LOCAL/STATE The Michigan Daily - Friday, April 3, 1998 - 3 I CRIME_ Women report groping incidents on campus A female student called the Department of Public Safety on Monday evening to report that a man grabbed her breast as she walked out- side of Mason Hall. The woman said that as she was walk- ing, a man approached her and said he was a graduate school student. He then grabbed and fondled her breasts. A similar incident was reported Tuesday afternoon, when a female stu- dent called DPS to report that a man grabbed her breast as she walked under the arch in West Hall. The woman said the unidentified Than walked up to her and complemented her on her good looks. After 20 minutes of continuing to watch her, he approached the woman and grabbed her breast, she said. DPS has no suspects at this point. Reports have been filed. S Suspects attempt fraud at Kinko's An employee of Kinko's Copies on Maynard Street called the Ann Arbor Police Department on Monday after- noon to report an incident of attempted fraud. Reports indicate that two subjects walked into the establishment and attempted to copy a University hand- icapped parking permit and asked to have it laminated by a Kinko's employee. The employee called the AAPD imme- diately. The two subjects were arrested on fraud charges, DPS reports state. Room sprayed *with extinguisher A woman called DPS on Wednesday to report that someone sprayed a fire extinguisher in her room in West Quad. The caller said an unknown per- son sprayed the contents of the fire extinguisher under her door. The contents filled the room, the caller said. DPS has no suspects at this time. A S'arassment report was filed. Man disguises himself as officer A woman called DPS on Wednesday morning to report that a man contacted her and falsified his identity in a tele- phone conversation, disguising himself as an AAPD lieutenant. The woman claims the caller said he kas investigating a traffic accident, and that two females had left the scene of the alleged crime. He said one of the females claimed that the woman with whom he was speaking had been involved with the accident, and that a vehicle had been stolen. DPS contacted AAPD, which had no record of the lieutenant in question. The badge number that the man gave was also false. A report was filed. Finger broken in CCRB brawl DPS received a call Monday after a fight broke out between two men in the main gym of the Central Campus Recreation Building, DPS reports state. Both fighters left the building before .police arrived, but one of the men turned to the CCRB shortly thereafter with a broken finger. He said the finger was broken in the fight, DPS reports state. The man had no outstanding war- rants and was transported to University Hospitals by Huron Valley Ambulance. No charges have been filed. - Compiled bv Daily Staff Reporters Reilly Brennan and Jason Stoffer 'U' hosts Midwest APA conference NATHAN RUFFER/Daily Fran Stofflat, a United States postal employee, prepares a package for LSA senior Josh Meisler. Stofflat has been an employee of the Nickels Arcade office for 28 years. Doors cose on post ofice By William Nash Daily Staff Reporter For 80 years, the U.S. post office in Nickels Arcade has remained an Ann Arbor constant. Although the faces and some of the decor has changed, surprisingly little else is dif- ferent in the current office from when its doors first opened. Today, as it has every day since Model T Fords rolled down State Street, the sign will be flipped to read "closed." But this time it will be permanent. Customers still will have the opportunity to pick up their mail from the Nickels site until April 11. The replacement site on South University Avenue, located in the Galleria, will open on April 13. The new location will feature postal trinkets, including mugs and T-shirts. "I'm very unhappy, personally, and for our customers,' said post office employee Fran Stofflet, who has worked at the office since 1970. "They are turning this historical site into a mall store with mugs, T-shirts and cheap jewelry" Stofflet said the advantages of having the extra space in the newer location is outweighed by the disadvantages of being less customer-friendly. "Half of our customers use the office to send interna- tional mail," Stofflet said. "They'd rather know how much it costs to send a letter to Senegal. They don't care about buying a T-shirt or a puzzle." Students have reacted to the move with more ambiva- lence than concern. Many said shorter lines and a closer location to their homes were advantages to the Galleria site. "The lines can sometimes get long, especially during lunch time,'said Pharmacy fifth-year student Kristen Klein. "The new office will be closer for me, and I don't use the post office that much anyway," said Architecture and Urban Planning senior Michelle Saunders. The new office will be about twice the size of the older office, and there will be room to double the 496 current post office boxes. "We need a bigger