E 4W TUDENT EDIT.ON
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SECTION
NEWS: 76-DAILY
www.michigandaily.com
Fall 2003
KYLE
1 O'NEILL
University le:
more than just
football, beer
pong and nals
h, sorry. I didn't hear you knocking. Yeah, come
on in and make yourself at home. I was just lost
in my thoughts or I would have heard you sooner.
What was I thinking about? Well, I was thinking about
the right thing to say to you, the new student of this insti-
tution, as I figured you would stop by to ask what the Uni-
versity was all about.
I tried thinking of all the cool places to tell you about,
but I imagine that within a week of being on campus
you'll know everything from the Varsity Tennis Center up
to the North Campus Recreation Building. And who am I
to tell you what is cool, as I doubt many of you define
"cool" as watching thunderstorms, eating chicken wings
and not drinking alcohol like I do.
As for advice on classes: Trust those who have already
taken what you want to take. There's really nothing else I
can offer you on that.
. So I figured that the best advice I can give you, as to
what this university is all aboutt, is to meet as many peo-
ple as you can. Note that I said "meet" and not "know."
Getting to know everyone on campus is near impossible,
but to meet the majority who reside within this portion of
Ann Arbor is. And just by meeting one person a day, or
even a week, gives you a new perspective.
The first person I met was Adam Cole, my roommate
freshman year. After curing him of mononucleosis and a
few other dozen diseases throughout the first semester of
the year, we definitely got to know each other pretty well
despite our differences.
I also met Lisa Panetta-Alt, Chris Ehman and Juan
Matthews my first year. They are currently my bosses at
Crisler Arena and Michigan Stadium, where I have been a
janitor long before I was The Daily Janitor. Both are quite
possibly the best employers on campus. Water tubing at
Lisa's, talking hoops with Juan, playing with Chris' kids
and getting a free t-shirt from Tommy Amaker are things I
wouldn't know had I not met them.
The savior of Michigan basketball (not a month into his
job) saw two others and myself working hard sweeping out
the outdoor tunnel into Crisler. He said we deserved the
three t-shirts in his hand more than those he was supposed
to give them to. Class act doesn't even begin to describe
the man. With the same courtesy as his coach, LaVell
Blanchard wished me a Merry Christmas my freshman
year. I can't really say I ever got to know LaVell, but he
was always more than willing to chat with anyone who
wanted to talk to him. His numbers won't be the only
thing that will be difficult to replace.
Then there are those who I have worked with the
past three school years and two summers. Did you
know that Scott Clayton is the hardest worker this uni-
versity has ever seen? If janitorial services ever
became a sport, Scott would be its Tracy McGrady
hands-down. Damon Grosz is possibly the best around-
the-world player this side of the Mizzoura. Tory
Deleeuw has gone through more hard times in the past
year than many endure in a lifetime, yet she shows up
to work everyday with a smile on her face - her
toughness isn't that surprising given she was the cap-
tain of the Michigan women's club hockey team.
Speaking of hockey, I had the privilege to cover the
men's varsity season for the Daily last year. I met
Michigan forward David Moss and for some reason
confused him for his linesmate Jason Ryznar after
Michigan lost to Minnesota in the Frozen Four. It was
nice of Moss to not get angry with a journalist who
was going on no sleep on a 24-hour round-trip from
Ann Arbor to Buffalo, N.Y.
Through the Daily I've met Detroit Free Press sports
writer John Lowe, who not only has to cover my
beloved, but very poor, Detroit Tigers, but who also
takes time out of his schedule to help The Michigan
Daily whenever he can come into 420 Maynard.
Through him I got to watch Detroit's Matt Anderson and
Bobby Higginson play Connect Four.
I have also met the likes of Jeff Snyder, who endured
me making a duct tape wall' around his possessions. I
have met Brian Campbell, who can officially sleep any-
where he wants. I have met Brian Birchler, who snapped
his FIFA video game for Nintendo GameCube in half
because I was beating him too much. I have met Bryan
Bielawski, who couldn't cook spaghetti last September,
but now can actually make a full meal. And I have met
Jeff Quast, who introduced me to the ridiculous humor
of Super "meow" Troopers.
