4B - The Michigan Daily WeekendA Magazine - Thursday, November 20, 1997
FIHouse-hunting changes over time

The Michigan Daily Weekend Mag

By Jason Stoffer
Daily Arts Writer
Halloween is long past, but groups of
people are still going door-to-door in
Ann Arbor. As early as October, students
start scrounging their friends together to
search for a place to live in the fall.
Leases are signed a couple of weeks
earlier each year, said Liz Allmand,
owner of Allmand Properties.
"Last year, the first group called at
the end of November; this year it was
the beginning of November," Allmand
said. "It's like a domino effect; one
group starts looking and it spreads."
Traditionally, people looking for
apartments have been able to delay
making decisions until winter term,
said Cris Keezer, office manager of

KEVIN KRUPITZER/Daiy
Lellani Smith of Prime Student Housing, Inc. shows LSA sophomores Ariel Yip and
Amanda Field an apartment available for rent.


PMSI Properties. But even this long-
standing housing rule may need to be
rewritten.
"I've signed leases for everything
from houses to efficiencies already,"
Keezer said. "A couple of years ago, it
was people looking for big houses or
specific locations first, but this is start-
ing to change."
"This time of year is very frustrating
for me" said Pattrice Jones, former
coordinator of the Ann Arbor Tenants
Union. She said she hates watching
University students, especially new
ones, sign leases so soon after arriving
at school.
"It is shocking that students should
be feeling any pressure at all to make
decisions about next year now" Jones
said
LSA junior Bryan French said it's
difficult to make housing decisions so
early in the year.
"I'm not worried about housing right
now, but I should be," French said. "My
landlords gave us two weeks' notice at
the end of October to reserve my lease
for next September.
"We couldn't (meet the deadline)
because we didn't know what we were
going to do yet. There's four of us right
now, and I think I'll be living with only
two other people next year" French said.
Rebecca Greenshields, a CMB leas-
ing agent, said the cardinal rule for
housing is: "the larger, the earlier, the
better; the closer (to Central Campus),
the earlier, the better.
"Last year I saw more properties go
before Thanksgiving than ever before,"
Greenshields said. "When looking for a
place to live, January is too late for both
big groups and for those looking for a
Central Campus location."
Students who already rent housing
must decide whether to re-sign leases
early in the year. "We're practically
handing them a move-in package and a
renewal letter at the same time," said
Kaye Mears, a property manager for
Keystone Properties.
First-year students and transfers,
after being on campus for just two
months, have to make difficult room-

mate decisions earlier than ever before.
They need to be especially careful if
they are choosing roommates they met
just a few months ago, said Jim Etzkorn,
a psychologist at the University's
Counseling and Psychological Services.
"Groups change. People's situations
will change ... there are a lot of poten-
tial conflicts that can arise," said Jeffrey
Micale, a housing adviser with the
University's Off-Campus Housing
Program.
But students can avoid these issues
by getting to know their future room-
mates better.
"Communication skills are the most
important thing I'd look for in a room-
mate," Etzkorn said. "Have you actual-
ly sat down and talked with your future
roommate, or are they just a friend of a
friend who seems kind of cool?"
Etzkorn suggested finding roommates
with similar interests and expectations.
"If you value cleanliness and want a
roomate to spend time with, you need to
find someone with similar goals for
their living experience," Etzkorn said.
"People are often disappointed because
they expect one thing from a living
experience and get another."
Although it is difficult to find off-
campus housing later in the year,
Etzkorn encouraged students to be thor-
ough, and wait if necessary, when con-
sidering ther housing options.
One option for students wishing to
delay their decision is to live in resi-
dence halls for another year. The lottery
for University housing will be held
sometime between January and March,
said Dana Fair, University Housing's
public affairs coordinator.
It is also possible to find off-campus
housing at a later date. But chances are,
any such housing will be farther from
Central Campus, Greenshields said.
"Many buildings on the west side of
campus or Kerrytown house mostly pro-
fessional students, and do not lease until
April or May," Greenshields said.
"These are really nice properties, which
are a lot quieter and run a little cheaper
because they are farther from campus."
See TRENDS, Page 16B

