LOCAL/STATE
The Michigan Daily - Friday, March 19, 1999 -- 3
-MINIM,
42RIME
Student reports
harassment
from custodian
An East Quad Residence Hall resi-
nt called the Department of Public
Safety on Wednesday afternoon to
report an alleged harassment incident
involving a custodian employed in the
residence hall, according to DPS
reports.
The custodian allegedly came from
behind the resident, put his hands around
her waist, then tickled her, DPS reports
state. He asked the student if she had
written a letter of complaint about his
~ iavior. Before walking away, DPS
icials said the custodian complement-
ed the residence on her appearance.
The student informed DPS officials
that she had heard that that custodian
had caused trouble in the past. DPS
officials ran a warrant check on him,
but found nothing
Man found asleep
Grad Library
A 23-year-old man was found asleep
in the Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library
on Tuesday morning, according to DPS
officials. The subject was discovered
behind a photocopier on the second
floor in the north section of the library.
DPS officers approached him and cited
him for trespassing, DPS reports state.
$70 charged to
+tolen M-card
An M-Card was stolen from the
Down Under eatery in South Quad
Residence Hall on Monday, according
to DPS reports. The student thought
she left her card on the eatery's coun-
tertop.
Someone charged about $70 to the
student's account since she last used it,
S reports state. The student canceled
card.
Cellular phone,
carrying case
taken from Union
A cellular phone was stolen from the
MUG eating area in the Michigan
Union on Tuesday night, according to
S reports. The owner left the phone
unattended while ordering food at
Wendy's in the MUG.
The phone is a black Nokia with a
black leather carrying case, DPS
reports state. The serial number for the
phone is not known.
Noisy argument
p South Quad
. A loud argument ensued in a
South Quad Residence Hall on
Monday evening, according to DPS
reports. The incident took place in a
Loom in the 7900 corridor of Huber
house.
,The caller said the arguments are fre-
quent between the resident of the room
and his girlfriend, both of whom are
University students. On this occasion,
the shouting continued for a long peri-
Wf time.
DPS contacted the subjects, who
said they would stop disrupting others
with their fighting and remedy their
problems another way.
'Babysitter sleeps,
'hild wanders
&Ayoung child was discovered walk-
unsupervised near the NW-46/47
lot on Tuesday morning, according to
DPS reports. The child was wearing a
one-piece outfit, black shoes and did
not have a coat.
The child was taken to the Child
Care Center while Ann Arbor Police
Department officials checked for miss-
ing child reports or calls, DPS reports
state.
A door to a home on the 1300
ck of McIntyre Street, close to
Were the child was spotted, was
found open, according to DPS
reports.
The 22-year-old babysitter of the
child was sleeping inside. The child's
mother was contacted and a report
was filed.
f -- Compiled by Daily Staff Reporter
Marta Brill.
TSA boycotts animated 'The King and I'
By Yae Koien
DailyStaff Reporter
The Thai Students Association is urging students
across campus and nationwide to boycott Warner
Brother's animated full length feature film "The King
and I," which opens today.
TSA members claim that the 1956 version of the
film misrepresents Thai culture and the King of
Siam, and although they have not seen the new ver-
sion, it also "misrepresents Thai culture," said LSA
juniorTaweewat Srisumrid. He said TSA is basing its
knowledge of the new "The King and I" on commer-
cials and information on the Warner Bros. Website.
"It's the kind of thing in the '90s that we don't want
to see anymore," said Srisumrid, a TSA co-chair.
But officials at Morgan Creek, the film's produc-
tion company said the animated film is an adaptation
of the original film and play. Vice President of
Marketing Brian Robinson said anyone who calls for
a boycott of the film without seeing it has no argu-
ment to stand on.
"See the film first and then see what you really
don't likec Robinson said, adding that people includ-
ing many Thai viewers, already have seen the new
version and Morgan Creek has received nothing but
encouraging words.
The "King and I," is a story about the friendship
that develops between the King of Siam and a
Western European woman named Anna who goes to
the region as a governess for the King's children.
During her stay, the King and Anna build a relation-
ship despite their cultural differences.
