Thursday, March 16, 2006 Opinion 4A Alison Go is wary of AP tests Arts 8A Design lab shows off Detroit fashion How A 'U' STUDENT BECAME THE NARBMBE;R '.. lE STATEMENT One-hundredfifteen years ofedtordfreedom Sports 11A Softball drops rematch thriller in extra innings www.michirandaily. com Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXV, No. 92 6206e Mchiga aiy i Designs unveiled for new quad State-of-the-art North Quad takes students' requests into consideration By Gabe Nelson Daily Staff Reporter When administrators asked students how residence halls could be improved, students suggested air con- ditioning, top-of-the-line dining halls and high-tech study areas. When the North Quad Residential and Academic Complex is finished in three years, they'll get their wish. On Friday, the University Board of Regents is expected to approve the schematic design of North Quad. In summer 2009, North Quad will open its doors at the current site of the Frieze Building, making it the first residence hall the University has built since Bursley Hall in 1968. With a set of features largely unheard of in other residence halls, North Quad will herald the future of student housing at the University, administrators say. The building's planners designed the University dorms according to the demands of today's students, Associate Provost Phil Hanlon said. "We're creating a building unlike any we have, and like very few nationally' he said. "This is one of the most ambitious efforts we've ever made." In an attempt to bring residential and academic life together under one roof, the building will house 460 students, the School of Information, the Sweetland Writing Center, the Language Resource Center, the Communication Studies department and the Film Arts and Culture department. "We want this to be a magnet location for under- graduates on campus," said Hank Baier, associate vice president for facilities and operations. North Quad might also house the Global Scholars Community and the Sophomore Year Experience, two Michigan Learning Communities in development, University spokeswoman Julie Peterson said. "It'll share residential and academic space in what we hope will be a very meaningful way" Hanlon said. North Quad will offer suite-style rooms different from the vast majority of rooms on campus, with either four singles or two doubles connected. The double suites will have a shared living room. Rather than com- munal bathrooms for each hall, each suite will have its own bathroom. "Personally, I am very excited about the suites, even though I won't be here to live in one' said Darla Wil- liams, president of the Residence Halls Association. "This will lead to more varied housing opportunities on central campus." As Mosher-Jordan will when it reopens in 2008, North Quad will have air conditioning in all rooms. The University will likely house students in these halls dur- ing the spring and summer semesters, Peterson said. As per their requests, students will have ample group-study space, Henry said. Each floor will have a study lounge overlooking the garden behind the Rack- ham Building. The media gateway in the center of the building will also contain high-tech group-study areas, including video walls. The walls will have a video camera and a large screen, enabling live conversation with people See QUAD, page 9A Quad unlikely to be an icon Finally, a North Quad. For years I have been awaiting this epic closure. All four cardinal directions will soon embodied as dorms, and the quadrangle prophecy will - be complete. It has been nearly 40 years since the University addressed the need for more student housing by building a resi- dence hall - Bursley in 1968. Apparently making up for lost time, administrators are plan- ning the most progressive and interactive dorm this campus has ever seen. Since its announcement in late 2004, the hype has grown. Now the schematic designs have finally been unveiled. Quite clearly, the administration has addressed student desires. The design's interior spaces optimally cater to both students and faculty. The exterior, though, could use a little constructive criticism to guide the design from this initial phase to the fully developed design. AUSTIN . Bottom line: The University needs DINGWALL another fresh and exciting icon, and the present design for North Quad doesn't ON ARCHITEGRE2 cut it. I truly hope that the director of University Housing meant what she said about being open to student input as the North Quad project progresses. Preliminary concepts of form and material are clearly visible in the design. Connected but distinct, the academic tower and residential wings have completely different dynamics and are clad to match their standard campus counterparts. Visually, the academic tower is a contemporary Angell Hall with vertical limestone elements that mimic Angell's columns. Red brick is attached to the residential wings, a feature that does not stray from other university dorms and academic buildings. Without the abundance of glass protrusions that indicate interior group space, North Quad would look strikingly similar to South Quad. Nothing is wrong with this design. Its objectives are clear and obvious, and it works. Architecturally speaking, the design appears rational and responsible. A ground-level storefront offers an extension of the State Street retail corridor. The west side is the institutional front that faces State Street, matching its adjacent context and welcoming pedestrians. SSAA to uniy voice against MCRI 0 Revised constitution mandates members vote before ousting members from group By Kelly Fraser Daily Staff Reporter Students across campus may be speaking out against November's Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, a ballot initia- tive to ban some affirmative action programs in Michigan, but they aren't doing it in a single voice. In an effort to remedy this, Students Supporting Affir- mative Action unveiled its plans to focus widespread senti- ment against MCRI into a tangible campaign against the initiative at a meeting of campus leaders and activists last night. SSAA attracted controversy last December when two members were asked to step down from their positions because of their involvement in Michigamua, a secret soci- ety that carries stigma with progressive groups because of its past appropriation of Native American rituals and arti- facts. LSA junior Rachael Tanner, SSAA co-chair, said although many different groups on campus oppose MCRI, unification and