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Ann Arbor, Michigan
YOUR EDUCATION
Students sit
in on classes,
" few choose to
officially audit
Friday, January 14, 2011
michigandailycom
Even without credit,
students attend LSA
classes to learn
By CLAIRE HALL
Daily Staff Reporter
Imagine taking a University
course, completing all the required
* work, paying tuition and receiving
a grade, but earning zero credits
toward a degree upon finishing
the class.
This is what LSA's official audit-
ing option offers students, though
few participate. However students
choose to audit popular classes on
campus without officially register-
ing, thereby avoiding the financial
and academic demands of taking
the class.
According to Cathleen Con-
way-Perrin, director of Academic
Standards and Academic Oppor-
tunities at the Newnan Academic
Advising Center, only a small num-
ber of students have expressed
interest in auditing a course dur-
ing her 15-year tenure.
"To be frank, we really don't
know why the option even exists
because it doesn't seem practi-
cal for most people, and it doesn't
seem to be very attractive," she
said.
Conway-Perrin explained that
it is usually students experiencing
academic difficulty who consider
auditing in order to refresh their
knowledge of the material rather
than actually retake a course, but
auditing for this reason is "not
usually encouraged."
"We want the student to talk
with the professor and either
retake the class officially if they
need to or seek some other assis-
tance or tutoring," she said.
But retired University English
Prof. Ralph Williams, who is a for-
mer Arthur F. Thurnau professor,
wrote in an e-mail interview that
he feels the presence of auditors
in his classes created a positive
learning environment.
"What the visitors bring to
class is their intellectual energy,
their various experiences of life,
the sense of differing viewpoints
associated with different places
and disciplines," Williams wrote.
"In my view, it is wonderful that
the University allows its faculty
to leave the door to the classroom
ajar while preserving the intel
rity of the experience of students
enrolled for credit."
And some students, like LSA
senior Lauren McGlothlin, find
auditing classes a pleasurable
experience rather than a tedious
one. McGlothlin, who's unoffi-
cially auditing two of her courses
this semester, said it gives her the
opportunity to learn without hav-
ing to worry about homework or
exams.
"I think auditing is a really good
idea especially if you're a second-
See AUDIT, Page 5
Sophomore quarterback DenardRobinson points to newly-hired Michigan head football coach Brady Hoke during a timeout in a Michigan men's basketball game against
Ohio State at Crisler Arena on Wednesday, Jan.12. Michigan lost the game 68-64.
Hokequells rmors,,
Q B Robinson to r Ieturn
Former coach:
Robinson 'really does
love the University of
Michigan'
By RYAN KARTJE
Daily Sports Editor
After accepting the job as
Michigan's head football coach
just yesterday, Brady Hoke
wasted no time ensuring that
his team's most explosive player
would remain a Wolverine.
Hoke said yesterday on 107.3
WBBL's The Huge Show that
sophomore quarterback Denard
Robinson will return under cen-
ter for Michigan next season.
"Yes, yes," Hoke said when
asked by host Bill Simonson
whether Robinson would remain
in Ann Arbor. "We've had great
conversations. I'll tell you, he is a
tremendous young man, and the
humbleness that he has shown
is something that we're proud to
have him, obviously."
Athletic Director Dave Bran-
don confirmed last night as well
via his Twitter account that Rob-
inson will be returning for his
junior season.
The most important conver-
sation may have came yesterday
when Hoke was supposed to meet
one-on-one with Robinson to dis-
cuss his place in Michigan's new
offense, accordingto Robinson's
former high school coach Art
Taylor.
"Just the time I've got to spend
with him and his personality and
everything about him, I really,
really am impressed with (him),"
Hoke said ina separate this morn-
ing on WTKA-AM10SO. "There's
no question he believes in Michi-
gan, he loves Michigan and he'll
be a big part of our program.
I've seen enough of him to know
he can be the quarterback of the
Wolverines."
Hoke is bringing his offense
coordinator, Al Borges, from San
Diego State. Borges has a history
See ROBINSON, Page 5
STORYTELLING TIME
Street Outreach Court
assists homeless in A2
Program gives the
homeless tools to
find jobs, housing
By BRIENNE PRUSAK
Daily StaffReporter
Renee Blaze was faced with
drug and alcohol-related offenses
in the city of Ann Arbor two years
ago, but instead of facinga district
judge, she got to appear before a
court that was a little less intimi-
dating.
Instead of having to go through
the city's traditional court system,
Blaze was allowed to participate in
Street Outreach Court-- a program
that allows homeless individuals
an alternative court experience
and guides them on the path to
recovery.
Developed in October 2005,
Street Outreach Court was
designed to provide the home-
less population of Ann Arbor with
more of a welcoming court sys-
tem and also give a helping hand.
Spearheaded by Ann Arbor District
Judge Elizabeth Hines, the court
tries disadvantaged citizens with
unpaid tickets, fines and arrest
warrants.
Blaze said the program pre-
vented her from getting "lost in the
system," and inspired a sense of
self-motivation and responsibility.
"If I wanted to be successful
in it, then I had to put in the foot-
work," Blaze said. "The process
makes you still be accountable and
keeps a closer eye on you."
See HOMELESS, PageSV
University students share their experiences during MothUP Ann Arbor's "Out of the Ordinary" story slam in the University of
Michigan Museum of Art yesterday.
CAMPUS COMMUNITY
UNIVERSITY RESEARCH
Site aims to facilitate'missed connections' 'U' researcher confirms link
Students use
LikeALittle.com
to express love for
others on campus
By LIANA ROSENBLOOM
Daily StaffReporter
In the classroom, around cam-
pus and in the gym, someone is
watching you. And they think
you're cute.
This kind of attention is famil-
iar to people who frequent the
Internet in search of "missed
connections" with a person they
thought they had a spark with.
And now, a new website called
LikeALittle.com is making a sim-
ilar opportunity available specifi-
cally for University students.
Launched on Oct. 25, the web-
site has pages for more than 200
colleges and universities in the
United States, Canada and China.
The University of Michigan
joined on Nov. 5, becoming the
second college in Michigan, after
Hope College, to have a Like A
Little page.
Ryan Reas, CEO and co-found-
er of LikeALittle.com, said last
month that a similar website at
another university sparked the
idea for Like A Little. He said
the goal of the website is to bring
people in the same community
who may not know each other
together.
"We can actually make this
into a social network where
people around each other can
connect," said Reas, a Stanford
Graduate School of Business
See CONNECTIONS, Page 5
between stress and depression
People with serotonin
gene react differently
to stressful events
By SUZANNE JACOBS
Daily StaffReporter
A recent University analysis
points to a possible link between
stress and an increased risk for
depression.
The findings released last
week by Srijan Sen, an assistant
professor of psychiatry at the
University's Medical School, and
his colleagues - were based on
a comprehensive analysis of 54
published studies that examined
the possible genetic correlation
between depression and environ-
mental stressors, including health
and financial problems.
Sen said he decided to do the
analysis after a 2009 report ques-
tioned the findings of a study in
2003 that showed a genetic link
between the two. The 2003 study
was considered a medical break-
through at the time.
The results of the 2003 study
showed that people with a par-
ticular version of a serotonin
transporter gene, called 5-HTT
exhibited more symptoms of
depression, diagnosable depres-
sion and suicidal tendencies in
See DEPRESSION, Page5
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