LOCAL/STATE
The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, October 18, 2000-- 3
IGH
SSeries of resignatins page MSA
Alumni demand
resignation of
IU president
A group of Indiana University alum-
ni have created a petition demanding
the resignation of the university's presi-
dent Myles Brand, the IU board of
trustees and other administrators.
The group eventually plans on send-
ing the petition to the governor of Indi-
ana.
The petition alleges the administra-
tion has creating division between fac-
ulty, students, the administration,
umni and legislature, and is respon-
ble for"a serious fall in IU's acade-
mic standing."
The group claims the university
improperly fired men's basketball
coach Bob Knight last month.
About 30 people helped create the
petition and the group plans to collect
signatures via the Internet, a group
organizer said.
Trustee Dan Hertzler said the board
s rot discussed the petition yet. He
said-that he disagrees with some of
the group's claims but added that he is
glad they expressed their views.
Syracuse looks
into distribution of
hate messages
Anti-homosexual pamphlets were
istributed across the campus of Syra-
se University last week. Similar
messages were also chalked on cam-
pus and fyers were placed in the stu-
dent paper without its permission.
The pamphlets were given out by
Straight Pride Union, a group not recog-
nized by the university, said the director
of student programs at Syracuse. The
flyers accused the homosexual commu-
nity of forcing their views on others.
Last week was also Coming Out
ek, which was sponsored by the
student group Student Pride.
A Syracuse spokesman said the
university is investigating the identi-
ties of those who passed out flyers and
chalked anti-gay messages.
Fairleigh Dickison
requires online
ourses for frosh
Fairleigh Dickinson University will
require its new students next year to
take at least one class onine.
FDU currently offers 35 online
courses and about 160 students are
enrolled in these classes. Next year,
freshmen will be able to select from
about 15 Internet courses.
FDU President J. Michael Adams
'd the school adopted the policy to
make students more globally prepared.
The school's Academic Senate, a
collection of faculty, approved the
policy last month.
No other universities are known to
require online courses said Bob Bur-
dick, spokesman for EDUCAUSE, a
non-profit organization that represents
university technology officers.
Fraternity mob
otS buSineSSeS
A mob of people leaving a fraternityI
party at University of California at'
'Berkeley looted a number of local store
Sunday morning, including The Gap,
Athlete's Foot and Tower Records.
Witnesses said people broke store
windows and stole store products.
About 500 people rioted on Tele-
ph Avenue after many non-students
re not let into the fraternity party,
wvitnesses said. A fire alarm was appar-
-:ntly pulled, forcing everyone outside.
Witnesses said the mob's actions
included violence. One witness said she
saw a group of people beating a person
outside of Athlete's Foot.
Police eventually blocked off the
street and patrolled the area with rifles.
- ompied frm AP and U /-WIRE
reports bi Dailr Staff Reporter Robert
Id.
By Jane Krull
Daily Staff Reporter ,
Although students elected Hideki Tsutsumi to
lead the Michigan Student Assembly in winter
elections, Student General Counsel Alok
Agrawal held the gavel during last night's meet-
ing.
Tsutsumi decided not to preside over the
meeting yesterday after he was unable to keep
last week's meeting in order.
"I thought about how chaotic the last meeting
was and how frustrated you were about my
chairing the meeting. After serious thought, I
have decided to ask Alok to chair the meeting
for now," Tsutsumi said in an e-mail to MSA
members. "I will pay close attention to how the
meeting is run by the more experienced assem-
bly member."
Although MSA's executive board may see
handing over the gavel to Agrawal as a step
toward improvement, others see it as Tsutsumi
admitting a lack of competency.
"I don't think anyone would have voted for
Hideki, knowing that he wouldn't do his prima-
ry job of chairing the meetings," former Engi-
neering Rep. Ryan Gregg said.
In addition to problems with the way MSA
meetings have been run, 11} members of the
assembly have resigned this semester, and five
others have eight or more absences. MSA mem-
bers are removed from the assembly after 12
absences.
Former Rules and Elections Committee chairs
Jen Seamon and Mark Sherer said they agree I
is a unusually large number of resignations.
"It is very unusual for Engineering and LSA
reps. to resign because those are so hard to get,"
Sherer said. Three Engineering representatives
and one LSA representatives have resigned.
