__-_-_ _ _ LSTA TErThe Michigan Daily-- Wednesday, March 7, 2001 --3
*-HGHiER ED
UC-Berkeley group
threatens to slow
~minority enrollment
The University of California at
Berkeley's recruitment and reten-
tion center recently announced a
plan to discourage underrepresent-
ued minority students from attend-
ing the university pending the UC
Board of Regents repeal of the ban
on affirmative action.
The number of black, Latino,
American Indian and Filipino
freshman admitted to the university
dramatically dropped from 1995 to
2000, when the practice of using
affirmative action in California
*admissions was banned.
UC Regent Ward Connerly criti-
cized the student group's proposal,
saying the center should instead
focus their efforts on working with
underrepresented minorities in
order to help them be prepared to
compete alongside others students
for admission to the university.
A center representative said the
center wants discussion on the
reversal of the ban on affirmative
action during the regents' March
meeting or they will implement
their plan. However, Connerly said
that it was doubtful that the issue
would be addressed at the March
meeting because it is not on the
agenda.
NYU, UAW start
*negotiations for
first GSI union
at private school
In a first for a private U.S. universi-
ty, New York University has agreed to
begin collective bargaining sessions
with a union of graduate student
instructors.
NYU officials announced their
decision to bargain with United
Auto Workers Local Union 2110
-Thursday afternoon. This decision
came only hours before union
members were to begin a strike
authorization vote that if passed,
would cripple many of the univer-
sity programs that use graduate
assistants.
Union organizers and members
believe that this agreement could
0cause momentous changes at other
private universities, where gradu-
ate assistants with similar concerns
have fought for as long as 10 years
to unionize.
Wellesley College
outraged at sex
maniacs portrayal
All-female Wellesley College is
fuming after its portrayal in
Rolling Stone Magazine as a cam-
pus of sex maniacs. Wellesley
President Diana Chapman
expressed outrage in a letter posted
online to the editor of the maga-
zine.
Chapman criticized Jay Dixit,
the author of the article, as writing
an "immature and offensive piece
of reckless journalism" and
accused Dixit of misleading his
. sources regarding the intent of his
article.
Wellesley's Director of Public
Information Mary Ann Hill, who
was quoted in the Rolling Stone
-piece, said Dixit told her he was
doing a piece about the sexual
dynamics of all-female colleges
and not focusing just on Wellesley.
The piece includes statements
from faculty and employees of the
K-college detailing their sexual
.involvement with Wellesley stu-
dents.
Dixit wrote that at the all-female
school there is a "climate of sexual
experimentation where no woman,
or man - including professors,
kitchen staff and campus police
officers - is off-limits."
Dixit defended his article, saying
hat the college should not be
uashamed that their students have
sexual lives.
-Compiedfiom U-WIRE reports hy
Daily Staff Reporter Jane Krzdll.
Deadlines near for
By Stephanie Schonholz
Daily Staff Reporter
It's that time of year again - when events and
deadlines for graduating seniors are quickly fill-
ing academic calendars. Today through Friday,
Michigan Union Arts and Programming is hold-
ing a Senior Fair
in the basement
of the Union.
"The object of
the fair is to pro-
vide information
to graduating
seniors regarding
the commence-
_ 9
sold at Michigan Book and Supply and Ulrich's
Bookstore.
Fourteen displays, each pertaining to a differ-
ent aspect of graduation will be open from 10
a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
Among the tables that will be displayed in the
Union will be an alumni table, a University Infor-
mation and Technology Division table offering
free Internet service off-campus for one year for
new graduates, as well as an area for any general
announcements.
"We try to do (the fair) at least once a
semester, it usually happens in October and
the fair is for folks who are planning on
walking down the aisle and receiving a diplo-
ma," said Thibault.
While seniors attempt to enjoy their last days
at the University, some who plan on graduating
April 28 still have paperwork to fill out.
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graduating seniors
Each school in the University has a specific back to see if introductory writing was taken,"
deadline for when its graduates must turn in an said Marsden.
application to receive diplomas. If a student discovers a fault with their records
"If they miss the deadline, they must get they can "come and talk to the auditors about
the paperwork in as soon as possible. We had their file, where auditors might learn they are
to set a date in order to get the students wrong or that this was a misunderstanding on the
names in the commencement program for student's part," said Marsden.
