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One-hundred fourteen years ofedtoridfreedom
www.michikandaily.com Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXV, No. 63 2005 The Michigan Daily

Students
prepare
for Bush's
maugra
By Rachel Kruer
Daily Staff Reporter

Jobs

for

graduates
increasing
Recent studyfinds some employers

When LSA junior Amy Kurtz heard
that the Michigan Student Assembly-orga-
nized bus to Washington only cost $25,
she decided that it was worth it to skip
her classes to have an opportunity to see
today's Presidential Inauguration.
"I'm only skipping two of them. How-
ever, I would skip all of them if I had to,"
she said.
Kurtz is among the 110 University stu-
dents who packed themselves onto two
MSA sponsored buses last night around
7:30 p.m., said RC junior Ashwini Har-
dikar, co-chair of the MSA's Peace and
Justice Commission. They are expected
to arrive by 6 a.m. in Washington, where
inaugural and anti-inaugural activities
will be unraveling throughout the day. The
anti-inaugural events will also be taking
place locally today, as students opposed to
the president will protest on the Diag and
hold a number of other events.
While the events on campus will be
put on by Students for Progress - a lib-
eral campus group that seeks to encourage
activism - students departing for Wash-
ington represented a spectrum of political
beliefs. Some came carrying signs with
anti-Bush rhetoric, while others came to
celebrate Bush's re-election.
RC Freshman Caroline Hippler and
LSA freshman Erica Friedman brought
the necessities: a blanket, a Mad-Libs
booklet to entertain them on the 12-hour
bus ride and white poster boards and
markers. As of 6 p.m. yesterday, they had
not decided the exact content to paint on *
their signs, but were brainstorming ideas
littered with expletives that chastised Bush TOMMAS GOMEZ/Daily
as being their president, but as a wasteful University students board the Michigan Student Assembly buses at the Michigan Union yesterday for
See BUSES, Page 7A Bush's second presidential inauguration.
lraqis in US. register for election
By EkJyot Saini least one of three requirements necessary to be con- in Iraq's Transitional National Assembly.
Daily Staff Reporter sidered for participation in the election. The current Al-Bassam said that she thinks out-of-country vot-

hiring more
By Adhiraj Dutt
Daily Staff Reporter

than last year

The nationwide job outlook for col-
lege graduates is improving as the 2004-
05 academic year progresses, according
to survey results released earlier this
month by the National Association of
Colleges and Employers.
Employment prospects also seem'
to be improving on campus, where
employers are searching for job
candidates more actively this year,
according to the University's Career
Center.
Study results released in September
show that in August of last year, employ-
ers across the nation were expecting to
hire more college graduates during this

school year than
they did during the
previous one.
Results released
earlier this month
found that as the cur-
rent academic year
progresses, many
employers expect to
hire more graduates
this school year than
they had intended,
indicating that the
improvement of
the job market has
-sbrpassed previous
expectations.
The recent study,
December, found that

"These res
another in
that thej
for new cc
graduates
momentu
-I
NACE ex
performed in
out of the pool

ship fair," she said.
While the job outlook has improved,
according to NACE's latest results,
approximately 87 percent of employers
still do not anticipate offering perks to
college graduates.
"In general, employers tell us they
expect more competition for new col-
lege graduates, but not enough to war-
rant more perks," Mackes said.
"We do expect to see some increase
in starting salaries, but overall, employ-
ers have said those increases will be
modest," she added.
While the job market has improved,
employers are not offering the exorbi-
tant signing bonuses to graduates that
they were a few years ago, though sala-
ries seem pretty consistent with previous
years, LaMarco
3u1ts are said.
"Students
ndication understand the
current market
:b market and the need to
remain active and
cllege engaged, which is
good. We aren't
is gaining seeing any panic,"
ern." she said.
LaMarcoadded
that because the
Marilyn Mackes job search con-
:xecutive director tinues throughout
the school year,
it is in its early
stages. Still, most students already have
their job search underway, she said.
While some are just beginning
their job search, many students have
already secured employment, such as
LSA senior Karishma Bhargava who
accepted a job offer with the Target
Corporation.
Bhargava began her job search in
September and had five job offers by
November.
"As long as you're really aggres-
sive, the job market works in your
advantage," Bhargava said, "There
are a lot of jobs out there. It's your
fault if you haven't found one yet. I
truly believe that."
Bhargava said the key to the job
search is to start early and find a coun-
selor at the Career Center for advice.
"The biggest thing is to think out-
See JOBS, Page 7A


