Monday
September 29, 2003
02003 The Michigan Daily
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Vol. CXIII, No. 20
S
One-hundred-thirteen years ofeditorial freedom
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After 113 years, still watching over 'U'
To OUR READERS:
T he Michigan Daily
celebrates its 113th
birthday today. As we
strive to uphold our tradi-
tion of journalistic integri-
ty, we will also work to
reach out to all members of
the University community
and encourage their partici-
pation and feedback.
Thanks to you, our readers,
the Daily's dedication to
providing a voice for stu-
dents is as strong today as it
was in 1890.
- The Editors
TI
Consumers'
economic
faith erodes
TONY DING/Daily
At left, the Diag is seen Friday
from the Goodyear Blimp,
flying high over Ann Arbor.
'U' index: Americans
dissatisfied with financial
polices but still spending
By Tonislav Ladika
Daily Staff Reporter
Continued unemployment and lack of
faith in current economic policies led to
a decline in consumer confidence over
the past month, according to the Sep-
tember results of the University's Index
of Consumer Sentiment.
But despite the decrease, results indi-
cate that consumer spending will
increase 3.5 percent during the first half
of 2004, a University news release
states.
"Consumers reported that they had
less confidence in the ability of the cur-
rent economic policies to promote
growth and lower unemployment," said
Surveys of Consumers Director Richard
Curtin in a written statement.
The index, which was released Friday,
fell from 89.3 in August to 87.7 points in
September, continuing its gradual
decline from the 92.1 level recorded in
May after major military operations
ended in Iraq.
The Index of Consumer Expectations,
used by the U.S. Department of Com-
merce as a leading economic indicator,
also fell from 82.5 in August to 80.8 in
September, after hitting 91.4 in May.
According to the release, the number
of consumers who found the nation's
economic policies unfavorable was
twice as high as the number who rated
them as favorable - the worst rate since
President Bush entered office.
Consumers do not expect further
job losses in the future, but they are
still apprehensive about when the
unemployment rate will begin to
increase, Curtin said.
Business School Prof. Nejat Seyhun
said even though a strong economic
recovery is underway, the fall in con
sumer confidence is not surprising.
"The reason that consumer confidence
is down is because a lot of this growth
that is trying to solidify is not translating
into jobs and wages,"he said.
But the economic recovery is still a
tentative one, especially due to the huge.
amounts of government spending
required to rebuild Iraq, Seyhun said
Declining consumer confidence could
affect future economic prospects, he
added.
"The fact that the economy is recover-
ing and consumer confidence is going
down is certainly not a good sign," he
said. "Certainly if the consumer confi-
dence goes down further ... it could,
undermine the economic recovery."
Curtin said higher gas prices affected
lower-income households, which report-;
ed large declines in confidence.
"Houses with incomes below the
median were twice as likely to complain
about rising gas prices and lower
incomes than higher-income house-
holds," he said, adding that one-third of
consumers reported their finances wors-
ened in September.
Despite the fall, the levels of both
indexes were still rated as favorable, and
both remained above their 50-year aver-
See CONSUMERS, Page 3A
ud cher-e t-- - 50 yeas
Jdg erd temfr5 er
Thomas Gadola, 70,
dies at Big House during
Indiana game
From staff and wire reports
The longest-serving Genesee
County probate judge died of an
apparent heart attack Saturday at
Michigan Stadium while watching
the Wolverines defeat Indiana,
police said.
Seventy-year-old Thomas Gadola,
who received his bachelor's and law
degrees from the University, had
missed only one Michigan home
game since entering the University
in 1953, his son said in an interview
with The Flint Journal.
Gadola, a resident of Grand
Blanc, was at the game with his two
sons and other relatives. John
Clothier, past president of the UM
Club in Flint, described Gadola as a
"very, very avid U of M fan" in an
interview with the Flint Journal.
Thomas Gadola's son John told
the Journal that his father had died
peacefully.
"He obviously didn't suffer, and
he was at a place he loved the most,
with his family, doing what he
loved to do," he said.
Department of Public Safety
spokeswoman Diane Brown said
deaths at Michigan Stadium are
rare. "It's not uncommon to have
cardiac situations at the game," she
said. "It is rare to have fatalities."
But many flint residents
expressed sadness at Gadola's
death. "This is a tremendous loss to
the Flint community, which held
him in high esteem," Clothier said.
"He was just a great, upright kind
of guy."
See GADOLA, Page 7A
Fans show Michig pride each
week with A2 tailgating tradition
By Ryan Vicko
Daily Staff Reporter
Football fans once again convened Saturday
for what has become an Ann Arbor pastime
- tailgating in support of the Michigan foot-
ball team.
The parking lot at Ann Arbor Pioneer High
School was host to the largest group of stu-
dents, families and others who made road
trips from across the country.
