LOCAL/S TATE The Michigan Daily - Monday, September 27, 1999 - 3A CAMPUS I" Fire damages Solar Car team's equipment A fire Tuesday morning in the niversity's Solar Car Team's work- space in a Pittsfield Twp. warehouse damaged some of the team's equip- ment, but not any needed to race in the Australian World Solar Car chal- lenge Oct. 17. Investigators are still working to determine the cause of the fire and assess the damage, Project Manager Nader Shwayhat said. No one was injured in the fire. But the fire did damage molds for ,e current car MaizeBlaze and equipment and machinery used in production of the cars, Shwayhat sai d.' He added that the damage caused by the fire could be a setback for the 2001 team because of the damaged production machinery. Betts named new *entistry chair Norman Betts has been named the new chair of the School of Dentistry's Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Hospital Dentistry. Betts is a University alum and 1986 School of Dentistry valedicto- rian. In addition to his academic accomplishments, Betts was consid- ered by many to be an outstanding dent-athlete. In April, the Athletic Department awarded him the Gerald R. Ford Award for excellence in scholarship, sports and society. Betts played on the Michigan Football Team between 1978 and 1981. He earned his master's degree fron'the University in oral surgery in 1990. niversity fills chief investment officer position The University Board of Regents appointed L. Erik Lundberg to the newly created position of chief invest- ment officer. Lundberg was selected from a national pool of candidates and will start work Oct. 1. undberg will be responsible for Developing investment policies for the university's nearly $4 billion in financial assets. He will then make recommenda- tions to the regents for their approval of University investments. Lundberg's position combines the work previously done by the University associate vice president and treasurer. tchool of Social Work to endow professorship Nationally known child welfare expert William Meezan will be inau- gurated as the first Marion Elizabeth Blue Endowed Professor in Children and Families at the School of Social Work. Meezan has a doctorate in tal work from Columbia University, has written many books and has taught at multiple universi- ties nationwide.. The ceremony is scheduled for Oct. 5 at 3 p.m. in the Comprehensive Information Resources Center in the School of Social Work building. For more information contact the School of Social Work Development at (734) 763-6886. uclear weapons forum planned Various University departments Acid other groups are hosting a com- n'iTy forum on the topic of nuclear weapons. The forum will be held on Oct. 8 at 1:30 p.m. in the Rackham Amphitheater. Topics will be discussed in a 3 e of seminars on various aspects nuclear weapons, including tech- nical, military and political issues. Organizers hope to promote and eduete others about their stance to abolish nuclear weapons. For more information, call 663- 1870. Compiled for The Daily by Lisa Koivu. Band pre ors charity concert at League By Caitlin Nish Daily Staff Reporter The son of a political refugee from Cuba and lead singer of the alternative rock band Sugar Pill, Greg Epstein, said he understands the need and for an organization like Amnesty International and the work its members do. Epstein's band performed Friday night in a bene- fit concert for Amnesty International in the Michigan League Underground, citing his personal experiences as motivation to perform and donate the band's $300 earnings to the organization. Epstein has witnessed the work Amnesty International has done with human rights violation cases and made emotional and professional connec- tions to the group's work. "Ever since I was little and wanted to be a rock musician, I saw big concerts done for Amnesty International," he said. The money raised during the two-hour concert will benefit various Amnesty International causes. "We haven't set the money aside as of vet but we have a lot of different events coming up to bring the word of Amnesty to campus," said Mary Hollingsworth, an LSA third-year student and a coordinator of the Amnesty International University chapter. "The most important thing to remember is that even though we are stu(ents and even though we are miles away, we can affect what's going on. Human rights violations are committed all over the world, and we can do something," Hollingsworth said. The concert was free to the public, although a donation was requested at the door. "We contacted Sugar Pill because we wanted them to come and play. It was Sugar Pill's idea to donate the money we were going to pay them to Amnesty" said LSA sophomore Gabriel Sandler, the Michigan League programming assistant. Epstein said Sugar Pill didn't take its decision to donate the money lightly. "As an independent record label and band, it is not easy to give the money away;" Epstein said. "We are very serious about our music and sharing it with any- one possible. Money is not as much of an issue as who we can help:' Epstein's friendship with Abby Schlaff, a commu- nity outreach coordinator affiliated with Amnesty International, helped lay the foundation for the ben- efit concert, which was two years in the making and finally came together this September. A recent University graduate who concentrated in Chinese studies, Epstein knew that the Michigan League Underground's accessibility to students and community made it the right place for the concert. "We felt that the other venues weren't inclusive enough; they had age restrictions or were frequented by only a certain type of people;" he said. "We want- ed some place where all people would be welcome" The crowd ranged in age from high-school stu- dents to adults, supporting Epstein's assumptions about the Underground. "The idea behind the Underground is to have a place where students could come together. It is a way of opening up the League to students," Sandler said. Most concert-goers heard about the benefit through Amnesty International advertising or word of mouth. "I came because Amnesty came to the rooms at my residence hall talking about the concert. I thought that it would be something cool to do," said LSA first-year student Luke Vermeulen. For Amnesty International's next event, members will sponsor a speaker on Columbus Day in October. "We have a woman from Guatemala speaking who had seven family members killed during the civil war because they protested human rights violations. The Treetown Singers are opening, and it is open to anyone in the community," Schlaff said. The free event will be held in the Michigan League. Unveiling truth Psychology 111 lectures broadcast on television AP PHOTO Michigan State Rep. Mark