LOCAL/STATE
The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, April 11, 2001'= 3
NG ED MSA joins statement opposing court ruling
BYU students irate
after sign language
housing is nixed
Students at Bringham Young Univer-
*sity protested the administration's recent
decision to discontinue the American
Sign Language foreign-language hous-
mg after Summer 2001 last Friday after-
noon. The protest was also used to
promote a need for an ASL minor on
campus. There was an interpreter pre-
sent to sign the protesters' chants.
Jeannie Welch, director of foreign
language student residences, said the
protest shows a lack of information on
the part of the students. Welch said the
,ASL program received so much inter-
,est that it was implemented off campus
for fall 2000 through summer 2001.
Welch also added that because the
ASL program is not recognized as a
rmajor or minor, the ASL house cannot
be a part of the on-campus foreign lan-
guage residences.
r. 4 Jack Rose, coordinator of the ASL
program, said everything possible has
been done to try to get an ASL minor
and faculty are in full recognition of
the benefits of the minor. Allison
Freedman, part-time faculty for the
" ASL program, said a minor would
help students with their marketability
after graduation. Welch said proposals
for a minor had been drafted but were
turned down due in part to a "lack of
qualified professorial personnel"
MIT courses to go
online for public
The Massachusetts Institute of Tech-
nology announced last week that it
intends to make materials for nearly all
its courses available on the Internet to
the general public. The 10-year pro-
ject, dubbed the MIT OpenCourse-
Ware, is a groundbreaking step in
Internet policy among higher learning
academic institutions.
The project will feature lecture
potes, course outlines, reading lists
and assignments for each of MIT's
nearly 2,000 courses. MIT hopes the
initiative will inspire self-study by
interested individuals around the world
and hopes it will help developing
nations build their own systems of
higher education, on the basis of MIT
curriculum as a model. MIT also
stressed the potential OCW has to
pen the dialogue on education by fos-
tering an environment in which curric-
ula can be more easily discussed and
compared.
The project is not without its crit-
ics. One response to the initiative
has been that increasing access to
materials offered by MIT courses
will decrease the value of an MIT
education, but MIT spokesperson
Patti Richards said the experience
of being in the classroom, listening
to lectures and interacting with
one's peers cannot be duplicated
over the Internet and, furthermore,
MIT will not offer any form of aca-
demic credit as part of OCW.
Other critics noted the legal complica-
"ions that may arise with the distribution
6f copyrighted materials and intellectual
".. property, but MIT said the same policies
currently followed by its faculty when
dealing with these issues will apply to
the Internet courses as well.
he Citadel to gain
cheerleading squad
The Citadel will soon be able to
have its own squad of cheerleaders,
now that the military institution has
gone co-ed. The college has "bor-
rowed" female students from the
ieighboring College of Charleston for
its cheerleading team since the 1960s.
- The Charleston cheerleaders must
'now leave the squad, though many of
them wanted to continue to cheer until
the end of their college years. Cheer-
leader Lauren Heesemann said she
thought it was wrong for the Citadel to
cut the current squad, but instead
should have let them finish out as mem-
bers of the squad till their senior years.
Associate Athletics Director Ray
Whiteman said the Citadel believed
the best decision concerning the
cheerleading squad was either all-
or-nothing. Athletics Director Les
Robinson agreed the radical change
was needed so that the Citadel's
{ cheerleaders are more representa-
tive of the school.
The Citadel now has 81 women
enrolled since its desegregation in 1995.
-- Compiled from U- WIRE reports by
y Daily Staff Reporter Jane Krull.
By Carrie Thorson
Daily Staff Reporter
At their second-to-last meeting yesterday
evening the Michigan Student Assembly
passed another highly contested resolution in
defense of affirmative action at the Universi-
ty.
This particular resolution added the assem-
bly's name to a University-wide statement in
opposition to the "anti-affirmative action
court decision" handed down by U.S. District
Judge Bernard Friedman in the lawsuits
against the Law School's admissions policies.
The resolution also involved the assembly
in organizing the National Student Confer-
ence to be held on campus this summer and a
National March on Washington next year.
LSA Rep. Peter Apel said the resolution was
not appropriate because it specifically
endorsed a student group.
