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| SUMAKO KAWAI/Daily |
| By Katie Wang |
| Daily Staff Reporter |
It was the age of James Duderstadt; it was the age of Lee Bollinger. It was the epoch of diversity, it was the epoch of adversity. It was the season of construction; it was the spring of new buildings; it was the winters that never seemed to end.
It was the Class of 1997.
As the senior class files into Michigan Stadium in two weeks, it will take with it tales of the good old days when Entree Plus was used instead of the M-Card.
It will remember waking up at the crack of dawn to stand in line to CRISP.
And it will be the last class to remember why the Harold Shapiro Undergraduate Library was fondly nicknamed the UGLI.
"The outside (of the library) was just this horrible brick-looking, cold-looking structure," said LSA senior Tara Barry. "It didn't look very welcoming and the inside used to feel like a dungeon."
It is a class that carries the distinction of having seen three different University presidents, years of construction and a boost in minority undergraduate student enrollment.
"In some ways, it was an extraordinarily exciting period during which the University reached a level of quality, strength, diversity and excitement unique in its history," said former University President James Duderstadt.
Campus face-lift
During the four years, cranes and yellow bulldozers occupied the campus, demolishing buildings and reconstructing them.
Construction on the Shapiro Library began nearly four years ago, just as the class of 1997 had first set foot on University turf - a foreshadowing of the years of renewal to follow.
All told, about $62 million was spent to renovate the Shapiro Library, the Randall Laboratory and East Hall. A connector was built linking the Shapiro and Harlan Hatcher libraries, a pedestrian plaza replaced grassy knolls and asphalt around East University and South University avenues, and on North Campus, the Media Union and the Lurie Memorial Carillon Bell Tower were erected.
"North Campus is totally different. It's a lot more centralized," said Engineering senior Allison Eisele. "But the bell tower is ridiculous. There's no clock or music at any certain time. Last week, it was playing 'America the Beautiful' for the longest time.
"If they put a clock on it, it would be fine," Eisele said.
Barry said it seemed as if there were a new construction project every fall.
"Every year when we came back in the fall, there was always a new hole in the middle of the Diag," Barry said.
Some seniors said they grew accustomed to walking in dirt ditches and amidst sawdust, but complained that they would not benefit from the years of construction.
"The whole time I've been here, the campus has been under construction," said LSA senior Rachael Hackmann. "I'm disappointed because I won't get the chance to really enjoy the new buildings."
As the campus facade slowly transformed, Ann Arbor also changed with it. Around the town, several landmark shops disappeared and were replaced by new ones.
Drake's sandwich shop, which has now been replaced by Brueggers Bagels, closed its doors in November, 1993, after servicing Ann Arbor for 65 years. The O'Sullivan's Pub on South University shut down two years later, in 1995, after Good Time Charley's expanded, buying out the space.
Student Body
The composition of the student body also changed, becoming more diverse than ever. In 1993, students of color comprised 22.8 percent of the student body. Today, it has risen to about 25 percent.
"Through the Michigan Mandate and the Michigan Agenda for Women, we achieved the highest number of students, faculty and staff of color in our history," Duderstadt said. "And we put in place programs to bring women more fully into all aspects of the life of the University."
Accompanying the increased diversity was a growing backlash against affirmative action programs. The passage of California Proposition 209 and a court decision in the Hopwood v. Texas case posed a threat to affirmative action programs nationwide, including the University's initiatives.
In October 1995, 500 University students poured into the streets as part of the "National Day of Action" in defense of affirmative action programs.
Demonstrations, large or small, became a common sight at the University during the past four years.
"I think that activism has increased since I first arrived here four years ago," said LSA senior Andy Schor. "(During) my freshman year, I don't remember many activists on campus. Now we have environmentalists, women's rights, rape prevention, Homeless Power and several other groups."
In March 1996, half of The Michigan Daily's press run was stolen by a group of students in protest of a cartoon and editorial the Daily had published. Several days later, 250 protesters clamored outside of the Student Publications Building, home of the Daily, accusing it of being racist.
