LOCAL/STATE

The Michigan Daily - Monday, January 7, 2002 - 3A

.......

Regents unanimously approve fall break

School of Public
Policy receives
$2M grant
Congress recently approved a $2
million grant for the Gerald R. Ford
School of Public Policy.
School of Public Policy Dean
Rebecca Blank said the school will
use the money to attract more students
and widen its curriculum so that the
school can better prepare students for
new policy challenges.
Michigan politicians such as
Democratic Senators Carl Levin and
Debbie Stabenow, members of the
Michigan congressional delegation
and many others worked to help get
the donation to the school passed.
Blank said the appropriation of the
funds is not only an honor for the
school, but also for former President
Ford.
"The action by the U.S. Congress to
appropriate $2 million for programs
of the Ford School of Public Policy is
an enormously gratifying tribute to
former President Gerald Ford and his
dedication to a life of public service,"
Blank said in a written statement.
The School of Public Policy aims to
create future policy makers and public
leaders. As part of a public University,
the school feels it can provide an out-
side perspective on many issues while
directly serving the public.
" U' offers new
degree program
in microsystems
A new program in integrated
microsystems is being introduced at
the University this semester that will
work to make both cell phones small-
er and surgeons more precise.
The new degree program is being
offered by the College of Engineering
as a master's program, where students
will study how to reduce the size of
data processing objects while becom-
ing more familiar with the latest tech-
nological developments.
The areas that the program will
focus on are considered the fastest
growing, interdisciplinary fields of
engineering. They focus on the
development of tiny information-
gathering nodes, which help to
reduce the size needed to gather
information so that almost any
device can process data and become
powered.
Recent research that has been done
in the area of integrated microsystems
is the development of a sugar cube-
sized environmental monitor that will
serve as-a warning device when toxic
~substances are present.
Potential students should have their
undergraduate degree in engineering,
chemistry, physics, biology or mathe-
matics.
Symposium to
honor women in
ancient history
This month, various University col-
leges and programs will be hosting
symposia, films and exhibits centered
around the theme "Women Who
Ruled: Queens, Goddesses, Amazons
1500-1600."
The University Institute for
Research on Women and Gender and
the Women's Studies Program will
present an installation by Matuschka
that will run through April in Lane
Hall.
Matuschka is an artist, former
model and breast cancer survivor,
who is best known for her self-portrait

that appeared on the cover of New
York Times Magazine featuring her
mastectomy scars.
The University's Sexual Assault
Prevention and Awareness Center and
the Center for the Education of
Women will Mold a panel discussion
titled "Gender and Power in the
Movement to Combat Violence
Against Women." The discussion will
be held on Thursday at 4 p.m. in the
Center for the Education of Women
conference room located at 330 East
Liberty.
The 1928 French film "La Passion
de Jeanne d'Arc" will kick off the
"Dynamic Women Film Series" on
Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Michigan The-
atre. Admission is $5 with a Universi-
ty student ID.
-Compiled by Daily StaffReporter
Shannon Pettypiece.

By Elizabeth Kassab
Daily Staff Reporters
The University Board of Regents voted on
a host of proposals at its Dec. 13 meeting,
including a two-day fall study break, changes
to the athletic bylaws, establishment of
bylaws for the Life Sciences Institute,
appointment of an architect to design the
Ford School of Public Policy and approval of
designs for the renovation of Hill Auditori-
um.
The regents voted unanimously to institute
a two-day fall study break every October.
Next fall, classes will not be held Monday
and Tuesday, Oct. 14 and 15.
Regent Andrea Fisher Newman (R-Ann
Arbor) said MSA President Matt Nolan and
interim Provost Lisa Tedesco addressed all of
her concerns regarding the break, one of