place," said post office employee Henry Loyd. "With more space, we'll be able to have room for more mailboxes, more customers and maybe even more employees." Stofflet offered a different viewpoint on having a big- ger office. "With the new office, we have a 10-percent loss in cus- tomers," Stofflet said. "What difference does it make to have more mailboxes if you have no one to use them?" Lack of parking at the Galleria will prevent the new post office from being able to service as many customers, Stofflet said. Other Nickels Arcade shopkeepers said they will miss the friendly employees and the business the post office attracts. Bob Frost, owner of the Van Boven shoe store, helped organize a petition to retain the current location. "It didn't go far," Frost said. "The decision was already made - already etched in stone." Frost said that moving the office may have a financial impact on the arcade shops. He also said the loss of friends and heritage are results of the post office's move. "Though my business probably won't feel the loss of traffic, some businesses will," said Frost, whose store has been in the arcade since 1935. "What I'll miss most are my departing friends." By Rachel Edelman Daily Staff Reporter The diversity and unity of the Asian Pacific American community will be displayed this weekend as the University prepares to host the ninth annual Midwestern Asian American Student Union Spring Conference. "The entire APA community has come together to put on this event," said LSA senior Andrew Wong, co-chair of the MAASU spring conference. "This is going to be a really exciting weekend." About 600 students from the University and schools across the Midwest are expected to attend the con- ference - the largest Asian American conference in the region. "It's really gratifying to see over 600 APAs coming, and uniting, to Ann Arbor," said LSA senior Hong Pham, the communications chair of the MAASU spring conference. The third floor of the Student Activities Building has been bustling with energy for weeks, as more than 100 students have been spending long hours in every corner of the Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives get- ting ready for this weekend's events. Preparations for the conference began early this semester. "I think the importance of the confer- ence has been the planning," Wong said. "It's been a learning process and a unify- ing process. This is our dedication to the growth of leadership in the APA commu- nity." The theme of this year's conference is "Destination APA" and will focus on the development of student leadership, creating a united Asian Pacific American community and increasing awareness of APA issues. "There's been so much energy put into this," said LSA sophomore Chithra Perumalswami, who is part of the MAASU coordinating committee. Scheduled highlights of the weekend' include the fourth annual Generation APA show -the largest student-run APA cultural show in the nation. The event is scheduled to take place at the Michigan Theater tomorrow at 7 p.m. More than 300 students have taken part in putting the show together. "What we hope to do with the show this year is to educate the University community and the (students attending the MAASU spring conference) about what it means to be APA at the U of M and to show the strong sense of com- munity that we have," said LSA sopho- more Heh Shin Kwak, one of the co- chairs of Generation APA. The theme of this year's Generation APA is "A Light in the Attic," which will feature performances and skits by APA groups. This year's show is the largest in its history, and is already sold out. Perumalswami said the conference shows "that our dreams should have no boundaries. We can do whatever we set our minds to." Harvard Law student Eric Liu, the only Asian American speech writer for President Clinton and a commentator for MSNBC, will be this year's keynote speaker for the MAASU spring conference and is scheduled to speak tonight. "He is more of a tangible hero," said Trice Bagamasbad, a MAASU spring conference coordinator. "What he has attained shows us what is possible:' Interactive seminars are scheduled for the weekend, focusing on issues such as leadership, political activism and affirmative action. Also tomorrow, Ann Arbor City Councilmember David Kwan is sched- uled to present an Ann Arbor Mayor's Proclamation recognizing the University's APA Heritage month and the United Asian American Organizations. Other speakers include University President Lee Bollinger, who will be delivering a welcome address; Daphne Kwok, executive director of the Organization of Chinese Americans; and Grace Lee. Boggs, a writer and civil rights activist. A variety of social events are also planned for the weekend, including a free carnival tonight in the Union and VELOCITY, a dance party scheduled for tomorrow. Bill may lower standard for substitute teaching I LANSING (AP) - A statewide shortage of substitute teachers has prompted lawmakers to