One hundred ten years ofeditorlfreedom
t
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Friday
April 13, 2001
w t ds " ' S;
I
egents
examine
undergrad
life
Housing rate increases and
Rackham construction also
pass unanimously by board
Anna Clark
Daily Staff Reporter
University Provost Nancy Cantor wants
to get beyond the U.S. News and World
Report college rankings to get at to the
heart of the undergraduate experience at
the University.
"The question is, what do we know about
sents' expectations for and experiences
alichigan," Cantor told the University's
Board of Regents at its monthly meeting
yesterday.
The University's Undergraduate Com-
mission, chaired by Cantor, compiled
results from six major surveys targeting
students from every level of their engage-
ment with the University, from admitted
students who didn't enroll to alumni six
years after graduation.
The results - featuring answers from
concrete questions like "How many hours a
week do you study?" and "How many artis-
tic organizations are you a part of?" -
were then organized into five benchmarks
for measuring student engagement: level of
academic challenge, active and collabora-
tive learning, student interaction with fac-
ulty, enriching education experiences and
supportive campus environment.
"These benchmarks are the core of what
you would want a student at an undergradu-
ate institution to be engaged in," Cantor
said.
These results were then compared with
the results from the same surveys from 46
peer institutions, including Michigan State,
Northwestern and Harvard universities.
The University of Michigan achieved its
highest ranking with the level of academic
challenge benchmark -- in the 97th per-
centile among freshmen.
While most other benchmarks reached
comparably high rankings, the University
saw its lowest mark in the "student interac-
tion with faculty" category. Among fresh-
men, the University is in the 48th
percentile and among seniors, it is in the
60th percentile.
"We know this isn't where we should be
or where we'd like to be," Cantor said,
adding that all major research institutions
fall in this category. "This is an area where
we really need to work on."
Cantor noted that the upcoming Life Sci-
ences Institute will likely create "a steady traf-
fic of interaction" between students and faculty.
University President Lee Bollinger said
the overall high results were impressive for
a large university.
"It's terrific to know that students are so
engaged in the intellectual life of this uni-
versity," Bollinger said.
He added that he hopes future emphasis
on upperclass students, including special
living-learning communities and on-cam-
pus housing, will increase student engage-
ment.
Also at the meeting, the regents voted
unanimously to increase campus and family
housing by 5 percent for the next academic
year, citing a projected increase in utility
costs. The University's room and board
rates remain the second-highest among Big
Ten schools, after Northwestern University,
but its cumulative percentage increases
were the lowest between 1997 and 200.
The regents also approved the next phase
of renovations to the Horace H. Rackham
Building, which will force it to close for up
to two years and displace graduate offices
and event spaces. The renovations will
focus on upgrading the utility and technol-
ogy systems, as well as an update of several
floors.
New band
director
Haithcock
prepared
By Loue Meizlish
Daily Staff Reporter
Michael Haithcock will have big
s to fill when he replaces H. Robert
Reynolds as the University's director of
bands this fall, but both students and
professors said they feel he is ready for
the challenge.
"I think it's going to be a really big
change because Professor Reynolds has
such a legacy here
with his conduct-
ing and all of his
students respect
him so much,"
Music senior and
symphony band
flute player Adri-
enne Miller said.
Haithcock, who
comes from Baylor
Halthcock University in
Waco, Texas, said he is thrilled to begin
working at the University.
"It's the most historic college band
pram in the country. To be offered a
chance to succeed the likes of William
D. Revelli and H. Robert Reynolds is
really quite an honor," he said. "I am
thrilled to be offered the chance to build
on the legacy of over 100 years of rich
tradition at the University of Michigan
in the band area."
Haithcock has been director of bands
at Baylor since 1982 and served as the
assistant director since 1976. H.e
received both his bachelor's and master's
d ees in music education from East
Carolina University. He was primarily a
saxophone player in college.
During the selection process Haith-
cock was one of three applicants invited
to rehearse with the symphony band as a
means of being evaluated.
Miller said Haithcock's audition was
very impressive. "The response to
Michael Haithcock when he came and
cl ucted rehearsal for us ... was really
tie so it's going to be a big change
and I think it'll take a little adjustment
time but I think the students overall are
really excited."
Bassoon Prof. Richard Beene, a
member of the selection committee,
emphasized the importance of the role
of the band director, who conducts the
symphony band and oversees all other
bands at the University, including the
concert, campus, marching, basketball
a~hockey bands. "They have to have
n only musical skill but skill at man-
aging various groups and working with
people and they have to be a pretty spe-
cial person to do those things"
Concert band tuba player Eric Banks,
a Music freshman, said he expects the
transition from Reynolds to Haithcock
to be relatively easy. "I think it might be
a change for some people who have
been Mr. Reynolds' students for a long
tiO, but Mr. Reynolds said that the new
director, Mr. Haithcock, was going to do
a great job, so I have a feeling that it's
probably going to be a good, smooth
transition"
Haithcock, who said he is a fan of
college football and basketball and also
aninoq readin Civil War and Revol-
Renovation
to slow for
final exams
By Karen Schwartz
Daily Staff Reporter
As finals approach, studying locations are at a pre-
mium across campus, where some students say con-
struction is hindering their progress.
