News: 76-DAILY
Advertising: 764-0554

C '
'Elan t

4F

One hundred seven years of editon lfreedom

Wednesday
February 4, 1998

Vol C Vf -+jo yy.i

* cafi
By Jennifer Yachnin
Daily Staff Reporter
Plans for a $15.5 million project that would c
idate four Hill area residence hall cafeterias to
a labor shortage and create more space in th
ce halls have been put on hold indefinitely.
"The project is on hold until the campus N
Plan project ... is further along," said Alan
director of housing public affairs. "I think it
major impact ... on that part of the campus.
Master Plan is University President Lee Bolli
initiative to bring physical cohesion to the cam
The proposal, approved at a University Bo
Regents meeting one year ago, calls for the eli
tion of individual cafeterias in Stockwell, Alice L
usins and Mosher-Jordan residence hall
uld create one large cafeteria between M
Jordan and Alice Lloyd residence halls. Renov
to the Mary Markley and East Quad cafeterias
also discussed.
Levy said the dining hall consolidation is bein
'U' Music
roe's film
set to air
nationally
Stephanie Love
ly Campus Arts Editor
One of America's most famous operas -.
and a University professor - will receive
national attention tonight when PBS airs the
documentary "Porgy and Bess: An American
Icon." The program is the result of more than
12 years of researcher by Music Prof. James
Standifer, the film's producer.
University archives provided most of the
resources for the documentary. Eva Jessye,
the opera's original choral director, donated
collection of African American music
materials to the University in 1974. Using
scores and manuscripts from this collection
and items from the Standifer Video Archive
in West Hall, Standifer has worked to present
the documentary from an African American
perspective.
Standifer said getting funding to create the
documentary was a challenge. The
University provided significant funding for
the project, and organized the on-campus
Wance screening that drew an audience of
more than 1,500 people on January 25.
"We saw the University community arm
in arm talking in very candid terms about
some very negative things and some things
that were intrinsically educational,"
Standifer said. "The message of this opera
and the message of the documentary is that
because the themes in 'Porgy and Bess' are
universal, they are directed toward all of
us, and they bring us together as
ericans."
"Vhen "Porgy and Bess" first opened at
New York's Alvin Theater in 1935, no
one, not even its creators George and Ira
Gershwin, imagined the opera would
become the national icon that it has.
Sixty-three years later, the opera that has
sparked debate since its origination has

Eteria plan
indefinitely indeference to the Master Plan, which could
affect preliminary designs for the structure.
onsol- "It got to a certain point ... but there is no time
allevi- frame at this point," Levy said.
e resi- The project will affect the area near Palmer field,
Levy said, adding that the administration must con-
Master sider the effect of construction on traffic and "how it
Levy, effects the neighborhood, views and how it fits in with
has a the campus."
" The The proposed renovations to Markley and East
nger's Quad dining halls are not on hold, Levy said.
pus. "The intent is to make this a coordinated effort cam-
ard of puswide," said University Housing Director William
imina- Zeller. "We are still looking at (East Quad and Mary
Lloyd, Markley dining halls) and are and in some initial con-
s and cept planning stages."
osher- University officials have discussed coinciding
nations improvements to the Markley cafeteria with major
s were renovations to the Washington Heights parking struc-
ture during the next two summers, Levy said.
g held "We are changing the location of where

'on hold'
spring/summer housing will be for the next two
years," said Levy, adding that students will be housed
in Alice Lloyd residence hall this summer. "Parking
services ... are doing a major reconstruction and ren-
ovation that involves constant jack hammering and
lots of noise."
The single cafeteria concept would help quell the
shortage of cafeteria workers, which often forces stu-
dents to use disposable dishes and utensils, Zeller
said.
"We're continuing to experience shortages in stu-
dent labor to deal with serving and dishroom work-
ers," Zeller said. "We think we are dealing with the
student (worker) shortage by combining four dining
areas into one ... (allowing us to) operate with a full
labor force."
Levy said crowding of cafeterias at peak meal times
is an unavoidable issue and is not related to recent
increases in the size of the incoming class and a
greater number of upperclassmen reapplying to live in
See CAFETERIA, Page 7

SARA STILLMAN/Daily
Students eat in the West Quad dining hall yesterday. Plans to consolidate four Hill
area residence hall cafeterias have been put on hold indefinitely.

Speech fails
to mention
higher ed
By Mike Spahn
Daily Staff Reporter
After Gov. John Engler finished his State of the State
address this past Thursday, the future of higher in education
in Michigan may have been unclear to those who viewed his
speech.
Engler did not mention the state's 15 public universities,
nor did he mention his plans for their funding, during the
speech. On Feb. 12, the governor will present a budget to the
Michigan State Legislature that will include his proposed
funding for the state's public Michigan state institutions.
John Truscott, a spokesperson for the governor, said the
State of the State speech is not the forum in which funding is
traditionally discussed.
"Typically, you don't talk about budget items in that
speech," Truscott said.
Rep. Jessie Dalman (R-Holland) said the governor's omis-
sion of higher education from his speech does not indicate a
loss of interest in the issue.
"I don't think it was because he doesn't support higher
education," Dalman said. "There are other, more pressing
issues now.
Andy Hetzel, a spokesperson for the Michigan Democratic
Party, said higher education has been and will continue to be
an important part of the Democratic agenda.
"Last session we doubled the college tuition tax credit,.
letzel said. "Quality and affordability are always top priori-
ties in higher education."
The upcoming budget plan will be the governor's chance
to show his support for the University, said Paul Courant,
associate provost for academic and budgetary affairs.
"The state appropriation is an important part of the
University budget," Courant said.
Truscott said state universities can expect appropriations
to be similar to those they received in past years, which have
been very generous.
"Universities have been treated very well, especially capi-
tal outlay appropriations," Truscott said. "We've tried to
meet every school's top one or two requests."
But University officials said they don't think the
University will get as much money from the state as it has
See EDUCATION, Page 7

