LOCAL/STATE The Michigan Daily - Friday, December 1, 2000 - 3 CR IME! Michigan receives average report card Computers taken from Rackham Eight computers were reported stolen from the Horace Rackham chool of Graduate Studies early Monday morning, DPS reports state. The theft apparently occurred during the Thanksgiving break. DPS reports state that entry was made through unlocked exterior win- dows. DPS did not report having any suspects in the incident. Fridge reported lost, later found A refrgerator was reported missing from the University Hospitals early Monday morning, Department of Public Safbty reports state. The refrigerator was later located in a maintenance room. Patient harasses hospital employee A University Hospitals employee reported Monday morning she received inappropriate phone calls at her home from a patient, DPS reports state. Ex-boyfriend seen stalking woman A woman reported Monday after- noon that she was being stalked by her ex-boyfriend, DPS reports state. She reported that he is following her ound campus and may have broken into her apartment. DPS did not report whether officers have made contact with the suspect. Fake bill used at basketball game A counterfeit S50 bill was reported at the Michigan-Wake Forest men's has- tball game at Crisler Arena on Mon- ay night, DPS reports state. The counterfeit money was used to pur- chase a basketball program. 'Werewolf' cited for trespassing A man who stated his name was "Werewolf" requested Tuesday to speak with the building manager at the Campus Information Center infor- ation desk located in the Michigan Union, DPS reports state. The man was contacted by officers and left the building. He returned 20 minutes later when he was again con- tacted by officers and then arrested for trespassingt Harassing words deported by staff A female employee at the University Hospitals reported Monday that she and several other female employees received harassing remarks from the contractors outside the entrance to Mott Children's Hospital, DPS reports state. DPS reported that the manager of the contractors had been advised of the problem and will also address it. Mail opened by *nknown person A University Hospitals employee reported Tuesday morning that his mail had been opened without his permis- sion, DPS reports state. DPS did not report having any suspects. Inebriated man enters Dana Bldg. * A University employee at the Dana Building reported Tuesday that an intoxicated man entered her office and refused to leave, DPS reports state. Officers made contact with the sub- ject and he left the area. Smoking reported in men's restroom An employee at the Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library reported Tuesday a *an was smoking in the basement men's restroom, DPS reports state. DPS did not report whether contact was made with the subject. - Compiled hr Daili' StaffIReporter Caitlin Nish. By Hanna LoPatin D~ally Stafl Reportrr While students across the nation are cram- ming before finals to make the grade, higher education systems across the nation have been given grades of their own --and Michi- gan's report card is average. The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education graded states in five categories: Preparation of primary and secondary students, participation of residents ages 18-44 in any type of higher education, affordability, completion of higher education and benefits of graduating from the states' schools. Michigan received a B for preparation, a B+ for participation, a C for affordability, a C+ for completion, and a B for benefits. "I think in terms of preparation, a B grade is accurate when our largest school district is having trouble," said state Sen. Alma Wheel- er Smith (D-Ann Arbor), referring to the Detroit Public School System. As for the grades in participation, comple- tion and affordability, Smith said she also believes they are reflective of Michigan high- er education. Both participation and completion tie into affordability, she said. "A significant cause of students not com- pleting school is tuition costs," said Smith, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Appro- priations Higher Education Subcomittee. Smith said she plans to introduce legislation this term to make college more affordable. Susan Schafer, spokeswoman for Gov. John Engler, said many programs have been put into place in the past few years to make high- er education more affordable and accessible. One of them, the Virtual University, which allows students to take Advanced Placement courses online, could have been overlooked for the preparation category, Schafer said. But higher education keeps improving in Michigan, Shafer said. "We continue to put more money in higher education ... Every year we're improving as far as education is involved." State Sen. John Schwarz (R-Battle Creek), who is Smith's co-chair, said despite the grades, he still believes that Michigan has one of the top higher education systems in the nation. "Public higher education (in Michigan) is somewhat more expensive than in other states, but the reason is that public higher education (here) is a lot better than virtually any other state," Schwarz said. The benefits category is based on several