Wnat~ier
December 3, 2003
©2003 The Michigan Daily
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Vol. CXIII, No. 63
One-hundred-tkirteen years ofeditorialfreedom
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Asians push for bill
on minority
By Alison Go
Daily Staff Reporter
A proposed bill lending financial
assistance to higher education insti-
tutions that meet a quota of Asian
American and Pacific Islander stu-
dents is gathering steam on campus.
The bill, H.R. 333, will face Con-
gress in its next session and is a
proposed amendment to the Higher
Education Act of 1965. The bill
would add Asians to the list of
minorities - including blacks and
Hispanics - that receive federal
grants. Right now, supporters say
that Asians are the only minorities
that are not included under the act.
At the University, student groups
are organizing letter-writing cam-
paigns and meeting with the admin-
istration to discuss the bill.
"The student groups in the APA
community are spreading awareness
about H.R. 333," said SNRE senior
Han-Ching Lin, co-chai
United Asian American O
tions. "(They are encou
members to write to their r
tatives in Congress to ask
support the bill."
A similar national caml
also endorsed by the Nation
American Student Conferen
If the bill passes throu
gress in late January, it wou
pel the Department of Educ
allocate money to instituti(
an Asian student popular of
cent or more. This semest
percent of the student 1
Asian.
Priority would be given to
tions that admit a certain nu
low-income Asian studen
year.
"H.R. 333 is important be
addresses the model minori
that Asians are doing as wel
ter than whites and don
funding
r of the assistance," said Ziehyun Huh, tle
rganiza- Asian Pacific American coordinator
raging) in the Office of Multi-Ethnic Stu-
epresen- dent Affairs. "There are underrepre-
them to sented and low-income Asian
students that also need resources
paign is and opportunities."
al Asian "People have a conception that
ce. AAPI aren't in need when in fact
gh Con- there are a lot of Asians that are
ld com- below the poverty line," said LSA
cation to sophomore Stephanie Chang, exter-
ons with nal chair of the UAAO.
'10 per- The funds schools would receive
er, 13.7 would not be allocated from money
body is otherwise going to other minorities;
Chang said. It is the Department of
institu- Education's responsibility to come
amber of up with the money for grants.
its each The bill was proposed by Rep
David Wu (D-Ore.).
ecause it "This will improve an institu-
ty myth, tion's capacity to serve their stu-
i or bet- dents," said Jilliam Shoene, the
't need See ASIANS, Page 3
Students
ut nore
time into
new essay
By Jeremy Berkowitz
Daily Staff Reporter
DAVID TUMAN/Daily
LSA junior Paul Georgandellis studies in the Shapiro Undergraduate Library yesterday in
preparation for upcoming final exams.
Secret society bashed for use
of Native American traditions
By Karen Schwartz
Daily Staff Reporter
Students were locked in debate last night
long after University alum Melissa Lopez Pope
finished relating her story about the history of
the Native American campus community.
Pope spoke about her experiences on cam-
pus and interactions between the Native Ameri-
can community and the secret society
Michigamua, whose use of Native American
symbols in its initiation ceremonies and activi-
ties outraged many members of the campus
community.
Pope said she and others have stepped for-
ward over the years to protest the group's
stereotypical use of drums, loincloths, head-
dresses and the taking on of "Indian names."
Native American students and Michigamua
members have gone to the negotiating table
multiple times to discuss these improprieties,
Pope said, but Michigamua violated agree-
ments. While she said they no longer hold
offensive initiation rituals on the Diag, issues
such as the name of the group still remain.
"It got to a point where it was made very
clear that what they would never give up was
their name," she said, referring to past conver-
sations with members of Michigamua. Many
Native Americans see the group's name as dis-
respectful and as just another "pseudo-relation"
to the culture, Pope said.
She said she was committed to trying to
change the environment for future Native
American students, and to increasing the
Native American presence on campus.
