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www.michigandally.com

Monday
February 4,2002

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Freshman
assaulted
with gun
n E. Quad
By Jeremy Berkowitz
and Rob Goodspeed
Daily Staff Reporters
The Department of Public Safety
is suggesting students be particular-
ly cautious after two men entered
an East Quad Residence Hall room
Saturday night and assaulted an 18-
year-old female student. DPS has
categorized the crime as home inva-
sion and felonious assault.
The men entered the partially-
opened door of the victim's room
around 7:40 p.m., after her room-
mate left.
"The next thing I know there
where two of these random guys,"
the victim said. "I thought they had
the wrong room or something."
Both were wearing black gloves
and one put his hands over her face
and mouth, she said.
The other pulled out a gun, she
added.
"I was squirming to get away,"
the victim said. After she stopped
struggling, the man with the gun
"put his gun away and pulled out a
roll of duct tape.
"They were just standing there
and nothing was happening," she
said.
After she resumed struggling, the
man pulled the gun out again.
The victim said she screamed as
loud as she could, but added that
she did not think it was loud
enough for many to hear. The men
fled the scene.
The victim, a freshman, said that
housing security officers responded,
quickly.
A similar home invasion was
reported on Dec. 11, but DPS is
uncertain if the two incidents are
connected.
"There may be some similarities,
but right now we don't have any-
thing that points to a connection."
said DPS spokeswoman Diane
Brown.
Security at East Quad has been
increased since the incident, Brown
said.
DPS housing security officers
regularly patrol the residence halls,
and each hall is assigned an officer
for the evening shift.
"I felt so safe and secure in my res-
idence hall room," the victim said.
"I'ni really confused about why
they came into my room," she
S added.
p DPS issued a crime alert at 9
a.m. yesterday describing the two
suspects as black men less than 6
feet tall and approximately 20 years
old. Both were also described as
wearing dark down jackets and dark
knit hats.
The victim said the men's appear-
ance did not appear suspicious.
"They looked a little sketchy, but
not so sketchy that you would call
the police," the victim said.
"I'm really in a state of shock,"
she said. "I feel shaken up."
DPS said students should make
sure they do not allow strangers
into the residence halls after they
exit, and report all suspicious per-
sons in residence halls to housing

security.

Thouans
ofshome

lose
By Jorden Schrader
Daily Staff Reporter

More than 10,000 Washtenaw
County Detroit Edison customers
remained in the dark yesterday after
last week's ice storms caused 49,000
homes to lose electricity, according to
company reports.
Michael Porter, Detroit Edison vice
president of corporate communica-
tions, said Friday that the electricity
loss was caused by downed power
lines, which he attributed to-falling tree
limbs, high winds and ice buildup on
the lines.
The residential area south of Forest
Hill Cemetery on Geddes Avenue and
Observatory Street - heavily concen-
trated with students - was among
those hit by the power outages.
LSA junior Sheri Osher said her
home on Linden Street was without
power for 24 hours, beginning late
Thursday evening.
Osher said she was told by a Detroit
Edison spokesperson that the company
took a long time to restore service to

)ower
the area because the company was
concerned with other problems.
"We called and they said they were
only servicing emergencies right now,"
she said.
University facilities were affected
very little by the outages. No residence
halls lost power, said Diane Brown,
Facilities and Operations spokes-
woman. However, two Hill-area Uni-
versity-owned facilities lost electricity.
Oxford Housing, which houses no per-
manent residents, and medical fraterni-
ty Nu Sigma Nu lost electric service
following the ice storm Thursday
evening, Brown said.
Detroit Edison spokeswoman Lorie
Kessler said thousands of Detroit Edi-
son employees have been working to
fix the power outages and are now in
the final stages of repairs. Of the
265,000 southeastern Michigan cus-
tomers who lost electricity, Kessler
expected that 95 percent should have
had it returned by late yesterday. She
said the process should be finished
today.
See POWER, Page 7A

DANNY MOLOSHOK/Daily
A fallen tree damaged a Pontiac vehicle in front of 953 Greenwood Ave. Friday. An ice storm coupled with winds blew over
trees throughout Ann Arbor - also causing citywide blackouts.

