The Michigan Daily -

Co-op program
gives students a
competive edge

-

By LATA REDDY
It's no secret that engineering
students find jobs after graduation
more easily than liberal arts majors,
but they have a lesser-known weapon
at the University: the cooperative
education program.
The program, available at the
University only in the College of
Engineering, allows students to work
in jobs related to their careers while
attending school. The exact format of
alternating work with school varies
from university to university, but the
programs' goals are the same-to
give students valuable work ex-
perience.
ENGINEERING students at the
University are eligible to participate
after their sophomore year, and work
for companies like General Motors,
IBM, and Dow Chemical for a total of
three terms.
Program director Donald Peterson
said students often receive permanent
job offers from the company he
worked for and a higher starting
salary if he accepts the job.
Sometimes, students even get more
vacation time and can receive extra
company benefits if they are hired.
Engineering graduate David
Kuehn, who accepted a permanent job
with Ford Motor Co., said the
program was a big help.
"I HAVE found the engineering co-
op program to be the most valuable
this institution has to offer," he said.
"In fact...most co-ops (teach) far
more about real engineering and its
Committet
G~ "
t'Right tol
LANSING, Mich. (UPI) - A labor-
backed "right to know" bill extending
greater protections to workers han-
dling hazardous chemicals on the job
was approved by the House Labor
Committee yesterday over the objec-
tions of industry.
The 10-8 vote along party lines sent
the bill from the Democratic-
dominated committee to the full
House, where Labor Committee
Chairman Juanita Watkins (D.
Detroit) said it should be approved
"in a week or so."
SHE acknowledged that chances for
passage in the Republican Senate are
less certain. But she said she hopes
senators are as concerned about
preserving the health of workers as
are House members.
Similar legislation passed the
House last year, but died in the
Senate.
"We have a piece of legislation that
protects the people in the state,"
Watkins said.
HOWEVER, George Carr, a

applications to the real world than
any course or class could offer."
There are currently 117 students
participating in the program, and
many of them are offered permanent
employment after graduation by the
firms they work for. Of the 53 students
who applied for permanent positions,
in May alone 74 percent-four points
above last year's national placement
average-were hired, and some ap-
plicants haven't received replies yet.s
Although the University's
cooperative education program is
only for engineering students, many
other universities have co-op
programs for their liberal arts Associated Press
students as well. W ho's there?
Angie Laycock, the interim director
of Eastern Michigan University's Glare from spotlights forces Vice President GeorgeBush to shield his eyes
program, said that although liberal yesterday as he attempts to see the crowd at the Rotary International
arts students are difficult to place, Convention in Kansas City.
some agencies prefer them. Laycock
said liberal arts students "learn to
learn. They learn to think while they *r nu
are in college." rojs pre LC pressure
At present, there are no plans to "
start a co-op program for liberal arts irom-interest g oups
students at the University. According
to LSA Dean Peter Steiner, "The possibilities of passing it this
cooperative education programs (continued from Pagel) year are extremely limited," said
"never seemed to be a central way to said. "Whether the Democratic Party Grassmuck, noting that "passing
advance education in the liberal ar- se a taxes is one of the slowest pieces of
will support it as a whole is anotherion." legislation."
But or eginering studnts But the outstanding aspect of the "THERE'S a better than fifty-fifty
But for engineering students' bill, the broadening of the tax base by chance that (m et of the bill) will go
engineering junior James Barba said, closing loopholes and deductions, will through," Courant said. "I'm more
the program is "a chance to use what b ne nes takb pca n optimistic than I've ever been," he
you've been learning, to gain better be under intense attack by special in-
insight." terests which could cause support for said.
the bill to falter, Courant said. However, the bill has "to happen by
"All the various interest groupe will May 1916 or it won't hapen at all,"
start lobbying. If a few cut deals, the said Courant, adding that Reagan will
whole thing could collapse," he said face a new Congress in 1987 and would
"The mood is to try and keep the bill have to start all over.
fairly clean (of loopholes). We'll see Grassmuck was not as optimistic.
how powerful some interest groups "He'll be very lucky if he gets half of
fl 'Q b lJO w 0 l are. If they start to succeed, the whole it. If he does that, he can count it as a
thing will collapee," he said, presidential victory."
"IT (the proposal) is clearly a move
spokesman for the Michigan THE MOST likely change is the in the right direction," Courant said.
Chemical Council, said the legislation reinstatement of the deductions for "It's a better tax structure."
"has some serious technical flaws," state and local taxes, Traugott said. By closing loopholes and deduc-
among them requiring chemical con- "The urban areas tend to be tions, the tax base would broaden, he
tainers to carry a special label for Democratic, their mayors tend to be said, and thusallow-tax rates to
Michigan. Democratic, and the Rouse of lower. Then if the government needs
Carr said that effectively negates Representatives is Democratic. Itwill more revenue to fight the deficit, as
the uniformity of labeling concept bo a matter of partisan politics in that Courant thinks we do, it can "raise
embraced by federal Occupational sense," Traugott said. rates and still have them lower than
Safety and Health Administration Another source of opposition will be they are now."
rules taking effect this fall and next from business, who under the plan In essence, the new system would
spring, would lose several popular deduc- "allow us to raise taxes without
tions. Cutting the exemptions for economic and social destruction," he
TBE MEASURE also strengthens-
theighs o orerso reetan- business "will be given opposition by said.
the misidentifiedrs to refunidentifiehd a large group of businesses and also "A lot of academics and politicians,
dmaterialside tified rom restaurants and recreation if they are off the record, will tell you
areas and country clubs, where con- this is the direction we should have
Watkins said a key provision in the ventions are held," said political been going in ... There's not much in-
bill covers trade secret claims. The science Prof. George Grassmuck. tellectual debate about it," he said.
measure allows companies to Courant indicated that he did not
withhold the specific chemical iden- COURANT noted, however, that think the current proposal is as good
tities of products, but only if the sub- "you can't run against Ronald as Treasury I, the original reform
stance is generically identified and Reagan as anti-business." plan which was even harder on
the container label indicates the iden- The majority of the professors special provisions and deductions, but
tity has been withheld as a trade agreed a tax plan similar to the said "Boy, can Iever live with this."
president's proposal will be passed
secret. sometime in 1986. UPI contributed to this story.

