NEWS The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, December 14, 2004 - 5 Tying up loose ends before break By Sarah Sprague Daily Staff Reporter As students head home for winter break, they are being reminded by University Housing officials to take measures to keep campus housing safe while they are away. Students are required to move out of all residence halls by Dec. 23 at 9 p.m. and will not be able to move back in until 8 a.m. on Jan. 3. Housing security officials will patrol rooms during the break. Last week, University Housing pro- vided a checklist of tasks that students living in residence halls must com- plete before they are allowed to leave. To conserve energy and lower the risk of fire hazards, students are required to unplug all appliances, turn off all lights, defrost and clean out the refrig- erator and take out the garbage, among other tasks. They are also encouraged to take all valuables home and close and lock their windows. "The preparations are important and there are fines for policies not being fol- lowed. People need to follow the precau- tions for the well being of the building over break, and not doing so can be costly," said Melissa McElhiney, an LSA senior and Resident Advisor. RC freshman Natalie Stafford said she was worried about the effect the University's housing policies would have on her fish. "It is going to be difficult to figure out what to do with the fish tank. The fish probably won't survive without the heater and filter that have to be unplugged, but the stress from moving them back home would be even more of a death sentence," Stafford said. The checklist also requires students to return any silverware taken from the dining halls. But some students said they have built up too much of a cutlery collec- tion to bring everything back in one day without being noticed. "My roommate didn't want the cafe- teria people to know that she took (din- ing ware), so she left it in the hallway a few doors down, under the drinking fountain actually, and there was still food on it," Stafford said. LSA sophomore Inhoon Choi was quick to dole out some advice for stu- dents who hoard dining ware in their rooms. "I would smuggle it in my backpack and then put it on the rack with my other dishes. But I only have a fork, so I think my pocket will be fine," Choi said. Though the checklist is designed to protect students' belongings and ensure the security of their rooms while they are away, many don't seem too concerned. "I'm not worried about the security of my room over break, I don't know who would want to take my stuff any- ways," Stoltz said. Some just don't plan on having any- thing in the room to worry about. But McElhiney warned of the dan- gers of not following residence hall regulations. "There was an incident of mold once when a heater had been left on and the room became extremely warm. The mold was growing out of everywhere, and professionals had to come in to fix it. The room was blocked off and everything," she said. For more information on residence hall closures, students can visit www.housing. umich.edu/info/winterbreak.html. Salurlay Science 'U' students tutor sixth-graders in everyday physics watching him and participating in the Society of Physics Students In- reach Program. In-reach has been running for 19 years and is designed to expose and instruct middle school students about physics. Bill Richards, who is one of the founders of In-reach, explained that the concept for In- reach began when he spoke with Jean Krisch, a University physics professor, who suggested to "bring some kids down" to the campus. Richards has continued to bring sixth-graders down, and this year they arrived at the University on Saturday at 10 a.m., participating in ourtesy of Google several demonstration stations. Each station covered a different topic related to the properties of matter, including physical properties, chemical physics, electricity, magnetism and modern physics. Since the beginning of the program, the SPS has been staffing the event with its members. The organizer of the event, Katherine Alatalo, an LSA senior majoring in physics and president of the University chapter of the SPS, said "these In- reaches benefit SPS (members) as much as they benefit the sixth graders." One demonstrator, LSA senior Jacob Bour- jaily, brought a homemade contraption that he used to explain the importance of providing oxy- gen to combustions. To demonstrate his point, he tried to light a small bowl of corn starch that, as expected, did not burn. But when he blew on the corn starch, providing oxygen, huge flames rose into the air. The result was the undivided atten- tion of the students. The students rotated from station to station, where they saw floating magnets suspended by superconductors, radiation detection with a Geiger counter, flaming metallic spheres floating on water, static charges causing hair to raise on end and shattering liquid nitrogen-frozen ping pong balls. Susan Viglianco, a parent volunteer whose l-year- old daughter participated in the event, said, "She has had a constant . smile." Her daugh- ter, Jamie, added, "It was cool:' In addition to . . Ovid and a University alum, said through the program, "they see that physics is fun." The event also motivates some students to major in physics. Alatalo explained that "(Get- ting) kids enthusiastic enough about physics to major in it - that's the ultimate goal." This goal is being achieved, Palen said. "One student a year says they are going into physics," Palen said. Alatalo's sentiment was shared by Mark Kennedy of the Physics Demonstration Lab. "Even if you inspire one kid to physics, it's worth it," he said. A Tesla coil releases a high-voltage