The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Thursday, January 20, 2011 - 5A
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Thursday, January 20, 2011 - 5A
repeal will most likely not pass in
HEALTH CARE the Democratic controlled U.S. Sen-
From Page 1A ate. The House approved the repeal
yesterday with a 245-189 vote, the
"Until you become a little more Associated Press reported.
stable in your job after leaving "I don't think there's any doubt
college, the president and others that the legislative impact of
believe one of the best ways to (Wednesday's) vote is basically
provide that stability is to cootinue symbolic in its gestures," Gibbs
on your parent's health care said. "And quite honesty Republi-
insurance plan," Gibbs said. "It will cans in the House of Representa-
make a tremendous difference on tives have said as much. This is not
many young Americans who would a serious legislative effort. This is
otherwise take a big risk being out intended to send a signal to their
in the world and not having the base voters."
health care insurance that they For students in need of health
need." insurance, the University offers a
Gibbs said during the call that domestic plan and a separate inter-
the U.S. House of Representative's national plan that is required for all
imminent move to repeal the law international students studying at
doesn't hold much weight since the the University.
Since the domestic plan isn't
required, premiums are significant-
ly higher than those of the inter-
national plan, which is $99 dollars
per month compared to $224.83 per
month for the domestic plan.
"Unfortunately (the domestic
plan is) a bit expensive because
many young people don't buy
health insurance," Winfield said.
"There's adverse selection so the
price goes up because it's all based
on the types of claims submitted."
According to Burchett, the
domestic plan is available to any
University student taking at least
one credit. The plan is typically
purchased by students whose par-
ents don't have health insurance or
students who don't qualify for cov-
erage under their parents' plans.
Even for students who are on
their parents' health insurance
plans, there may be a discrepancy
between the coverage out-of-state
students receive at home and the
coverage they have in Ann Arbor.
According to Winfield, a student
who has "great" health insurance
in California may not be eligible
for the same level of coverage in
Michigan. Therefore, purchasing
the University's domestic plan may
sometimes result in better cover-
age, he said.
Though the University's health
insurance plans must comply with
any changes in federal law for
2011, Burchett said the University
isn't likely to have to make many
adjustments to either its domestic
or international plans for students.
CAREER EXPO
From Page 1A
job positions.
"It's a great chance to see what is
out there," Schueneman said. "It's
the first step in that internship or
job that you want."
Many University seniors attend-
ed the expo with the chief goal of
finding possible jobs, while others
focused on networking and intern-
ship searches.
LSA seniors Sara Bennett and
Lindsey Etterbeek said they went to
the expo with hopes of finding a job
for after they graduate.
Kinesiology senior Dwayne Riley
said the expo was helpful and that
he attended in order to follow up
with prospective employers he met
at the Fall Career Expo.
"I came to the one in the fall, and
it was pretty helpful, so I wanted to
follow up in the winter to show my
face before applying to desired posi-
tions," Riley said.
Engineering sophomore Brad
Rock, a first-time expo attendee,
said he felt the expo was a great
opportunity, though he was some-
what nervous to talk with company
representatives. He said he would
encourage other students to give it
a try even if they're apprehensive.
"You feel uneasy at first, but ask
good questions, and don't be too
nervous," Rock said. "And try not to
view every opportunity as the end
of the world, if it goes badly."
Though many students said they
found the expo helpful, some stu-
dents said it didn't meet expecta-
tions.
. Business School junior Sara
Jablow said the event wasn't com-
pletely accommodating. She said
she felt the fair could have been bet-
ter organized and that it was hard
to tell what skills companies really
wanted.
"The other career expos that I
have been to were more special-
ized," Jablow said.
LSA senior Sarah Avellar said
there weren't a lot of choices for
students, adding that the potential
employers were targeted to stu-
dents interested in business.
"This one was useless for me,"
Avellar said. "It wasn't as individu-
alized."
When asked if they favored non-
profit or governmental jobs over
careers with for-profit organiza-
tions, many students said they pre-
fer corporate jobs. Business School
junior Colin Buck said he would like
to work for a corporate organiza-
tion instead of a non-profit because
he finds corporate companies tobe
more driven.
"(Corporate companies are)
more motivated," Buck said. "Non-
profits are friendly, but they lack
motivation."
Some students, however, said
they would rather work for a non-
profit organization.
University alum Brittany Moore
said she didn't even walk into the
room with the corporate organiza-
tions and that she was sold on the
non-profits.
"I walked in the Pendleton
Room, with the corporations, and I
was like, 'no, wrong room,"' Moore
said.
LSAsenior AbiolaOmishope said
the expo prompted competition
between students, and encouraged
self-determination.
"It was helpful because you get
to gauge how competition really
works, how to present yourself
and how to be self-competitive,"
Omishope said.
When asked what they thought
of the job hunt, many students
interviewed, including LSA senior
Jessica Zelvin, said it is a tough yet
manageable task if students put in
the work.