That was a lot of shameless name plugs to take in, take
a moment to rest.
Anyway, this is the University. It's not the Diag, it's not
Jimmy John's and it isn't the Big House. It is the people
you meet. The list above is only a fraction of those I have
met and an even smaller fraction of the stories I have to
tell from meeting each of them.
Such is the beauty of this campus, for it is not only
diversified in race and color, but in the thousands
By Jeremy Berkowitz
and Tomislav Ladika
Daily Staff Reporters
WASHINGTON - Considering a college
applicant's race is constitutional, the Supreme
Court ruled in a 5-4 decision June 23.
But in a 6-3 vote, it struck down the Col-
lege of Literature, Science and the Arts' pol-
icy of granting points for race.
The two judgments, which gave the Uni-
versity guidelines for how race can be
used in its admissions systems,
were the culmination of the six-
year legal battle between the
University and the rejected
white applicants who sued it.
The court accepted the Uni-
versity's argument that the
need for a"
diverse student
body justified
a ff i r m a t i v e
action.
The scene
outside thee
courtroom was
reminiscent of N
the one two
months ago, when
oral arguments
were heard in
their delight. University students and alumni
living in Washington D. C. for the summer
gathered to find out about the decision and
some waited in long lines to obtain copies of
the opinions.
"This is a victory today," said Theodore
Shaw, associate director-counsel of the
National Association for the Advancement
of Colored People. "This leaves the doors of
opportunity for minority students."
The decision was fortunate, given the cur-
rent conservative makeup of the court, he
said. Seven of the nine justices received their
appointments from Republican presidents.
Writing for the majority in the Law
School case, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
said the need for diversity justifies using
race as an admissions factor, thus rejecting
the claims made by the plaintiffs
that race should never be con-
sidered as an admissions factor.
"Because universities, and in
particular law schools, repre-
sent the training ground for a
large number of the nation's
leaders ... the path to leader-
ship must be visibly open to
talented and qualified individ-
uals of every race and ethnici-
ty," her opinion states.
O'Connor wrote that the
Law School policy "engages
0"in a highly individualized,
holistic review of each appli-
cant's file, giving serious con-
sideration to all the ways an
applicant might contribute to a
diverse educational environment. ... The pro-
gram adequately ensures that all factors that
may contribute to diversity are meaningfully
considered alongside race."
But writing for the majority in the LSA
case, Chief Justice William Rehnquist
wrote that "the only consideration that
accompanies the 20-point automatic distri-
bution to all applicants from underrepre-
sented minorities is a factual review to
determine whether an individual is a mem-
ber of one of these minority groups. ... The
LSA's 20-point distribution has the effect of
making 'the factor of race ... decisive' for
virtually every minimally qualified under-
represented minority applicant."
O'Connor and Rehnquist have a total of
53 years of experience on the court, in
which they have gained reputations as a
pragmatic swing vote and a consistent con-
servative, respectively.
They are both rumored to retire in the near
future, waited long enough to have a voice in
a landmark case that they possess enormous
passion for.
O'Connor faced enormous discrimination
in the 1950s when very few women graduat-
ed from law school. Rehnquist has repeated-
ly opposed affirmative action policies since
his 1971 entrance onto the court and voted
against the constitutionality of racial quotas
in the 1978 Regents ofthe University of Cal-
ifornia v. Bakke case.
Despite the split decision, University Pres-
ident Mary Sue Coleman called the ruling "a
tremendous victory" for the University and
all institutions of higher education. "The
court sent a clear message today that affir-
mative action may be used in our admissions
policies," she said during a press conference
by telephone.
"The court has provided two important sig-
nals. The first is a green light to pursue diver-
sity in the college classroom. The second is a
road map to get us there," Coleman said.
Although the court's ruling forces the Uni-
versity to modify the LSA admissions policy,
which assigned 20 points out of a possible
150 to black, Hispanic or Native American
applicants, Coleman said the University will
"find the route that continues our commit-
ment to a richly diverse student body."
The court has provided the University
with a "road map" for revising the LSA pol-
icy, stressing the need for a more individual-
ized review process, Coleman said.