which was that the four-day weekend would
"lead to more free time and more partying."
The regents also approved measures to
change the bylaws regarding the Life Sci-
ences Institute and the Board in Control of
Intercollegiate Athletics, which will now be
called the Advisory Board on Intercollegiate
Athletics.
The Life Sciences Institute bylaw, which
will establish an executive committee for the
program, passed unanimously.
Changes to the athletic bylaws passed by a
7-1 margin, with Regent Katherine White (D-
Ann Arbor) voting against the proposal.
White said she wanted more time to hear
feedback about the proposal, but other
regents argued against the delay, saying they
should leave a clean slate for interim Presi-
dent B. Joseph White, who took over Jan. 1.
The athletic board will now serve to advise

the president rather than vote on decisions
themselves, despite concerns from the Senate
Advisory Committee on University Affairs
that the changes would take power away from
the faulty, student and alumni members of
the board.
Bollinger emphasized that the changes
would mainly clarify the situation, adding
that a future president will not use the
amended bylaw to "seize more control of the
athletic department."
The athletic director will still seek the fac-
ulty's advice in regard to academic interests
in athletics.
A plan to appoint Robert A.M. Stern
Architects to begin designing a new building
to house the Ford School of Public Policy at
the northeastern corner of Hill and State
streets also passed without opposition.
University Chief Financial Officer Robert

Kasdin said Stern himself will take a person-
al interest in the project, given its impor-
tance.
"This will really serve as a gateway to the
University," Kasdin said.
The regents voted unanimously to accept a
revised budget for the renovation of Hill
Auditorium and to begin offering bids to con-
struction companies to complete the work,
slated to begin in May.
The renovation emphasizes the goal of
restoring the building to architect Albert
Kahn's original vision while updating the
building to increase wheelchair accessibility,
install a sound lock, create a lower-level
lobby and add more restroom facilities.
A resolution to begin building a pedestrian
walkway over Washtenaw Avenue to link the
Life Sciences Institute with the rest of the
Hill area was also approved.

Omeun steps. down as vice
president of medical affairs

By Usa Hoffman
Daily Staff Reporter

Nearly five years after accepting
the position as the first executive vice
president for medical affairs, Gil
Omenn will step down this summer to
work more closely with fellow faculty
members.
"It would be
nice to actuallyx
work with some of r
the excellent facul-
ty here on projects,
rather than as a
senior official,"
said Omenn, the
highest paid
employee on cam-
pus. "I'm just Omenn
beginning to think seriously about
what's next. My aim is to be able to
immerse myself in the life sciences,
public policy and genetics.
"Here I am on vacation with my fam-
ily and finishing a manuscript. It would
be nice to be able to do that as a day
job," he added.
Omenn's departure follows that of
University President Lee Bollinger -
who left during winter break and will
become chief executive at Columbia
University in July - and Provost
Nancy Cantor, who is now chancellor
of the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign.

Omenn said his decision to step down
is not related to Bollinger's departure.
"The EVPMA was a new position at
the University and Gil helped to define
it," Bollinger said in a written statement.
"He has devoted himself entirely to the
University and to the Health System, a
massive undertaking given the scope of
our medical center. We are indebted to
him for his dedication and his contribu-
tions."
Medical School Dean Allen Lichter
said of Omenn, "The best thing he did
was to raise the standard of excellence
in the Medical School and the medical
centers. Gil sets high standards and lives
excellence every day."
Omenn worked extensively to inte-
grate the University and the medical
centers. He also improved the national
and financial standing of the health cen-
ters, hospitals and Medical School, and
helped start a decade-long capital
expansion program for the medical
facilities.
"Financial issues are a perennial
problem;' Omenn said. "We have a train
wreck with an aging population and
exciting, new technologies on one side,
and, on the other side, we have the peo-
ple who pay for it.
"If you can displace new technologies
or long stays with outpatient procedures
and preventive medicine, that is real
high-payoff stuff," he added.
Omenn, a professor of internal medi-

