8B - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday,_September 3, 1997
COMMENTARY
U'
campus groups engage in wide range of activities
In terfraternity
Council
Mass meeting: Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. in
the Michigan Union Ballroom
The University's Interfraternity
Council is the umbrella organization
for the 31 fraternities on campus. With
2,500 men in 31 fraternities, the
University's IFC is one of the largest
in the nation. The IFC is as diverse as
the University itself; there is a fraterni-
ty for every student.
The fraternity system at the
University is full of tradition and histo-
ry. Fraternity rush, or the official
recruiting period for fraternities, is
designed so that prospective members
(rushees) become familiar with the sys-
tem. More importantly, rush is
designed so that the rushees become
familiar with the active members, or
brothers, of each individual fraternity.
Men's fall rush begins Sept. 21.
During rush, any student interested in
joining a fraternity is invited to visit
each chapter during the week of rush.
Some chapters may even hold
recruitment activities before rush
begins. In actuality, the rush process
is nothing more than the formation of
new friendships.
Information about each fraternity
and rush is available on the World
Wide Web at
htpa:f//w. umich.edu/~if/, or by call-
ing the Office of Greek Life at 936-
3686.
By Mike Ingher, Intefr-aternity
Council vice presidentfor recruitment.
Inter-Cooperative
Council
TIe Student Co-ops, also known as
the nter-Cooperative Council, were
founded in 1932 by students trying to
find a way to afford college during the
Great Depression. Over the years, stu-
dents have continued to work together to
provide themselves with affordable, con-
venient housing that's also lots of fun.
Today we have 18 group houses and 1
apartment house scattered throughout
North and Central campuses.
Because students created the co-ops
to meet their own needs (not those of
some landlord) the ICC offers eight-
month fall-winter and two- or four-
month spring-summer contracts.Our
houses range in size from about 75 to
12 members. ihe average house holds
about 30 people.
North Campus attracts a large grad-
uate-student population and a sizable
international student population -
about 50 percent. Central Campus is a
large, diverse group, mostly comprised
of undergraduate students. Because co-
ops are open to all students, each house
is made of members coming from a
variety of backgrounds. What brings us
together is our dedication to creating
the best living atmosphere possible.
The cost of living in co-ops is gener-
ally at least $200 less than the residence
halls. Each member contributes about 4
hours of work per week to the house to
further keep costs down. Members have
the choice of a wide range of jobs, from
cooking and cleaning to planning par-
ties, serving on the Board of Directors
or writing promotional material. Shared
work and decision making create close
house relationships -it's what turns our
houses into homes.
During your first year at school, stop
by any of our houses or our central
office at 337 E. William St. to find out
more about us. You can also call us at
662-4414 or check out our Web page
at wvww.ice.umiinich.org.
-- By A'mv Clark, director of
member services.
Mortar Board
The Mortar Board is defined as the
"foundation upon which the rest of
your life is built upon." The alpha
chapter of Mortar Board national
senior honor society at the
University of Michigan was founded
in 1918, and since then has sought to
serve the University of Michigan
based upon our ideals of service,
scholarship and leadership.
We are a group of senior student
leaders who share the common
vision of a better campus, and work
throughout our last year here to mak-
ing that a reality.
This year we are planning to connect
students through a campus summit,
help change the senior-year experience
and serve as mentors, sharing what we
have learned along the way.
- By Probir Mehta, Mortar Board
president.
Breaking the news, making the deadi nes
Dail staff
workS to
inform 'U
community
By Josh White
Daily Editor in Chief
For some, The Michigan Daily
means a quick diversion from lecture
or a daily crossword. For others, it is
the most complete resource on campus
for University news, sports and com-
mentary about events that shape the
University community on a daily basis.
But for more than 175 students, the
Daily is a chance to learn about the
exciting business of journalism while
working every academic day to produce
a meaningful and informative publica-
tion, something that takes a wide array
of talents and a diverse staff.
Daily staffers work as reporters and
editors for the arts, editorial, news and
sports sections; they take photographs
and produce graphics; they create the
Daily's online edition and make sure
our copy is clean; and they physically
produce the newspaper on our
advanced desktop publishing system,
from the computer to the printing
press. And that is only half of it.
In addition to the Daily's editorial
side of the paper, there is the business
side, which manages the almost $1.3
million annual operating budget. Selling
advertising, planning special sections,
managing credit and finance and
designing ads for our numerous clients
are just a few of the roles business staff
members fulfill on a daily basis. In a
fast-paced, fun environment, these
staffers learn what it is like to operate a
substantial business on their own.
And, contrary to what many believe,
the Daily receives no University fund-
ing. In order to ensure editorial inde-
pendence, the Daily is supported
entirely through the advertising it sells,
MARGUARET MYERS/Daily
LSA senior Erin Marsh, the editorial page editor and summer editor in chief, pastes pages before they go to print later In the
night. The Daily is entirely student run and receives no funding from the University.
which means the paper relies on stu-
dents to produce, maintain and support
its every effort. The Daily's student
editors have final say on content and
provide the paper with guidelines and
policies to guide it in future years.
As far as college newspapers go, The
Michigan Daily has both a unique
arrangement and a top-tier reputation
- both of which work to make it one
of the best collegiate newspapers in the
country. Staff members last year took
19 Gold Circle Awards to the
Columbia Scholastic Press
Association's annual contest - close
to twice the number of awards present-
ed to any other publication.
In addition to having the No. I photo-
graph in the nation last year and the No.
2 news story, staff members took more
than half the sports writing awards and
the paper was named the third-best
designed paper in the country. We con-
stantly strive to pass our experiences on
to each and every student who walks
through our doors at 420 Maynard St.
And joining the staff is as easy as that
- students just have to come to the
office and show an interest in working.
In order to work for the Daily, students
must meet each section's minimum
requirements, which usually means writ-
ing a story about once a week and work-
ing short production shifts. And every
student can start immediately. Daily staff
members and editors are students in the
College of Engineering and the Business
School, in addition to LSA.
Students do not have to.be English
majors or plan a career in journalism
in order to work at the Daily; some of
our most successful staff members in
recent history include pre-med stu-
dents, Business School students and
students who planned to go to law
school. And without a journalism pro-
gram at the University, the Daily is an
excellent way to learn about the basics
while producing an informative and
interesting publication.
The Daily is a newspaper for the stug
dents, and in that light the daily offers
commentary on the most prominent
issues in the community, on topics rang-
ing from national and international
events to campus government and Ann
Arbor. The Daily also has a daily lettes
section, which allows individuals in tIV
University community to tell campus
what they think. Via e-mail, at dailjJet-
ters@eumich.edu, or by stopping by with
a letter, each student can commetfi
about the campus or about us.
To join an interesting group of stu-
dents in their pursuit to inform the cam-
pus and learn from each other, and to be
part of a 106-year tradition, all you have
to do is walk through our front door.
There is a place for you.
KEEP UP TO DATE ON ALL THE LATEST IN NATIONAL AND LOCAL
NEWS, SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT.
READ THE DAILY. DAILY.
m
U U