LOCAL/STATE The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, October 29, 1997 - 3 MSU student, alleged attacker critically hurt A Michigan State student remains in critical condition after she was stabbed *ultiple times Monday morning dur- ing a possible domestic dispute at her family housing apartment. The alleged attacker is also in critical condition after stabbing himself in the throat, The State News reported. The 23-year-old woman, whose name is being withheld by police, sustained wounds to her throat, hands and feet, MSU police Capt. Tony Kleibecker said. The man's relationship with the oman is still under investigation. olice said they are unsure of the motive for the attack, but they had responded to a domestic dispute at the apartment within the past month. The man will likely be charged with assault with intent to murder, police said. Students protest Jndiana fraternity About 400 Indiana University stu- dents and professors protested last week in front of the Zeta Beta Tau house in a response to a fraternity scavenger hunt that has been described as homophobic, n racist and sexist. The protesters called for the expulsion of the fraternity chapter because of a list of 39 items pledges were required to col- lect, the Indiana Daily Student reported. The written instructions told pledges ,of the predominantly white fraternity, r "You are all Black Men," who are to seek out such items as the "biggest bra you can find," "pictures of chicks mak- mng out," and a picture of "any funny- lookin' Mexican." The list became pub- lic after nine students were arrested for stealing a street sign in the hunt. The Zeta Beta Tau pledges also stole ,.,the letters from the Kappa Alpha Psi ouse, a predominantly minority frater- ity, causing the Indiana community to cite racism as a possible motive. The university temporarily suspend- Vd the chapter, pending an investigation =by the Indiana dean of students, who has gone on record calling the hunt a "hazing" incident. Jason Nierman, the chapter's presi- dent, apologized for the scavenger hunt, calling it a misunderstanding. Carnegie names top professors The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching honored four academics last week as the 1997- 98 "Professors of the Year." David Berque, a computer science professor at DePauw University; Christina Maslach, a psychology profes- or at the University of California at rkeley; Albert Maisto, a psychology professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte; and Harold Cohen, a biology professor at College of DuPage were the individuals recognized. The professors, who each will receive $5,000, were selected from more than 600 nominated by colleges nationwide, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported. The winners were chosen for their dedication to students :*nd their innovative teaching methods. Illinois officials, police deny claims Representatives from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and local police officials denied accusa- tions that minority parties are broken up more often than non-minority par- ties, despite a differing opinion from *e majority of students at a campus forum held last week. The African American Cultural Programming Committee decided to hold the forum with members of both campus and city police, student groups nand the university administration to respond to several students' concerns -that the police are biased against par- ties for minority students, The Daily Illini reported. Questions from the committee and the audience concerned rules about holding parties, police intervention and 'consequences for broken rules. University of Illinois police Capt. Rick Kallmayer said that facts and statis- 4ics do not back the claim that police intervene at parties with minority stu- -dents more than other parties. - Compiled by Daily Staff Reporter Megan Exley from The Chronicle of Higher Education and the University Wire. Schools team up to better classroom technology By Gerard Cohen-Vrignaud Daily Staff Reporter The University of Michigan and Northwestern University are teaming up with Detroit and Chicago public schools to optimize the use of technol- ogy in the classroom. The Center for Learning Technologies in Urban Schools aims to develop a curriculum that takes full advantage of available modern technol- ogy. The project, which is funded by a $6-million grant from the National Science Foundation, is focused primar- ily on scientific teaching. "We are trying to develop activities that are long term and that use new tech- nologies which we have designed to make their inquiries more effective," said Ron Marx, education professor and co- director of the Center for Learning Technologies in Urban Schools, who chairs of the Education Studies Program. The program will affect three Detroit public schools - Lessinger Middle School, Amelia Earhart Middle School and Dewey Center for Urban Education - and three to five schools in Chicago. Center represen- tatives hope the scope of the project will be much larger and that public school systems for both cities will follow the example set by the pioneer schools. "Our goal is to develop technology- infused curriculum for all schools in the district," Marx said. Some of the technologies that will be used in teaching include scientific mod- eling and specialized Web browsers. "The challenge of the center is to build a curriculum supported by differ- ent technologies, so that kids can take part in intellectually stimulating