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Monday
November 30, 1998
An i, 1" W ihia et
M Daily n-depth: Alcohot on campus
Answering to
aloo
a coho
ECB halts use
of portfolios
for plac.ement
By Daniel Weiss
Daily Staff Reporter
The English Composition Board has
decided to discontinue requiring
incoming LSA students to submit a
writing portfolio.
The decision, which will affect
incoming transfer students next term,
was reached during the summer, but
had not been publicly announced for
fear of discouraging incoming students
from submitting portfolios.
Under the new regulations, students
will be asked to make a self-assessment
of their writing ability, after which they
will decide for themselves whether to
enroll in a writing practicum or go direct-
ly into an introductory composition class.
In the past, most LSA students were
required to submit a portfolio that was
used as a basis for placing them into the
appropriate first-year writing course.
Students will no longer be granted
exemptions. All students must enroll in
one of the first-year writing courses.
Phyllis Frus, associate director of the
English Composition Board and
Sweetland Writing Center, said the
ECB decided upon the change after
concluding the amount of time and
energy spent reviewing portfolios could
be better spent elsewhere.
"It takes a lot of money to review
portfolios," said Frus, noting that four
out of five students would be placed
into an introductory composition
course, while 10 percent would enroll
in a practicum and only 8 percent
received an exemption.
The new program, which is modeled
after a similar program at Grand Valley
State University in Allendale, Mich.,
has a number of advantages, Frus said.
First, the money saved will benefit
the Sweetland Writing Center, which is
joined with the ECB. Already, the cen-
ter offers daily writing workshops, but
more programs are in store.
"You can look for big things from
Sweetland in the future:" Fruss said.
Second, Frus noted the new self-
selection program may help de-stigma-
tize practicums. She suggested that
because students will choose to take
practicums rather than be assigned into
them, students' attitudes regarding the
course may change.
George Cooper, an English lecturer
and member of the ECB, said allowing
students to select their writing courses
may bring positive changes.
He noted that some students resented
being assigned into a practicum and said
the new program may alleviate this.
"I want to teach a practicum that stu-
dents want to be in," Cooper said.
But he questioned how many stu-
dents will end up enrolling themselves
in a course perceived to be remedial, as
some of the practicums are.
Jean Leverich, an LSA academic
See PORTFOLIOS, Page 2A
DAVID ROCHKIND/Daily
Above: Many students who received minor in possession of
alcohol citations during undercover Ann Arbor Police
Department party busts have visited the Washtenaw County
Courthouse. Left: The University Health Services provides
students with alcohol awareness materials.
Education or legal enforcement?
By Nikita Easley
Daily Staff Reporter
Spare the rod, spoil the child.
In light of the recent crackdown on underage
drinking by the Ann Arbor Police Department, the
University community is wondering whether
enforcement or education is the better way to stop
irresponsible and underage drinking on campus.
"Enforcement is one element of approaches of
substance and substance abuse," said Associate
Dean of Students Frank Cianciola. "Is enforcement
*the only thing that is going to make a change? I
don't think so."
An LSA first-year student who received a minor in
possession of alcohol citation earlier this year said the
experience has not deterred him from drinking.
"It's something I want to do ... I'm not harming
anyone, said the student, who asked to remain
anonymous.
Within the past month, four fraternities and sev-
eral house parties have been cited for either supply-
ing alcohol to minors or knowingly allowing minors
to drink on their premises.
Last Tuesday, some University students appeared
in court to offer pleas for the minor in possession
tickets they received from the AAPD.
"The thing that motivates change most is point-
ing out any discrepancy between behaviors now and
long-term goals. What you do now has the potential
to destroy your long term goals," said Deborah
Kraus, a psychologist with University's Counseling
and Psychological Services. "That's one of the most
powerful motivators that there is. So that if in fact
somebody having something on their record would
hurt them in some way, it would be a motivator."
Although retaining the MIP on their driving record
was a possibility if they did not pay a $100 fee and
attend a two-hour alcohol awareness class, many of
the underage students who appeared in court last
Tuesday expressed apathy toward the ordeal.
"Education is always better than heavy-handed
enforcement," Psychology Prof. Chris Peterson
said.
He added that enforcement by the police or parents
makes the issue of drinking more enticing to minors.
He said minors might change their attitudes
toward alcohol
when they or some-
one close to them
have a tragic experi-
ence, citing the
increasing amount;
of alcohol-related
tragedies across the
country.
"It takes a long
time to change
things," AAPD
Officer Alicia
Green said.
Green added that
although it may
seem that the AAPD'
Drinking
truths:
. 7 percent of 18-24
year-olds become binge
drinkers between high
school graduation and
their early 20s.
| Binge drinking
consists of consuming
more than four drinks in
on sitting.
| A woman should not
have more than two or
three drinks a day.
a Statistics from the
Institute for Social Research study
'--------------------
A HIT PARADE
is issuing numerous MIPs to college students
recently, officers already had issued 300 for the
year before the undercover operations began.
