The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, October 14, 1992- Page 7
U Chicago professor
receives Nobel Prize
for work in economics
Dead animal rumors
false, professor says
STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) -
American Gary Becker won the
Nobel Prize in economics yesterday
for pioneering the theory that people
make everyday decisions following
the same rational path long associ-
&ted with business.
"His work can be used to explain:
people's choice of education, how
the family chooses to spend its time,
including how many children it
should have and the type of mar-
riage," said Assar Lindbeck of the
Royal Swedish Academy of Science.
Becker, a professor of sociology
and economics at the University of
Chicago, said he was "still in a bit of
shock" about receiving the $1.2 mil-
lion prize. He was the 15th person
connected to the University of
Chicago to win the Nobel economics
prize in 22 years.
"I was interested in social prob-
lems but felt that economics had the
tools by which to handle these long-
term interests and social questions,"
Becker said.
* The key to his research is the
theory that human behavior follows
the same rational principles, whether
it involves a household, a business
or an organization. Though greeted
initially with skepticism, his work
has influenced sociology, demogra-
phy and criminology.
"Becker has been a hot name for
10 years but we have preferred to
wait and see how solid his research
results were since he is such a daring
and previously controversial per-
son," Lindbeck said. "But year by
year it became clear what a tremen-
dous influence his work has had and
he became the obvious candidate for
the prize."
Becker's theory that people
choose their level of education de-
pending on its economic conse-
quences is generally accepted,
Lindbeck said. But still controversial
are his analyses of decisions to
marry and divorce, based on eco-
nomic factors.
Becker said his research shows
that the probability of getting caught
is more important than the type of
punishment in someone's decision to
commit a crime.
That analysis could be applied by
a society trying to determine
whether it should put more police of-
ficers on the street or make prison
sentences longer.
Becker views households as
small factories, where the costs of
decisions are measured in time as
well as cash.
His studies found that rising
wages make it more beneficial for a
household's adult members to take
jobs and transfer some tasks to other
institutions, such as day care.
by Jennifer Tianen
Daily Staff Reporter
Rumors concerning dead animals
stored in refrigerators and courses
that teach students methods to kill
animals have run rampant in the
university community.
The real story, however, is far
less sensationalistic.
"Animal research requires that
dissected animal corpses be put into
plastic bags and stored in a freezer
until they are incinerated," said
Howard Rush, an assistant professor
of laboratory animal medicine.
He added that the incinerator
usually runs about once a week.
Physiology 503, a class intended
for graduate students, has sparked a
rumor around campus that the uni-
versity provides a class teaching
students how to kill animals.
Rush, who teaches this course,
said, "I wouldn't quite phrase it that
way. What the course offers is the
acceptable methods of humane eu-
thanasia of animals."
Biomedical, biochemical, physi-
ology and neuroscience students as
well as students from the college of
pharmacy take the class.
"We don't line up a bunch of an-
imals and have students kill them
all. We would, however, be remiss
in our duties without teaching them
the humane and acceptable way to
euthanize animals," Rush said.
. Daniel Ringler, director and pro-
fessor of university laboratories for
animal research (ULAM), said, "We
have an open-house policy because
we are very proud of our program.
We have nothing to be ashamed of."
Tours of the animal research fa-
cilities are open to anyone with a
genuine concern and interest in the
care of animals at U-M.
In addition, Ringler meets with
the Students Concerned About
Animal Rights (SCAAR) annually to
answer questions and provide access
to the animal research labs.
"I think that students are rela-
tively comfortable with what we
do," Ringler said.
SCAAR member Holly McNulty
said, "They give us the tours and
explain the process and inform us of
the committee's regulations on ap-
proving experiments. We're not an-
tagonistic."
As far as the rumors are con-
cerned, some students are still
skeptical.
"I didn't think they were true be-
cause when it comes to research, the
university is careful with their use of
animals. There are a lot of regula-
tions. Also, you don't usually find
dead animals lying around in refrig-
erators," said LSA senior Promod
Sanghi.
9
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A new post office will open in TheI
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*Group says Baker lobbied for financial self-interests
WASHINGTON (AP) - White
House Chief of Staff James Baker,
who has large oil investments,
played a role in the administration's
effort to lobby Congress an oil spill
liability in 1990 as secretary of state,
documents show.
