LOCAL/STATE
The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, January 7, 2003 - 3-
CAMPUS Land seeks bipartisan
Prof analyzes
religion during
colonial period
Anthropology professor Webb
Keane will be discussing "Religion
Culture and the Colonies" today at
noon as a part of the University's
Institute for the Humanities Brown
Bag Lectures.
It will take place in the Common
Room at the Comerica Building on
250 S. Thayer. Bring a bag lunch.
Lecture explores
development of
Jewish America
English and Jewish studies prof.
Julian Levinson will be lecturing on
"Washed in the Blood of Israel:
Emma Lazarus and the Rebirth of
Jewish Culture in America" tomor-
row at noon in room 3040 of the
Frieze Building.
The talk is sponsored by the Uni-
-versity Center for Judaic Studies.
Film screening
features Islamic
art, architecture
A video screening of "The Cities
of Islam: Istanbul and The Isfahan
of Shah Abbas," offering a look into
the cities' architecture and culture
will be shown in University of
Michigan Museum of Art audiovi-
sual room tomorrow at 12:10 p.m.
This is part of a series of video
screenings this month highlighting
Islamic art and culture.
Harpist brings
soothing sounds
to 'U' Hospital
Mellow jazz harpist Christa Grix
will be performing Thursday at
12:10 p.m. at University Hospital
lobby.
The event is part of the "Gifts of
Art" program.
Speaker proposes
new cyberspace
interactions
The School of Art and Design is
sponsoring a lecture by MIT Media
Lab Tangible Media Group Director
Hiroshi Ishii, who will be talking
about his efforts to create "beyond
the keyboard" ways of interfacing
with cyberspace.
The lecture will be held in the Art
and Architecture auditorium Thurs-
day at 5 p.m.
Event encourages
dancers of all
abilities to swing
The Michigan Union Arts and Pro-
grams and Swing Ann Arbor will host
a series of swing dance lessons
Wednesday beginning at 7:30 p.m. in
the Michigan Union.
The evening will begin with a
beginner dance lesson followed by
an intermediate session at 8:30 p.m.
and an open session at 9:30 p.m.
Admission is $3.
Health education
of women to be
topic of talk
Prof. Nancy Hunt will be dis-
cussing "An Experiment in Global
Women's Health Education: The
Women's Health in the City of
Accra Project." The event, spon-
sored by the Institute for Research
on Women and Gender, will be held
today at 4 p.m. in Lane Hall.
U-Move invites
students to jazz
aerobics class
To provide students with a variety
of exercise classes, U-Move is
sponsoring a Fitness Jazz Aerobics
Promo Class in the Central Campus
Recreation Building today for $3.
Images of youth
development to
highlight event
Terry Blackhawk and Toby Kahn-
Loftus will be presenting "Images
of Good Practice: Education, Child
and Youth Development Programs,
and Social Organizations" at the
Schorling Auditorium in the School
of Education today at 6 p.m.
i Presentation to
focus on human
civility, changes in
Department of State
By Louie Melzllsh
Daily Staff Reporter
As Michigan's newly sworn-in secretary of
state, Terri Land offers some of the old and a
little of the new.
The former Kent County clerk says she
wants to carry on the work of her predeces-
sor, Candice Miller, by continuing to stream-
line Department of State operations. This
allows Michiganders to conduct more of their
business with the department online and
keeps Michigan elections free of the type of
problems Florida experienced in 2000.
In a recent interview with The Michigan
Daily, Land said she is also working to imple-
ment the proposals on which she campaigned,
even as the State Department expects cuts in
funding due to the state's $1 billion-plus
budget deficit.
Prior to taking office, Land said, "I had
quite a few of the department heads who Can-
dice had take early retirement." Also, she said
the number of division directors within the
department has been reduced from four to
three.
Among her plans in the coming months:
touring every branch office and meeting with
employees to discuss problem areas and ways
to improve the department.
Land, a Byron Center Republican and
unsuccessful State Board of Education candi-
date in 2000, said she sees movement on
making it easier for Michigan residents to
obtain absentee voting ballots, one of her key
issues.
Currently, those who desire absentee bal-
lots must provide an excuse, such as being
out of town on election day. Land wants to
eliminate the need for such an excuse.
After meeting with Democratic Gov. Jen-
nifer Granholm, Land said the two see eye-to-
eye on the issue. "So I said, 'Great! Let's get
the legislation moving on that."'
Granholm also pledged to work with her in
securing federal funds to purchase new vot-
ing equipment.
Another of her top campaign issues in 2002
was taking over from local police depart-
ments the responsibility for towing aban-
doned cars.
Land has met or plans to meet with the
Democratic chief executives from the state's
largest city, Detroit, and county, Wayne, to
discuss how her proposal could be imple-
mented.
"First we need to talk about how it's going
to work for all three of us and then we can
start talking to legislators," Land said.