About 60 recreational vehicles sat parked at
Pioneer, their occupants watching the game
on satellite television, barbecuing, playing
music and dancing.
Many came with the Road Dogs, a group of
fans from all over Michigan who travel in
their RVs to see Wolverine football.
"There's people from every walk of life here
for one thing - to enjoy Michigan football. We
all share food and drinks, and I've made a hell
of a lot of friends," said Road Dog John Snyir.
He said he has had season tickets for foot-
ball and hockey since 1959 and he's been tail-
gating since 1974. "We come in rain, snow
and hail," he said.
Braylon Edwards, held a barbecue after the
game for the football players.
"There's a lot of players who aren't from
(Michigan). We just want to give them a
home-cooked meal and make them feel at
home," Edwards said.
Food was cooked on a nearly six-foot grill,
custom made from two barrels welded togeth.:
er. The hungry football players ate sausage,
pork links and three-meat lasagna, among
other things.
LSA freshman Tyrone Jordan has been
going to the barbecue since it began, roughly-
two years ago. "I just like to eat, talk and have
fun," he said.
At Fifth Avenue and Hill Street, students
partied at a lumber yard that a local business-
lets them use. The center of attention was a.
bus painted maize and blue with a porch on
top and a bar and couches inside. Next to the
bus, other students formed a circle to show off
their dance skills.
"Last year we all got together, threw in
some money, got a bus and renovated it," said
master's of business administration student
Ben Carpenter.
NICK AZZARO/Daily
Research studies have shown a significant Increase In mental health conditions - including clinical
depression and anxiety disorders - in college students.
SMental health proble-ms
on the rise for students
"This is the Mecca for football and tailgat-
ing," said Road Dog Kevin McCulloch.
University alum Conrad Bernys was play-
ing fight songs on an accordion. Bernys said
he follows the football team around the coun-
try and he hasn't missed a game - home or
away - in 34 years.
The streets surrounding the Big House
were crowded with barbecues and tailgaters.
Stan Edwards, father of Michigan receiver
By Naila Moreis
For the Daily
Papers, midterms and deadlines may not be the
only sources of worry for rising numbers of college
students suffering from depression, anxiety disor-
ders and other mental health problems.
A nationwide increase in mental health cases on
college campuses, identified by
a 2001 Kansas State University E e O
study of more than 13,000 stu- "Eve o
dents, has left University of more Stre
Michigan students, faculty and
medical facility staff struggling were 10 y
to cope.
Sam Goodin, director of Ser-
vices for Students with Disabili-
ties, has noticed this rise in
psychiatric disorders over his 11
years at the University. Many
referrals to his office come from the University's
Counseling and Psychological Services, who "are
dealing with a huge load right now," he said. "This
would be a normal load for CAPS around
midterms."
Depression and anxiety disorders are caused by
chemical imbalances in the brain and are related to
both genetic and environmental factors. Students
who think they may be suffering from these prob-
------------ . fre nfilat-,ma-I eat
ie
es
ec
"We see students who have unbelievable person-
al problems related to depression illness," said
Nursing School Prof. Bonnie Hagerty, whose
research focuses on depression.
These students often cannot keep up with aca-
demic work, failing tests or not turning in assign-
ments. Some sit alone in their rooms crying instead
of going to class and may even contemplate sui-
cide, Hagerty said.
s underAny student can have a
bad day or even a bad week,
S tian they but mental health disorders
differ by lasting longer than
3arS ago. two weeks and interfering
with normal function, she
- Bonnie Hagerty said.
Nursing Prof. The rise in cases results
in part from better medica-
tion, Goodin said, which has
helped more high school
students with psychological difficulties get to col-
lege. Also, greater awareness has encouraged more
students to seek help, he said.
More serious problems related to societal factors
may also play a role. "Everyone's under more stress
than they were 10 years ago," Hagerty said.
She attributes the rise to more family disintegra-
tion, greater academic pressure and more students
who work or raise children while pursuing a college
Facilities department
tightens belt, causing
some inconvenience
By Emily Kraack
Daily Staff Reporter
Students trying to enter the Mod-
ern Languages Building after 5 p.m.
have probably already noticed one
repercussion of budget trimming
discussions on campus. Blue signs
on the doors of the MLB declare
the Thayer entrance the "after
hours" door. The others are locked
at 5 p.m.
The MLB is just one of many
University buildings that has been
affected by the Department of Pub-
lic Safety's new door-locking proce-
dure. Doors that used to be locked
meaning different buildings will
have different procedures.
The new DPS policies are part of
a larger effort to increase efficiency
and cut costs within the Facilities
and Operations Department, which
oversees DPS.
Rackham student Steven Richard-
son said he heard about the cost-
cutting while talking to two
building operations workers in Ran-
dall Laboratories. He said he wor-
ried that building operations would
simply stop locking doors, leading
to a reduced safety level in the
buildings. "I want to make sure
people know what is going to hap-
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