Music Prof. James Standifer begins his secondary general music methods class with a musical warm-up lesson with Music Juniors Jessica
Alles and Alissa Mercurio, Rackham student Fred Dade, Music senior Heather Grush and Music junior Janeece Freeman.

become an example of American creative
genius.
"'Porgy and Bess' has gradually evolved
into a true American icon that is reflected and
permits itself to be reflected in generational
changes that we've seen in African
Americana and in Americana," Standifer
said. "In this sense, maybe the opera is more
American than we could have ever per-
ceived."
From its beginnings as a novel by'southern
aristocrat DuBose Heyward in 1925, "Porgy
and Bess" has had a difficult performance
history.
"Because it is a piece of material on black
culture and reflects different aspects of black
culture, from the beginning, it was a minefield
of sensitivities having to do with racism,
stereotypes and gender," Standifer said.
The opera presents a universal drama
about the transforming power of love in a


relationship between a man and a woman
through the lens of African American "folk-
loric" life and music.
"I think Gershwin knew that he needed to
give that extra authenticity and he needed to
communicate aspects of the black culture,"
Standifer said. "Putting those words of
DuBose Heyward and those melodies of
George Gershwin into the minds and mouths
of the black performers made a difference
between what was authentic and what was
authentic black."
The political, cultural and artistic focus of
"Porgy and Bess" raises issues that have cre-
ated tension since the opera's first perfor-
mance. Today's performers continue to strug-
gle with the same difficulties that original
cast members experienced.
"The documentary lets the performers
themselves speak about the problems and the
angst and the stereotypes, so you have these


people from 1935 on up to the present talk-
ing about their feelings of rejection, their
feelings of elation, their feelings of opportu-
nity," Standifer said.
"But by the time they got to the '80s, the
opera had proved itself all over the world,"
Standifer said. "After it had gone to La Scala,
to Vienna, to opera houses in Russia, it was
finally accepted in America when it came to
the Metropolitan Opera in 1985."
Racial tension prevented "Porgy and
Bess" from running in its hometown of
Charleston until 1970.
"On the one hand, (blacks) were accepted
on the stage by primarily white audiences in
the '30s and '40s, but by the time they
walked out the stage door, they couldn't go
into the same restaurants," Standifer said.
"But 'Porgy and Bess' gave blacks and
opportunity to really show what they could
do as actors or singers."
FERPA,


'U' professors
debate Clinton
fate, scandal
By Mike Spahn
Daily Staff Reporter
While political pundits across the nation discuss
whether President Clinton will survive the latest scandal
rocking the White House, University experts gathered at
the Alumni Center last night to discuss Clinton's fate and
examine the media's role in the events.
Communications Studies Prof. Michael Traugott said
independent counsel Kenneth Starr's investigation of alle-
gations that the president had an affair with former White
House intern Monica Lewinsky is Starr's last attempt. at
indicting the president.
"This is the highest-stakes poker game we've ever seen
played out in public in the history of American politics,"
said Traugott, adding that the investigation has over-
stepped its original boundaries. "It's put up or shut up
time (for Starr)."
Starr was appointed by Attorney General Janet Reno to

'U'

guidelines

ensure student privacy

University is committed to
keeping students' records
private.
By Christine M. Paik
Daily Staff Reporter
Students who are embarrassed about their
grades should be glad they're not enrolled at the
University of Utah.
Last week, a Utah professor obtained and
released a student's academic record to the
school's student newspaper after the student wrote
a negative remark in the newspaper about the pro-
fessof's department. The professor claimed the
student didn't have the right to make the remark
considering his "low" grades.
"This situation is currently under review by the
general legal counsel on campus," said John
Boswell, acting director of admissions and univer-
sity registrar at the University of Utah, whose stu-
A-nt,, IN ; is IPe th e.-h nfurth the. C1'7'of the

"An outsider would not be able to access student
records unless the student authorized the release of
his or her academic report," Fedewa said. "The only
people that have access to a student's academic
record are the student, the registrar's office, and the
dean of the school they're enrolled in."
Fedewa said the University adheres to strict
security guidelines when students' grades are con-
cerned. Even those who are authorized to access
the database system holding students' records
must go through a variety of checks.
"The person would have to have the student's
social security number or the student's ID num-
ber - which may not be the same - and a (per-
sonal identification number) that the student has
selected," Fedewa said.
According to the Federal Educational Rights
and Privacy Act, which was passed by Congress in
1974, the only way a student's record can be
released to an unauthorized person is with his or
her permission. While "school officials" are
exernnt from havinir to obtaiin the student's ner-

----'-~-I,

{