LOCAL/STATE
The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, November 17, 1998 - 3
OCRIME j m
Closed flu fills
Lawyer's Club
room with smoke
A student's room in the Lawyers'
Club filled with smoke after the stu-
dent attempted to start a fire in his fire-
place Saturday, Department of Public
Safety reports state.
Law Quad desk staff told DPS offi-
cials about a second-hand report of a
student on the first floor tearing apart
his room.
The student started a fire in his
fireplace without opening the flu,
causing the room to fill with
noke.
The student attempted to fan out the
flames and smoke. The fire was extin-
guished when Ann Arbor Fire
Department officials arrived, and no
damage was done to the room.
Suspect caught
stealing books
*A suspect was found attempting to
steal books from the Harlan Hatcher
Graduate Library Friday, DPS reports
state.
A library staff member appre-
hended the suspect as he attempted
to leave with the books. The suspect
waited voluntarily in the library
until DPS officers arrived on the
scene.
ike stolen from
ngell Hall rack
A mid-'70s model bike was stolen
Thursday from a rack near Angell Hall,
DPS reports state.
The champagne-colored bike with
a maroon seat and handlebars was
locked to the bike rack before it was
stolen. There are no suspects in the
*eft.
Man found with
marijuana in
Arboretum
A suspect found digging Friday
morning in Nichols Arboretum was
taken into custody for marijuana pos-
sion, DPS reports state.
A caller who reported the suspect
said the man was digging behind his
house in the Arb. The suspect, a 6-
foot tall male wearing a red sweater
and baseball hat, was arrested by
DPS officers for possession of mar-
ijuana.
Door jammed
#hut with pennies
A student in South Quad
Residence Hall had pennies jammed
into his door Friday evening, DPS
reports state.
The student found pennies stuck in
the frame of his door, preventing it
from being unlocked from the inside.
The pennies were removed from the
door and the subject was released from
his room.
Patient escapes
from hospital
A patient walked away from
University Hospitals' emergency
rooms' psychology ward Friday night,
DPS reports state.
The 19-year-old male patient, last
seen wearing a green sweatshirt, left.
* hospital travelling in an unknown
direction.
Hospital employees said the man
is not a threat to himself or others.
The patient, under a signed court
petition to be committed to the hos-
pital as a mental patient, has suici-
dal tendencies and likes to stand on
-railroad tracks.
- Compiled by Daily Staff Reporter
Jennifer Yachnin.
MSU frat suspended during investigation
By Sarah Lewis
Daily Staff Reporter
Psi Upsilon fraternity's international headquar-
ters suspended Michigan State University's chapter
last week during an investigation into the alleged
use of 'date rape drugs' at a party last month.
Mark Williams, the executive director of Psi
Upsilon international organization, said a woman
at the party began to "act strangely" after being
there for a couple hours.
"Some chapter members and her friends saw to
it that she was taken home," Williams said. A med-
ical test later confirmed the presence of a date rape
drug in her system, he said, although he does not
know which drug was used.
There was no evidence of sexual assault,
Williams said.
All 42 members of the fraternity are suspended
from the chapter while the international organization
and MSU police investigate the chapter.
Williams said interviews are scheduled before
the end of the semester in which each member will
have to re-apply to the chapter.
This "reorganization" includes agreeing to a
zero-tolerance drug policy and strict enforcement
against underage drinking.
An individual, Williams said, probably slipped
the woman the drug because all the members he
has spoken with so far deny any knowledge of it.
"My conclusion is that it was one person acting
alone without anyone seeing or hearing of it," he said.
Williams said he doubts anyone is covering up
for the person who did it.
"If they were 'hiding behind the brotherhood'
we would revoke their charter," he said.
Sarah Heuser, training and education coordina-
tor of the University's Sexual Assault Prevention
and Awareness Center, said that although date rape
drugs can be slipped into any drink, alcoholic bev-
erages are used more frequently.