Apel said the Coalition to Defend Affirma-
tive Action and Integration and Fight for
Equality By Any Means Necessary "does not
need MSA support on campus," adding that
the assembly should remain "strictly neutral"
about affirmative action.
Many assembly members said MSA should
not diverge from its past trend of supporting
affirmative action resolutions.
"For MSA not to have their name on this
(statement) would be embarrassing to me,"
said Law School Rep. Chris Sheehan.
The assembly also voted to establish a
Child Care Taskforce to improve childcare
options available to students. Alum Aimee
Bingham said childcare at the University was
second to last when compared to other Big
"For MSA not to have their name on this would be
embarrassing to me."
- Chris Sheehan
Law School representative
Ten universities.
"There are two changing tables on this cam-
pus," Bingham said.
"The decision to raise a family should never
deter a student's pursuit of higher education,
especially on a campus as diverse as our
own," said Rackham student Tara Javidi.
Assembly members announced that for the
first time in several semesters Advice Online
has been updated.
"Advice Online is a service that allows stu-
dents to see what their peers thought of cliss-
es," LSA representative Zach Slates said.
Newly elected officers are.LSA sophomore
Alex Mcdonough as chair of the Tax-ekempt
Textbook Taskforce and LSA sophomore
Monique Luse and LSA junior Leena Soman
as co-chairs of the Minority Affairs Commis-
sion.
Next Monday the assembly will hold a spe-
cial meeting to complete business before the
Summer Assembly begins.
MARS celebrates Great
American Meatout day
By Stephanie Schonholz
Daily Staff Reporter
Animal rights supporters, vegans and vegetarians
joined together yesterday to show their support for a
meat-free lifestyle in celebration of the national
Great American Meatout.
Normally held March 20, the Meatout was held
on campus later this year to take advantage of the
warmer weather. With pamphlets and flyers reading
"Choose A Living Earth" and "Kicking the Habit:
Great American Meatout" the Michigan Animal
Rights Society added its support to the cause with a
display on the center of the Diag.
"The basic premise of the National Meatout is it's
a time of renewal, springtime is a time of life and we
try to take advantage of that," said MARS President
Kristie Stoick, an LSA senior.
FARM, a national public interest organization and
the national sponsors of the day, which boasts
celebrity co-chairs including Casey Kasem, Mary
Tyler Moore, Jennie Garth and Bill Maher, provided
various pamphlets on the subjects of becoming a
vegetarian or a vegan, as well as animal rights in
general.
"We're out to promote a healthy lifestyle through
vegan and vegetarian attitudes and animal rights,"
said LSA senior and group member Karl Ecklund.
"It's important at the very least to get people to
think about the issue, maybe they won't go vegan or
vegetarian for the day or a week but it's in their
minds for the future," Ecklund added.
The group is "trying to emphasize that meat eat-
ing is bad for the environment, that it's not a renew-
able resource and the importance of the life part,
animals are suffering for your burger," Stoick said.
The national effort to call attention to animal
The national effort to call
attention to animal rights
makes it one of the most
vulnerable causes in
society.
rights makes it one of the most vulnerable causes in
society because people say that animals have;no
rights, Ecklund said.
"The National Meatout is a day that lets people on
campus be aware of taking some of the ideas that
promote less animal cruelty to heart;" said MARS
Vice President Erica Kebersky, an LSA senior.
Kebersky said many people showed interest in the
topic. "The animal rights movement is one of the
friendlier groups on campus, we got a lot of people
approaching the table asking questions, we try not to
alienate people," she said.
The group has made small strides in impacting
friends and family members' attitudes concerting
animal rights by changing family members' eating
habits for a day or more, or changing eating and
mental habits for a lifetime.
The primary focus of the group and promotion of
the Great American Meatout is to change socity's
staunch views about animal rights.
"If people would stop and think about what we're
saying, it might impact them. People ignore the mes-
sage because they think they're being threatened,"
said Stoick.
"Even if we impact a few people it's wortirthe
effort," Ecklund said.
JEF HURVITZ/Daily
LSA seniors Karl Ecklund, Kristie Stoick and Erica Kubersky run the Michigan Animal Rights Society
booth on the Diag during yesterday's Meatout.
