6C - New Student Edition - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 5, 2001
U ready to
defend use
of race in
admission
LAWSUIT
Continued from Page 1C
a white applicant who alleged she had
unfairly been denied acceptance to the
Universityis Law School.
The case came before U.S. District
Judge Bernard Friedman this year.
Friedman issued his ruling March 28,
declaring race cannot be used as a fac-
tor in admissions in the interest of cre-
ating a diverse student body. The
University appealed Friedman's deci-
sion to the 6th Circuit Court, and the
University has asked that the court
combine the cases involving the LSA
and Law School.
The court is still considering the
University's request. Both cases are
slated to come to trial this fall.
Using the Bakke case to justify their
policies, the University contends the
use of race as a factor in admissions is
important because a diverse campus
enriches all students' college experi-
ence.
ABBY ROSENBAUM/Daily
The University has assembled a team of lawyers in order to defend its decision to
factor race into admission.
CIR chief executive officer Terry
Pell contends that the use of race in
admissions is discriminatory toward
whites and therefore unconstitutional.
A third party, the intervenors, agrees
with the University but assert that affir-
mative action is necessary to correct
past discrimination.
Two separate groups of intervenors
were involved in the cases. To be
allowed into the case, they had to prove
they had an interest in the lawsuit that
neither the plaintiff nor the defendants
would adequately represent.
In addition to gaining the support of
the intervenors, a number of colleges
corporations and other groups have
thrown their weight behind the Univer-
sity's defense, filing amicus briefs, or
friend of the court briefs, in support of
the University's admissions practices.
Although fewer in number, amicus
briefs have been filed in support of
CIR's position.
-DailySt affReporteir .en Fish
and Lisa Koivu contributed
to this article.
DAVID KATZ/Daily
Scott Emr and Jack Dixon will lead the University's Life Sciences institute when it opens in two years. The smokestack of thl
University's power plant in the background, seen from the east end of the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies, i
adjacent to the future site of the LSI.
Life Sciences Institute to open in 2003
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Kids fair unites students and pen pals
By Slwmo Pettypieoe each month takes roughly 100 student volunteers.
Daiy Staff Reporter "I loved the letters," said LSA sophomore Louisa Kennedy.
"I put all of them up on my wall."
A dozen yellow school buses lined up outside Crisler Arena After the pen pals had met they spent the afternoon partici-
and more than 1,000 elementary school kids singing "Hail To pating in activities sponsored by nearly 100 student groups.
the Victors" inside this past February, signaled to anyone near- Kids Fair attendees participated in such activities as a pie
by that the third annual Ki4dF4jr was underway eating contest, valentine decorating, face painting, playing with
The fair brought l rggsttroo'l students from Ann musical instruments, and spending afew minutes in a solar car,
Arbor, Ypsilanti and ett tothe University for a day of "This year I liked making bracelets, flowers, and playing .
activities with college s is event is one of many orga- Twister. It was a pretty good K-Fair,", said 10-year-old Maddy,
nixed by the K-grams pei pl program in an effort to increase a fifth grader from Northside Elementary in Ann Arbor and a
University and community interaction. three-year veteran of the Kids Fair.
"The K-Fair gives the elementary students the opportunity "My favorite part was meeting my buddy," said Maddy,
to see the many different sides of college ... so that they believe although she won the pie eating contest and four Twister
a future education is definitely possible," said K-grams Execu- games.
tive Director Elena Main, an Engineering junior. The activities sponsored by University student groups not
But for many participants, the Kids Fair was a chance to only entertained the kids, but also the groups volunteering.
meet the pen pals they lave been in contact with for the past "It's a great way to get involved with the community and fun
few months through h". Yi2 , playing with the kids," said Jeremy Segall an LSA senior who.
At the beginning of XfiY- 1 ga.rd; ele;pl$aed tlhe K-fair thrQo)gh Sigma Alpha Mu.
mentary schools and -fJ t dents ulnved in K-grams "On ifile on their face makes it all worth while, itr about,
were paired up with one aother. makingkids happy and getting them involved," said Ani Shehi-
The "buddies" corresponded with each other through letters gian, internal relations director for K-grams and an LSA"
on topics ranging from "Harry Potter" to the presidential elec- junior.
tion. Besides having fun, Martin said K-grams teaches leadership
The process of collecting and delivering the 1,000 letters and teamwork.
By Jon Fish opportunity to perform laboratory
Daily StaffReporter research.
Bollinger"wasjoined on the podium
Although the actual building is cur- by two students who have had the
rently, as Jack Dixon said, "a very large chance to do research through the
hole in the ground," he and fellow Life Undergraduate Research Opportunity
Sciences Institute Director Scott Emr Program. Meredith Miller, an LSA
are clearly thrilled about the potential sophomore, and Nakia Williams, an
for the huge facility that will anchor the LSA senior, applauded the initiative's
northeastern corner of Central Campus. efforts to expand opportunities for
"We've spent countless hours plan- aspiring researchers.
ning this," Dixon said before the Uni- Members of the University Board of
versity's official LSI kickoff ceremony Regents were also on hand to accept a
yesterday at Rackham Auditorium. series of murals painted by 21 Ypsilanti-
"We're still tweaking the details of the High School students that will be used
laboratories, but we're pretty much on! to decorate the construction site of the
schedule. So far, we haven't hit many Life Sciences Institute.
glitches." Dixon took the audience through a
The centerpiece of the University's virtual tour of the building, which will
Life Science Initiative, the institute is house 25 to 30 new faculty members
scheduled for completion in the sum and form an "intellectual and physical
mer of 2003. bridge between the main campus and
"This is a very importantmoment in the Medical School."
a very long project," said Uniwrsity Outside Rackham, however, a group
,iUceil Lee Bollinger."We're off to a. of about 15 protesters picketed before
.treT14 6us start" : 'the ceremony began, handing out fake
In his opening remarks, Bollinger money imprinted with Bollinger's face
stressed that undergraduates would be a and the slogan "In Corporations We
key component in the initiative and that Trust?"
one of the goals of the institute would Claiming that the Life Sciences Ini-
be to provide undergraduates the tiative will open the University to rela-
tionships with pharmaceutical compa-
nies interested only in profits, biology
Prof. JohnVandermeer said the initia-
tive will also transform the research
culture of the University.
