News: 76-DAILY Advertising: 764-0554 C41V 'trafil "I't One hundred seven years of edztoralfreedom Wednesday November 12, 1997 >. I Med Schi By Janet Adamy on the num and Jeffrey Kosseff enrolled in th Daily Staff Reporters minority stu Following a national trend, the number of School in 19 minorities who applied to the University's Parts of th ical School for this academic year Hopwood v. d ped 17 percent. School and P The decrease corresponds to a 4.8 percent minority app drop in the overall number of applicants to the California, T( Medical School, and an 8.4 percent fall in appli- saw a 17-per catiops to medical schools across the nation. tions across t "Clearly, it will be harder and harder for us "The most to have a diverse student body if we have drop in applic few r minority students applying to med who research schol, but this is part of a larger decrease dent at Kapla around the country," said Lorris Betz, interim tion service. d of the Medical School. minorities are qt the decrease had virtually no impact Some exp ROTC units celebrate Veterans Day By Stephanie Hepburn. Daily Staff Reporter . Bagpipes filled the air of Rackham Auditorium yesterday as Reserve Officer Training Corps members stood tall in uni- form and commemorated Veterans Day in a remembrance ceremony. The University's Navy, Army and Air Force ROTC units first j d forces to conduct the colors ceremony at North Hall, then proceeded to Rackham to hear honored veterans speak. Erin Nalepa, LSA junior and a member of Naval ROTC, said that hearing honored veterans speak was moving and motivational. "It.puts things in perspective and it makes you appreciate the past," Nalepa said. "It makes you proud of being a part of a long tradition. All these great people that have gone before motivate us as we go on to become officers. "We too can be a part of that tradition. One day we will be that passionate and will be in the same group as these veter- Mome veterans lingered in the back of the auditorium lis- tening to the words of the speakers, their eyes watering as fel- low veterans were recalled and honored. The colors ceremony annually retires an old American flag with a new one. The service also raised flags signifying pris- oners of war and soldiers missing in action. Joe Rodriguez, a keynote speaker who was an infantryman in the Marine Corps during World War 11, said his fallen comrades were the men who brought us freedom. "America can never pay you enough for what you have for us," Rodriguez said. "People think of the Costitution when they think of freedom. Just go to any mil- itary graveyard and see the thousands and thousands of white crosses. That is what America paid for its freedom." Nalepa said hard work and the pride of veterans has increased her opportunities as a Naval ROTC cadet. "We can achieve today because of what the veterans have achieved in the past," Nalepa said. See ROTC, Page 2 Ann Arbor to g new area code By Gerard Cohen-Vrignaud new area codes ha' Daily Staff Reporter across the nation. Friends and relatives have less than a "There is agrow year before they'll have to stop dialing telecommunicatio j 313 area code when trying to reach lines, more phones and touch their University loved ones. Ameritech Public Ameritech will change the 313 area Mary Roehr. "We code to 734 in Washtenaw, Monroe and keep in touch no m western Wayne counties. Greater On Dec. 13, the Detroit will retain the 313 area code. od will begin. Call Demand for phone lines has been 313 or 734 area c growing exponentially for the past sev- egl until July 25, eral years. Since 1995, more than 95 code will be requin col minority applications fall ber of minority students who is fall's incoming class, with 24 dents enrolling in the Medical 97, as opposed to 25 in 1996. e country affected by the case The University of Texas Law roposition 209 faced a drop in plications to medical schools: exas, Louisiana and Mississippi cent decline. Minority applica- he country fell 11.1 percent. disturbing data is a tremendous ations,"said Rochelle Rothstein, es the issue. She is a vice presi- n, a standardized-testing prepara- "It's interpreted as a message that not wanted at the school." erts say minority enrollment could drop further if the lawsuit filed against the University challenging its affirmative action policies is successful. "If you really ratchet down the system, the numbers could significantly drop," said Dr. Herbert Nickens, vice president for commu- nity and minority affairs of the American Association of Medical Colleges. Betz said it is impossible to predict what effect the lawsuit will have on the number of minorities who will apply to the Medical School in the near future, but he said the law- suit doesn't make it any easier to attract minorities to the University. "In the situation we currently find ourselves in at the University, I think it's something to be concerned about," Betz said. "I think it's very important for the medical profession to have a diverse student body. We are serving the needs of a very diverse society, and I think we do that best when we're diverse ourselves" In 1996, the Medical School underwent a cultural diversity assessment that found that minority students and faculty did not feel welcome at the school. The study revealed that 95 percent of black students said they wouldn't stay at the Medical School if they were offered a position. Eighty- five percent of black faculty agreed with the statement that "the environment is cold and unwelcoming." Similar figures existed for Hispanics and American Indians. After the study, the Medical School estab- lished a Diversity and Career Development Committee and started a mentorship program. See APPLICANTS, Page 2 Minority Applicants to 'U' Medical School The number of minority applicants for this year's entering Medical School class dropped more than 17 percent from 1996. 