent to 4.9 percent, a rise that ana- lysts called insignificant. The numn)er is still below the national average, which was 5.4 percent in January. According to the statement from MESA, the rise was caused by more workers entering the job market than new jobs being created. "The economy has basically been moving along at almost the exactly same pace," said Malcolm Cohen, a researcher at the University of Michigan's Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations. While the rise in numbers of jobs is a positive trend, some economists said it could cause a crisis because there are not enough workers left to do certain jobs. "You're straining the labor market here in Michigan," said David Littmann, vice president and senior economist at Comerica Bank. Even Gov. John Engler - whose joy at the record employment figures caused him to get caught up in the current Star Wars movie hype and proclaim "the force is with us" - conceded that a shortage of workers could be a problem. JEANNIE SERVAAS/Daily LSA senior Michael Elkon gives a demonstration of a typical mock trial debate in an Angell Hall classroom last night. The team will compete in the national championship competition in April. Elkon said. "This is something that no other school has done before. Getting ourselves through while knocking Notre Dame out was also quite satisfying." Grigoras said the team formed in 1992, and has since built a successful track record. She said the team's win- ning history is especially gratifying because it does not have a full-time coach. "The students run the show," Grigorias said, adding that Law Prof. Nicholas Rine and Ann Arbor prosecu- tor Brian Mackie sometimes help the team prepare for competition. Elkon said the 18-member team has been unusually cohesive. "This year was quite unique because all of the people who started out on the team continued on to regionals," Elkon said. "In the past few years, people had dropped off the team. Not this year. We have a very dedicated team." Many participants have legal ambi- tions but still come from a varied cross- section of the student body, Elkon said. "Many team members are planning on going to law school, but there is a diverse selection of majors on the team," Elkon said. "However, we all have one important thing in common - we can all act. Each person has to take on a different role every time we go to a competition." At competitions, the American Mock Trial Association provides a fictional case for the competing teams. The two teams are randomly assigned either the defense or the plaintiff side. Each team consists of three attorneys and three witnesses, while two alternates sit out. The team prepares its case by having the attorneys practice examining their own witnesses, while phrasing ques- tions that will only reveal the informa- tion they want the judges to hear. The trial is usually judged by two practicing attorneys from the area where the competition is held. After months of practice, the team currently is enjoying some rest and relaxation, Elkon said. "Since the regional competition was last weekend, the team is taking it easy before spring break," Elkon said. The final round of national compe- tition will be on April 4. 4 cases of meningitis Read the Daily in cyberspace diagnosed at MSU http://wwwpub.umich.edu/daily/ LANSING (AP) - A second Michigan State University student entered a Lansing hospital this week with viral meningitis, but university officials say the disease is different from the bacterial meningitis that killed two students in recent months. A student whose name was being withheld entered the hospital late Tuesday or early yesterday. The student was the second in two days to be hospi- talized with viral meningitis, said Tom Oswald of the Michigan State News Bureau. On Tuesday, Michigan State officials met with students to discuss the case of the student hospitalized Monday. That student is doing well, said Dr. Dean Sienko, the Ingham County medical examiner. The four cases do not represent an epidemic, health officials say. Dr. Dennis Jurczak, director of the campus Olin Health Center, said during Tuesday's meeting that the university realizes the reports are raising concerns. "We have a lot of worried students and parents," he said. "This whole situ- ation is unusual." State health officials confirmed yes- terday that the two cases of viral menin- gitis are no cause for alarm. Dr: William Hall of the state Department of Community Health said that viral meningitis is a fairly common illness that sometimes is so mild people don't even go to the doctor. About 500 to 1,000 cases of viral meningitis get reported to the state each year, "but there's probably about 10 times that many that actually occur," said Hall, chief of the communicable disease epidemiology division. The far more serious bacterial meningitis occurs less often, he said. The state each year receives only about 50 to 100 reports of meningococcal meningitis, a bacterial strain that caused the death of two Michigan State students, one in December and one in February. While it is rare to have two cases of meningococcal meningitis, the strains that killed the students were different organisms and the cases were uncon- nected. IRL.... . QI2LLI"'~LII... GROUP MEETINGS J Campus Crusade for Christ, Fe Meeting, Dental School, Auditorium, 7 p.m. 0 Lutheran Campus Ministry Is Faith Group, 668-7622, Light Lutheran Church, 8C Forest,7 p.m. What's happening in Ann Arbor today Architecture, Art and Architecture info( Building, Jean and Paul Slusser GOp .1 low ship Gallery, 11 a.m:-4 p.m. wwv Kelloh J-"Campus Culture Workshop," spon- Worli sored by Michigan Union Z)English sues of Programs, Michigan Union, Tuto Lord of Wolverine Room, 7 p.m. Ang d1 South "National Day of Affirmative Action p.m. Rally," sponsored by Graduate Q Northw Fmninvovs Organization. Diag. in 8 p.r @umich.edu, UM*Events on herBLUE, and http:// w.umich.edu/~info on the d Wide Web h Composition Board Peer ring, need help with a paper?, ell Hall, Room 444C, 7-11 balk, 763-WALK, Bursley Hall, m.-1:30 a.m.