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Thursday
March 12, 1998
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M'Nike
does pnzed
y Japanese
I Traveling shoe dealer says special-
dition 1985 Dunks even outsell
iodels featuring Michael Jordan
v Joshua Rosenblatt
fily Staff Reporter
here in the world does Michigan basketball consistently
at out basketball superstar Michael Jordan? It happens all
e time in the land of the rising sun, says Steven Parker.
Parker, a traveling shoe salesperson who has been selling
ed shoes in Japan for a decade, claims there is no shoe that
Its as well as the 1985 Michigan Nike Dunk basketball
oe. Selling for between $1,000-$2,000 a pair, the maize
id blue Dunk exceeds even Nike's Air Jordan shoes in terms
demand.
"The Dunks are the best shoe right now," said Parker,
Iding that he's never had an averaged size shoe that he
dn't sell for a good price.
.nd Michigan victories in this weekend's NCAA
asketball Tournament could drive shoe prices up even high-
'If (the tournament) is well advertised overseas and (the
lichigan players) do really well," Parker said, it is definitely
>ssible for prices to increase.
The popularity of the shoes overseas shows that Michigan
ver isn't limited to the United States, said Engineering first-
ar student Pat Marsac.
"It proves that collegiate athletics are looked at world-
2" Marsac said. The people who buy the shoes in Japan
ably watch Michigan sports."
Parker said the appeal is not just that the shoes are com-
rtable or well made, but they represent American culture.
istead of buying cars, many Japanese citizens spend their
oney on high-priced shoes, he said.
"Why?" asked LSA sophomore Lewis Jones. "I paid $150
r a pair (of shoes) before, but I think that's too much."
Parker began selling shoes about 10 years ago when he
w an advertisement offering more than $200 for a pair of
foes to be resold in Japan.
rker owned the shoes and because he was planning to
Japan, he decided to see how much money he could
t for the shoes. When he found a store that sold used
oes, he offered his pair, and after some negotiating,
alked out with $400. Since then, he has established a
ient base of 12 such retailers.
See SHOES, Page 8A
Tourney
_...
may
decide
coach's
By JamesGoldstEin right. L
Daily Sports Writer finished
ATLANTA - Brian Ellerbe was lost six
only named the interim coach of the not invit
Michigan men's basketball team this for a sp
past October. But success at this week- Tournar
end's NCAA Tournament could take first-rot
the word interim out of his title. Davidso
After succeeding former coach Steve Dome.
Fisher - the players' mentor and friend "Hec
- Ellerbe had a tough task
ahead of him.
He could have taken the ;x
Wolverines in many direc-
tions. Often, new coaches
will make drastic changes
- wipe the slate clean and
fill it with their own coach-
ing philosophy.
But Ellerbe has made few major we knov
changes in Michigan's 24-8 season, and Late
if last weekend was any indication, abouti
good things are in Ellerbe's forecast. ride a
After capturing the first-ever Big Ten tomorr
Tournament title, Michigan garnered a attemp
No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Tourna
And, despite his contention to the after lo
contrary, Brian Ellerbe deserves much 1995 ar
of the credit for the success, according The
to some of the players. focused
"Coach Ellerbe came here and did a Michiga
great job under tough circumstances," the Big
said Michigan co-captain Travis able pla
Conlan. "He could have come in and ever ga
switched up a lot of things that said tha
would've made him look better because NCAA
that's how he knew how to coach." change,
It's what the 34-year-old Ellerbe has "Con
kept the same that might be his best us aga
coaching move of the season. "There'
Apparently, Ellerbe is doing something
fate
ast year, the Wolverines, who
dthe regular season 19-1 I but
of their last nine games, were
ted to NCAAs, and had to settle
pot in the National Invitational
ment. This year, Michigan has a
und date with .No. 14 seed
on tomorrow at the Georgia
came here and kept everything
pretty much the same,"
Conlan said. "Because of the
guys that were already here
-the nucleus we had-and
he took it upon himself to
sacrifice for us. I think that's
the biggest thing that every-
one's overlooked, is that he
came here and let us do what
w how to do."
ly, what Michigan knows
is winning. The Wolverines
six-game win streak into
ow's game. Michigan will
t to win its first NCAA
ment game in four years,
sing in the first round in both
nd 1996.
