LOCAL/STATE The Michigan Daily - Friday, October 3, 1997 - A BUSE± Continued from Page 1 and the court system. Some universities, Baird said, protect athletes and other "superstar" students accused of rape by penalizing them only through the univer- sity and not through the state legal sys- tem. "Many victims are encouraged to fol- low a campus procedure that only involves campus penalties," said state ep. Jim McBryde (R-Mt. Pleasant), a co-sponsor of the bill. "Victims feel the perpetrator of the assault simply got a slap on the wrists." "I've received a great deal of contact from sexual assault advocacy groups" Baird said. "But we've never had com- plaints from the U of M." Heuser said sexual assault victims who come to SAPAC are notified of all their rights. "We inform them of all of their options," Heuser said. "SAPAC advo- cates with survivors who choose to access those options." In addition to informing victims of their rights, SAPAC provides a handbook that outlines all options for victims. Although state universities already have sexual assault policies outlined in federal laws, Heuser said the new state law would send a message. "Because the federal law already requires it, this would be a visible sign of Michigan's support," Heuser said. One section of the bill requires univer- FIJ1 Continued from Page 1 to remove alcohol from their fraternity houses. Earlier this year, Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Nu set the year 2000 as a deadline for their non-alcoholic policy, hich FIJI hopes to achieve as well. The national chapter plans to work with the Betty Ford Clinic to educate its alumni who will in turn advise under- graduates about the dangers of alcohol. "We hope to begin the educational -process now, Dittrick said. "It's not easy. We think that there's room for a afraternity not revolving around alcohol. We want to create a climate where alco- ol isn't the No. 1 reason for social relationships.... We hope to recruit a new class for the year 2000. What we want is to overturn the membership and what we stand for." But Hurlbert says the motivation for changing alcohol policy comes from a fear of lawsuits more than anything else. "There will be a shift of power," Hurlbert said. "It comes down to the fact that when something like, this IT death) happens, lawsuits are out f hand. They're limiting their liability. They can push the liability off of them- selves by doing this." sities to notify the victim of the results of a university hearing on the alleged perpe- trator. Mary Lou Antieau, who oversees cases under the Code of Student Conduct, said that when students are tried under the Code, both the alleged victim and perpetrator are informed. "Both parties have the option to appeal, so they need to know the out- comes" Antieau said. In wake of the recent murder of LSA senior Tamara Williams, which was pre- ceded by domestic abuse by her boyfriend, Heuser said the legislature also should focus on other forms of abuse. "It would be great if they could work on the issues of dating and domestic vio- lence, stalking and sexual harassment," Heuser said. The bill passed the house in May and is currently awaiting a hearing in the Senate's Judiciary committee. McBryde previously proposed similar legislation, which passed overwhelming- ly in the House and failed in the Senate. "This is truly a bipartisan issue," McBryde said. "But these bills fly through the house floor and die in the Senate." Sen. William Vanregenmorter (R- Hudsonville), chair of the Judiciary Committee, said he hopes to hold a hear- ing on the bill, but there are many other important issues in the committee, including assisted suicide. "We're dealing with many heavy duty issues in the committee," he said. SFIRST-YEAR Continued from Page 1 Many students said the University's national academic reputation swayed their decision to join the maize and blue. "It was up to my standards of educa- tion that I wanted," said LSA first-year student Cory Neville, one of 100 members of the incoming class who were interviewed by The Michigan Daily as part of an unscientific survey of first-year students' attitudes. "I knew that if I went here, I would prob- ably get a job after graduation" Other first-year students cited location and the campus ambiance as reasons for attending the University. "Great reputation, good academics, a lot of school spirit and a fun atmosphere," said Neville's roommate and fellow first- year student Jill Anderson, who hails from Aspen, Colo. But the higher scores and diversity on campus come with a higher price tag as well. The University ranked well above the national tuition average for four-year public universities, charging nearly dou- ble the average of $2,848. The University stays even with the national average of students receiving financial aid, with both figures checking in at 36 percent. Students said money is always a prima- ry concern when choosing a school. "The possibility of getting residency status definitely influenced my choice," Godbey said. "It really helped out finan- cially." Despite the high cost when compared to other public institutions, many students said the University has more than given them their money's worth. The University's first-year class has demonstrated diversity in more than cul- tural and ethnic backgrounds. Their beliefs and opinions vary on a wide range of issues. More than half of the new stu- dents surveyed said they were uninterest- ed in most forms of politics, and did not classify themselves as strong supporters of either major political party. Political demonstrations are not uncommon at the University, but the prac- tice may be new to first-year students. University students went along with their peers nationally on this issue: only 41 percent of first-year students nationwide have participated in a demonstration. "I haven't been in any demonstrations, yet," Paull said. Paull said she could not come upwith a cause that would prompt her to protest. Despite their lack of activism on earth- ly matters, faith in a higher power played some sort of role in most University stu- dents' lives, echoing the near 82 percent of first-year students nationally who reported they have attended a religious service in the past year Students at the University vary in their religious convic- tions and practices."I'm spiritual, but not religious," Godbey said. Incoming University students said they enjoyed their vices more than their peers around the nation. While only 14.5 percent of national first-year stu- dents had a cigarette in the past year, 38 percent of those surveyed on the University campus said they smoked. And 71 percent of University students surveyed said they at least occasionally drank alcohol, compared with only 54.9 percent nationally." ROTC Continued from Page1 Passersby looked on with wonde ment as the green-clad men and wome scaled the wall with spiderman-lid skills. "It looks like fun," said Paul Oehle an LSA first-year student. Othe added that they would like to do t- rappelling activity without being a ROTC member. Rappelling usually marks the rite c passage for most newcomers, becaw it bolsters trust both in equipment ar fellow battalion members, Lunt sMid w wi i i ni i i r R _._ .. ... __.. _.,, _ .._... ._ xr ,# 00 I' PP- 1 e n -MWk * Best Prices " Largest Men's & Women Selection on Campus * Free Capitol Records CD w/Purchase * 1iVM1 O! 619 E. Liberty Mon.-Fri. 10-7 Sat. 10-6 Sun. 12-5 I disploy adver-tising department would like to thank. . GOOD TIME CHARLEIPS for their generous donation I Now We'll Be On Campus Oct. 13. Please check with the Career Center for more details or visit us on our website: www.gecareers.com 9{ .:5 r:.nY: .... ~~ .. .:. ... ... '''/. , ,;' 'tra A~.A flashes daily at GSE. Jack Welch, Chairman & CEO Thomas Edison's innovative spark led to the creation of General Electric more than 100 years ago. The same spark is alive and thriving today. Our people and our team environment are the primary reasons. We have an open forum - a learning culture - without boundaries or barriers. A place where ideas are born, heard, and allowed to flourish. A place where people are continually exposed to new experiences and world-class training programs. The results are astounding. GE holds more patents than any other US company and is a global leader in each of its twelve businesses. Operating in more than 100 countries, we're the first corporation in the world to exceed $200 billion in market value. 44i a .-. - f J 7 ,, he } Y Aw- v : 3 t I r 41,. . ; .___ .. "- . . , w f' C/a r r a C r : , ;_ # _ .., _ #'"" t 1 t -. - . #I New York City: You gotta do it once. Come for the spring semester. Live 1 f F= I