ANN ARBOR
The Michigan Daily -- Wednesday, September 3, 1997 - 9E
A is home to
distinct history
By Katie Plona
Daily Staff Reporter
'Rat's in a name?
For two early settlers, the answer
was clear. In fact, the hometown of
the University is named after their
wives, both of whom went by the
name Ann. And after observing the
plentiful population of trees, the
name Ann Arbor seemed a natural
to two of the city's early settlers,
John Allen and Elisha Walker
Rumsey.
e city was founded in 1824
when the two thought the spot might
be a good trading settlement.
Thirteen years later the University
was relocated to Ann Arbor from
Detroit. Since 1841, when the first
University class was offered, the his-
tory ofAnn Arbor and the University
have been intertwined.
Unbeknownst to many students,
numerous streets and buildings on
@npus have been named after peo-
ple who were integral parts of Ann
Arbor's development and growth.
Tappan Street was named after
former University President Henry
Tappan, who came to Ann Arbor in
1852, determined to turn the
University into a leading power in
the world of higher education.
Packard Street was named after Dr.
Benjamin Packard, an 1825 settler.
During the Civil War, Ann Arbor
ared the homefront in case the
war stretched to Michigan. Several
infantries mobilized in Ann Arhor.
then left for battle.
Throughout the 1860s and '70s,
the city's religious life flourished,
as well as some forms of cultural
recreation. Even during that time
period, Ann Arbor was considered a
diverse establishment, providing its
izens many outlets of expression.
As early as the 1870, the city way
noted for its medical facilities, main-
ly the University Medical Center.
By the beginning of the 20th
century, Ann Arbor's population
totaled 14,500 residents. Not only
had the city grown, but so had the
University, erecting 11 new build-
ings between 1901-1920, including
the Michigan Union and Hill
uditorium.
The fight for women's suffrage
was powerful in Ann Arbor.
"I have been working for suf-
frage for 39 years and I shall keep
on working for it just as long as I
live," said one local women to her
co-workers, as quoted in the
Pictorial History of Ann Arbor.
In 1912, men in Ann Arbor nar-
rowly passed a state constitutional
amendment giving women the right
to vote - men elsewhere in the
state did not agree until 1918, how-
ever.
The nation's involvement in
World War I changed Ann Arbor's
healthy atmosphere, but not com-
pletely.
Mobilization strained Ann
Arbor, but did not push hard
enough to change its sense of indi-
viduality.
After the Great War, the 1920s
saw the golden age of fraternities
and sororities on campus - by the
fall of 1922, 20 percent of the stu-
dent body was housed by the Greek
system. By 1925, membership was
double the pre-war total.
The ensuing Great Depression
did little to change Ann Arbor's
continuous growth.
During the Great Depression,
Ann Arborites reached out to each
other to curb unemployment in the
city and prosperity slowly but sure-
ly returned.
By the 1960s, Ann Arbor was a
different city. When political tur-
moil struck camouses nationwide,
the University was a major player.
Earlier in the decade, it hosted
appearances by figures like
Presidents Kennedy and Johnson,
as well as then-presidential candi-
date Richard Nixon.
The Oct. 14, 1960 edition of The
Michigan Daily covered Kennedy's
appearance in Ann Arbor:
"The future of this country and
'all those who look to the United
States with any degree of hope'
depends not only upon the presi-
dent but also 'depends heavily on
the people.' The Union crowd
yelled and asked for more from the
Democrattic (sic) presidential
hopeful, but the senator asked to be
excused from speaking any longer.
'I came here to sleep,' he admitted."
Crime figures
low for city,
campus areas
Recent years have seen decreases
in several major categories
By Maria Hackett
and Heather Kamins
Daily Staff Reporters
T-shirts sold by local Ann Arbor venders have affec-
tionately dubbed the city "three square miles surrounded
by reality."
But crime is one aspect of "reality" that even Ann
Arbor residents cannot escape. Especially with the size
of the area's population totaling more than 110,000 peo-
ple.
