LOCAL/STATE
The Michigan Daily - Monday, November 5, 2001 - 3A
Blue party takes pride in non-affiliation
Housing fair gives
students chance
to weigh options
Students will have an opportunity
to learn about housing options, both
on and off campus, today in the
Michigan League.
All types of student housing will be
represented, including residence halls,
family housing, co-ops, Henderson
House and the HomeShare Program,
where students live with an elderly
. Ann Arbor resident.
Landlords from local companies
will also be on hand to answer stu-
dents' questions and concerns
about renting apartments and hous-
es. They will provide information
;about units available for lease next
fall, and schedule viewing appoint-
ments.
To ensure that students are not
only aware of their options, but also
their rights and responsibilities as
tenants, the city of Ann Arbor will
be providing information and there
will be pamphlets available for par-
ticipants..
Prizes will be raffled through out
the day, and refreshments will be
available. The Housing Fair will be
from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Michigan
League Ballroom. The event is free
and open to all students.
'U' history is focus
of Parents Weekend
Proud parents of University stu-
dents are invited to campus for a
weekend-long series of events this Fri-
day, Saturday and Sunday.
This year's Parents Weekend theme
will be "The University of Michigan
and Its History." Parents will be able
to experience the highlights of cam-
pus history through tours and recep-
tions in each residence hall.
E. Royster Harper, vice president
for student affairs, will talk with par-
ents about University policies and
programs available for students. In
addition, English Prof. Ralph
Williams, a winner of the Golden
Apple Award for outstanding faculty,
will give a lecture.
For entertainment, several events
will be held such as performances by
the Chicago Comedy Company and
the. School of Music production of the
opera "The Consul."
Limited tickets will be available for
Saturday's football game against the
University of Minnesota.
Burton Tower
celebration Friday
The history and recent renova-
tions to the Burton Memorial
Tower will be celebrated Friday
when the University and Ann Arbor
communities gather at the Ingalls
Mall, located between Burton
Tower and the Michigan League.
The celebration will include free
refreshments, music and discussions
about the history and future of Burton
Tower as the 45-ton bells will be put to
life by University carillonneur Margo
Halsted and other University musicians.
Burton Tower has been a landmark
for the University and Ann Arbor since
it was completed in 1936. The architect
of the tower, Albert Kahn, also
designed numerous other buildings on
campus such as Angell Hall, Hill Audi-
torium, the Natural Science Building
and the East Engineering Building.
The tower has recently undergone a
$1.8 million renovation.
The public is invited to join the cel-
ebration that will begin at 4 p.m.
Careers in human
rights subject of
presentation
A presentation will be given on
careers in international human rights
and welfare Wednesday at 6 p.m. in
room 1636 of the School of Social
Work.
A panel of representatives from
non-government and not-for-profit
agencies will discuss the career
options in these fields as well as the
skills needed to succeed.
Professionals will be on hand to
help participants weight the pros and
cons of becoming involved in human
rights work and types of job options
available.
- Compiled by Daily Staff Reporter
Shannon Pettypiece.
By Kara Wenzel
Daily StaffReporter
The Blue Party candidates promise that if elect-
ed to the Michigan Student Assembly on Nov. 14
and 15, Wolverine Access will be revamped and
students in every college will enjoy a fall break.
The Blue Party, formed in winter 1999, is the
second oldest party in the election. Its members
said they are concerned primarily with campus and
academic improvements.
"Student government should be about student
issues, not party politics," said candidate John
Carter, a Business junior. "We don't have one cen-
tral platform because we encourage individual can-
didates to come up with their own ideas that
pertain to their schools."
As a Business School representative, Carter said
MSA~lections
Part one of a five-part series about campaign platforms
he would work to extend computer lab hours for
Business students and adopt a fall study break for
all University students.
The Blue Party candidates said they are not
interested in addressing national and world issues,
as they feel some other groups are.
"Of all the parties running, the Blue Party is the
only one whose candidates don't all associate with
a certain political stance," said candidate David
Goldman, an LSA junior who chairs MSA's Acad-
emic Affairs Commission.
"The reason for this is that we don't want to be
associated with addressing the political issues of
the time."
