4A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, October 23, 1997 ahbe idtcigrn jatilg 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan ,*,IN, JosH WHITE Editor in Chief ERIN MARSH Editorial Page Editor Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of the Daily s editorial hoard. All oher articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Dailv FROM THE DAILY Study squeeze "NOTABLE QUOTABLE,, 'In order to confront global warming, the president must require the auto and oil companies to take real pollution measures now.' - Sierra Club climate change policy director Dan Becker YUK KUNIYUKI 2001 :.SclC JCE ED j>YSSY - 0ETTRS TTO HEE'fECAurr-R j uat 5a. LETTERS To THE EDITOR Grad closes too early M ay I have your attention! The IMI North and South circulation desks will close in 10 minutes. The Shapiro Library connector will be closed and locked five minutes before closing. The library will close in 15 minutes." To many students, this nightly beckoning marks the first stage in a massive migration from the Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library to the Undergraduate Library. The hour is a mere 12 a.m., and most students have only scratched the sur- face in a long and fruitful night of studying. But they are interrupted, as they are prodded from the quiet setting of the Grad and shooed into the loud, overcrowded Undergraduate Library. By closing the Grad at such an early hour, the library administra- tion is depriving students of vital workspace and resources. There are many reasons to keep the Graduate Library open later. First, the Grad's resources far surpass those of the Undergraduate Library; a majority of stu- dents conduct research at the Grad. It offers a vast array of periodicals, a majority of research books and an extensive catalogue system containing almost every subject nec- essary to conduct a thorough project. In con- trast, the Undergraduate Library has limited resources in regard to microfilm and an even more restricted selection of books. A com- mon problem occurs when both libraries hold the same book, but because of limited space and selection, the Undergraduate library only possesses one copy. If a class assignment involves that one book, and the book is already loaned, then a student must restrict him or herself to the Grad's hours. Furthermore, the Grad provides a placid and sedate setting where students can study without distraction. For example, the second- floor reading room, Asia Library, or the numerous cubicles scattered throughout each for students' schedules floor of the building provide ample space and privacy. The Undergraduate Library, on the other hand, witnesses a tremendous increase in noise level starting at mid-afternoon and proceeding late into the night. Group study dominates the Undergraduate Library, as chatter fills the air nightly. In addition, the Undergraduate Library's lack of study space is exacerbated by the flock of students from the Grad. The basement, first and second floors - where the majority of tables and cubicles are - cannot sustain the mass quan- tities of students requiring a place to study. Opponents contend that the Undergraduate Library is less expensive to operate than the Grad. True, the Grad is a labyrinth where students can easily lose themselves. Security obviously becomes an essential issue, yet it still remains feasible for extending the hours. The University maintains the Graduate Library until 12 a.m.; therefore, keeping on a sufficient staff to prolong closing until 1 or 2 a.m. should not compromise a student's safety. The library administration must act to meet the needs of students. Administrators should increase the budget of the Grad to extend its hours. The cost of keeping the Grad open one hour later every night is estimated to be an additional $35,000-40,000 per year. For a University of this magnitude, that figure equates to a reasonably low sum considering the positive educational benefits. Also, other libraries, such as Social Work, offer insuffi- cient hours of operation and should be con- sidered as well. The library administration may consider approaching the problem slow- ly, by first increasing hours during high-use times such as midterms and finals. If students respond positively to these changes, the library administration should afford them the opportunity to perpetuate their studies in a more productive environment. ; r ., i 1 Tearing down the house HUD should replace the buildings it destroys T he U.S. Department of Housing and apartments with similar payment policies. Urban Development has rejected a pro- This was not meant to be a permanent relo- pdsal for the revival of the Daniel Heights cation, which is what it has become. The area in Saginaw for a second straight year. federal government has denied an $18.74 As it stands now, the Daniel Heights public million plan that would enable construction housing complex is now a 12-block area of of 150 new homes in the Daniel Heights Xdcant land. Before the razing, there were area, renovation of more than 200 pieces of 365 apartments in the entire housing net- existing private property, and construction work. The fury over this issue is centered of 24 homes elsewhere in the city of around Dwight P Robinson, HUD deputy Saginaw. HUD did allocate $498.3 million secretary and second in command. Last year for 23 approved projects elsewhere in the Robinson raised $1.4 million to complete country. the destruction of the development, and said The situation in Saginaw raises some Humans are not the only victims of warming TO THE DAILY: I am writing in regard to the Kyoto Conference, at which more than 150 nations will sign a treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Having attended the satellite feed of the White House Summit on Climate Change, I can say the White House is looking for an easy fix to a complex problem. A simple solution is not feasible. While one side wants the administra- tion to sign the treaty and real- izes the