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'Attacks
By Mike Spahn
Daily Staff Reporter
Some people think students should be
ted to universities solely based on thei
school academic performance. Others arg
tors such as race, economic status and
legacies should augment a student's appli
And each year, state legislators, stu
emissions counselors and Michigan c
debate whether state high school gra
should gain admission preference ove
of-state applicants to state-funded un
ties.
Matters of the harp
y -
$11
q. f +/t
1
Music sophomore Alison Perkins plucks of
The Hight-member ensemble plays at even
By Mellssa Andrsejak
Daily Staff Reporter
Does God exist? What is the meaning c
is my place in the world?
,Wouldn't it be nice to have someone h
answers?
Well, the good news is that somebody
try. The bad news is what they may seek i
r,... " . r f r A" A .
e Yan ti
One hundred eight years of edatorz&zlfreedom
Wednesday
October 7, 1998
on out-of-state enrollment continue
admit-
ir high
ue fac-
alumni
cation.
udents,
itizens
duates
er out-
iversi-
State Sen. John Schwarz (R-
Battle Creek), who chairs the
Senate Appropriation
Subcommittee on Higher
Education, said this issue
emerges yearly during the x
Legislature's debate on state
funding for Michigan's 15 pub-. 0of
lic colleges and universities. ( l oD
"The issue has never really
come up in any forum other than the pertaining
to the University of Michigan," Schwarz said.
"The University is accepting virtually all quali-
oari
fied, and I underline qualified,
Michigan high school graduates
that apply."
Although this year's admis-
an sions data is not yet available,
the University historically has
serf.,been composed of about one-
Iothird out-of-state students and
______Jtwo-thirds in-state students.
That guideline, while not offi-
cial, dates back to the former University pres-
ident Robben Fleming, who suggested limiting
out-of-state enrollment to 30 percent of the
student body in the late '60s.
Vice President for Government Relations
Cynthia Wilbanks said that number "remains in
the memories" of state legislators, and their
debates on the issue often center on Fleming's
idea.
"The issue was raised years ago by the
Legislature," said Wilbanks, the University's
Lansing lobbyist. "Now, the Legislature says the
University should work hard to recruit and admit
qualified Michigan students," but the
Legislature stopped short of setting a quota.
That legislative intent is included in a boiler
P
'c
deal
:
Amer
Students who live off
campus will be able to
access Internet faster
By Michael Grass
Daily Staff Reporter
Students, faculty and staff living off-
campus in Ann Arbor will be able to
gain access to the Internet via high-
speed lines starting in Januarythanks to
a deal the University made with
Ameritech on Monday.
At speeds up to 1.5 megabits per sec-
ond, "or about 50 times faster than a
28.8 modem, it will be just as fast as
Ethernet," said Jean Medina, a media
representative with Ameritech's
Chicago office.
Campus residence halls and offices
have access to the University's high-
speed Ethernet network, but those liv-
ing off campus most often access the
Internet and other on-line resources via
slower dial-in connections.
This deal will make the service avail-
able to up to 20,000 students, faculty
and staff, said Cheryl Munn-Fremon,
director of Information and Technology
Communication Services.
Access to Asymmetrical Digital
Subscriber Lines will cost $50 per
month, said Andy Palms, a manager
with the University's Information and
Technology Division.
That price is likely to rise to $60
within the next few months, Palms said.
- the list of suggestions and requirements
to the University along with their budget
)riation,
le some legislators, including state House
priations Committee Chair Morris Hood
troit), advocate further action to admit
tudents, the autonomy of state universities
e maintained, Wilbanks said.
e Rep. Jessie Dalman (R-Holland), a can-
for regent, said she has never voted to
te a quota, but she does think this issue
be dealt with at the University.
See ENROLLMENT, Page 2
tts
vith
itech
Some students said the steep prices
make the connection package unattrac-
tive.
"I don't think I would pay (that
much) for it' LSA sophomore Ryan
White said.
Ameritech and the University will
set up a pilot ADSL program later this
month to see how users like the ser-
vice.
Setting up the ADSL connections
between the University and the off-
campus sites will not be very difficult
because Ameritech will use existing
phone lines, Medina said.
"It will require some equipment at
(Ameritech's) end and equipment at the
customers' end," Medina said.
But due to the geographic limitations
of the equipment involved, only those
who are within 9,000 feet of
Ameritech's two Ann Arbor's offices
will have access to ADSL.
These offices are located at E.
Huron and Division streets and at
Packard Street and Carpenter Road.
While plans are still uncertain,
access maybe expanded to 18,000
feet from those locations next year,
Palms said.
ADSL is "not the right thing for
everyone,' Munn-Fremon said.
The University currently offers two
forms of Internet access to those who are off
campus. The first is MichNet Dial-in, which
requires a standard modem. The second
See AMERITECH, Page 7
JESSICA JOHNSON/Daily
nd strums with the University Harp Ensemble yesterday at the School of Music in preparation for the group's next performance.
nts all over campus.
ous groups
of life? What
hand you the
is willing to
in return.
den agenda of power. This agenda is a
deceptive recruitment and control over the
lives of its members.
College students make easy targets forc
ment.
"College students are between two maji
their lives," Hill said. This transition ph
from the questioning of one's borrowed f
oped in childhood, and a need to establish
sonal beliefs. The internal chaos makes stu
ceptible to someone who says this is the ar
said.
"Students must be comfortable with
ambiguity," Hill said. "Be comfortable with
ing."
seek students
chieved by Charles LaBounty, a professor of psychology at
minds and Hamline University in Madison, Wis., said students
and much of the college-aged population are at risk of
cult recruit- psychological manipulation.
