4A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, September 25, 1997

aIbz Atirhiuigg1Er&Il

420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Edited and managed by
students at the
University of Michigan

-- --, - - - - - -A

JOSH WHITE
Editor in Chief
ERIN MARSH
Editorial Page Editor

" NOTABLE QUOTABLE,
'Lots of people can manage a business. Very few people
can do business in an academic Institution.'
- University President Lee Bollinger, upon naming
Robert Kasdin the University's new chief financial officer
YUKl KuNIYUKI K NE

Unles's otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority ofthe Daily s editorial board. All
other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily
FROM THE DAILY
Dew~ne flunks
Pass/fail date is too early for informed choices

1.
, , I * ' ; '

T his semester the deadline for taking a
class pass/fail fell on Sept. 23, a day
short of the three-week mark of fall classes.
Moststudents have scarcely completed their
first assignment, much less their first test, at
this early date. Taking classes pass/fail is a
valuable tool for students to alleviate some
of the pressure of a difficult schedule.
Tryinfgto gauge the difficulty of one's class-
es in:only a few weeks does not allow stu-
dents to make proper use of this policy.
Therefore, the deadline to modify a class
pass/ fil should extend until the midterm.
Students have a number of reasons why
they ight modify a class to pass/fail. First,
the ability to take a class pass/fail can be
thought of as a sort of insurance policy for
a person's GPA. Pass/fail can allow students
to step out of their concentrations and
schedule adventurous classes without fear
of penalty. In addition, students often have
to load up on difficult classes. Occasionally,
a student may schedule a little more than he
or she can handle comfortably. By modify-
ing one of these classes to pass/fail status,
the student can divert some of his or her
attention to particular courses. This allows
students to find the balance needed to per-
form at their optimum potential.
Another reason to take a course pass/fail
is to create free time for extracurriculars or
necessary part-time employment.
Incorporating extracurricular activities into
one's schedule is as much a part of the
University experience as attending classes.
Numerous organizations and campus
groups allow students to take advantage of
the University's diversity. The catch is that

these groups can require just as much time
as a four-credit course. The extra time a stu-
dent gains by not having to pursue a certain
grade can be shuffled into something equal-
ly rewarding: community service, intramur-
al sports and religious studies, to name but
a few. Just as the University wanted to make
sure its students were well-balanced before
admitting them, so too will the workforce.
In addition, many students must hold
down part-time jobs to cover the costs of
daily living at the University. The University
is the one of the most expensive public uni-
versities in the country, and costs of living in
Ann Arbor are high. Some students have no
choice but to work, and any flexibility in
their schedules could ease the burden.
Any fears from the administration that a
later deadline would promote "slacking" are
unfounded. A passing grade is not a given
once the student chooses the route of
pass/fail. A 'C-' average must be main-
tained, or the student will not receive cred-
it. Obviously, a certain amount of effort
must be put into pass/fail classes. Also, the
student does not have an unlimited opportu-
nity to take the "easier" path: Only 30 cred-
its may be taken pass/fail.
If a student does not have the proper
amount of time to evaluate his or her sched-
ule, then the pass/fail option loses some of
its worth. Pass/fail should be a safety valve
for students who extend themselves too far.
A semester in its formative stages does not
reveal all of its demands until it develops a
structure around midterms. The cutoff for
scheduling a class as pass or fail should fall
during this time.


