The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, October 26, 1999 - 3 LOCAL/STATE CRIME, Car, research stolen from South Quad A female subject reported to the Ann rbor Police Department that her car was stolen while parked in front of South Quad Residence Hall on Friday evening. The car was described as a 1993 turquoise Pontiac Grand Prix, and 10 year's worth of research for a book was 'n the trunk, the owner of the car said. The owner added that she "would not prosecute," should the car or the search be returned and that the search was "irreplaceable." Counterfeit bills passed at Union An employee at the Michigan Union found two counterfeit $20 bills in the cash office on Thursday afternoon, Department of Public Safety reports state. There are no suspects in the incident. Student falsely reports counterfeit money A subject at Bursley Residence Hall reported finding two $20 bills with the same serial number on Thursday afternoon, DPS reports state * Upon investigation, the two bills had differznt serial numbers. Student drinks too much, vomits A female subject was admitted to University Hospitals for alcohol poi- soning Friday morning, DPS reports state. Th subject was vomiting on the first Wor of West Quad Residence Hall after ingesting four Long Island Iced Teas. Medical staff loses laptop in Hungarian capital A laptop computer was stolen from the Htel Argo in Budapest, Hungary, Om University Medical staff during a conference there last month, DPS reports state. The theft occurred on Sept. 6 and a report was filed with Hungarian police. A report was filed with DPS on Friday. DPS ejects fans from stadium Fifty-six subjects were ejected am Michigan Stadium on Saturday afternoon during the Illinois vs. Michigan football game, DPS reports state. The subjects were removed from the premises for offenses including posses- sion of alcohol, disorderly conduct, uri- nating in public and throwing objects onto the football field according to DPS rports. Owner cited for ttting dog run free A subject allowing her dog to run free in the Nichols Arboretum was cited on Monday evening for violating the leash ordinance, according to DPS reports. Unknown subject urinates in elevator *An unknown subject urinated in an elevator at Couzens Residence Hall early Monday morning, according to DPS reports. DPS reported having no suspects. - Compiled by Daily Staf Reporter Dave Endets. Report: School choice works, but rules needed EAST LANSING (AP) - Getting more say in which school they attend is good for Michigan students, but the state must make sure the students who stay in their neighborhood schools get a good education, a new report says. Three Michigan State University fac- ulty members released "School Choice Policies in Michigan: The Rules Matter" during a news conference yesterday. It is the first look at the combined impact of charter schools and inter-district student transfers, or schools of choice, on tradi- tional public schools in Michigan. The 99-page report concludes that enabling students to leave their neigh- borhood school to attend a publicly funded charter school or a school in a different district makes public schools more responsive to parents and opens up new opportunities, especially low- income students. But the students left behind also must be kept in mind, especially if schools los- ing students and dollars are too crippled to provide a decent education and ser- vices students require, it says. "There are children in these districts who are being hurt" by the state's school choice options, said David Arsen, associ- ate professor of political economy at Michigan State's James Madison College and one of the report's authors. "It's a key gap in current policy'" Lawmakers and the state Department of Education must make sure failing schools get the technical assistance and oversight they need to improve or dis- perse their students to better schools if they close, said another of the authors, education Prof. David Plank. "We really have no interest in protect- ing failing schools," Plank said. "But we also have a strong interest in making sure those children (in those schools) are not further punished" The report says school choice policies may accelerate the trend toward separat- ing students by income, race and other characteristics, doing away with one of the benefits of the public education sys- tem. It also notes that school choice is not yet sending a clear signal to administra- tors about what improvements need to be made, because parents move their chil- dren out of a school for reasons that may have nothing to do with the school's quality, such as child care arrangements. But despite these drawbacks, school choice should be expanded as long as certain protections are in place, the report's authors said. Among its recommendations, the report suggests: Finding a way to give charter schools the financial support they need to buy or lease buildings and education- al technology, such as computers. Federal safety agency to propose revised airbag plan Courtesy of Ajay Kaura Engineering first-year student Ajay Kaura won second place with his artwork "Hitting Downtown" in the annual Our Town Art Exhibition on Sunday. 'U' ! studen twins 2nd place i r exhiition By Elizabeth Kassab For the Daily "I purchased a beautiful piece of canvas. During a dark gloomy day I decided to unravel its suppressed image," reads the statement that Engineering first-year student Ajay Kaura submitted to the Our Town Art Exhibition with his painting, "Hitting Downtown." What he revealed in that canvas was a dark, brooding face. "I intentionally overemphasized the wrinkles on the forehead to instill fear in the viewer's mind," Kaura's statement said. "I was interested in creating this face" "The point is to make you wonder 'Why is he looking so angry, what is he up to'?"' The painting won Kaura one of 14 second place prizes in the annual exhibition - and with it, a 5500 award. There were three first place prizes; in all $10,000 in prizes was given out. Gerhardt Knodel, the director of the Cranbrook Art Academy, judged the entries. "I looked for artwork that was reflective of people in the communi- ty," he said. The annual Our Town Exhibition