8A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, September 11, 1997
NATION/WORLD
Bringing home the cup
Students surf toward Student.Net
By Christine M. Paik
Daily Staff Reporter
As hundreds of Websites pop up
every day, the founders of Student.Net
- a page geared toward college stu-
dents - may have found their niche.
Stewart Ugelow, president and CEO
of Student.Net, says the site is a news
magazine filled with issues aimed
specifically toward younger students
and was created with the sole intent of
attracting the college population.
"Students want to know about issues
that relate to them in some way,"
Ugelow said. "That's why I think
(Student.Net) has become so success-
ful."
Adam Trachtenberg, vice president
for productions at Student.Net and one
of the original founders, said the site is
important because it covers issues perti-
nent to college students.
"It's a daily news magazine and the
target audience is college students,"
Trachtenberg said. "It has a special
focus toward collegiate news, and news
that college students would be interest-
ed in, but it covers all sorts of news.
"I mean, it won't be addressing how
Medicare affects people who are now
older, but rather how Medicare will
affect you personally, now and in the
future," he said.
In recent years, Websites that cater
specifically to the college population
have become a rising trend. Although
many University students said they
have not heard of Student.Net, Ugelow
said the site is growing in popularity.
"We average between half a million
and three-quarters of a million page views
a month," Ugelow said. "We're now a
full-fledged company. We're able to sup-
port ourselves. I'm 21 years old, I'm run-
ning a company that's worth 7 figures,
and I get paid to play on the Internet.'
Carol Kamm, an ITD Web service
team leader, says there are many rea-
sons for the sudden boom.
"Sites like Student.Net are great for
news and also for entertainment," said
Kamm, who sai4 she is aware of
Student.Net and its offerings. "It looks
well organized, and it attracts college
students behause A focuses on relevant
topics."
Kamm alto said pages that serve col-
lege students in particular usually begin
as just dorm-room fun - for example
Yahoo, a popular search engine, was
started by graduate students at Stanford.
Kamm said sies like Yahoo and
Student.Net are largely successful
because they draw in lucrative advertis-
ing. Currently, Student.Net is financed
by U.S. West, a telecommunications
company.
"The college-age demographic is
appealing; to advertisers because they
know it's a large part of the populatiort,'
Kamm said.
Student.Net began in the summer of
1995 as the brainchild of Ugelow, who
was a reporter on the Yale Daily News.
"We launched the site in Decem
of 1995 by word of mouth because
didn't have the money for any real mar-
keting," Ugelow said.
Within three weeks, Ugelow said,
Student.Net had been written about in
the Los Angeles Times. "Things have..
really just taken off from there,"
Ugelow said.
Trachtenberg said Student.Net is
accessed not only by students in the
U.S., but in other countries as well.
"We have visitors from over 80-S
countries ' around the worl
Trachtenberg said.
Kamm said that use of these "col-
lege-centered" sites have increased
greatly in the past few years.
AP PHOTO
Kyle Zapczynski, 7, celebrates next to the Stanley Cup, which was delivered
to his home for four hours after his mother won a contest.
U r e WairT 7"r
MS U leaders voice outrage at
last week's violent outdoor riot
EAST LANSING (AP) - East Lansing and Michigan
State University leaders said yesterday that a repeat of an
unruly street party that turned violent last weekend won't be
tolerated.
They spelled out new steps designed to prevent such dis-
turbances in the future, such as more police, rewards for
information and pressing landlords to help.
"We are both frankly outraged. The behavior of those
involved was inappropriate and highly irresponsible," said
Mayor Doug Jester, as Michigan State University
President Peter McPherson stood by.
"The small number of people who were involved are
harming the entire community, and we don't appreciate it',"
Jester said. "We intend to maintain order in the communi-
ty."~
The disturbance, reminiscent of the rowdy Cedarfe st
street parties of the late '80s, broke out after Michigan
State trounced Western Michigan in its opening hone
football game.
About 500 students thronged streets across from tlie
Michigan State campus. Witnesses said a handful of par-
ties merged into one gathering shortly after midnight when
someone started break-dancing in the street.
Nearby residents came out to watch, some bringiing
couches and drinks. A couch was soon set on fire, report-
edly helped along by a stream of gasoline.
The bonfire leaped high. When police tried to interveie,
youths continued their drinking while yelling obscenities
and throwing bottles and cans at police, breaking wirnd-
shields and denting cars.
Four people were arrested and more than 30 citations
were issued, officials said. Results of the ongoing investi-
gation may lead to further enforcement.
Response to the fracas has strained relations between
the Michigan State community and East Lansing rest-
dents.
East Lansing officials have vowed to crack down on stu-
dent renters, leading the students to voice fears of action:
by the city. Some homeowners have been openly anger
over the rowdiness.
Jester and McPherson said yesterday they'll have add-
tional police on patrol this Saturday, when Michigan Staeb
hosts a football game against Memphis. About 30 po406,
were on duty last weekend.
They said a pool of up to $10,000 will provide rewards
for information on anyone causing damage. Legislation
requiring the registration of beer kegs will be introduced
at the Capitol, and the city will work with renters to dis-
courage disturbances.
"It was totally unacceptable behavior," McPherson sa.
He said Michigan State suffers from little crime, but "we,
do have the constant issue of alcohol-related behavior."
"We intend to do everything we can to make sure this
doesn't happen again," he said.
One homeowner - who said she didn't want to be iden-
tified - voiced anger at the student behavior and pressed
MdPherson for further action. w
"The homeowners in East Lansing can't tolerate this,"
she said later. "I've talked to students; they don't feel safe
in their homes. I don't feel safe in my home.
"MSU brings these students up here. They take th@
tuition, and they have to take part of the responsibility"
If you want to know what's
going on, you watch the 1997
MTV' Video Music Awardsv
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Upper
pemnsula
bracing
for KKK
IRONWOOD, Mich. (AP) - This
remote Upper Peninsula community is
bracing for a weekend Ku Klux Klan
rally.
A prayer vigil and wash-away-th
hate party are among events beii
planned as antidotes to the rally, com-
munity leaders said yesterday.
"Why Ironwood? It's a question
we've been asking. They won't tIl
us," Ironwood Mayor James Lorenson
said yesterday.
"We will plan for the worst and if no
one shows, that'll be outstanding.'
A KKK member from a WisconsinI
town about 25 miles south 4
Ironwood approached the city in July,
seeking permission for the rally on
Saturday.
"The city really didn't have any,
choice. The court decisions are real
clear on that. As despicable a group as
this is, they have the right of freek
speech," Lorenson said.
In planning sessions with city offi-
cials since then, the Klan has indicat-
ed: that a few dozen people will be
the rally, he added. Civil and chur
leaders are urging people to stay away
from the rally.
People in Ironwood, a town o
almost 7,000 just north: of Wisconsin's
border and about 15 miles inland fron
Lake Superior, were shocked by the
upcoming KKK visit, said City
Manager Keith Johnson.
"They are very horrified," he said
yesterday, as he prepared for a me*
ing with Michael McQueeney, who
identifies himself as a grand dragon of
the KKK.
Dave Novak, grand dragon of the
KKK offices in Mercer, Wis., said 20-
30 people would attend the rally,
where membership information would
be passed out.
m