"(It is) overwhelming (and) frus-
trating but possible," Zelvin said.
"It's challenging, but if you give
great consideration, and effort, you
will find what you're looking for."
After the expo, Schueneman said
she received positive feedback from
the employers who attended.
"(The employers) seemed to be
impressed with the quality of the
students (and) with the profession-
alism of the students," she said.
CLINICS
From Page 1A
New Jersey ruling that exempted
public university clinics from sub-
mitting to open records requests.
No such ruling currently exists in
Michigan regarding the relation-
ship between the open records
requests and clinics associated with
public higher education institu-
tions.
The New Jersey ruling involved
the Rutgers School of Law Envi-
ronmental Law Clinic, which
has submitted a brief to the New.-
Jersey State Supreme Court call-
ing fo'' a-repeal of the'decision.
Founded in 1985, Rutgers Univer-
sity law students work at the Envi-
ronmental Law Clinic to solve
issues involving building permits,
waste transfer and water and air
pollution, according to the clinic's
website.
Frank Askin, director of the
Rutgers School of Law Constitu-
tional Litigation Clinic, said he
expects the New Jersey Supreme
Court to decide whether to hear
the case in the next couple of
weeks. He said submitting to open
records requests would be harm-
ful to the operation of university
clinics because clients could no
longer expect their information to
be safeguarded against becoming
public knowledge.
"It would be very harmful to
clinical education at public law
schools if (the October New Jer-
sey ruling) became the law," Askin
said. "It would open us up to all
kinds of harassment."
The Rutgers Environmental
Law Clinic is more like a public
defender office since it is funded
in part by the state but doesn't
exclusively work for the state,
Askin said. Many of the cases the
clinic takes on are against the
state, Askin said, so treating the
clinic like a state employee is con-
fusing.
"The whole thing is ridiculous,"
Askin said. "It doesn't make sense."
While a co-chair of a subcom-
mitteeoftheAmericanAssociation
of Law Schools, Bridget McCor-.
mack, now co-director of the Uni-
versity of Michigan Law' School's
Innocence Clinic, worked on a
legal brief in defense of the Rutgers
Environmental Law Clinic.
McCormack said the Innocence
Clinic functions like a private law
firm and should be treated as such.
The New Jersey ruling under-
mines the confidentiality clients
should expect from the office rep-
resenting them, she said.
McCormack said she fears that
with such legislation, the oppos-
ing council in many cases could
use open records requests as road-
blocks.
"I don't think the rule is appro-
priate for any law practice because
it doesn't allow us to practice law
ethically," McCormack said. "The
ethical practice of law requires
that we be able to promise our cli-
ents confidentiality, and you can't
do that because you happen to be
subject to a state open records law."
But McCormack also said Court appellate division denied a
there are other groups that may brief filed by the American Asso-
be affected more from the rul- ciation of University Professors,
ing than the Innocence Clinic. Of the Clinical Legal Education Asso-
great concern, McCormack said, is ciation and the Society of American
that all clinics at state universities Law Teachers stating that open
could be subject to their state's records requests could be used by
open records enforcement if laws the opposition to waste university
similar to the one in New Jersey clinics' time and resources.
were passed in other states. The panel ruled that any dis-
"In some ways, the Innocence advantage acquired by the new
Clinic is not the clinic to worry law offsets the advantage clinics
the most," McCormack said. "One receive through public funding,
of the benefits of representing the article reported.
people who are innocent is you The Rutgers School of Law
don't have anything you're trying issued a statement saying the
to protect." ruling will be a disadvantage for
Askin and McCormack both public university clinics' clientele
said' subinitting to open records because other legal offices won't
requests is an unfair disadvantage be subject to the same treatment,
for law clinics at state universities according to the article in The
compared to private law firms, Chronicle.
which wouldn't have to submit to Sheila Blakney, Washtenaw
the requests. Such a ruling would County senior assistant public
also affect the demographic that defender, said she wasn't familiar
clinics like the Innocence Clinic with the New Jersey ruling but
represent, McCormack said. thinks public university clinics
"The clinics often are the only and the public defender offices
law office representing people in have similar roles.
certain kinds of cases - usually Funded by the county, the
poor people who wouldn't oth- Washtenaw County Office of Pub-
erwise be able to find lawyers," lic Defender is mandated to repre-
McCormack said. sent underprivileged clients, but
Askin said students and pro- takes on other cases as well.
fessors working in public univer- "I actually don't know if there
sity law clinics are "independent are truly significant differences
agents" and represent private cli- because we both have the duty of
ents even though the professors confidentiality," Blakney said. "I
overseeing the cases receive state think it would have a crippling
funded salaries. effect on your law practice if you
According to an October article could not maintain the confidenc-
in The Chronicle of Higher Edu- es of your client as you're legally
cation, the New Jersey Superior required to do."