Srisumrid said a major problem associated with
both versions of the film is that the representations of
The King of Siam and Thailand are historically inac-
curate. He said "The King and I" misleads viewers
because it links Thai history to fiction, which he said
could have been avoided by not using actual names to
create a fictional story.
It's "the fact that they started using our name,"
Srisumrid said.
The films also are "putting one culture above
another," because they portray Western culture as
being superior to Eastern culture said Art and Design
senior Isra Wongsarnpigoon, who is the TSA public-
ity chair.
According to a TSA press release "the U of M
Thai Students Association denounces Warner
Brothers for continuing the abhorrent legacy of
'The King and I,"' which originated with the
1956 release of the musical film "The King.and
I" starring Yul Brenner.
TSA members are in the process of sending their
statement to other organizations on and off campus.
But they said they are uncertain of their next step.
"This isn't a fairy tale "said Business junior Benita
Chang, a TSA co-chair.
TSA is getting support from other campus organi-
zations on campus, including the Arab American
Anti-discrimination Committee.
This is an example of "storytelling that ridicules
the heritage of the East," said LSA senior Amer
Ardati, ADC treasurer
"The King and I" represents Eastern culture from
a Western perspective and portrays the history inac-
curately," Ardati said.
"Using history ... is fine as long as its used prop-
erly," he added.
Robinson said "The Kind and I" - all versions of
it - is based on a true story that dates back to the
1860s. He said the animated film has some new char-
acters, many animals and kids, because it is geared
toward a younger crowd.
Recently the ADC was angered by Arab
Americans portrayal in the recent film "The Siege"
Some TSA members are concerned with the social
implications the film may have on children.
"Children are going to see ... and they're going to
think its OK to portray Asians in this way;'
Wongsarnpigoon said.
Warning: Wide load
Health issues conference
collaboration of minorities
By Kelly O'Connor
Daily Staff Reporter
Students concerned with health
issues facing minorities across the
nation will meet for a two-day confer-
ence on the subject beginning today.
Members of La Salud Public Health
Student Organization and Public Health
Students of African Descent will host
the 13th Annual Minority Health
Conference, titled "Facing the Public
Health Challenge of Tomorrow: Fresh
Perspectives for a New Millennium."
The event starts today and features
many activities for participants, includ-
ing keynote speakers, a dinner-dance
and nine health-related workshops.
Conference Committee Chair Alisa
Bennett, a Public Health first-year stu-
dent, said the conference provides an
opportunity to open the public's eyes to
health issues facing minorities.
"This conference is important because
of the impression it will make," Bennett
said, adding that it will make the com-
munity more aware of the gap "between
the population at large and the health sta-
tus of the minority community."
Quentin Moore, a member of the con-
ference's committee for publicity,
explained that the conference is unique
"because it's a collaboration between
Latino/as and African Americans.
"It's important that as many people as
possible hear the message," Moore said.
"It really affects all of us."
Bennett said organizers expect about
150 people to attend the conference.
While most of them will be graduate stu-
dents, Bennett said organizers have made
an effort to include undergraduates.
"We wanted to encourage them to
come if they truly have an interest in
public health," she said, adding that
some professors helped undergraduate
students attend by paying for their regis-
tration costs.
Pedro Jose Greer, founder and med-
ical director of Camillus Health
Concern, was specifically chosen to rep-
resent the Latino/a participants, Bennett
said. Kenneth Olden, director of the
National Institute for Environmental
Health, and Robert Johnson, former
chief operating officer of Detroit
Medical center, will also speak.
All three keynote speakers have been
involved in the health care industry,
Bennett said, and were chosen based on
their ability to bring something interest-
ing to conference participants.
The conference's first event is tonight
at 7, but anyone interested in attending
can register between 4 p.m. and 7 p.n.
in Pierpont Commons. The cost of tick-'_
ets are $45 per person.
RANKINGS
Continued from Page 1
tions'" Wixson said. "Wo compete with those schools for stu-
dents"
Law School Dean Jeffrey Lehman said that being recog-
nized as one of the best schools in the country is great, but he
tries not to give the report too much weight.