charge. By Brandon H. McNaughton For the Daily Energy filled the room, literally and figura- tively, when Warren Smith, the supervisor of the University's Physics Demonstration Lab, powered up a 500,000-volt Tesla coil. The coil spewed electrical arcs more than three feet into the air. Then, reminiscent of a Star Wars character armed with a light saber, Smith waved around an eight-foot fluorescent light bulb that was remotely powered by a coil from more than 20 feet away. "It's great to see that spark kindle," Smith said about the 30 sixth-grade students Saturday's pro- gram, the SPS In-reach meets five more times a year, with the last meeting tak- ing place in Ohio at Cedar Point. At Cedar Point, the students ride roller coasters and fill out worksheets about the physics of what they just experienced. Sue Palen, a sixth- grade teacher in Courtesy of Katherine Alatalo LSA senior Jacob Bourjaily lights corn starch to grab the attention of his sixth-grade spectators in the Dennison Building Saturday. MIKE HULSEBUS/ Daily Google has offered to archive 00 million books from the University library free of charge. Google will also archive other librar- ies includ- ing Harvard University. Amid debate, Tasers garner nationwide use By Abby Stassen Daily Staff Reporter Would you rather be hit with a nightstick, sprayed in the face with pepper spray or get zapped with electricity? Ann Arbor Police Department Chief Dan Oates said that compared to other methods, Taser can be a favorable option. "I've been hit with the Taser, mace and a nightstick, and I'll take the Taser any day." More police departments nationwide are choosing to use Taser guns to subdue unruly sus- pects. The Ann Arbor Police Department was one of the first agencies in Michigan to supply all of its patrol officers with Tasers. But deaths related to Tasers have some people questioning whether they are safe enough to use. Tasers are small guns that can be used to stop threats up to 15 feet away using a 50,000-volt electric shock. They can also be used in less seri- ous situations in a dry-stun mode, which is a less severe, localized shock. The AAPD usually uses the dry stun mode;Oates said. The AAPD bought 10 Taser guns from Taser International, the lone producer of Taser guns for police departments in the United States, in July 2003. After training the special tactics unit to use the guns in a pilot program, the department pur- chased guns for all of its officers. "We think it's been a very reasonable, less-lethal force option, and we've had success with it," Oates said. Oates added that Tasers are used in situations in which the use of force is a reasonable and nec- essary option and other choices, such as hand- to-hand combat with a suspect or using other weapons, could result in injury. However, the adoption of Tasers into police departments hasn't been completely smooth sailing. As of November 2004, more than 70 people in the United States and Canada have died after being subdued with Tasers, according to Amnesty International. On Nov. 25, a 47-year- old Michigan man died after being shocked with a Taser by state police officers. Some doctors said the shock emitted from stun guns can increase the risk of complica- tions for suspects who are severely agitated or on drugs when they are shocked, as well as increase the risk of heart failure. However, no extensive studies have been done to determine if the deaths were directly related to the Tasers or if they resulted from other factors. Amnesty International has asked all local, state and federal authorities to stop'tising Tas- ers and electroshock weapons until a more detailed study about their use and effects can be completed, but no authorities have stopped using Tasers yet. In the meantime,' Amnesty International is asking them to only use Tasers in situations where the only other alternative is deadly force and to enforce strict guidelines on the use of the Tasers. Taser International's website assures that its stun guns are safe to use and have no last- ing effects. "The problem we're wrestling with nationally is when to use it," Oates said. "We've had a couple usages where we refined our policy, and it's an ongoing evaluation by the police industry." GOOGLE Continued from page 1 The University library is one of the few research libraries that invites people to walk off the street and come in, Wilkin said. "Now it becomes as easy as searching in Google," he said. "Many more people around the world will have access to the collection, and our own people will have more convenient access." Wilkin said he finds it hard to imagine any draw- backs, especially because the University will not be responsible for funding. Also, the scanning will be completed in University facilities so the materials will be missing from the shelves for a minimum amount of time. The University will maintain ownership of all the digitized files. In a news release, University President Mary Sue Coleman said that the partnership will advance the school's mission as a great public university that shares knowledge within the aca- demic community and beyond. "It is an initia- tive with tremendous impact today and endless future possibilities," she said. Courant said the University has been wondering for years how they were going to eventually convert all of their material into a digital form. "Now we have this partner who can do it for us in half a dozen years," he said. "It's wonderful for the University and for the world of ideas." 4I1VEiiija6Efi Phot Repint tor 4 11 I I I I I I Capture the moment. Capture the magic. Capture the memories. Log on to * " Y T a (( 5 ' :: iT...... x ... ^b.. .. ... '.'- ... .S...TV .....v.5tk. s .. . { n}.v.v s.. ..... ....