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One hundred seven years ofeditorndfeedom
Thursday
November 13, 1997
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'U' loan
default
fate low
By Jeffrey Kosseff
Daily Staff Reporter
it's official. The numbers are tallied. Michig
is No. 5 in the Big Ten.
In an annual report released yesterday, the U
a rtment of Education reported that t
l!versity's student loan default rate for fist
year 1995 was 4 percent - significantly low
than the national average of 10.4 percent but cko
to the Big Ten universities' average 4.1 perc
default rate.
"Generally, our students do a good job at p:
ing back loans," said Director of Financial A
Pam Fowler.
While the default rate for the Universii
increased slightly from the 1994 rate of 3
percent, Fowler said the increase is not sign
i~t.
"The increase is so small, it isn't something '
would study," Fowler said, adding that it may
even smaller than the department's figure. Fow
said there were some errors made in t
Department of Education's calculation, and t
true default rate for the University is 3.9 percer
"They had reported some students in defa
who weren't," Fowler said.
According to the Office of Financial Aid,
percent of University students receive fede
lis.
Vice President for Government Relations Tc
Butts, who is involved with the University's fede
al Direct Loan Program, said he agrees the dr
was not significant.
"I wouldn't regard such a small change as s
tistically significant," Butts said.
The University's rate of students who did r
pay back their federal loans was the second low
of the state's 12 public universities, behi
Michigan Technical University's 2.9 perc
ult rate.
om Scarlett, director of financial aid f
Michigan State University, which had a 5 perei
default rate, said the ability to pay back loans
proportional to the ability to get a job after grad
ation.
"The graduates of the University of Michig
go out with higher paying jobs than our student
Scarlett said.
Fowler also contended that the Universit
Inspiration
draws larg
By Margene Eriksen
Daily Staff Reporter
A packed crowd met writer Amiri Baraka
he Trotter House last night, where stu-
dents filed in to hear him speak on politics,
literature and history.
The turnout was so strong that Black
Student Union members scrambled to
find chairs, and many people ended up
sitting in the hallway and on the stairs.
Wearing a gray sweater that matched his
hair, the revolutionary and author walked
slowly, with an aura that seemed slightly
£ndfatherly.
But as soon as Baraka began speaking,
there was no doubt that audience members
were listening intently to a black revolution-
aryand a powerful speaker.
"What America needs is to be freed from
imperialism," Baraka said. "People are
always talking about terrorists, but the worst
MSA plans
store for
coursepacks
By Mike Spahn
Daily Staff Reporter
The price of coursepacks could drop
dramatically if some members of the
Michigan Student Assembly success-
fully implement plans for a new
coursepack store.
MSA plans to set up a store that will
produce and sell coursepacks in con-
junction with the Michigan Union
Bookstore. Sales are scheduled to start
during winter term.
MSA President Mike Nagrant, who
promised the new store during his cam-
paign last year, said plans for the store
are coming together. MSA allocated
$10,000 from the special project fund
to get the store on its feet.
"Our goal is to produce about 30
packs for January," Nagrant said.
"However, we're only going to produce
non-royalty coursepacks winter term."
Non-royalty coursepacks include
non-copyrighted material, such as
works written by a professor specifi-
cally for a class.
A motivation for opening the store is
the current prices of coursepacks in
Ann Arbor. Some students pay nearly
as much for coursepacks as they do for
books.
"I think I spent about $150 just on
coursepacks last fall," said LSA senior
Brian Robillard. "It's just a bad sys-
tem."
Robillard is not alone in his high
spending.
"I've spent over $200 before," said
LSA senior Navin Bapat.
Currently, students who get their
coursepacks at Michigan Document
Services pay 6 1/2 cents per copied
page, plus a binding fee. Accu-Copy,
another coursepack producer, charges
7 1/2 cents per copy, but has no binding
fee.
Over the past few years, publishers
have sued stores that put together
coursepacks, alleging improper use of
copyrighted materials.
After losing a lawsuit last year,
Michigan Document Service was
forced to make sure the store properly
pay royalty fees.
Michigan Document Services
owner Jim Smith said that as a result
of his store's court loss to publishing
companies, there is no cheaper way to
produce coursepacks besides charging
for each page of copied material.
Since single-copy use is legal, the
store has revamped its procedures so
students push the copy button on the
machines.
"I understand what the motivation is,
but I think (MSA is) very unrealistic,"
Smith said. "There is not going to be a
cheaper way after the court ruling."
But Phil Zaret, owner ofAccu-Copy,
said the new business can be a success.
"As long as they have one or two
people who know what they're doing,
they'll be fine," Zaret said.
Smith said he would happily yield to
students if they could legally produce
the packs without paying royalty costs
to authors.
"I'd give my place to MSA and let
them do coursepacks," Smith said.
Nagrant said he hopes to produce
the packs at 2 1'2 to 3 1/2 cents per
page. Though the new store will not
begin selling coursepacks requiring
royalty fees next term, Nagrant hopes
to avoid these fees when the store pro-
duces coursepacks requiring royalty
fees.
