Oie lMidYgan Baij ONE-H11 UNDRED-NIN'ETIEEN Y EARIS(}F EDITORU,\A L REED)( M Ann Arbor, Michigan Friday, October 31, 2008 michigandaily.com TRICK OR TREAT AT SEXTIVAL r 591. Y y PREPARING FOR ELECTION DAY Professors expect low attendance on Tuesday Kelsey Kennedy, an LSA junior, and Nate Gire, an LSA senior, investigate the contents of their goody bags at Sextival, an annual event targeted at underclassmen to help raise awareness about general sex information and to promote safe sex. Sextival also featured penis-shaped cookies along with a panel that answered questions posed by students. SHOPPING FOR TEXTBOOKS Uook'websiteadyfor launc Obama campaign urges supporters to skip work or class and volunteer By CAITLIN SCHNEIDER Daily StaffReporter Democratic presidential nomi- nee Barack Obama's campaign sent an e-mail to supporters earli- er thisweek, urgingthemto spend Election Day volunteering for the Democratic presidential nominee. "Ask your Boss. Ask your Pro- fessor," wrote Jon Carson, the national field director of Obama for America. "Take Election Day off and volunteer to make his- tory." With support for Obama strong on campus, many University pro- fessors are anticipating low class attendance on Tuesday. Many politically-inclined stu- dents are planning to spend the day getting out the vote, but even those who don't volunteer might find that the process of voting will cut into their class schedule. Record registrationnumbers may translate into long lines at the polls, taking up a bigger chunk of students' days that what they'd planned. For some in-state students, the process requires driving long distances to cast ballots in their hometowns. "In my class of about 55, there are three or four who have yet to receive their registrationand have to go home to vote," said A. Melis- sa Harris, an associate professor in the Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. "I told my group that they could come alittle bit late or leave a little bit early if they needed." Nathaniel Eli Coats Styer, chair of the University's chapter of Col- lege Democrats, said he's ditching class Tuesday to volunteer. He's asking others to do the same. "We are definitely encouraging all of our members to take the day off," Styer said. "Hit the street, hit the phone and make sure that we win in a landslide on Tuesday." Brady Smith, chair of the Col- lege Republicans, said he wasn't sure if his entire group would skip classes Tuesday, but he "we're certainly goingto encourage them to do whattheycan." Harris said that she while she won't cancel class, she and many of her colleaguesplanto adaptles- sons for the day to accommodate the absent students. "There's a lot of desire out there for people to get out and vote," she said. There's going to be a more flexible attitude in the air." See ELECTION DAY, Page 7A Site lets faculty post reading lists earlier, but they're not required to use it By KYLE SWANSON DailyStaffReporter When registration for Winter Term begins two weeks from now, students will be able to see text- book lists for some classes while building a class schedule on Wol- verine Access. A program called UBook, slated to launch next week, will allow faculty to create textbook lists and distribute the lists to the book- store of their choice. The service will allow students to access the lists while choosing classes and find used books from other Uni- versity students. The program, which was a year and a half in the making, comes during a time in which textbook prices have tripled in past 20 years, according to US News and World Report. Before, students often received their textbook requirements on the first day of class, making it too late for them to obtain cheaper copies via the Internet. Though UBook is intended to give students earlier notice so they can shop around and save money on their books, professors won't be required to use the system. . Gretchen Weir, assistant vice provost for academic affairs, said she thinks many faculty members will use it,butthe University didn't want to require them to do so. "We expect that as many faculty as can will comply with both using the tool and ordering early," she said. "It isn't the Michigan way to take any decision about pedagogy out of the hands of the faculty members." Weir said many professors don't use textbooks and that some cours- es might require the most current edition of textbooks, which could make it difficult for some pro- See UBOOKS, Page 7A - ELECTION VOLUNTEERS Unable to vote, EHT teens staff polls Local high-schoolers use day off from class to get involved By THOMAS CHAN Daily Staff Reporter Although 16-year-old high school juniors Noa Gutterman and Bryan LaPointe don't have class on Election Day because their schools are being used as polling places, neither one plans to take the day off. Gutterman and LaPointe are among more than 100 local high school students who are too young to vote but are participating by working at the polls or volunteer- ing for a campaign on Tuesday. LaPointe will work at the polls as an election inspector and Gutterman will be canvassing for Democratic presidential nomi- nee Barack Obama's campaign as a "Barackstar" - the campaigns nickname for volunteers under the age of 18. Guttermansaid she is frustrated that she can't vote in this election, but decided that volunteering was the next best thing. "I don't understand why teen- agers are not allowed to vote," she said. "So instead of sitting around and complaining about why I can't vote, I would rather help to inform people about their political' fig- ures and who they should be vot- ing for." "I'm excited to work and have the election happen," LaPointe said, adding that he's "anxious about it because they say the voter turnout is going to be huge." Obama spokesman Brad Carroll said the campaign's young volun- teers have played a big part for the campaign in the state. "Barackstar groups across the state have played a crucial role in reaching out to their fellow stu- dents, registering them to vote and talking about the change that Barack Obama will bring to Mich- igan," he said. About 110 Pioneer High School students will work the polls in addition to two groups of rough- ly 25 students from Greenhills School and Huron High School, said Claire Dahl, a history teacher at Pioneer. Ann Arbor City Clerk Jacqueline Beaudry said students from Community High School See TEENS, Page 7A Political Science Prof. ennet Kirkpatrick participated in a panel discussion last night in Weill Hall. The professors discussed women's issues inthe upcoming election. Panelists hash out women s rights issues in 2008 election Faculty say they support Obama's stances on abortion, sex ed By JENNA SKOLLER Daily StaffReporter During a panel discussion Thursday night, a trio of University faculty mem- bers debated the role of women's rights in the upcoming election. The panelists - Prof. Helen Levy of the Ford School of Public Policy, Prof. Paula Lantz of the School of Public Health and Political Science lecturer Jennet Kirkpat- rick - said they considered Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's approach toward women's issues supe- rior to that of Republican nominee John McCain's. They cited Obama's pro-choice stance asa large factor in their support. Though the event was billed as one that would pit McCain and Obama's views on women's issues against each other, the conversation also focused on Clinton and Palin, both of whom had history-making campaigns this year. Panelists fielded numerous questions about Palin, Clinton and what their can- didacies would mean for women seeking political office in the future. See PANEL, Page 7A WEATHER HI: 56 TOMORROW LO 32 GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-763-2459 or e-mail news@michigandaily.com and let us know. 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