The Project on Govern-
ment Oversight, a liberal research
group, said yesterday the documents
raise ethical questions about actions
by Baker, who heads President
Bush's re-election campaign.
Janet Mullins, a former State
Department official who is now an
assistant to Bush for political affairs
at the White House, dismissed the
group's statements as "totally
Sogus."
"Baker had absolutely nothing to
do-with this issue," said Mullins,
who worked on the oil spill liability
issue. She co-authored a memo on
the subject to Lawrence
Eagleburger, the current acting sec-
retary of state, who was then Baker's
deputy.
A memo from then-
Transportation Secretary Samuel
Lousma
will resign
from global
studies group
UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich.
(AP) - Jack Lousma, president and
chief executive officer of the
Consortium for Earth Science
Information Network, will resign his
post Feb. 1.
The former Columbia space
shuttle commander and aerospace
engineer said he was resigning be-
cause the group has developed a
strong foundation and secure future.
He wants to pursue other business
interests and spend more time with
his family.
"It's time for me to climb some
other mountains," said Lousma, a
U-M graduate.
CIESIN was founded three years
ago as an international center for
global change studies. It is one of
nine Earth Observing System data
centers that will be funded in the fu-
ture by the NASA.
The group's interim offices are
located on the campus of Saginaw
Valley State University. Federal
funding has been obtained to build a
permanent facility on Ojibway
Skinner to Baker indicated the two
discussed preparing a joint letter urg-
ing Congress to approve interna-
tional accords limiting oil compa-
nies' liability for spills. The letter to
Senate Majority Leader George
Mitchell was signed by Skinner and
Eagleburger but not by Baker.
The March 1990 letter is one of
several State Department documents
on the matter obtained by the Project
on Government Oversight, a non-
profit group in Washington that in-
vestigates activities of the executive
branch and Congress. The group
provided copies of the documents to
the Associated Press.
Baker had promised a month ear-
lier to abstain from involvement in
any issues affecting domestic oil and
gas prices in order to avoid a conflict
of interest.
Baker's holdings include a share
in a big oil-barge partnership based
in his native Texas.
"The ultimate question is whether
Jim Baker's oil (abstention) is only a
nominal one developed solely for
public consumption, which ulti-
'Baker had absolutely
nothing to do with this
issue.'
- Janet Mullins
former State Department
official
mately means very little when gov-
ernment decisions are made," said
Liz Galtney, director of the research
group.
The letter to Mitchell was part of
the Bush administration's effort to
persuade Congress to ratify the in-
ternational accords capping financial
liability for oil spills.
Tanker insurance rates had
soared following the Exxon Valdez
accident in Alaska in March 1989,
the nation's worst oil spill. Limits on
shippers' liability, which affect
transport costs, can have an impact
on oil prices.
Mitchell opposes the interna-
tional limits, arguing that they
weren't strict enough and would pre-
empt states' liability laws.
Lawmakers rejected the international
agreement.
Earlier, Eagleberger signed the
letter to Mitchell after being urged to
do so in a memo from two State
Department officials: Mullins, who
was then assistant secretary of state
for legislative affairs, and Peter Jon
de Vos, deputy assistant secretary
for oceans and international envi-
ronmental affairs.
The two noted that on March 13,
1990, "Secretary Skinner spoke to
Secretary Baker asking him to co-au-
thor a letter to Senator Mitchell, to
urge his able assistance on behalf of
the (oil spill accords). At that time
(Baker) agreed."
Mu1llins said yesterday that
Baker and Skinner "never dis-
cussed the substance of the issue,
Baker had a casual conversation
with Sam Skinner."
Skinner, now general chair of the
Republican National Committee,
didn't immediately return a call
seeking comment.
Ann Arbor Civic Theatre " Second Stage Productions
CANDIDA
by George Bernard Shaw " directed by Ann VanDemark
- October 1-17, 1992 -
Thursdays through Saturdays at 8:00 p.m.
Admission $7.00 - Thursdays 2-for-1
All Performances in AACT's NEW THEATER!
2275 Platt Road, Ann Arbor - Call 971-AACT for tickets
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& Fries $2.99
with American Cheese,
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on a French Bun.
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Special
Italian Sausage
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& Fries $5.25
Sweet Italian Sausage
with Onions,
Green Peppers,
i MPizza Sauce and
S" ALES Mozzarella Cheese.
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