0 rw 0 ---9 0 __ IATDOM TUDENT I NT Random By Theresa bs ,. andom: Hello? The Michigan Daily: Hi, is this Dave? R: Yes. TMD: Hi, this is this is Theresa Kennelly from The Michigan Daily and you have been selected to participate in the random student interview, would you like to do it? R: Sure, no problem. TMD: Ok, first things first, how did you spend you Martin Luther King Day? R: Oh, I spent my time studying actually and writing a couple of papers. TMD: Did you do anything related to MLK? R: On Martin Luther King Day? TMD: Yeah, on Monday. R: No, nothing out of the ordina-y. TMD: Well that's certainly a groat way to celebrate diversity. What would you say you favorite holiday is? R: Holiday? TMD: Yeah. R: Thanksgiving. TMD: Which do you prefer: gravy or sweet potato casserole? R: Gravy is a type of food? TMD: The best kind. R: All right, go with the gravy then. TMD: Good. How do you rate yourself on world geography? Do you think you're pretty good? R: Umm, yeah, sure. Maybe? TMD: What's the capital of Canada? R: The capital of Canada ... Canada? Cap- ital? Umm, want to give me a hint? TMD: It starts with an "0" R:0... TMD: It's not Ontario. (Ten Seconds) TMD: Hello? R: Ottawa! TMD: Yeah! What about Norway? R: Norway ... hold on, I think I know this. I definitely do know this one. It's pretty ran- dom. TMD: Another hint: It also starts with an "GO." R: Oslo. TMD: Great. What about Lebanon? (Pause) TMD: It's the name of a popular drinking game. R: Beirut! TMD: Yeah. How do you think Lebanese people would react to millions of American college students playing a drinking game named after their capital? R: I don't think they would be too excited about it. They would be kind of ... maybe surprised? TMD: Well I think they would be pretty f-ing pissed off. Next question, what do you feel about the University's policy with Coca- Cola? R: I really don't know what happened but I love Coke so I'm kind of upset about it. TMD: Do you miss drinking it in Angell Hall between classes? R: Definitely. TMD: Are you going to start drinking a lot more Faygo now? R: Probably not. TMD: Well, the Faygo company names some of their pops after colors of the rain- bow. What would you say is the tastiest color of the rainbow? R: What is my favorite color of the rainbow? TMD: No, tastiest. R: Umm, hot pink, is that in the rainbow? TMD: Sure, yeah that's a pretty tasty color. I'm more of an orange person. When you were younger, did you ever suck on those markers that smelled like fruit? R: Suck on them? No! TMD: Well I kind of expected them to taste like how they smelled, but they ended up only tasting like poison. What's your favorite color M&M then? R: Blue. TMD: Did you ever hear the rumor in middle school that green M&Ms make you horny? R: Green M&Ms make you horny? Is that true? TMD: Supposedly. Maybe you should run an experiment? R: Ha ha. I will. TMD: So are you familiar with the Spice Girls? R: I hate the Spice Girls. TMD: Ok, but out of the five, Scary, Sporty, Ginger, Posh and Baby, what Spice Girl would you say you identify the most with? R: Let's go with Scary Spice. TMD: Me too! My second favorite is Baby, do you think we would be good on a date or make a good couple? R: Definitely, we should maybe go out sometime. TMD: Well maybe this weekend. Next question: would you rather make a snow angel while naked or eat yellow snow? R: I'll go naked. TMD: What if it was in the Diag? And, what if the snow was yellow because of you? Still same answer? R: Yeah why not. That would be kind of fun. TMD: OK, but I hear urine is sterile, so it might not be that bad. Just something to consider. Next question: What did you used to do on snow days as a kid? R: Go sledding and throw snowballs at people that walked by. TM would Would R: ' balls a TM that? F R: I TM other I R: i feet. T TM feet or R: I TM Colem R: S the Da TMI in a gi R: - TM on tele R: I sion? ( TMI R: I really sion. TM] Have y the for R: Y TM] cus Vi( R:'I TM] ticipati for this R: C TM] MIKE HULSEBUS/Daily President Mary Sue Coleman speaks at spring commencement at Michigan Stadium in April. an Institute of Medicine report about the topic. "After three years of intensive and wide-ranging study of the consequences of uninsurance, this committee has con- cluded that small steps are inadequate," she said. "This is the reason we are tak- ing the bold step of issuing an unequivo- cal call for universal coverage." She added that there is no excuse for delay and pointed out a number of con- sequences of uninsurance, including the harm it does to families and to the nation's economy. Coleman has also become increasingly vocal about her displeasure with Lansing politicians for cutting higher education funding. While in her office, I pointed to a picture of Coleman and Gov. Jennifer Granholm, both wearing sunglasses. Coleman walks a political tightrope when it comes to the governor, but on that day, she said, "I wish she were more supportive of the universities." - In 2003, as the University began to feel the full the effects of state budget cuts, Coleman gave $500,000 of her and her husband's own money to the University. That money went to a number of uses, including scholarships and renovations to Trotter House and the University of Michigan Museum of Art. In March, Coleman complained to the Daily that "higher education has been used to balance the books of the state." It would be easy to dismiss these strong statements as self-serving calls for more funding, but I don't buy that. If Coleman leaves for a private university at some point, I'd take my statements back, She never fails to point out the good that higher education has done for millions of Americans, especially the students who grew up "of modest means," as Coleman likes to say, but eventually became prosperous because of their college education. but for now it seems she is genuinely committed to high-quality public higher education. She says it is "a great state- ment of democracy in this country" that the American people have been willing to support public universities that rival private universities, calling these public universities "one of the