real danger in allow- ing climate change to continue uncontrolled, the other one is frantically lobbying against any real change and is vying for business as usual. Politics aside, I couldn't help but feel that a crucial element is miss- ing from the debate. Other than a brief explanation by Diana Liverman, a Chair of the National Academy of Sciences, no reference was made to the effects of climate change on:species other than humans. We are an egocentnic species, there is no doubt about it. It's true that the threat of global climate change will adversely affect humans. However, unlike humans who can migrate rather easily, plants and animals can't pick up their belongings and head to the poles. For example, Liverman noted that sugar maples in the northeast will have to migrate 100 times faster thap they ever have in order to survive climate change. Endangered species will become extinct and many species will become endan- gered as the rate of climate change runs at a much faster pace than the rate of evolution. What will this mean to us? Imagine a world without wild plants and animals. Imagine a world without national parks. A world without the grizzly bears of Yellowstone, or the caribou herds of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. When climate change is fully realized we will have destroyed their home, too. We don't think about our depen- dence on the natural world often enough. As Americans we are wasteful and often don't think about the conse- quences of our actions on the rest of the world. We think hamburgers come from Wendy's and milk comes from the dairy cooler. But if you take the time to think about what you con- sume every day in order to breathe, eat and live, you begin to understand that cli- mate change will completely change our way of life. What is the value of the elm you cat* nrar in f 4~rnt of A ne9 wood and those who live there, too." KRISTEN GENOVESE SNRE JUNIOR Daily takes a stand on choice TO THE DAILY: Kudos to The Michigan Daily's editorial staff for printing a resounding editori- al ("Soapbox politics," 10/14/97) in support of repro- ductive choice for women! As a former employee of Planned Parenthood, I saw first hand the experiences of all types of women who were contemplating the sometimes difficult issue of abortion. From I13-year-old girls who were raped to older women interested in exercising their reproductive right, I've coun- seled hundreds of women in different circumstances. From this experience, I've learned that on this issue, the only entities concerned should be the woman, her conscience, and her open- minded doctor. This is espe- cially true for women consid- ering abortion in the third trimester, as much more has to be taken into consideration in terms of the mixture of emotions, the procedure, and cost. So, at a time when womens lives are at stake in bitter political battles in Washington D.C., it's immea- surably refreshing to see the Daily take the legal. moral and ethical high ground on the issue of choice. NATASHA QURESHI LSA JUNIOR Lawsuits not required to get into 'U' TO THE DAILY: I am an engineering senior at th University. I am having a hard time understanding why Jennifer Gratz and Patrick Hamacher are suing the University. I am a white male from a smaller town in south- western Michigan. I had a 3.6 and a 30 on the ACT. I was waitlisted and ultimately denied acceptance to the University. Sure, I was very disappointed. All I ever wanted to do since I could remember was go to U of M. I loved the athletic programs while grow- ing up. I also loved the high level of academics at U of M. My mother was very upset when I didn't get accepted. But instead of suing the University, we just decided that I would go to Western Michigan for three cam ctarc, A tman trot,~ Bus system leaves many in the lurch To THE DAILY: I was somewhat amused to read the Daily's front-page article "Students Gripe About Bus Delays" (10/8/97). From a headline that started out realistic, writer Mike Spahn certainly sold out his view- point to the Transportation Dept. officials and drivers he quoted in the piece. How could such a headline end up supporting the farce of a ser- vice offered by the University bus system? Not only are students not served properly by the Big Blue Blunders, neither are the faculty or staff. With the parking congestion and the ludicrous permitnprices imposed by the University, the big push by the powers that be is to get everyone to 'Ride the Blue Buses!' Perhaps the Transportation Dept. officials and their comatose drivers can make statements as to their incredi- bly pathetic service being "pretty well need-based at all times" because they don't have to rely on this so-called service to get to work, class, or home! Not only are the buses hopelessly dirty, almost always late (in the absence of traffic as well), but they are not even held to a continual schedule to serve the com- munity. On my route, there are 20 times when there is no bus scheduled on that loop. That means that expectant riders can stand, while miss- ing their classes, exams, jobs and families, and wait up to 30 minutes for a 10-minute bus ride! Or 40, if the driver is really lousy, and can't even keep ahead of the next bus following on his/her tail. I don't know of any other "ser- vice" or business in the world that discontinues service and leaves customers deserted at peak business hours. A con- tinual service schedule must be demanded of the bus ser- vice. In contrast, the AATA buses run like clockwork, run a continual schedule (darn near always on time), and provide riders with a true service. The buses are clean and safe, and drivers even offer riders a smile and hello to boot! None of these quali- ties are available on the University buses. My repeated telephone calls to the Transportation Dept. have been met with lip service. The dispatchers there appear to be on another plan- et with no knowledge of the system or schedule and one even said she has no control over the buses. Apparently, no