NATION/WORLD The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, February 3, 1998 - 5 Proposal promises first surplus in 30 years BUDGET Continued from Page 1. 1999 spending plan would bring the budget into the black three years ahead of the 2002 deadline envisioned in the budget accord worked out last May between the White House and GOP lawmak- ers. "This budget marks the end of an era, an end to decades of deficits that have shackled our economy, paralyzed our politics and held our people back," the president said during a White House ceremony. "it can mark the beginning of a new era of oppor- tunity" for the United States. Franklin Raines, Clinton's budget director, told reporters that if Congress maintains "fiscal disci- pline" this session, the budget may be balanced in this fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. Current pro- jections are for a $10 billion deficit for fiscal 1998. Reaction to Clinton's budget from Congress was predictably partisan. Republicans contended that, rather than main- taining fiscal discipline, the president's new budget violates the formal spending caps set by last year's budget agreement, and would launch the nation on a new spending spree. "You can't expect a leopard to change its spots, and you can't expect President Clinton to embrace the concepts of a smaller and smarter federal gov- ernment," Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas), the House majority whip, told reporters. Democrats praised the president's spending plan, and accused Republicans of trying to tar a fiscally sound proposal. "They can't claim that these proposals are fis- cally irresponsible," said Rep. John Spratt, Jr. (D- S.C. ). Clinton's proposed initiatives and tax credits include programs aimed at reducing tobacco use, expanding child-care services, extending Medicare to some Americans aged 55 to 64 and broadening coverage to include uninsured chil- dren. BREAK Continued from Page 1. Amanda Scotese. "We're going to stay in a hostel and party." A week without schoolwork is not a break for some students who are choos- ing to forego a tropical vacation to earn some money. "I'll probably be working at home," said SNRE sophomore Tim Carmody. "For lack of money, I won't be taking a vacation." Planning for spring break has become more of an unpleasant experi- ence than cause for excitement for stu- dents struggling academically. "I was going to go to Jamaica but now I can't because I got a 'C' in soci- ology and my mom won't let me go," said Music first-year student Melissa Ogden. Spring break is an opportunity for many University students to volunteer their time to help the community. Alternative Spring Break, a community service program sponsored by ProjectSERVE, is one way that students have chosen to spend their time off from school. "There are 39 different sites where 350 to 400 students will be assigned," said Shari Strauss, a member of the ASB Leadership Team. "Students will work with a variety of issues including HIV/AIDS related issues, hunger, poverty, and women's issues" Some students are frustrated because the University's spring break does not coincide with that of other colleges and universities. "My friends from home are going to the Bahamas the week after Michigan's spring break - I can't go" said LSA first-year student Anita Mohan. But not everyone sees the University's comparatively early sprig break as negative. "I'm going down to Florida" said Business junior Ahsan Chaudhri. "I'm an international student and would like to visit a part of this country that; I haven't seen yet." The break can also be a chance for students to visit friends and family in other places. "I'm going to Chicago to visit iiy cousin," said LSA junior London Bell. But for others, spring break is just another week. "I don't like to vacation' said Engineering junior Azwan Abdul-Aziz. "Here I have my books so I can catch up on my studies." AP Photo Vice President Al Gore applauds President Clinton dudng a ceremony yesterday where Clinton unveiled his 1999 federal budget proposal. The spending plan also includes grants and tax incentives to help reduce class size in schools by'recruiting 100,000 more teachers and building thousands of new classrooms; $17.9 billion in new lines of credit to increase the lending coffers of the International Monetary Fund, the 181-country organization that is lead- ing the global bailout of financially troubled Asian economies. The president's $252.6 billion proposed defense budget holds overall military spending near current levels for the next five years but would reduce per-. sonnel to pay for new weapons systems. Clinton's plan would decrease the budgets for several federal agencies and programs, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, recreational resources, farm price supports, the space program, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and highways and railroads. Besides the proposed tax increases, Clinton is recommending about $24.2 billion in tax cuts for Americans, including $5.6 billion in expanded tax credits for child-care expenses and low-income working families; and tax credits to encourage the purchase of highly fuel-efficient cars and homes, as well as cleaner business machinery and equip- IFORUM Continued from Page i Committee of Concerned Journalists, featured about 30 