April," said Marguerite Mayville of LSA Approximately 2,500 students will be graduat-
Academic Affairs. ing from LSA this spring. Numbers for the Busi-
"It's roughly the same deadline each year, we ness and Engineering schools are far less.
usually find out sometime in February," said Application deadlines for ILSA are March 9
William Harry Marsden, associate director of for the April and August ceremonies, which
LSA Student Academic Affairs. would include having that students name
An academic service staff for each school printed in the commencement program. April
audits the students' applications, which 17, the last day of classes, allows a student to
includes any grades and classes taken at the participate in the ceremonies but not to have
University. their name in the commencement. All other
"Once the applications are in we pull records, I colleges have individual due dates for diplo-
mean we look at every requirement, we even look ma application deadlines.
NPR to broadcast live
ment ceremony, caps and gowns, class rings and
other traditional stuff," said Program Coordinator
Robb Thibault. Caps and gowns are also being
from campus Mar. 29
By Anna Clark
Daily Staff Reporter
Continuing its 18-month series titled "The
Changing Face of America," National Public Radio
will tackle affirmative action and higher education
issues when it arrives at the University for a live
broadcast March 29.
Juan Williams, the host of NPR's "Talk of the
Nation," will host the two-hour show, which will
take place between 2 and 4 p.m. in Rackham
Amphitheater. Guests from higher education insti-
tutions across the country will take questions from
callers and audience members. The event is open to
the public.
"Talk of the Nation" producer John Ogulnik said
the guests scheduled for the higher education panel
include University President Lee Bollinger, Central
Washington University President Gerilyn McIntyre
and MacAllister College President Michael
McPherson. A community college president will
also be invited.
"As we talk about these issues, we wanted to
reflect all levels of higher education," Ogulnik said,
"We feel we have all sides represented here."
For the affirmative action panel, the only con-
firmed guest is John McWharter, an assistant lin-
guistics professor and affirmative action opponent
form the University of California at Berkeley.
The program is coming to Ann Arbor because of
an invitation from the University campus station
WUOM and because of the "loyal listenership" in
the city, Ogulinik said.
lie added that the University is ideal for the
issues scheduled for discussion.
"We try to find topics that are hot in the market
of the location but also have a national trend,"
Ogulnik said. "At one of the finest institutions in
the country, we thought we'd like to talk about
higher education. And, obviously, affirmative
action is a major issue here."
The broadcast is part of the University's Dia-
logues on Diversity, an effort to initiate discussion
on current diversity issues. Pat McCune, program
coordinator for the Dialogues, said she's been try-
ing for some time to bring NPR to the University
by emphasizing the University's role in the issues.
"These are very important issues," she said.
"With a new president who seems to be emphasiz-
ing education, there's a renewed focus on higher
education throughout the country."
She added that the affirmative action lawsuits
challenging the University make affirmative action
a timely topic for the radio show.
McCune said that while the time of the show
may make it inconvenient for students to attend the
broadcast, the effort will be worthwhile.
"This is another venue, another opportunity,
another forum for students to not just speak, but
also to listen," McCune said, "That's why they're
here. If they didn't want to listen to the University
community, they wouldn't be here."
Rackham Dean Earl Lewis also emphasized
what the potential discussion could offer students.
"Students have the opportunity to exchange
views and perspectives nationally, with the live
call-in'Lewis said.
Lewis said the show was here a couple of years
ago. By highlighting the success of the previous
trip as well as the quality of the issues discussed,
Lewis said the University was able to persuade
NPR to make another trip.
JEFF HURVITZ/Daily
University Health Service allergy nurse Grace Ball demonstrates the procedure for performing a flu
vaccination on clerical nurse Rose Tucker yesterday afternoon.
After mil w1nter flu
raes rise in e
By Ahmed Hamid
I16ly StafflReporter
While cases of the flu normally peak in Janu-
ary, Michigan flu cases registered a delayed
increase in February.
"It arrived a bit later than last year" said Gera-
lyn Lasher, spokeswoman for the Michigan
Department of Community Health. She added
that the trend has been for the majority of flu
cases to hit around January, but the late arrival
should not be a cause for alarm.
"The influenza reports are within a completely
normal range and this is not an outbreak situa-
tion," Lasher said. "February is just when we
started to see influenza activity."
Louise Herlocher, a School of Public Health
assistant research scientist, said the timing of
intense influenza activity cannot be determined.
