Hideki pushes for online listings of textbooks

By Michelle Poniewozik

Daily Staff Reporter

With the hopes of saving student costs, Michigan Student Assembly President Hideki Tsutsumi announced at last night's MSA meeting his goal to have textbook lists for each class posted on the Internet for students to access before the beginning of the semester.

Hideki's goal is to have books posted by the end of December for the upcoming winter semester.

"This can help a lot of students save a lot of money," Hideki said. "The cost of things is the biggest problem at the University."

Also at the meeting, the assembly failed to approve a motion to reappropriate funds for specific speakers for the Peace and Justice Commission's Affirmative Action 102 education program, although a resolution passed at last week's meeting approving the program still stands.

Originally, MSA was going to allocate $6,000 to bring civil rights activist Jesse Jackson and affirmative action opponent Ward Connerly for Affirmative Action 102.

Since Connerly's trip is being funded by another organization and Jackson was already planning to be in the area, assembly members said if the funds are not required for Jackson and Connerly's visit the money should go back into MSA's surplus funds.

"We're scrounging for $200 everywhere, and (PJC is) on a roll," SNRE representative Mona Gupta said in response to PJC co-chair Jessica Curtin's wish to reallocate the money.

"This money's not going to go to waste if she doesn't use it," Gupta said. "We'll use it."

The assembly did approve the budget for the 2000-2001 academic year with two amendments.

The amendments adjusting the budget included an increase in the Election Committee's budget from $3,000 to $4,350, with the increase coming from MSA's surplus budget, and a transfer of $700 from the Voice Your Vote Commission to the Campus Governance Commission.

The assembly approved the allocation of $750 to the Budget Priorities Committee and the Community Service Commision. It also agreed to use $250 to purchase a new uniform for the University's "Superfan," LSA junior Reza Breakzone.

"We have a historical relationship with the Superfan," MSA Vice President Jim Secreto said. "MSA needs to maintain and support the Superfan."

A resolution in support of a motion to move the LSA admissions lawsuit to Ann Arbor from Detroit also was passed by the assembly.

The decision on the admissions lawsuits will either "change the complex or not change the complex of this University," Rackham student Tom Guglielmo said. "Students need to have the ability to participate in this trial if they wish."

Two new MSA representatives were announced at last night's meeting. Education senior Kevin Gentner and LSA sophomore Jessica Cash will represent their respective schools on the assembly.

"I'm happy to be here and very excited to get some of that stuff done," Cash said.

Eleven students have been named to the Budget Priorities Committee for the upcoming funding disbursement to student groups.

LSA sophomores Andrew Vieweg, Sarah Scott and Jill Chokshi, LSA freshman Javier Restrepo, Engineering junior Milan Gandhi, LSA juniors Adam Damerow and Erika Dowdell, LSA senior Aqueelah Cowan and Social Work student Diego Bernal compose the committee, which will be lead by BPC Chairman Siafa Hage and Vice Chair Farah Mongeau.