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 I . I -)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." Express our love with Gold Classic Styles to choose from in 14 karat gold. 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) " tqPi tl %. ." . s 1 ti. s4 . . 9. wE 1.1 "