Consumers aid ailing economy

By Ted Borden
Daily Staff Reporter
American consumers remain upbeat about the national economic
outlook but acknowledge current weak conditions, according to the
University's.Index of Consumer Sentiment. For the month of Janu-
ary, the index rose to 93, up from 88.8 in December and 81.8 in Sep-
tember. It was, the fifth consecutive monthly gain.
The index has been viewed with increased attention in recent
months, as investors and market analysts look for signs that the
economy may be improving after falling into a slump after the Sept.
11 terrorist attacks. Consumer spending accounts for about two-
thirds of the economy.
"Consumers think that the current state of the economy is unfa-
vorable, but that it will improve in the year ahead," said Richard
Curtin, director of the University's Surveys of Consumers. "The
divergence is clearly an indicator that consumers see the economy

turning toward recovery and away from recession."
"Consumers are very optimistic about changes in their financial
situation in the year ahead," despite lowering income gains, growing
consumer debt and the likelihood that the Federal Reserve will raise
interest rates in coming months, Curtin noted.
"We expect to see interest rates rise, which will cool purchases ...
but not create recession concern," he said.
John Schmitz, head of equity strategy at Fifth Third Bank in
Cincinnati, said he was pleased with the results, as well as Friday's
announcement from the Labor Department that the unemployment
rate unexpectedly dropped in January by 0.2 percentage points to 5.6
percent.
"It's yet another sign the economy is well on its way out of a reces-
sion," he said. He added that future economic prospects now depend
on business capital investments, rather than consumer spending.
Curtin shared the same sentiment, stating that this is a unique
recession. "Consumer spending never fell from quarter to quar-

"Consumers are very optimistic
about changes in their financial
situation in the year ahead."
- Richard Curtin
Director, University's Surveys of Consumers
ter. We'll look to business now to get us back to growth," he
said.
Students agree that the economy is certainly showing signs of
growth after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. But as LSA sophomore
Christina Rukstele noted, the economic outlookfor the typical col-
lege student is different than that of the average American.
See CONSUMERS, Page 7A

Study reshmen enter'U
with high GPAs, AP credits
Freshman are not prepared At the University of California at Los Malinda Matney, senior research assoc
A 4 L.:.4L, , .«,:. .o .p - t,-- ,-+ A fnin n

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for college but enter with high
grade expectations
By Kara Wenzel
and Kristen Berry
Daily Staff Reporters
Researchers at the University say col-
lege freshmen are coming with better
grades and more advanced placement
credits than ever before. But according to
a national survey, incoming freshmen are
not necessarily prepared for college.

Angeles, experts believe the incidence of
higher grades awarded to high school
seniors is due to grade inflation.
"Expectations are higher (before fresh-
men arrive at college)," said Linda Sax,
UCLA Higher Education Research Insti-
tute associate director. "Because they're
getting good grades in high school, they
think college will be easy. A 'C' is often
interpreted as failure, when in the past it
meant average.
"High school grades are going up, but
there's no evidence of the students being
better prepared," said Sax.

ate at the Division of Student Affairs, said
University participants in the national
Cooperative Institutional Research Pro-
gram survey have shown that they are
more serious about their studies than stu-
dents at other highly selective public uni-
versities. Entering students' high school
grade point averages are also much higher
than those of their peers nationally.
Matney said 88 percent of freshmen
took at least one AP course, and 60 per-
cent took between two and six AP exams.
"These surveys by themselves wouldn't
See FRESHMEN, Page 7A

Today, The
Michigan
Daily enters
the hands of
its 112th
editor class. With thanks and
congratulations, we take the
paper from our successors,
determined to fill the large
shoes they wore.
We'll do our best.
While the personnel may be
changing, our charge does not.
We will, as always, maintain'
our commitment to covering
campus and local news as
completely and accurately as
possible, while focusing on
national and international

JOHN PRATT/Daily
Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) spoke to a Michigan League
Ballroom audience Friday about slave reparations.
Conyers fights
to pass slave
reparation bill
By Jeremy Berkowitz
Daily Staff Reporter
Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) defended legislation pro-
posals about slave reparations to descendants of slaves as he
helped kick-off a two-month lecture series titled "Season of
Injustice" Friday.
The series, sponsored by the Center for Afro-American
Studies, is a comparison of racial injustices in South Africa
and the United States, most notably the transitions to equali-
ty.
Assistant anthropology Prof. Daniel Rothenberg said that
while both countries have had different racial situations
regarding racial injustice, "It's constructive to look at these
two cases together."
Cynthia Wilbanks. University vice president of govern-

Hail to the Victors

GEO contract
stalled for two
more weeks
By Maria Sprow
Daily ,Staff Reporter
The University and the Graduate Employees Organi-
zation officially agreed to extend their 1999-2002 con-
tract three more years during a bargaining session
Thursday. The contract was set to expire Friday.
The extension was tentatively agreed upon during
Thursday night's bargaining session and confirmed
during the GEO's Thursday night membership meeting.
More than 90 percent of GEO members in attendance
voted against an indefinite extension. University
spokeswoman Julie Peterson said the official agree-

AP PHOTO
New England Patriots quarterback and University alum Tom Brady was named

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