Thursday, May 30, 1985 - Page 3
C OURT
NOTES
Murder hearing
postponed
Debra Robinson, 31, yesterday
waived her right to have a pre-trial
within 12 days of arraignment and
agreed to a hearing date of June 5.
Robinson is charged with the murder
of Barbara Randall, 40, which oc-
curred May 21.
Gallup Park hearing
continues
The hearing of two men allegedly
involved in a fight in Gallup Park on
May 16 was adjourned until the mor-
ning of June 5.
Two of the five witnesses were
unable to appear in court yesterday,
one of whom was Billy Joe Russell,
the Ypsilanti man who was beaten
with two beer bottles at Gallup Park.
Russel was not in good enough health
to go to the court room, according to
prosecuting attorney David Lady.
According to two eyewitnesses, an
argument began between two Yp-
silanti men - Rusefl and Robert
Preston - and one of the two Ann Ar-
bor men on trial, George Ketzner. The
fight started when Russell brought out
a shotgun from his van, eyeswitnesses
said.
Ketzner allegedly hit Russell in the
head with a quart beer bottle and ran
away. Ketzner returned and threw
another bottle, hitting Russell in the
head, said Michael Pelletier, 18, a
senior at Huron High School.
Russell let go of the gun after the
second bottle broke over his head and
Preston picked up the gun, Pelletier
said. David Agar, the other Ann Arbor
man on trial, fought with Preston for
the shotgun using a baseball bat, ac-
cording to Pelletier.
Pelletier said he took the gun and
threw it in the Huron River after the
gun went off and Agar took it from
Preston.
Kevin Nolff, 19, was at Gallup Park
that night with Pelletier and wit-
nessed the incident, which "went real
fast."
"The way I see it, they (Preston and
Russell) were out looking for
trouble," Nolff said.
Neither Nolff nor Pelletier knew the
two Ypsilanti men, they said.
Alleged car thief will
be tried
Darin Pointz of 606 E. Washington
will be tried next month for stealing
Jaqueline Gilbert's 1983 Camero on
May 3. Gilbert, a University Hospitals
employee, parked her car on E. Ann
Street in a staff parking lot at 8 p.m.
and learned it was stolen when she
returned at 9 a.m. after working the
nightshift in the hospital.
-Laura Bischoff