"Last year influenza hit in December, though it
usually increases in January. We cannot predict
when it is going to really take hold," she said.
Even with increases in flu cases across the
state, incidents of influenza among University stu-
dents have remained stable. Interim Director of
University Health Services Robert Winfield said
since December only 15 patients with severe
influenza symptoms tested positive and 12 tested
negative.
Winfield encouraged those who had not yet
received a flu vaccination to get one.
"A typical picture of influenza is fever, severe
muscle ache, severe cough, and headache, all usu-
ally starting within 24 hours," Winfield said.
"If someone comes down with a flu there are
medicines that can treat it within 48 hours and that
will shorten the duration of the illness,"he said.
Valerie GIiem, spokeswoman for the University
Health System, said approximately 11,433 flu
vaccinations had been administered to the Ann
Arbor community by the Michigan Visiting Nurs-
es, a clinic which administers free vaccinations.
This number is only 137 less than last year's total
of I1,570 vaccinations.
Gliem also said despite the increase, reported
flu cases for the year were relatively less. "Flu
cases are lighter than had been projected and
lighter than in past years," she said.
Lasher said students should take the necessary
precautions to avoid the virus. Students should get
adequate rest, have a good diet and exercise fre-
quently.
Up, up and away
BRENDAN O'DONNELL/Dal
Lane gets high during spring break in Jackson Hole, Wyo. last week.
Ann Arbor resident CharlieI
Statue to memorialize
'U' alum, Internet pioneer
By Kara Wenzel
Daily Staff Reporter
Claude Shannon left the University in 1936, but
his theories about computers and their influence on
communication are still in use.
Shannon, 84, died Feb. 24 at his home near the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he
earned his master's and doctoral degrees and taught
computer science and mathematics from 1957 until
1978.
Several bronze busts of Shannon, sponsored by
the Information Theory Society of the Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers, are being cast
to commemorate Shannon's life and work.
Electrical engineering and computer science
Prof. David Neuhoff said there are plans for one of
the statues to be placed near
the EECS building on North
Campus this spring.
The first statue was dedicat-
ed in October near Gaylord.
Shannon's childhood home.
"There are two statues of
him in New Jersey. One is at
the Lucent Technologies
headquarters and the other is
at AT&T. Eventually there
Shannon will be one at MIT," said his
wife, Betty Shannon.
Raised in a family of innovators - his grandfa-
ther helped invent the washing machine -- Shan-
non learned to test the limits of conventional
knowledge and baffle computer scientists.
For fun, he "taught" computers how to play
chess, developed a mathematical theory of jug-
gling and invented a motorized pogo stick.
By inventing an electrical mouse that can find its
way through a maze, Shannon demonstrated that
computers could learn. Previously, scientists were
simply using computers as counting tools.
Shannon pioneered the field of "information the-
ory" which determines the theoretical limit of a
channel's information-carrying capacity. Digital
systems that configure information, such as the
Internet, would not be possible without Shannon's
theory.
"Few other works of this century have had a
greater impact on science and engineering," sai~d
University of Southern California Prof. Irving
Reed of Shannon's paper, "A Mathematical Theory
of Communication."
This paper revolutionized the way information is
sent through telephone lines. Shannon proposed
the use of a binary code, also known as bits, to
make telephone communication quicker and less
noisy.
The fields of investment theory, cryptology,
probability, biology and even English use this theo-
ry to make sense of information.
That impact was one of Shannon's laments. He
feared the overuse of his theory, telling the New
York Times that it had "perhaps ballooned to An
importance beyond its actual accomplishments."
SCorrection:
RC senior Peter Romer-Friedman is a member of Students Organizing for Labor and Economic Equality. His title
was incorrect on Page 1 of yesterday's Daily.
THE CALENDAR
Researchers find correlation
between disease and cancers
What's happening in Ann Arbor today
By John Polley
Daily StiafReporter
In a recently published study, University researchers
revealed a molecular link between the Epstein-Barr virus -
cancer, researchers hope the findings will lead to new forms of
cancer treatment.
"Understanding this mechanism is potentially useful for
developing a rational treatment for~EBV-associated cancers,"
said Murray Cotter, a University graduate student involved
EVENTS
7:00 p.m., MSA Cham-
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®Ann Arhknr S. n nnr*
Union Ballroom, 764-
6453
SERVICES
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