LOCAL/STATE
The Michigan Daily -- Wednesday, March, 28, 2001 3
HIGHEREED
Texas bill may
require students
to do 28 hours of
Volunteer work
*xas House Bill 791, which
would require Texas college stu-
dents to complete 28 hours of com-
m1nity service in the semester
before graduating, has been voted
out of the House Higher Education
Committee and sent on to the next
level of legislation, the Calendars
Committee.
Texas State Rep. Pete Gallego
(D-Alpine), who proposed the bill,
sa he believes it will allow stu-
d s to gain an understanding,
appreciation and ability to relate to
people from a wide range of back-
grounds.
TexasState Rep. Fred Brown (R-
Bryan), who opposes the bill, said
the idea of forcing students to com-
plete volunteer work negates the
meaning of the word "volunteer."
Brown has proposed an amendment
toe bill, which would allow stu-
dents to use the volunteer hours for
one elective credit. This would
make the community service
optional but give students the
opportunity to help while meeting a
graduation requirement.
Ed Harris film 'A
Beautiful Mind'
bjgins filming at
finceton U.
Academy Award winning actor
Russell Crowe, Academy Award
nominated actor Ed Harris and
Academy Award nominated cos-
tume designer Rita Ryack have left
the Oscars in Hollywood to begin
shooting the new movie "A Beauti-
fBind" at Princeton University.
owe plays the film's protago-
nist, the real-life mathematical
gexjius John Forbes Nash, and Har-
ris plays Parcher, the haunting fig-
ure of Nash's mind. The movie,
which will be filmed on campus
this week and then again after com-
mencement in June, deals with
Nash's battle with academia and
scizophreni a.
Casting director Bill Dance said
sc s filmed this week will por-
tray Nash's graduate years at
Princeton during the late 1940s.
Dance added that university stu-
dents will be used as extras in the
movie but because of the period
restrictions, this week's filming
will only require male extras. The
university and Universal Pictures
have also hired students to perform
ta j necessary for the film's shoot-
in such as preparing rooms for
sets.
Director Eric Hamblin said he
could not disclose how much the
University was receiving for the
fijmn because of terms of the con-
tract,
Prof: Teaching
should determine
f ulty salary
J hn Lachs, centennial professor of
phZsophy at Vanderbilt University
has groposed that students be permit-
ted to allocate between 5 percent and
1 Opercent of their tuition to professors
based on the quality of their teaching.
This money would supplement a stan-
dard salary for all professors.
Iachs said giving students this
a rity will raise the teaching stan-
dards for professors which he worries
is often not as high as it could be.
Laths also said his proposal would
create good publicity for Vanderbilt,
showing the university is serious about
improving the quality of teaching.
Vice Chancellor of Public Affairs
Michael Schoenfeld praised the pro-
posal for its purpose of improving
teaching, but said the actual proposal
is not feasible and could potentially
cr more problems than it solves.
Lachs rebutted the criticism saying
that if students make responsible allo-
cations it will raise interest among pro-
fessors in providing a higher-quality
education.
Compiled from U- WIRE reports by
Daily Staff Reporter Jane Krull.
Hideki steps down at 'In and Ou
By Carrie Thorson
Daily Staff Reporter
The Michigan Student Assembly held its
traditional "In and Out" meeting last night to
mark the end of the term for its executive
board and representatives. Newly elected
President Matt Nolan and Vice President Jes-
sica Cash chaired a short meeting for the new
assembly after the old one relinquished con-
trol.
President Hideki Tsutsumi closed by
reminding the assembly of its accomplish-
ments from the past year and urging new
members to not let failure hold them back.
"The first time I lost I came in fourth from
the bottom," he said. "If you did better than
that you could be president next year."
Tsutsumi finished by "pardoning" the per-
son that stole his sign.
Outgoing Vice President Jim Secreto pre-
sented the Bryan Knight Award to Treasurer
Siafa Hage, the Sarah Flynn Award to LSA
Rep. Shari Katz and the Michael Patrick Wil-
son Award to LSA Rep. Michael Patrick Wil-
son, the only member of the assembly from
the Friends Rebelling Against Tyranny Party.
"I devoted my life to this organization, and
it has been a wild ride," Secreto said.
But not everyone parted on a positive note.
Peace and Justice Commission Chair Justin
Wilson accused MSA of harboring hostilities
toward the "minority" conservative opinion on
campus.
