ICrugn One hundred eleven years of editorialfreedom *ri . NEWS: 76-DAILY CLASSIFIED: 764-0557 wwwmichigandaly.com Wednesiday January 16, 2002 kyn , f ill J ll Emr opts not to direct LSI By Elizabeth Kassab Daily Staff Reporter Citing personal reasons and the departure of for- mer University President Lee Bollinger, Life Sci- ences Institute Co-Director Scott Emr has decided to remain at the University ofI California at San Diego where he is a professor of molecular medicine and biology. Emr, who was selected in October 2000 to head the LSI with University of Michigan bioloocal chemistry Chair Jack Dixon, was set to move to Ann Arbor this July. Emr "My decision not to come to Michigan and serve as the Co-Director of the Life Sciences Institute has been the most difficult decision of my professional career," Emr said in a written statement received by the University's deans and directors with a statement from interim University President B. Joseph White yesterday. "I wrestled with it for the past two months.... However, in the end, my decision was based on both personal considerations, as well as the needs of my lab personnel" Emr also said he developed a close relationship with Bollinger - a factor that weighed heavily in his decision to stay in California. "With Lee's departure, I had to re-evaluate everything about the move and the momentous change in my career," Emr said. "I think Lee's departure upset the apple cart in terms of that close relationship," Dixon said. Emr is the first member of the University admin- istration to cite Bollinger's move to Columbia as a reason for leaving the University. He is also the second high-profile University administrator to step down in recent weeks. Executive Vice Presi- dent for Medical Affairs Gil Omenn announced last month that he would be leaving his post to become a faculty member at the University. Dixon will stay on as the sole director of the institute. He said he has already been handling much of the daily business of the institute and expects that to continue. "I have no immediate plans to appoint a co- director," White said. "We have in Jack Dixon an outstanding leader." Dixon praised Emr's scientific achievements and the effort he put into the institute. The LSI's current progress is not expected to b& disrupted by Emr's decision to vacate the position See EMR, Page 7 I I i c t t Area residents and University students are hoping to revive the South University Avenue area. In the last few ye from an increase in business closures and commercial tenants. Souh University goes By Ted Borden by fast food outlets, many business closures, picture of the1 Daily StaffReporter high turnover and increased use of retail space rent infrastruc for office and commercial tenants," he said. project manag A new University study aimed at revitaliz- The group conducting the study includes ture graduate ing the declining retail atmosphere of the three graduate students from the school of go in the fiel South University Avenue district has students Architecture and Urban Planning and seven surveys and ho and staff working to rebuild one of Ann undergraduate students from the University Molnar said Arbor's key commercial districts. Research Opportunity Program. The study, us more kno "The South University area has undergone requested by the city of Ann Arbor Down- tomers, mercl significant changes over the past several town Development Authority, mirrors the owners like a decades," said Prof. Lawrence Molnar, Business School's successful study of the what they envi research program director at the Business State Street area, which resulted in a $5 mil- area. School and overseer of the study. lion redevelopment project. "Based upo "What was once a thriving and diverse "The research so far has been primarily ommendations retail center has become an area characterized done from existing sources to give us a clear R(YAN LEVENTHlAL/Daily ars, the street has suffered South history of the area and the cur- cture," said Andrew Bergang, er of the study and an Architec- student. "In the future we will d to conduct focus groups, do old stakeholder meetings." he expects "the study will give wledge about what the cus- hants, residents and property nd dislike about the area, and sion as the optimal future of the n this knowledge, specific rec- s for activities and processes to See SOUTH U, Page 7 0 Showtime,MT gay cable channel By Maria Sprow digital cable network, which has the capacity to Daily Staff Reporter offer more channels, he added. In first year, Harvard's new president faces many hurdles BOSTON (AP) - Lawrence Summers was touring the Harvard University athletic fields in September when he saw a group of linemen lunging for the foot- ball: Without warning, Summers - in suit and tie - jumped into the middle of the drill, got the ball and began running the show. "He kind of off-the-cuff took over one of the drills," coach Tim Murphy recalled. "I think our kids got a big kick out of it." Whether on the athletic field or with the faculty, Har- vard's new president has been leaping into the fray since he took the post in July. Former University of Michigan President Lee Bollinger was a finalist for the position Summers holds. Bollinger is to become president of another Ivy League institution, Columbia University, this summer. Among the issues Summers, the former Clinton adminis- tration treasury secretary, has faced in recent months: a threat by some of the nation's top black scholars to defect to Princeton. questions about his support for Harvard's banished ROTC program. opposition from faculty members to his push to hire younger professors. accusations by Hispanic studies professors that he is not supportive. demands by janitors and other low- paid Harvard employees for a "living wage." The flurry of controversies in the first months is no surprise, said Sum- Summers mers' friend Donna Shalala, who served with him in President Clinton's Cabinet and is now president of the University of Miami. "Everybody makes demands," said Shalala, former secre- tary of health and human services. "It's called 'gotcha.' They're looking for everything. Fundamentally, they're won- dering, 'Who is this person and what do they care about?"' Summers