Some have attributed the resignations and a
lack of attendance by members at meetings to
feelings of conflict and inaction within the
assembly.
"It is hard, with a completely fresh exec.
board and many new members, to get the body
active because they have less of a connection to
the students," said Kym Stewart, a former LSA
representative.
LSA Rep. Amit Pandya, who has eight
absences, sometimes chooses to participate in
other activities when they are in conflict with
MSA's Tuesday night meetings.
"I feel more effective at other student groups
because of the difficulties MSA has," Pandya
said. "Right now, the exec. board is bogged
down with technicalities."
Gregg quit MSA to devote time to other cam-
"It is very unusual for Engineering and LSA reps. to
resign because those are so hard to get."
- Mark Sherer
Former MSA rules and elections committee co-chair
pus activities.
"It is not worth three hours on Tuesday
night," Gregg said.
Gregg said the fashion in which the meetings
have been run under Tsutsumi and Vice Presi-
dent Jim Secreto added to his discontent.
"Secreto always has to speak out to correct
him," Gregg said of Tsutsumi.
Secreto admitted that problems within the
executive board and the assembly have dogged
MSA this semester but said change is on the way.
"We are taking steps to correct the Tuesday
meeting - they have not been run correctly or
orderly," Secreto said. "There are some things
that we should have known before we ran for this
job, although, we are working our hardest to
catch up to speed in what we lack in experience:"
Other representatives have decided not to take
part in MSA for various personal reasons.
"The FRAT Party ran on the platform that
MSA is a mockery and to sell Gargoyle maga-
zines, therefore resigning from MSA is part of
the platform," former Education Rep. Carolyn
Jones said light-heartedly. Jones later explained
more seriously that the School of Education
hasn't had a representative on MSA during the
past several years so, "by running and resigning,
someone was appointed that could actually do
good."
Former Social Work Rep. Jamie Scott and
former Business Rep. Jacqueline Woods said
they believe their terms ended with their gradu-
ations from the University.
"I was under the assumption that my seat was
over since the semester was over and I graduat-
ed," Woods said.
Besides Stewart, Gregg, Jones, Scott and
Woods, other MSA members who have resigned
are Engineering Reps. Lanie Anderson and
Ashoo Jain, Music Rep. Shaila Guthikanoda,
Business Reps. Jeffery Nzoma and Nonye
Ukauwuba and Rackham Rep. Josh Trapani.
Hetn:Nvemb .er
election ver'y CruCia
DEWITT (AP) - Comparing advo- "I noticed that Mr. Gore is now tout-
cates of gun rights to freedom fighters, ing his belief in the Second Amend-
National Rifle Association President ment. Don't believe it," said Heston,
Charlton Heston encouraged hundreds who called the Nov. 7 election the
of people who packed a conference most important since the Civil War.
center yesterday to vote for Texas Gov. Heston said it was especially
George W. Bush. important to elect Bush because the
"Instead of fighting the red coats, next president could appoint as many
we're fighting blue blood elitists," as four U.S. Supreme Court justices
Heston told the audience. "This year who could "hammer your gun rights
freedom needs you more than ever into oblivion."
before." Handgun Control Inc. spokesman
Heston and other NRA officers Brian Morton said Bush has not
made appearances at three Michigan enforced the gun laws while governor
rallies yesterday to encourage voters to of Texas, adding that Bush signed a
turn away from Democratic Vice Pres- law in 1995 allowing residents to carry
ident Al Gore. concealed weapons.
NaRM.AN NG/Da+y
Psychology Prof. Patricia Gurin speaks on diversity and its role in education yesterday at the Business School.
speak on1 value of diversit
By Jacquelyn Nixon
I)aily Sut afpiertt/r
Patricia Gurn, a psychology and women's studies profes-
sor, who has been called at an expert witness for the defense
of the University's admissions lawsuits, spoke yesterday
about the importance of diversity in higher education in the
fourth lecture of the 10-day Affirmative Action 102 series.
In her lecture, titled "Educational Benefits of Diversity:
the Research Case;' Gumn said she expects a great deal of
attack in response to her depositions in the two lawsuits fac-
ing the University. Gurin previously served as interim dean
of the College of Literature, Science and the Arts, which
along with the Law School is under fire in the lawsuits for
its use of race as a factor in the admissions process.
