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.