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michigandaily.com
New Student Edition
SECTION
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2000
GEOFF
GAGNON
GIVING BACK
e~ "
Wf and wisdom
hides behzZ'zd'
strange doors
it's no different than any of the rest of the study carrols in
the Grad Library - except for the view out the window.
Far to the right ivy crawls to reach the block M that waves
from the Union tower as the President's home and law quad
unfold six stories below. Michigan Stadium sits in full view
as Crisler Arena peaks from behind the trees. And when the
sun shines just right the brick and the ivy and the maize and
blue let you know why you came to Michigan.
Bastions of late-night learning and eleventh hour cram-
ming, these study carrols don't often inspire creativity or
nostalgic day dreaming, but maybe the view sets this one
*part.
It's difficult not to be reflective and poignant here. And as
I found, people have been.
Dozens of students over the past few years have put aside
the formulas and equations, charts and books and the drea-
ry haze of early morning to turn their attention to the door
of the tiny square room. Squeak the thing shut and marvel at
their handiwork. Scrawled from its wood paneled center and
working toward the ceiling and the floor is a litany of
thoughts and ideas, fond memories and fearful hopes
4ratched in pencil and black and red ink.
It's the wisdom of those who've been here before and it
isn't layed out by a professor in a lecture. It isn't handed out
on paper before a class and it wasn't dolled out in orienta-
tion. It's written on a door and it speaks to all of us.
"Leaving our marks on the doors of life. Carrol poets and
procrastinators. Lovers of truth - but not the truth in books.
Rather the truth on doors and stall walls. Even radiator
vents. Life happens where you least expect."
And inspiration comes from where you'd least expect it.
Penned mostly by graduating seniors caught in obvious
acceleration, as if entering a highway while trying to shake
die sights from the rear-view mirrors as they exit the ramp,
ese are the thoughts of the finished. Many are written of
final exams left to be taken or the flooding feeling of
accomplishment. Some are written of what they'll do next,
while several describe what they'll remember most.
"I've cheered Ivrone Wheatlev in the Rose Bowl and cried
the night Chris Webber called the fate/ul timeout... "
Like a "Chicken Soup for the Soul" book, the entries on
the door are at times personal stories of triumph and pride or
inspirational adages and thoughtful quotes - call it
Chicken Soup for the Late Night Wolverine's Soul. They're
,metimes the non-sensical babble of bathroom stalls and
other times spirited praises for the University and youthful
self-discovery. It's a collection of wisdom and humor that
would seem somehow out of place in a book, but it's some-
how perfect on the back of an old wooden door.
"I have found the University as a shelter/bfr the past/four
years. It has become a home to me. With it came certain
expectations. I would expect to see the Wolverines play
unbelievable football. I would expect to see so many fellow
.students pounding awav at keyboards in Angell Hall at two
in the morning. I would expect to hear the CRISP lady at
least twice a year on a regular basis. ... I shall leave those
Wpectations behind -- they'll cease to be reality and strug-
le to be a memory."
For those who scribbled on the door on their way out of
college, their fleeting time here had become something
worth explaining. Their football games and final exams,
their walks in the Arb and late nights in the study carrol at
the Grad Library had become events worth numbering. And
for those of us who number these events ourselves and con-
sider an almost eternal stay in Ann Arbor, think of the mes-
sages on the door that urge us to inhale every minute of col-
lege and embrace every opportunity. The messages, one
aer another, tell us just how quickly our time here will pass
and how profound an experience our years here will be.
They tell us to make the most of things. They tell us to get
busy.
"Years of toil. Days without sleep. Months of procrasti-
nation. Only seconds to decide. What's next in life? Where
has the time gone?"
Some who left their ink on the door did so with regret.
Perhaps they realized their college years were over or maybe
they surmised that this could be the only lasting mark they
would make on a University that left an such an impression
on them - - for some there seems to be a hint of regret in
ir words.
For others though there is not a bit of regret, only fond
memories and stories of personal achievement.
"Mv years here have cost me X7'70,000, countless hours of
studying and huge amounts of stress. My dad once asked me
if it was all worth it to come to Michigan. I paused, thought
of the people I had met, the things I had learned and the
experiences that I've had. Then I thought o/ my diploma and
and the words "University of Michigan." I looked up at my
dad and said 'yes'"
So, like the late-night scribes who turned from their books
leave something on the door, don't be afraid to make your
mark. As the messages on the door beg, start now and don't
look back until you're finished and then when you do, think
of what you've seen, how you've changed and grown. Like
those writers, realize that in front of that door lies a univer-
sity with more to see and do than any other. But also, harken
the words that fade in pencil and black and red ink on the
Bollinger
continues
to enjoy
University
By Lisa Koivu
Daily Staff Reporter
A lot of events will be happening
at the University this fall and win-
ter, and at the forefront of all of the
activity will be University President
Lee Bollinger.
Bollinger began his term in the
winter semester of 1997.
Since then, he has encountered
such things as athletic team national
championships, admissions lawsuits
being brought against the University
and the plans to build many new
buildings, among which include the
Life Sciences
Institute.
Before becom-
ing the 12th pres-
ident of the y
Bollinger, a grad-
uate of the
University of
Oregon and
Columbia Law
School, served as Bollinger
a law clerk to Judge Wilfred
Feinberg on the United States Court
of Appeals for the Second Circuit
and for Chief Justice Warren Burger
on the United States Supreme
Court.