and Sale took place last week at the Birmingham Community House. All proceeds went toward the independent non-profit establishment, Knodel said. This year, the five-day event con- sisted of a Gala Preview and free admissions for the next four days with special events at night, accord- ing to the Community House Website. A special presentation of the artist demonstrations was sponsored by DaimlerChrysler and Comerica Bank. Kaura's acrylic was part of the week-long party. ie entered in the professional exhibition, the first year he was eligible. There are separate cat- egories for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The art exhibition accepts pieces from across Michigan. This year there were more than 1,000 entries, Kaura said. Artists can choose to sell their work or to display it. Kaura chose to display his 24 x 30 inches acrylic painting. He continues to work on art but plans to major in computer engineering at the University. His interests include a wide variety of art, from watercolors to gouche to animation to digital video editing. He also does pottery, jewelry, and web design. He is now working on a new art technique, attempting to create a 2-D image on canvas that will appear to be truly 3-D. "You can turn your head and see a different view," he said. He is using a brand new method and estimates that a "decent final piece" will take two to three years. ® Federal regulators hope to avoid forcing automakers to install powerful airbags that pose danger to children WASHINGTON (AP)-A federal safety agency will pro- pose a revised plan in the next few weeks to regulate future air bags in cars to try to eliminate deaths from the inflating devices, government and industry officials say. Federal regulators from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration want to prevent deaths from air bags in low-speed crashes while also improving the ability of air bags to save people in high-speed crashes. The agency's proposal will consider more options to a con- troversial crash test that automakers claim would force them to once again install more powerful air bags that would pre- sent a greater risk to children, industry and government offi- cials say. Air bags have been blamed for 146 deaths - mainly to unrestrained, young children and some shorter adults - in low-speed crashes they otherwise should have survived, according to NHTSA. The government also credits air bags with saving more than 4,700 lives in serious crashes. NHTSA officials wanted to bring back a crash test that automakers needed to pass a few years ago to certify their air bags. The test required an air bag to inflate with enough force to catch an unbelted adult male dummy as the vehicle crash- es into a solid wall at 30 mph. Many automakers have been fighting resurrection of the test, saying it would force them to install air bags that inflate with too much energy for children and short-statured adults in other types of crashes, such as low-speed accidents, and could lead to more deaths. Automakers say they want a test that allows them to keep the inflation force of air bags now on the market, which often have 20 percent to 35 percent less force than earlier air bags. NHTSA officials argue their tests show that automakers are capable of making less forceful air bags and also passing the 30 mph test. The agency's new proposal would include the 30 mph crash test. But it would also include other alternatives for public comment. Among them, a 25 mph to 30 mph crash test into a barrier, officials say. It also could include a 30 mph to 35 mph crash test into a softer barrier that catches only part of the front of a car, industry officials said. As previously announced, the agency's plan also proposes a variety of tests to ensure children thrust on top of where the air bag deploys by pre-impact braking would not be killed by the inflating devices. It also would require automakers to ase a family of test dummies instead of just the adult male now required. The federal proposal is now at the Office of Management and Budget for evaluation, the final hurdle before officials can announce the plan. The announcement could come as early as this week or as late as mid-November, officials said. Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater says he expects a final regulation governing air bags in March. Before the rule is made final, there will be several months of public com- ment. Plutonium shipment not likely to cause any harm SAULT STE. MARIE (AP) - Prospects are slim to none that a ship- ment of plutonium-blend reactor fuel will escape its steel container even if the truck hauling it through Michigan crash- es, federal officials said yesterday. But if that happened, they said, chances would be equally remote that the spilled fuel pellets would hurt anyone. A person would have to be exposed to 140 such accidents to get as much radiation as from a single chest X-ray, said Laura Holgate of the U.S. Department of Energy. "Bottom line: This shipment is safe, Holgate, director ofDOE's fissile materi- als disposition office, said during the first of five public meetings on the plan. "I'D LOVE TO FIND OUT HOWYOU LIKE YOUR EGGS IN THE MORNING, BUT I'M GOING BACK TO MY ROOM TOCHErrCK MY EMAIL' 3/ 'r ' Y 4,\ ~ Correction: a University Health Systems administers 250 meningitis vaccinations a week and have the capabilties to perform more accin s if necessary. This was incorrectly reported in yesterday's Daily. 0 Alpha Iota Omicron was incorrectly identified in Thursday's Daily. ROUP MEETINGS J Alternative Spring Break Mass Meeting, Angell Hall, Auditorium C, 7-9 p.m. U Relorm Chavurah Meeting, Hillel, ;30 p.m. EVENTS t's happening In Ann Arbor today by Sigma Iota Rho, Haven Hall, 5th Floor Eldersveld Room, 1-2 p.m. J "Learning About Diabetic Emergency Procedures for Friends, Roommates and Interested Parties," Sponsored by Diabetics Support Group, Michigan League, Henderson Room, 7:30 p.m. !_ "1 fannMarc? P Dte*Prp-pnt. SERVICES Q Campus information Centers, 764- INFO, info@umich.edu, and www.umich.edu/-info on the World Wide Web U Northwalik, 763-WALK, Bursley Lobby, 8 p.m.- 1:30 a.m. J Safewa k, 936-1000, Shapiro Library Lobby, 8 p.m.-2:30 a.m 1 _.