pro- jects," said Joseph Krajcik, associate professor of science education. The partnership between the University and Detroit public schools will involve about 20 professors, graduate students and other staff. Those participating in the project emphasized the personal rewards that come from working in urban schools. "There are a lot of children in need," Krajcik said. "For me, to walk in the classroom and see kids who we know are not off to a great start, and yet are very excited about learning, is very rewarding." The development of the curriculum, however, remains the major concern of those involved in the project. "We want to be curriculum-driven, not computer-driven," said Dewey "We want this technology to enhance the curriculum, not replace it.7 - Frances Parker Dewey Center for Urban Education Principal Center for Urban Education Principal Frances Parker. "We want this technol- ogy to enhance the curriculum, not replace it." The center is also trying to standard- ize the science curriculum and hopes to serve as a national resource to demon- strate how to infuse technology into teaching practices.s "The curriculum we are developing is based on national standards," Marx said. "We are trying to develop com- mon approaches to the delivery of edu- cational materials:' The project is in the beginning stages of development. University participants are attending meetings and holding pro- , eso a e eo m n eso s fesoa eeomn esos JONN KRAFT/Daily LSA senior Matt Frank reflects on his years here at Michigan. He attributes most of his changes to factors other than the University. Sen1or survey to track effects o U)U on students By Mike Spahn Daily Staff Reporter Ten universities across the nation, including the University of Michigan, are participating in a unique survey of college seniors in an attempt to under- stand how four years of college affects the lives of the students. A new senior survey, administered by the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California at Los Angeles, is a fol- low-up to a questionnaire given to incoming students each summer. "The freshman survey has a 31- year history, and it's given to over 500 institutions nationwide," said Christine Cress, research assistant at UCLA. The senior survey, sponsored by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, was sent last week to 3,800 University seniors. However, some students said they don't plan on completing the survey. LSA senior Laura Wooster said she may not respond to the survey. "The letter (accompanying the sur- vey) didn't give me any reason to do it, and it didn't seem like the results would lead to actual changes," Wooster said. Cherry Danielson, research assis- tant at the University's Research Office of Student Affairs, said the survey will help administrators to better understand the student popula- tion. "Student Affairs is really con- cerned with what is contributing to students' development, not just meeting their needs," Danielson said. The original first-year survey will serve as a base to examine students' interests, activities, goals and values. The new senior-oriented survey will hopefully outline how these traits changed during students' time at the University. "It's really good for students to just give answers off the top of their head," Danielson said. Cress said she hopes researchers can link information from new-stu- dent surveys to factors like retention and graduation rate. Danielson said "because we have such a good idea of (students) we can hopefully attribute many of the dif- ferences to the institution." LSA senior Matt Frank, who said he would probably fill out the sur- vey, did not agree with this assump- tion. "I might be a different person now, but I don't know if it was because of the University," Frank said. Anita Wilhelm, an LSA senior, agreed with Frank. "The whole experience of going to college has changed me, not just the University itself," Wilhelm said. "I threw (the survey) away." Data from completed surveys will be sent to UCLA, where the informa- tion will be processed and analyzed. "Hopefully we will have prelimi- nary results by late February or early March, and a final report won't be completed until May or June, Cress said. MSA budget committee gives $70K to student o rganizations Student assembly also debates affir- mative action programs By Susan T. Port Daily Staff Reporter The Michigan Student Assembly spent more than three hours allocating about $70,000 to student groups last night. The debates and constituent testimonies about the funding preempted scheduled discussion of the University's affirma- tive action policies. The assembly postponed debates and voting on several affirmative action resolutions until next Tuesday's meeting. More than 100 student group leaders spoke about the Budget Priorities Committee allocation recommendations. Many students were unhappy with the funding their organi- zations received. But MSA Vice President Olga Savic said the assembly pro- vided as much money as possible to the students who request- ed funding. "For every student group who says this process is a sham and asks for more money, then I would like to ask: from where?" Savic asked. Campus Governance Committee Chair Dan Serota said the assembly tried to tackle too much in the agenda at the meeting. "I think this meeting was a disservice to the student body," said Serota, an LSA senior. "We gave the impression to stu- dents that we don't care." MSA President Mike Nagrant said there were not enough