LOCAL/STATE The Michigan Daily - Thuarda} January 25, 2001- 3A RESEARCH New invention may help deaf, Blind people A new study done by researchers at the University Health System suggests that deaf-blind people can, contrary to prior belief, regain a significant amount of speech tecognition. According to the study, led by Prof. Hussam El-Kashan, a cochlear implant surgeon, eight deaf-blind patients had vast imiprovement in speech after receiving a cochlear implant, a device used to translate sound into electrical impulsesrwhich are then sent to the inner car. This device has been used exten- sively in the past for deaf patients, but the use of the device on deaf- blind patients is not as great, due to the number of deaf patients who use visual clues, along with the implant, to understand speech. But the UM HS study showed that the deaf-blind group actually had better speech perception than the group of deaf patients, accord- iiig to the patients' case histories documented in the January issue of the journal Otology and Neurotol- ogy. - The study focused on patients of UMH S who lost most or all of their hearing prior to losing their vision. The patients received the implants, along with rehabilitation at UMHS, and they took speech perception test both before and after the procedures. Many of these patients lost their senses due to disease in their genes, the womb or during child- hood. Of the patients used in the study, six people received their implants as adults, while two had their implants inserted at three and a half years old. Prior to the implantation, adults scored zero to extremely low on the speech tests, and showed much improvement after the implants- three scored excellent, one showed imiprovement of selected sounds and the last has not been totally Sevaluated. The children also showed improved seores. $500,000 grant to help hospital study jaw, mouth defects After receiving a $447,364 grant from the Carls Foundation, the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital will be'able to advance the understand- ;ng of pediatric madibular defi- ciency, a condition that limits and individual's use of the jaw and mouth. Chief pediatric plastic surgeon Steven Buchman will direct the team, which will conduct a three year study focusing on the debili- tating limitations and extreme dis- figurement that occurs because of congenital growth disturbances in the bones. bCurrent procedures to treat these :ilildren force children to wait until adolescence to receive the :.surgery, long after many other - :Tevelopmental problems have occurred. The surgery involves stimulating a new jawbone by separating the bone on two sides, and then using the patient's bone to reconstruct the areas of the face that are not ' fully developed. The study hopes to analyze the behavioral, social and communica-1 tive impacts of the surgery in chil-1 dren. The Carls Foundation was founded by the late William and Marie Carts 40 years ago to sup- *port youth activities, pediatric 1 Whealth care facilities and to pre- serve natural areas and historic buildings in Michigan. Compiled i' Daily Staff Reporter Lisa Hoffman. Student jobs not covering everyday costs By Maria Sprow Daily Staff Reporter In addition to attending classes, LSA junior Joyce Lee works 10 hours a week at the Social Work Library, earning only about a third of the money that she spends in a week. "I spend about S150 a week, including rent" said Lee, who earns about S50 a week at the library. "My parents help me a lot ... the money I make from my job is mostly for Christmas and stuff" For students like Lee, finding a job isn't a prob- lem around campus. There's no shortage of jobs in Ann Arbor, and students are given many different opportunities to have a job within the University. But still, a part-time job is rarely enough to pay the bills each month. Stephanie David, a Social Work graduate stu- dent, said the University offers the "best graduate student employment in the nation" David earns 51,100 a month plus tuition as a graduate student instructor for Religion Studies 310. "As a grad student, I'm still in debt," David said. The University offers work-study employment opportunities through a variety of areas, includ- ing the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, the University libraries and the comput- ing centers around campus. Students also are hired to give tours to students interested in attending the University. "I'm a Comprehensive Studies program assis- tant. ... Whatever needs to be done, I do it," Engineering sophomore Daniel Hardaway said. Hardaway works 12 hours a week and said he spends about S50 to S60 a week on food and entertainment. Popular lobs among underclassmen are found in the residence halls. Ann Roberts, executive secretary for University Housing, said cafeterias are one of the largest employers on campus, pro- viding jobs to about 600 students. Cafeteria wages start at S8 an hour. "We're try- ing to be competitive with other companies like Burger King that offer the same wage," East Quad Cafeteria Student Manager Chris Painter said. "We're filling up really well. ... I find this year to be a better year for student employment than other years, especially this semester. People want to pay off their holiday bills," Painter said. Many jobs also are offered outside of campus, in nearby book stores or retail stores such as Bivouac on State Street. But not all jobs are equally responsive to students' needs. "It's hard to keep students here. We're not real- ly flexible' Bivouac manager Bryce Nelson said. Bivouac does offer some competitive" wages, Nelson said, anywhere from minimum wage to SI2 an hour, denendig mon experience. About two-thirds of Bivouac's employees are stu- dents who work approximately 15 hours per week. According to the Department of Financial Aid, the average student employee makes S6 an hour. The University recommends that students do not work more than 12 to 15 hours in a week. "Some students get themselves in trouble because they want to take on too many shifts. Don't take on more than vou can handle," Painter said. "Right noW, I m paying more attention to schooi than anything else. Ilaving a job hasn't ready affected my grades because I can study while I'm at work,* Lee said. "Its in the gwidelies that you Taking a look Amtrak getting back on track in Midwest DETROIT (AP) - Full service from Detroit to Chicago will resume tomorrow, Amtrak Inter- city President Edward Walker said yesterday. By Feb. 1, full service also will resume from Chicago to Pontiac and