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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

No place lkehome
Shelter should aid, not isolate homeless
hey are human beings with feelings to the shelter residents at 420 Huron St.i
and emotions, likes and dislikes, relocated outside city limits. First, the c
fri ds and enemies. Ann Arbor will be extremely diffic
ey could be any person walking down access, due to the cost and limited avail
th~street. But they are not. of public transportation. More than 54Op
WVhat sets them aside from most citizens of homeless residents have jobs in the
offnn Arbor is that they have no place to call traveling to which would be, at best, imp
hne. The 420 Huron St. shelter is the clos- cal and, at worst, impossible. Moreover,
esfInany of the homeless come to having a ing the shelter away from Ann Arbor f
ple of their own. Because of lack of space, removes the residents from society, ach
shelterresidents are often forced to sleep on the opposite effect of what should occu
n4fk crates in the showers - hardly a warm It is important to integrate, rather
ang comforting environment. Low income segregate, homeless citizens. By iso
hcksing and rehabilitative programs could the shelter's residents, the task forcev
pgide a long-term solution to be depriving them of opp
thoe mounting overcrowding nities for friends, work
pr lems. Fightig more important, their sen
bhe city of Ann Arbor con- for the self.
tirkes to neglect its homeless The city fails to recogn
pdpulation - primarily homeless deep-rooted problem of l
because of a prevailing belief lessness. Shelters are int
that the homeless scar the city's only to be a temporary me
reditation and communal Second in a a greater solution. Current
ar iance. Last year, a measure two-part series Huron Street shelter do
toonvert an old armory into a offer skill- and job-buildin
shAter failed. Instead, the city grams, alcohol and sub
bg~t luxury apartments. abuse seminars or psychological trea
"Much of the city's neglect stems from the The shelter should play the role of an in
belief that a large homeless population home, where residents can stay while
deiracts from business and increases crime. learn crucial skills and undergo rehabili
In attenpt to alleviate the "problem," the The city does not bear the sole resp
Wtshtenaw County Task Force on bility to help the homeless - studen
Homelessness has plans to build a new shel- other Ann Arbor residents must also a:
terniles out of town on Ellsworth Road. This a major role. The opportunities exist;
simiply placates into the "not-in-my-back- bucket drives to tutoring to serving fo
yTd" syndrome so prevalent in American one of the churches in the comm
society. Rather than dealing with the issue, Groups such as Project Serve an
the task force is literally pushing away what it Shelter Association work intensely on
considers a problem. It is executing the most issues and can provide information
expeditious solution; a solution that, in the resources. People must accept that the
log run, will solve little, and only compound lem is everybody's responsibility, and
th6 more profound problem of homelessness. take the initiative to change a typica

if it is
city of
ult to
ability
ercent
e city,
practi-
, mov-
irther
ieving
r.
r than
lating
would
portu-
.and,
nse of
dze the
home-
ended
:ans to
ly, the
es not
g pro-
stance
tment.
Interim
e they
tation.
ponsi-.
ts and
ssume
; from
ood in
aunity.
d the
these
n and
prob-
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l apa-

Nelson is not
a victim in
Northwood
tragedy
To THE DAILY:
Terriea Nelson has said
there was a second victim in
the recent tragedy at
Northwood Family Housing;
I say she's off by one, there
are two other victims, and
neither is her abusive and
deceased brother.
First, there is the yet-to-
be-named Department of
Public Safety officer, who
acted as best he could in
what is the worst case sce-
nario for any police officer,
answering a domestic vio-
lence call.
Kevin Nelson could have
just as easily held a gun on
the darkened lawn of Stone
Drive. This officer will forev-
er wonder, "What if I shot a
minute sooner? What if I
drove a little faster?" The
University community and
fellow DPS officers should
insure and comfort this offi-
cer. He did his best, he did
the right thing.
The second and more
obvious second victim is
Williams' two-year-old
daughter Kiera, whose moth-
er and father are now both
gone. Kiera can now use all
our help, even yours, Ms.
Nelson.
Terriea, I ask that you do
not long mourn your fallen
brother without thinking of
these two victims; they are
now forced to lead much
more complicated lives
thanks to Kevin Nelson -
and sadly, there are far too
many others who must share
these same burdens and loss,
and no looming shortage of
your brother's ilk.
Report domestic violence,
make it your business.
STEPHEN HIPKISS
UNIVERSITY EMPLOYEE
Article did
not capture
meaning of
ceremony
To THE DAILY:
We write to express our
concern regarding the article,
"Memorial honors those who
donated bodies to medicine,"
printed Sept. 17, 1997. We
feel that this article was a
misrepresentation of this
important and serious event.
This service honored and
payed respect to individuals
who donated their bodies to
science for the health and
advancement of mankind.
It furthermore sought to
comfort the families of those
who provided us with gifts

