LoCALISTATE The Michigan Daily - Monday, April 21, 1996 - 5 'U alum gives Staebler lecture Lecturer warns of overpopulation By Jeffrey Kosseff Daily Staff Reporter University alumnae Beverly Godwin, a key member of President Clinton's Reinventing Government initiative, noticed one major change on campus during her visit Friday. "There are many more coffee bars now than when I was a student here;" Godwin said. Godwin spoke about the govern- ment initiative called the National Performance Review and highlighted many of the efforts the group has devised to improve the way govern- ment works. One proposal included cutting many regulations deemed unnecce- sary. "We've come a long way," said Godwin, who graduated in 1982. "We've eliminated 16,000 pages of obsolete regulations. Our mission is about making government work better and costless." Since the National Performance Review began in 1994, the federal workforce has been reduced from 2.2 million to 1.9 million people. But Godwin said the group does not only want to minimize government. "Our goal should not be to destroy government, but to improve it," Godwin said. Public Policy Dean Edward Gramlich noted that it can be diffi- cult to work for the government because there is often a great deal of criticism. , "Government is a very thankless task" Gramlich said. Godwin said that her experience at the University was invaluable in her career in government. "The School of Public Policy teaches a way of thinking you will use throughout your career" Godwin said. Gramlich said Godwin made a mark for herself as an exceptional stu- dent. "She distingushed herself as a stu- dent here;' Gramlich said. One of the four key steps the team found to reinvent government is to put customers first. Godwin recalled a program orga- nized by the regional manager of the New York Veterans' Affairs office. Instead of simply taking benefits requests by applications and phone calls, he had his workers visit the veterans in the hospital, she said. "These were faceless, nameless beaurocrats used to dealing with paperwork everyday," Godwin said. "Now, they met their customers." Godwin -said the government must concentrate on the end result rather than the process. "Focusing on results is extremely powerful," Godwin said. "A focus on results frees managers and employees to allow them to focus on outcomes. It increases trust.' One federal agency that Godwin said has begun to focus on results is the Environmental Protection Agency, which has eliminated about 15 million hours of paperwork annually for busi- nesses and citizens. By Peter Meyers Daily Staff Reporter Someday, the world may be home to more than 11 billion people. John Bongaarts, an expert on world population problems, spoke about his speculations for population growth and the problems inherent with this century's phenomenal growth of humankind dur- ing a lecture sponsored by John Snow Incorporated John Snow Incorporated, We ard named for the father of epidemi- t p k ology -the study of epidemics - unpreced has been involved in public health expanso problems world- -( wide. Bongaarts is an expert in over- World por population and has briefed government officials such as Vice President Al Gore and former Secretary of State Warren Christopher. "We are now at the peak of this unprecedented expansion of humans" Bongaarts said. Due to falling infant mortality rates and mortality rates in general, the world popula- tion has expanded astronomically over the past few decades, Bongaarts said. In 1950, the world held 2.5 billion people. Since then, the population has doubled to more than 5 billion and by the end of the next century, it will have doubled again to a total population of 11 billion, Bongaarts said. Population growth will continue to be fastest in Southeast Asia and Africa "despite the AIDS epidemic," lot Bongaarts said. He said the disease is expected to double death rates in cer- tain regions of Southeast Asia and Africa over the next few years. Overpopulation, despite these grim predictions, is actually a problem that activists have helped affect. With the help of international groups like JS! and aid from national governments, family planning clinics have been set up throughout the less-developed now at world regions. "We now run the 7f this largest family plan- ning program in anred Kenya," s JS if President Joel now= Lamstein said. hn Bongaarts Were itnotforthis action, Bongaarts ilation expert said that world pop- ulation would even- tually reachbeyond the expectedllbillion to 14 billion people. Still, Bongaarts said he regretted that the United States has been withdrawing from international efforts to address the problesms of exploding population in recent years. Yuzuro Takeshita, a retired University professor of health educa- tion and health behavior, agreed that the United States is currently less involved than it has been in the past. "That' because China's involved, and China has an abortion component," he said. Lamstein said that American with- drawal from the issue was part ofa gow- ing "inward look by Americans." He said the United States now devotes less than 1 percent of its budget to foreign aid. JOHNKRAFT/ay Beverly Godwin, University alumna and member of the Clinton administration, delivered the Staebler address Friday in the Alumni Center. "The EPA has drastically changed the way it does business," Godwin said. "The EPA is focusing more on results." Godwin predicted that if Vice President Al Gore, one of the propo- nents of the National Performance Review, runs for President, the group will be negatively portrayed by oppo- nents. "There will be more attacks on the National Performance Review," Godwin said. "The press focuses on the disasters." - I I I SPEAKER Continued from Page 1 heard from normally." Other graduating seniors said they were curious to hear what the new pres- ident would have to say. "I've heard him before, so I'm not at all disappointed," said LSA senior Jill Greenlee. 'He's an excellent speaker- I'm just happy to be graduating." LSA senior Sean Parini said he is oking forward to hearing Bollinger speak. "It'll be nice for the senior class to go out and hear the new president;' Parini said. "No one else has really heard him." The regents also approved a list of honorary degree recipients at their Friday morning meeting. This year's honorary degree recipi- ents include: Mary Frances Berry, chair of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission; Robert Fiske Jr., a trial lawyer and for- mer independent counsel to the Whitewater investigation; Sergei Godunov, a Russian mathematician; and Eugene Roberts, managing editor ' of The New York Times. STUDENT Continued from Page 1 public university helped inspire him. "Going to a public university has been very important for me because of the diversity of the student body and the diversity of the school," he said. "Going to a public university has real- ly pressed upon me the importance of a public education." Keating said he is already getting nervous about speaking before such a large crowd, but said having University President Lee Bollinger there as the keynote speaker, eases his nerves. "Since the speaker is Bollinger, it makes me comfortable because I've met him once or twice and he makes me feel comfortable," Keating said. "If Fiona Rose can talk in front of the White House and C-SPAN, there's no reason why I can't speak in front of a crowd in Michigan Stadium. "I'm really quite happy Bollinger is speaking," he added. "I think he'll give a good speech, and I've already been impressed by what he has had said." SUMMERIN SUBURBI 1WDlELDE 74 LIVE MUSIC EVERY WEEKENK oReAT DRntmi sPEGt.1 ROCK "LUES - FUNK REGGAE LOCAL LEGENDS & HOUSEHOLD NAM SPRING HIGHLIGHTS: FRIDAY, APRIL 25TH 8 P.M. NEW RIDERS, BF THE PURPLE SI IERRY GARCIA'S ORIGINAL ACOUSTIC BAND SATURDAY, APRIL 26TH 8 P.M. THORNETTA' DAVIS wSG YUDI HIPPIES FRIDAY, MAY 16TH - 8 P.M. MILES THE JIMI HENDRIX TRIBUTE TOURI (8' 0) 544-3030 http://www.themagicbag.com B-MOVIES HORROR * EXPLOITATION PRESENTED BY SATURDAY a SUNDAY MAY 1U-18. MERL. SAUNDERS a THE RAINFOREST BAND SATURDAYI Ho DI SATURDAYlUNE 14TH - 8 P.M. UARIII MNTER MAY 24TH - 8 P. WLING ABLOS ; _ w. r . --U