The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, September 2, 2003 - 7A

ADMISSIONS
Continued from Page 1A
"What we're looking for is insight;'
LSA Dean Terrence McDonald said.
"This is really what a liberal arts college
is all about."
Decisions will still be made on a
rolling basis. Notifications should be
made from November to April.
Student leaders reacted with mixed
feelings toward the new policies. While
they were pleased about the University's
efforts to maintain a diverse campus,
they expressed concerns about the abili-
ty of the high school students to answer
the new questions as well as disappoint-
ment at the lack of student involvement
during the formation process.
"I am concerned that high school stu-
dents applying for admissions will not
have the necessary understanding of
their own experiences and be able to
convey that in the new applications,"
United Asian-American Organizations
Co-chair Avani Kothary said. "As an
Asian-American student, I came to
understand the importance of my own
identity only after starting school at the
University and really experiencing what
diversity truly means."
Also, several new optional questions
regarding an applicant's socio-economic
status and his parents' educational back-
ground have been added.
The admissions office is currently in
the process of hiring 16 part-time read-
ers and five more professional coun-
selors to handle the increased amount of

work. With more than 25,000 applicants
per year, staff members must average
reading around 15 applications per
workday between September and Febru-
ary. Courant said these endeavors have
cost the University around $1.5 million
and the administration is prepared to
spend more if necessary.
"If it turns out that we are falling
behind, which I don't expect, I have told
admissions that we will bring on more
people;' Courant said. "It's a crucial part
of our educational mission to receive a
diverse class."
Richard Black, assistant vice chancel-
lor of undergraduate admissions at the
University of California in Berkeley,
said although he needs to find out more
information about the new application,
readers at Berkeley handle a slightly
higher daily load.
"It seems an entirely reasonable way
to proceed," Black said.
When asked whether the new plan
could pass legal muster if the University
were sued again, General Counsel Mar-
vin Krislov said,
"We are as sure as we can be sure
about anything in today's world."
Terrence Pell, president of the Center
of Individual Rights, the watchdog
group that originally sued the University
in 1997, said Thursday that CIR would
closely monitor the University's new
system.
"We'll want to see how big a role
race actually plays in the day-to-day
decisions made by admissions offi-
cials," Pell said.

Chinese media advises U.S. not to heed Dalai Lama

BEIJING (AP) - A planned visit by the Dalai
Lama to the United States could damage relations
between Washington and Beijing, China's state-con-
trolled media warned yesterday, dismissing the spiri-
tual leader of Tibetan Buddhism as a "political
plotter."
"The United States should not confound right from
wrong on the Tibet issue and push the Dalai Lama to go
along the way of 'Tibet independence'," the state-con-
trolled newspaper China Daily said in a commentary.
"The best resolution for the Dalai Lama is to
return to the negotiating table with the central gov-
ernment as soon as possible."
Anything less, the commentary added, "will cause
damage to Sino-U.S. relations."
The Chinese government says the Dalai Lama is to
visit the United States for nearly three weeks beginning
Sept. 4. Beijing views the Dalai Lama as a divisive
force in Tibet, which it occupied with military force
in 1951. According to the communist leadership,
ECONOMY
Continued from Page 1A
"The prevailing favorable views of consumers
about their future economic prospects will support a
robust pace of consumer spending during the sec-
ond half of 2003," said Richard Curtin, director of
Surveys of Consumers, in a written statement.
But he added that only increased employment
could sustain long-term economic growth.
In the meantime, spending remains positive.
According to the RSQE and consumer reports,
home buying and retail sales have weathered the
storm, even as home mortgage rates rise and car

Tibet has been part of China for centuries.
"Exactly why the United States has taken such a
high-profile interest in meeting with an exile is wor-
thy of careful consideration," the commentary said.
"The Dalai Lama is by no means a purely religious
person. He has proven to be a political plotter schem-
ing to separate the Tibet Autonomous Region from
China."
China refers to Tibet as an "autonomous region,"
although it is tightly controlled both by Han Chinese
and by ethnic Tibetans who work for the Beijing gov-
ernment.
Informal meetings between representatives from
the Dalai Lama's so-called government-in-exile in
Dharmsala, India, and Beijing-based government
officials have taken place in China in recent months.
Last week, though, Tibet's new governor said the
Dalai Lama could come back to Tibet only if he stops
political activity and becomes a Chinese citizen.
The commentary was also carried by the govern-
dealers continue to roll back discounts.
According to the RSQE report, the unemploy-
ment rate will fall below 5.25 percent by the end
of 2005, the Federal Reserve will raise interest
rates and economic growth will reach 4.8 percent
during the beginning of 2004.
"The market's already anticipating some of that
stuff, so the question is, 'How much bad news will
there be?"' said Economics Prof. Robert Barsky.
Barsky added that a natural unemployment rate
of 4 percent and growth levels of 3 percent are nec-
essary to maintain a healthy economy.
Despite criticism aimed at the Bush Adminis-
tration that tax cuts increase an already massive

"The Dalai Lama is by no
means a purely religious
person. He has proven to be a
political plotter..."
- Tibet Independence
ment's official Xinhua News Agency and the Peo-
ple's Daily, the ruling Communist Party's official
newspaper. Beijing regularly reacts with vehement
objections whenever the Dalai Lama tries to claim
the international stage.
"History demonstrates the Dalai Lama has
repeatedly taken advantage of every opportunity
to propagate his separatist activities and try to
rally international support for this purpose under
the guise of religious expression," the commen-
tary said.
federal budget deficit, University economists
said those cuts are helpful tools for short-term
growth.
"At the moment, tax cuts are probably help-
ing," Hymans said, adding that such breaks allow
consumers to spend more of their income.
But "in the long run, tax cuts contribute to
widening the deficit, and there are a number of
long-run problems that can occur," he said, refer-
ring to cutbacks in government spending on pub-
lic services, such as health care and education,
as the result of budget shortfalls.
"It's very hard to argue that (the tax cuts) are not
a bad idea," Barsky said.


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