She said that although she doesn't think the use of
date-rape drugs would necessarily exist in fraterni-
ties any more than in a different setting, the culture
of fraternities often includes frequent alcohol use.
But Heuser said she doesn't want to start a "fear
frenzy" surrounding the use of date rape drugs.
"A rape occurring by someone slipping a drug
in your drink is not as common as someone using
alcohol as a weapon for sexual assault," she said.
The two most common date rape drugs are
Rohypnol, also known as roofies, and Gamma
Hydroxy Butyrate.
Roofies most often come in the form of small
tablets that can be dissolved in any drink. GHB can
come in liquid or pill form.
When ingested, the drugs travel through the sys-
tem in 20 minutes and cause disinhibition in addi-
tion to amnesia and a blackout-like state that may
last for hours.
Heuser said a drugged person may slip in and
out of the blackout during the assault.
"Sometimes a person might wake up and see the
attacker but can't fight back," she said.
GHB can bring on a coma and even be lethal.
What makes roofies even more dangerous is
that they are devoid of color, taste and odor.
Heuser said GHB has a "caustic or bitter taste,"
which makes them easier to detect in a drink, but
some use the odd taste as an advantage.
"They will encourage you to try an unfamiliar
drink" to cover up the strange taste, she said.
The drugs, Heuser said, only stay in the system
for about 12 hours, so it is imperative to get hospi-
tal tests immediately if someone suspects they
have been given roofies or GHB.
Heuser gave some precautions about the drugs:
Never leave a drink and come back to it.
Watch the bartender making the drink at the bar.
0 Try to only accept closed bottles and cans.
® Call SAPAC's 24-hour crisis hotline at 936-
3333 if there is suspicion of possible sexual assault.
The most important thing, Heuser said, is to be
aware of friends' behavior.
"Take care of each other, especially if you see
someone acting disproportionately intoxicated to
the number of drinks they've had," she said.
The East Lansing Police Department currently
is conducting two separate date rape drug investi-
gations that allegedly took place off campus.
Captain Louis Muhn said they have not yet con-
firmed if Rohypnol was involved, but "the victims
suspect they were given roofies because they don't
have any memory."
The cases are difficult because of the limited
information available and they are waiting for
medical test results, Muhn said.
Law day
attracts
appicants
By Jessica D'Onofrto
For the Daily
Hundreds of prospective law students
turned out for Law Day, hosted by Career
Planning & Placement yesterday in the
Michigan Union.
But for seniors just starting to gather infor-
mation on the application process, admissions
officers warned that deadlines are approach-
ing swiftly.
* "If seniors have not started the process, it's
imperative that you get your applications in by
Christmas'"said James Faught, associate dean
at Loyola University in Chicago. "If you wait,
the next LSAT is in February. Then you're
playing the waitlist game."
Assistant Director of Pre-professional
Services Mariella Mecozzi said 97 law
schools attended the event. In addition, legal
assistant programs and LSAT test preparation
services were represented.
"We have representatives from all over the
United States," Mecozzi said. "The event usu-
ally draws close to 500 students. We also offer
a panel composed of various admissions offi-
cers who can give students tips on how to pre-
pare and apply to law school."
While many law school deadlines are Feb.
1, admissions officials cautioned it is not a
good idea to procrastinate.
Faught said even an applicant with an
LSAT score of 170 can land on the waitlist
because some schools have a rolling admis-
DAVI'ROCI'" NU Vaily
University alumnus Jonathon Goodman, a representative from the Catholic University of
America Law School, hands LSA junior Jeni Qussar information yesterday at Law Day.
sions process that gives early applicants an
advantage.
Some schools require interviews, which
makes it even more important for seniors to
get to work applying and catch up, said
Donald Rebstock, assistant dean of admis-
sions at Northwestern University.
"We encourage interviews because it allows
the candidates to address anything that they
did not write in their personal statement,"
Rebstock said. "It also gives us a chance to
assess a candidate's communication skills,
which is important to the profession."