Cutting down crime is a task the Department ofPublic
Safety continuously confronts, and the community is
apparently making progress.
"I think (crime) has gone down," said DPS Patrol
Captain Terry Seames. "Looking at the stats, '97 is far
below those of '96 as far as dispatches go."
Many of the numbers are still higher than compared to
certain peer institutions because of the large size of the
University, Seames said.
University spokesperson Julie Peterson said statistics
show that 1996 Ann Arbor criminal offense figures are
lower than the 1995 figures for many crimes.
DPS records indicate that robberies in the Ann Arbor
area have decreased more than threefold. Both the-num-
ber of aggravated and simple assaults have reduced dras-
tically in the past year.
Also, instances of drug and narcotic violations have
fallen from 162 in 1995 to 86 during this past year.
"We don't know why they are lower," Peterson said,
"but it is always good to hear we are getting safer."
Not all the statistics are so encouraging this year, how-
ever. During the past year, theft from motor vehicles
jumped from 119 in 1995 to 221 in 1996.
Though some of Ann Arbor's crime statistics may
seem worrisome, many students said they feel complete-
ly safe on campus.
"I wouldn't consider Ann Arbor dangerous by any
stretch of the imagination," said Law student Paula
Osborne. "Typical city crime you don't have to worry
about here."
According to a recent University study, members of the
University community feel safer today than they did in 1989.
Dropping from 62 percent in 1989, the University
study showed that only 54 percent of those surveyed are
currently afraid to walk alone at night.
The University provides several night-time services to
accompany students, including Safewalk, Nortiwalk,
Niteowl and free taxi service from the Shapiro
Undergraduate Library after 2:00 a.m.
Nonetheless, many students prefer not to use these ser-
vices, and go it alone.
"I probably take more liberties than I should," Osborne
said. "I usually don't walk alone really late at night, but
if I'm at the library and it's only about midnight, I don't
call Safewalk."
Seames urges students to never walk alone atnight,
but rather to utilize available programs and always pro-
ceed with caution.'
Some students credit high police visibility with a
greater feeling of safety.
"I see a lot of police around," LSA senior Jeff Probst
said. "I think they do a pretty good job."
Seames said that thefts are the most prevalant crime on
campus. "We're continuing to try to curtail that, but we
need everyone's help," Seames said. "The only way to
decrease the numbers is educating students in preventing
thefts."
Seames said many students forget to lock their resi-
dence hall doors and leave valuable property unattended
in the library carrels or computing sites.
"It's hard to prevent things like thefts," Probst said. "If
you don't take care of your things and lock them up,
there will be someone there to take them. My roommate
got his bike stolen twice"
PHUTO CURUTESYOF ULELY HIUICAL LIBRARY
The ornate exterior of the Ann Arbor Post Office was a prominent Ann Arbor site in 1910, the year this
photograph was taken.
Kennedy announced in this
speech at the Michigan Union that, if
elected, he would form the Peace
Corps.
Two weeks later, Nixon spoke to
roughly 15,000 Ann Arbor resi-
dents at the Michigan Central
Depot, which today houses The
Gandy Dancer restaurant.
In 1964, President Johnson
delivered a watershed speech
announcing the goals of the Great
Society.
"He was here on a supposedly
non-political mission - to deliver
the University's Commencement
address - but his appearance was
never free of political overtones and
the peculiar mystique which always
surrounds the President of the
United States," The Michigan Daily
wrote in its June 23, 1964 edition.
Soon after, the Vietnam War left
its mark.
Student anger at the war hit a boil-
ing point. Radical anti-war groups
like Students for a Democratic
Society and the Weather
Underground had strong constituen-
cies in the city. Meanwhile, the
Black Action Movement and its
heirs brought issues of race to the
forefront of campus debate.
All of this has left a strong mark
on Ann Arbor's sense of itself.
"We have cultural offerings that
can knock your socks off," said his-
toric preservation coordinator
Louisa Pieper said. "I don't like
cities that don't have a strong sense
of place. We have a strong sense of
place."
