U NATION/WORLD The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, December 8, 1999-- 9 Scientists' technique spurs pig growth WASHINGTON (AP) - Here come the super pigs. Medical researchers using gene therapy have figured out a way to make young hogs grow 40 percent larger and faster. Scientists say the technique, which stimulates production of the pigs' growth hormones, would be a boon for livestock farmers - and eventually could even be u d to treat children with growth prob- i and to prevent muscle deterioration in AIDS and cancer patients. "We think that over the long term this is going to be a defining technology that will change the face of how agriculture is done" said the lead scientist, Robert Schwartz, a professor of molecular and cellular biology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. The prospect of biotech hogs also is liky to raise new questions in a grow- i worldwide controversy over geneti- cally engineered food. The United States already is locked in a trade war with the European Union over the EU's ban on beef from cattle injected with hormones. "I don't think most consumers are ery interested in eating hormone- reated meats," Rebecca Goldburg, enior scientist for the Environmental Defense Fund, said yesterday. MRE ontinued from Page 2. iane Brown said the female residents ound alternative housing last night. Director of Housing Public Affairs lan Levy said University policies rohibit students from burning any ype of candles in residence halls. "The policy is still in place during anukkah," he said. University sing requires residence halls to ake arrangements to light menorahs n lounges, Levy said. A similar fire in Mary Markley esidence Hall resulted from a enorah in 1995. Students' desensitization by two alse fire alarms less than a month go was apparent as the students took heir time leaving the building last ight. Kinesiology first-year student Qle Poquette said, "Everyone light it was just a prank." Many students said it was not until hey witnessed three fire trucks arked outside of the building that hey realized the seriousness of the ituation. There were no injuries reported. Ati Seattle police chief resigns . ater violent WTO protests White on red SEATTLE (AP) - Seattle's police chief announced his resignation yesterday, becoming the first political casualty of the violent protests that disrupted the World Trade Organization conference. Police Chief Norm Stamper had been harshly criticized by civic lead- ers, police officers and others for his handling of the demonstrations last week that cost downtown merchants nearly $20 million in lost sales and property damage. The protests got so out of hand that the National guard was called in and a curfew was imposed. Stamper, 54, said he had planned to announce his retirement in January but did so now in hopes of removing politics from the exami- nation of what went wrong. Mayor Paul Schell has also come under fire. But at a news con- ference with Stamper at his side, he repeated that he will not resign. Stamper said he will cooperate in any investigation of the police department's role in dealing with the demonstrations. But he declined to answer several questions yesterday about the riot- ing. He did say some accounts putting blame on him were inaccurate. "I don't accept the label of either victim or martyr," he said. The mayor praised Stamper for his "sense of duty and sense of responsibility," and said he had tried to talk Stamper out of leaving when he was told of the chief's decision Sunday. Stamper's resignation, which takes effect in March, also follows near- ly nine months of turmoil over the integrity of the police internal inves- tigations section. Relations between Stamper and Seattle's 1,200 uniformed officers have often been strained during his nearly six-year tenure. "He has not been in touch with the rank-and-file," police union pres- ident Mike Edwards said. "His style is to not have a hands-on approach, and I think that has been a mistake," he said. . Edwards said police officers lacked crowd-control equipment such as smoke grenades and tear gas last week, and found themselves on the streets for days with little food or rest. Police critics have also said that tear gas and rubber bullets were fired indiscriminately and that innocent workers, shoppers and residents were swept up in the arrests of more than 500 people Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. No serious injuries, but downtown merchants have reported more than $2 million in property damage and $17 million in lost sales. But the police also had many supporters. Hubert Locke, a criminal justice expert at the University of Washington, said police "had an impossible situation to begin with" during the WTO meeting. "The judgment of most people is that the police maintained, with some exceptions, a fairly professional stance," he said. City Council member Richard Conlin said he was on the streets last week and found that officers were acting responsibly. Conlin praised Stamper as a community-oriented chief who had improved relations with minorities. Stamper also revealed in his letter of resignation to the mayor that because of the disorder, President Clinton nearly canceled his visit after months of calling the conference vital to U.S. free-trade interests. "We all had a very serious conversation about whether all the venues the president would visit were secure;" he said. AP PHOTO People walk duringa snow shower In Red Square, In fron of St. Basil's Cathedral In the background, In Moscow yesterday. PLEDGES Continued from Page 1 allegations. Pledges said the activities were conducted by "pledge educators" while the pledges were stripped down to their underwear. "From what we know, it's one of the worst hazing houses on campus;" said one of the four pledges who described the activities yesterday. He added that, in all the pledge activities, "There was no physical abuse" The pledges said the BB gun used Monday had been purchased by the fraternity's chapter President Brad Lundy, an LSA sophomore. Lundy could not be reached for comment. Pledges said the gun was fired into the air during other pledge activities this semester. On Monday night, assuming the gun was empty, one of the pledge educators aimed and fired at individual pledges' eyes, temples and back before a BB discharged from the gun, injuring the seventh pledge in the line. "It's terrible - and there is some resentment," one of the pledges said. The same pledge, in regard to his state- ment about the rough nature of the activities, said, "A number of these activities are traditional activities." "There is resentment towards the older brothers," a second pledge said, but added that "it was a select few that focused their time toward" hazing. "I have a positive feeling towards most of the broth- ers in the house," he said. The group of Pi pledges said Monday's shooting was not the first time a fellow pledge needed medical attention this semester. Two pledges were admitted to the hospital for alco- hol poisoning, and another pledge was sent to the hos- pital hours before the BB gun incident after being "There is resentment towards the older brothers ..n it was a select few that focused their time toward" hazing. - Fraternity pledge Alpha Epsilon Pi struck with a snowball containing a rock during an activity in which pledges were stripped down to their boxers and pelted with snowballs by members of the house, the pledges said. Of the active fraternity member that threw the snowball, "his only concern (of the incident) was whether it would affect his getting into the business school," the second pledge stated. A third pledge in the anonymous group described an incident when two pledges were taken to the University Hospitals' emergency room after ingesting too much vodka. "I was sick of it and refused to participate," he said. The same pledge said that in another incident, all but two members of the pledge class were dropped off four and a half miles from the fraternity house, locat- ed at 1620 Cambridge St., and forced to find their way back to the house. The two remaining pledges, who stayed in the house, were required to take one shot for every five minutes that the other pledges were gone. The main pledge group was absent for more than one hour, dur- ing which time the two pledges ingested more than 20 shots of alcohol each. The fourth pledge in the anonymous group talked about a separate incident when two students became intoxicated and repeatedly vomited during a pledge activity. The pledge educator's reaction was to "laugh hys- terically," he said, and the educator refused to escort the intoxicated pledges home until the remainder of the pledge class had witnessed the incident. The students also mentioned being "tarred" with syrup, feathered and forced to take bites of raw fish. As for speculation that the students will depledge and join another fraternity, the first pledge said "the entire situation is uncertain. We have to discuss amongst ourselves." University spokesperson Julie Peterson restated the University's position on abusive pledge activities last night. "The University is absolutely against hazing," Peterson said. "I think that sometimes students think that it's funny," she added. "Hazing puts our students in dan- ger and it is intolerable." The house will remain on suspension until the nation- al chapter finishes its investigation into the incident. The University suspended the chapter Monday after the event and is conducting its own investigation. Fraternity members could be charged under the Code of Student Conduct. The Ann Arbor Police Department is considering criminal charges in the matter. Funky Celtic Wear Made in Ireland eFleece Jackets *Backpacks *T-Shirts In Lobby @ 306 S. Main Fri-Sat 12-9 Sun 1-5 e - _- ..