LOCAL/STATE The Michigan Daily - Friday, March 6C, 2001- 3 Shortage of nurses, students hits Midwest U' offers reward after fire alarm system damaged The University is offering a reward f up to $1,000 for information lead-. ng to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the damage to the Alice Lloyd fire alarm system on Feb. 22. A person or persons sprayed ammo- nium chloride onto the fire alarm ..panel, thereby disabling the system ana causing $8,000 in damage. Additionally, Housing security staff increased patrols to perform a "fire watch" during the remainder of the vening and the throughout the next y until repairs were completed. Anyone with information should contact DPS through the confidential tip line at (734) 763-9180. Student reported missing by parents Parents concerned for their son's well-being made an inquiry to the *epartnent of Public Safety on Tues- .dav afternoon, DPS reports state. The parents had not heard from him in over a week. The West Quad resi- 'dent was believed to be visiting friends in Canada and has since returned. His mother was unaware of his additional travel plans, according -to the report. .fEmployee argues diV ith driver, tosses bottle at 'U' bus A bus driver reported a subject ,threw a bottle at the bus from his vehicle at the corner of South State Street and South University Avenue on Tuesday afternoon, according to DPS reports. There was verbal contact between e drivers of both vehicles. The sus- ect fled northbound on State in a vehicle. The vehicle was traced to a University employee, but he was not driving a University vehicle. There were no damages or injuries and an investigation is pending. {Woman hit in back with Wendy's cup A subject was waiting for the bus in *ont of Bentley Historical Library Monday morning when a small red sports car drove by, DPS reports state. The three males occupying the car threw a Wendy's cup full of pop at the caller which hit her in the back. DPS had no confirmed suspects in the incident,. Man drops cell phone from ladder l A subject was climbing a ladder .,and damaged his cellular telephone at the Institute of Science and Technolo- gy Monday afternoon, DPS reports ,estate. The telephone became inopera- ble after he dropped it. 2 employees fight at McDonald's A Pierpont Commons McDonald's anager reported an assault of one of her employees by another employee Tuesday evening, according to DPS ;reports. The victim was kicked and injured, ,but declined to call an ambulance. She was taken to the hospitai by her manager. The victim was unaware if the other apect was still in the area. Follow- contact was made with the sus- pect's mother. There is a pending nvestigation. Computer stolen from loading dock A computer was stolen Tuesday morning from the loading dock of a lot in the 1500 block of East Medical Center Drive, according to DPS reports. Videotapes of the area indi- *te a delivery person may have been responsible for the theft. The vehicle was tracked down and the computer was recovered. Th(-re is a suspect and an ongoing investiga- I (. Compiled by Daily Staff Reporter Jacquelyn Nixon. By Karen Schwartz Daily Staff Reporter Nursing school enrollment has dropped nationally by 21 percent in the past five years and the University has nearly mirrored the trend with a 15 percent decline in undergraduates dur- ing the same period. This has implications for hospi- tals and other nursing centers as well as for the educational facilities the nurses attend. The issue, which first appeared on the East and West coasts, is now also affecting the Midwest. University spokeswoman Sally Pobojewski said the number of job openings is up with- in the University Health System, which includes three hospitals as well as outpatient clinics. This year the average number of positions available has risen from a previous average of between 75 and 100 openings to 150 openings. "If we're looking at a trend, we do have more openings now than we did before," Pobojewski said. "It's an issue we're certainly taking very seri- ously here." She attributed the problem to the high demand for highly qualified and skilled nurses, as many hospitals are looking to hire top candidates. "It's taking longer to fill vacancies in specialty areas such as intensive care. All hospitals want to hire these people," Pobojewski said. The University Health System cur- rently has a 7 percent vacancy, with 153 out of 2,200 positions open. To recruit the best from the avail- able pool and retain the current staff, Pobojewski said, the system is part of a program called "Becoming an Employer of Choice," which is aimed at creating an environment in which people prefer to work. The health system's recruitment team is keeping tabs on national mar- ket trends and looking for new ways to find and keep the most qualified possi- ble employees, she said. School of Nursing Dean Ada Sue Hinshaw said she thinks the way to expand the applicant pool is to estab- lish nursing as a profession open to both men and women with diverse backgrounds. "Then we'll see more people com- ing in to the profession," she said. "The major shortage issue for the school means a drop in enrollment and people who are going to be out there to take care of patients and families," Hinshaw said. Hinshaw said women today have many career choices and are choosing to accept higher-paying jobs in fields like law, business and medicine instead. National statistics agree, she said, as research shows the number of young women choosing nursing has dropped 38 percent in the past 25 years. Hinshaw said the field should invite more male participation and that stu- dents as a whole don't realize the oppor- tunities nursing holds as a career. "They picture someone who takes care of a patient in a hospital," Hin- shaw said. "That's a very important part of what we do but there are also many other opportunities." Other options in the nursing field include working with schools or community health, going to gradu- ate school and providing primary care as a nurse practitioner, doing clinical research or starting a business. She added that jobs are offering incentives from bonuses to flexible work schedules to higher pay rates for people interested in nursing and that now is a good time to get into the field. "These grads are being wooed by major agencies around the country and that gives them lots of opportunities of where they want to go and what they want to do when they finish. You can pretty much name your own spot," Hinshaw said. ABBY ROSENBAUM/Daily The University's School of Nursing has seen a 15 percent decline in the number of undergraduates during the last five years. Nursing Dean Ada Sue Hinshaw says the field needs to be established as a viable career option for both men and women. Waiting around DeGrow announces intent to run for attorney general .i .t .