t
lie
Ak
Weather
Today: Partly cloudy. High 24
Tomorrow: Partly cloudy. Hig
. Low 6.
h 22.
One hundred nine years ofeditonalfreedom
Wednesday
January 26, 2000
1t x ( ) k .
Hopwood Study indicates increased stress
axarrds
honor
students
By Marta Brill
Daily Staff Reporter
Engineering first-year student
Alissa Kass was hanging out with
friends at a party when she heard a
*tory that inspired her to take up her
pen and write.
The tale that emerged, which she
titled "Keeping Anna," is the story of a
young girl learning to live with the hor-
rific scars caused by running through a
plate-glass window.
"Keeping Anna" - part of a collec-
tion of three short stories written by
Kass - won an esteemed Hopwood
Award in the category of underclass-
man fiction.
The awards were presented yesterday
afternoon by English Prof. Nicholos
Delbanco at Rackham Auditorium.
Following the award ceremony, fic-
tion author Sue Miller read excerpts
from her most recent work. Miller has
written six novels, including "Inventing
the Abbots" and "While I Was Gone."
Miller "was very interesting. She
writes about seemingly ordinary
things, but the detail she uses to
Olescribe them is phenomenal," Kass
said.
Essay-winner Maggie Smith, an
LSA first-year student, said she was
"captivated" by Miller's reading and
added that she enjoyed hearing an
author read from her work, rather than
give a lecture. "Nana," Smith's winning
essay, was an account of how her
grandmother's death profoundly affect-
ed her family.
English Prof. Marjorie Levinson was
One of the judges in the poetry section
of the contest. She said the submissions
this year covered a wide range of sub-
jects and points of view.
Levinson said she had a difficult time
choosing the best collection of poetry.
from the submissions, but some poems
stood out more than others in their
"representation of thought."
"I was drawn to wit, humor and a
*ophistication. Something other
~han an uncritical, unconscious
emersion in their subject," Levinson
said.
In total, more than $5,600 was
awarded to University students through
the Hopwood contest. In the under-
classman contest, first-year students or
sophomores could win from $300 to
$1,000 in the category of essay, fiction
or poetry.
Essay winners include Smith, LSA
ophomore Jonathan Brenner, and LSA
rst-year student Ben Yan.
In addition to Kass, LSA sophomore
Eseohe Arhebamen, LSA first-year stu-
dent Gordon Jimison and LSA sopho-
more Lindi Watts took home awards for
their fiction writings.
Poetry awards were given to LSA
sophomores Kristi McGuire, Jane Fox
and Cherisse Montgomery.
Other awards given by the
*opwood Program at yesterday's cer-
emony included the Academy of
American Poets Prize-Graduate,
Academy of American Poets Prize-
Undergraduate, the Bain-Swiggett
Poetry Prize, the Michael Gutterman
Award in Poetry, The Roy W. Cowden
Memorial Fellowship and the Louis
and George Piranian Scholarship.
By Hanna LoPatin
Daily Staff Reporter
First-year college students are facing records
levels of stress, according to a recent study
released by the Higher Education Research
Institute at the University of California at Los
Angeles Graduate School of Education and
Information Studies.
Thirty percent of the 364,546 students
responding to the 34th annual American
Freshman Survey said they feel "frequently
overwhelmed by all I have to do."
The survey was conducted prior to classes
and during the summer. Although the study
included respondents from 683 two and four-
year universities and colleges, University stu-
dents did not participate in the study.
LSA first-year student Thomas Smyly attrib-
uted the stress to increased pressure to suc-
ceed.
"There's just pressure from society to do
New students feel pressure
well," Smyly said. "There's an expectation
that's never been there before to get a good job
and make a good living."
Survey results also reported that women tend
to feel more stress than men. Thirty-eight per-
cent of women reported feeling stress, com-
pared to 20 percent of men.
Survey Director and UCLA education Prof.
at UCLA'Linda Sax explained that the varying
levels of stress may be attributed to the differ-
ent activities that men and women pursue.
"Women spend more time on study, clubs,
groups and volunteering," she said. "Men
spend more time on recreational activities like
partying, exercising and video games."
UCLA Student Psychological Services
Director Harold Pruett said with equal oppor-
tunity increasing society has placed pressure
on women to fulfill a dual role.
"More and more women have gone to col-
lege," he said, "yet there's still somehow a sub-
tle and not-so-subtle implication that they're to
be caretakers as well."
While the report released on Monday high-
lighted the findings of increased stress, Sax
said the most striking item in the study was the
fact that 39.9 percent of responding students
said they were "frequently feeling bored in
class."
Sixty-two percent, an increase of two percent
from last year, said they frequently or occa-
sionally arrive late to classes.
"They're viewing college as a means to an
end," Sax said. Students are "not as focused on
college for the knowledge they'll gain."
Pruett said the reported disinterest may be
explained by the fact that the study is conduct-
ed prior to the beginning of college, when
seniors in high school are often bored with
school.
"I'm not sure how much it reflects the attitude of
a student coming into the university," he said.
