The Michigan Daily - New Student Edition - Tuesday, September 3, 2002 - 9F Area museums offer more than th avrae. learning experience . By Karen Schwartz Daily Staff Reporter Instead of sitting in a classroom, LSA junior Joe Rothfarb's class took a trip to the museum. The University of Michigan Museum of Art, located across from the Michigan Union, and the Exhibit Muse- urn of Natural History, located on Geddes Avenue, are two museums on campus open daily and frequented by students for assignments, class trips and fun. Rothfarb said going to the museums is a good alter- native and a way to make the subject matter more real, applicable and meaningful. "A lot of the time, it's good for class. It goes along with some subjects you take and you get to talk to peo- ple and discuss topics while you're there. I think it works very well," he said. He added that trips to the museum are also great places to approach the person "you've been looking at across the room all semester" and impress them with museum knowledge. Ricky DeNardis, a Business junior, said he thinks having museums nearby is a definite benefit to students, and that he feels it is worthwhile to "take advantage of all that the University has to offer, including the local museums." DeNardis said that his favorite museum on campus is the Museum of Art because of the variety of continually changing exhibits it offers students. "If you appreciate art, it's a must-see," he said. He added that he feels lucky to be attending a school with an art museum conveniently located on campus because it provides him with opportunities he would not be able to take advantage of otherwise, including a chance to enrich his college experience. "Your college experience is what you make of it. It can start and stop with classes or it can be a continual four-year experience. Taking in some of the cultural aspects of the University can really add to the experi- ence," he said. The museums are also ideal and original places to take a date, DeNardis said, for a chance "to stroll hand in hand through the galleries" and explore exhibits. "It beats the usual 'go-to-dinner-and-a-movie' date," DeNardis said. For LSA alum Nathalie Dube, the art and natural his- tory museums were places she returned to more than once when she had some free time or to take a break between classes. She said she liked the fact that the museums are very accessible to students and that she could go back as many times as she wanted. "It's not like it's a whole day thing. You can just pop in and walk around when you have some extra time. I could come back a few times and still see stuff I hadn't seen before," Dube said. Another advantage to the museums, she said, was that she did not have to go out of her way or get dressed up to go inside. Experiencing art and history without having to pay money was another big bonus, she added. "You don't have to pay. You don't run into that a lot and it's definitely worth taking advantage of," Dube said. "It's a good chance to see lots of different stuff without having to go all the way to Chicago or Detroit." The museums give students a chance to see science and art up close, opportunities Dube said should not be missed because "once you're out of school, it's just that much harder to have access to that kind of opportunity." Dube said she remembers walking up to the dinosaur exhibit at the Natural History museum and being amazed at how close she was to the artifacts. "You can walk right up to them and really look at them - I don't think I've ever been that close to dinosaur bones before," she said. "It's very interesting stuff and I think it's worth it to go check it out." The University of Michigan Museum of Art sits nestled in the heart of campus and regularly features a variety of art exhibitions. Located off-campus on East Ann Street, The Ann the many activities at the museum, especially the "tor- Arbor Hands-On Museum offers students another local nado machine" which creates a miniature vortex visitors museum option. The museum charges a five dollar can watch and run their hands through. admission fee to students with valid student identifica- "You get to play around and enjoy the activities," tion. Beckham said. "It's a fun break from campus life - Law student Pierce Beckham, who went to the Hands- you get out, you get more in to town, you get away from On Museum for a day out with friends, said he enjoys the stress." Students find buses easier to maneuver construction By iUsa Hoffman Daily News Editor With construction already slowing traffic in a number of downtown areas, students moving to campus this fall will have more to figure out } than which streets are one way - they will need to find out which ones are open. Construction in the State Street area is scheduled to begin in late August and will continue throughout the year until the projected completion date of Summer 2003, according to city officials. "Once they get started on State Street, the foot traffic will slow down during the day," said Tony Elam, manager at Red Hawk, a restaurant on State Street. "People can't walk up and down the street, but at night, I think they will come out." Construction across campus has also been a source of problems for pedestrian, bike and roller blade traffic trying to get on and off campus. To help resolve these travel issues, pedestrian detours have been built around major construction sites, including the construction of the Life Science Institute and Biomedical Research Building near the Hill area. "The challenge for the Hill residents is to come far enough south to take the pedestrian bridge near the CCRB or come far enough south and west to cross at the Power Center ... they really can't use that curve, it's just too dangerous," Facilities and Operations spokeswoman Diane Brown said, referring to the curve on Huron Road that borders the construction site and Palmer Field. Increased traffic flow due to the medical buildings and August move-in will also make the area more dangerous to student pedestrians, University Housing Public Affairs and Information Director Alan Levy said. "After move-in, students in that area can expect very constricted flow near the construction site. During the regular day, it won't be so bad, but even on a normal day, it could be backed up," Levy said. University Housing will be distributing pedestrian safety tips to students in the residence halls on the Hill, which include Mosher Jordan, Couzens, Lloyd and Markley, to try to address inconveniences and problems facing residents, Levy added. Large volumes of traffic and a parking crunch will also slow down stu- dents who choose to bring vehicles to campus, though Parking and Trans- portation