"A student is a person in progress" Hill said.
or stages in When encountering new ideas and belief systems,
ase results the safest way to protect your well-being is through
aith, devel- critical thinking, experts said.
h one's per- Don't take any information a group presents at face
;dents "sus- value, Hill said. "Always question, don't trust any
nswer," Hill body's answer, get a variety of viewpoints," he said.
When trying to distinguish whether or not an orga-
mystery or nization has legetimately good intentions, LaBounty
h not know- suggests checking out its sources.
See CULTS, Page 7
Student to run for
city' top position
Rick Hill, coordinator of interfaith ministries at
mes Madison University in Harrisburg, Va.,
said many "dangerous groups" - or cults, as they
are more commonly known - are giving students
the answers to many of life's most baffling ques-
tions.
A cult, Hill said, is a destructive group with a hid-
Father of
liacalsto
lecture
By Gerard Coheo-Vrlgnaud
Daily Staff Reporter
The recently released movie "Pi"
depicted the story of a fictional genius
who sought to explain life through a
Wthematical equation. University stu-
dents will get a real-life opportunity to
brush with someone with a similar pas-
sion when Yale Prof. Benoit
Mandelbrot speaks on campus during
the next three days.
Best known as the founder of fractal
geometry, Mandelbrot revolutionized the
way complex patterns in nature are
viewed. His theory of fractals has gone a
g way towards explaining snowflakes,
,f patterns, cloud formations and
countless other natural phenomena.
"It has been a great surprise and a
great joy to discover one of the most
pervasive patterns in nature,"
Mandelbrot said. "Fractals are encoun-
terable in all of nature."
Manidelbrot will deliver
three lectures on campus
this week:
- "Fractals and Scale-Invariant
Roughness in the Sciences"
Today at 4 p.m. in Rackhamr
Ampitheater
- Seminar on application of
fractals in physics
Tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. in 340
West Hall
- Fractals in relation to financial
markets
Friday at noon in 1640 Chemistry
Building
will be a general introduction to
fractals, Mandelbrot said.
Mandelbrot expressed amazement at
the way his theory of fractals has found
applications in many academic fields,
ranging from physics and mathematics
to economics and geology.
"Nobody could have expected it to
develop to this point," Mandelbrot said.
"In the mid'60s, it became clear that my
work had wider applications."
Mandelbrot's "The Fractal Geometry
of Nature," published in 1982, was a
much-read and discussed work and has
continued to sell well since.
uic s- . .. r - --r a Arl . ubn
Y2K could hinder
financial aid dispersal
By Jason Stoffer
Daily Staff Reporter
If the U.S. Department of Education
does not accelerate its Year 2000
Compliance efforts, students may not
receive their financial aid envelope in
the mail on time for the 1999-2000
school year.
The U.S. House of Representatives'
Committee on Oversight and
Investigations gave the department a
grade of "F" for Y2K compliance in a
recent report.
Committee Chair Peter Hoekstra (R-
Holland) said the consequences will be
severe if this federal department is
unable to fix "mission critical" systems.
"If the systems are not up and work-
ing, for those young people expecting
loans, there's no way to get them those
loans" Hoekstra said. 'The loan collec-
tion system could go down too and pay-
ments may get lost in a huge black hole."
Doug Levy, associate director of the
University's Financial Aid Office, said
t .+.thia theh + n fr.ps h cnlh tA oi
with the Department of Education
we've had growing pains," Levy said.
"But we have a good presence in
Washington. When things happen, we
get responded to quickly."
Levy said that he does not expect the
worst-case scenario to occur.
"I'm not sitting behind that desk in
Washington, but from everything I've
seen and how well designed federal aid
software is, I don't see a complete col-
lapse of the system as possible," Levy
said.
Spokesperson Jim Bradshaw said the
department "takes issue" with the com-
mittee's findings and said he expects
financial aid requests for 2000 to be
processed with no more flaws than
usual. He said 86 percent of the depart-
ment's computers already comply with
Y2K standards.
"We're quite confident that by early
next year we'll have all our systems
year 2000 compliant and students will
get their aid efficiently," Bradshaw said,
addino that the nmmittee may have
By Kelly O'Connor
Daily Staff Reporter
A new twist has been added to the
1998 Ann Arbor mayoral election.
Joining Republican Mayor Ingrid
Sheldon and Democratic Mayoral can-
didate Christopher Kolb, Architecture
and Urban Planning junior Elizabeth
Keslacy is making a run for mayor on
the Libertarian Party's ticket.
The presence of a Libertarian candi-
date can benefit all involved with the
election, Keslacy said.
"This will be an educational experi-
ence for me because I will be learning
about local politics and how they
work:' Keslacy said. "It also educates
others about the views of the
Libertarian party."
Those views are often too extreme
for the average person, said Ann Arbor
Mayor Ingrid Sheldon.
"I haven't met this candidate person-
ally, but the Libertarian party always
has strong perspectives and interesting
philosophies. " Sheldon said.
Keslacy said she has her own opin-
ions on the differences between politi-
cal parties.
"Republicans want to tell you how to
live, who to have sex with, what not to
do," she said. "Democrats want to tell
you how to spend your money. Both are
very oppressive.
"Libertarians are big. on personal
responsibility. If everyone took care of
themselves, there would be no need for
KELLY M(KINNELL/Uaily
Architecture and Urban Planning
Junior Elizabeth Keslacy is running for
mayor. Election Day Is Nov. 3.
Other "political parties are nothing
more than coalitions and money," she
said. "They have no philosophical
background. Libertarians do.
A highlight of Keslacy's platform is
the city income tax.
"I am completely against the city
income tax," Keslacy said. "The city
skins us alive in every other way: park-
ing tickets and property taxes that are
extremely high.
"Instead of raising the tax, they
should cut some of their programs; she
said.
F