But while Land stresses bipartisan coopera-
tion and civility, she said she will not shirk
her responsibilities in speaking up for Repub-
lican values.
Land said she and Michigan's other top
elected Republicans - Attorney General
Mike Cox, House Speaker Rick Johnson of
LeRoy and Senate Majority Leader Kenneth
Sikkema of Wyoming - "will be working
very closely. We've already talked about that,
how we're a team.
"(Former GOP Gov. John) Engler down-
sized government and kept taxes low, and
that's something we're going to be talking
about," she said.
"I'm very concerned with everything that
happens because I'm a citizen of Michigan,
too."
In the interview, however, Land hinted that
implementing one of her campaign proposals
- taking over from county clerks the issuing
of concealed weapons permits - may be
more difficult than expected.
DAVID) KAZ/Daily
Despite expected cuts in the Department of State's budget, Secretary of State Terri Land said she
remains optimistic about achieving her campaign proposals.
"It's still there but we're going to kind of
wait and see how the budget issues go," she
said.
"We have to make sure the constituency
groups and the local groups are comfortable
with this idea."
Airport security plan follows national trend
By Dan Trudeau
Daily Staff Reporter
The Michigan legislature passed a bill at the close of 2002 approv-
ing the new Airport Safety and Protection plan, which allows for near-
ly $1 billion in airport safety and security improvements.
Drawing from local, state and federal funds in addition to sizable
bond proceeds, ASAP will secure Michigan's airports through more
intense screening of passengers, baggage and employees and tighter
restriction on access to secure areas.
The flexibility of the plan's funding will make it eligible for $160
million annually in federal funds over the next several years and lays
the ground for continuing improvement of the state's airport security
capabilities, officials from the Michigan Department of Transporta-
tion said.
"This legislation will put us in prime position to land federal securi-
ty dollars when they become available," Transportation Director Gre-
gory Rosine said in a written statement.
The state's decision is symptomatic of a national trend regarding
airport safety and security. With federal funds becoming available,
California, New Jersey, New York and many other states are launch-
ing similarly ambitious campaigns to update and improve security.
"This is something that we're seeing across the country.
We're all faced with security issues, so all transportation
agencies are concerned," MDOT spokeswoman Stephanie
Litaker said.
With many of the nation's..airlines struggling since the Sept.
11 attacks, the consequences of tightened airport security on
the travel industry remain uncertain. But in spite of the poten-
tial problems of increased customer wait times and anxiety
over flying, local travelbased businesses remain unconcerned
about the new, strict procedures.
"To start with, anything new makes people apprehensive.
But in general the new rules are only going to be positive for
the traveling public," said Charlie Corbin, manager of STA
Travel in the Michigan Union. "From what I've seen and
heard, the lines are actually moving quicker under the federal-
ly employed screeners."
Corbin added that he did not expect any negative economic reper-
cussions from the new legislation, citing the stability of the student
market as an asset to local businesses.
Transportation officials said that while customer satisfaction at air-
ports is a concern, security should be the top priority.
"Obviously, everyone faces a little more time with these screenings,
but we all have to stand back and realize that this is for everyone's
safety,"Litaker said.
University students also said they recognized the necessary
inconvenience of strict airport security and called for more com-
munication with the public regarding new security developments.
"When I flew out of Detroit in December there was an extremely
long line, but as long as I know what I'm dealing with I can work
around it. There should be more advertising about this kind of thing"
Engineering senior Jeremy Harris said.
LSA senior Evan Lison said that while increased funding for secu-
rity is necessary, it does not'guarantee an entirely safe traveling envi-
ronment.
"I think that the main place where security can lapse is with the
personnel. Human error could be the biggest problem with the screen-
ing process in the future," Lison said.
MDOT lobbied heavily for passage of the legislation, as transporta-
tion officials worked with other state agencies, including the state
Aeronautics Commission and the Transportation Commission, to
frame the bill before bringing it to the state Legislature.
"We worked closely with legislators and agencies and put this
together before going to the Legislature. We all pulled together and
worked as one big team," Litaker said.
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ALYSSA WOOD/Daily
As part of her thesis research, LSA senior Molly Murphy inspects a 5,000-year-old animal bone
yesterday at the Exhibit Museum of Natural History.
City Council votes to reduce
pa king fines given over break
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By Emily Kraack
Daily StaffWriter
Students who received tickets for snow emergency
parking violations over winter break can celebrate the
new year with reduced parking fines. The Ann Arbor
City Council last night reduced the fine accompanying
narking tickets issued for cars narked on the street dur-
This ordinance, meant to prevent buildup of snow, narrowed
city streets during the winter. The $125 ticket cost aided
the city in recouping some of the cost of towing cars
off streets during heavy snow accumulation, estimated
by Councilwoman Heidi Cowing Herrell (D-2nd Ward)
to be about $270 per car. But no cars were towed in the
December snow emergency.
Herrell also said the original fine was meant "to be
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