LOCAL/STATE The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, February 13, 2002 - 3 Med school contract negotiations persist Georgetown U. S vice president denies LGBT support WASHINGTON - Vice President for Student Affairs Juan Gonzalez for- mally released his decision Friday to deny the creation of a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender resource cen- ter at Georgetown University. Gonzalez cited Catholicism's emphasis on tradi- tional marriage as his reason in a two- page letter presented to the committee of students supporting the creation of the resource center. "We cannot create or support a cen- ter whose mission would unavoidably lead to advocacy of sexual behavior outside the context of traditional mar- riage," Gonzalez said in the document. "I believe that the proposed LGBT center cannot avoid this risk.: Gonzalez said the resource center staff inevitably would find themselves promoting untraditional sexual prac- tices, which would challenge the church's teaching and therefore univer- sity policy. But Gonzalez was careful to distin- guish between promotion of nontradi- tional practices - which is unacceptable according to The Bible - and accept- ance of untraditional practices, which is integral to Catholic beliefs. "Because of our religious belief, because this is a Jesuit institution, we very much will be attentive to support- ing students," he said. "(The Bible) makes it very clear that the church is respectful, accepting, embracing and loving of individuals, not wanting in any way to discourage them or dis- criminate against them." U. Arizona staff could be affected by proposed cuts TUCSON, Ariz. - Betrayal, lies and demoralization were among the words University of Arizona workers used to describe their feelings about Gov. Jane Dee Hull's proposal to nix the 5 percent raise to all state workers the Legislature promised less than two months earlier. Of 20 staff members interviewed about Hull's announcement that she wanted to eliminate the raises, all of them agreed they felt betrayed, dis- couraged and worried about their financial future and the general welfare of the university itself. Many staff members asked to have their names withheld, fearing the possi- bility a slew of layoffs is just around the corner. Norma Ayon, a media arts academic adviser, said the raise would not have meant more pocket money but a chance to catch up from the recent increase in the cost of insurance for university workers. "With everything getting so expen- sive, you're just trying to keep your head above water," she said. Ayon and another worker who asked to have her name withheld, said other prices, including university parking and the general cost of living in the state, have continued to increase while their paychecks have remained the same. Hazing statute could come under fire from fraternity HARRISONBURG, Va. - The two James Madison University students in Sigma Alpha Epsilon who are charged with six counts of hazing may make history today by alleging Virginia's statute is unconstitutional. The attorneys representing the accused said they might question the constitutionality of the statute for being too vague. State of Virginia Code 18.2-56 states, "It shall be unlawful to haze, or otherwise mistreat so as to cause bodi- ly injury, any student at any school, college or university." On Nov. 27 juniors Daniel Manner and Ted Price were arrested by the Har- risonburg Police Department and charged with six counts of hazing each, following an incident at the SAE house. According to Harrisonburg Sgt. Kevin Lanoue, six victims were found who received bodily injury. When found by police, the victims were cov- ered with some foul material and had duct-taped rags over their eyes, accord- ing to Lanoue. - Compiled by Daily Staff Reporter Maria Sprow By Shannon Pettypiece Daily Staff Reporter After Medical School residents picketed in front of the University Medical Center last Wednesday demanding an increase in their $10 an hour wage, hospital officials have agreed to sit back down at the negotiation table for another round of talks The House Officers Association, which repre- sents hospital interns and medical residents, has spent two months negotiating its contract in order to receive a 3 percent pay increase and more ben- efits. Because of financial issues, the HOA and hos- pital administrators have been unable to reach an agreement, but negotiations are expected to resume within the next week - or at least within the next month. "We have not formally met with the adminis- tration yet at the bargaining table, but we plan to meet next week," said HOA President Vikas Parekh, a third-year medical resident. After the demonstration last week, representa- tives from the HOA met with interim University President B. Joseph White to discuss the talks. "While he was not able to make any promises, I felt the discussion was positive," Parekh said. White said the students requested to set up a meeting with him, and although he will not be intervening in the contract negotiations, he felt it was important to hear their concerns. "I did want to meet with them for two rea- sons. One, to let them know how much I respect them and value the work they do as members of our community, and second to listen to their concerns," White said. "What always helps me in negotiation discussions is to know what peo- ple are thinking, so I wanted to hear firsthand from them what they think of the situation." White said he believes the two groups will reach a compromise. "My hope and beliefs are that the negotiations will resume shortly and that we will come to an agreement. I think it is very much in the reach of everybody, so I am hopeful," White said. Parekh said the residents are still committed to finding a settlement to their conflict and are hop- ing a new round of negotiations will produce bet- ter results. "We remain willing and committed to work- ing with the administration to implement cost savings and quality improvement measures. We have attempted to discuss this with them in the past and have not had a positive reception," Parekh said. ' prof. honored by National Academies By Annie Gleason Daily Staff Reporter After donating years of service to the National Academies, one of the most prestigious scientific organizations in the United States, University pathology Prof. Peter Ward was honored last week when he was named a National Associate of the organization. Ward has been a member of the Institute of Medicine, a subgroup of the National Acade- mies, since 1990. He has donated much of his time working as chair for the Council for the Institute of Laboratory Animal Research and contributing to a quarterly journal released by the institute dedicated to the proper care and use of laboratory animals. "Some of the publications have become quite authoritative in setting the standards of practice," Ward said. Ward said right now the institute is developing an authoritative publication describing appropriate lab- oratory procedures to ensure that animals are prop- erly cared for and to