LOCALISTATE
The Michigan Daily - Thursday, November 20, 1997 -3A
Report shows
abused children
display disorder
More than half of emotionally and
hysically abused children suffer from
ost-Traumatic Stress Disorder,
University psychologist Sandra
Graham-Bermann said in a soon-to-be
published report.
In a paper to be published in the
January 1998 issue of Emotional
abuse, Graham-Bermann presents her
finding that a majority of abused chil-
dren either experience regular flash-
backs to their trauma or suffer from
leep disorders.
The emotional damage caused by the
abuse manifests itself at an early age,
rather than being hidden until some rev-
elation at adulthood, the paper states.
Walking helps
after menopause
A study done at the Division of
Ikinesiology found that post-
menopausal women who walk for exer-
cise may reach different health goals
depending on their walking speeds.
Conducted over an eight-month peri-
od, the study found that post-
-menopausal women who walk at a
slow, 18-20 minute-a-mile pace gain
increased sensitivity to insulin.
Brisk walkers lost slightly more
weight than slower walkers, but slower
'alkers lost slightly more body fat than
brisk walkers.
Kinesiology Prof. Katarina Borer,
who was involved with the study, said
the results need to be further examined
before the full implications of their
impact can be understood.
Friends may alter
Onoods of elderly
Having a best friend doesn't help
older Americans feel better, according
to a recent study conducted by
University psychologists Jennifer
Lansford and Toni Antonucci.
The survey of 328 older men and
women also found that the elderly don't
'el like they could count on their best
friend to help them if they became ill.
The study also found that bad friend-
hips have the power to depress older
people, while good friendships can
cheer the elderly substantially.
Lansford and Antonucci presented
their findings at the 50th annual meet-
ing of the Gerontological Society of
America in Cincinnati this week.
Students afraid
to ask for math
Students struggling in math are the
least likely to ask for help, according to
a recent study conducted by Education
Prof. Paul Pintrich.
According to the study, students who
do math to attain understanding are
likely to view help as beneficial, while
students focused on doing math to
&emonstrate high ability or receive
wards often feel threatened when ask-
ing for assistance.
Alarms prevent
:=edicine misdose
d
Bottlecaps and wristwatches that
beep are easy, effective ways to remind
older Americans to take their medicine,
according to a report by cognitive psy-
chologist Denise Park.
Park, who works at the Institute for
Social Research, found that people
:4ges 65-75 made the fewest mistakes in
taking high blood pressure medication,
vhile those ages 55-64 made the most
mistakes.
*-- Compiled from staff reports.
Video conference
links 'U' to higher
education debate
m
By Peter Romer.Fuedman
Daily Staff Reporter
While campuses nationwide have
been tuned into the lawsuit against
University admissions, some scholars
are using the flames from the discourse
to heat up debate on race relations in
higher education.
A nationally broadcast debate between
six scholars yesterday introduced a wide
range of ideas on how to combat anti-
affirmative action campaigns in higher
education and improve campus relations.
More than 75 University students and
professors crowded into the Alumni
Center to hear expert opinions on the
past and future of affirmative action.
While some speakers conceded that
affirmative action may become extinct,
they promoted pro-active attempts to
create diversity and understanding
through action on college campuses.
"I tell my students that the era of affir-
mative action in higher education is
over," said Raymond Windbush, a pro-
fessor of social justice at Fisk University.
Windbush said California's
Proposition 209 and legal precedents in
cases like Hopwood v. University of
Texas Law School will eliminate
minorities from many universities.
Panelists defended affirmative action
programs as a way to compensate for
the insufficient high school educations
received by many minority students.
"In the very selective schools, we
know that there are very few high-scor-
ing African Americans and Latinos," said
Harvard Law Prof. Christopher Edley.
"The schools are not preparing them to
do well on standardized tests. We offset
the discrimination of standardized tests
by having affirmative action programs.
"The public is misunderstanding that
standardized tests measure merit, which
they do not."
Sumi Cho, a law professor at DePaul
University, said she and the other panelists
are concerned because the political right is
opposing affirmative action programs in
an attempt to "resegregate America."
"We are not going to stand by while
our institutions are being resegregated,"
Cho said. "We've got to begin to talk
about long term strategy we can use to
fight the conservative right."