already has established a far more confronta- tional style than his predecessor, Neil Rudenstine. His bluntness - some say abrasiveness - has bruised egos, but his energy has many excited. Summers, 47, seemed unfazed by the recent challenges during a brief interview, but acknowledged: "Certainly, I come to Harvard after having been away for a decade with a lot to learn." Summers, a native of New Haven, Conn., was an eco- nomics professor at Harvard for 10 years, beginning in 1983, before leaving to work in the Treasury. Clinton appointed him secretary in 1999. An early test for Summers at Harvard came after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He responded by praising Harvard's 0 Cable television blockbusters MTV Networks and Showtime Networks Inc., both subsidiaries of Viacom Inc., recently announced the possibility of a collaborative new channel entirely focused on one subject: homosexuality. Few concrete plans have been made concerning the channel. It is expected to be a premium chan- nel, but unlike other premium channels, it would also get financial support from advertisements aimed toward the network's audience. Customers would likely be charged $5 or $6 a month. The unnamed channel is in development stages and it is unknown if and when the channel will be offered to cable customers. Also at issue is whether cable providers would even offer the new channel. Whether the channel would be offered depends on a variety of factors, said Jeff Wack, the market- ing manager for Comcast, Ann Arbor's largest cable provider. Wack said it would depend on Comcast's chan- nel capacity at the time of introduction, the well- roundedness of programming and the kind of cable the network would require. If anything, the channel would most likely be added first to the company's vu aaaa awaaa, a ans , Despite the controversial nature of the subject, Wack said Comcast would give the network the same thought other channels are given before they are offered. "It would be given consideration. ... There's a lot of factors that go into how we launch a chan- nel," he said. "It's something that we would keep our eyes open for." The type and variation of possible programs fea- tured on the channel is still in discussion. Frederic MacDonald-Dennis, director of the Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Affairs, said he had his own idea for what he'd like to see in the channel, including news programs tak- ing events from an LGBT perspective and talk shows focusing on specific LGBT-related topics such as gender identity inclusion. MacDonald-Dennis said that, to him, the most important aspect of the new channel is that it should be "comprehensive." He added that LGBT characters currently por- trayed on television - such as Will from NBC's "Will and Grace," the cast of Showtime's "Queer as Folk," and cast members of the reality shows "Sur- See CHANNEL, Page 7 DANNY MOLOSHO/ uaily LSA sophomore Heather O'Leary, LSA senior Anjil Aurora dance at Rick's with the rest of the Dance Marathon central planning team for a fundraiser last night. By Shannon Pettypiece Daily Staff Reporter Interim University President B. Joseph White will test his legs tomorrow at the first University Board of Regents meeting since he took over the helm of the University administration on New Year's Day. "This is my first meeting so I will be like the new kid out on the ice rink trying out my skates," White said. The agenda will include the appointment of Paul Courant as the new interim provost, a review of construction projects and a vote eager for f on a $1 million addition to the Bentley His- torical Library. White said he has thoroughly reviewed the procedures involved with heading the meet- ing and is more than ready for the event. "I've read the book inside-out, gone three times over the agenda with Lisa Tedesco," said White. "I think everyone here thinks I'm over-preparing." The regents are expected to appoint Courant as interim provost. Courant will officially take over the position held by Uni- versity Secretary Lisa Tedesco, who request- ed in November to return to her position as first regents meeting secretary on a full-time basis in order to con- centrate on the presidential search. Courant, who has been acting as interim provost since Jan. 1, said he is enjoying the job but cannot say at this time if he will consider being a candidate for the perma- nent position. "I have a job to do for the time being. I am certainly enjoying the work but many things can and will happen between now and when that become a relevant question," he said. For now, Courant said his mission is to sustain the University's momentum and uphold its long tradition of excellence. "You always want to leave a job with the place in better shape than when you got there," Courant said. White said he has been working closely with Courant since November and is confi- dent that Courant's previous experiences will ease his transition from associate provost for sacademic and budgetary affairs to interim provost. "We are only new guys to these jobs. I think between the two of use we have like 50 year of experience," said White. "The See REGENTS, Page 7 MSA passes resolution in favor of detained local Muslim leader By Tomislav Ladika Daily Staff Reporter Despite a request from Michigan Student Assembly President Matt Nolan not to consider the issue, the MSA voted last night 29--4 to support Ann Arbor Muslim leader Rabih Haddad's right to a fair trial. The MSA statement urges the U.S. government and the Immigra- the right to a public and speedy trial. The resolution also allocates $500 to fund a symposium about the case tonight featuring U.S. Rep. Lynn Rivers (D-Ann Arbor) and a represen- tative from the ACLU of Michigan. The event begins at 8 p.m. in the Michigan Union Ballroom. LSA senior Reza Breakstone said the resolution was necessary because ist ties, have not been open to the public and the media. "What we're saying is let's give this person in the United States due process, which everyone has the right to," said Breakstone. "The rules are not being followed, and we're asking MSA to support rules being fol- lowed." But Nolan and several other MSA representatives felt the council should 1 ne NNV NUN neNnu/nnily'