8 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesdav. November 16. 1999
v s rv r v aw vu+ ,avu.r
,W.. , .u..., ,w~ ,,, ...,...,
"Sod squad"
works
I Soakin' up some rays |
MSA
Continued from Page 1
0
to keep field green
TURF
Continued from Page 1
tions. Right after the stadium was host
to Spring Commencement in May, it
was torn up in order to add more soil.
Before this season, Michigan's field
consisted of about 90 percent sand and
10 percent soil. The renovation shifted
those percentages to about 75 percent
sand and 25 percent soil.
This is mostly due to stability. The pro-
ject, guided by the superintendent of the
University golf course, Tracey Jones, cor-
rected some of the problems the team
faced with the previous mix. The sand
helps with drainage, but a more soil-based
field compacts better, reducing the players
from falling and injuring themselves.
After the new soil structure was put in
place, the new grass was laid. One of
Fouty's favorite parts of herjob is the mow-
ing the field, which she does three times a
week during the summer, usually arriving
at the stadium around 7 a.m.
"Its more technical then most people
think," Fouty said. "I don't just mow the
grass, it's so much more. You really
have to have a good background in soils
to do something this extensive."
One of the major focuses of her job dur-
ing the season is keeping the players from
getting injured. During the Northwestern
game Fouty keeps her eyes glued to the
field to see if the grass is getting torn up.
Her major concern is if the soil is coming
up along with it. Fouty emphasizes the
point that divots are natural, and they just
mean that the grass is giving and prevent-
ing injury to the players.
"There's a difference between a foot-
ball field divoting and it pushing,"
Fouty said. "Most people don't under-
stand that the field is supposed to divot.
You want to see that little bit of grass
come up. But if you see soil come up
with that grass that is what we need to
go out there and fix. You want the small
divots in the football field because that
is just like a scuff mark. It means peo-
ple's knees and ankles aren't getting
blown out by getting caught."
The tearing up of the grass was most
apparent during Michigan's first game
of the season against Notre Dame.
During that match-up, two-thirds of the
game was played near the 50 yard line.
Once that damage was done, that area
was more vulnerable and still isn't com-
pletely healed.
The Sod Squad:
Fouty's cast of supporting characters
has an agenda of their own in mind.
The grounds crew hired a stadium main-
tenance group to do several odds and ends
such as untarp the field, set up the markers,
help with stadium maintenance and help
fill in those divots during the game.
One of the members of the self-pro-
claimed "sod squad,"Tom,jokedthat part of
the reason they are able to be on the field
during the game is because these divot
fillers have to do the dirty work on Sundays.
On Sunday, the four members of the
stadium maintenance crew spend five
hours handling the trash and clean-up
on the outside of the stadium.
"By letting us stay on the field during
the game it seals the fact that we will
show up on Sunday," Tom said.
This Saturday will be more of the
same. Fouty and the "sod squad" will
take their places on the field again
Saturday in front of a 100,000-plus
screaming fans, just hoping not to see a
repeat of 1997. And if there's one thing
Fouty wants fans to understand about
her job, it's that it is much more then
just watching the football game from
arguably the best spot in the Big House.
"People don't know how much time
and effort it takes to maintain a football
field," Fouty said. "It's not like your
backyard."
JESSICA JOHNSON/Daily
Ann Arbor resident Shannon Bar gets ready to perfect her tan yesterday at Southern Exposure on South University
Avenue.
DEBATE
Continued from Page I
"The right to own a gun is protected not only by the nation-
al constitution, but also by the Michigan constitution," Hoban
said.
Jarvis introduced her platform by using statistics.
"Gun violence killed 1,058 people in Michigan last year.
By 2003, it is estimated that deaths from a gun shot will be
more prevalent than death in a car accident," Jarvis said.
Although the other three speakers used the time to intro-
duce what they stand for, Coy recommended books about gun
control.
. The first question presented to the panel addressed the
prevalence of gun control in the media and politics.
"Gun control is so visible in the media because of the
process that citizens must go through to exercise the right to
purchase a gun;' Hoban said. "We are treated like criminals.
We must go to the cops for licensing and registration and at
the same time we have to be fingerprinted."
Coy said he feels that President Clinton is to blame for all
of the attention focused on the issue.
"It's all a matter of politics. Clinton would rather have there
be an issue than to propose actual legislation," Coy said.