propose letting education majors with 60 credit hours take jobs in the classroom. A bill won committee approval Wednesday to lower the number of col- lege credit hours certain substitute teachers must have from 90 to 60. They would have to be at least 21 years old and working toward teaching degrees. The House Education Committee approved it on a 10-2 vote. Even lawmakers backing the plan say they are worried that they may be creat- ing a problem of under-trained class- room teachers while solving the teacher crunch, Booth Newspapers reported yesterday. "All of us are somewhat uncomfort- able doing this," said Rep. Clyde LeTarte (R-Horton). Michigan schools cite several causes for the shortage, including low pay and a shrinking supply of teaching students. Pay varies by school district, ranging from about $50 to $110 per day. There are no legislative proposals to raise substitutes' pay. Under the proposal, teaching students who meet the requirements could substi- tute temporarily in Michigan schools as part of a secondary substitute pool. They could only teach kindergarten through ninth grades. Grades 10 through 12 were excluded because the students could be almost the same age as the new substitutes. "I don't like a bill that addresses the problem of teacher supply by reducing the standards," said Rep. Jim Agee (D- Muskegon). "What if we had a shortage of doctors? "Would we allow a doctor with just 4 1/2 years of education to work as a doc- tor if he hadn't yet learned about blood pressure and the circulatory system?" Despite his concerns, Agee voted for the bill, saying schools are desperate for help. The proposal would require districts to.hire substitutes with at least 90 cred- it hours before hiring from the sec- ondary pool. Students in the secondary pool could not substitute more than two consecu- tive days per week per job. If passed, the law would expire after five years unless lawmakers approved it again. Current law allows individuals of any age who do not have a Michigan teach- ing certificate to substitute teach with a state permit - which requires 90 cred- it hours - up to 150 days per year. Department of Microbiology and Immunology FALL 1998 COURSES . Introduction to Infectious Diseases: Designed to introduce undergraduate biology majors and pre-professionals to the variety of strategies used by bacteria and viruses to cause disease. Taught by faculty who study pathogenesis of cholera, cystic fibrosis, gonorrhea, oral and genital herpes, Legionnaire's disease and tuberculosis. Micro 505. Lectures. 3 credits. MW, 1-2 pm, G127 Angell Hall. . Basic Microbiology and Immunology: Three separate but integrated modules present fundamental concepts of micro- biology (Micro 501), immunology (Micro 502), and virology (Micro 503). Appropriate for students interested in a basic understanding of the field. Lectures. 1 credit modules*. MWF, 10-11 am, 5623 Medical Science Building I1. Studies in Microbial Physiology and Molecular Biology: Three separate modules that can be taken individually or combined to form a single course focusing on important topics in microbial physiology, molecular biology, and genetics. Appropriate for students preparing or careers in health professions or graduate work who are interested in a relatively advanced pre- sentation of topics in microbial physiology (Micro 606), genetics and DNA transactions (Micro 604), and regulation of gene expression (Micro 605). Lectures, focusing on the literature. 1 credit modules*. TTH, 9-10:30 am, 5623 Medical Sciences Building 11. Advanced Virology: Three separate but integrated modules present fundamental molecular and cel- lular concepts of viral replication and pathogenesis through lectures and dis- cussion of the primary literature by the class. Will focus on viral-host interac- tions (Micro 615), DNA tumor viruses (Micro 616) and retroviruses (Micro 617). Appropriate for pre-professionals and students interested in graduate study in biology who are interested in a relatively advanced presentation of topics. 1 credit modules*. TTH 1:30-3 pm, 5623 Medical Science Building Molecular Recognition of the Immune System: This one credit course (Micro 640) will consist of lectures and discussions Dertaining to receDtor-ligand interactions in the immune system. The goal of o1Tec.ion: Project SERVE, the University Activities Center and the Environmental Theme Semester sponsored Ralph Nader's speech earlier this week. This was misreported in Tuesday's Daily. U The African American Students Association was misidentified in yesterday's Weekend, etc. Magazine. What's happening in Ann Arbor this wrkend FRIDAY Q "Intergenerational Equity & the Measurement of Sustainability," Sponsored by Philosophy Deoartment. Mason Hall. Room SATURDAY SUNDAY U "Elements: Jewelry and Metalwork," University Art School Students, Noah's Underground Gallery, 117 East Liberty St.. J "Student Mediation Services," Sponsored by Student Mediation Services, Michigan Union, Room 4354. i i