the next day from Pontiac to Chicago. Amtrak is offering a free companion fare only to Michigan residents. When consumers pur- chase a train ticket at full price, a companion can ride for free on the same schedule. The incentive is being offered from Feb. I through March 10. The publicly subsidized railroad announced six weeks ago that it would cut back on service in the Midwest, blaming harsh winter conditions. "I think it's important to note that we are not immune to effects of weather, particularly extra- ordinary and sustained events" of November and December, Walker said. "The actions that we took last month were necessary to be able to serve all the guest by increasing the reliability of our service. In December, two of three daily rounds trips between Chicago, Detroit and Pontiac as well as the daily round trip between Chicago and Janesville, Wis. - were temporarily suspended, affecting about 1,000 passengers. Last week, the Michigan State Transportation Commission approved a S6 million subsidy for Amtrak this year. The state money will keep daily trains running between Chicago and Grand Rapids, with a stop in Holland, and between Chicago and Port Huron, with stops in East Lans- ing, Durand, Flint and Lapeer Travel was suspended due to frozen plumbing systems and damage to electrical systems installed underneath the cars, Walker said. SAM HOLLENSHEAD/Daily Seth Jabolin and Nancy Philbin, both Ann Arbor residents, look at the collection of Asian artwork on the second floor of the University Art Museum yesterday. Legislators expected to vote on proposed pay increases i By Louie MeIzlish Daily Staff Reporter The Michigan House of Representatives is expected to vote today on proposed pay increases for the state's top politicians and judges. The pay raises would allow a 38 per- cent pay increase for the governor, lieutenant governor, Supreme Court justices and members of the Senate and Ilouse of Representatives. The State Officers Compensation Commission voted to approve the increase during its Dec. 7 meeting. Under the SOCC's recommendations, the annual salary of senators and representatives would increase from $57.000 last year to S79,000 in 2002. Gov. John Engler's salary would increase from S141,000 to 5177,000. Justices of the Supreme Court would receive a boost from S 141,000 to S 165.000. Under the Michigan Constitution, these changes will take effect unless both the House and Senate reject the recom- mendations by a two-thirds majority. Majority Floor Leader Bruce Patterson (R-Canton) said he plans to vote against the pay raises. "I didn't come to Lansing to make more money.... When I go back to my law practice, that's when I'll make more money," Patterson said. "It is possible to attract good people without becoming the third-highest paid state legislature in the country." Patterson's Democratic counterpart, Rep. Gilda Jacobs of Huntington Woods, concurred with Patterson. "Our raises should be tied to the cost of living adjust- ments;" Jacobs said. Rep. Doug Bovin (D-Gladstone) also said he plans to vote against the raise because of a process in which o reisla- Report: Toopers minorities equall3 tors vote for pay raises just after elections. making those who cannot run for re-election because of term limits less accountable to voters. "The whole system should be moved up a year," he said. Patterson, Jacobs and Bovin all said they believe the resolu- tion to reject the raises will get the required two-thirds vote. A 35 percent pay increase is justified. Rep. Jack Minore (D-Flint) said. "Regular cost of living incremental increases over the past 30 years would bring the salary to an amount only slightly lower than that proposed," said Minore, adding that he believes the I louse will vote in favor of the raise. But a vote in the Senate is also necessary to reject the raises, and so Car Majority Leader Dan DeGrow (R-Port I huron) has not scheduled a vote. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Twp.) is actively trying to have DeGrow bring the resolution to a vote, even if it is rejected. "There's enough votes to confirm the pay raises but we'll never know if there's not a vote." said Andy Schor, Peters' lecislative aide. The Government Operation Committee chair. Sen. Thad- deus McCotter (R-Livonia), said he would not bring a reso- lution to a vote in committee unless he believed it would pass the full Senate because some may vote against a raise to impress their constituents. "I'm not going to be part of a charade or an empty ges- ture." he said. For her part. Sen. Joanne Emmons (R-Big Rapids) said she would vote to confirm the pay raises and reject Peters' resolution in the event that it came up to a vote. "Does the Legislature deserve a pay raise? I think I can justify that," she said. "I think I should get the same amount as middle managers make." stop DETROIT (AP) - A Michigan State Police report - surveying more than 400,000 traffic stops over nine months - shows little evidence that troopers are pulling over more minori- ty motorists than white ones. But critics say the report, not yet complete, takes a statistically superficial look at whether minorities are being stopped by police at a higher rate, a con- troversial practice called racial profiling. Critics say traffic stops at some outlying State Police posts hint that racial profil- ing does occur. The data compiled for the first nine months of 2000 by the state's 1,200 troopers show that black drivers were issued 11.8 percent of 202,903 total tickets. The Census estimates blacks make up 13.8 percent of Michigan's population. About one in every 20 traffic stops by the state police results in a search. Later this month, the department will release the full results of the yearlong probe, the first it has done to track the race of drivers stopped and ticketed. The department also has decided to extend what was initially to be a one- year pilot program and to hire an out- side consultant to review collected data. Crab Rangoon A delicious creamy blend of crab & herbs in a crunchy shell 99~ On1g (3 pieces) THE CALENDAR What's happening in Ann Arbor today EVENTS Our Way, 12:10 p.m., University gan Union, MSA Chambers, Hospital Lobby, 936-ARTS 615-5MSA "MG2: Japanese Flute," Spon- O "Ona Mi (My Road)," Spon- U MSA Academic Affairs Commis- sored by Michigan League Pro- sored by . the Center for sion Meeting, 6:30 p.m., 3909 sredg , 8:30 p.m., Michigan Afroamerican and African Stud- Michigan Union, MSA Cham- ammlnd, d763-462 es, Olabayo Olaniyi will per- bers, 615-5MSA f -7.0(der r und. 763-46 2n