signal achieve- ments of a great democracy." That, she says, is why she is so concerned about the recent funding decreases. She never fails to point out the good that higher education has done for mil- lions of Americans, especially the stu- dents who grew up "of modest means," as Coleman likes to say, but eventually became prosperous because of their col- lege education. While Coleman can be selectively out- spoken, she still faces criticism that she doesn't have a clear vision for the Uni- versity. The themes of her Senate Assem- bly address were academic excellence, collaboration, engagement and acces- sibility - consistent with what she said at the Union the year before, but hardly groundbreaking. Regent Andrea Fischer Newman dis- missed criticism that Coleman does not have a vision for the University. She pointed out that Coleman had to spend a great deal of time on initiatives Bollinger did not have time to finish, such as LSI. Eisendrath, who has been at Michigan through four presidencies - Harold Sha- piro, Duderstadt, Bollinger and Coleman - concurred, saying Coleman doesn't have any "grand plans to lead a charge somewhere," but that between Bollinger and Duderstadt, who was constantly thinking about the future, the regents had had enough visions and wanted to get some basics done. But universities are full of intellectuals who think big and want leadership. Dur- ing this era of declining state support, a strong leader is necessary to maintain academic quality despite the funding dropoff. In a chapter on presidential leadership from Duderstadt's forthcoming book, he writes,"Michigan embraces bold visions, and without these, effective leadership is simply impossible." If Coleman becomes merely an ini- tiative president - and she's launched a number of good ones - she will be remembered as the University's first female president, not a bold leader. Cole- man is clearly a skilled manager - the best Eisendrath said he's seen so far in a University President. "She's a born manager," he said. E isendrath, however, is wrong - along with Rudgers, the regents I talked to and even Cole- man herself. They're not wrong about her mana- gerial skills or even which issues she thinks are impor- tant. They're wrong when they try to describe her vision for the Uni- versity. And everyone who says she doesn't have any vision is wrong as well. Whether anyone - including Coleman - realizes it or not, she does have a vision. She just hasn't articulated it very well. Maybe that's because her schedule is so packed she hasn't had a chance to take a step back and realize that all her initia- tives are coherent. If I were to describe the vision of her presidency, I would label her the anti-wall president. Coleman doesn't believe in walls unless they are abso- lutely necessary. The themes of her State of the Uni- versity address in September were academic excellence, collaboration, engagement and accessibility. Those goals are all closely related because to achieve them all, she will need to tear down artificial barriers .that exist either inside the University or between the University and the rest of the world. Aside from academic excellence, which is pretty self-explanatory, her speech had three other themes: Collaboration. She wants more communication between experts with different backgrounds. "The single laboratory and the solitary scholar are often supple- mented by collaborative endeavors. Academic discoveries will emerge from the intersection of our disci- plines and will be more intertwined with the world we inhabit and serve," she said in her 2004 address at the Union. Hence the interdisciplinary task- force, which provides funding for significantly more team teaching. It looks for ways to better share information between faculty, and it takes a look at budgetary changes that can be made to increase flex- ibility in funding team teaching and interdisciplinary programs, includ- ing improving connections between undergraduate and graduate pro- grams. North Quad, which will combine academics with residential life, is another example of Coleman's efforts to make the University more seamless. Engagement. Coleman wants the University to be relevant to the rest of society. As she said in her September See COLEMAN, page 12B Frlda\T 1920406 Arabic Music Ensemble A group of ethnomusicology stu- dents perform both traditional and contemporary Arabic music at Brit- ton Recital Hall. The performance begins at 8 p.m. Admission is free. Open Mic Night Beginning at 7:30 p.m., acts can sign up to take part in an Open Mic night at the Michigan League. The show features free admission and refreshments, and performances begin at 8:30 p.m. Lucy Kaplansky Folk singer Lucy Kaplansky, a former clinical psychologist, comes to the Ark. Kaplansky sings about a wide range of issues, including Sept. 11 and her per- sonal story about adopting a child from Asia. -Tickets are $17.50 and the show starts at 8 p.m., with doors at 7:30 p.m. Sry O A Fusion of Cultures The Arab Student Association spon- sors this meeting at the U-Club in the Michigan Union. This formal event provides students with a chance to meet people from many different cultures and includes music and dance. Starting at 8 p.m., the event goes until midnight. Shamrockettes The Shamrockettes fill the Mendelssohn Theatre with Irish music and dancing. The songs will feature traditional Irish folk songs and some twists on contempo- rary songs. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. and tickets cost $5. 3UsfdaT The Weekend ]List 1. ,O U-M Life Sciehces Orchestra Concert The U-M Life Sciences Orchestra presents a concert of Scottish and British music under the conduction of John Goodell. The show begins at 4 p.m. at Hill Auditorium. Admission is free. Shakuhachi Flute Concert The Unversity of Michigan Muse- um of Art presents an exhibition of Asian art accompanied by Michael Gould's shakuhachi flute. The exhibit opens at 2 p.m. at the UMMA in the Alumni Memorial Hall. Admission is free. Stud Fly Cli spring break, stem Samsl rounft, StuffntAirfares from 04 Philadelphia $1o4 Dallas $169 Minneamlis $19