Seniors can start taking LSAT preparation
classes to facilitate the process.
Amy Conway-Welliver, director of gradu-
ate programs at Princeton Review test prepa-
ration center, said the center's courses use per-
sonal and class instruction to help break down
the tests for students.
"We help a student take apart the LSAT and
help it make sense to them. We build on their
strengths and strengthen their weaknesses,"
she said.
Getting an early start on the process,
Engineering first-year student Amy
Cunningham came to the event seeking law
school information.
"I wanted to get a general idea on how
the process works," Cunningham said. "I
got lots of literature, and now I can look
over some applications. This gives me
something to think about over the next
couple years."
Comets may
li h pBy Adam Couen
DAiy Staff Reporter
One thousand years ago, astronomers and other celestial
gazers began to document the meteor showers of the comet
Temple-Tuttle. Starting tonight, if weather permits, the comet's
display of light will be visible from most of Earth, including
Ann Arbor.
"I've been checking the news to see if we can see it here,"
Engineering sophomore Aaron Gill said. "If I can grab maybe
a female and go check out the stars - that sounds like fun."
Temple-Tuttle passes through the solar system every 33
years, leaving a trail of comet dust - particles ranging in size
from a grain of sand to a small car. As Earth swings around the
sun, its atmosphere collides with the comet's ice and rock,
causing the debris to burn up. Once the rocks from the comet
enter the atmosphere, they are called meteors.
The comet made its arrival into the solar system this past
January. Temple-Tuttle's tail supplies the dust for the showers.
Mark Deprest, president of the University's Lowbrow
Astronomy Club, said he encourages everyone to observe the
event despite possible undesirable weather conditions.
"The easiest way to look at meteors is to get a lawn chair and
look up" Deprest said.
Compared to other showers, these Leonid showers, which
are named for their observed location among the constella-
tions, should be more spectacular.
The Orionoid showers Oct. 21 of this year brought about
100 meteors per hour. These Leonids are expected to bring
100,000 meteors per hour.
Temple-Tuttle offered grandiose displays in its last two trips
near Earth. In 1966, sky-gazers in Arizona witnessed "a real
meteor storm," Deprest said. "It's a real crapshoot though."
The exact degree of the meteor shower's splendor, Deprest
said, is unpredictable when considering the time of its arrival,
the weather and the number of meteors per hour.
"The predicted time of arrival is very uncertain by several
hours, but if it's clear, we'll look out" astronomy Prof. Richard
Sears said. "The best shot is tomorrow night."
Astronomers predict the peak viewing time and location is
between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time today in
Asia, Deprest said.
Viewers at other locations will be able to see the spectacle
from one and a half to three days after the shower's beginning.
If Ann Arbor's skies fill with clouds this evening, the mete-
ors may be visible tomorrow or Thursday night, Deprest said.
Some University students said they are looking forward to
the show.
"It's exciting that this sort of thing is going on. If it's clear,
I'm sure my roommate and I will look out for it," Engineering
sophomore Jennifer VanRoeyen said.
Satellite activity may be interrupted for the duration of the
meteor shower.
Weather satellites orbiting earth "must close their doors and
operations. They're not made to collide with interplanetary
material;' said LSA senior Dale Kocevski, president of the
Student Astronomical Society.
The University Lowbrow Astronomy Club plans to view the
showers tonight in Dexter at Hudson-Mills Metro Park from
dusk until 3 a.m. Even if the clouds block the meteors' light,
the group will give presentations on astronomy and comets.
SAS also hopes to get a clear glimpse of the Leonids in
Dexter. "We want to get away from city lights," Kocevski said.
Weather permitting, SAS plans to leave the Dennison
Building at 11:30 p.m. for Hudson-Mills Metro Park.
Interested students can show up at 1057 Dennison or contact
Dale Kocevski at kocevski@umich.edu.