"Students should not be afraid of their gov-
ernment," Wilson said.
Earlier this year, Wilson said his vocal sup-
port of presenting both sides of the affirma-
tive action debate caused assembly members
to drag his name through the mud.
"Because I spoke my piece, I had to go
through hell," he said.
Prior to the lengthy goodbye speeches,
Secreto proposed four amendments to the
MSA Compiled Code. The amendments place
priority on student involvement in MSA as
opposed to members of the Ann Arbor com-
munity.
meeting
"Let us give priority to those who we direct-
ly serve," Secreto added.
All amendments failed by narrow margins
with the exception of one that limits the num-
ber of copies assembly members are allowed
to make without executive permission. Rack-
ham Rep. Jessica Curtin acknowledged that
the amendment was proposed in light of her
making 10,532 copies with assembly money.
The final action of the old assembly was to
pass a resolution in support of slavery repara-
tions. School of Public Health Rep. Alicia
Watkins sponsored the resolution in response
to a House resolution that examines the insti-
tution of slavery and reparations that can be
made.
Self expression 1
Residents, students voice
Concern to AATA, 'U' Transit
By Jacquelyn Nixon AATA does not allow its buses to concerning student involvement in
Daily Staff Reporter diverge from its routes. Drivers are not partnership discussions.
directly in contact, and changes in Although there have been talks of an
University transportation officials routes are done through a dispatch. increase in partnership since 1999,
met community members at the Michi- "Are we really going to change the Cunningham said serious talks did not
gan League yesterday to solicit feed- way they do business?" Blood asked. begin until last fall, and that drivers
back on the possibility of increasing The questions were posed to Univer- were informed. "These have not been
their amount of cooperation with the sity Associate Vice President for Facili- secret meetings," he said.
Ann Arbor Transportation Authority. ties and Operations Hank Baier, Cunningham said the University has
University community members University Parking and Transportation an escape clause in many of its con-
expressed concern for what they said Services Director Patrick Cunningham, tracts in order to preserve service. Offi-
was University transportation manage- University Administrative Manager of cials would monitor frequently and
ment's poor communication with bus Bus Operations Dave Miller and AATA annually review service quality.
service staff and failure to initiate dis- Manager of Service Development Cunningham said a six-month notice
cussion in the community when dis- Chris White, who said they plan to use would be given to AATA if the service
cussion about an increased partnership comments at yesterday and today's does not meet current bus service stan-
began in December 1999. Attendees of town hall meetings in future decisions dards. He said savings, improved park-
the meeting requested an integrated for the proposed partnership. ing conditions and better access to the
task force composed of students and Many drivers and students said they city would be among the major bene-
drivers. They also implored University felt left out of the process and that Uni- fits of an expanded partnership.
officials to consider other opportunities versity Parking and Transportation Ser- First-year combined route service
for improved transportation. vices appeared to deceive its considerations are the Nite Owl bus
University bus driver Cybele Blood employees and constituents, concern- service, Medical Center Information
said the University Board of Regents ing student and union jobs, transfer Technology*shuttle and the North
should adopt certain standards for out- hours and cost savings. Ingalls Building/Kellogg shuttle.
sourcing jobs, so the integrity of the bus "The public has been left out from Cunningham said in order not to
service can be upheld. Blood said day one," said Ann Arbor resident War- compete with AATA, the University
although the University has proposed to ren Jenkins. "You say you care about bus services will continue to remain
make changes to three smaller routes, the community, but you have left the confined to University destinations.
major routes must be effected in order community. This is supposed to be an SNRE freshman Neil Greenberg said
for the University to attain its projected open body forum." He added that the AATA and the University buses service
savings with an AATA partnership. current meetings were only a result of different communities. "I'm not 100 per-'
"A large amount of outsourcing is bus drivers' complaints. cent confident in AATA's ability to han-
necessary in order to get the gains they LSA senior Michele Rudy asked die the University's needs," he said.M
are promoting," Blood said. how representatives would be involved "They are two different communities."
Bus drivers said they fear communi- in the process, and suggested a collab- Cunningham said primary routes are-
cation between drivers will change. orative task force consisting of Univer- not under consideration for adjustments:
"We have radios to look out for one sity transportation management and and on quicker routes a 10-minute fre-K
another - AATA does not have this," bus drivers. "Drivers have had to fight quency will be maintained. "Nobody is-
student driver Chris MacKechnie said. for information Rudy said. going to take away your buses." Another
"We can deviate from routes to make Baier replied that the University has meeting is set for 7 p.m. today in the"
sure someone gets to their car safely." not had the chance to talk with AATA Pierpont Commons Eat Room.
