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Ombudsman works to
help 'U' students
Associated Press
D-Day
U.S. veterans hold a memorial wreath during a ceremony at a Normandy
cemetery in La Cambe, France yesterday. Today marks the 40th
anniversary of D-Dday.
Braun Court zoning upheld
By MARIA GERMINARIO ,
You've been dating your TA for six
weeks and decide it's time to call it
quits. You do, but at the end of the term
you get an 'E' in that class. You believe
your rights have been violated and you
are being harrassed. What can you do
about it?
You can take your complaint to the
University Ombudsman's Office.
SO WHAT exactly is an ombudsman?
The dictionary defines an ombud-
sman as "one that investigates repor-
ted complaints as from students, repor-
ts findings, and helps to achieve
equitable settlements."
According to University Ombudsman
Don Perigo, he has "only the power of
persuasion and information." Yet, he
handles approximately 300 questions
and complaints from students annually.
Most of them concern discrimination,
academic requirements, financial aid
and misunderstandings over cultural
differences between students.
THE OMBUDSMAN'S Office acts as
a grievance board for students after
their complaint has been brought to the
attention of those at the most basic
level. For example, in the case of an
academic problem, the student must
first go to the department chairman or
in the case of a problem in the dorm,
one must first contact the Housing Of-
fice.
Although he lacks the power to over-
turn or modify any decisions made by
other offices within the University,
Perigo reviews decisions made by other
administrators to check their con-
sistency with previous similar cases.
The office keeps copies of procedures
for all of the University's schools and
colleges for thispurpose.
According to Perigo, most of the
cases are "not flagrant violations, but
misunderstandings to be worked out."
Perigo and his assistant, Mona Stolz, a
social worker, address academic and
non-academic problems between all
members of the University community,
students, staff and faculty.
WORKING FROM their office on the
third floor of the Michigan Union,
Perigo and Stolz try to solve these
problems through personal counseling
and try to keep them from developing
into formal procedures outside the
University, such as lawsuits.
Other University offices assist the
Ombudsman's Office in certain cases -
such as those involving sexual
harrassment, which are handled by the
Office of Affirmative Action. Perigo
said that his office must be sensitive
when dealing with cases like those. "It
is not that we don't believe them, but we
carefully check it out ourselves," said
Perigo.
Perigo's duties as Ombudsman are
only part time. He also acts as Director
of the Campus Information Center and
has been Director of Orientation for 13
years. He began working as Ombud-
sman in 1981.
The Ombudsman's Office is
primarily for students, but has other
specific functions such as collecting
feedback on the University and
suggesting ways to improve relations
between students and the University.
POLICE
NOTES
Window smashed
A window was broken at the Blue
Front store at State and Packard
early Sunday morning. Ann Arbor
Police said nothing was taken and it
did not appear that anyone had en-
tered the store. - Marla Gold
6
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(Continuedfrom Page1)
available," she said. "Houses are being
converted little by little.'
PETERSON URGED the Council to
adopt the proposal. "I have never been
one to say development shouldn't hap-
pen, but at what human cost?" he said.
But Mayor Louis Belcher noted that
the city has always been defeated in
court in this type of situation. "We have
never rezoned downward sucessfully
without the owner's consent," he said.
Belcher added that it is unfair to
change the zoning just to stop a par-
ticular development.
City Attorney .R. Bruce Laidlaw
,acknowledged that it would be "more
difficult" to win if the Council changed
the zoning for a small area to stop
development, but added that "it really
boils down to a reasonableness test."
After the vote, Peterson said he will
continue to fight for low- and moderate-
income housing downtown through
zoning changes and incentives to
developers.
Peterson is spearheading the
movement to preserve moderately-
priced housing downtown and slow
down the flurry of development which
has begun in Ann Arbor.
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HAPPENINGS
Tuesday
:Eyemediae Video-John Giorno, William
Burroughs, Mark Grafe, 8p.m., 408W. Washington.
CEW-Job Hunt Club, noon, 350 S. Thayer.