Former honors director dies at 64
By Jaimie Winkler
Daily Staff Reporter
Services will be held Friday for Philosophy
Prof. emeritus Jack Meiland, a former honors
program director, whose students and col-
leagues remember him for his interactive
approach to teaching.
Meiland died on Nov. 8 at age 64 of cancer
in Ann Arbor.
His tenure at the University began in 1962 as
an undergraduate instructor in philosophy.
During his 35 years at the University, he twice
received the LSA Excellence in Education
Award and was appointed Arthur E Thurnau
Professor for excellence in undergraduate edu-
cation in 1988.
"He was one of the most humane and intel-
lectually honest and dedicated faculty mem-
bers I've worked with since 1951," philosophy
Prof. emeritus Donald Brown said.
Brown and Meiland collaborated to create
the Inteflex Program, an undergraduate pre-
medical program. Meiland developed the
philosophical aspects of Inteflex and later
chaired the program.
"He was a wonderful teacher. Students loved
to work with him," Brown said.
Brown included his son Noah in the many
admirers of Meiland.
"He and I spent some time discussing phi-
losophy as a field," recalled University alum-
nus Noah Brown, now a lobbyist for commu-
nity colleges in Washington D.C.
He added that the conversations with
Meiland, his undergraduate adviser, inspired
him to study philosophy.
"Professor Meiland was unbelievably com-
mitted to undergraduate education," said Lewis
Loeb, chair of the philosophy department.
Meiland's book, titled "College Thinking,"
differs from other books directed towards under-
graduates because it
focuses on intellectual
benefits of college rather
than how to choose a col-
lege, Loeb said.
Meiland assumed
administrative responsi-
bility in undergraduate
education as the director
of the LSA Honors
Program in the early
Meiland 1980s and as associate
dean for undergraduate
education in the early 1990s.
Besides taking on administrative responsi-
bility, Meiland was very con-
cerned with individual students
and found successful ways to
teach each student.
"He was aware the material we
teach can be difficult ... He
thought of himself as a partner in
learning," Loeb said.
Jeffrey Kasser, a University alumnus,
remembered Meiland as being unpretentious in
an ego-laden business.
"He just tried to think with students,"Kasser
said.
Meiland taught students to think like them-
selves, not like an 18th Century German
philosopher, and that would help them under-
stand the material, Kasser said.
Kasser added that Meiland taught him much
about teaching others.
Meiland made philosophy interesting even for
students outside the department. In his class,
titled "Science, Cultures and Values," Meiland
attract the interest of Engineering students. In this
course, he related ethical issues to technology.
One of the things special about Meiland
"was his willingness to teach philosophy to a
forum of students,' Loeb said.
Meiland is survived by his wife and three
children.
Services will be held Friday from 1-2:30
p.m. at the First Congregational Church at 608
East William St.
LL (UALLLNDL2AR
What's happening in Ann Arbor today
GROUP MEETINGS
U Allanza Weekly Meeting, Michigan
Union, Parker Room, 332-6056,
7:30 p.m.
U LSA Student Government, LSA
Building, Room 2003, 7:30 p.m.
U Student Greens, Michigan League,
Check room location at front
desk, 7:15 p.m.
Building, Executive Conference
Room, -6 p.m.
U "One Night of Drinking, A Lifetime of
Consequences," For student-ath-
letes, Sponsored by University
Athletic Department and others,
Cliff Keen Arena, 8 p.m.
U "Open Public Meeting for the State
Street Development Project,"
Sponsored by City of Ann Arbor
and others, Michigan Theater, 12-
1 p.m.
of the Provost, Rackham Building,
Amphitheatre, 5 p.m.
U "United Students for Christ Bible
Study," Sponsored by Labor of
Love Church, Michigan League,
Room will be posted, 7:30 p.m.
SERVICES
. Campus Information Centers, 763-
INFO, info@umich.edu, and
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