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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