Friday, February 24, 2006
News 3 State employees
blamed for release
of suspected killer
Opinion 4
Daily and Michigan
Review face off
WOLVERINES DROP 15TH STRAIGHT4... SPORTS, PAGE 8
One-hundred-ftfteen years ofedtorinldfreedom
Arts 8 . Coldplay rocks out
at the Palace
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wzvw. mzkigandaily. com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Vol. CXV, No. 83
V2006 The Michigan Daily
GEO seeks
more help for
foreign GSIs
Spanish GSI was stuck
in Spain for most of
January because of visa
struggles, almost lost job
By.Molly Bowen
Daily Staff Reporter
For many international students,
visa complications are irritating at
best. At worst, they can alter the
course of someone's life.
During winter break, Marta
Cruz-Sojo, graduate student and
instructor in the Department of
Romance Languages, went home to
Spain to visit family.
When she went to the U.S.
Embassy in Madrid to change her
visa status, she was surprised to
learn that her name matched an
entry in a database of foreigners
considered to be a security threat
to the United States.
The embassy refused to grant her
a student visa, and instead, revoked
her passport and visa, under which
she was able to attend and teach at
the University.
Cruz-Sojo was not able to return
to the University until late Janu-
ary, and that was only after jump-
ing over numerous bureaucratic
hurdles.
According to the Graduate
Employees' Organization, the Uni-
versity told Cruz-Sojo that it would
only secure her position as a gradu-
ate student instructor until Jan. 23
- a deadline that was later extend-
ed to Jan. 27. This jeopardized her
primary source of income and abil-
ity to pay for her education. Uni-
versity policy says the individual is
responsible for maintaining valid
migration status.
In order to offset the consequenc-
es of crises like Cruz-Sojo's, GEO
is forming a group called the Inter-
national Workers' Caucus to offer
support and advocacy for interna-
tional students.
The group held its first meet-
ing Tuesday and plans to urge the
University to adopt policies that
guarantee job security and student
status in cases of visa delays.
"A request for intervention made
by GEO to University President
Mary Sue Coleman on Ms. Cruz-
Sojo's behalf was answered unsat-
isfactorily," GEO said in a written
statement. GEO President Megan
Biddinger said Coleman's response
was "noncommittal" and that it
implied that Cruz-Sojo's crisis was
an individual responsibility.
"It sort of suggested that there
were (University) offices that
worked together, but no one figured
out exactly who gets those offices
to work together," Biddinger said.
"It was the sort of feeling that there
were 20 different people (at the
University) to call about this, but
no one feeling that it was their spe-
cific duty."
Cruz-Sojo returned after the Jan.
27 deadline, but the University
See VISAS, page 7
JEREMY CHO/Daily
English Prof. Eric Rabkin finds out that he is the winner of the Golden Apple Award in an Angell Hall classroom yesterday. The award Is given annually to honor
outstanding teachers who "teach every lecture as If It were their last."
English prof takes
bite of Golden Apple
Students shower
veteran lecturer with
congratulations, balloons
By Kelly Fraser
Daily Staff Reporter
For the second year in a row, one
of the University's top English pro-
fessors took home the prestigious
Golden Apple teaching award.
Even after 30 years of teaching at
the University and receiving other
various awards, Prof. Eric Rabkin
was shocked to learn that he was
selected to win the 16th annual
Golden Apple award, which desig-
nates professors who "teach every
lecture as if it were their last."
Rabkin had tears in his eyes dur-
ing his course on science fiction
yesterday as he accepted a large
bundle of balloons from LSA soph-
omore Lauren Schiff, a committee
member of Students Honoring Out-
standing University Teaching, the
group that selects the recipient.
On his way back to his office
after the lecture, Rabkin took every
precaution not to pop the balloons
that accompanied the award. He
said the balloons would serve as
evidence for his wife.
"I have to get these balloons
home in one piece so I can prove
to Betty that it really happened," he
said.
Rabkin now joins a distinguished
list of student-nominated Univer-
sity professors selected for their
passionate lecture styles, including
two fellow English professors -
Ralph Williams in 1992 and John
See APPLE, page 7
Past recipients
2005: John Rubadeau (Eng-
lish Department)
2004: Matt Lassiter
(Department of History)
2003: Thomas Gest (Medi-
cal School)
2002: Elliot Soloway (Elec-
trical Engineering & Computer
Science; School of Informa-
tion, School of Education)
2001: Burton V. Barnes
(School of Natural Resources
& Environment)
2000: Kathleen Nolta
(Department of Chemistry)
1999: Brenda Gunderson
(Statistics Department)
1998: Jim Adams (Depart-
ment of Economics)
1997: Eric Mann (Depart-
ment of Biology)
1996: Carol Boyd (School of
Nursing, Women's Studies)
LSA students debut Israel journal.
'U'to sponsor
cheap LA
prep course
New course will save studiers almost $1,200,
but will cover less material than more costly
courses offered by Kaplan or Princeton Review
By Dave Mekelburg
Daily Staff Reporter
One Kaplan LSAT preparation course: $1,249. One new LSAT familiar-
ization course offered by the University: $50. Saving $1,199 studying for the
LSAT? Priceless.
At least that's what the LSA Student Government hopes.
This spring, LSA-SG and the University Career Center are sponsoring a new
course as an affordable alternative to LSAT prep services like Kaplan and the
Princeton Review.
The course, which runs from March 8 to April 12, will briefly acquaint stu-
dents with the format and content of the exam.
While this course will not be as extensive as LSAT courses offered by test-
prep agencies, the new course will try to "take the fear out of this big beast,"
See LSAT, page 7
Editors hope to
foster discussion; some
Palestinian students say
they won't write for it
By C.C. Song
Daily Staff Reporter
campus about Israel. His dream came
true last week when the Michigan Israel
Observer, a journal founded last semes-
ter, published its maiden issue.
Adelsky said the journal, which has
drawn fire from some Palestinian stu-
dents, aims to provide a public forum
for discussion on the Jewish state.
"There is always an avoidance of the
discussion of Israel," Adelsky said.
She said the lack of dialogue has pre-
viously prevented students from devel-
oping meaningful discourse about the
Jewish state.
He said the journal aims to fix this
problem by publishing longer and more
in-depth articles on issues such as Israeli
politics, culture, music and art.
"The journal emphasizes research
and substance, rather than rhetoric.
Long articles give people the opportu-
nities for deeper analysis," he said.
Although the journal's focus is Isra-
el, Adelsley said he does not does not
want the campus to think the journal
will focus solely on the Arab-Israeli
conflict.
"'Multi-dimensional' is a good way
to characterize the journal; it involves
issues more than the conflict. We have
articles about the history, the culture,
women's issues," Adelsky said.
The first issue, published last Thurs-
day, included an article about LGBT
issues in Israel by Stephanie Persin, an
LSA senior.
Persin said that although it does not
directly relate to the political conflict,
See JOURNAL, page 7
Since his freshman year, LSA senior
Sol Adelsky has wanted to start a jour-
nal to evoke intellectual discussions on
Rap song
ignites
controversy
Athletic department
investigating song allegedly
recorded by football players
By Scott Bell
Daily Sports Editor
THAT'S A GOOD ANSWER
iI
The athletic department is investigating a
derogatory rap song about a female University stu-
depnt ,ai11ivjd11 recrdedj-pq by three Michiean foot- :---------t '