Michigan players remain as
as they've been all season.
an center Robert Traylor, named
Ten Tournament's most valu-
ayer, will be playing in his first-
me in the Big Dance. Traylor
at despite a season marked by
scrutiny and a coaching
the team has gelled.
ning into this season, we said it's
inst the world," Traylor said.
s not one guy on this team who
See NCAA, Page SA
MARGARET MYERS/Daily
Michigan men's basketball coach Brian Ellerbe steps off a bus in Atlanta yesterday. Michigan will
play Davidson tomorrow in the first round of the NCAA Tournament..
Nation's colleges question student fees
By Christine M. Paik
Daily Staff Reporter
With the issue of mandatory student
fees appearing on election ballots and
sparking lawsuits, students on college
campuses are speaking out about the
way their student governments are
spending their money.
Students at the University of
Michigan will be able to choose
whether or not to allocate up to $5
per semester for the next three
semesters to the Michigan Student
Assembly on an MSA election ballot
referendum next Wednesday and
Thursday.
But students at the University of
Minnesota's Twin Cities campus are
taking the issue even further. Five stu-
dents have sued their university on the
basis that mandatory student activity
fees are unconstitutional because they
force students to fund groups that sup-
port causes in which students may not
believe.
MSA currently charges students
$4.96 per semester to fund about
800 student groups, which is less
than half of the nearly $12 semester-
ly fee Minnesota students pay to
fund 36 of the university's student
groups.
On Feb. 3, Jordan Lorence, legal
counsel for North Star Legal Counsel
in Fairfax, Va., sued Minnesota on
behalf of the "conservative, right-
wing" students, Lorence said, who
disagree with the allocation of part of
MS A
M .c Ra n ihs
Student fees
Meet the
candidates
Candidates for
MSA will be on
the Diag from
12 p.m. today
to meet with
students.
their fee to the Queer Student
Cultural Center, University Young
Women and La Raza Student Cultural
Center, which advocate homosexuali-
ty, abortion and communism, respec-
tively.
"What we want is that the university
will not require students to fund groups
against their will," Lorence said. "This
is a matter of conscience for these stu-
dents and the university is not respect-
ing that."
Lorence, who represented a group
of students in a similar case at the
University of Wisconsin at Madison
in Nov. of 1996, said he was
approached last year by Minnesota
student Matt Curry after he won the
case in the federal district court.
"There should be an option for stu-
dents not to fund certain organizations
if they disagree with them," said Curry,
a Minnesota senior. "Students should
not have to pay for student groups with
which they have ideological, religious
or political differences."
Minnesota General Counsel Mark
Rotenberg said the university takes
See BALLOT, Page 8A
EMILY NATHAN/Daily
stern Michigan University marketing writer Doug Bentley gets his copy of "How
e Die" signed by author Sherwin Nuland at the Ford Auditorium in University
spitals yesterday.
ale prof. lectures on
e e 0
sisted suicide book
Lee Palmer Nuland's presentation emphasized
aily Staff Reporter the need for public discussion of com-
In a lecture on euthanasia, Sherwin plicated issues regarding death and
uland traced the history of physician- dying, as well as the danger of the pro-
sisted suicide yesterday in front of a posed state legislation.
a than 100 people in the Ford Doctor-assisted suicide should not be
torium of the University Hospitals. legislated before citizens and the med-
Nuland, the best-selling author of ical community can discuss the issue,
ow We Die" and a clinical professor of Nuland said.
fgery at Yale University, spoke at a crit- "There will never be a consensus
al time, as the state House of on this issue, but continued public
epresentatives is scheduled to decide debate will result in an increased tol-
Seniors prep
for departure
a t g ra d fa irtthlflo
1),il Staff Reporter
Becoming a member of the Alumni Association has
not crossed the minds of many students.
But with graduation less than two months away, it is
on the to-do lists of many seniors.
Ordering announcements, inquiring about com-
mencement tickets and purchasing a class ring are on
that same list - not to mention the little details, such
as choosing a framing style for diplomas and a photo
package for the commencement ceremony.
The Graduation Fair gives seniors the chance to
check all of these things off of their lists in one trip.
The second annual Graduation Fair, sponsored by
the Michigan Union Bookstore, started today on the
ground floor of the Union. Different departments and
groups set-up booths together so that seniors would
have all the information they need in one area.
DANA LINNANE/Daily
Business student Kyle Un picks out his class ring at the Graduation Fair sponsored by the Michigan Union
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