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 0 QC1 LII Off-Campus Housing Residence Halls IT-ST HAR.VESI -0-SIAMum 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 ::