Blue Party candidate Shyla Kinhal agreed with
Goldman that MSA should focus on local issues.
"When I am elected, I plan to start the process to
eliminate issues that have no impact on the student
body," said Kinhal, an LSA sophomore.
Kinhal hopes to make students better informed
about what MSA actually does.
"I want to get a bimonthly insert in The Michi-
gan Daily that updates students on MSA's activi-
ties," Kinhal said.
Goldman said that he, along with other Blue
candidates, also places a high priority on rearming
Wolverine Access.
Goldman said he will continue to work with
LSA student government to improve the links to
and from Wolverine Access, add an audit for distri-
bution requirements and push the administration to
better accommodate students who miss class for
the observation of religious holidays.
LSA sophomore Jonathan Muenz is running for
MSA for the first time.
"The first thing I'd like to change about MSA is
its accessibility to every student," Muenz said. "I
am in favor of creating online polls and message
boards that allow students to share their thoughts
and opinions on current issues."
Muenz said he is running for MSA to meet new
people and have new experiences while voicing his
opinion on campus.
Some partywide goals include expanding Entre
Plus to Michigan Stadium and other restaurants
near campus, and making academic minors more
widely available throughout all the University's col-
leges.
Remembering Rabin
Panel addresses confusion
of applying to grad school
By April Effort
Daily Staff Reporter
Klodia Saad, an LSA junior at the
University's Dearborn campus said she
is overwhelmed and confused by all of
the options facing her in her search for a
graduate program.
Saad was just one of many third- and
fourth-year students who attended a
workshop Saturday aimed at demystify-
ing the process of applying to and gain-
ing admission to graduate school.
"I'm not sure of what's even out
there," Saad said. "I thought this would
help introduce me to a few programs.
... There were programs that I didn't
even know about. So now, I'm a little
more confused, but that's good. There
are more opportunities and more things
to look at."
The workshop, sponsored by the Cen-
ter for the Education of Women, con-
sisted of a panel of administrators and
one graduate student representing the
University's seven graduate schools.
The panelists each spoke about what
programs the schools offer and
addressed students' questions.
Asha Phi, the graduate student repre-
sentative from the Business School, rec-
ommended getting entrance exams out
of the way as early as a year ahead of
time and doing all interviews in person.
"I highly recommend interviews in
person. Phone interviews are harder
because it's harder to build a good rap-
port with the person," Phi said.
"Important skills for grad school are
tenacity and flexibility."
- Glenda Haskell
Rackham Graduate School Assistant Dean for Programs
Glenda Haskell, assistant dean for
academic programs and services at the
Horace H. Rackham Graduate School
said there are some important questions
to ask yourself before deciding if gradu-
ate school is the next step after college.
She said students should consider
whether they need further education and
whether they need to take time off
before beginning a graduate program.
She also said that when choosing a
school, students should consider the
school's location, local community and
job market, prestige, rankings, financial
support, diversity and degrees offered.
"Important skills for grad school are
tenacity and flexibility because change
is inevitable," Haskell said.
She added that good places to begin
the hunt for a school is the University's.
Career Planning and Placement Office,
Peterson's Guide to Graduate and Pro-
fessional Programs and speaking to stu-
dents already in graduate programs.
Sarah Zearfoss, assistant dean for
admissions in the University's Law
School, said it is important students
make sure they get recommendations
from someone they trust and who
knows them well.
"Ask them if they can write you a
strong recommendation, if they have
any hesitation, get it from someone
else," Zearfoss said.
She and Phi added that it is also
important to give the person writing the
recommendation a resume, a statement
of goals and plenty of time.
Program coordinator Merta Trumble
said the workshop was designed to give
a lot of information in one spot.
"It started as a collaboration in order
to pique the interest of undergraduate
students so they can know what is out
there, know what might be available to
them and share a lot if this information,"
Trumble said.
LSA junior Megan Harris-Linton
said the program came 'just in time."
"There are things I didn't even know
about before. I feel like I have a lot
more direction. I know which test to
start looking into taking, what the
admissions requirements are and Ahere
I can find information," she said.
Debbie Taylor, director of the women
in engineering office offered a last piece
of advice.
"Don't let nay-sayers hold you back,'
she said.