"Since it will be a non-profit store
with students running it, we should be
within fair-use statutes," Nagrant said.
See COURSEPACK, Page 2A
LOUIS BROWN/Daily
Sondra Fonville (left), a financial aid counselor, looks over financial forms with graduate student Moneka Stradford
at the financial aid office.
ta- high academic standards prepare students for a
competitive job market.
not "Good graduation rates and the academic repu-
est tation of the University translate into the job mar-
nd ket," Fowler said.
ent The University's departments of financial
aid and student loan records and collections
for provide exit loan counseling for students who
ent are about to graduate. That counseling helps
is the students prepare to pay back their student
du- loans.
The average default rate for Big Ten schools is
an significantly lower, at 4.1 percent, than the overall
s," 10.4 average default rate.
Although the student loan default rate increased
ty's See LOANS, Page 2A
al speaker
e crowd
Loan Defaults Low
Students at the University have a
National 4 percent loan default rate, while
10.4% the national rate is at 10 percent.
Michigan is tied at fifth lowest in
the Big Ten.
6.3
5.1 5.0 4.8 4.8
4.0 4.0
oc a'°
o E .r Ia o
terrorists we have are over here."
Baraka then explained his position on
government and the arts. He stressed the
self-study of authors that are not normally
studied in school. Baraka stated that there
was "a pimple's worth" of American stud-
ies, women's studies and African American
studies departments on most campuses,
although there are many large English
departments.
"When you graduate, you won't know
anything about America," Baraka said.
"Even American literature by black people
and white people is still considered a subsec-
tion of literature."
Baraka advised black students not to wait
for opportunities to come to them, but to
practice self-reliance, self-determination and
self-defense. He attributed this idea to writer
WB. DuBois, who he quoted often through-
out the speech.
EMILY NATHAN/Daily
Writer Amiri Baraka spoke about politics, literature and history to a packed crowd at the
Trotter House last night.
"I keep quoting DuBois, hoping you'll
read him," Baraka said.
He mentioned early in the speech the
unfairness of the class system, pointing out
the salaries of Nike's CEO and the $60-mil-
lion settlement fee paid to a former Disney
executive.
"All of us in this room will not make
$60 million in our lifetimes together,"
Baraka said. He also used humor to illus-
trate his points, adding that "some of you
See BARAKA, Page SA
Regents to
make bylaw
By Janet Adamy
Daily Staff Reporter
The University Board of Regents will soon revise and
reorganize its bylaws after 30 years of making isolated
changes without a formal, in-depth clerical review.
Roberta Palmer, secretary for the University, said the revi-
sion will update, clarify and look for duplications in the
bylaws. The regents' bylaws outline the University's admin-
istrative structure and give rules for governance.
"Over the years, you add things that become outdated,
outvoted," Palmer said. "On occasion, it's just good to
review things. With the new president coming in, it just
seemed like a good idea."
Palmer, Executive Director for Human Resources Jackie
McClain, and interim General Counsel Elizabeth Barry,
make up the working committee that will oversee the revi-
sion process.
Palmer said the committee will not make any major
changes in the bylaws.
"It's more a type of housekeeping rather than substantive
changes," Palmer said.
Palmer cited the inclusion of the new Executive Vice
President for Medical Affairs position and the re-definition
of some of the University's institutes and clinics as items that
will be looked at during the revision.
Regent Olivia Maynard (D-Goodrich) said she doesn't
expect that the revisions will lead to any major changes in
the bylaws.
"Periodically, you just need to look at the bylaws to make'
sure that they really allow you to operate effectively,
Maynard said.
Palmer sent a memo to the University's deans and faculty
members asking for their input on the revision effort.
Physiology Prof. Louis D'Alecy, chair -of the Senate
Advisory Committee on University Affairs, said SACUA
plans to give its input to the regents.
In addition to examining the language associated with the
more academic aspects of the bylaws and the description of
the professoriate, D'Alecy said he hopes the project will
look at tenure issues and the role of the Board in Control of
Fraternity sets up toll-free
- number to report hazing
By Melissa Hetzner
For the Daily
The national chapter of the Tau Epsilon Phi
fraternity has set up a toll-free number for
pledges who want to anonymously initiate legal
recourse against fraternity members who are
hazing them.
Mike Traub, president of the campus TEOD
chapter, said that the toll-free number "was
not set up in response to a problem at U of M
or any chapter." He said that the decision was
made to prevent incidents of hazing in the fra-
ternity.
"We. as a fraternity, have not had a lot of inci-
against their fraternity for hazing submitted
their complaint to the Interfraternity Council, an
umbrella organization for the Greek system, and
then went before the Greek Activities Review
Panel.
TE(D pledge and LSA first-year student
Adam Beck said he thinks the anonymous
toll-free number will only help in extreme
incidents.
"I think it makes the brothers think twice
about what they're doing," Beck said. "I don't
think it's going to change very many people's
attitudes. Just in severe cases is the only time
it'll have any effect."
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