one does. Why would the u niversity snnd stat tx- We're tired, sic and stressed out come on, '4 give us a break! A weekend can seem like eternity. More often, it can seem like what it is - approximately 55 hours including Friday night. And 55 wee end hours usually go by as if they were minutes. What it never seems like is a real break - a real chance to relax, decom- press and recov- er after a long week, which gets more than its I 3-hour share of energy EGAN and stress. After SCHIMPF three or four PR~ESCRIP'TIONS, midterms, it's hard to get really excited about a nor- mal-length weekend. It's even harder to hit the books again the morning after an exam, or even Monday morning. This is why the University needs t schedule a fall break. Imagine how relaxing four days - 103 hours, including the night before - sound. You can just feel those mus- cles in your neck, the ones you never knew you had, losing a little of the ten- sion of the past week. It would be difficult to find a student who would turn down a sanctioned vacation. Some faculty members would also heartily agree. But even more important than th any-old-vacation concept is the idea that the rest of the term would be much easier to tackle given a short breather in the middle. Time to get away to recharge. Time to sleep. Time to explore Ann Arbor and beyond. Time{ to pursue hobbies and whatever the heart and mind desire. Thanksgiving is too late in the term, and too busy with family obligation' for most people. By that time, ths countdown to finals is sounding as loudly as Burton Tower. Many other schools around the country have fall breaks, some com- bined with Columbus Day. And while the University generally should not do anything just because everyone else is doing it, academic standards at these schools - including Notre Dame, Williams College, Duke Universit and the University of Virginia -- ha not collapsed. Several graduate schools give stu- dents that time off to interview for summer jobs and internships, or sim- ply to visit these programs. Undergraduate students, especially seniors applying to graduate school or for jobs, could benefit from this time for the same reason. Most end up missing classes otherwise. By taking off either Thursday ani Friday or Monday and Tuesday, the University would take equal instruc- tional time away from almost all class- es, except for some discussion sections that could either be rescheduled or simply cancelled, which is what hap- pens in winter term because of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Taking two more days away from fall term, which is already shorter than winter term, would necessitate startin a few days earlier. Again, many uni- versities begin classes before Labor Day. Even at the University, the Medical School and the School of Dentistry begin in the middle of August. By then, most people are ready to start anyway. Summer and its fun have passed. The momentum is there. The idea of a mid-term break is accepted and expected in winter te - imagine a life without spring break. And yet, why do we need a week off in, March more than in October? If we need that time to get away near the end of winter, why not near the beginning? In March, students and faculty will use that week to catch up, rest up and rev up for the remaining two months. Why aren't we given the same oppor- tunity in the fall? In this, the time of sniffles, cough and yawns that threaten to worsen, few low-stress days would give every- one's body the chance to build its defenses back up, which could save some class days down the road and relieve everyone who sits near students who are sick. There are logical reasons to enroll for a class that requires a major paper or project during winter term because, at the very least, students can do som reading or research that will help t eventually finish the project. In most cases, and for the very dedicated it would be possible to complete the assignment duringthat week with no classes or other obligations. A long weekend would give profes- sors and graduate student instructors ththe city would qualify for federal fund- in#-that would provide for a more spacious living network. Robinson's verbal guarantee has not come through, and now thousands of tenants are without permanent homes. Something needs to be done so that public housing is not destroyed without a commit- ment to provide tenants with permanent alternatives. The Saginaw Tenants Organization fierce- ly obeted to the total destruction of the pro- ject because they knew there was no binding guarantee that HUD would provide the money for a new development. In an era of downsizing government and spending, fewer dollars have been appropriated to this neces- sary Jegislative division, and consequently, smiler cities like Saginaw have not fared well, But this does not justify the destruction serious questions about the federal housing agency and its dramatic decisions to tear down large housing projects without the guarantee of new development construc- tion. HUD is an extremely important part of the federal government and it provides a necessary to service to people who cannot afford housing in the open market. Decisions of tremendous magnitude, such as the funding of the deconstruction of an entire housing project, should be examined more closely because there is never a guar- antee that the money will be allocated in subsequent years to finance a replacement project, leaving people without permanent affordable homes. In addition, policymakers must examine more closely the tremendous ramifications of cutting back on funding for important organizations. Boundaries must be drawn so that the government is able to provide services more efficiently; instances like the Daniel Heights debacle seriously question the reckless way in which money is being sary housing without a strong com- to replace it with viable options. n the project began two years ago, s who had been paying rent that did ed 30 percent of their income were uc I I ii