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LOCAL/STATE
The Michigan Daily - Wednesday. October 7. 1998 - 3
EDUCATION I
B.C. Students act
out against racist
j.mail message
Boston College minority leaders
aft= outraged about a racist e-mail
they received, The Daily Free Press,
Boston University's school newspa-
per reported Monday.
Thirteen students from different
ethnic' backgrounds, including
Asian Americans, Hispanics, blacks
'and Native Americans received an
e-rnail Monday urging them to drop
Ott of school.
Students upset by the e-mail are
banding together and wore blue yes-
terday to demonstrate their solidari-
ty.
Boston College officials said they
contacted the Federal Bureau of
Investigation and plan to file crimi-
nalt'charges.
Many students said the incident
brouht the problem of racism on a
*lege campus to light, the newspa-
per reported.
Pharmaceutical
company may
fund research at
Un-Berkeley
University of California at
Berkeley's College of Natural
sources announced that it may
participate in research with an
undisclosed pharmaceutical compa-
ny, The Daily Californian reported.
After announcing the college's
intentions, an open forum was held
to discuss th ramifications of the
pact.
Berkeley has had a declining bud-
get since 1992. Its alliance with a
,t armaceutical company could lead
the exchange of research infor-
mation and a $25-million invest-
ment.
Under the proposed plan, the
company will have publication
rights to research and other bargain-
ing rights to influence research by
Berkeley scientists.
The pact needs to be improved by
Berkeley's Academic Senate and the
UC.Board of Regents before it can
*come official.
Jazz institute
plans to move to
USC next fall
Sounds of jazz will fill the
University of-Southern California's
campus next fall when Boston's
elonious Monk Institute of Jazz
ocates at USC, The Daily Trojan
reported.
The move was announced by Vice
President Al Gore at a jazz gala at
hishome in Washington, D.C.
.Students from around the world
can study .as fellows at the Institute
for a two-year period.
The program will work in a part-
nerships with USC's School of
Music to teach music composition,
eory, ear training, improvisation
d performance skills.
U of New Mexico
urged to take
active role in law
Dining a formal discussion on
Saturday, a panel of New Mexico
'ate legislators encouraged mem-
rs of University of New Mexico's
faculty to make their presence and
opinions known to the members of
the legislature, The Daily Lobo
reported.
State senators said faculty is
wasting resources by not participgt-
ing in decisions regarding higher
education.
Members of the faculty expressed
their frustration at the lack of com-
ication with the university
inistration and with the
Legislature.
The legislators said they would
defend tenure because they feel
tenure is needed to have academic
feedom.
- Compiled by Daily staff reporter
Susan T Port.
'U'
deemed a leader in diversity education
By Erin Holmes
Daily Staff Reporter
Fifty-three percent of Americans said every
college student should have to study different
cultures to graduate. Three in four said diversity
education on college campuses can help bring
society together.
These statistics, results of the first-ever nation-
al poll on diversity in education, were among
those announced and discussed at a press confer-
ence in Washington yesterday.
The poll revealed overwhelming support for
diversity in higher education, said Edgar
Beckham, the coordinator of the Ford
Foundation's Campus Diversity Initiative, which
sponsored the poll.
"I was not surprised with the results of the
poll," Beckham said. "I was surprised with the
intensity of the results. Americans were so broad-
ly supportive. I was very gratified."
University President Lee Bollinger was among
the panelists at the conference who discussed the
importance of college curriculums that support
racial, ethnic, international and geographic diver-
sity.
Diversity "is something of great importance
to the University of Michigan, but also equally
important to society," Bollinger said."It comes as
no particular surprise that many people value
diversity."
After more than a year of intense debate over
affirmative action and minority issues on cam-
pus, the University was recognized as a leader in
diversity education by the Campus Diversity
Initiative.
"We invited Bollinger to speak because we rec-
ognized that his university is doing a lot in the
area of diversity education," Beckham said. "His
university is representative of etTorts across the
country to improve this education."
Beckham said the University is "doing a lot"
for diversity and that diversity itself is something
that evolves over time.
"This diversity is still a struggle," Beckham
said. "But we think U of M is engaging the chal-
lenge of diversity ... in an interesting way."
Bollinger highlighted in his speech the impor-
tance of going past the idea of recruiting a diverse
student body and beginning to understand diver-
sity's actual role in education.
"Some people think that having diversity is
inconsistent with understanding the classics,"
Bollinger said. "Yet if you take a Shakespeare
class ... one of the things that is most compelling
and pronounced is the capacity that he revealed
as an author to be able to cross over into sensitiv-
ities of other people."
Bollinger said this same willingness to learn
from others' backgrounds and lives is the key to
a solid diversity curriculum.
"One of the important things is to teach our-
selves, our students and our faculty what it is like
to see through other people's eyes," Bollinger
said. "That's true with poetry, it's true with phi-
losophy, it's true in literature, it's true in social
science and it's true in law."
The poll, which questioned 2.011 registered
voters across the nation this summer, demonstrat-
ed that despite the heated public debate on diver-
sity that has plagued universities. Americans
appreciate diversity in education, Beckham said.
"We know now that the elforts to educate all
our students to appreciate diversity as an asset is
widely supported by American voters," Beckham
said.
Ile added that although it is difficult to ignore
the negative connotations of affirmative action,
the focus on diversity education including
campus climate, student life and curriculum - is
extremely important.
Provost Nancy Cantor said the University is
known na tionally for "taking as strong stand
for absolute importance of diversity in educa-
tion."
The race and ethnicity requirement in the
School of Literature, Science and the Arts is one
example of the long-standing tradition to take
diversity curriculum seriously. Cantor sa id.
