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 i I 11 - I