cooperation are the keys to the success of the campaign against the initiative. SSAA member Ashwini Hardikar, an RC senior, described the group's approach to the November elections as two-pronged. First, the group aims to "mobilize and energize" its existing base of supporters and simultaneously reach out to campus groups with the common goal of defeating the initiative, she said. Some groups they hope to recruit don't support affirmative action but believe MCRI would limit University programs. "We want to show everyone how they have a stake in con- tinuing the discussion," she said."This is an everybody issue." Recently the group has undergone leadership transitions and has revamped its procedures - including revising and updating its written constitution. The revised constitution will help to avoid the type of controversy stirred up last December when the group oust- ed the two Michigamua members, SSAA members said. In the future, if leaders of the group were to hold a posi- tion in a group such as Michigamua that in some way undermined SSAA's philosophy, the decision of whether to expel a member would go to a vote of the general member- ship, said LSA junior Brittany Marino, chair of the group's education committee. Previously, only a small group of dedicated members made the decisions, Tanner said. After a brief introduction, attendees split into small dis- cussion groups led by SSAA members to brainstorm com- munity outreach strategies and possible connections with other campus organizations. Residence hall forums, classroom announcements and letter-writing campaigns were some suggestions. The group is also preparing a door-to-door canvassing campaign starting next month and is trying to generate strong support for a state-wide action day on March 30. Tanner called MCRI a "slow bullet" because the Novem- ber election is quickly approaching without many signs of awareness from the public. Through community education, SSAA aims to dispel misinformation about the initiative's impact, including the myth that affirmative action is only an issue for black and other minority students, Tanner said. Tanner said out-of-state students also have a vested inter- See SSAA, page 9A PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Design plans for North Quad. Above, the view of the building's southwest comer from State Street. Below, the view of the building's opposite side from Rackham. The building's opposite side opens up to the green space beside Rackham and has softer, more personal elements that invite students to come eat, chill or study. The rear courtyard and winter garden provide sunlit spaces for those who want a change from the Diag. Had I not been a proud University student when I first saw the design, I would have thought nothing of the lack of presence that the building exhibits. Having heard about the awesome academic and residential integration that would define North Quad would define, however, I imagined a structure that would spatially reflect such radical notions of integration. In my fantasies of seeing a fourth quad finally realized, I dreamt of a magnificent signature building. Having seen other educational institutions erect crazy schemes that drew national attention, I wanted it to be our turn. North Quad is the perfect outlet for the next University icon. The structure can be creative and the aesthetics daring, espe- cially because it's a dorm; students will live anywhere. Steven Holl took inspiration from a sponge when he designed the severely punctuated Simmons Hall at the Massachusetts Insti- tute of Technology. The result was a 350-unit residence hall that catches the eye; whether or not the eye likes it is separate See DINGWALL, page 9A SOLE bares skin Student film breaks barriers for labor Group is protesting treatment of workers making 'U' apparel By Joolle Dodge Daily Staff Reporter In the world of protest, it's skin to win. Even when it's 39 degrees. A dozen members of Students Orga- nizing for Labor and Economic Equality and the University Rugby Club stripped off their clothes in front of the Fleming Administration Building last night in the name of social change. "We'd rather be naked than wear clothes made in sweatshops:" SOLE member Art Reyes said. SOLE members said they held the pro- rights SOLE was created to fight for fair labor practices. The group is most famous for holding a 51-hour sit-in at then-University president Lee Bollinger's office in March 1999 to protest the University's contract with Nike. After the sit-in, the University implemented a vendor code of conduct for companies manufacturing apparel bear- ing the University's logo. However, members of SOLE said the University administration is ignoring the code. "It's not enforced at all," Reyes said. SOLE held another sit-in April 2001. Soon after, the University became a member of the Worker's Rights Consor- tium, which helps enforce manufacturing codes of conduct. Six months ago, SOLE submitted to Coleman a "Sweatfree" proposal, Spiral Project' to make 'U' history tonight at Michigan Theater By Blake Goble Daily Arts Writer Does this sound familiar? Wishful cinephiles gather together with limited resources and plenty of love, aiming to make a movie. The makers of "Slacker" and "Clerks" did it well. Following their success, similar projects have permeated theaters try- ing to generate word of mouth and, if they're lucky, maybe even a profit. At first glance, "The Spiral Project," which premieres tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Michigan Theater, might seem first movie that will be shown in high definition at the historic theater. Producer and LSA senior Sultan Sharrief set out to put together a proj- ect that could connect with University students. Sharrief explained how it all came together. "I was an R.A. at Mosher-Jordan, and I met this kid from L.A., Jarrett Slavin. and he was like, 'You've gotta read this script!' " he said. "It wasn't bad, and it had the potential of becoming some- thing." A veteran of several student organiza- tions, Sharrief was no stranger to mak- ing contacts and arranging projects. Various family members helped him raise about $100,000 to fund the film. With this experience, Sharrief BEN SIMON/Daily Members of Students Organizing for Labor and Economic Equality strip down to their underwear in protest of sweatshop labor in Regents Plaza yesterday. group. The University of Wisconsin at Madi- "Eighty to 90 percent of those who work in sweatshops are women," Reyes said. I - i i