$ By Hanna LoPatin Daily Staff Reporter [ESSICA iNSfOND' Law student David Dologite waits for the Night Ride cab in front of the Michigan Union with his friend Alison Altschuller, who is visiting from Boston. Students giving up their favorite items for- lenten season In the world of political campaigning, declaring candi- dacy for a position is a complicated process of specula- tion that begins years before the election takes place. Oftentimes, any action taken can be considered a sign of potential interest. State Senate Majority Leader Dan DeGrow has put himself in that position by announcing this week that he is forming a committee to look into running for Michigan attorney general next year. Though the proclamation may seem non-committal at face value - DeGrow's spokesman said the Port Huron Republican won't decide for another month or so - it was prompted by last week's announcement that current Attorney General Jennifer Granholm had filed papers with the Secretary of State suggesting that she was run- ning for governor. Neither announcement is official, but DeGrow is already enduring criticism from the opposite side of the aisle. "With DeGrow as attorney general, the fox will no longer be guarding the hen house, the fox will be in the hen house," said Dennis Denno, spokesman for the Michigan Democratic Party. DeGrow has "done nothing to fight for consumer rights," Denno said. Meanwhile, DeGrow spokesman Aaron Keesler said he isn't yet ready to campaign on behalf of his boss. It is too early in the game to have a concrete list of objectives, he said. Even though Keesler would only confirm that DeGrow is "kicking around" the idea of running for attorney gen- eral, he expressed confidence in the senator's ability to win should he decide to put his name on the ballot. "He's been in a leadership position for a long time now, We feel like we can beat any candidate no matter who it is," he said. "There's a lot that he can accomplish as attor- ney general." "Attorney general would be a big job, but when you take that step to run for governor it consumes all aspects of your life and I don't think he was ready for it," Keesler said, adding that DeGrow's primary consideration in his "With DeGrow as attorney general, the fox will no longer be guarding the hen house, the fox will be in the hen house. ' - Dennis Denno Michigan Democrat Party spokesman campaign plans will be his family. In his statement DeGrow addressed the gubernatorial race and the candidacy of Lt. Gov. Dick Posthumus. "I have served with Dick for a number of years and can say, without question, he possesses the vision, experiencea and drive to lead our great state in the new century," DeGrow said. Posthumus joins Sen. John Schwarz (R-Battle Creek): in the pool of possible GOP gubernatorial candidates. Both have declared they are looking into the position. In the game of campaign rumors, one person who isn't biting is State Sen. Bill Schuette (R-Midland). Rumored to be another attorney general candidate, Schuette is keeping mum for now. "This is Dan's day," he said of his colleague. "I wish him well." Should Schuette choose to run, the candidate would be chosen at the state Republican convention in August 2002. Primaries will be held to determine the Democratic and Republican tickets for governor. As for a Democratic candidate for attorney general -i provided Granholm wins the crowded Democratic guberf natorial primary - Denno said he is unable to speculate' on any possibilities. "She just made her announcement, the ink's not even dry yet," he said. "Many qualified candidates will step up." By Karen Schwartz Daily Staff Reporter LSA sophomore Rana Irby loves eating red meat, but for the next few weeks she's going without her favorite food. Irby is abstaining from eating red meat in observance of Lent, the 40-day period between Ash Wednesday and Easter which emphasizes reflection and self-evaluation for Christians. "It's all a significant part of who I am and my faith. It enables me to focus more on God by getting rid of the stuff that takes a lot of my thoughts," Irby said. Father Jerry Vincke of St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church said Lent is a chance for people to think about others' needs and ask forgiveness for their sins. "It's just a way to examine our lives really and ask ourselves, what am I doing with my life? Am I just con- cerned about myself?" Vincke said. Lent began Feb. 28-- Ash Wednes- day -- and will conclude Easter Sun- day, April 8. "We can look at our lives and see if we're really following the way God has called us to be," he said. "If we're really honest with ourselves we know that there's a gap. Lent is time of becoming free from sin and basically trying to have an interior conversion a time of conversion of our hearts into union with God." First Presbyterian Church Pastor Michael Lindvall also said the holiday emphasizes introspection but added that Protestant tradition views Lent as a spiritual and intellectual discipline as opposed to something that requires the absence of an enjoyable food. Lindvall described Lent as the time when Christians walk through familiar stories again and look for deeper meaning and an application to their daily lives. During Lent, he said, the Bible sto- ries read and preached upon are stories that talk about and lead up to Christ's crucifixion and resurrection. "What Christians do during this period of time is walk alongside or behind Christ and as Christ under- goes the experiences of holy week to identify with what Christ experi- enced," he said. "People identify with it and it becomes an act of iden- tity with the one we follow as we remember his experiences and his strengths." Many students observing Lent said that they make a special point of trying to go to church on Sunday during the 40 days, but whether they can attend church or not they still take the time to contribute to the community or give up something significant. Engineering freshman Joe Mullins said trying to give up red meat, his chosen sacrifice for the season, was difficult but worthwhile "Jesus spent 40 days in the desert," Mullins said, "and you're supposed to take that upon yourself and do your own little sacrifice for 40 days." LSA sophomore Emily Roschek said she usually picks a favorite item to give up but this year for Lent she decided to do volunteer work. "You're supposed to give something up or try to do something for others," she said. "I thought I'd do something good for the community this time." For Residential College senior Ali- son McCarthy, Lent is a family tradi- tion and a test of willpower. "It's a kind of novelty to give some- thing up for 40 days," she said. "Plus my mom calls me up and asks what I gave up and if I eat meat on Fridays, because you're not supposed to eat meat on Fridays during Lent." , . , .. . . , ;