Forum reflects on
regulations for use
r
SE
IOR
D
YS
ofDi~agh
By Karen Schwartz
Daily Staff Reporter
People passing through the Diag are
greeted by the displays that stand in
what many students consider the center
of campus. What they don't consider,
however, is what has to happen to make
the Diag events happen.
Members of student organizations
met yesterday with Student Activities
and Leadership Office Director Susan
Wilson and Office Manager David Gar-
cia to discuss Diag policy.
The annual open forum is designed
to collect feedback from students about
the Scheduled Use of the University of
Michigan Outdoor Common Areas,
commonly known as the "Diag policy."
Forum participants discussed Diag
allocation, structure and event restric-
tions, and group interaction.
Respect was also a main focus as
they reflected on past events and the
response of other student groups to
specific displays.
"Student organizations need to
respect each others' rights and view-
points to help us to help them create an
environment where they can accom-
plish that," Garcia said.
Students for Life President Andrew
Shirvell commented on other groups
responses to the Genocide Awareness
Project exhibit on the Diag last fall.
"People shouldn't use blocking the
Diag to limit free speech they don't
like," Shirvell said. "This is our Diag
too and no one group has a monopoly
on it. ... No group has the right to
iy groups
block the display."
Wilson said she recognized the
intensity of student feelings towards
their events on the Diag.
"It's hard to talk about the Diag in
abstract. When you're actually out
there your emotions get stirred and you
say, 'I'm supposed to be out there, I
scheduled that,"' Wilson said.
Student groups wishing to reserve
the area can call ahead to see if the day
is reserved and then go to the office to
fill out the appropriate forms. They
have the option of reserving part of the
area or the whole Diag.
Wilson said the Student Activities and
Leadership Office is there to help make
sure the free discourse is possible and
that community safety is not compro-
mised.
She added that the Diag is an impor-
tant place for the exchange of ideas and
that the Diag policy helps regulate the
time, place and manner of the event.
"You're here to learn from one another
and it doesn't just happen in the class-
room, it happens in the Diag, and the
Diag policy is there to make sure you
have the opportunity," she said.
LSA freshman Vijay Sampath
attended the meeting as a representa-
tive of the Alpha Iota Omicron fraterni-
ty. He said he found the meeting
beneficial and informative.
"It's important to know the ins and
outs of Diag policy so you can use it to
your advantage when conducting your
own events or choosing to collaborate
with other groups in using the Diag," he
said.
A ODAY
HERE!
INEY MATTERSI SEMINAR 27-- 7 n.m. both nights. Alumni Center
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You're about to earn your first salary, but what are you supposed to do with it? Get a jump start
on your financial life after graduation at these great workshops! You'll hear practical tips on
things like how to manage your credit card debt, pick the right benefits from your employer, deal
with taxes and save for the future. You'll also have the opportunity to talk with recent U-M grads
about what it's really like after graduation. As a bonus, everyone who attends also gets life After
+ Graduation, a great guidebook on everything else financial, such as finding an apartment, buying
i a car, living on a budget and more!
THURSDAY: SENIOR SEND-OFF - 5 p.m., Ingalls Mall, across from RaCkham
4
Celebrate your graduation with your friends at the Alumni Association. There will be
music, free food and drinks, information about cities across the United States, and
you could even win a new Passat from Howard Cooper
Volkswagen! Free prize drawings every half
hoilur, indIUding a multi-sport adventure
weekend trip for two. You'll also have the
opportunity to meet other U-M grads relocating to
your new city. Look for a postcard in the mail detail-
t
....
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. .g Et ing all the events at the send-off. We'll see you there!
4/28 WELCOME TO THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION - 8 a.m., Kipke Drive
parking lot, adjacent to Crisler Arena
Don't miss your last chance on campus to sign up for your free one-year membership in the
Alumni Association! Come learn what the Alumni Association has to offer you as a recent gradu-
ate. Enjoy some music and celebration as you gather on the east side of Crisler Arena to prepare
for thecommencement processional into Michigan Stadium.
4/28 MICHIGAN MEMORIES - Immediately following commencement,
THE CALENDAR
What's happening in Ann Arbor today
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