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

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I SA first-year Honors stu- dent Kate Demon uses much of her free time to catch up on reading and work for many of her Honors classes. Many fust-year students like Denton utilized residence hall lounges to study. Reena lashnani L Standing ir Reena Jashnani nding in front of the Union foun- tain, Eric Chmielewski contemplates serious issues, like whether or not to attend his only class of the day. laking an afternoon break between classes, Chmielewski grabs lunch in the Union and then grabs a quick nap on one of the window booths. Reena Jashnani V ithout much stress, Chmielewski spends his time playing video games in the evenings. Pinball Pete ' s and the Union were favorite places to play. Reena Ja I aking time from his busy studying scheduleon the weekends, Chmielewski catches up on sleep in the Michigan Union. Evolution of a Student 15

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-from te4 iA6Ar to Us-L. Growing Up They entered as first-year students leaving four or five years later as seniors. During this time a transformation took place, an evolution of sorts, a valiant effort to adapt from a hardworking, studious machine to become a relaxed senior. When and how this process took place varied from person to person. LSA Honors first-year student Kate Denton contrasted greatly with her academic antithesis, LSAseniorturningEngineering junior Eric Chmielewski. So many students come in with previous knowledge that it makes it very hard for a person to try a course and get a good grade in it, said that Denton crediting to her tough schedule. Thursdays she awoke at 6:50, showered, ate, and read the assignment for her Great Books class. She had psychology lecture from 8-9, Great Books lecture from 9-10, then lunch and study time until noon; psych discussion 12-1, Great Books discussion 1-2, French 2-3. She caught up on sleep with an afternoon power-nap, then it was off to calculus for an hour and a half. After dinner, Denton had two hours of study time before she was off to ballroom dancing. More studying capped the night. Being a freshman takes a lot of work; it will take a lot of studying to get where I want to be. Fellow LSA Honors first-year student Marc Bittner said, We ' re not just nerds, we ' re l 2ie Denton wakes early in the morn- ing to attend herfirst class. Dressed and ready to go with her books, Denton headed down the hallway of her dorm. mnding the corner of South Quad on her way to another class, Denton Reenajashnani runs into other first-year students with similar hectic schedules. by jason Wilkinson doubleplus nerds. Denton however, disagreed. She went to football games to throw marshmallows, and joined IM swimming. Since she refused to do homework on the weekends, she filled the time with shopping, parties, and hanging out with her friends and boyfriend. On the flip side of life, Chmielewski spent his Thursday afternoons playing Tekken 3 in the Union. To his credit, Chmielewski ' s Tuesdays included one hour of physics an four hours of chemistry lab. It ' s easier because I know the campus; I know the system, ' said Chmielewski. Indeed, Chmielewski was able to balance his classes with his job, an still have time to lounge in the Union, or to relieve stress at the CCRB by playin racquetball. After years of trial and error, Chmielewski acknowledged, I know what need to do. Although he says he worked hard his first few semesters, Chmielewski advised all first-year students, Don ' t take the first semester too hard. Knowledge of the system transformed valiantfirst-year students toeasygoingseniors. Undeniably, a first-year student with 120 AP credits was still a first-year student. Denton and Chmielewski worked hard, studied hard, and played hard. Yet, Chmielewski ' s intimate knowledge of the University gave him the distinct edge. That edge carried with it the title senior. Reenajashnani (LJenton ' s evenings were spent hang- ing out with friends. Many students took advantage of the nice weather to spend time outdoors. Reenajashnani lA eekends meant studying for many students, like Denton. Laptop comput- ers and planners made things go much smoother when hitting the books. 14 Michigan Life

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own e fe ne s... Construction V l 1 V CAl 1 Ik The Diag underwent a formal renovation during the summer, closing the popular shortcut for three months. Students groaned as minutes were added to their travel time to class. Even when the final touches were in place, over the Diag ' s construction continued. Where ' s the ' M ' ? asked one first-year student, staring at the middle of the Diag where the traditional bronze ' M ' once lay. The legend of the ' M ' had been an integral part of University folklore for many years; students knew not to step on the ' M ' before their first blue book exam if they wanted to pass it. The as the ' M ' was replaced by a brick sketch of the letter ' M. ' Steve Spiegel, first-year LSA student remarked, When I first visited the campus I knew that there were a lot of things the University was known for from football to the Business School-but I ' ll never forget that ' ' ' by jamie weitzel the first thing I was told was to not step on the ' M ' . First-year LSA student Susan Rosenberg commented, I think that j tradition has been lost, especially for freshmen. People who have never hearc the superstition of the old ' M ' may never know a piece of the University. The University rennovated due to an immediate need for more appropri ate drainage, to add room for additional trees and to replace all the crackec sidewalks running throughout the Diag. According to Julianne Chard, Projec Engineer for Facilities Planning and Design, When the renovation began thi soil under the plaza was unacceptable. We had to with granulate. The face lift also made the Diag safer for students at nigh by improving the lighting with additional lamps. Students were assured tha the original bronze ' M ' would return in the fall. Yet still, without the origina ' M ' some of the tradition of the Diag was gone. Vasu Divi jjtudents were warned to Keep Out of the pathways leading into and out of the Diag. Throughout spring and summer the main thoroughfares of campus were closed due to the Diag ' s construction. [he Burton Memorial Bell Tower overlooks the central campus at the University. In summer and fall construction crews went to work cleaning the tower which entailed removing the actual clock face from the tower. 16 Michigan Life Viusu Diviil