10A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, January 20, 2000
HIGHER EDUCATION
40
Sens., students protest
One Florida Initiative
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Two
black lawmakers ended their sit-in at
the lieutenant governor's office
Wednesday after Gov. Jeb Bush agreed
to delay his executive order ending
affirmative action so public hearings
could be held on the issue.
Sen. Kendrick Meek (D-Miami) and
Rep. Tony Hill (D-Jacksonville) spent
the night in Lt. Gov. Frank Brogan's
office after failing to persuade Bush
and Brogan to rescind the order
Tuesday. They left about 24 hours after
the sit-in began.
The two lawmakers and Bush signed
a statement outlining an agreement
reached after they discussed the gover-
nor's plan to replace affirmative action
in hiring and university admissions with
what the governor calls his "One
Florida" program:
Bush contends his plan will increase
minority enrollment in state universi-
ties. It guarantees admission to some
state universities to the top 20 percent
of the state's high school seniors, adds
$20 million to the state's financial aid
budget and makes it easier for minority
businesses to be certified to work
across the state.
"In light of the governor's willing-
ness to take these affirmative steps,
we've agreed to rescind our demand
that the governor immediately suspend
the One Florida executive order," the
lawmakers said in the statement.
Bush agreed to a formal meeting with
the Black Caucus and other interested
lawmakers and to delay a Florida Board
of Regents vote on the program until Feb.
17. The regents, who oversee the state
university system, had been scheduled to
act on the proposal tomorrow.
"This is going to require more dia-
logue, which I am prepared to do,"
Bush said.
The agreement also calls for three
public hearings. In addition Bush agreed
to a good-faith review of the lawmakers'
written comments and recommendations
for improving One Florida.
"We informed the governor of our
strong support for affirmative action
and the potential harm to our communi-
ties if the One Florida initiative rolls
back or repeals the gains made possible
by our existing affirmative action law,"
the legislators said in their statement.
They also apologized "for any incon-
venience our actions have caused."
The protest escalated yesterday as 20
more lawmakers and about 100 protest-
ers, including many students from pre-
dominantly black Florida A&M
University, crowded the capitol hall-
ways outside the governor's office.
Hundreds of miles away in Miami
about 100 students, teachers and
employees at Florida International
University protested outside Bush's
South Florida office.
They carried signs that read, "Stop
racism" and chanted, "Shame on Bush."
Bush apologized yesterday for a wide-
ly televised remark the night before in
which he told an aide to "kick their asses
out" in reference to reporters covering the
sit-in. "I made a statement that I'm not
going to repeat because my mother
wouldn't like me to say the 'A word,"'
Bush said. "I apologize for that."
New compound could
eliminate use of stitches
AP PHOO
South Orange, N.J., firefighters attend to a blaze in a Seton Hail University residence hall early yesterday morning. The
blaze killed three students and four were critically burned.
3 Seton Hall students die in
morning residence hail fire
By Jaclyn Chang
The Lariat
WACO, Texas (U-WIRE) -
Imagine a surgery without stitches.
Instead, a doctor uses a compound that
encourages the healing process to take
place naturally after surgery, resulting
in less painful procedures and a
decrease in scarring.
Since April 1998, chemistry Prof
Bob Kane, postdoctoral researcher
Jianxing Zhang and former graduate
students Tim Rowland and Philip
Brown have been collaborating with
researchers at the Baylor Research
Institute in Dallas about using orange
fluorescent compounds to bind pieces
of tissue together.
The key to the compound is its fluo-
rescence, which is a photochemical
process that stimulates tissues to bond.
Even though these fluorescent com-
pounds could not be used to heal every-
day cuts and wounds, "it could be used
in surgery and for sports medicine,"
Zhang said.
Researchers are testing the com-
pounds in an effort to repair knee
injuries, which are common in athletic
injuries, and for cornea transplants. The
main application is to repair tissue tears
in the knee.
"This injury is difficult to repair
because when there is no blood flow
through the injured area, the tissue does
not regenerate quickly;" Kane said.
Currently, doctors cut out torn knee
tissues because they can't suture them,
which causes more problems.
"That's when you get the bone rub-
bing on bone, which leads to arthritis,"
Kane said.
Researchers are testing the strength
of the compound, and determining how
the compound should be used in
surgery.
"I don't think the strength is going to
be our selling point. The selling point is
going to be the potential for natural
repair," Kane said.
The compound encourages healing,
whereas the current methods act more
like glue.
One of the compounds is called
DermaBond, which contains various
chemicals used in Super Glue, such as
cyanocrylate.
Researchers have found that
cyanocrylate "sets up a barrier
between the tissues which doesn't
allow efficient healing to occur
since you have a waterproof seal
between the tissue," Kane said.
The researcher's compound does
not function in the same way.
The compound would "bond the tis-
sues together without a barrier allowing
them to be in contact with each other to
heal," Kane said.
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. (AP) - Fire broke out at a
Seton Hall University residence hall early yesterday as
hundreds slept, killing three people, injuring 58 and send-
ing terrified students crawling in pajamas through chok-
ing smoke into the freezing cold outside.
Four students were critically burned. One of them suf-
fered third-degree burns over most of his body.
Many of the 640 residents of Boland Hall rolled over to
go back to sleep when they heard the alarm around 4:30
a.m., thinking it was another in a string of 18 false alarms
set off in the six-floor building since September.
But many soon heard screams for help, smelled the
smoke and saw flames creep under doors. "I opened the
door just to check," Yatin Patel said. "All the ceiling tiles
were coming down. I saw a ceiling tile fall on someone."
"It was panic. Everybody was just, 'Go! Go! Go!"' said
Nicole McFarlane. She was treated for exposure because
she left her room in only a short nightgown, a jacket and
hiking boots. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The tragedy cast a pall of grief over the campus of the
Roman Catholic school 15 miles southwest of New York
City. Classes for the 10,000 students were canceled for the
week. A memorial service was took place yesterday. Sports
events also were postponed through today.
"There's not much you can say at this time," said
Newark Archbishop Theodore McCarrick, who came to
offer support. "We're glad we're people of faith. The mys-
tery of God's work is always a great mystery."
Patel, who lives on the third floor down the hall from
the lounge where the blaze broke out, said he put a wet
towel under his door, kicked out his window screens and
threw his mattresses on the ground in case he had to jump.
At least two students did jump, witnesses said. Seton Hall
student Tim Van Wie said a friend jumped from the third
floor and suffered a broken wrist and sprained ankle. Others
tied sheets together to climb down from the windows, but
firefighters arrived in time and rescued them by ladder.
Keara Sauber saw one fellow student shivering in a T-
shirt and boxers, his skin completely blackened by burns.
"His skin was, like,. smdking," she said.
Two of those killed were found in the lounge and one
was found in a bedroom nearby. Their names were not
released. It was not immediately known whether they
were students.
Two firefighters and two police officers were among
those hurt. The injuries ranged from exposure and smoke
inhalation to burns. The blaze was largely confined to the
lounge. Students said they frequently saw people smoking
in the lounge, though it is prohibited.
Essex County Prosecutor Donald Campolo would not
comment on whether careless smoking may have caused
the fire. The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms was
assisting in the investigation.
The 48-year-old building was equipped with smoke
alarms and extinguishers but did not have a sprinkler system
because it was built before they were required, Campolo
said. Fire hoses inside the building had been disconnected
because the equipment was obsolete, Seton Hall
spokesperson Lisa Grider said. Campolo said firefighters
generally use their own hoses.
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