JEFF HtURVTZ/ Daily
Jason Arnold and Martin Kettling express their extreme dislike of the Bush
Regime at a rally held in Kalamazoo yesterday.
H.E.A.DS foru m
disc1sses diversity
By Whitney Elliott
Daily Staff Reporter
Affirmative action connected three
discussions last night with the themes of
educational; faculty and athletic diversi-
ty at the "Contemporary Issues in High-
er Education Symposium" sponsored by
the student group Here Earning A Des-
tiny with Honesty Eagerness and Deter-
mination of Self.
Robert Sellers, psychology professor
and member of the Board in Control of
Intercollegiate Athletics, spoke in an ath-
letic diversity discussion about athletic
rates of graduation.
"The vast majority of student athletes
say they want to graduate. You look at
the amount of time they spend preparing
for their classes and they don't relate,"
Sellers said.
Athletic counselor Greg Harden said
that when you look at the number of
black athletes, it seems like you would
have more coaches come from those
numbers.
"You'd expect that the pool (of coach-
es) would reflect those proportions,"
Harden said.
Nursing Prof Elizabeth Allen told
students in her faculty diversity discus-
sion that to live in a diverse society, one
must recognize the diversity around
them, and that the University does not
provide the form of education that stu-
dents need.
"Is the issue (of a successful educa-
tion) that the University provides fact ...
or is it the context in which one learns
how to handle information? The purpose
of education is not just the dissemination
of information,"Allen said.
She added that undergraduate stu-
dents must have more accessibility to
professors, and attributed the lack of
time professors spend with undergradu-
ates to attached stigmas.
"If you deal with undergraduates
somehow you are lacking in skill. Some-
how that's not a respective role," she
said.
Education graduate student Thomas
Parker said the background professors
bring to the University is extremely
important in teaching.
"When you start focusing on learning,
then you have to think about the back-
ground that these faculty are bringing,"
Parker said.
LSA senior Rashad Nelms said in
the educational diversity discussion
that he does not feel that affirmative
action is necessary in education
because it takes away from what stu-
dents really achieve.
"I worked my butt off to get here.
That was me. That was all about me. I
got here on my merit. I deserve to be
here;" Nelms said.
Liese Hull, an academic adviser for
the Inteflex program and the Compre-
hensive Studies Program, said there is
no question of students deserving to be
at the University.
"Every one of the 38,000 students
here at the University of Michigan
deserves to be here;' Hull said.
LSA freshman Olivia Jones said that
although she is from Detroit and was
able to attend a private high school, she
supports affirmative action "for people
that don't have the opportunity to go to
'better high schools."'
Allen told her discussion group to
realize that people all around are differ-
ent and the differences can't be ignored.
In the educational diversity discus-
sion, LSA senior Sean O'Neill said that
although it's important to look at who's
not getting their spot and who's being
held back because of affirmative action,
"we need diversity in our classrooms."
"You are giving someone an opportu-
nity who might not look as good on
paper and they're following through,"
O'Neill said.
LSA freshman Kristen Joe said stu-
dents who come to the University look-
ing for a diverse institution need to make
an effort to find the diversity.
"If you come here and you don't take
advantage of those opportunities you
won't broaden your horizons at all.
Nothing in your mind will change and
you won't get the real world experience,
she said.
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FARBO
The University of Michigan-Dearborn
invites you to be a guest student for the
Summer 2001 semester. We have three
options to accommodate students who are
home for summer vacation:
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Full Term
May 7 - August 29
THE CALENDAR
What's happening in Ann Arbor today
EVENTS Meetings, 7:00 p.m., vivors at Home and in SERVICES
MSA Chambers (3909 Transit, Germany 1945 -
"Post-Speculator Mar- Union) 1948," Sponsored by the- * Campus information
kets: Daily Bread, the U Ann Arbor Support Group Center for European Stud- Centers, 764-INFO,
Dailv Grind, and the New Meeting, 6:30 p.m., The ies, Atina Grossman will infn(,rnirhPdu. or
Half Term I May 7 - June 29
Half Term II July 5 -August 29 3
For information please call the Office
of Admissions and Orientation, 3 13-593-5100,
to speak with an admissions counselor.
Discover the