Film
V As the cinematic medium grows
older, government officials are taking
measures to preserve America's movie
heritage. Their latest step: the conversion
of a top-secret mountainside bunker into
a film sanctuary. The Culpepper, Va.,
Cold War relic, originally intended to
provide a safe refuge for federal banking
officials after a nuclear attack, will
become the new home to films owned
by the Library of Congress. The nation-
al collection of more than 150,000 films
includes a nearly complete run of 1897
to 1905 productions by Thomas
Edison.
~ Who needs Brad Pitt to rise to the
top of the Hollywood heap? Not
Gwyneth Paltrow, it seems. According
to Movieline magazine, the emerging
leading lady (and future blockbuster
movie star) has just inked a deal to star
as the wife whom Michael Douglas
schemes to kill in "A Perfect Murder."
The film, a remake of Alfred
Hitchcock's "Dial M for Murder,"
which starred Grace Kelly, should fig-
ure as yet another launching point for the
actress, who recently gained acclaim in
1996's "Emma." After all, just ask
Sharon Stone how being paired with the
fiftysomething Douglas helped kickstart
her career.
~ For all of you concerned that you
are past your peak, stop worrying.
Seventy-seven-year-old "Odd Couple"
star Tony Randall and his 27-year-old
wife Heather are expecting their sec-
ond child next summer. As for baby
No. 1, she's just seven months old.
/ Luther Simjian, the inventor
of more than 200 devices, including
the ATM and the TelePrompTer -
the behind-the-camera device that
has become the most important
staple of every TV news broad-j
cast - passed away last week
at age 92.
V Lest anyone should have bet-
ter things to worry about,
Movieline recently took a gander at
the next member to join
Hollywood's $20 million
club. The exclusive
group of high-paid
movie stars-already
includes silver-
screen faves such as
Mel Gibson,
A r n o l d
Schwarzeneg-
ger and John
Travolta. Current
best bets are Nicolas
Cage - who has been
reborn as an action star
after, ironically, he won an
Oscar for acting in an art-
house flick -- "George of
the Jungle"'s Brendan
Fraser and "Alien"
diehard Sigourney
Will Smith wilt vapor--
Ize sgrrone If he
can't join the $20 mil-
lion club.

* Entertainment News
Movie archive to open;
Tibet concert filmed

Weaver. The Daily's pick: rapper-
turned-space-invader-killer Will Smith.
O Music
~ "Free Tibet;' a documentary film
about the 1996 Tibetan Freedom
Concert in San Francisco's Golden
Gate Park, had a successful premiere
in New York on Nov. 6, according to
Addicted to Noise. The one-and-a-
half-hour final cut attracted members
of R.E.M., Sonic Youth, the Jon
Spencer Blues Explosion and Blues
Traveler, as well as rappers KRS-One
and Q-Tip. Naturally, concert organiz-
er Adam Yauch (MCA of the Beastie
Boys) and his parents also attended.
~ Ah, those crazy Cure fans: ATN
reports that all hell broke loose two
weeks ago at the Sunset Boulevard
Virgin Megastore in Los Angeles when
they tried to meet their heroes. "A
melee erupted when 3,000 fans
attempted to gain entrance to the store.
An estimated 500 of them had received
wristbands from the KROQ radio sta-
tion to participate in the event, but only
300 were allowed to enter the store.
Eventually, police helicopters and
dozens of officers in riot gear were
called out to quell the angry mob."
C'mon, coppers, it's not like they could
hurt anyone, anyway.
V Guided By Voices' lead singer
and songwriter Robert Pollard has
split, likely for good, with his backing
band Cobra Verde, which played on
GBV's latest album, "Mag Earwhig."
Cobra Verde guitarist John Petkovic
told ATN, "I don't think any of us have
a problem with the outcome of what
happened, but we wish that it would
have been done in a more upfront,
friendly manner." Apparently, mem-
bers of Cobra Verde had read an
ATN interview with Pollard in
its October issue, in which
Pollard said he was planning
to record 30 new songs with
other musicians. Cobra
Verde confronted Pollard
after its Oct. 20 gig
in San
Francisco and
quit the rest
GBV tour.
a~Pollard
suppos-
edly is set
to play with
B re eders
d r u mm e r
Jim Mac-
Pherson, among
others.
- Compiled by
Daily Film
Editor Joshua
Rich and Daily
Music Editor
Aaron Rennie.
The Associated
Press con-
tributedlto this
report.