Bollinger has also testified before
the Senate Judiciary Committee in
Washington, D.C., in defense of free
speech in artistic expression.
Bollinger was Dean of the
University Law school and a
provost at Dartmouth college before
returning to the University as presi-
dent.
Bollinger said the biggest perk
about being president of the
University is that he is constantly
able to learn different things about
the University.
"The best part is learning day in
and day out about new things and
the greatness of the University,"
Bollinger said.
Another perk that comes with the
job is being able to live in the presi-
See BOLLINGER, Page 2C
NORMAN NG/Daily
Community service is a large part of life at the University. With so many options to choose from, most students find the time to contribute.
Community service remainis a
poular activity at the
U'
Natalie Plosky
Daily Staff Reporter
For many incoming first-year students, community service is a
familiar part of one's high school career. In fact, 88 percent of
first year students have been involved with community service
before entering the University.
Jeff Howard, assistant director of the Edward Ginsberg Center
for Community Service and Learning explained the value of con-
tinuing participation in community service into college.
"Volunteering is important for students to round out their
undergraduate experience." Howard noted. "There's only so
much learning that one can do on campus and there are opportu-
nities for learning in the community that the University can't pro-
vide on campus. [Volunteering] is a way to strengthen academic
learning."
The sheer number of community service opportunities avail-
able on campus and in Washtenaw County may seem overvhelm-
ing to those new to the Ann Arbor area, but there is also a greater
likelihood that one will be able to find opportunities to suit one's
specific interests and abilities. The following organizations are
just an example of the variety of community service opportuni-
ties available.
FOOD GATHERERS
Food Gatherers is a non-profit food rescue and food bank that
rescues food from local restaurants and local stores and distrib-
utes the food to food serving organizations, such as the Ann
Arbor Hunger Coalition. The organization works with 170 feed-
ing programs in Washtenaw County. Volunteers with four hour
blocks in the morning or the afternoon can assist food runs and
distribute the food to agencies. Those volunteers without a large
block of time can work in the warehouse, doing such tasks as
washing, sorting and preparing food.
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
The University chapter of Habitat for Humanity enables stu-
dents to educate the campus and local community about afford-
able housing issues and the work of Habitat for Humanity, build
See SERVICE, Page 5C
Life Sciences Institute progresses
By Jeremy W. Peters
and Michael Grass.
and Jeannie Baumann
Daily Staff Reporters
Soon, a new set of buildings will take its
place among the many others adorning the
campus, this one called the Life Sciences
Institute.
University President Lee Bollinger said,
plans for the Institute include a multi-build-
ing complex containing a laboratory building
for the LSI and two non-laboratory build-
ings, one of which will house a restaurant.
The LSI complex is planned to rise along
Washtenaw Avenue across from Palmer Field
and will link the Central and Medical cam-
puses.
University Chief Financial Officer Robert
Kasdin said the LSI will fill a gap that sepa-
rates the Central and Medical campuses.
"It's the last piece of major real estate left
on Central Campus," he said, adding that
"this plan creates a space where there is cur-
rently a wasteland."
The area where the LSI is to be built,
known as the Palmer Drive site, is adjacent to
North Hall, the University Power Plant, the
Fletcher Street parking structure and the
North University Building.
Bollinger stressed the immense scope of
the LSI by pointing out that, "Everybody will
be affected. In three years we could have an
entire new set of buildings and a new facul-
ty"
With the costs of creating the institute
expected to be in the $200 million range,
fundiiig for the Institute is an issue. Bollinger
said the state plans to commit $50 million per
year to support life sciences. He said he
would like to work in conjunction with
Michigan State and Wayne State Universities
to fairly allocate the funds.
"If we collaborate on spending the $50
million we can avoid fighting over it,"
Bollinger said.
in addition to the funding from the state,
Bollinger said that major fundraising efforts
are underway. He said that he has not ruled
out the possibility of selling the name of the
Institute.
Other University buildings have been
named in recent years for donors such as
Sam Wyly Hall and Tisch Hall.
To ensure the Institute attains the prestige
See LSI, Page 3C
[
MARJORIE MARSHALL/Daily
The Life Sciences institute will be built across from Palmer Field on Washtenaw Ave.
Hideki looks to carry out goals
By Lisa Koivu
Daily Staff Reporter
Two years ago LSA senior Hideki
Tsutsumi had never greeted anyone on
the University's campus. But after
transferring from a community college
in Maryland after his sophomore year,
Tsutsumi is now the student govern-
ment president and starting to begin his
work on the platform that got him
will help him accomplish the goals of
his campaign platform.
His platform includes helping stu-
dents sive money by providing
cheaper textbooks, lobbying the state
government for more funding to min-
imalize tuition increases, privatizing
residence hall dining services and
lobbying the administration to pro-
vide more University buses on the
weekends.
learning experience for the assembly
without former President Bram Elias
and Vice President Andy Coulouris.
"Truthfully, it will be rough for the
first month and a half, but Hideki's
really dedicated and he'll learn to do
everything," Pandya said.
"It'll be tough because Bram and
Andy's lives were MSA. If you've
never been in MSA before it's tough to
learn the protocol," he said.
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