The Michigan Daily - Thursday, Febuary 3, 2000 - 3A
* RESEARCH
Study shows
women earn
less than men
In a report titled "Michigan: A
'Smart State' for Women?" the Uni-
ver sity's Center for the Education of
Women has shown that women still
face education barriers:
The barriers noted in the report
include high educational costs, a need
for more financial aid and inadequate
child care resources
According to the study, 15 percent of
Michigan women have completed four
years of college, 3 percent less than the
national average. It also says that 27
percent of Michigan women have com-
pleted one to three years of college.
The study speculates that in addition
,o the educational barriers, women have
another barrier when college is com-
pleted. Michigan women receive 62
percent of what men earn, placing
Michigan 45th among the states in the
ration of women's earnings to men's.
Theory pinpoints
first AIDS case
A theory of origin of the human
immunodeficiency virus, which is not
entrirely known, was presented at a
the Seventh Conference on Retro-
viruses and Opportunistic Infections
in San Francisco earlier this week.
Bette Korber, an immunologist at
Los Alamos National Laboratory,
suggested that strains of HIV proba-
bly decended from the simian immun-
odeficiency virus.
She came upon this theory -
which is indirect and unprovable at
the moment - by using the laborato-
ry's database of global HIV gene
sequences to examine them for a corn-
mon ancestor.
Korber was also able to pin-point
1930, with a margin of error of 4.5
years, as the first infection.
The common theory in the past came
form British journalist Edward Hooper,
who suggested the virus was probably
introduced to humans during the
world's first mass vaccinations against
polio which occurred in 1958 in Cen-
tral Africa, but this theory is also yet to
be proved.
*Vitamin E may
not be essential
The antioxidant vitamin F whici is
found in fish, poultry and dark-green
vegetables, was shown to reduce lev-
els of "bad" cholesterol, also called
low-density lipoprotein, in previous
studies.
But a new study published in the
New England Journal of Medicine
proved that the vitamin was not as
beneficial as was thought to be.
The study, called the Heart Out-
comes Prevention Evaluation Study,
examined the effects of vitamin E
supplements on 2,545 women and
6,996 men aged 55 and older at risk
for heart disease.
Half of the participants were given a
placebo while the others took 400 inter-
national units of vitamin E daily.
The participants were examined for
several years, and it was found that
vitamin E made no difference in the
rates of heart attacks for those taking
the supplements and those subjects
taking the placebo.
Study examines
HIV transmission
The U.S. Centers for Disease
OControl and Prevention presented a
study this week at the seventh Con-
ference on Retroviruses and Oppor-
tunisic Infections that says at least 8
percent of HIV transmission is
through oral sex.
The study examined 102 San Fran-
cisco men who had recently been
infected with the HIV virus. When
high risk behaviors were identified,
researchers eliminated oral sex as a
possible route of transmission.
Eight participants stated that they
practiced only oral sex without protec-
tion. Since some of the excluded cases
could have been cause through oral
sex, the infection rate might be higher
than 8 percent.
- Conypiledfron ii rLports lit'
Daily Staff Reporter Lindsey A/pert.
LOCAL/STATE ____
Judge sets trial date for alleged murderer
By David Enders
Circuit Court Judge Donald Shelton set a
trial date Tuesday for alleged murderer
Abdul-Ghdier Elkhoja.
Elkoja, a 22-year-old Ann Arbor resident,
has been charged with killing Nicholas Sietz,
a 20-year-old Bloomfield Hills resident, out-
side the Eugene V. Debs Co-op last June.
Although the case had been previously
postponed at the request of the defense and
due to scheduling conflicts, Shelton set the
final pretrial hearing for March 28, with the
trial scheduled to begin on April 3.
The Michigan Court of Appeals has also
become involved in the proceedings.
Lawyers for Elkhoja requested background
checks on all witnesses in the case, which the
City of Ann Arbor protested in the State
Court of Appeals after Shelton granted the
defense's request.
The city is protesting Shelton's ruling on
the grounds that it was in violation of laws
prohibiting background check information to
be provided to anyone but law officers.
The State Court of Appeals is still debating
the issue and the trial has continued without
a ruling.
Kevin Ernst, one of Elkhoja's lawyers, has
said that it is common practice to request
background checks in criminal cases.
The charges against Elkhoja are one count
of open murder and one count of weapons
possession.
The shooting allegedly occurred after an
altercation at a party down the street from the
co-op on East University Avenue.
If convicted, Elkhoja faces a maximum
sentence of life in prison.
Music prof.
lect~ures on
Wagoner
to lead
4
'setting music'
By Chris Mikula
For the Daixy
Although students may regard some of the Uni-
versity's most influential staff' and faculty members
as unapproachable, the Shipman Society, through a
semester-long lecture series is hoping to provide
students a chance to listen to them in a more inti-
mate setting.
The Shipman Society, a student organization
comprised of undergraduate scholars from
within each of the University's schools, began
the series last night with a lecture by Music
Prof. and Pulitzer Prize recipient William
Balcom.
Balcom, who has been a University professor
since 1973, said "I have dedicated much of my life
to setting mrusic" by transforming a spoken play or
novel into an opera.
Balcom spoke about his most recent work
"A View from the Bridge" to accompany Uni-
versity alum Arthur Miller's play of the same
name.
The opera exhibits a "new style" of opera,
Balcom said. This post-modern style deviates
from the historical conception of opera and has
been exhibited in other contemporary operas
such as "Little Women" and "The Great Gats-
"He's the most famous composer in America,"
Joel Puckett, a Music graduate student said of
Balcom. Puckett said the deciding factor in his
choice to attend the Music School was the tal-
ented faculty.