That same month, yellow placards checkered the campus after 1,000 members of the Graduate Employees Organization staged a two-day walkout, suspending classes for those days.
Out with the old
Inside the classrooms, the course curriculum also shifted with the times.
A quantitative reasoning requirement was passed by LSA in January 1994, which required students to take courses that test mathematical and logical abilities.
The journalism department disappeared as quickly as the Entree Plus system. In January 1995, LSA announced it would remove all film, video and journalism coursework from the communications department. The department switched its focus to understanding the process of mass communication in society and abandoned classes that had a professional focus.
"I was quite annoyed by (the switch)," said LSA senior David Scott. "Before you could get practical experience - as much as a college could offer. Now it's all communication theory.
"What does that do you? Nothing," Scott added.
The use of Netscape and cyberspace also altered the face of education, playing a prominent role in the classroom. Students and professors adjusted to the information highway and became more reliant on the Internet for information. At the University, the MTS e-mail system was phased out by 1995 and replaced by Pine.
Registering for classes also became much easier for students. Before phone CRISP was introduced in January 1995, students waited in long lines at Angell Hall in order to register.
"It was a pain, but it was only one day," said LSA senior Arthur Cote. "It was helpful back then (because) when you didn't have a class, or it was canceled, (the CRISP monitors) would help you immediately."
Finally, there was the disappearance of Entree Plus, fondly nicknamed by many seniors as "Entree Parents."
Entree Plus "was almost like free money," said LSA senior Aaron Hartman. "It was like coming to the (Michigan) Union and eating for free."
Barry said the arrival of the M-Card system was drastic.
"It was like this big leap forward, and Entree Plus got left behind," Barry said.
Administration
At the administrative level, the names and faces in the Fleming Administration Building changed as quickly as the buildings around campus.
Duderstadt's resignation in September, 1995, stunned many students, leaving widespread speculation about why he stepped down.
"The president is the closest thing we have as an embodiment of institutional values and vision," said Vice President for University Relations Walter Harrison. "For me, (Duderstadt's resignation) was one of the biggest changes."
Following Duderstadt's resignation, the search for the next president began - a search that would eventually land the University in the courtroom.
The University Board of Regents selected Vice President for Research Homer Neal as interim president, marking the first time an African American held the post. Neal served as interim University president for seven months.
"I think it is great that he happened to be, among other things, an African American," said Regent Rebecca McGowan (D-Ann Arbor). "But we picked him because he was the best person in the minds of all eight regents to lead the University at that time."
The search process resulted in the selection of Lee Bollinger as the 12th University president. Ironically, Bollinger managed to leave the University and return within the four-year cycle of this year's graduating class.
Bollinger left his post as the dean of the University's Law School in 1994, only to return three years later.
On the board, four new faces made their way to the regents' table since 1993. Gone are regents Paul Brown, James Waters, Deane Baker and Nellie Varner. The new additions to the board are regents Andrea Fischer Newman, Daniel Horning, Olivia Maynard and S. Martin Taylor.
"I don't think the dynamics have shifted," McGowan said. "Our way of operating has always been formal with emphasis on consensus building."
So long and farewell
Along the way, the Class of 1997 lost some of its classmates and professors.
LSA senior Arati Sharangpani and Rackham Associate Dean Betty Jean Jones died in January's Comair flight 3272 crash.
As the Class of 1997 chants the fight song one last time on May 3, it will remember the best and the worst of times. It will remember the massive facelift the University underwent, the resignation of Michigan Football Coach Gary Moeller, the demonstrations and the cheers.
"This has been a period of extraordinary change," Harrison said. "The whole University was going through enormous change at the same time as many undergraduate students were.
"This is a very different campus than any student came to in 1993," Harrison said.
For some members of the Class of 1997, the University has been a far better place than they've ever known.
"For as many changes as I've seen at the University, probably the biggest ones are the changes I've made personally because of the University," said Kinesiology senior Russel Ordonia.
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| TRACEY HARRIS/Daily |