The topic then changed to what the speakers felt about
selling trigger locks- with every gun, mandatory back-
ground checks before being able to purchase a gun and
the idea that a person may only be able to purchase one
gun per month.
"These are critically important issues," Jarvis said. "A per-
son doesn't have to use a trigger lock, hopefully though,
they'll be encouraged to usc one."
Smith said he agreed, saying that if a trigger lock could
save the life of one child then it is worth the extra hassle to
use one.
Hoban said that triger locks bypass what is most impor-
tant-training children not to play with guns.
The question was then asked about whether the gun manu-
facturers are the parties responsible for gun violence.
Coy said that a lawsuit against a gun manufacturer is just
an attempt to do through a court what can't be done through
legislation.
"There have been lawsuits against gun makers for decades.
The only thing changing is the plaintiffs," Coy said.
Jarvis argued that gun deaths are preventable deaths and
that there is no need to protect gun manufacturers.
The debate ended with a short question and answer session.
Priorities Committee and
Community Service Commission.
"Personally, I like having a stu-
dent fee," MSA Student General
Counsel and Rackham candidate
Josh Trapani said.
"I also like having lots and lots of
student groups around, even those
that might piss people off some-
times. It makes campus a little more
interesting."
Trapani added that the system of
budget appropriations system at
Madison differs from the assembly's
BPC, so the outcome of the case
should not affect MSA's allocation
process.
MSA Treasurer Suzanne Owen
explained that, "the Budget
Priorities Committee funds such
groups as a small fraction of money
allocated each semester.
The small cost to students paired ,
with the open committee system for
the Budget Priorities Committee
sets our system apart from
Wisconsin's, which collects $150
per semester without input from the
general student populace." Owen is
also a Rackham candidate.
"I don't see MSA's function with
student groups being drastically
changed no matter what the outcome.
The worst case scenario that I see is
having to make the student fee option-
al," LSA first-year student and BP
candidate Matt Nolan said.
But LSA senior and independent
candidate Michael Berger does not
support funding for student
groups.
"It's not our responsibility to
financially support groups that we
are morally opposed to," he said,
claiming that the University has the
resources available, outside of
MSA, to fund these groups.
Although Berger recognized the
need for organizations to have
funds, he said the groups "still need
to use (their) resources to run this
organization without counting on
the University."
Candidates from the Friends'
Rebelling Against Tyranny Party,
whose ideology is that student gov-
ernments take themselves too seri-
ously,sdid not comment directly on
the issue.
But FRAT candidate and LSA
junior Michael Wilson had a gener-
al comment on campus affairs.
"If elected, I will act as a trustee;
I will vote my conscience. I will
also endeavor to get impeached a*,
quickly as possible," he said.
"I will listen to the opinions of
all my constituents, but I won't be
swayed by loud, inane screaming,
only quiet, well-reasoned scream-
ing," Wilson added.
The Psychology
Fall 1999
Peer Advisors Present
Focus Group #4
Graduate Students and Faculty
Discuss Their Graduate Student Years
Nurse jailed for patient murders
Wednesday, November 17, 1999
7:00-9:00 PM
411 Floor Terrace, East Hall
There will be refreshments.
Anyone interested in Psychology and/or Mental Health Professions
is encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity.
The Psychology Peer Advisors are located in
1044 East Hall and have walk-in hours from
l1:OOAM-4:OOPM Mon-Fri. They help students
with questions regarding the Psychology and
Biopsychology concentrations and can help
declare students in either concentration.
BRAZIL, Ind. (AP) - A former nurse
was sentenced yesterday to spend the rest
of his life in prison for murdering six of his
elderly patients, a crime the judge called
"a paragon of evil at its most wicked."
Orville Lynn Majors was sentenced
to six consecutive 60-year terms for
giving lethal injections of heart-stop-
ping drugs to six patients being treated
at Vermillion County Hospital in the
mid-1990s.
In a courtroom packed with relatives
of the victims, Judge Ernest Yelton
stared at Majors as he imposed the
maximum penalty.
"He was entrusted with these peo-
pie's care. In response he committed
diabolical acts that extinguished the
frail lives of six people," Yelton said.
Relatives of Majors' victims broke
into tears as Yelton read off the sen-
tences. Majors would have to serve at
least 180 years before being eligible for
early release.