NEWS The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, March 17, 2004 - 5 HOUSING Continued from Page 1 City Council meeting when Michigan Student Assembly rep- resentatives and with other students called for the council to begin discussing the certification of landlords in an attempt to compel them to improve the quality of their properties. MSA Rep. Rachel Fisher, who is working with MSA on the certification, said while the assembly is still in the early stages of forming a proposal, the certification is meant to edu- cate landlords and ensure safe housing for students. "The main concern of many students is that a lot of land- lords are irresponsible and a lot of them are ignorant to laws that landlords need to abide by" said Fisher, an LSA senior. MSA Rep. Sam Woll, an LSA junior, said the program also hopes to specifically require landlords to abide to such rules as environmental and energy usage laws while also ensuring the safety and sanitation of their rental property. Although several weeks later repairmen finally came to fix their apartment Siegele said the landlord should have done a better job and should be doing a better job right now. "Eventually they gave us the right keys, but even now Fisher said the program also might require landlords to attend a class to train them on how to be responsible landlords, But local landlord and repairman Robert Noose said the certification program would be pointless, since it would add one more level of redundancy to the certifications already in place. Noose said students should realize that many of the houses in Ann Arbor are decades old. At the same time, he added, students who live in the houses don't care about taking care of their residence, easily leading a house to break down, he said. Because of the many other residences a landlord needs to manage, houses can take time to repair, he said. "To make a landlord certified, that is a trap. To be respon- sible for that and all those old houses and appliances?" Noose added. Other landlords said they think the proposal could benefit students. Ann Arbor landlord Thomas Ewing said of the proposed landlord certification, "it might be a real good guide for stu- dents to find the best housing." But he also said most students he knows don't have prob- lems with other landlords. Ewing added that the student government should expand the off-campus housing depart- ment rather than create an entirely new bureaucracy. Currently, the city requires that all rental property have a certificate of occupancy. Larry Pickel, director of the City Council's building department, said the current standard for renting property is meant to ensure the health and safety of every residence. Pickel added that the city has five inspec- tors who throughout the year check all rental housing in Ann Arbor. Yet in Fisher's experiences with landlords, she said many try to avoid and postpone inspections as long as possible. "My landlord would install a fire door just for a day so he could get around the law," she said. The University's off-campus housing department is also meant to prevent conflict between students and landlords. Off-campus housing advisor Melissa Goldstein said their program can act as a mediator if housing issues arise, but if all else fails the University can remove the landlord from its off-campus housing listings. Still, Fisher said a certification program would be much more rigid than the off-campus housing program as the Uni- versity will only take action based on complaints. Fisher said their program would take more of a proactive approach to guarantee better landlords. LSA senior Tara Miller said she would support a land- lord certification measure. Miller said even though she has had no problems with her landlord, some of her friends were taken advantage of by landlords. In one instance, Miller said her friend moved into a residence only to find it almost un-livable. Yet her friend's landlord wouldn't repair the place since he said it was old and those were the conditions it was supposed to be in. Miller said her friend couldn't get out of the lease and so had to live with it. She added that landlords need some sort of accountability. "Shouldn't they be the ones fixing the place? Just because it's old, doesn't mean you can't repair it. Their job is sup- posed to be repairing and maintaining the place." Fisher said they hope the certification program will be a requirement in the future, but in the immediate stages of the program it will probably be voluntary. Funding for the certifi- cation could come from the University and the city, she added. Fisher said along with MSA, she hopes to have a proposal ready by next month. DORY GANNES/Daily lSA junior Heather Steffy listens to Jenny Nathan, Students First candidate for Michigan Student Assembly vice president, yesterday in South Quad Residence Hall. MSA Continued from Page 1 MSA Treasure Elliott Wells-Reid commented on the way the board ran the meetings, calling them "accessible yet structured. "Everyone gets a voice and majority has the final say," Wells-Reid said. Galardi said she hoped the chamber stays diverse, so that students will not be afraid to bring complaints and ideas, such as the person who came with the idea for an all-cam- pus pillow fight. She also noted all the projects the assembly completed this year: projects that affect the whole student body, such as Air- Bus, Readership Program and Entree Plus in the Big House. However, one of the regrets that Galardi stated was that she wished she anticipated the budget cuts. "I wish I had realized how big an effect the budget cuts were going to have;" she said. "A lot of cuts happened mid- year, so I wish we had gotten stuff done earlier when more money was around and the administration had more avail- ability to meet." Wells-Reid summed up his experience in MSA as, " a humbling experience in student leadership." Perry also offered some tips for the incoming MSA assembly members, such as communicating with the execu- tives leaving office. "(Former MSA President Sarah) Boot taught us things and we met with Sarah and (for- mer MSA Vice President Dana Glassel) to discuss our "I wish I had realized how big an effect the budget cuts would have. A lot of cuts happened mid- year so I wish we had gotten stuff done earlier when more money was around... " - Angela Galardi President, Michigan