the service to listen to sincere
thanks from University facul-
ty and pastors.
On our own part, approxi-
mately 50-60 second-year
medical students attended the
service, including many who
actively participated as
greeters, ushers, and choir
members.
The importance, gravity,
and generosity of the gifts we
received cannotbe understat-
ed. Accordingly, we found
the aforementioned article a
negligent attempt to capture
the meaning of this event.
The individuals who
donated their bodies were our
first patients. They were
responsible for endowing us
with an intimate knowledge
of the human body, knowl-
edge that will enable us to
help thousands of people.
We and all of our future
patients and students will
always be indebted to the
individuals who in death
allowed us to learn some-
thing of how to save and
improve life.
MEMBERS OF THE MEDICAL
SCHOOL CLASS OF 2000
Skateboards
damage 'U'
property
TO THE DAILY:
I used to feel sorry for
those poor skateboarders
being picked on, until I
worked near a prime skate-
boarding location, the court-
yard around the Cube.
Next time you walk past
Fleming or the benches
around there, look at the
chips out of the bricks and
concrete, and realize that
every one of them was the
result of a collision with 130
pounds of muscle and sinew
concentrated in a hardened
steel wheel. It's not "young
kids being loud" that bothers
me, it's the damage to our
buildings and fear of damage
to me.
I see the charm of those
wonderful airborne antics. I
like to watch their stunts.
But I don't drag race on
Liberty Street or practice
shooting arrows into the pub-
lic buildings of Ann Arbor,
and don't think the city
should allow dangerous and
destructive actions every-
where the practitioners want
to go. Each sport needs a safe
place. Perhaps the political
committee should concen-
trate on creating more places
to practice their art. Several
times a year the city closes
down some streets for bicycle
and foot races - could
something like that be done
for skateboarders?
TISH LEHMAN
UNIVERSITY EMPLOYEE

tion of the Daily, I believe
that passive attitudes such as
this one are what perpetuate
ignorance and stereotypes
against minority and ethnic
communities, such as those_
committed against the Indian
American community. While
each individual is entitled to
freedom of speech and
expression, each individual is
also responsible for providing
respect toward all cultures
and diverse backgrounds.
If the author believes that
Jay Leno is justified in "pok-
ing fun at people" such as one
of the world's esteemed non-
violent leaders such as
Mahatma Gandhi, then would
it be acceptable to ridicule a
great non-violent leader such
as Martin Luther King, Jr.? I
do not believe that Leno
would have ever considered
producing a skit that disre-
spected MLK. A show like
Leno's has a very large view-
ing audience, and skits and
comments made on a show of
such prominence provides its
viewers with false knowledge
and inaccurate information
about a world renowned leader
such as Mahatma Gandhi.
In order to fight such
ignorance within our society,
we must take the first step in
order to spread awareness
about our respective minority
and ethnic groups. The Indian
American community at this
University aimed to notify
NBC of its disrespectful
actions toward Indian
American culture and history,
and asked NBC to produce an
accurate documentary about
the life of Mahatma Gandhi. I
disagree with the author when
he states, "Someone out there
found it funny, so let it be."
Obviously, the students who
signed 856 letters didn't just
"let it be."
RAHUL SHAH
LSA JUNIOR
Vandalism
might not be
anti-Semitism
To THE DAILY:
Everyone seems to be
jumping to this conclusion
that the recent destruction of
a Hillel sign must have been
an anti-Semitic act. While
this could very likely be the
case, I would like to submit
another theory that some
people may have overlooked.
Three guys are out drink-
ing Saturday night (yes, it has
happened a few times on this
campus). While stumbling
home they have a sudden
urge to urinate (this always
happens in this situation).
They notice a sign (whicht
they can't read because it's
dark and 15 beers leads to
blurry vision) and decide to
use it as a cover as they
relieve themselves. These
guvs then destroy the sign for