cine, genetics and public health, said he
will continue to work with interim Uni-
versity President B. Joseph White until
his term ends as EVPMA on July 31.
"I'm very keen to work with (White)
during this period. I want the whole
University to be in excellent shape come
this summer when the regents appoint a
new president," Omenn said.
Omenn also chairs a federal com-
mittee that monitors and researches
improvements in the quality of patient
care.
"We're focusing particular interest on
what it means to make the patient the
center of quality health care," Omenn
said.
"Most of the regulations about quali-
ty have to do with HMOs and most are
having a hard time, so we're determined
to come up with particular applications
of all types of care."
Prior to becoming the EVPMA, a
position created by Bollinger in 1997
to oversee operations at the health
centers and Medical School, Omenn
served as dean of public health at the
University of Washington. He chaired
the Presidential/Congressional Com-
mission on Risk Assessment and Risk
Management from 1994-97, and
served as associate director of the
White House Office of Science and
Technology Policy and the Office of
Management and Budget during the
Carter administration.

DANNY MOLOSHOK/Daily
A National Guard member carrying an M-16 watches passengers on Dec. 19 at
the Los Angeles international Airport Terminal Two security checkpoint.
Students say travel
plans undeterred b
thr1eats of terrorism


By Jeremy Berkowitz
Daily Staff Reporter

Despite airline cutbacks aid
fears of flying that kept many stu-
dents on the ground for Thanksgiv-
ing travel, many have accepted the
fact that life goes on and chose to
fly during winter break.
"I'm not afraid of flying because
I have that 'it's not going to happen
to me' attitude, and if people are
afraid of flying, then they're letting
terrorism win,", said LSA freshman
Anne Allen.
Part of the reason for people being
less reluctant about flying is the
increased security at many airports.
Airport employees are more on alert
at security checkpoints, looking for
suspicious people or items. More
travelers are being taken aside,
frisked and sometimes asked to take
their shoes and belts off.
"We had to wait an hour to get
through security," said LSA sopho-
more Nikola Leibold, who flew to
Ft. Myers, Fla., for vacation.
But the change in airport security
has not been uniform across the
country.
Some airports have imposed
drastic changes, while others have
done very little.
"We flew from Houston to Mem-
phis to New York, and the best
security was in the New York air-
ports," said Ashleigh Howells, a
Houston resident at Newark Inter-
national Airport.
Even those who opted to drive
home said they chose that method
of transportation for the usual rea-
sons, such as money and time. Most
said that they had no concerns

"I'm not afraid to
fly because I have
that 'it's not going
to happen to me'
attitude, and if
people are afraid of
flying, then they're
letting terrorism
win."
- Anne Allen
LSA freshman
about flying in the future.
"I'll fly if I need to," said LSA
junior Larry Johnson.
Despite predictions that more
Americans would use alternative
modes of public transportation such
as trains or buses, there was not
much of a difference this year.
Amtrak had a steady year, not
suffering the losses that the airlines
saw in the last couple of months.
There was an increase in the
number of services available, but
those are normal for the holiday
season.
"Ridership levels were basically
the same as they were last year,"
said Corrina Vanveen, manager of
media relations for Amtrak.
In addition, Vanveen said these
steady levels should remain into the
new year and could possibly grow
in 2002.

Michigan Book & Supply

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THE CALENDAR
What's happening in Ann Arbor today



EVENTS
Washtenaw Chess Club;
All invited to play chess
with their peers. Chess
sets and clocks provid-
PH 7.nn -_11nn n m..

any of the board games
that the Underworld car-
ries, but you must find
your own opponents,
7:00 - 9:00 p.m., The
Underworld, 1214 South
University

9:00 p.m., Clonlara
School, 1289 Jewett
"Chiropractic's Influence
on Environmental Ill-
ness"; Talk by Stephen
McLean, Sponsored by
Gateway Chiropractic,

SERVICES
Campus Information
Centers, 764-INFO,
info@umich.edu, or
www.umich. edu/-nfo
S.A.F.E. Walk, 763-WALK,
Call 24 hours a day,
seven davsa week for an




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