Student Assembly LEAK Continued from Page 1 annually, and receives a mid-month estimate of survey data, in addition to the final monthly survey information. Swanbrow said the mid-month estimate for February was improperly accessed. Peterson said after the incident occurred, new security features were implemented by various University depart- ments, although specific details about these features cannot be released at this time. "Ultimately the office making the security changes is ISR, but I would say that organiza- tionally we have several offices who are interested in this and concerned," Peterson said. She added that such offices include DPS, the Office of the Vice President for Research, and the Office of the Provost. SACUA Continued from Page 1 to evaluate faculty because that is who they come into con- tact with." But Kauffman disagreed with not allowing students to participate in these evaluations. He said that students are affected by the actions of administrators more than faculty members and suggested that student governments work on administering their own student evaluations of University officials. The amendment, which was originally proposed by mechanical engineering Prof. Galip Ulsoy and electrical engineering Prof. Semyon Meerkov, was passed by majority vote at the SACUA meeting on Monday. The "It's pretty clear that the data was accessed in an unautho- rized fashion and that is a pretty serious problem because the integrity of our research data is of vital importance," Peterson said. Swanbrow and Peterson said since the unauthorized access on Feb. 13, the following two releases - the final report for February and the mid-month March release - were secure. "As far as we know there have been no more data security breaches;' Peterson said. Sponsors receiving the mid-month estimates and final estimates include corporations and firms who can subscribe to the service at any point during the calendar year. "This is something that the University overall is really taking seriously, and the research data at the University is something that we're doing everything we can to make sure is safeguarded," Swanbrow said. committee that will work out specific details will be headed by SACUA secretary John Lehman. Retired education Prof. C. Philip Kearny, who spe- cializes in studying Michigan schools felt that the new evaluations will give the power of influence to faculty members in theory but questioned their effectiveness. "I don't have any problems with faculty evaluations (but) try to remember who is the person that really has the power to appoint or not appoint," he said. Although many details to the amendment have not been decided on yet, Kauffman said ultimately evalua- tion of policy makers would work to better the Univer- sity. "I think it's revolutionary. I think other universities are going to follow us. It makes sense," he said. goals for the next year," she said. Galardi suggested that the new leaders get an early start and outline what they want to do. "Anticipate the future and consider where the administration is currently, and how is my administration going to be different from the one before me," she added. "Be responsive, be resourceful and be proactive," Wells-Reid added. The executive board is also walking away from MSA, wit lifelong lessons. "I learned how to take criticism and learn from it," Galardi said. "I also learned to listen to myself." Perry said MSA has taught her about other cultures and ideas and the basic human experience. LGBT Continued from Page 1. cation to students in particular as well as the faculty and staff about sexual orientation concerns," Toy said. Today, the bureau primarily visits classrooms to talk with students at the University's Ann Arbor and Dearborn campus- es, along with Eastern Michigan University. Professors - and sometimes residence hall directors - request speakers to dis- cuss issues of coming out and sexual identity with students. Transgender individuals were once not formally incorporat- ed into the program, but under Ferrise's direction, the Speakers Bureau has become more inclusive and comprehensive, now discussing these issues. "As it exists now, it is Holly's creation. And she really did fight for transgender inclusion," Bain Frounfelter said. "She's really made it stronger, made it so that it encompassed more issues." Ferrise's integral role in the bureau has concerned stu- dents that her departure might weaken the program in the future. LSA freshman Michael Wright, who works as a pan- elist, said that people ask the most questions about cur- rent political issues, and some stay after class for more information. "The experience has been overwhelmingly positive. It really helps students get in touch with current issues in the LGBT community." As students listen to testimonials from panel members, folded arms relax as students open up, Wright said. "You definitely see a change in how receptive they are to LGBT issues," he said. I Georgetown University 2004 Summer School The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies presents: "DefendingDemocracy, Defeating Terrorism" The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies is seeking qualified undergraduates to participate in the FDD Undergraduate Fellowship to learn how democracies defend themselves against terrorism. The year-long fellowship begins with a two-week course of study (July 31-August 14) at the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies in Tel Aviv, Israel. An additional seminar takes place in Washington, D.C. over winter break. The course of study in Tel Aviv features lectures from experts on terrorism from Israel, Jordan, India, Turkey and the United States. It also features visits to military bases, border zones and other security installations to learn the practical side of deterring terrorist attacks. The winter seminar features lectures and field trips that highlight America's leadership role in the war on terrorism. All expenses are paid by FDD. Interested students can apply at: www.defenddemocracy.org Take advantage of a unique opportunity to study at Georgetown University next summer at special summer tuition rates. Choose from more than 300 undergraduate and graduate day and evening credit courses during three sessions. Pre-Session: First Session: Second Session: May 24-June 18 June 7-July 9 July 12-August 13