indicators including how much money col- lege graduates make and the charitable con- Students { +n gather for, Ramadan By Susan Luth- Daily Staff Reporter tributions made by graduates. But Smith said incomes cannot predict the benefits of higher education as many students may get involved in non-profit organizations. "Those jobs don't pay as well, but they may be tremendously satisfying," she said. In comparison to states with Big Ten schools, Michigan was average with Illinois receiving three A's, a C+ in completion and a B- in benefits. Minnesota also received high grades with A's in affordability and benefits, a B+ in completion, a B- in participation and a C+ in preparation. Pennsylvania also received an A in comple- tion, and Wisconsin got an A- in preparation. No state got all A's. Ohio received grades toward the bottom of the barrel, including a D- in affordability, two C-'s in preparation and participation, a C in bene- fits and a B in completion. connittee prepCeS final code 4 Complete version to head to Bollinger in next few weeks By Jon Fish Dally Staff Reporter LSA sophomores Libby Walker, Erlene Kuizon and Engineering sophomore Gretchen Gersdorff said they have been curious about the Islamic faith for a long time. Thou<_h they have never witnessed or partic- ipated in any of the traditions, they attended a dinner in celebration of Ramadan last night after being invited by a friend of the Islamic faith. "We're just trying to learn what we can. We're very interested in their religion," Walker said. "But it's more comfortable being with other peo- ple who are learning." The Muslim Student Association sponsored the event for both members of the faith to observe the holiday and for students curious to learn more about the Islamic religion. "We just want to spread what we feel and what we celebrate and to make people aware of it;" said LSA sophomore Noha Elbanna, an lEducation Committee member for MSA. During the month-long holiday, Muslims make the commitment to not eat or drink from sunrise to sunset. Last night's dinner was their daily breaking of the fast, which occurs immediately after sundown. UDAVIDKATZ/DUaiy Muslim students pray last night in the Blue Lounge at Stockwell Residence Hall during a dinner held in observance of Ramadan. Before dinner the second chapter of the Koran was read. The chapter, which was sung, asks Muslims to fast. "The messatte is beautiful so the recitation is beautiful and is supposed to be pleasing to the ear and the heart," first-year Medical student Sarah Mohiuddin explained. Once the chapter was sung, the Muslims joined in prayer, bowing in an act of humility to God. Prayer of this type occurs five times a day. Prayer and fasting are two of the five pillars of Islam. The pillars are five guidelines to Muslim life and include believing in one God, giving charity and making a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in one's life. The Muslim students said they do not find fast- ing to be difficult. "If you can withhold from eating and drink- ingt then withholding from everything else becomes easier," LSA senior Mohammad Khalil said. At the end of Ramadan, Muslims will cele- brate a second major holiday, called Eid. The holy day is celebrated with prayer and a large feast. Students key to Internet entertainment By Maria Sprow Daily StlaliRepoertu Although many consider the Internet a way to access pirated music and movies, Websites fea- turing original cartoons and videos produced exclusively for the Internet are gaining populari- ty. Nora Zalevansky, director of public relations for Nibblebox.comn, said television shows made for the Internet will become even more popular in the future. "There are certain resources that the Web has to offer ... the grass roots element and the possibility of interactivity especially. This medium allows for entirely new ways to tell stories:" she said in a writ- ten statement. Nibblebox.coum picks students from colleces around the country to produce weekly programs. To be selected, students must submit an idea through the Website. After students share their ideas. mentors such as actress Minnie Driver and producers and writers of televisions shows including "The Simpsons" and "Seinfeld" assist in developing the idea. Brown University alum Jared Stern came up with the idea for Dotcomic, a program on Nibblebox.com that highlights comedy routines. Stern, who was a stand-up comedian, said he thought of the idea after hearing Doug Liman, Nibblebox.com creator and director of the film "Swingers," ask for students to send in entertain- ment ideas. "It evolved into a full U.S. tour search with 1B) as sponsor," Stern said in a written state- ment. Zalevansky said the company works with stu- dents from several colleges including North- western University and University of California at Los Angeles. Shows from Ann Arbor's student-run radio sta- "There are only so many eyes to grab and there are only so many hours in a day to consume entertainment" - Gene Klein Vice president of content for Hpynotic.cor In an effort to implement firm guidelines for companies producing University apparel, the Standing Com- mittee on Labor Standards and Human Rights is expected to submit a revised