SCHOOLS
From Page 1A
University and Ann Arbor, as well
as campus resources," Elgas said.
Similarly, to increase undergrad-
uate interest, the School of Public
Health sets up lectures and presen-
tations on health issues, offering
undergraduate students opportu-
nities to communicate face-to-face
with public health representatives,
according to Kiran Dhiman, stu-
dent admissions coordinator in the
School of Public Health.
"Michigan graduates are well-
prepared, strong candidates for our
graduate programs," Dhiman said.
"We've increased our on-campus
recruitment efforts as a result."
The number of applicants to
the School of Public Health yhas
increased steadily since 2008, Dhi-
man wrote in an e-mail interview.
In 2008, there were about 1,650
applicants, in 2009 there were
about 1,825 applicants and in 2010
there were approximately 2,100
applicants to the school, according
to Dhiman. Though 2011 admis-
sions are still open, Dhiman wrote
that numbers currently "appear to
be slightly ahead of last year."
Similarly, Sarah Zearfoss, the
assistant dean and director of
admissions at the Law School,
wrote in an e-mail interview that
there was a "large uptick" in appli-
cations for the 2009 admissions
cycle when nearly 6,500 students
applied. This increase came after
the Law School's application num-
' bers held steady between 5,500 and
6,000 applicants a year since 2002,
she wrote.
"It seems that this year, we'll be
on the high end of our usual range,
and that's exactly where we'd like
to be," Zearfoss wrote. "It's a large
enough pool that we have an enor-
mous amount of talent to choose
among, but not so large that there
are a lot of unrealistic applicants."
Each class is composed of about
360 students, accordingto Zearfoss.
Zearfoss also wrote that the Law
School seeks incoming students not
just from the University's under-
graduate student body, but from all
over the United States as well.
"We recruit nationally, travel-
ing around the country to our top
feeder schools and reaching out to
prospectives across the nation," she
wrote.
Some graduate and professional
schools on campus like the Law
School even offer special incentives
for University undergraduates to
apply. The Law School's Wolverine
Scholars Program allows highly
qualified University students to
apply to the school without taking
the LSAT.
Zearfoss said the new program,
first started in fall 2008, is promis-
ing for University undergraduates
and the school.
"The program is in its infancy,
but we're very enthusiastic about
the caliber of people it has brought
our way," Zearfoss said.
LSA senior Andrew Lieberman,
who recently applied to the Law
School and the Wolverine Scholars
Program, said the new program has
helped him in the application pro-
cess.
"The school seemed very eager
to keep Michigan's best under-
grads wishing to go to law school,"
Lieberman said. "It allowed the
Law School to know that I was very
interested in them once the regular
admission cycle rolled around."
Zearfoss echoed this idea and
said the Law School's awareness of
the intimacies of an undergraduate
education at the University typi-
cally help applicants.
"Our familiarity with the
strength of various (University)
programs and our relationships
with faculty in other parts of the
University always help Michigan
undergrads," Zearfoss said. "It
means we take some non-obvious
candidates very seriously when in
(the) absence of key'insider info' we
might not know."
Like the Law School's Wolver-
ine Scholars Program, the School
of Social Work has an optional
preferred admissions program for
entering freshmen who already
know they want to pursue gradu-
ate-level studies in the social work
field. The option has been avail-
able since 1987, but recently, the
Preferred Admissions program has
gained popularity for undergradu-
ates, Erin Zimmer, the assistant
director of Student Services in the
School of Social Work, said.
Zimmer said only a small amount
of applicants apply via the Pre-
ferred Admissions Program their
freshman year. She speculated that
the current economic situation has
contributed to the increasing inter-
est in the school by leading more
students to go to graduate school
instead of heading straight to the
job hunt.
The School of Social Work has
seen an increase of more than 250
applicants from the 2009 admis-
sions cycle to the 2010 admissions
cycle, according to Zimmer.
"We think the economy is con-
tributing (to the increase in appli-
cants)," Zimmer said. "A lot of
students want to advance them-
selves to be competitive in the job
market."
LSA senior Talyah Sands is cur-
rently participating in an overlap
graduate program, called the 4+1
Program, at the School of Public
Health. She is currently complet-
ing her psychosocial health major,
which she created through the
University's Individual Concentra-
tion Program. The program allows
seniors to begin their graduate
degree during their senior year, with
credits overlapping between under-
graduate and graduate studies.
"A huge advantage ofthe 4+1 Pro-
gram is the opportunity to dive into
my desired field of study as I fin-
ish up my undergraduate degree,"
Sands said. "Since I already knew
that I wanted to study public health,
it was niceto start takingcourses in
it right away during my senior year,
instead of just filling up my sched-
ule with miscellaneous credits."
She said her experience in this
dual program has been positive.
"The school is amazing, and it
is an honor to be able to learn from
some of the brightest and most
accomplished people in the field,"
Sands said.