Psychology assistant Prof. Veronica Benet-
Martinez said education is the most effective way to
See DRINKING, Page 2A
Phi Delt's charter suspended again
By Nick Bunkley
Daily StaffReporter
The national governing body of Phi
Delta Theta has again suspended the
*rter of the fraternity's campus chap-
ter.
The University chapter first lost its
charter following the death of LSA
first-year student Courtney Cantor, who
died after falling from her sixth-floor
residence hall window Oct. 16. Cantor
had attended a party at Phi Delta Theta
the night before, where she was seen
drinking.
The national organization indefinitely
pended all fraternity activities and
eventually found that the local chapter
violated its alcohol-free policy at the
party and revoked the fraternity's charter.
To allow a formal investigation, the
Nationals pulls fraternity s
charter after investigation
charter was reinstated, but activities
remained suspended.
"The charter was reinstated about a
week and a half later," said
Interfraternity Council President Brad
Holcman, a Kinesiology senior. "In
three days they couldn't get enough evi-
dence. They reinstated it to complete
their investigation."
"During the whole time they have
been a non-functioning chapter. They
could not function as a fraternity,' he
said.
The Phi Delta Theta national board
met Nov. 21 to determine the chapter's
final status and suspended the charter.
"Last week, the formal investigation
found that they did violate the charter"
Holeman said.
"This has nothing to do with the
Courtney Cantor death - it was just an
internal investigation," he said.
Campus Phi Delta Theta members
refused to comment on the suspension.
Holeman said the fraternity can
return to campus, but it is a lengthy
process and could take place several
years from now at the earliest.
IFC must first place the chapter on a
waiting list from which one fraternity
each semester receives re-evaluation for
campus privileges, such as a new house
or charter. The council has a policy that
allows only one fraternity to expand in
any semester so it can fully concentrate
on that organization, Holcman said.
"They have to petition the Office of
Greek Life to be put on the expansion
schedule," Holcman said. "It's about a
semester-long process. The next open
spot (in the expansion schedule) I
believe is fall of 2001," Holcman
said.
Holcman said all active Phi Delta
Theta members on campus will be put
on alumni status, and new pledges -
since they were not official members of
See FRATERNITY, Page 2A
Jo~o the Clown, a member of the clown brigade, clowns around before the
72nd annual America's Thanksgiving Day Parade in Detroit on Thursday.
Detroit parade
kiclks off 'holi*days
Engineering team
designs race car
By Daniel Weiss
Daily Staff Reporter
Resumes do not come much better
than this: "Member of a team that
designed, built and raced a car capable
of accelerating from zero to 60 in 4.7
seconds~'
For some University students, this is
idle dreaming. It describes a year-
ong project taking place in the North
Campus' Autolab. About 45 students,
many in Engineering, have joined as a
team to design and build a race car for
a national competition to be held May
19-23 at the Pontiac Silverdome.
The team comes together under the
design and build a new race car each
year, making the car as fast as possible.
But at the national competition the
judges evaluate the cars not only on
how well they perform, but on their
designs as well. No more than $9,000
must be spent on the car, and teams
must show they could produce more
cars at or below the target cost.
Todd Brittingham, co-captain of the
team and an Engineering senior, said
the business aspect of the competition
complements the engineering side.
The project "brings in more than just
engineering," he said.
While the car costs approximately
By Jaimle Winkler
Daily Staff Reporter
DETROIT - Christmas music
cut through the air like a cold
November breeze. And if not for
that breeze, no one would have
known it was November.
A sunny spotlight ushered Santa
in among nearly 1 million smiling
faces and more than 1,500 cans of
silly string in the 72nd annual
America's Thanksgiving Day Parade
in Detroit.
"It used to be a tradition with my
whole family," said Music first-year
student Natalie Ross.
She explained the tradition ceased
once her grandparents "who were
the ringleaders;' she said, lost their
enthusiasm to travel to downtown
Detroit from Livonia.
Ross and her friend Jim Leija,
also a Music first-year student,
climbed down from atop their 10-
ctrvm-rr m~kin annffire hnildmin tr
Building, and every year people
gather together in the building, eat
donuts and watch the parade make
its way down Woodward Avenue.
"You can see all the people in the
office buildings across the street. It's
so funny," Leija said.
The magic included hundreds of
clowns, high school marching bands
and floating childhood wonders.
Ross and Leija speculated at the
chance the balloons would fly away
and attack the buildings.
"Good thing it isn't too windy,;
Ross said.
Tradition climaxed with Santa's
float bringing up the rear of the
parade in his shiny new sleigh
designed by Ford Motor Co. The
convertible sleigh was pulled by
moving reindeer.
Rudolph's nose was the only red
light on Woodward Avenue due to
the city's efficient system of remov-
ma the street lights for easv narade
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