protect humans from becom- ing infected. "(The publication) is used as a guideline for how sub-human primates should be cared for and used in the lab setting,"Ward said. Ward is particularly concerned with the proper treatment of lab animals because he uses them in his own research. "I felt that it was part of my public duty to become involved,'' he said. According to fellow University Prof. Steven Kunkel, Ward has done more than his share to become involved with animal research. "He's one of the main people dedicated to the humane use of research animals," said Kunkel. "He's served on councils to make sure animals are protected." Kunkel also made note of Ward's dedication to research and science. "He's an extremely well-known person, he's been an incredible mentor and has always been in the DAVID KATZ/Daily Peter Ward, pathology prof. and chair of the Council for the Institute of Laboratory Animal Research, was one of 325 people to be named a National Associate by the National Academies. know ... he's always on the cutting-edge of sci- ence," Kunkel said. Thousands of individuals volunteer their time to the National Academies organization, but only 325 are recognized as National Associates for their superior service. Individuals work outside the gov- ernment to provide advice on science, technology, and health matters. Ward was selected due to his outstanding dedication to the organization. "It's a nice recognition of the fact that one puts a lot of time in these activities ... and that what one is doing is important," Ward said. Wilbanks' appointment to be reviewed By Kara Wenzel Daily Staff Reporter The University Board of Regents will review the appointment of Cynthia Wilbanks as interim vice president for development at tomorrow's regular meeting. Regent David Brandon (R-Ann Arbor) is also expected to propose restructuring the board at the meeting. At last month's meeting, Brandon said he would research implementing a committee struc- ture with a rotating chair position to the board. Brandon said he would present his findings to the regents at tomorrow's meeting. The Board of Regents currently does not oper- ate with committees, and each regent has equal weight. The proposed chair and vice chair would, confer with the president on the agenda and other business of the board and organize the committees. Currently, the president sets the agenda for regents meetings and each individual regent can propose items to him or her. Wilbanks, who currently serves as vice presi- dent for government affairs, was asked to take over as interim vice president for development last month when Susan Feagin left to take a simi- lar position at Columbia University. Feagin worked as director of development for Harvard University before former President Bollinger recruited her to the University of Michigan in 1998. "I am pleased to be able to serve the University in this way," Wilbanks said. "I think this transition has already begun and there is important work that needs to be done." The vice president for development is in charge of generating and increasing endowments and other mon- etary gifts to the University. The economic downturn has been responsible for a decrease in such gifts recent- ly. Last September, Feagin announced that the Univer- sity did not see as many monetary gifts in the 2000-2001 fiscal year as in the previous year. Wilbanks said the University is currently not having any trouble generating money. "It is important to take it a day at a time and keep in mind that the goals of the University are for the long term," she said. Five professors will be recommended to the regents for approval as Arthur F. Thurnau professors. The Thur- nau professorships are given to recognize faculty for exemplary teaching. They were named after a former student who attended the University from 1902 to 1904. The three year grants are meant to help support professors in their teaching aspirations. t Z I '~~yII '1 J l 1* 800~SURFS~UP wvtw.studentex ress corn MSA election code changes method for pursuing complaints NO&I&I . .... ......... v.v.... a., : .' °" ..:. I I I V I Candidates upset with election will go before MSA election board By Tomislav Ladika Daily Staff Reporter Students running in next month's Michigan Student Assembly elections will have to prosecute complaints against their opponents in front of the election board due to reforms made to the MSA election code at last night's MSA meeting. LSA representative John Simpson said in previous elections, the elec- tion board would look into com- plaints made by student candidates, prosecute the defendant and pass a verdict on the case. Simpson felt it was necessary to make significant changes to the election process and made the proposal at yesterday's meeting. Past trials were inherently biased, Simpson said, because after spending hours researching the plaintiff's com- plaint, the election board usually would not listen to defendants argu- ing against their case. Simpson said the discrepancy in the judicial process led candidates to point out violations of election rules to slow down their opponents' campaign. Nolan said candidates "continued campaigning while the accused had to spend critical hours defending themselves." Simpson said the reforms provide an incentive against such campaign strategies because plaintiffs have to use their free time to develop evi- dence to prosecute students. Additionally, a student rights advo- cate position was created to handle complaints filed by students not involved in the election whose rights were violated. The advocate will look into the complaint and serve as the prosecutor in front of the election board. Also last night, a resolution was passed urging the University Board of Regents to study the feasibility of building a child care center in the Center of Life Sciences Complex, which is currently under construc- tion. Rackham rep. Suzanne Perkins- Hart, a mother of two children, said the University's current child care facilities support approximately 10 infants under the age of 18 months. Two other resolutions were passed, including the installation of a rope barrier around a pond on North Cam- pus to prevent geese from excreting on sidewalks. Three University students were also selected to serve on the Campus Governance Committee. irarical Aid 'f Win $10 Are you a mess? Knock us out with a brief description and up to four color photos of your messy apartment. You could walk away filthy rich!! aparlmenls~com T college apartment contest Go to www.apartments.com Sponsored by Ro nmmate E I THE CALENDAR What's happening in Ann Arbor today EVENTS Camp and Summer Job Fair; Sponsored by Career Planning and PIaenmenf. 7:45 a m - Hospitals "Creative Community Design Partnership"; Sponsored by the School of Art and Design, 7:00 p.m., Ann Arbor Public for Russian and East European Studies, noon, 1636 International Insti- tute, School of Social Work Building 0 "Wn-ma n..idarl SERVICES Campus Information Centers, 764-INFO, info@umich.edu, or www. umich.edu/~info S.A.F.E. Walk, 763-WALK, Pal 7d hr.. rl av -MK i U l