The speakers promoted direct action
with substantive outcomes, saying that
passive, noncontroversial discussion is
not enough.
"We should not talk about what we
agree on," Edley said. "We must try to
talk about the stuff we're fighting
about. Then you can figure out strategy
to fix it. Finally, we should find strate-
gy to go beyond talk into actions."
Even though the discussion focused
on race in higher education, a number of
the panelists transcended racial issues
and introduced class as another factor.
"We must frame it that (poor educa-
tion) affects the average white students
who have less access," to quality educa-
tion, said Juan Lara, access and equity
policy specialist. "We need to get it to
the class issue."
Increasing anti-affirmative sentiments
may in fact be due to class rather than
racial discrepancies, said Kata Azoulay,
a professor at Grinnell College.
"I have the suspicion that part of the
backlash is a silent backlash of poor
whites," Asoulay said. "We don't really
hear about the janitors' and the bus dri-
vers' children, or the poor rural children.
They're not going to Yale or Columbia."
Assistant Provost John Matlock said
the University is at the center of the dia-
logue on race relations.
"This is a place of opportunity, where
success is more than a test score,"
Matlock said. "It's about perseverance
and life experience. All our high
schools are not equal. We still have a
long way to go in education in general"
Matlock said the University has
come a long way in its strides toward
achieving diversity.
"The University is different than it
was in the 1970s. I can't imagine what
it would be like to go back to that time
with a resegregation across the nation.
Students get cheated and the country
gets cheated," Matlock said.
RSG elections focus
on students' needs
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LOUIS BROWN/Daiy
John Sweetiand speaks with University President Lee Bollinger and LSA Dean Edie Goldenberg after they cut the opening;
ribbon for the new Gayle Morris Sweetland Writing Center.
Wriin cnter honor.s
By Janet Adamy "It's unusual to have significant gifts of this nature deuot
Daily Staff Reporter ed to these types of programs," Bollinger said.
Members of the University community gathered yesterday Bollinger said it is important to focus on writing becaue
to dedicate a new writing center to a woman who believed a it is something many students have trouble with during
sentence should march. after college. "As a scholar, as a teacher, I think we all sha
The Gayle Morris Sweetland Writing Center honors the the experience of writing as one of the most difficult thin;
former editor and owner of "U, the National College we do," Bollinger said. "There are few things more satisfying
Magazine," who used to describe herself as "one hell of a in life than having written something that you're proud of
tough broad:' She is the late wife of University alumnus John Goldenberg said that when the idea ofthe writing center wa
Sweetland. first mentioned more than a year ago, she never dreamed
Housed in Angell Hall, the center will train graduate stu- would become a reality in such a short time.
dents to teach writing and work to incorporate the teaching of "It was an instant fit of his ideas and our interests,"
writing into all disciplines across the University. Goldenberg said. "I am enormously pleased to recognize John,
"(Writing) is becoming, in some as one of(LSA's) friends."
places, an endangered species," Lauren Shubow, president of
Sweetland said. "We are creating a "N't was an insrant fit the LSA Student Government;
center that is saying its goal is to emphasized the need for improv-
make writing an important part of of his ideas and our ing students' writing and said ond
the curriculum." " of students' biggest complaints is'
Sweetland donated the $5 million inn resis. the quality of teaching.
needed to fund the center because - Edie Goldenberg "This center has the capacity to
he felt it was an appropriate way to LSA dean assist in both of these regards,"
honor his late wife, who was a grad- Shubow said.
uate of Pasadena College. English Prof. Ralph Williams
"Writing was a part of her life and that's what she did so said he is excited about the new center.
well," Sweetland said. "I thought this was the best place in "It's my conviction that we need more time given to writ=
the country to do this. There aren't many schools like ing and this center will lead the way in showing ways woclh
Michigan." responsibly do that," Williams said.
Although LSA Dean Edie Goldenberg said the center will Sweetland said he made the donation because he feelsthat
define itself over time, the group of graduate students and successful alumni have a responsibility to give back tot.
faculty who are Sweetland Fellows are in charge of deciding University in order to keep it strong. -
how the center will proceed. "It's earned the accolade 'the leaders and the best'
University President Lee Bollinger said the new center Sweetland said. "My hope is that the Gayle Morr
corresponds with the University's commitment to improving Sweetland Writing Center will be regarded as one oftbe,
teaching and emphasizing the liberal arts. academy-changing additions:'
By Reilly Brennan
Daily Staff Reporter
While the campus is abuzz over
Michigan Student Assembly and LSA
Student Government elections, another
important University organization is
holding its elections this week.