City council hopes to lighten parking crunches
By Megan Exey
Daily Staff Reporter
The Ann Arbor City Council passed a res-
ution February 3 in hopes of clearing up
wntown parking crunches.
The resolution encouraged "creative alter-
natives" to costly parking-structure repairs in
the downtown area.
The resolution, proposed by coun-
cilmembers Tobi Hanna-Davis (D-1st
Ward) and Heidi Cowing Herrell (D-3rd
Ward) will offer suggestions to the
Downtown Development Authority to curb
costs on repairs to the existing parking
facilities.
In the University area, the Forest
Street parking structure has been des-
ignated a top priority for repair.
Some suggestions offered in the
cost-cutting resolution are the cre-
ation of an Ann Arbor Transit
Authority shuttle to the downtown
area, increased use of ecologically
safe government vehicles and
increased affordable downtown hous-
ing so that people who work in down-
Hanna-Davies said she is optimistic that
the proposed suggestions will be
less expensive than the $22 million
, the DDA is projecting for repairs
and replacement projects.
"The DDA does not have enough
WI money in its budget to meet this
'cost," Hanna-Davies said. "By offer-
ing other ways to pay for the repairs,
we hope to prevent an inflation in
local taxes."
Not all councilmembers were sup-
problems with the state of the parking struc-
tures in the downtown area, I'm hesitant to
back these requests," said Councilmember
Jane Lumm (R-2nd Ward).
Councilmember David Kwan (R-2nd
Ward) said he shared Lumm's concerns.
"I think the DDA has enough obstacles at
this point in trying to find parking alterna-
tives," Kwan said. "Realistically, I think (the
proposals) are too much for the DDA to con-
sider at one time."
Kwan suggested increasing fees for down-
town parking might be a better way to com-
pensate for repair costs.
town businesses will not need to have a car to portive of the resolution.
get to work. "Though I can't deny that there are serious
I Exres-ouIlv
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-)arking
spots hard
to find on
zamp us
By Matt Weiler
Dily Staff Reporter
If advanced placement calculus
gave you headaches, wait until your
first parking adventure in Ann Arbor.
Many students arrive at the
University having survived a battery
entrance tests - the ACT, SAT and
on. .
Not to mention the rigors of apply-
ing to college, making good grades
and, of course, passing driver's educa-
tion somehwere around their 16th
year.
Now comes college, and their
reward: parking hell.
Just how bad is the parking situa-
tion in Ann Arbor?
Some days, it seems like you have a
ietter chance of seeing a medieval
samurai dancing the watusi than find-
ing an empty space to park your
Volkswagen.
"I had to walk seven blocks from
my dorm to park my car last year",
said LSA sophomore Ron Green. "It
was ridiculous."
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Two cars park bumper-to-bumper in a lot near the Law Quad. University parking
lots are frequently packed with vehicles, authorized or not.
issued ticketas - by the Department
of Public Safety if it is an on-campus
meter and the Ann Arbor Police
Department if it an off-campus one.
Fines for parking in an expired
meter are $6 if paid within an hour,
$10 if paid within 1-14 days and $15
if paid after 14 days. But if these fines
sound harsh, look out - the gouging
has only started.
The fine for parking without a
required permit is $20 if paid within
within 1-14 days, $25 if paid after
after 14 days and $100 for parking in
a handicapped spot without a permit.
Lest the unfortunate driver think
parking for a day for $15 and galli-
removed," Diane DeLaTorre said in a
statement.
Students wishing to purchase park-
ing permits for the entire school year
should not get their hopes up. Only
800 will be issued during the 1997-98
school year.
"Student-paid parking permits are
issued on the first Thursday of the fall
academic year," DeLaTorre said.
"Permits are sold on a first come, first
serve basis regardless of class stand-
ing, campus residency or any other
considerations."
Costs for year-round parking per-
mits vary from $310 for the yellow
spaces (which are at better locations)
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