"There have been many critiques of our work,"Gurin said.
"We are being sued on the basis of race, dealing with
race and ethnicity," Gurin said. She admitted there are other
aspects of diversity, such as gender and sexual orientation,
which can be seen as contributors to a diverse environment,
but said "race is the one that most divides this nation:'
She stressed that a university cannot be considered to be
diverse simply because it boasts students of different races.
"A lot more is going on in our classrooms than lectures
about race," Gunn said. Students are learning more about
diversity from the interactions with other students inside
and outside of the classroom, she said.
University Deputy General Counsel Liz Barry said many
students "have not had sustained contact with others differ-
ent than themselves" before coming to the University.
Bany posed the question of whether bringing students of
diverse backgrounds leads to educational benefits.
Gurin said higher education research lacks disciplinary
theoretical knowledge of what happens to students in col-
lege.
" low students think is afkected by their learning environ-
ment, and diversity is a critical feature," Gurin said.
The study was designed to explore how to create a learn-
ing environment that promotes thinking. Gurin used travel-
ing as an example of learning through experience.
"When you've traveled cross-country, you have to pick
up the cues that are there. You have to wake up,' Gurin said.
The studies by Gurin, associate Education Profs. Sylvia
Hurtado and Eric Dey and Prof. Emeritus Gerald Gurin
deal with students who had come from segregated high
schools and neighborhoods.
"Diversity and democracy have not been that congenial,"
Guin said.
Gurin referred to the General Motors Corporation, which
she said is looking for leaders who would understand diver-
sity. In July, General Motors filed a brief supporting the
University in the lawsuits.
"Students must learn to negotiate conflict and form coali-
tions in order to understand others;'Gumn said.
She stressed the importance for students to have the abili-
ties to perceive commonalities and differences in groups in
American and groups they belong to.
The studies conducted by the Gurins, Hurtado and Dey
focused on three levels - national data, extensive sur-
veys of 1,200 students from the fall of 1990 to 1994 and
data from 170 students in a classroom program at the
University.
Gurin emphasized that all three levels of analysis fol-
lowed the students through time. Students who participated
in the study had a range of academic and intellectual skills.
The exercises created for the classroom program pro-
moted cross-gender and cross-racial alliances, she said.
In addition to students finding commonalities among
themselves, after college, Gurin said, "they showed
greater reciprocity and were active in groups outside of
their own."
In the study, Gurin also found a growth in the thinking
process in addition to engagement and motivation of stu-
dent's involvement with others outside their race.
"Students who attended diverse schools were more
frequently having friends who were diverse, lived in
diverse neighborhoods and worked in diverse settings,"
Gurin said. A school was labeled "diverse" if 25 percent of
students were considered minOrities.
Ann Arbor Community High School senior Peter Creek-
more said he agreed with Gurin's statements that diversity
broadened people's way of thinking but expressed concern
about the study's focus.
"They focus on why diversity's just good for white stu-
dents;' Creekmore said. "It would be better if they focused
on its importance for other students.
Noah Kramer, a Community High School freshman,
said the data shows diversity has an effect beyond a stu-
dent's years in college, but the researchers "should focus
on other reasons why we should have affirmative action."
Correction:
Kevin Berman is a Business serior. This was incorrectly reported in Monday's Daily.
THE CALENDAR
What's happening in Ann Arbor today
EVENTS Street, Room 102, 973-0242 Carby, 2609 School of Social
"Women in Discovery Symposium," Work, 1080 S. University, 764-
Movie Showing "The insider," Spon- Sponsored by Department of 5513
sored by Michigan League Pro- Nuclear Engineering and Radio- Mekeni Abe, "Come here friend," Cu[-
gramming, 8:06 p.m., Michi an logical Sciences, 8:00 a.m. - tural celebration sponsored by the Fi-
League Underground, 763-465 5:00 p.m., Michigan League, ipino American Student Association.
"Remembering Aunt Jemima: A 647-7012 11 a.m. - 2:30, Diag.
MenstruaIli hnw" nnnrnsori "Public Health, the Tobacco Industry, er,..
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