We
Scorpio (Oct.23-Nov. 21)
Forgetting important dates will
not help your reputation. Your cor
tinuing habit of neglecting impor-
tant events is hurting your rela-
tionships.
Sagittardus (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
A heavy workload will soon see
some relief. An unexpected break is
headed your way.
Caprcor (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
A constant search that has been
wearing your patience and your
endurance thin will finally conclude
with a pleasant outcome.
Aquadus (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Hasty moves may cause you to
slide into something you'd rather
avoid.
PIsces (Feb. 19-March 20)
While it seems like all you do is
read and write, a marvelous mas-


terpiece will make this tec
work your favorite pastime

i

ekend Magazine

Top 10 movies
(for the weekend of Nov. 14 to
Nov. 17)4
1. "The Jackal," $15.2 mil-
lion (one week in theaters)
2. "Starship Troopers," $10
million (2)
3. "The Little Mermaid," $9.8 mil-
lion (1)
4. "Bean," $7.9 million (5)
5. "The Man Who Knew Too Little,"
$4.6 million (1)
6. "I Know What You Did Last
Summer," $4.1 million (5)
7. "Devil's Advocate," $3.5
million (5)
8. "Red Corner," $2.62 million (3)
9. "Boogie Nights," $2.58
million (5)
10. "Eve's Bayou," $2.54 million (2)
Source: The Associated Press
Billboard Top 10
(top albums for the week ending
Nov. 22, 1997)
1. Mase, "Harlem World" (two
weeks on chart)
2. Shania Twain, "Come on
Over" (1)
3. Jay-Z, "In My Lifetime, Vol.
1" (1)
4. Rakim, "The 18th Letter" (1)
5. Leann Rimes, "You Light Up My
Life - Inspirational Songs" (9)
6. Chumbawamba, "Tub-
thumper" (7)
7. Mariah Carey, "Butterfly" (8)
8. Spice Girls, "Spiceworld" (1)
9. Fleetwood Mac, "The
Dance" (12)
10. Aqua, "Aquarium" (9)
Source: Billboard Magazine

Ades (March 21-April 19)
A new romantic interest has
caught, or will catch, your a
tion. Coupled with this, ther
something about you that ha
noticed too.
Taurus (April 20-May 20)
Some large changes in your
environment are about to oc
While the new perspective y
may at first seem uneasy, fe
because the future will be n
suited to your taste and sty
Gemini (May 21-June 20)
Holiday meetings with relay
may cause you to cringe, bt
year you'll find refuge in a r
gic atmosphere.
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
Assertive people with strop
Help Me F
Dear Harlan,
I've been going with my
for three years. We know we
get married and have talkeda
quently. I'm not in a big hu
like to get married in the nex
Whenever I mention this, my
gets mad and says I'm pushi
He says he wants to wait ui
better job. I totally understand
four years I've known him,
he hasn't known what he
wants to do or what would
make him happy. I know he
loves me and wants to marry
me, but I just don't want to
be waiting forever to get
married.
What should I do?
- Waiting eagerly
Dear Waiting,
It's like eating at a restau-
rant with bad service. You
either stay seated and get
you just get up and leave.
What feels right for you i
so right for him. And consid
half of all marriages fail, yoi
into anything with hopes it
itself out.
Just put together a timel
your boyfriend to put togeth
in a year or two, he's still r
make the commitment you n
er finding someone who can
And be aware, if it's more
commitment, consider seek
therapy and talking this o
with a professional.
Dear Harlan,
My sister has lots of prol
time I talk to her on the tele
depressed. She's usually
since many of her troubles
brother and our parents, I b

I q

THE AMERICAN MUSLIM
DISPELLING MEDIA STEREOTYPES
a lecture by
NIHAD AWAD
Executive Director of Council
on American-Islamic Relations
~ScorLnAIuIditoriumU (R IfomU2g2)
ee i E 9 d.
Thursday, Nve er h 6:3pm
Sponsored b Muslim Engineering Students'
Association
Pakistani Students' Association
Muslim Students' Association

*2 years ago in ft3iditgmil
"Whatever it was that induced (Ohio State wide receiver) Terry Gl(
week, he probably would have been better off to ignore it. His disl
lockerroom andhelped spark the (Wolverines to defeat) their rival
lowin the game.," - _w
w N rw;. . «:." , Y :t # 0 ^ Y? ,t, .M S" ,4K . p # M F i Ff