Schauer (D-Battle Creek) helps unveil a new statue of abolitionist Sojourner Truth on Saturday in Battle Creek. A'subuhi r oe dilversity, acceptancer By Dan Krauth For the Daily When nearly 1,310 students are enrolled in Psychology 111, things tend to be a little crowded. That is why for the first time in nearly a decade, an LSA class is being broadcast live on the University Cable System. "I think as the bugs are worked out this might be a wave of the future for big enrollment courses" said psy- chology Prof. Christopher Peterson, who teaches the overcrowded Psychology I lI class. Peterson lectures to 600 students in his "live" discus- sion class located in a Modern Languages Building auditorium, while simultaneously students are in anoth- er classroom watching him on a TV monitor and still others attempt to watch him from home. At the same time of discussion, the lecture is being broadcast live into the residence halls via the University's Cable System on channel 9. Video tapes of the lecture will be on reserve at the Language Resource Center. "So students who missed them can see them later at their convenience," Peterson said. Lecture notes are available on the Internet and an optional coursepack containing all of the lecture notes available at Dollar Bill Copying on Church Street. "It's great. I missed lecture, but I was able to see it on cable and get my notes off of the Web," LSA first-year student Elizabeth Fiema said. Psychology I l l currently has one of the largest enrollments at the University due to the opening of a third section, said University spokesperson Joel Seguine. Psychology has always been a very popular class and many students are taking it as an elective, he said. In the past two years, the number of students in each lecture section were around 600, which still holds true today. The class' size is large compared to the average class size at the University which is 70 students, Seguine said. But, it is not the largest. During the 1997 fall semester, WANT TO WRITE FOR DAILY NEWS? CALL 76-DAILY o ' FOR MORE INFORMATION OR STOP BY THE STUDENT PUBLICATIONS BUILDING AT 420 MYNARD ST. there were 900 students enrolled in two sections of introj ductory chemistry. Peterson said a possible problem that could arise from the distance learning is that students watching the lec, ture on a monitor are not able to ask him questions. I "Plenty of GSIs are in the video room to supervisgst and answer questions at the end of class" Peterson said. But student in his "live" lecture tend not to ask ques- tions. Many students still are not sure how the broadcast sys tem works. "I heard that a lot of people would miss lec-' ture and try to find it on cable and couldn't" said LSA first-year student Amy Hinman. By Shabnam Daneshvar For the Daily Amidst the myriad of groups and orga- nizations that populate campus, multicul- tural groups strive to unite many students by promoting diversity acceptance and appreciation. A'subuhi, the multi-cultural council that serves West Quad, Betsey Barbour, Helen Newberry and Cambridge residence halls kicked off their group's program last night with an informal talk on diversity issues and events for the academic year. "I'm here because I'm interested in what's going on. I heard about groups like this all last year, but never had the chance to join. I'm here now," LSA sophomore Arti Desai said. According to Diego Bernal, minority peer advisor for A'subuhi, which means "The Next Morning" in Swahili offers stu- dents a "literal multiculturism" by wel- coming students from not only all races, ethnicities, genders, religions and sexual orientations, but from any social econom- ic class or physical ability as well. "If we are at the point of tolerating differences, we aren't where we need too be. It's not enough to tolerate any- more, we need to embrace and wel- come the differences;' Bernal said. Multicultural groups like A'subuhi promote activities like a Halloween haunted residence hall for children of different races because "if someone has a prejudice against a certain group, it's harder to refuse and prejudice against kids," Bernal said. A'subuhi, like many residence halls multi-cultural committees also coordi- nate social gatherings, political discus- sions, poetry readings and basketball and video game tournaments. Minority councils also offer counsel- ing and help for those students experi- encing racial tensions or other prob- lems. Peer advisors act as resources for students and "work to relieve racial ten- sion," said Alicia Harris, the minority peer advisor assistant for A'subuhi. "We like to feel that we are more approachable and there for students who may want to speak with us. We help enhance their college experience;'she said. Bernal says that where most groups and events on campus cater to the major- ity of white students, minority councils serve those students who may wish to celebrate the cultural activities they had always experienced growing up. "I had one student come to me in the past and ask me how he could go about celebrating his Hindu festival of lights," Bernal said. "We dug around, got space and money and several people took part in the event. It was just something he had always done at home and wanted to continue here: Groups like A'subuhi attempt to help stu- dents take advantage of many cultures. "It's more than just a "We are the world" type of program; it's more like a "We are here" deal, make it what you want," Bernal said. _________________________________________ . 1-94 accident s 4 ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) - Four people returning from a Detroit Tigers game were killed when the car in which they were riding ran off the road and struck a parked fuel-hauling truck, state police said. A fifth passenger, a 21-year-old man, was taken to Oakwood Hospital where he was listed in serious condition last night, said hospital spokesperson Jennifer George-Robinson. The names of the four killed, three men and a woman between the ages of 21-23, were being withheld pending noti- fication of family members, state police Sgt. Dennis Betts said. At 4:45 p.m. Sunday, the car carrying the five people was traveling on Interstate 94 in this Detroit suburb when it ran off the road. The car came back onto the shoulder when it hit the truck, which was broken down, Betts said. am e Market Research Panel Discussion: Thursday, September 30 1999 5:00-6:30 PM in the Career Planning and Placement Programs Room, in the Student Activities Building t , , A {;~f ... L L What's happening in Ann Arbor today GROUP MEETINGS FR ean~ln fn. .n.....mmn -m U "The Last Graduation" film on edu- cation in prisons, Sponsored by the Maoist Internationalist www.umich.edu/-info on the World Wide Web fNorthwalk, 763-WALK, Bursley t r