code of conduct to University Presi- dent Lee Bollinger in the next few weeks. In a meeting yesterday at the School of Social Work building, the commit- tee voted 8-2 to approve the language of the newly revised code, but is hold- ing off its final recommendation to dis- cuss some further issues. Members of the committee would like to examine the concept of mutu- al recognition, which would allow a company to use another code of con- duct upon University's approval. Another issue of contention was the exact wording of the compensation provision of the code. Committee members debated whether the code should use words like "basic needs" as a reference point for companies to determine wages. The chairman of the committee, Social Work Prof. Larry Root, stressed' during the meeting that he did not want to rush into submitting the code to Bollinger. "We should be recommendingc something that makes sense," he said. Root also added that the commit- tee should consider the difficulties of enforcing such a code, since- there are different standards in-' every country that licensees have- factories. Members of Students Organizing" for Labor and Economic Equality observed the meeting and afterwards commented that they were pleased with the committee's work. Committee and SOLE member Scott Trudeau said the code has been significantly strengthened. "It has taken a lot of time, but I think we've done a good job," said Trudeau, an LSA senior. Specifically, Trudeau said, the corn-: mittee has strengthened the code's pro-;, visions on collective bargaining and freedom of association. SOLE members said they expect that once the final draft is submitted, 'it will be reviewed and implemented in a timely manner. "We expect the turnaround to be quick," said SOLE member Jackie Bray. "There is no reason for us td expect delays." Members of the committee, includ- ing Trudeau, agreed. "I think it should be implemented as soon as possible," said Law Prof Robert Howse. "Very few licensees have expressed any serious obje& tions or concerns about what we're up to. tion, 88.3 WCBN, are also featured on Nihblehox.con. The shows are also streamlined through their Website, wrchn.org. "We've been broadcasting on our own for two years, and then we went through Nihblebox because they offered us the equipment. and we were able to get a higher bandwidth stream through them," said Nick Farr, WCBN General Manager. While the University doesn't yet offer students a program in digital studies, film and video studies Prof. Stashu Kybartas said the program is conducting a search to hire new faculty that could teach courses in production and new media studies. Kybartas said the faculty does not have the expertise oi' the amount of teachers necessary to teach digital studies classes, but does see digital studies as being an important part of future cur- riculum. "We have a very restricted curriculum and their is a lot of curriculum to be covered ... we are a very small program." he said. Depending on how the search for qualified faculty members goes, digital studies could be taught as early as Fall 2001, Kybartas said. Alan Young, a media engineer for the Univer- sity, said that staff is working to incorporate dig- ital studies into the University's system. "It's something we are just gearing up to do," Young said. Other sites, such as hvnpnotic.comi and icebox.comn, are gaining attention. Htrmotuc.coin is known for the animated series Rick and Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in the World. Gene Klein, vice president of content at Hyp- notic.com said the show originated from a short film shown at the Sundance Film Festival. Icebox.com features animated cartoons, such as Zombie College, about a college that inte- Orates humans and zombies, made exclusively for the web. Zombie College was recently bought by FOX to be a 30 minute live-action series. Some University students said that they do not watch the Internet programs because the quality of the picture and sound is less impressive than the quality of television and radio. "I use Internet-radio when there isn't an alter- native, like when I don't have a radio or the radio isn't working. The quality sucks because of the limitations of the technology, so it's not worth the effort if you have a radio handy," Engineering freshman Ryan Falor said. "Internet TV has grown substantially over the last 12-24 months, but it has a long way to go to eclipse traditional TV ... Over time they will grow to complement each other better but it is a zero sum game: there are only so many eyeballs to grab and there are only so many hours in the day to consume entertainment," Klein said in a written statement. HE CALENDAR What's happening in Ann Arbor this weekend FRIDAY SATURDAY "The Complete Organ Works of J. S. Bach," Sponsored by the School U "State of Things," Sponsored by the S "X Rays: A Century of Discovery," of Music, James Kibb ie per- Michigan Romanian League, subti- Sponsored by the Physics Depart- forms, 4 p.m., Music School tIed, 7 p.m., Michigan Union ment, David Reis will speak, 10:30 OrgaDre, Hl 1 Bait4726 Anderson Room a.m., 170 Dennison, 764-4437 763- RrnfwAn RgI eatre .rnnnnredr by "Peer .Gynt," Sponsored by the Resi- I -- I -- ~ :.