The Rackham Student Government,
the elected graduate student governing
body representing the interests of more
than 6,000 students, will be filling its
open representative seats for the fall
term throughout this week.
RSG Co-president Anne Reeves, a
fourth-year graduate student, said that
although RSG is not well known on
campus, it does play an important role as
a mediator between graduate students
and the administration.
"We're the go-between. RSG is a ser-
vice organization that specifically focuses
on the needs of graduate students,"
Reeves said. "When a graduate student
has a problem or concern, we are here to
help"
The government, which consists of 13
seats and two co-presidents, also appoints
graduate students to various campus
organizations, such as the Student
Relations Committee. Another function
of the government is to allocate funds to
student organizations, most of which are
graduate student groups, Reeves said.
RSG representative Mitch Rohde said
RSG's small size makes it a lesser-
known, but often times more-effective
assembly.
"We don't do things that are ground-
breaking in nature. We don't take stands
on the Middle East or current political
issues," Rohde said. "We're smaller and
address the specific needs of graduate
students. As a result, I think we're more
effective:'
Rohde added that compared to other
bigger organizations, RSG has the abili-
ty to focus on individual students.
"I'd be a little apprehensive going to a
long, arduous MSA meeting," Rohde
said. "Students know they can feel free
about approaching us"
Rohde said one of the concerns
recently brought to the attention of RSG
members concerned parking in
University lots late at night.
Recently, graduate students have been
denied access to University parking
structures after normal business hours.
Rohde said that since most research
and lab work continues into the evening
and sometimes early morning, this pre-
sented a problem for a majority of
Rackham students.
"Now, students can apply for parking
passes for after-hours use in the
Thompson and Church street struc-
tures," he said.
"We're hoping graduate students will
go to our homepage and vote or come
directly to Rackham," Reeves said.
The elections are held this week until
tomorrow at 5 p.m.
Student can access online voting at
http://www.umich.edu/~rstugov/.
..U
>::,
Help yourself
by helping others...
4- ,
4.
p-. S
GROUP MEETINGS
U "Black Undergraduate Law
Association," 327-4032,
Michigan Union, Kuenzel Room, 7
L "circle K," 763-1755, Michigan
Union, Anderson Room, 7 p.m.
U Dance Marathon Dancer Mass
Meeting, 764-4861, Michigan
Union, Anderson Room D, 9 p.m.
Q intervarsity ChristianFellowship,
647-6857, Chemistry Building,
Room 1200, 7 p.m.
U Shulchan lvrit, 769-0500, Cava
Java, Downstairs area, 5:30 p.m.
U University Aikido, 668-0464,
Intramural Sports Building,
Wrestling Room, 5 p.m.
Coalition on Accuracy and
Advocacy about Abuse,
Kerrytown Concert House, 415
N. Fourth Ave., 6-8 p.m.
U "Labor Organizing Teach-in,"
Sponsored by College Democrats,
Michigan Union, Sophia B. Jones
Room, 7 pm.
U "NAACP presents: Angel Gift-Giving
Tree," Sponsored by The
Salvation Army, Michigan Union,
First floor across from CIC desk.
0 "Bionomics: The Market Economy
as an Ecosystem," Sponsored by
College Libertarians, Modern
Languages Building, Room B116,
7 p.m.
U "Puerto Rican Art Exhibit,"
Sponsored by Puerto Rican
A.race inn_ Micmin unin
Media Stereotypes," Sponsored
by Muslim Students' Association,
School of Education, Schorling
Auditorium, 6:30 p.m.
U "The Session Hip Hop Poetry Joint,"
Sponsored b The Session,
Rendez-Vous Cafe, Upstairs, 8
p.m.
SERVICES
U Campus Information Centers, 763-
INFO, info@umich.edu, and
www.umich.edu/-info on the
World Wide Web
U Northwalk, 763-WALK, Bursley
Lobby, 8 p.m.-1:30 a.m.
U Psychology Peer Advising, 647-
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