print and television jour- nalists from across the country who explored diversity's role in the media. Panelists identified specific areas in which diversity needs to be increased and improved in the media. A major concern of many participants was the makeup of newsroom staffs. "Newspapers need to reflect their entire communities," said Sue Burzynski, assistant managing editor and administrator at The Detroit News. "I think having a diverse staff is key to broadening comfort zones." Many of the speakers encouraged the journalism community to continue to work hard to achieve diverse staffs, diverse sources, and an atmosphere of inclu- sion. "We in the media cannot be all things to all people, but we must never stop try' ing, said Clarence Page, columnist and editorial board member at The Chicago Tribune. Many who attended the event said they were pleased with the selection of speakers and the manner in which the issues were discussed by the panelists. "I think it's great that they came to give their opinions on a topic affect- ing our University right now," said LSA first-year student Neil Kinra.x- The high-profile journalists slated to speak at the forum attracted several University students. "I saw the list of names of people that were going to be speaking at this event and : was very interested to hear what they had to say on diversity in the news,' said LSA sophomore David Freedland. READ THE DAILY RECYCLE THE DAILY i Prolonging winter S9 c Software companies cater to girl market The Washington Post Nora Onley, a 10 year old who lives in Takoma Park, Md., has blown up her share of aliens. She has conquered the universe, blasted the bad guys to smithereens and earned the high score on several computer games. Despite these victories, her view of standard shoot-'em-up software like Doom, Duke Nukeni and Quake can be summed up this way: "BOR-ing," she declared. Nora and her 7-year-old sister, Claire, much prefer games like Rockett's New School, a new software title billed -as a "friendship adventure for girls." The girls spent a recent Sunday afternoon glued to their Macintosh computter, intent on helping a carrot-topped girl, Rockett Movado, navigate the social milieu of fictional Whistling Pines Junior High School. Among Rocket's dilemmas: Is class- mate Nicole as srobby as she seems? Is Ruben really Mr. Nice Guy? Which party to attend? "F like this," Claire said. Software designers and marketers are waking up to the fact that, as exempli- fied by Nora and Claire Onley, girls like to play computer games. And they are realizing that theve is a profit to be made by developing software specifically for this long-underserved group. That has meant story lines and well-developed characters, rather than the blood, guts and gore so adored by the usual software game customer, a teen-age boy. With more than two dozen titles on the market, girls' computer software has become one of the hottest segments of the $1.3 billion CD-ROM game business. Sales of girls' games totaled nearly $60 million last year, up from $1.5 million in 1995, according to PC Data, a Reston, Va., market-research firm. Some experts forecast that sales will reach several hundred million dol- lars by the year 2000. But underlying this success is debate about the value of the new girls-only software and whether it is really needed. Some critics are questioning whether these new "pink" games don't, in essence, perpetuate age-old gender stereotypes that limit girls to playing dress-up and boys to playing with guns and swords. Developers of the games argue that the software increases girls' comfort with computers and that this added confi- dence can ultimately lead them to careers in computer science and technology, where women still are vastly outnur- bered by men. AP PHOTO Groundhog Punxsutawney Phil greets the large crowd yesterday that awaits his weather prediction. Phil saw his shadow and called for six more weeks of winter. We are a major advertising agency. And yes, we're hiring. We are D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles, a full-service advertising and marketing communi- cations agency. We're recruiting for entry-level training positions in our Troy, Michigan office for our Professional Development Program (PDP). It's a unique program that's not ma or-s ecific- During our information session at the University of Michigan, you'll talk.directly with PDP members, young professionals who were in the same position asyou not so long ago. Come check out our credentials, view some of our work and ask questions. Then think about coming to our agency for an interview. We want to keep this casual so feel free to leave your suit at home. Lamb( select, O LEARN, TO LEAD, TO SUCCEED0 da Chi Alpha Fraternity is establishing a new organization on campus, and we are looking for a group of men dedicated to leadership, involvement, and scholastic excellence. For the men who are selected to join, tremendous opportunities await. " Lean the skills that will make you a leader at the University of Michigan * Lead an organization that provides fun, exciting opportunities in service, education, and social development. * Succeed in obtaining your dream job or admission to your first choice of graduate schools. To learn more about being a part of Lambda Chi Alpha, come to one of the following informational sessions: