LOCAL/STATE The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, February 6, 2001 - 3 CRIME NIT F Assault reported in Church Street parking structure Two visitors to campus were *hed around and verbally abused by three intoxicated males early Saturday morning on the third floor of the Church Street carport, Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Diane Brown said. One of victims told DPS that he and his friend were returning to their car when the three men approached them and started swearing and calling them names. Neither victim was injured and DPS reported that the sus- s left the area in a vehicle. Person gets stuck in carport elevator An individual became stuck in the elevator of the carport at 1600 East Medical Center Dr. on Thursday after- noon. DPS reported that there was possible damage to the elevator. faughn House missing first aid kit, 6 muffins I)PS reports indicate that a first aid kit was stolen from the ground-floor kitchen of the Victor C. Vaughn 1fouse on Thursday afternoon. Six muffins have also been stolen from the kitchen over the course of six ks, according to the report. Person injured while lifting water An employee at the Law Quad injured his back Friday morning while lifting a large water bottle. DPS reports said. The subject was provided with an escort to receive medical ention. farms triggered in tunnel system Alarms in the underground tunnel system near the Harlan Hatcher Grad- uate Library were triggered early Sat- urday morning by individuals attempting to enter the tunnels, DPS reports state. [PS officers were unable to catch (trespassers. Disorderly fan arrested at Crisler IPS reported that a disorderly fan verbally abused other spectators at Crisler Arena on Saturday afternoon. The woman refused to cooperate with DPS officers and was subsequently a sted for disorderly conduct. uring the arrest, she assaulted one of the officers. The officer suffered no ijuries. Student reports sexual assault in another city A University student reported being sexually assaulted in another city Sat- urday night. The student went to Uni- Sity Hospitals, where she reported the incident to DPS. who notified the agtncy with jurisdiction, according to DP$ reports. MItoxicated minor arrested by DPS DPS reports indicate officers made contact with several intoxicated indi- *ials at South Quad Residence hatl early Sunday morning. One of the individuals was under- age. DPS subsequently took him into custody. Cash stolen from Kresge library circulation desk The second-floor circulation desk he Kresge Business Administra- tion Library reported the theft of $390, DPS reports state. The theft occurred sometime between 3 p.m. Jan. 24 and 9 a.m. Jan. 30. DPS reported having no suspects. CompiledbyDaily Staff Reporter Kristen Beaumont. FDA provides more warnings on Accutane By Susan Luth Daily Staff Reporter Following recent complaints that the pre- scription drug Accutane may be linked to depression and suicidal tendencies, the Food and Drug Administration has taken new strides to ensure that patients are fully aware of the effects of the drug. Accutane, prescribed for cases of severe nodular cystic acne after other acne treatments have failed to work, has been scientifically proven to cause a range of birth defects in the fetuses of women taking the drug. To ensure that patients are fully aware of these side effects, the FDA has approved a revised informed consent agreement all users are required to sign before receiving a pre- scription from their doctors. "It will be helpful." said Donna Chen, a phar- macist at Decker Drugs on South State Street. "Acne is so common, especially with teenagers." "It's a medicine with pretty serious side effects, and this will certainly raise some atten- tion," she said. According to a press release from Roche Pharmaceuticals, the drug's manufacturer, "the form has 12 statements for the patient to read and initial, including risks associated with being pregnant while on Accutane and the potential for psychiatric events" The form is reviewed by both male and female patients with their doctors. In addition to the revised informed consent agreement, there are two other methods in place to ensure that users are educated about their risks. A second form is signed only by female patients and focuses exclusively on the side effects concerning pregnancy. The second is a medication guide given to all patients by their pharmacists. Carrie Coselman, a pharmacist at Village Apothecary on South University Avenue, said prior to the distribution of the new medication guide, pharmacists distributed a patient informa- tion sheet. "The new guide is actually distributed by Roche Pharmaceuticals and goes into more detail. The other one was pretty general, and this is very extensive." Coselman said. Chen added that some pharmacies do even more. "We usually print out the monograph and give that to the patient as well when they pick up their medication," Chen said. A monograph is a standard print-out that pharmacies issue upon filling a prescription. It explains proper usage of the drug. The decision to revise the consent form and to add the medication guide were the result of a meeting last September by an FDA advisory committee. The committee recom- mended that because of the great risks asso- ciated with the drug, further efforts should be made to ensure the safety and education of patients. Among these was the drug's possi- ble relation of depression and suicidal ten- dencies. Though the FDA confirms there is no clear causal link between the drug and incidences of psychotic events, the agency says there is enough evidence to cause suspicion of an association between the two. As part of the effort to ensure safe use of the drug, the advisory committee has recom- mended the FDA work with several organiza- tions, including the National Institutes of Health, to design a study to examine the pos- sible link between Accutane and suicide. Wanna buy a plane? Economic slowdown does not affect student employment .<' ti :: ; " ,1k .a? . ,. yj v ., t f. ..". :.j" , " l4 .. .. ,T.'1:v: , AP PHOTO John and Marjorie Hoover of Birch Run, wait for a final customer at their booth during a remote-control vehicle swap meet Sunday at Baker College in Flint. Detroit football coach suspended for htting players with paddle By Shannon Pettyplece For the Dal Anincrease in Michigan's unemploy- ment rate should not directly affect the 12,000 University students who rely upon work-study programs and part time jobs to fund their educations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a 2 percent increase in the United States unemployment rates in January a significant increase in comparison to previous months. Vickie Crupper, assistant director of the Office of Financial Aid, said there are many opportunities for students to receive assistance if they or their fami- lies are incapable of finding employ- ment. "When family financial circum- stances change, students need to come to the financial aid office to review their situations. We can't help the stu- dent if we never know there is a prob- lem," she said. Crupper also said students currently receiving aid should not be concerned about the future continuation of their aid packages due to any possible short- age of funds. "It is possible that aid reductions could occur only after the University exhausted all other possible resources. We don't anticipate tliat this would ever happen," she said. Currently the employment opportu- nities on campus are abundant. According to the Office of Financial Aid there are five jobs for every one student. Jason Gmirck, an Engineering junior who has been employed at the South Quad Residence Hall front desk for two years, views his current job as essential for funding his extracurricu- lar life. "My income mainly goes towards extra stuff," said Gmirck. "Most of my money for school comes from my parents and what ever I earn over the summer. Megan Spangler, South Quad office coordinator, said she does not feel stu- dents currently employed by the resi- dence halls have reason to worry. "We are given a budget for opera- tion which includes staff coverage.... If we need to cut back it will be from things around the office not employ- ees," she said. Spangler said students employed by University residence halls have even seen a pay increase within the past year. As for graduating seniors who will be seeking jobs outside the University community, the job market may have a different perspective. According to statistics released by the Bureau of' Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate has drastically increased in manufacturing industries such as the automotive, metal, rubber. plastic and lumber industries. But, employment has improved or remained consistent in retail trade, finance, insurance and real estate. The University Career Planning and Placement Center did not see a decrease in employer recruitment dur- ing the fall semester. "Job fairs during fall semester had been very active and are still booming, they have shown strong turn-outs both by students and employers" said Terri Lamarco, associate director of employment recruiting at CP&P. Lamarco said it will be a matter of time before employment results can be seen objectively. "The economic down turn may just be cautiousness of employers," she said. "We can't help the student if we never know there is a problem." - Vickie Crupper Assistant director, Office of Financial Aid M 4 DETROIT (AP) A high school football coach accused of hitting a 15- year-old player with a wooden paddle because the player received poor grades was suspended yesterday, a school spokesman said. Freshman Omi Judkins accused Detroit Murray-Wright coach and his- tory teacher Joel Blankenship of hit- ting him and other players. Police and school officials are investigating the claims. Officials at Murray-Wright did not return calls yesterday and Blankenship could not be reached at home. "The policy is not to discuss person- nel matters. This one is particularly sensitive, especially in light of the pos- sible litigation involved," Detroit Pub- lic Schools spokesman Stan Childress said. lie added that Blankenship has been placed on administrative leave with pay pending the outcome of the investigation. Blankenship played football at Mur- ray-Wright before receiving a football scholarship to the University in 1989. Ile told The Detroit News that his high school coach also paddled players. "I told (family members) I've apolo- gized for this from day one, but they think it's best if I don't say anything now?" he told the paper. "... You have no idea how painful this is to me." Blankenship became head football coach at Murray-Wright seven years ago. Judkins, a 6-foot-3, 308-pound cen- ter who started every game for the junior varsity squad, said he and other players were called to bring their report cards to Blankenship's office after school on Jan. 22. They usually had weight training for two hours after school every day. Blankenship separated the report cards into "good" and "bad" piles. Judkins said. Players were told they would get three smacks for each D they received and five for each F. A school security guard was in the room while Blankenship doled out the whacks with a thick, wooden, 26-inch- long paddle. Judkins said. He said he was supposed to get 13 hits for receiving two Fs and three Ds. but that Blankenship stopped at 10. Judkins said he watched about 10 other players get the paddle, some as many as 12 or 13 times. He said the beatings last- ed far about an hour and that play- ers had to lean forward with their palms flat on a table. "It was coming with a lot of force" Judkins said yesterday. "Ile was lectur- ing us, telling us getting good grades would affect us in life." Judkins said it was known among teammates that Blankenship and other coaches used the paddle to try to teach players lessons and that he previously had received two hits for getting into an argument with another student. Detroit Police Sgt. Gawaine Hughes of the department's child abuse section said Judkin's mother, LaTanya Pruett, filed a report on Jan. 24 but no inter- views have been conducted yet. "We're rigrht in the midst of the investigation." Hughes said. "We will interview all witnesses until we get to the bottom and see exactly what hap- pened." If there is sufficient proof of wrong- doing, the police could issue a warrant on child abuse charges, I ughes said. Pruett said she insisted on seeing what was wrong when her son came home on Jan. 22 and couldn't sit down. Judkins said he didn't tell his mother at first because he didn't want to be a "snitch." Pruett said she was horrified when she saw the red and black marks cover- ing Judkin's buttocks. "I couldn't believe this was going on in the school. How could you inflict that much pain on someone and not think it was damaging" she said. She said she took Judkins to Chil- dren's Hospital of Michigan, where a doctor took notes and photos showing I l-by-7-inch bruises on the boy's but- tocks. Pruett said she met with Blanken- ship and other school officials, who all apologized. But she says she hasn't heard anything from them since. Correction: The group Students Organizing for Labor and Economic Equality was misidentified on Page 7A of'yesterday's Daily. THE CALENDAR What's happening in Ann Arbor today EENTSU "Tolerance Revisited: in Suzhou Storytelling," SERVICES Yemeni Muslim-Jewish Sponsored by the Cen- ..;