Discussion between audience members
arose following her speech - passionate
words from students opposed to Michagamua
as well as from three Michigamua members,
who said they attended the event out of curiosi-
ty and interest.
Confronted with accusations about his
group, LSA senior and Michigamua member
Sean Carmody stood up in the back of the
Angell Hall auditorium to voice his opinion.
"We're here for one thing, to fight like hell
for Michigan through Michigamua. It's about
us working together through our organizations
to improve this University to the best of our
ability," he said.
While Carmody recognized that there are
some people who are still upset with past
events, he said the organization looks to the
future while remembering its history.
"I just want it to come across, the truth, that
we're not a racist organization," he said. "We
don't want this stigma to be a part of our
organization 20 years from now."
Another Michigamua member, who would
not give his name, told the crowd of more than
50 people that Michigamua practices have
changed. While he doesn't feel the group's
name should change, he said Michigamua is
involved in a different kind of pursuit.
"I don't dismiss what happened but I am
taking the stance that this happened and
that things have changed," he said. "We're
See MICHIGAMUA, Page 2
JASON COOPER/Diy
Native American activist Melissa Lopez Pope speaks in :
Angell Hall last night.
Alum shadows Clark
on campaign trail as
reporter for MSNBC
By Andrew Kaplan
Daily Staff Reporter
University alum Marisa Buchanan is a journalist
who has broadcasted sides of a presidential cam-
paign most voters never seen in the mainstream
news. Working as a campaign "embed" reporter
for MSNBC, trailing Democratic hopeful and
retired Gen. Wesley Clark, she says she has felt the
rigorous demands and brief moments of levity that
come with waging - and covering - a White
House campaign.
Buchanan, who has been following Clark since
JOEL FRIEDMAN/Daily
U.S. Rep. John Dingell (D-Dearborn) criticized Bush's tax cuts, the latest Medicare bill and the U.S.
occupation of Iraq during a forum at the Michigan Union yesterday.
Sll b aBes ush for
inCreasing bu et defic
he announced his candidacy
for the presidency in Septem-
ber, said she faces many
unusual challenges in her
reporting. In an effort to cap-
ture a more in-depth perspec-
tive of the presidential race,
MSNBC has assigned a
troupe of young reporters to
cover each Democratic can-
didate from their campaign
kick-offs. Their daily rou-
tines range from writing sto-
ries for the airwaves and the
Internet to taking photo-
"Up to this p
generally wh
for president)
mean, but ho
had no idea t
would be so
Campaign "en
in fact, it has been more intense than anyone else,
because he was the last to enter the race and he's
never been a politician before and there's been
intense media coverage since day one."
Often working with a camera no larger than a
home camcorder, Buchanan has been able to doc-
ument segments of the campaign trail less acces-
sible to the television audiences of debates and
mainstream events.
"It provides a great opportunity, a great per-
spective for (the viewers), because most of us
have never covered presidential politics
before," Buchanan said. "Those things being
represented are generally
from a different eye they
don't normally get."
at ( eniun g Aside from gaining a
woldthorough knowledge of
wold Clark's political agenda,
nestly, I Buchanan has had close
encounters with her candi-
bat it date - the retired supreme
"t n allied commander of the
intense. North Atlantic Treaty Orga-
Marisa Buchanan nization - that she said
rmbed" reporter for reveal a more companion-
MSNBC able character than typically
portrayed in public forums.
She recalled one moment on the set of Clark's
CNN "Rock the Vote" commercial, in which
Clark made a joking reference to Outkast, the
popular hip-hop group. Although that comment
aired with the advertisement last month,
Buchanan said Clark's offhand statements about
the commercial caught her attention.
"And later someone said, 'Do you really like
Outkast?' And (Clark) turned around to this
reporter and said, 'I can shake it like a Polaroid
picture,'" Buchanan said. "I had my camera and
was right there, and he leaned in and whispered
it.... And this is nothing you'd ever see on NBC
Nightly News."
