feather day: Sunny. High 41, Low 24. One hundred nine years ofeditorialfeedom morrow: Partly cloudy. High 45. .Yi i *rnt Tuesday December 7, 1999 orum focuses on rt'F" ^;; w ' sr +\-aCaFti l chi ' III SIK y L Rr t dro C in minority enrollment ick Bunkley Staff Reporter With underrepresented minority enrollment the University exhibiting a downward trend nce 1995, those figures will soon spell trou- le for diversity on campus, LSA sophomore rika Dowdell said. "In another decade, there will be no black, atino or Native American students at this rniversity," Dowdell, a Michigan Student ,ssembly representative and Defend Affirmative Action Party member, said at a minority student town meeting called by MSA's Peace and Justice Commission last night. "This won't be just one meeting," Dowdell told the audience of about 30 people who gath- ered at the Trotter House to discuss ways to reverse the drop in minority enrollments. "This should be seen as an ongoing series until we accomplish our goals." Enrollment figures released by the University last week show that underrepresent- ed minorities - students classified as black, Latino/a or Native American - comprise 11.3 percent of the total student body. "The release of these numbers and this information is something that we have to act on now," said Detroit resident Lisa Resch, a mem- ber of the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action By All Means Necessary. "We do have to fight for real representation on the campus. See ENROLLMENT, Page 7 MARJORIE MARSHALL/Daily BAMN organizers Caroline Wong (left) and Lisa Resch (right) and SA first-year student Agnes Aieobua participate in a minority student town hall meeting at the Trotter House last night. SACUA still leery >f online WATCHING THE FIELD Totes IMembers worry that ion-students may gain advantage from notes ly Jeremy W. Peters Staff Reporter what has become an increasingly iopular vein of discourse among Jniversity officials, the Senate Edvisory Committee on University affairs took up the issue of commercial iotetaking yesterday - specifically mphasizing the impact class notes on ie Internet could have on outsiders ccessing the intellectual property of Jniversity professors. ,sterday SACUA members ssed their concerns over the issue nd in particular, its implications on the otential for people outside the Jniversity to access course materials. SACUA representative and Dentistry rof. John Gobetti expressed his con- erns about what he referred to as "dis- nce learning." "I wonder if eventually someone sit- ng in Nevada will be able to get cred- a class simply by getting our notes rom the Web. This could be a very angerous quagmire that we get our- elves into," Gobetti said. University Library SACUA repre- entative and head of Educational nd Information Services Barbara 4acAdam said though she had ome trepidation over the potential rowing importance of commercial otetaking on campus, she felt this ssue has always been present in *emia. The truth is that faculty have been lacing their materials on the Web for See SACUA, Page 2 Officers use Webcam to nab minors at stadium By Caitlin Nish Daily Staff Reporter A new medium for Michigan foot- ball fans to quench their desire for a sports fix recently caught a few stu- dents emulating their football heroes. The Webcam, which throughout the football season was focused exclu- sively on Michigan Stadium and is now in the process of being moved to Yost Ice Arena, provides 24 hour per day shots of the sports venues. While the Webcam has been used solely for recreational purposes, in a turn of events, a Department of Public Safety Officer viewed students, via the Webcam broadcast on MGoBlue.com, trespassing on the field at Michigan Stadium the day before Thanksgiving. "The report says that at 2:21 a.m. on Nov. 24, an officer,,wfmesub- jects running on the football field on the live Internet camera," DPS Officer Wesley Skowron said. Skowron said two of the subjects were cited for minors in possession because they were or had been drink- ing alcohol. "It is up to the prosecutor to deter- mine whether they will be charged with trespassing," he said. Under state laws in Michigan, tres- passing on the field, or "recreational trespassing" carries a maximum sen- tence of 30 days in jail. "If an officer responded to a report and ordered them out and they didn't leave, they would probably be charged Pledge suffers groin injury rom BB n By David Enders Daily Staff Reporter A first-year student and Alpha Epsilon Pi pledge is awaiting surgery after another fraternity member allegedly shot him in the groin with a BB gun yesterday morning. The University placed the local chapter on immediate suspension to investigate what University officials are calling a "possible hazing" inci- dent. The 19-year-old student, whose name has not been released, is in fair condition at University Hospitals and is scheduled to undergo surgery today. The accident was an apparent pledge activity gone awry, which occurred at the house, located at 1620 Cambridge St. A person at the fraternity called the Ann Arbor Police Department at about 12:30 a.m. to report the incident. Shortly after, the student was trans- ported to the hospital by fraternity members, said AAPD Sgt. Michael Logghe, who is investigating the case. "Evidently they were taking a Crossman pump-type BB gun and shooting it at the groin area" of pledges," Logghe said. According to Logghe the shooter claimed he had checked the gun and found it to be empty. The gun had been fired at six other pledges before the student was