Lesbian Network-meeting & games, 7:30 p.m., 802
Monroe.
Steiner Inst.-"About Whitsunday," 8 p.m., 1923
Geddes.
His House-Fellowshop & Bible Study, 7:30 p.m.,
925 E. Ann.
Fencing Club-practice, 8 p.m., Coliseum.
Ann Arbor Go Club-meeting, 7 p.m., 1433 Mason.
Computing Center-Workshop, "Intro to Macintosh
Personal Computer, 9 a.m., 3014 SEB; "Intro Ontel
Terminal," 1:30 p.m., NUBS: "Advanced Ontel,"
3:30 p.m., NUBS.
Women's Golf Club-game, 8 a.m., Golf Course.
Nutrition-Weight control class, noon, C7018 Out-
patient Bldg.
Muslim Student Assoc.-Arabic Study Circle, 6
p.m., 407 N. Ingalls.
HRD-Course, "Survey of Printing Technology,"
8:45 a.m., 130 LSA; "Intro to Textedit," 1 p.m., 1439
Mason.
Wednesday
Support Group for Farm Labor-meeting, 5:30
p.m., Union.
Academic Alcoholics-meeting, 1:30 p.m., Alanon
Club.
Science Fiction Club-meeting, 8:15 p.m., League.
Michigan Voice-Country & Stringband music,
Garth Gerber & David Murphey, 8 p.m., Dominic K's
812 Monroe.
Computer Center - "Intro to the MacIntosh Per-
sonal Computer," 9 a.m., 3014 SEB; Lecture, "Intro
to Tell-a-Graf," 3:30 p.m., 64 Bus. Ad.
Gay Liberation-Tryouts for Pride Week Talent
Show, Anderson Rm., Union.
Bicycle Club-meeting, 8 p.m., 1084E. Engin.
CEW-"Step Before the Job Search," 7 p.m., 350 S.
Thayer.
CFT-The Man Who Loved Women, 7:30 p.m.;
Going Places, 9:35 p.m., Michigan.
Cinema II-Emerald Cities, 7:30 & 9:15 p.m., MLB
4.
Thursday
Michigan Technology Council-Breakfast Briefing,
"The Geneology of Michigan's Computer firms,"'
7:15 a.m., Ann Arbor Inn.
Center for Eating Disorders-Support Group, 7:30
p.m., First United Methodist Church.
Scottish Country Dancers-Beginners, 7 p.m., In-
termediates, 8p.m., 2351 Shadowood.
Fencing CLub-Practice, 8 p.m., Coliseum.
Psychiatry-Anxiety Disorders Support Group,
7:30 p.m., Children's Psych. Hosp.
Med. Center Bible Study-12:30 p.m., 8th Fl., Main
Hosp.
Sailing Club-meeting, 7:45 p.m., 311 W. Engin.
Computing Center-Lab, "Intro Ontel Terminal,"
1:30 p.m., "Advanced Ontel Terminal," 3:30 p.m.,
NUBS; Workshop, "Intro to the Macintosh Personal
Computer," 1 p.m., 3014 SEB.
Gay Liberation-Tryouts for Pride Week Talent
Show, 5 p.m., Anderson Rm., Union.
League Cafeteria-American Heritage Night-San
Francisco, 5 p.m.
Muslim Student Assoc.-Arabic Study Circle, 6
p.m., 407 N. Ingalls.
HRD-Course, "Survey of Printing Technology,"
8:45 a.m., 130 LSA; "Punctuation ... Clinic!" 10
a.m., 4051 LSA; "Intro to Textedit," 1 p.m., 1439
Mason.
AAFC-Medium Cool, 7:30 p.m.; The Parallax
View, 9:30 p.m., MLB 3.
CFT-Shampoo, 7:30 p.m.; Heaven Can Wait, 9:30
p.m., Michigan.
Cinema Guild-A Foreign Affair, 7:30 p.m.;
Mission to Moscow, 9:45 p.m., Lorch.
6
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