"We really don't anticipate much difficul-
ty in coming up with a new process," she
said. "We believe we can do this. We're not
concerned about it at all."
Coleman added that the new policy should
be ready by this fall, and that the ruling would
not affect this year's incoming freshmen.
Terrence Pell, president of the Center for
Individual Rights, which represented the
plaintiffs, also called the ruling a victory for
opponents of affirmative action at a press
teleconference.
"Today's ruling is a mixed decision that
signals the beginning of the end for race-
based admissions," he said "Today's ruling
was another victory for opponents of affir-
mative action ... because it signals a trend
downward," he said.
The ruling leaves schools with "a slight
crack" for using racial plus factors, requir-
ing them to conduct a "good faith assess-
ment" of all applicants, he said.
Pell added that voters now will be able to
See DECISION, Page 5C
Grutter V.
Bollinger and
Gratz v. Bollinger.
Civil rights lead- ;
ers and University
officials held
impromptu press conferences
AP Photo
expressing
Coleman discusses campus, community
By Charles Paradis
Daily Weekend Editor
As one of the most influential members of the Universi-
ty and community, President Mary Sue Coleman knows a
lot about the interaction between the two. Coleman shared
her views with Daily Staff Writer Charles Paradis about
the diversity and future of students and the community.
On how the community and the campus interact ... The
campus and community bring together their respective
strengths to create an exciting learning environment in a
socially and culturally dynamic mid-sized community. The
University is an attractive place to teach and learn. It is
located amidst a viable downtown business district, great
schools and a variety of safe, well-maintained neighbor-
hoods. The diverse interests and talents of people that
attend the University create a broad economic impact that
inherently comes with any entity of 30,000 employees and
38,000 students.
If you are asking how the community and campus inter-
act operationally, the answer is quite well: In place, there
are extensive communication venues and opportunities
where community and University personnel work to
address basic concerns such as: parking, traffic, public
safety, construction, housing, technology transfer, hosting
visitors and generating community well being and overall
economic development.
On what the role of the campus is within the role of the
dents, to the public assets that are the University facilities,
libraries, museums, to the economic driver that is derived
from our own employment, the companies spin off from
University discoveries and the area businesses that are
dependent upon student or institutional expenditures.
On how various events bring the campus and the com-
munity together ... Enriching events such as the current
Royal Shakespeare Company performances or the "Ann
Arbor Reads" activity where everyone is encouraged to
read the same book (this winter: "Lincoln's DNA") and
share in discussion sessions and lecture programs are far
better examples of the campus and community: partnering,
sharing strengths, celebrating life and coming together.
Though the campus is impacted, the University has little
to no involvement with the Hash Bash and Art Fair.
On the level of activism on campus as direct result of
community awareness and
social responsibility ... I
think that the unique levels;
of community awareness and
social responsibility in Annr
Arbor contribute to an
atmosphere that conveys to
students; you can express,
yourself here. People are tol-
erant, open to diverse ideas
and respectful civil discourse
is the norm in this
similarly ... As individuals, campus and community mem-
bers approacb these issues similarly. As an institution, the
University approaches these issues as a provider of service
as well as a partner in addressing these problems. Not only
are we preparing the next generation of social workers,
psychiatrists and counselors; we are also providing direct
assistance and services to the existing population. The
work of our Family Medicine supported Free Clinic and
our compact with Washtenaw County Mental Health
Department provides individuals, here in Ann Arbor, assis-
tance with both their mental health and physical health
challenges.
On what role the University has in helping students
become good leaders for the community ... The respon-
sibility of preparing future leaders, in all fields, is at
the core of the University's mission. Aside from the
leadership development one might expect from course-
work, instruction and experience, the University has
supported the establishment of a community service
learning center and fostered student service opportuni-
ties and local internships.
On whether or not students on campus see themselves
as part of the community ... While the experiences are as
varied as the number of students, in general I don't think
most students see themselves as part of the local communi-
ty. The seeds of that mindset are sown at the start of the
higher educational experience. It is often said that one,
"leaves home" to go to college. Most all rent living space
I