University of Michigan Engineering first-
year student Britt Smart said she was less inter-
ested in school at the end of her senior year.
"Once I got accepted, I wasn't interested in
learning," she said.
The survey also showed an increasing inter-
est in the arts and humanities.
Reaching its highest level in 27 years, the
percentage of students planning to major in the
humanities reached 3.1 percent.
Students planning to major in the fine arts
reached a 22-year high of 5.4 percent.
- U-Wire contributed to this report.
Double Vision1
guilty
By David Enders
Daily Staff Reporter
Zachary Marwil, an LSA sophomore, pleaded guilty
yesterday to shooting a fraternity pledge with a BB gun
in December.
While in Circuit Court Judge Ann Mattson's court
today, Marwil reversed his previous plea of innocence,
admitting to one count of illegal discharge of a firearm
without malicious intent - a misdemeanor.
Marwil had been accused of shooting a pledge of
Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity, where he is an active mem-
ber, in the groin during an alleged hazing incident.
Fraternity members told Ann Arbor Police officers
they thought the gun was not loaded as Marwil alleged-
ly pulled the trigger six times before it went off.
See SHOOTER, Page 2
SAM HOLLENSHEAD/Daily
LSA first-year student Howard Chen walks past the Shapiro Undergraduate Library in yesterday's frigid temperatures that hovered In the 2s
Thost of the day.
New de-icing liquid safe, non-corrosive
Ice-Ban angers some students, faculty F
By Caitlin Nish
Daily Staff Reporter
It's known by students and teachers
as the foul-smelling, brown liquid on
classroom and residence hall floors.
But Ice-Ban, a by-product of corn
milled to produce alcohol, is being
used by the University as an ecologi-
cally friendly substitute for salt to
free students from the hassle of slip-
ping and sliding en route to class.
Ice-Ban "is gross to see and you
don't want to put your bag on it. All
the classes are covered with brown
stuff," LSA first-year student
Elizabeth Herr said.
"Maybe (the University) could
place more mats at the doors to the
building. They have some, but they
don't work very well," Herr added.
University Custodian Nancy
Antosiek said Ice-Ban has even cre-
ated extra cleaning duties. "I have
had a hard time keeping up,"
Antosiek said.
"One girl fell and hurt herself
because it was so slippery. We put up
caution signs because everyone has
been bringing it in," she said.
Although it may be an eye-sore
and cause extra work for the
University's custodians, Ice-Ban rep-
resentatives contend the de-icer is
not harmful to metal equipment, fab-
ric or people.
"Ice-Ban is non-corrosive and bio-
degradable so it will not attack metal,"
said Mark Weber, a sales representa-
tive for Ice-Ban America Inc. "It is
currently used as cattle feed in its orig-
inal state. With the absence of chlo-
ride, it is less aggressive for carpets."
Weber also said that the compo-
nents of Ice-Ban are non-harmful
and a person could technically con-
sume it. "I've eaten it and it doesn't
taste that good, but you can eat it," he
said.
University's Supervisor of
Forestry and Horticulture Marvin
Pettway said although the University
still uses sodium chloride, common-
ly known as rock salt, on campus
streets, Ice-Ban now covers all side-
walks and driveways.
"There has been a great deal of
structural damage because of sodium
chloride and we are (using Ice-Ban)
to lessen the damage to the infra-
structure," Pettway said.
He also said some of the concrete
posts in the plaza between the
Chemistry Building and the C.C.
Little Building have been rotted
through because of the use of sodium
chloride.
Sodium chloride is still being used
on city streets, but Ice-Ban is used in
conjunction to increase the salt's
effectiveness.
"Ice-Ban makes salt work to a
See ICE, Page 2
SAM HOLLENSHEAD/I
The salt pictured here is being replaced by Ice-Ban, an environmentally safe
substance that has been a bother to students, faculty and staff across campus.
MSA proposes
amendments to
Code of Conduct
B-School to develop
online course program
By Usa Kovu
Daily Staff Reporter
The Michigan Student Assembly spent
most of its meeting last night in heated
discussion concerning proposed amend-
ments to the University's Code of
nary system. The first point of discus-
sion was whether to add that faculty
and staff should also be held responsi-
ble under the Code in addition to stu-
dents. This amendment passed.
Students' Rights Commission Chair
* FT Knowledge will team up
with the Business School to
offer Web-based courses
By Karolyn Kokko
Daily Staff Reporter
Those in the business world who wish to con-
tinue taking business classes will soon be able to
do so online soon.
FT Knowledge, a division of the interna-
tionnl media rmnanhwhichhas holdilng
"This is a wonderful opportunity to underpin
our leading 'position in the multi-billion dollar
global market for executive education, combining
Michigan's reputation and academic expertise
with our international infrastructure and interac-
tive open-learning skills," said Pippa Wicks,
FTK's chief executive officer, in a written state-
ment.
Executive programs are for individuals who cur-
rently hold jobs, but wish to take business courses,
which can last from three days to four weeks.
SomeP of the most nonu~lar bus'iness classes~ on
{
EU