While many Americans will not be voting in an
election for another four years, some are gearing up
for one only two weeks away
LSA sophomore Noor Al-Bassam will be voting in
the upcoming Iraqi election, although she lives in the
United States.
What was once considered a dream for many Iraqis
and expatriates is becoming a reality. Elections are
occurring in Iraq, and Iraqi expatriates around the
world are being given an opportunity to participate
in the event.
Expatriates and other eligible voters must meet at

criteria states that an individual must be an Iraqi citi-
zen, one's father must be an Iraqi citizen or that one
must be eligible to reclaim Iraqi citizenship. All indi-
viduals qualified to register also must be born prior to
December 31, 1986.
Five cities in America - Chicago, Detroit, Los
Angeles, Nashville, Tenn. and Washington, have been
selected to serve as polling and registration sites.
Registration to vote began Monday and has now been
extended to next Monday.
Those outside Iraq who are eligible to vote will be
able to do so from Jan. 28 to 30. Voters will select a
party, which will be alotted a proportional percentage

ing is a good idea because it allows for fair representa-
tion of the different Iraqi ethnic groups.
"I think every faction should be fairly represented,
and the election is a good way to voice what they feel
and help shape the government to what the people
want," she said.
Though many of the Iraqis living in the United
States feel that an election process is necessary in
Iraq, not everyone agrees with the idea of allowing
Iraqi expatriates to take part in the formation of a
transitional assembly.
University alum Areej El-Jawahri expressed her
See ELECTION, Page 7A

of 199 companies that were surveyed,
more than 60 percent of the employers
expected to hire as many graduates as
they anticipated in the beginning of the
year, while 25 percent expected to hire
even more graduates than they had pre-
viously expected.
"These results are another indication
that the job market for new college grad-
uates is gaining momentum," NACE
executive director Marilyn Mackes said
in a press release.
The improved job outlook is also evi-
dent at the University, said Terri LaMar-
co, associate director of the University's
Career Center.
"There is an increase in employers'
participation in all our events including
the job fair, (Tuesday's) internship fair
and (yesterday's) multi-cultural intern-

Speakers analyze tsunami
Dal'" StaffReportProfessors look at the international,
As the number of deaths caused by the scientific aspects of recent disaster

Dec. 26 tsunami continues to grow and is
now beyond 221,000, lecturers at the Tsu-
nami Symposium last night shed light on
the many diverse and devastating natural
disasters they believe are sure to happen in
the future - possibly even in the United
States. The lecturers also expressed concern
with the world's failure to communicate and
organize relief organizations, which they
say may have been responsible for many
unnecessary deaths.
Daniel Birchok, an anthropology gradu-
ate student, said diplomatic conflict played
a part in the number of deaths resulting
from the tragedy - especially in the hard-
est hit Aceh region in the northwest corner
of Indonesia.
"Reports of damage and relief efforts
(were) slow to start because of military
restrictions," Birchok said of the problems

foreign reporters and aid workers faced
when trying to enter the country.
Before the tsunami, no foreign report-
ers or aid groups were allowed to enter the
region and even now the government has
limited foreign involvement. Media, mili-
tary and aid groups have been permitted to
enter the region, but they must leave after
three months, Birchok said.
The speakers agreed that human respons-
es on the individual, state and national lev-
els need to improve when dealing with this
natural disaster and the ones to come.
"We fully expect it to happen again," said
geology Prof. Larry Ruff, "When? We don't
know."
Ruff, a seismologist whose main focus
is on large earthquakes in the subduction
zone - the area beneath the oceanic and

continental crust that generates most of
the world's earthquakes - explained how
earthquakes create seismic vibrations that
are ultimately responsible for causing build-
ings to fall on people and raise large tsu-
nami waves.
"It's horrifying to think that the entire
ocean is being lifted in a matter of min-
utes," Ruff said.
He added that it is particularly dangerous
when earthquakes occur in shallow water
because it leads to wave elevation as well as
increased speed and is disastrous for popu-
lations living in lowlands with high popula-
tion densities.
Ruff also gave advice on how to survive
a tsunami such as moving quickly to higher
ground. He said smaller waves are as dead-
See TSUNAMI, Page 7A

Geology Prof. Larry Ruff speaks to audience members in the Chemistry Building on the causes and
effects of the recent tsunami in Asia.

Michigan in D.C.
Study and work in the capital
Applications for the internship

'U' internship lets students work in nation's capital


By Laura Van Hyfte
Daily Staff Reporter

the Arts, and faculty director for MIW.
MIW will also allow students to apply course

The program chairs have been recruiting since the
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