constituents at the meeting to debate the affirmative action res- olutions. "Postponing it a week will allow us to treat it more effec- tively,' Nagrant said. Medicine Rep. Karen Fauman said after spending more than three hours discussing the allocation of funds, it would be impossible for the assembly to take a responsible stand on one of the most controversial issues on campus - affirma- tive action. "I don't think anyone has the energy or patience to deal with an issue that important," said Fauman, a Inteflex sophomore. One of the affirmative action resolutions proposed a-ballot question asking University students if they believe race should be a factor in the admissions process. The question would appear on the Spring election ballots. Law first-year student Meera Deo said a question on the ballot would spark debate on the issue, but may not reflect the real feelings on campus. MSA should keep in mind that the percentage of students who vote in MSA elections is not large enough to accurately represent the University population, she said. "(The results) should not be taken as this is what thestu- dents feel," Deo said. "I would encourage MSA to spend their funding on educating the students. Help the students gain a better understanding on affirmative action." LSA Rep. Rachel Schlenker said postponing voting will give University students more time to understand both sides to affirmative action. "I think the problem right now at the University is there is so much confusion about University policy, said Schlenker, an LSA sophomore. Next week, the assembly also will discuss resolutions oaT the University's admissions policy at the University and the use of affirmative action in the Athletic Department. Bill would mandate seat belts i _.. Detroit. to end Devi's Night destruction LANSING (AP) - Amid charges of police harassment and insurance indus- try greed, House lawmakers passed a seat belt bill yesterday that would allow police to stop and ticket motorists who are not buckled up. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Frank Fitzgerald (R-Grand Ledge) had failed in May on a 47-56 vote. Some members had worried that police might use the law to harass motorists. But Fitzgerald was beaming after the bill passed on a 63-44 vote. The bill now goes to the Senate with a push from Gov. John Engler. He sent letters to House members last week saying he would sign the bill if they sent it to his desk. The bill's earlier failure came as some members worried that police might use the law to harass motorists. Those concerns were voiced again yes- terday as House members debated the measure for two hours. Fears of sobriety checkpoints, harassment of people who drive luxury cars and feeding higher profits to the insurance companies were voiced by about a dozen lawmakers from opposite ends of the political spectrum. DETROIT (AP) - You won't even hear city officials call it that other name, the night of the year when fires used to turn the sky above the Motor City into a sea of orange and red. Devil's Night, the annual pre- Halloween arson fest, is on its way to being stomped out, city officials say. In its place, Detroit has a new annual cel- ebration with a new official name: Angels' Night, in honor of the thou- sands of volunteers who turn out to make sure their neighborhoods aren't torched. Ever since the fires peaked at 297 on Oct. 30, 1984, the city has seen an over- all decline in the number of fires each year. Total fires for the three-day period leading to Halloween fell from 810 in 1984 to just 142 last year, which is actu- ally less than the typical amount of fires. Gone with the fires is the negative publicity that labeled Detroit as a lawless city and drew media atten- tion each year. Instead, discussion of Devil's Night recently has been about the civic pride of anti-arson volunteers. "We've turned it into a celebration vs. a time to fear," said John George, founder of the non-profit Motor City Blight Busters, whose group organizes volunteers to patrol city neighborhoods. George said his organization had campaigned for years to get Archer and his predecessor Coleman Young to offi- cially call Oct. 30 "Angels' Night." But it wasn't until this year that Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer announced the name change. "We've taken the 'devil' out of Devil's Night and given Halloween back to children," Archer said at a news conference kicking off the Angels' Night campaign last month. That turnaround didn't come easy. Archer was wary for fear of having happen to him what occurred in 1994, the year that the number of fires rose as an exception to the general trend of a declining number of fires. That was Archer's first year as mayor, and the number of fires spiked to 354. Archer redoubled his efforts after that to enact curfews for juveniles and recruit neighborhood volunteers to watch houses and patrol the streets in an effort to stop arsonists. WIN 1 000 ! SWE&STAKES 4., * V If You ..._ ' " Have a 3.00 or higher GPA " Are a currently enrolled college student (two- or four-year college) s " Send us the form below Verify your GPA if you win Wewil . . * Draw one name each week for 4 weeks to win $1,000 " Keep your name in each week's drawing * Send you information about legal educational opportunities flk (u4LL.. i Ct A Congratulations, Vanessa V. Harris, a senior at Michigan State University. She's the second $1,000 winneri What's happening in Ann Arbor today r -~- - -- ~-- ~~---~~-- ~-~~~~-- -~-~~~ ---~