LESLIE WARD/Daily
LSA junior Shira Tolins speaks to students at a memorial service held in honor of
the sixth anniversary of the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin
on the Diag last night. The memorial, sponsored by Hillel, commemorated
Rabin's death and aimed to spread his message of peace through poetry and
song.
Engler to announce m
budget Cuts tomorrow
LANSING (AP) - The House and
Senate appropriations committees are
scheduled to meet jointly tomorrow to
receive an executive order from Gov.
John Engler outlining where he wants
to cut the state budget.
Engler is expected to propose trim-
ming about $500 million from the $9.3
billion state budget for the fiscal year
that began Oct. 1. The committees
then have 10 days to decide if they
want to approve the cuts or turn them
down.
Senate Majority Leader Dan
DeGrow (R-Port Huron) said he
expects the Senate Appropriations
Committee to approve the executive
order quickly. He and other legislative
leaders have been negotiating budget
matters with the Engler administration
for the past few weeks.
Not all of the negotiations have gone'
smoothly. Engler originally wanted to
cut money for higher education, but
opposition from some legislative leaders
caused him to change his mind.
Kelly Chesney, spokeswoman for
state budget Director Don Gilmer, said
trimming the budget has been a matter
of taking some money from each
department, but not an equal percent-
age from each. Overall, the cuts
should trim the budget by about 5 per-
cent, she said.
"If we move forward with this execu-
tive order, we should be in pretty good
shape," she said. "That's not to say this
won't be difficult, because it will."
Chesney said future budget prob-
lems are likely to be handled by the
Legislature passing a bill to trim
appropriations. But she said state fiscal
officials are counting on revenues
picking up in a few months.
"All the economists expect a spring
recovery," she said.
Engler said last week that he doesn't
favor delaying cuts in the state income
and Single Business taxes set to take
effect Jan. 1, 2001. The delay would
bring $230 million to the state in the
fiscal year that began Oct. 1. Engler
said his proposed cuts will mean lay-
offs for some state workers.
The governor delayed a trip to Japan
to finish work on the executive order.
He originally was scheduled to leave
yesterday, but will remain in the state
until Wednesday or Thursday to iron
out any problems with getting the cuts
adopted. He plans to return Nov. 14.
The Legislature paved the way for the
executive order last week by passing a
bill to chop nearly $10 million, 5 per-
cent, from the state's legislative and
judicial budgets and to take money from
the state's Budget Stabilization Fund.
The measure, sent to Engler for his
signature, would withdraw up to $200
million to cover a shortfall in the
state's $9.2 billion general fund for the
fiscal year that ended Sept. 30.
It also would funnel up to $350 mil-
lion to cover all of a projected shortfall
in the $11.5 billion School Aid Fund
in the current fiscal year.
Engler is prohibited from using an
executive order to cut the judicial and
legislative budgets, which cover every-
thing from legislators' staff to judges'
salaries. So lawmakers had to approve
cutbacks on their own.
The appropriations committees will
have 10 days to either approve or dis-
approve the executive order. They
can't change the order, although it can
be withdrawn and resubmitted with
changes by Engler. The full Legisla-
ture does not vote on the executive
order.
( ome to the 2nd Annual Housing Fair, .where
hundreds of U-M students will be searching
for housing options, both on- and off-campus.
November 5,.2001,
2pm-6pm
......................*.I n th e
Michigan League Ballroom
There will be refreshments and give-aways so come enjoy!
We look forward to seeing you at the largest gathering of
Ann Arbor's housing market.
U-M Housing and Off-Campus Housing Staff
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Off-Campus Housing
Residence Halls
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Family Housing
THE CALENDAR
What's happening in Ann Arbor today
EVENTS ' "Sexuality, Feminism, Hill Street SERVICES
and Asylum: The Con- Pub Quiz; Local high
U "We Told You So: A Sex duct/identity Conun- school English teacher Campus Information
Wars Retrospective;" drum;" Sponsored y the Geoff Cost throws out info@umich.edu, or
Talk by the controversial Center for International questions for anyone to www.umich.edu/-info
lesbian feminist activist and Comparative Law, answer at this weekly Northwalk, 763-WALK,
.. AJ , 16.m ., .1n Pirslev Residence Hall
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