LOCAL/STATE The Michigan Daily - Thursday, March 12, 1998 -5A Students to run for leukemia charity Online resource chronicles 19th- Century America University runners to participate in Anchorage Marathon in June By Melanie Sampson Daily Staff Reporter Several University students will be striding across the Alaskan out- doors to raise money for cancer research this June. LSA senior Carrie Rubenstein received a pamphlet through the mail about the Anchorage Marathon and decided it was defi- nitely something she wanted to pursue. Rubenstein then recruited. several of her housemates to par- ticipate with her. The Leukemia Society of America sponsors a variety of events nationwide to raise money for the disease. Team in Training, one program organized by the society, prepares people to participate in a marathon or in a cycling event. In the months before the trip, participants will have two goals in mind - preparing for the marathon and raising $4,200 for the cause. "I'm very interested in raising money for cancer," Rubenstein said. "I think it's really an impor- tant thing." She said she feels sentimental toward the program because she knows first-hand where her con- tributions will be going. "I've been penpaling with this girl from (C S. Mott Children's Hospital) this year," Rubenstein said. "I'm actually running this race in her honor." The cause also holds personal significance for LSA senior Angela Milarch, who is walking in the race. "My mom is struggling with cancer right now, and I hope peo- ple are supportive," Milarch said. To prepare for the race, runners practice in groups, running five times per week with longer runs on Saturdays. The distances of their runs steadily increase until they reach a peak in May, running 40 miles a week. "I run a lot," Rubenstein said, "but I don't run marathon distances." Getting in shape for the 23.2- mile run takes a tremendous amount of preparation, the runners said. "I find the hardest thing is find- ing the time" to practice, Milarch said. The large amount of money the runners need to raise has proven to be one of the largest difficulties for the runners. "The fundraising is going kind of slow," Milarch said. "We hope to get some support." The cost of the trip is included in the $4,200, and the rest of the money goes toward the Leukemia Society of America. "My family has been contribut- ing. I feel like they're paying for my trip part of it. My family has really been generous," Milarch said. Rubenstein said local support is necessary for her and other partic- ipants to reach their goals. By Sam Stavis Daily Staff Reporter Expert historians and amateur scholars alike now have access to a powerful new tool for learning about U.S. history - the University's Making of America online resource. The Making of America project is a digital library containing 1,600 books and 50,000 journal articles published between 1850 and 1877. Its purpose is to preserve aging historical docu- ments and to provide people with his- torical information they could not otherwise find. MOA is unique for a number of rea- sons, said John Price-Wilkin, head of Digital Library Production Services, the company that created MOA. "There are essentially no historical resources of this kind on the Internet," Price-Wilkin said. "I don't think there's anything that's close to this." MOA provides users with a unique view of United States history by dis- playing digitized images of actual documents from the 19th Century. Users can find specific information by typing in keywords or searching subject-related pages. These searches usually will produce the original texts, although some sources have been converted to electronic text for easier viewing. This process gives MOA users the opportunity to view documents as they were originally published - complete with illustrations and foot- notes. It took Digital Library Production Services about one year to scan or reproduce the documents contained in the MOA archives. Price-Wilkin said this form of data storage ensures that the information will survive indefi- nitely. "We call this approach durable-documents format," Price- Wilkin said. "This stuff is good for the long term." University librarians sifted through many documents that were published between 1850-1877 and chose to focus on sources that stressed social history. The selected texts "seemed some- how to reflect American life in that period," said Judith Avery, University senior associate librarian. Many of the sources contain aboli- tionist and anti-abolitionist senti- ments from the pre-Civil War and Civil War eras. Women's rights and Darwinism also receive attention. Another theme among MOA texts is "bringing science into the home," said Jean Loup, a University librari- an. "Self-education, self-improve- ment,' Loup said. "People were really interested in self-improvement." The MOA project, a joint venture between the University and Cornell University, was funded by a preserva- tion grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Organizations within the University that participated in its cre- ation include the Digital Library Initiative, the School of Information, the University Library and the Information Technology Division. MOA can be accessed at http://www.umdl.unich.edu/rnoa/. ADRIANA YUGOVICH/Daily Students will participate in a marathon sponsored by the Leukemia Society of America this June in Anchorage to raise money for leukemia research. "Moe's Sports Shop is donating a $100 jacket," Rubenstein said, adding she intends to raffle it off to help with the fundraising. Rubenstein added that with graduation approaching, she is asking for any gifts from family members to be in the form of donations. The overall physical demands of a marathon may seem daunting to many but SNRE senior Maija Schommer said this is part of why she is participating. 've always wanted to run a marathon," Schommer said, adding that she was excited about the "physical challenge - the mental challenge as well." Schommer said this also is one of the last activities she will par- ticipate in with her Ann Arbor companions as they all begin life after college. The event "is one last hurrah with my friends," she said. She said the preparation is worth the physical effort. "It's a challenge and a good feeling," Schommer said. Medical experts look at book's implications SUICIDE Continued from Page IA a survey stating that 75 percent of doctors polled in 1997 said they felt they received inadequate training on how to control patients' pain. "The question facing us now is, 'is it sufficient to provide Euthanasia in the pre-1900s sense or should we be expected to provide it in the modern sense - essentially killing the patient according to the patient or the patient's family's request?"' Nuland said. University family physician John Severin said the debate over whether doctors should help terminally ill patients die always has been a difficult one and should not be decided hastily. "Jumping to physician-assisted sui- cide is premature in our societal devel- opment," Severin said. Medical fourth-year student Pranac Kothari said that while he appreciated the opportunity to hear this issue dis- cussed from the perspective of both a doctor and an author, he felt that many of Nuland's views were unrealistic. "It's nice that he thinks everyone has to be educated throughout society (about death and dying), but that's really a utopia and too ideal to actually happen," Kothari said. "Our state couldn't even wait because we are legislating already." Sone audience members said they are glad that the University sponsored an open forum on this sensitive issue. "I think it's really good that Dr. Nuland came to campus because this is really a hot issue in Michigan right now" said Medical fourth-year student Lara Villanueva. "If you listen to National Public Radio, the topic of Dr. Kevorkian makes the news all the time." The lecture was followed by a recep- tion and a book-signing. "For Dr. Nuland and his millions of readers around the world, life is a miracle that demands our contemplation and reflection," said pediatric physician Howard Markel, who introduced the speaker. "Reclaiming the Soul in Academic Life" --A conversation among Faculty and Students In the competitive academic world, we sometimes lose touch with our souls. You are invited to a conversation with eight faculty members who have found ways to deepen their experience of the soul without sacrificing their academic careers. Four Thursday Nights in Lent at Canterbury House 721 East Huron St., Ann Arbor March 12, 19, 26, and April 2, 8:00 p.m. Literary Magazine Reception The Michigan Daily and Cava Java would like to invite the public to hear the winners of The Daily's Literary Magazine writing contest read from their winning entries. Friday, March 13 * 6-9 p.m. Cava Java (at the corner of S. University and E. University) 50 Best Ways to Compliment a Woman Free book on our website: www.pickupgirls.com Free catalog via snailmail: Symphony Press, Inc. P.O. Box 608 Tenafly, NJ 07670 tel 800/631-2560 Think beyond your boundaries y about the new eg1 Un mYrarn1c, March is National Nutrition 44 -" niversity Health Service N~utrtion Services 763-3760 Do you see yourself in an international career? 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