The Michigan Daily - michigandailycomE
2A- Friday, September134, 2007
MONDAY:
In Other Ivory Towers
TUESDAY: WEDNESDAY: THURSDAY: -RDY
Arbor Anecdotes Explained Before You Were Here _________________
7Yf" Tappan Oak has seen. almost
AQxk j" N 1501,y Dears of iag history
The University's Central campus
is home to more than 7,000 plants.
It is, after all, *part of Tree Tnwn,
better known as Ann Arbor.
One tree stands apart from all
those: the Tappan Oakt.
Jane Immonen, a University for-
estry specialist, said the Tappan
Oak is tonsidered to liktely be the
oldest on tampus. It is also the tall-
est. While admitting that there's no
way to gauge a tree's age without
cutting it down, Immonen said the
tree is probably about 300 years
old.
The tree is located on the west
side of the Hatcher Graduate
Library. tt has provided a source of
tradition and controversy since its
ceremonial transplant in the spring
of 1858. It was placed there to honor
the University's first official presi-
dent, Henry Tappan.
At first, the tree planting was
meant to foster a tradition in which
each graduate would transplant a
sapling around the Tappan Oak.
Many of those trees were removed
in 1883 to make room for the new
library. The custom was ended in
1961 because of growing class sizes.
In 2001, seniors resurrected the
tradition by planting a single tree
to commemorate their graduating
class.
In 1902, the Tappan Oak became
the meeting spot for Michiguama,
the senior honor society that has
only recently changed its name to
Order of Angell. Michigamua. came
under fire in the last two decades
because its rituals involved the
appropriation of Native American
imagery and artifacts. The name
Michigamua was meant to sound
like a fake Indian tribe.
The Michigamua initiation pro-
cess was outlined in a poem written
by former Michiguama members
called "Ode to the Tappan Oak."
The rites included having new
members paint their fates red, don-
ning stereotypical Native American
garb and passing around what was
referred to as a "peace pipe" while
circling the Tappan Oak.
With the society having
denounced and abandoned those
rituals, the tree is more likely tu be
used as a shady spot to study than
the setting for the rituals of secret
societies.
ZOE BAMBERY
The Tappan Oak is both the tallest and oldest tree on campus.
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CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES
Fake bill left for Hoops player i St. Mary's
charity
WHERE: East Ann Arbor
Medical Center
WHEN: Wednesday at about
12 :15 p.m.
WHAT: A person left a coun-
terfeit $10 bill during a dona-
tions collection for lymphoma
research, the Department of
Public Safety reported. The bill
is being held as evidence, and
the investigation is ongoing.
Ticket scalpers
cited near Union
WHERE: Outside the Michi-
gun Union
WHEN: Wednesday at about
12:25 p.m.
WHAT: Two men unaffiliated
with the University were cited
for trying to sell Michigan
football tickets, DPS reported.
DPS is holding the tickets as
evidence.
has iPod, cash
stolen
WHERE: Central Campus
Recreation Building
WHEN: Wednesday at about
11:15 p.m.
WHAT: A University student
reported his iPod and about
$50 stolen, DPS reported. The
victim was playing basketball
and left his items unattended.
Bike swiped
near UgLi
WHERE: The Diag
WHEN: Wednesday at about
12:25 pi.
WHAT: A bike was stolen inC
the Diag, DPS reported. TheI
victim, a University student,
told DPS he couldn't rememberj
whether the bike was locked
up.
meeting
WHAT: A gathering for first-
year Catholic students
WHO: St. Mary's Student
Parish
3WHEN: Today from 6 p.m. to
midnight
WHERE: St. Mary Student
Parish
Astronomy
gathering
WHAT: A free telescopic
viewing from the roof ofAn-
gel Hall
WHO: Student Astronomical
Society
WHEN: Today front 9p.m.
to 11 p.m.
WHERE: Angell Hall Com-
plex
JASA film night
WHAT: An Indian-American
Students Association mass
meeting and movie viewing
WHO: Indian-American Stu-
dents Association
WHEN: Today at16:30 p.m.
WHERE: GG Brown Labora-
tory
Improv dance
WHAT: An opportunity for
improv musicians to dance
for free
WHO: Ounce Student Assem-
bly
WHEN: Today at 8 p.m.
WHERE: Dance Building,
Betty Pease Studio Theatre
CORRECTIONS
" A headline in yesterday's
campus notes incorrectly
spelled the name of Demo-
cratic Presidential hopeful
Barack Obama.
Please report any error in
lihe Daily to corrections@.
michigandailycom.
1New England Patriots
coach Bill Belichick was
fined $500,000 and his
team was fined $250,000 by
NFL commissioner Roger
Goodell for spying on an oppo-
nent's defensive signals. The
team also loses a draft pick.
2Notre Dame and Michi-
gan, the two winningest
schools in college football
history, square off tomorrow at
the Big House. In the 34 times
the teams have played, tomor-
row's match-up will mark the
first time they've met when
both teams were 0-2. >F0R
MORE, SEE FOOTBALLSATURDAY
3Undersea earthquakes
caused a tsunami in
Indonesia yesterday, The
Associated Press reported.
However, this Indonesian msu-
nami didn't reach land like the
one that killed 230,000 people
in 2004.
4
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