"What's important to remember is that we're
always working on how to educate ourselves and
each other," Cantor said. "That's what diversity is
all about."
MSA approves resolution
to support Days of Action
Assembly members
shoot down petition to
support affirmative
action in close vote
By Jennifer Yachnin
Daily Staff Reporter
Members of the Michigan Student
Assembly approved a resolution in
support of the Days of Action in
defense of affirmative action and
turned down a second measure to
sign a petition supporting affirma-
tive action at their meeting last
night.
"We have to send a speaker to the
rally," MSA President Trent
Thompson said. "From here on out,
MSA as a whole" will support the
days, but assembly members "as
individuals students can do as much
as they want."
The assembly defeated a resolu-
tion to sign the assembly's name to a
petition supporting affirmative
action in a 12-13 vote. Jessica Foster,
an MSA Rackham representative
who sponsored both resolutions, said
assembly members will submit the
petition again at next Tuesday's MSA
meeting.
"The vote didn't include every-
body who would had voted on" the
proposal, Foster said.
The assembly debated what to do
about several members who were not
able to vote, including two LSA
Student Government representatives
who were present but not listed on
the roll call.
Luke Massie, a member of United
for Affirmative Action and the
Coalition to Defend Affirmative
Action by Any Means Necessary -
the groups promoting the petition -
said the groups will not cancel the
drive for student signatures.
"We've gotten a lot of interest
from student groups," Massie said.
"We're aiming to show overwhelm-
ing support from students."
The sponsors of the petition said
there is no set deadline to complete
the petition. When the petition is
complete, the sponsors will submit
copies to the state Legislature. .
Several assembly members debat-
ing the proposal said MSA could not
sign the petition because it would
falsely represent the entire student
body opinion on affirmative action.
MSA Communications Chair Joe
Bernstein said the petition is the only
of MSA's eight resolutions on affir-
mative action he has opposed in the
past year.
"I don't this is the proper place for
the student government to be making
that decision for the student body,"
Bernstein said. "Every person should
make that decision for themselves."
Foster said she encourages indi-
vidual assembly members to sign the
petition.
The resolution to support the Days
of Action in defense of affirmative
action scheduled for Oct. 21-22
passed in the assembly, 13-11. The
student group United for Affirmative
Action is coordinating the days in
light of the two lawsuits filed against
the University last fall that target its
use of race as a factor in the admis-
sions process.
Assembly members debated the
support for classroom walkouts, but
did not approve any amendments to
the resolution in opposition of the
planned strike.
"We basically are saying it's OK
for students to walk out after all the
discussion we've had," said Art and
Architecture Rep. Nathan Tracer.
Other members of the assembly
who support the walkouts pointed
out that many students choose not to
attend class on a daily basis.
"We have lots of speakers who
come in and are sponsored by the
University, by MSA and are sched-
uled during classes," Foster said.
"It's another learning opportunity.
"This doesn't say we support affir-
mative action. It says we support the
student initiative to start this discus-
sion," Foster said.
The Budget Priorities Committee
currently is working to allocate
funding for student groups and will
hold appeals meetings this Saturday
for groups who did not receive their
desired funding.
Student groups who would like'to
appeal should contact the MSA
office by Saturday to make an
appointment.
JESSICA JOHNSON/Daily
Engineering sophomore Maher Haddad talks to a Federal Bureau for
investigation representative at the Job Fair yesterday in the Michigan
Union. Career Planning and Placement hosted the annual event.
Firaids students
ine '98 j ob search
By Jewel Gopwual
For the Daily
Jockeying for attention yesterday
at Career Planning and Placement's
Job Fair '98, employers gave away
everything from pens to potato chips
to entice students into considering
an internship or full-time job at
their company.
"The market is good at the
moment," said Sally Shueneman,
CC&P career event manager. "We
are up 14 employers from last year"
The fifth annual CP&P job fair
attracted 129 employers to the
Union and CP&P anticipated more
than 1,000 students by the end of the
day. Shueneman said many compa-
nies were looking to fill full-time
positions, but this year's employers
also were offering more internships
than in previous years.
"There's a lot more competition
and we're hiring more than in past
years," said Bruce Galler, technical
manager at Lucent Technologies.
The booming job market gives
students an edge on finding employ-
ment, Shueneman said.
"All the companies are competing
for the same students," said Kevin
McFee, campus relations represen-
tative to the University for EDS,
which specializes in technological
services.
Social Work graduate student
Ann Hooper said the companies at
the job fair were informative and
helped her find what she was look-
ing for.
"I think (the job market) is better
than it's been, at least for social ser-
vices," Hooper said.
Job Fair '98 showed students the
variety of employment options
available.
"I'm sure I can find a job," said
LSA senior Mike Munley. "It's just
a matter of finding the one I want."
Companies admit the University's
varied curriculum is beneficial in
the work world.
"U of M offers a variety (of) dis-
ciplines that we can use at the
agency." said Michael Coles, a
Midwest recruiter for the Central
Intelligence Agency. "It produces
some of the best scholars in the
Midwest"
Aside from education, employers
feel confident that University stu-
dents have other valuable traits.
"There are a lot of quality stu-
dents here," said Kendra Quinlan, a
consultant at Anderson Consulting.
"We are looking for people who are
motivated and have analytical
skills."
With a flourishing job market and
positive responses from employers,
students said they feel confident
about finding a job or an internship.
"Jobs are out there, but you just
have to be willing to go out and get
one," said LSA senior David
Lapidus.
Job Fair '98 is just one of many
ways students can seek opportuni-
ties in the work force.
CP&P will hold another job fair
in February and, in the meantime,
CP&P welcomes students to visit
their office at 3200 Student
Activities Building.
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