shot. "There was evidently a BB lodged somewhere in the gun," Logghe said. The AAPD is investigating possible criminal charges against the shooter for discharge of a weapon in city lim- its. "Right now we will send (the case) to our city attorney's office to see if there are any charges they can come up with," Logghe said. The incident has prompted rapid response from all sides. Sidney Dunn, the executive vice See HAZING, Page 7 MARJORIE MARSHALL/Daily Michigan Stadium sits covered in snow yesterday, watched by the Webcam, which is located on top of the Press Box. with trespassing," Skowron said. Even though the stadium is proper- ty the University, which is public, tres- passing on the field is comparable to trespassing on private property. "It is still trespassing because it goes against the consent of the owner, the University of Michigan. It is like going into certain areas of the hospi- tal. Some are off-limits to the general public and if they are notified that they are not to enter, it falls under the category of trespassing," said Ann Arbor Police Department Sgt. Ed Stuck. Entering any structure without per- mission is a misdemeanor punishable by 90 days in jail. Unlawful entry, such as breaking into the press box, is a felony, carrying a maximum five year sentence. Director of Media Relations for the University Athletic Department Bruce Madej said that the purpose of the Webcam was never to catch 'tres- passers. "That was not a thought," he said. "It can be used for that, but it was not a thought at the beginning." Skowron said sighting the tres- passers on the Webcam was purely coincidental. "We don't monitor it on a regular basis. We have no protocol on it. Apparently, an officer was randomly looking at it and saw someone tres- passing," he said. "We do respond though if we get reports of people in the stadium or on the field." The camera is now being moved to Yost for the winter and images from the camera can be seen on both the See WEBCAM, Page 7 I nitiative aims to retain minorities An oasis in Detroit 'U' to sell software via Microsoft deal By Nika Schulte Daily Staff Reporter The retention and graduation rates of the University's underrepresented minority students is a matter associate Provost and Director of Office of Academic and Multicultural Initiatives John Matlock feels deserves campus- wide attention. "Retention is everybody's business," Matlock said. "I've never been a propo- nent that one office is responsible for retention. There are a numbers of units that are involved in student's success." Pathways to Student Success and Excellence Program, a new and devel- oping initiative focusing on the reten- tion of the University's black, Latino/a and Native American students capital- izes on the efforts of the University community to create an environment in which underrepresented minority reten- tion and graduation rates improve. The proposal for the program notes that a disparity in graduation rates may be the result of underrepresented minority students having trouble adjust- ing to college life. Although they have the requirements for admission, under represented minority students, the report states, have not had as much exposure to a college environment. While the University currently hac retention efforts such as the "Bridge Program" which permits admitted "at- risk" students to begin the transition to college life by taking courses during the summer, Matlock said POSSE seeks to provide a "cross unit collaboration," that will incorporate the efforts of OAMI and the Office of New Student Programs. "The emphasis of this proposal is getting folks together, getting the differ- ent units developing ongoing activities with students," Matlock said. One of the projects initiated by POSSE, will be an additional orienta- tion .for an estimated 225 admitted underrepresented minority students. Admitted underrepresented minority students will be sent a letter next spring inviting them to participate in an intro- ductory program before orientation. Matlock said the POSSE orientation See INITIATIVE, Page 7 By Michael Grass Daily Staff Reporter After signing a multi-year licensing agreement with Microsoft on Nov. 30 the University is set to offer students, faculty and staff members of the Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint campuses software discounts. Starting next Monday, the University is set to begin selling Microsoft prod- ucts at greatly reduced prices to stu- dents. "I believe this is a great deal," said Wanda Monroe, Information and Technology Division spokesper- son. The University is planning to sell Microsoft Office 2000 and Microsoft Front Page 2000 for $33 each. Area computer software retailers sell the products for much more. The Best Buy store on Oak Valley See MICROSOFT, Page 2 Early treatment can curb STDs' effects By Risa Berrin Daily Staff Reporter Cases of gonorrhea, chlamydia and genital warts and other STDs exist on this campus, according to Polly Paulson, University Health Services Health Education Coordinator. But in many cases, early detection and treatment is key. Paulson said the average number of cases of genital warts at UHS have ranged between 400 and 700 per year and herpes cases average 200 per year. Cases of The numbers: University Health Services performs about 1,000 STD checks per year. Here are a few average yearly .r statistics: * 400 to 700 cases of genital warts * 200 cases of herpes 3 50 to 60 cases of gonorrhea then cultures for chlamydia and gonorrhea and blood tine yearly examination, the doctor generally does not i I