The honeymoon
is over -time
to get geared up
for real work
I tfelt like camp. All the leaves were
green, the sun was shining, people
were wearing sunglasses.
It was fun. 'here were people you10
hadn't seen in four months and new
people who
you'd like to see
more. Walking
through the
Diag took hours
because you;
stopped to talk
to everyone. You
had a life to set
up. Your parents
dropped you off
to live with your MEGAN
friends. SCHMPF
The pages of PRESCRIPTIONS
notebooks stuck
together at the spirals as you turned
them. The spines of books cracked
ever so slightly when you opened them -
and still had that lovely new-book
smell. You had totake pens out of the
wrapping at the beginning of each lec
ture.
And all you did in class was collect
syllabuses and listen to interesting, yet .
inconsequential, things called, house-
keeping."
Ah, but times, they are a-changin'.
While all the leaves aren't brown yet,
the sun isn't shining so much any-if,
more and it's starting to be twice to
stay in your warm bed in the. chilly
morning.
Besides, camp never lasted this long.
Since when did camp come with-
attendance policies and reading
assignments? That paper or exam that
looked like it was weeks away when'
you clicked the syllabus into the
binder is suddenly due tomorrow. All
those new pens are now missing.,~
This doesn't seem fun anymore The
bloom is off the rose, the novelty is
gone. Welcome to the end. of
September, not the beginning.
Coincidentally, this is when tuition
bills arrive.
All those lecture notes in that get-
ting-ragged notebook are more than,
just something to take in and out of a
backpack. That cursory reading on1;
nights before you go out isn't going to
cut it anymore. Open the books, even
though they don't crackle; anymore.. ,,>
Discoverhthe inside of that building'
with all the books in it, instead of
walking by on the way to somewhere
else. Use a computer in Angell Hall for'
more than e-mail.
While the first few weeks of school
are filled with the excitement and
craziness of moving back in, going to
first-of-the-year parties, trying to
remember everyone's 'name and won-:g
dering where to be when, the follow- ",
ing week is filled with letdown.
After the chaotic commotion comes
the. ommonalities.
In the beginning, we wish for a rou-
tine - something to rely on, some- fem
thing that is planned instead of last
minute, something that will be the
same next week. Then, sometimes you
really can get what you want - and
discover you miss what you had. After
a week or so of having a set routine, it
grows irritating and tedious in its 1eli-
ability.
It's not easy to get back into it he
best-laid plans of spring's CRISP are
right there, ready to pale in the face of
reality. Suddenly classes aren't just,

neat-sounding descriptions in a course
catalog and there's actual work to be
,done: Soon.
What was once academically fasci-
nating 'and intriguing is now just work b
to get thrQugh. Any initial. Momentum
sputters.-Just listening' and taking
notes in class isn't enough. Casual
reading won't cut it.
But only-becauseit's not new any-
I is time to take a deep breath, get
the ol' brain cells firing again after .
four monthis.and dust off that resolve I
and dedication. With phone, cable and
heatkhooked up, posters on the walls,
books mostly bought, and ,planner .
filled with due dates, there's, nothing :0
left to prepare.
Time to really start school. And it's a '"
painful transition.
September is a marvelous time to
reminisce about April, remembering.~
just how many pages were printed, ,
exams were bubbled in and presenta-
tions were made. We were on a roll -
routine in hand, anything wasrpossible.
Now though, it takes immeasurable -~
dedication, to focus on a page and
highlight only the really important
things. It takes skill to memorize, even
with. neat mnemonics,,
Even the knowledge that things will
get easier with time --teachers
become familiar and the first exam .
passes by - doesn't help during the
next week or so. But look at April
" . I. . .. 1. . . .