Many students whose classes are interrupted by con-
struction noise fear the
noise could continue
through the finals.
Facilities and Opera-
tions spokeswoman
Diane Brown said
demolition on the
Haven Hall project is
complete and conse-
quently, work there
shouldn't cause noise
problems.
But work in Mason
Hall is scheduled to
"You lose your
train of thought,
and I don't want
that during my
final."'
- Ben Weiss
LSA sophomore
New Michigan men's basketoall coach Tommy Amaker addresses students last night at Crisler Arena.
HEEERE'S TO,.MMY!
Amaker outlines vision for upcoming
season, new system of student seating
continue, and although construction will not cease dur-
ing exam time, Brown said efforts are being made to
keep disruptions to a minimum.
"We try to work with all the people who have knowl-
edge of the different aspects of this job and the acade-
mic programs it affects to come up with the best
solution while still keeping to the work schedule," she
said.
LSA sophomore Ben Weiss, who has a Roman
archaeology class in Angell Hall, said his professor
sometimes has to stop in the middle of lecture due to
loud noises. He added that he is concerned about the
possible noise during finals.
"A giant rumbling sound comes from Angell Hall
during lecture," he said. "It's like a cell phone going
off during a test. You lose your train of thought, and I
don't want that during my final."
LSA freshman Christina Chau said her statistics pro-
fessor has had to leave class to complain about the
noise because the students can't hear the lecture.
"Finals are just a week," Chau said. "I'd rather just
have it quiet around here. I don't want to be disrupted
or looking up every time I hear a loud banging sound
during finals."
Brown added that the effort to keep disruption to a
minimum has been an ongoing process throughout the
year. The contractor, project managers and LSA
administrators, she said, have been meeting weekly to
discuss the upcoming work schedule and how things
have been altered because of issues they've encoun-
tered in the work and academic schedule.
"We try to always build the study days and final
exam time period into the construction schedule but
the major construction projects are on such intense
See CONSTRUCTION, Page 7
By David Horn
Daily Sports Writer
: New Michigan men's basketball coach'
Tommy Amaker 'discussed his coaching
philosophy and vision for next season with
members of the student body at a "team
meeting" last night in Crisler Arena.
Amaker also fielded questions from stu-
dents on everything from reintroducing the
old uniforms to remedying the influx of
Spartan fans at Crisler when the team plays
Michigan State. After Amaker's speech
and the question-and-answer session, stu-
dents were given an opportunity to meet
the new coach individually and play ball on
the court of the arena.
"I ihought it was great," Amaker said
after the presentation. "I was very proud
and honored that students were here to
support our team. I really appreciate them
coming, and I hope this is the start of
something very good - the start of a rela-
tionship with our students being more
involved with our team."
Amaker's address to the students was
preceded by introductions from Michigan
Student Assembly President Matt Nolan'
and Athletic Director Bill Martin. Martin
told the crowd of approximately 500 that
there would be a new seating arrangement
next year at Crisler, in which the pull-out
seats behind the team benches would be
replaced by seven or eight rows of bleach-
ers. He also said students, rather than pub-
lic season-ticket holders, would be given
the seats closest to the floor.
"The No. 1 goal is to bring the students
right down on the court," Marketing Direc-
tor Tom Brooks said. "They're our back-
bone. If we can get them visible, get them
right up front, their spirit is contagious. It
helps the whole venue."
Michigan alum and former "Superfan"
See AMAKER, Page 7
Summers: Global economy
begins with U.S. policies
By John Poley
Daily Staff Reporter
"The United States will probably determine whether the
momentum of the global economy integration will go forward,
or whether it will not," said former Secretary of Treasury
Lawrence Summers yesterday in his "New Global Economy"
speech at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.
Summers' speech, which inaugurated the school's Citi-
group Lecture series, addressed a number of important issues
the recently appointed Harvard University president feels are
ecnrial to the chanain2 economyv
administration, voiced explicit concern for movements oppos-
ing international trade expansion on moral grounds.
"There is a serious tendency for domestically motivated
protectionists to lend a morally attractive veneer to their pro-
tectionism. In many cases, it has the consequence of making
the people they're trying to help poorer than they otherwise
would be," said Summers.
"Let us make no mistake," he warned, "when the U.S. or
other international economies seek to maintain or expand bar-
riers to production in the poor countries in the world, they are
impoverishing people."
Summers further noted that while the conditions of workers
I