It tries to condense too much information into one number,
Lehman said. "If there were seven or eight ranking systems
and they all reached consensus, that would be good," he said.
Lehman encouraged law school applicants to not to use the
rankings exclusively in their school search.
"My view is someone who's trying to choose a law
school should get as much information as possible,"
Lehman said.
The University's Business School tied with Columbia
University for seventh place.
LSA sophomore Dan Mafrice said the Business School'
high-ranking is definitely an incentive to apply there.
"One of the main reasons I applied to the undergraduate
program was because they were ranked so high last year;"
Mafrice said. "I think it's great that the MBA program ranked
so high too."
The University's Medical School shares the 10th spot with
the University of California at Los Angeles and Stanford
University. Last year the school was ninth.
"It's always gratifying to be recognized by our peers as
one of the top medical schools in the country," said Allen
Lichter, interim dean of the Medical School, in a written
statement.
Lichter also noted the Medical School's recognition of its
geriatric medicine, internal medicine and women's health
departments. All ranked in the top 10.
AP PHOTO
This nearly 100-year-old house is moved to a new address yesterday in
Lansing. Total moving costs are estimated at more than $100,000.
MATCH
Continued from Page 1
But when she read the name of the
hospital where she would spend the
next few years as a medical resident,
Williams' eyes shone with disbelief.
The audience cheered when she read
aloud with a grin, "Thomas Jefferson
University Hospital in Pennsylvania"
Students applied and interviewed for
residency programs from coast to coast
during the fall and winter.
But the process differs from an aver-
age job interview, said Medical student
Patrick Javid, who plans to train in gen-
eral surgery, a seven-year residency
program. Students are required to work
at whichever position with which they
are matched. "There's no choice -
contractually, you're obligated for at
least one year" said Javid, who applied
to 25 programs and interviewed at 13
hospitals across the nation.
The National Resident Matching
Program pairs medical school students
with medical residencies through an
elaborate computerized system in
which students rank their favorite pro-
grams and residency programs rank
their favorite applicants.
Williams said her happiness at know-
ing she was going to her top-choice
program had to do with more than aca-
demic reputation and the quality of
training - her boyfriend was transfer-
ring to Thomas Jefferson University for
his second year of residency.
When she learned she would be able
to join him there, Williams rushed out
of the banquet room to call him.
"Thank God, thank God," Williams
repeated over and over again.
Out of this year's University Medical
school graduating class, 94 percent
matched with a residency program, and
90 percent matched at one of their top
three choices. Sixty-seven percent of
the class, the University's highest num-
ber in five years, matched with their top
choice residency program.
Nationwide, about 57 percent of
medical students were matched with
their top choice.
This year marked the first time
Match Day was held on a Thursday,
said Susan Hayward, academic manag-
er at the Medical School's Office of
Student Programs.
The NRMP moved Match Day from
Wednesday to Thursday this year in an
effort to alleviate some of the work fac-
ing students who do not receive a
match. Students were informed
Monday if they did not receive a match.
Students who did not secure a resi-
dency position through the match had
to "scramble" Tuesday and Wednesday,
calling residency programs to find
available spots.
The matching program allows for
graduating medical student couples to
be placed in the same program through
a couple's match.
Medical student Seema Baranwal and
her boyfriend took advantage of the cou-
ple's match, ranking one list of residency
programs together. "You have some com-
promises to make, but we have similar
goals," Baranwal said. "We both knew
we were looking for good programs
rather than a particular place to live."
After the Match Day luncheon, stu-
dents planned to celebrate their residen-
cy placements. Medical student Allan
Brown, who was matched at the resi-
dency program at Massachusetts
General Hospital, said he was still
shaking with happiness for minutes
after he read out his match.
"This has been building up for eight
years," he said. "It hasn't hit me yet that
I'm actually going to be taking care of
patients, taking responsibility for them."
ILIILL
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What's happening in Ann Arbor this weekend
FRIDAY
J "Criminal injustice System Teach-in"
Sponsored by Revolutionary Anti-
the University Students Against
Cancer, Registration at UIrich's
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