University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

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van Freidrichs speaks to other representatives at an MSA meeting. MSA served as a liaison bet veen the student body and University adminis- trators. It is not just what MSA does, it ' .v what they can help students do, believed representative Chris McCann, chair of the Peace and Justice Committee.

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ms a Peter Nielsen tJohn Lopez and other Michigan Student As sembly (MSA) representatives vote whether to support the appearance of Senator Ton Hoyden at the University. MSA more than doubled student fees to help fund student organizations. The fee increase to $6.H caused an outcry among students wh thought it was unnecessary. necessary stry by Melissa Keenigsberg Serving as a liaison for the tremendous student body of the University to the administration, the Michigan Student As sembly (MSA) strove to guarantee student rights. Funding campus events and organizations, and safeguarding the right to higher education, MSA encompasses virtually every student from each niche of the University. MSA is the only central student government which represents all undergraduate and graduate students, said MSA President, junior archaeology major Fiona Rose. MSA branches out beyond the Ann Arbor campus in order to address students ' concerns and provide benefits pro- moting equal opportunity at the University. MSA is a valuable resource which recognizes and funds over 600 student groups and offices. The members elected to the assembly provide a platform to voice student concerns and work to implement new programming. Chair of the Peace and Justice Commission, anthropol- ogy senior Chris McCann said, It is not just what MSA does, it ' s what they can help students do. This year we are helping Project Serve. They do a lot of community service with faculty, staff and students. People in MSA are pushing for a student regent, reforming the meal plan, campus safety projects and getting in touch with officials at the University and other universities to see what works with students. MSA is there to lobby on students ' rights and needs with the administration and the Regents. When it comes down to it, the administration may be happy to make decisions regarding students without their input, and MSA serves as an impediment to that kind of governance at this University, said Chair of the Student ' s Right ' s Commission junior Anne Marie Ellison. If students are truly going to have a voice in administra- tive decisions, MSA must continue its lines of communication with the student body. 44 4 Michigan Student Assembly stry by Jhn Whelan Although Michigan Student Assembly (MSA) pr vides a forum for students to raise their concerns, it is an inefficient organization that wastes students ' money. As the 1996 MSA elections showed, students do not really care about student government. Voter turnout was only nine percent! Students are oblivious to the policies that MSA under- takes, and if they were aware of all the waste that occurs, most would be irate. Few people know that MSA representatives travel to Washington, D.C., Arizona, and other places financed with student funds. The stated purpose of the trips is to represent the students in lobbying efforts, but escaping the Michigan winter remained a more plausible and likely reason.. When LSA senior Jacob Gin was informed of the trips, he said No one mentions that when they run for these [MSA] offices I think the whole thing is a waste. Even when MSA decides to spend our money to hel out on campus, their methods for allocating funds are question able. Any group or organization can submit a budget proposa for funds from the Budget Priorities Committee (BPC). The BPC ' s allocation system is random and provides no explana tions for its decisions. In the fall, MSA proposed to more than double student fees, raising them from $2.69 to $6.19 pei student. The fee increase would set a dangerous preceden however, because it would allow special interest groups t dictate MSA ' s budget. Fortunately, students realized this wa insane, and voted down the measure. If MSA is going to continue, it has to end its fre spending ways and remember its purpose is to voice studen concerns. It might be fun for MSA officials to play governmen while at the University, but they are playing with students money. MSA is not part of the solution, MSA is part of the problem. Other Big Ten schools, like Penn State and Purdue, do not have a student body government, and the Universit doesn ' t need one either. iayut by Emma Cartwright

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does the nike V- contract ruin r .s a volleyball player prepares to compete, the Nike swoosh dominates her uniform, Critics of the Nike contract felt it took the spirit of competition out of college athletics. The swoosh appeared on all Michigan uni- forms and equipment. the spirit f competition? stry by Dug Stevens In a more innocent, less corporate America, college athletics were played for the love of competition. Whereas professional sports have always been overconcerned with money-making, their collegiate counterparts have traditionally been viewed as a forum for hard-core rivalry. The beauty of college athletics is in the battle hoping to establish athletic supremacy, not in the reward of a commercial endorsement. In this day of the Federal Express Orange Bowl and Poulan Weed Eater Bowl, simplicity and innocence are long gone from big- time college sports. One of the most appealing and charming aspects of a Saturday at Michigan Stadium is that I am not subjected to hundreds of advertisements all over the walls of the Big House. Rather, all I see is the action down on the gridiron. However, this becomes disturbing to me when I consider the fact that the Michigan football team, and the rest of the University ' s her- alded athletic department, has sold its program out to corporate sponsorship. In effect, by signing a multi-year, multimillion dollar contract with Nike, Michigan joins the growing trend of universities who have sold, along with their independence, everything that is great about college sports. The University administration argues that the contract does nothing but good for the school and its student-athletes. The company provides sporting apparel for most of Michigan ' s teams, not to mention a lot of money and publicity for the athletic department. However, these benefits come at a heavy cost. For all intents and purposes, the University of Michigan athletic department has tarnished all that is great about college sports. By wearing the Nike swoosh on their beloved football uniforms, the team has said that they don ' t solely represent Michigan, but the Nike corporation as well. As LSA senior Adam Clampitt commented, The Nike contract makes the University become a slave to corporate profits. by Mnica Plakv The Wolverines are, of course, the leaders and the best, and wearing the Nike swoosh on their uniforms does not change that. When ABC cameras zoomed in on a tackle made by senior linebacker Jarrett Irons or on a dunk made by junior Maurice Taylor, one thing was visible: the Nike swoosh. The entire University benefits from the multimillion dollar deal it signed with Nike in 1995. Some students and University sports fans believe that contracting with Nike can be compared to prostituting the University. I wholly disagree. The University often names a building after a person who has donated a lot of money. The same concept applies to Nike. Nike benefits from Michigan and Michigan benefits from Nike, said former Michigan football linebacker Matt Dyson. Nike gets publicity from televised football and basket- ball games. Michigan gets money for equipment and athletic apparel for all its sports. The Nike apparel has been extremely popular and has sold well at local sportswear stores. As a result of the Nike contract, the University recei vec high-quality sporting uniforms and equipment. The swoosh has no affect on players ' performances. The University saves money on these things, allowing it to spend money elsewhere Nike not only supports the most popular athletic pro grams, such as football, basketball, and hockey, but smalle: athletic programs, as well as women ' s sports, and intramura sports have benefited from Nike ' s aid as well. In return, the University can spend its money in other ways such as buying more computers, improving buildings, and anything else th University may need. In addition, Nike gives extra publicity to the University For instance, when a Nike commercial features Wolverine uniforms or players it helps convey a positive image for th University. iayut by Emma Cartwright 46 + Nike Contract