8495 692 571 I Protesting atrocities Admissions director defends affirmative action By Reilly Brennan Daily Staff Reporter At a meeting of the LSA Student Government last night, Director of Undergraduate Admissions Ted Spencer defended the University's application process and admissions criteria. Spencer said the admissions process does not treat mem- bers of different races by special standards. "There's no stan- dard that applies to any different race," Spencer said.y LSA Student, Government President LaurenS Shubow said Spencer Spencer's speech opened the lines of communication between administration and students. "There are a lot of misconceptions going around campus right now about affirmative action and admissions;" Shubow said. "I think it's important that Spencer and other members of the administration keep the students informed." In the wake of the recent lawsuit against the University, Spencer declined questions about the ranking of admission criteria requirements, but he did reiterate that "race is used as a fac- tor in admissions." "One of the values that this University holds important is its diversity," Spencer said. "We spend lots of dollars to make sure we have the image that students who might come here want to see." Assistant Director of Admissions Jim Vanhecke said that most people only focus on the racial aspect of admis- sions. "There are so many items we look at when going over an application," Vanhecke said. "People don't ask about legacies anymore. We don't know why race is the only issue that people get worked up about." Pointing to the nationwide decline in the number of graduating high school seniors, Spencer trumpeted the University's overall rise in the amount of students applying to the University. "We're in a demographic trough." Spencer repeated throughout the evening. "We have better and more peo- ple applying every year. Why? Recruiting has played a big part." Despite Spencer's remarks, LSA stu- dent government members raised ques- tions about the use of standardized tests in admissions, which some say are biased in their assessment of racial and cultural backgrounds. Spencer said the University looks for the best-qualified students who excel in areas other than test scores. "I don't know if the tests are biased," JOHN KRAFT/Daily University students gathered on the Diag yesterday to rally in support of a movement to close the U.S. Military's School of the Americas. For complete coverage, see Page 7. get ve been implemented wing demand for new ns services, more more modems'" said Relations Director enjoy the ability to natter where we are." optional dialing peri- ers who dial in either odes will be connect- when the new area red. Area code changes What: Area code will change from 313 to 734. Who will be affected: All residences and businesses in western Wayne, Washtenaw and Monroe counties. When: The new area code will take effect Dec. 13. Optional dialing will end July 25, 1998, making the 734 area code necessary when placing a call. The Information Technology Division has been working on raising University awareness of the impending area code change. See AREA CODE, Page 7 Muslim women address. myths By Katie Plona Daily Staff Reporter The lush, green interior of the Rackham Amphitheater filled with more than 50 people last night as two women spoke about misconceptions commonly associated with Muslim women. The event, titled "Unveiling the Myth about Muslim Women," was organized by the Muslim Students Association for national Islam Awareness Week. Also included in this week's events are a movie presentation tonight and Islamic jeopardy, which runs through Friday. Both Muslim and non-Muslim peo- ple attended last night's speech and asked the speakers a wide variety of questions, expanding the knowledge about women in Islam, as well as the religion itself. LSA senior Razan Asbahi, who mod- erated the discussion, said it served to promote understanding and dispel stereotypes about women in Islam. "That's why the speech is going to- sort of set the record straight," Asbahi said. Contrary to what many people may believe, Islam teaches fairness regard- Remembering heroes LSA senior Veronica Arriola plays Islamic Jeopardy with the assistance of LSA senior Mohammad Katranji in the Michigan Union yesterday. Narbaez, who addressed the inquisitive audience last night. Narbaez is a diyah, or activist, who travels the country pre- senting lectures. Najah Bazzy, a transcultural nurse consultant at Oakwood Hospital & Medical Center in Dearborn, spoke about how many people don't under- stand the issue of modesty in Islam. For example, a common stereotype holds that women who wear scarves are oppressed, though the scarf connotes modesty. "I ask you not to feel sorry for Muslim women with hijab, but honor them," Bazzy said, urging people to challenge morality issues in the United behavior as well as dress. LSA sophomore Saima Khan said she was pleased with the event's turnout, although she hoped for higher attendance. "There's just so many misconcep- tions about women in Islam in this country that need to be addressed, and especially on the U of M campus, where so many Muslim women are cov- ered," Khan said. Education senior Suzan Asbahi said one of the important points to raise when speaking about misconceptions of women in Islam is the concept of choice. "I think that when people talk to I ~ ~ I I