"I challenge them to think of w*
the world really needs, which is n
more profits for the drug companies"
Vandermeer said
The initiative "is going to be for the
corporate profit and not for the public
good," said University alum and Ann
Arbor resident Jessica Stanton.
Law Prof. Rick Lempert, who will
direct the Life Sciences, Values and
Society Program, said he hoped the
will be an open forum on the "issues
commercialization of research and the
intellectual property issues."
"This is something being confronted
nationally now" Lempert said. "It's a
perfectly legitimate issue and one the
University must confront."
The Life Sciences Initiative was
launched in 1999 as part of the state's
'Life Sciences Corridor, a $1 billion
project to promote and invest in life
sciences research at Michigan colle
and universities. The state has pledge
$50 million per year for the next 20
years to aid the initiative.
- -- - SaeltanedirsameSfist ofeofesor
DiTv StaffReporter - "A major goal for the Life Sciences Institute is
help establish links between basic science research an
World-renowned diabetes expert Alan Saltiel's recent the clinical treatment of human diseases like diabetes,'
U 1appointment to the Life Sciences Institute signifies the Emr said in a written statement. "The appointment of
University's first step in putting together a team of Alan Saltiel represents an important first step in this
leading life sciences researchers and teachers. direction."
Saltiel is the first faculty member to join the LSI, Saltiel said he was impressed with the opportunities the
following the appointment of co-directors Jack Dixon LSI offered when Dixon proposed the position to him.
and Scott EBmrdast October. ~-'~--~ ~Because we shared a vision for the institute, 4nd we
a'n ust ready excited about the LSI, and enthusias- have -similar philosophies of research, the opportunity
tic about its potential to be.a bridge for all the ifferent to work within the University of Michigan was appeal-
aspects of'the life ,cien~ts at the Uniersity," Saltiel ing," Saltiel said.
said. He added that he was especially excited about bei
Dixon called the hiring of Saltiel "a special opportu- a part of the LSI at such an early stage, and thathe h
nity," even though the LSI is not yet in a position to already begun diabetes research out of a different office
formally recruit faculty. Dixon and Emr said they heard in the University Medical School. "I can be one of the
Saltiel was preparing to leave his position in the cell founding scientists of the LSI, and help shape it's direc-
biology department of Parke-Davis Pharmaceutical tion," Saltiel said.
Subscribe to the Scoop, Michigan's FREE official e-source for Research's Ann Arbor division after its merger with The LSI is eventually expected to consist of up to 30
carpus news, events and cheap fun. Get the insider info and drug coipany Pfizer and encouraged him to remain in faculty members, but official recruitment has not yet
the rea.begun beyond a "few phone calls to certain people to
success secrets you need to make the most of your college life- - the ae.-- ~ -bgnbyn fwpoeclst eti epet
At the time, Saltiel was also a University adjunct see what their interest level is in this," Dixon said.
certified spam-free. Your Student Alumni Council, made up of physiology professor. Construction has already begun on the LSI at the cor-
other Michigan students like you, write and deliver the Scoop to ."He's a world expert in diabetes," Dixon said. "That's ner of Washtenaw Avenue and Huron Street. With 0
an extremely important disease -that affects a large expected opening date in 2003, the University hopes to
your email account every other Thursday. number of people across the U.S and the world. He has attract the world's leading life science researchers and
valuable connections with industry. And he's a person teachers to work together in the LSI for the furthering
of real high standards." of progress in the field.
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By Anna Clark
Daily Staff Reporter
The University has taken action to
implement its new labor code in all
contracts with apparel, souvenir and
supply companies, among others.
Yesterday, the University mailed a
letter to all companies supplying
University apparel, informing them
of the new standards that were for-
mally adopted by University Presi-
dent Lee Bollinger at last month's
meeting of the University Board of
Regents.
"The letter was just to inform
them of a new condition for the con-
tracts with UM," said Social Work
Prof. Larry Root, who chairs the
permanent Committee of Labor
StanAriar iand JNimnan RDmnhtc
September with a draft of the code
designed by a previous committee,
tweaking it to meet University stan-
dards.
While Root said the committee
considered introducing the code to
licensees as their contracts expired
over the next year, it chose to do the
job all at once instead.
"We decided that it was easier to
do it this way, with the way things
are arranged," Root said. "It puts the
code into effect faster, too."
The mailed letter, signed by Uni-
versity Vice President and General
Counsel Bruce Siegal, includes 2 1/2
pages outlining the code.
Anong other standards, it specifi-
cally requires all instances of
employees working more than 60
hna rc a w,,r o hpIc, I,nrnrt ?.aA to din
dards for forced and child labor,
harassment and abuse, nondiscrimi-
nation, health and safety, women
rights and freedom of association
and collective bargaining.
The code's enforcement occurs as
the University nears the two-year
anniversary of the Students Organiz-
ing for Labor and Economic Equali-
ty storming Bollinger's office to
demand high labor standards in all
deals with outside companies.
When Bollinger announced tl.
University's acceptance of the cod,
SOLE member Jackie Bray, an LSA
freshman, said, "SOLE is pleased
that after two years we in the com-
munity at large could come to this
compromise."
But LSA senior and SOLE mem-
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