Dexter High School guidance couw-
selor Geraldine Holmes said she
instructed her high school seniors that
were applying to the University this
fall to "speak from the heart" in their
application essays.
The Office of Undergraduate
Admissions unveiled a new applica-
tion in late August in response to the
June U.S. Supreme Court decisions
regarding the University's race-con-
scious admissions policies. The court
said the University could use race as
one of many factors in admissions, but
it struck down the practice of granting
20 points to all underrepresented
minority undergraduate candidates.
. , ,., ,. ,T h 'e
S~cCON 1MJ t W admissions
PART sRIK1SON o f f i c e
'rHg ADMiStSIOS increased
the nu m
ber of long
__.u essay
: :___.___ _choices
Ix:to three..
Candidates
must now
also fill
out several short 250-word essays with
questions ranging from their favorite
book to their experiences with cultural
diversity.
As a result, applicants are spending
more time and putting more thought
than aspiring students in previous
years.
Holmes said the diversity question
troubled some of her students that
grew up in a very homogeneous envi-
ronment.
"The students haven't experienced
diversity, but that's something they're
looking for," Holmes said, adding that
she tells her students to look for expe-
riences that make them distinct,
including the lack of diversity in their
lives. "An honest approach is probably
the best answer."
Rochester Hills High School senior
Andy Putman said he wrote about his
interests in the world and other cul-
tures, although he said he worked a lit-
tle harder to show how diversity fit
into his life.
"That was really tough being a
white male trying to explain to an
admissions staff how I'm going to
bring diversity to campus," Putman
said. "It's not necessarily being
diverse, it's more about writing what
I'm into and I had to make it sound
like I was being diverse."
Canton High School senior Suketu
Patel addressed the stark differences
between attending a high school in
Canton Township as opposed to one in
the more conservative Temperance,
which he previously attended. But he
added that several other students were
By Michael Kan
Daily Staff Reporter
U.S. Rep. John Dingell slammed the Bush
administration's policies last night at the Michi-
gan Union, but said the real reason he came to
campus was to listen to his community.
"I have come here tonight to visit the people I
have served. To tell them my plans, but to also
hear what you want Congress to be doing," said
Dingell (D-Dearborn).
Still, Dingell spent much of the forum criticiz-
ing the Bush administration's policies.
Dingell took questions on issues facing the
United States and tried to offer solutions to
them. But first, Dingell delivered several pieces
of bad news.
"The budget deficit is 500 billion - the
biggest in history. But it is very possible the
.afii : ril l :n - rn -a :in tha i.tir 17 i ..;1
predictions for the United States. He gave
details on other policies he calls misguided,
including the legislation on Medicare and the
occupation in Iraq.
But Dingell spent the bulk of the forum
answering audience questions. The forum
encompassed a broad variety of topics, but Din-
gell expressed endless concern about the United
States' future, saying the government has a duty
to look at the future of its country.
The government must also make sure the
country is fair and human, Dingell said. He
added that the Bush administration is not carry-
ing out either of these duties.
A main criticism of the current administration
involved the Medicare bill pending Bush's signa-
ture. Dingell said he opposed the new bill
because it would privatize the healthcare system.
Moreover, he supported the original Medicare
cvet a '1( AiRP i ac ;+ .VP. ale 1 "Medicare
graphic and video images of their candidates.
And aside from taking a break on Thanksgiv-
ing, she hasn't slowed down.
"I was with (Clark) until Thanksgiving Day,"
she told The Michigan Daily in an interview yes-
terday. "I actually spent some time with my fami-
ly and reminded them who I was. ... And now
I'm back at it again."
Buchanan said the time spent alongside Clark
and his staff has apprised her of the enormous
amount of work that goes on behind the scenes of
a campaign.
"Up to this point I knew generally what (run-
nina for nresiAntl woul1d mean hut honntly. I