14
e Michigan Daily - Tuesday, May 30, 2000
MSA forms labor committee
Time out
By Sara Fedewa University General Counsel Marvin
Daily Staff Reporter Krislov on how to handle violations.
"The committee was started because
The formation of a new committee we wanted a long-term solution to stu-
tentatively set to take shape this fall is dent input concerning sweatshops," for-
currently underway as the Michigan mer MSA President Bram Elias said.
Student Assembly seeks students to While the specifics of the committee
serve on the Committee of Labor have not yet been decided and nothing
Standards and Human Rights. has been officially announced, the
The committee, in part, is a response search for qualified candidates to sit on
to the recent protests by student groups the committee is underway.
opposed to the University's connection "It's a little early to talk about the
to Nike, a company that relies on committee since nothing has been com-
sweatshop labor. missioned," Krislov said.
The committee will be comprised of Looking ahead, Krislov said of the
students, faculty and staff. While it is new committee, "We will look at the
tot strictly an MSA committee, they issue in terms of policy and implementa-
will be responsible for choosing mem- tion and both issues will be part of its
bers of the student body who will charge."
become committee members. The committee will have the dual
Student protests across the nation responsibility of recommending what
have lead to the formation of University types of policies the University should
Students Against Sweatshops, an orga- implement as well as what should be the
nization that developed the Worker's consequence for violating those policies.
Rights Consortium. The WRC provides MSA Rep. Rodolfo Palma-Lulion
a system for enforcing anti-sweatshop said that the University sets its own
policies at universities across the coun- standards within the guidelines of the
ttv. WRC and that, "the new committee
The new committee will be primarily will be setting the course for how the
responsible for reviewing the compliance University will handle people going
of those companies contracted by the against the WRC."
University with the WRC and advising The committee will play an impor-
University President Lee Bollinger and tant role in setting a precedent both
"We wanted a
long-term solution
to student input
concerning
sweatshops."
Bram Elias
Former MSA president
within and outside of the University on
how violations of the WRC will be han-
dled.
In an attempt to maintain a steady
watch over contracted companies as
well as remain well informed on the
University's implementation of the
WRC, appointment to the committee
requires a two-year commitment.
While the formation of a committee
appears to be a victory for student groups
,uch as Students Organizing for Labor
and Economic Equality, Palma-Lulion
explains that advising and implementing
are two different things.
"It is one thing to advise the presi-
dent on how to treat a violation, but it is
much more difficult to convince him to
act on that.advice," Palma-Lulion said.
A
NORMAN NG/Daily
Yunxia Guo (left) and Weibiao Wu, both graduate students, meditate on the
Diag Thursday. Both are members of the Falun Gong in Michigan.
' academic team
wins College Bowl
By Joshua Sherman
For the Daily
The University's Academic
Competition Team defeated the
University of Arkansas in the final round
of the 2000 College Bowl, Inc. National
Championship, securing its third nation-
al championship in five years.
Team member Craig Barker said the
team answered questions that "range
from biochemistry to failed TV sitcoms
of the 1970's."
What makes this competition differ-
ent from those hosted by Alex Trebek
or Regis Philbin is that almost every
one of the questions is answered before
it is finished being read.
The University's team advanced to the
College Bowl National Championships,
held at Bentley College in Waltham,
Massachusetts, along with fifteen other
schools across the country that won their
respective regional tournaments or
secured the wild card position. The team
won its regional tournament at Kent State
University by defeating Case Western
Reserve University.
Making the National Championship
more enjoyable for the team was defeat-
ing its rival, the University of Chicago,
in the process. Team Captain Michael
Davidson commented on the Michigan-
Chicago rivalry, saying, "If they're the
Yankees, we're the Red Sox. Except we
win."
In the College Bowl format, two
four-member teams square off at a
time, in two, eight-minute halves.
'toss up' question is posed with indivi
uals buzzing in to answer the question.
If the individual who buzzed in first
answers the question correctly, then his
or her team is asked a bonus question
which the team may discuss together
before answering the question. Correct
answers are rewarded with points and
the team with the most points at the end
wins.
Ati Tislerics, the University's coach
said, "It was an interesting tournamen
from the standpoint that there was
clear cut favorite. It was wide open. In
fact, every team in the tournament lost
at least three games, including us.
However, we have a very good team.
We won when it counted most."
The team saved its best for the end by
sweeping the Arkansas team in a best-
of-three game series.
How does one prepare for such a
competition? Team members practi*
by playing simulated games, however,
Tislerics also feels that the game
"rewards people who read."
Barker feels that competing with the
team has been "a unique experience"
and one in which he has made "tons of
friends across the county."
The Michigan Academic
Competition team practices every
Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. in the
basement of the Modern Language
Building and invites everyone t
come and try out.
WACCESS
Continued from Page 1
of this new system, McElvain said.
"In general students will prefer it, and
they have asked for it," McElvain
said.
The new system, used and recom-
mended by other universities, has been
successful in handling large amounts of
traffic.
"The system has had stress testing
and it appears that we will be able to
handle the volume of people register-
ing," McElvain said.
The implementation of this system
ends June 5, and until then, registration
transactions, student records and stu-
dent financial information cannot be
updated.
"I think the students will see that
by the time class returns in the fall
considerable effective registratio
system will be in place," McElvain
said.
The new Website for Wolverin
Access will be http://aola/'riaeac
cess.unichedit.
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