Services strongly recommends that students leave vehicles at home. "We recommend to students that they don't bring their vehicles to cam- pus because parking is very short for students and even faculty and staff. The best way to get around campus is the campus bus system, all rides are free, all stops are serviced," Parking and Transportation Services Director Patrick Cunningham said. He added that more students bring cars to campus than the department would like to see. "Unfortunately there are a lot of students who want to bring cars to cam- pus, but there are not a lot of storage lots. You have to move your car from most of our lots within 48 hours ... some are only overnight. There's really not a good place to store cars. There's very limited parking even in the off- campus housing," he added. Though off-campus parking prices can sore into the hundreds of dollars, parking permits for University lots cost $55 per year, and are only avail- able to juniors, seniors and graduate students. Any student can purchase a permit for the State Street lot, which is located near Eisenhower Road and has free bus service to campus provided by the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority every 10 to 15 minutes. Students living in North Campus housing, which includes Bursley and Bates residence halls, or in Oxford Housing have the opportunity to enter a lottery for a limited number of parking spaces at the buildings. The pro- jected cost for the 2002-2003 school year for a permit is $120, according to a letter written to incoming Bursley residents by University Housing. Students with special needs can appeal to Parking and Transportation Ser- vices for commuter parking permits. For more information on routes and services, visit www.transportation.umich.edu., "You don't need a car," LSA senior Mary Leone said, who added that she brought her car to school second semester of her freshman year. "I lived in Bursley, so I illegally parked at a parking complex." "Parking is trouble. It's a lot easier when you live off-campus," she added. If students choose to bring a vehicle to campus, they must also attempt to find parking spots at meters once when traveling within the city. Meters around campus range from 30-minute- meters to 2-hour meters and cost approximately 80 cents an hour. Though they are free on Sunday, expired meter tickets range from $5.00 to $25.00 depending on when they are paid. After three unpaid city tick- ets, a vehicle can be towed, according to the Campus Information Centers website, making parking a very costly endeavor. Because of the high prices and overall lack of parking in the city, many students choose to rely on other modes of transportation, including other people's cars and both the University and city bus systems. University bus routes run seven days a week and make stops at each point every 10 minutes Monday through Friday and every 20 minutes dur- ing the weekend. Routes provide transportation to the North, South, Med- ical and Central campuses. Commuter routes begin at 6:40 a.m. and end at 7:30 p.m. Routes to and from Bursley and Bates begin at approximately 7 a.m. and end at 12:30 a.m. A North Campus bus travels to Northwood Family Housing, Bates "After move-in, students in (the Hill) area can expect very constricted flow near the construction sight. During the regular day, it won't be so bad, but even on a normal day, it could be backed up." -Alan Levy University Housing Public Affairs and Information Director and Bursley until 2 a.m. or 3 a.m., Cunningham said. All routes are free of charge to students. For students who miss the late-night buses returning to either North or Central campus, the University offers a variety of travel options, includ- ing the Ride Home program which offers free door-to-door taxi rides for students living within the city limits from 2 a.m. to 7 a.m. Taxis can be requested from the Shapiro Undergraduate Library on Central Campus and the Media Union on North Campus. Other options include S.A.F.E Walk/Northwalk, a free walking and driv- ing service offered to students traveling within a 20-minute walk or a 1- mile drive of the Central and North Campus Diags, in which student assistants walk or drive students to their destination. The service is offered 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Night Ride, a service run by the AATA, also offers a shared cab service to students for $2.00 a passen- ger at various hours during the week. To get to off-campus destinations, including Briarwood Mall and vari- ous shopping centers, students can choose to take either a taxi or the AATA bus system, which has more than 1,200 stops throughout the city and the surrounding areas. For more information on AATA routes, visit www.theride.org. Rides to areas near campus cost 75 cents one-way, and monthly passes are avail- able for as low as $25. AATA also offers a shuttle to Michigan Stadium for $2 one-way on Football Saturdays to avoid traffic congestion and parking problems. The shuttle runs every 20 minutes beginning two hours prior to game time from stops around the city, including the Michigan Union. In organizing transportation to and from Detroit Metro Airport, students can choose from a variety of taxi services such as the Ann Arbor Taxi Ser- vice that offer a $45 flat rate for a one-way trip, among other services. But in organizing the ride, Andy Tremble, owner of the Ann Arbor Taxi Service, said he cautions students to not overload both the vehicle and their Juggage. "Students tend to want to put 10 pounds of stuff in a five pound bag. Because we're regulated, we can't overload our vehicles and students need to appreciate that ... it's with their safety in mind," Tremble said. "Four people can ride for the price of one. In this town, you're not going to spend more than a buck and a half to get anywhere (with four people). Running around in groups of five I wouldn't recommend." "It's a minivan and the operative word is mini," he added. The company charges $1.50 per mile, which is 20 percent cheaper than any other taxi service in the area, Tremble said. Railway services provided by Amtrak and bus services provided by Greyhound are also available for students as means to travel to nearby cities, including Chicago. COME AND WRITE Trya FOR THE EDAILY $w$$ THIS FALL! Sub! See our Ad in the Sports Section ....... e"Don't letyour -HAIR p$ ahead of T-SHIRT . PRINTING . LOWESTPRICES HIGHEST QUALITY! FASTESTSERVICE! U AR BEiRS ESTABLISHED 1939 1002 PONTIAC TR- U NEW LOCATION 994-1367 304 1 /2S. STATE ST. 2ND FLOOR ANN ARBOR, MI 48104 0008329 SU WWW.DASCOLABARBERS.COM . . m mBY APPOINTMENT LSA sophomores Wan Shakirah Kahar and Nik Arif wait for the bus.