The Shipman Society, has arranged for other
University stall and faculty members to present lec-
tures this semester, including University Athletic
DAVID KATZ/Daily
Music professor and Pulitzer Prize recipient William Balcom lectures yesterday at the Music School. The
lecture was the first in a series sponsored by the Shipman Society.
GM; CEO
resigns,
DETROIT (AP) - After seven
years behind the wheel of the worlds
largest business, General Motors Corr
Chairman Jack Smith announced 3
terday he will hand over control an
the title of chief executive officer tohis
trusted lieutenant, Richard Wagone'r4
The move, effective June 1, por-
tends no major shifts in GM strategies
Wagoner, Smith and vice chairthau
Harry Pearce will stay in charge of the
company. But it does mark the end qf
Smith's tenure, which saw GM return
to healthy profits but struggle to stay
competitive,
Smith, who turns 62 in April, saij
he will become a liaison between tt$
company's management and its dealer's
and international partners. Harry
Pearce will stay on as vice chairman cf
the world's largest automaker.
"Rick will have responsibility fdr
the strategic and operational leadershii
for General Motors. He is in chargeo"
Smith said at a news conference
yesterday.
Wagoner, who is one of they
youngest top leaders ever at GM'
becomes a strong candidate to replac
Smith when he retires. Wagoner will*
keep the titles of president and chiet
operating officer, overseeing GM's
automotive business.
He said there would be "no huge
change in strategies, but that doesn't
mean there won't be changes in the
company."
Wagoner has followed in Smithst
footsteps for much of his 22-year.;
career with GM, spending much of~
that time in finance and overseas posi-
tions. He had been named president
and chief operating officer of GM in
October 1998. Before that, Wagonei
headed GM's automotive operations,
the company's largest and most prof
itable unit.
Wagoner was credited with stream-*
lining management of the world's:
largest corporation while cutting the;
number of GM models and reducing
design and manufacturing time.
Director Tom Goss, history Prof. Sidney Fine and
psychology Prof. Lisa Damour. Each speaker is
slated to speak on an issue within their respective
department.
As a member of the sponsoring organiza-
tion, Engineering sophomore Ryan Majkreak
said the lecture series is intended to "give
back to the community that has given (them)
so much."
The Shipman Society, a merit-based scholarship
organization that has provided selected students
with financial assistance since 1996, offers a wide
selection of lecturers to fully cater to the diverse
nature of the campus. Majkreak said the organiza-
tion intends to "reach as many students as possi-
ble."
This year's series marks the Shipman Society's
second year of sponsorship and its continued effort
to increase public and University awareness of the
University's opportunities for extracurricular
enrichment.
Last year's speakers included former astronaut
and current EECS Prof. Anthony England and for-
mer University President Robben Fleming.
Engler pushes for Internet sales tax
WASHINGTON (AP) Michigan
Gov. John Engler told a Senate hearing
yesterday that states must be able to
collect sales tax on Internet purchases.
1 he Republican gomernor, a major
proponent of tax cuts, testified that
Internet- businesses should pay a
sales tax to Michigan for purchases
made by Michigan buyers just as tra-
ditional reta il ers in the state must
pay one.
"To have no tax on purchases
made elsewhere would put each
state's retailers at an obvious disad-
vantage," Engler told senators on the
chamber's Budget Committee.
"Clearly this would harm the Michi-
gan businesses that invested in
bricks and mortar."
Sen. Ron Wyden, (D-Ore.) who
opposes new Internet taxes, told
Engler lie enjoyed this "rare occasion
where I as a Democrat can be hardline
on taxes and let you make the case for
new taxes."
But Engler repeatedly drew a dis-
tinction between new taxes and states
rights to enforce sales taxes already on
the books.
"In Michigan and many other states,
JOIN .
(governors) strongly oppose any new
taxes on the Internet. We seek to
impose no new surcharges or access
fees," Engler said.
Without being able to collect sales
taxes from Internet purchases, the
governor said "our traditional main-
street retailers will face a significant
pricing gap" of about 6 percent in
Michigan.
Mic.SOP chair
steps down, cites
.. i
Enger a
LANSIN (AP iciznGOP
Chairwoman Betsy DeVos, who last
year helped Republicans gain their
biggest hold on state government in
50 years, resigned yesterday over dif-
ferences with Gov. John Engler.
I is no secret to any of you that
Gov. Engler has been unhappy with
my refusal to go along with all of his
requests, DeVos said during a news
conference.
"hit is obvious that the governor
prefers a follower in the job of party
chair, not a leader. I have never been a
rubber stamp, I have beeii a fighter for
the grassroots. and folowing is admit-
tedly not my strong suit"
t he (irand Rapids businessperson
and major Republican donor called
Engler before making the announce-
men Engler said ie was surprised by
her decision and disappointed she will
leave on Feb. 1 8.
s reason
" were prepared to go on in 2000
and rack up another impressive win
with Betsy at the helm" Engler said.
"Her decision put the party first. And I
certainly respect her for that"
The governor said a new party chair
probably will be named in March, The
Michigan Republican State Central
Committee meets tomorrow in Mid-
land and is expected to set a date to
elect a successor.
Engler said he doesn't have any
names yet to replace DeVos. But he
plans to pull together elected GOP offi-
cials and party leaders soon to look
over possible candidates. "The cam-
paign season begins soon. We don't
want to lose any ground," lie said.
After taking over as party chair in
May 1996, DeVos put together the
money and the organization Republi-
cans needed to capture control of the
state House in 1998.
DAILY.
CALL
763-
2459.
Correction:
Interfraternity Council External Relations Vice Pi-esident letry Mangona did not say police officers issued minor in pos-
session citations to partygoers at Delta Sigma Phi early Satuiday norning. 1his was incorrectly reported in yesterday's Daily.
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