LOCAL/S TATE
The Michigan Daily - Thursday, February 20, 2003 - 3A
Deaths linked to influenza
alarm health officials
Couple argues,
boyfriend sent to
jail for assault
A woman living in Bursley Resi-
dence Hall reported Monday after-
noon that her boyfriend, who is also
a student, had assaulted her during
an argument.
Department of Public Safety offi-
cers arrested the boyfriend and took
him to the Washtenaw County Jail,
reports state.
The woman reported injuries to
her head, but was not seriously
harmed in the attack, DPS Lt. Crys-
tal James said.
James added that the Washtenaw
County Prosecutor's Office will not
press charges against the boyfriend,
who has since been released.
Hate message
targeting blacks
left on dorm door
An East Quad Residence Hall res-
ident informed DPS officers Sunday
night that somebody had left him a
derogatory message reading "I hate
negros" on his door.
Officers responding to the call
checked the area, but did not arrest
any suspects, according to DPS
reports. The case is still under
investigation.
Vandalism in
Church Street
carport continues
A person whose vehicle had been
parked in the Church Street parking
structure from 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday
called DPS officers early Monday
morning after discovering that
someone had broken one of the
vehicle's windows and stolen the
car's police radar detector.
The incident and at least six other
incidents of vandalism that
occurred in the parking structure
within the last several weeks are
under investigation.
Man with briefcase
suspect in damage
of parked vehicle
DPS officers are searching for a
man seen Monday afternoon carry-
ing a briefcase through the Church
Street parking structure.
The man is suspected of running
his briefcase down the side of a
parked vehicle and causing damage.
A witness informed DPS officers of
the incident, but the suspect could
not be located.
Runaway found
after not really
having run away
Employees at the Arbor Heights
Juvenile Center reported that they
suspected a resident had chosen to
run away from the building Tuesday
afternoon. However, the suspicions
were false, and the resident returned
later that night without incident.
DPS reports state his whereabouts
had been unknown because of a mix-
up in the resident's work schedule.
Screws reported
stolen from stalls
in men's bathroom
The screws used to screw in the
bathroom stalls in a men's bathroom
in the Harlan Hatcher Graduate
Library were reported missing early
Monday morning.
Police reports state that the stall
walls were removed from the bath-
room due to the missing screws.
DPS has no suspects.
DPS assists Ann
Arbor police in hunt
for larceny suspect
The Ann Arbor Police Depart-
ment spent part of Monday morning
searching for a larceny suspect in
the area near North Ingalls and
Catherine streets.
The suspect was described as a
man wearing a green denim coat
and brown pants.
AAPD officers were unable to
locate the suspect and requested in
DPS units to assist in the search,
which remained unsuccessful, DPS
reports state.
Couzens facilities
worker complains
of harassment
A University facilities employee
By Erin Saylor
Daily Staff Reporter
Flu-related deaths of at least two chil-
dren in southeastern Michigan have
prompted health officials to push for
more testing and treatment of influenza.
Six-year-old Meghan Spieles of
Washtenaw County died Jan. 31 of
pneumonia and had influenza, and 5-
year-old Alana Yaksich of Oakland
County died Feb. 3 of encephalitis, a
swelling of the brain, and also had
influenza.
"Last week we did a lot of screening
for influenza in the emergency rooms,"
said Laura Bauman, an epidemiologist
at the Washtenaw County Public
Health Department. "This week we're
being more selective with who we test
because now we know it's out there."
The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention are still investigating if
influenza was a factor in two other
southeastern Michigan deaths: David
Tripp, 14, who died Jan. 25, and
Yazzmin Zama, 7, who died Jan. 31.
With more than 100 cases of flu
reported to the health department so
far in 2003, Bauman said the problem
of influenza has increased but it is dif-
ficult to know by how much.
"It's hard to measure how much
more influenza we're seeing this year
compared to those in the past, because
we have not actively surveyed for it
until now," she said.
University Health Service Director
Robert Winfield said that the level of
influenza on campus has become a
serious problem.
"Right now, there is a bit of an epi-
demic of it," Winfield said. "We're see-
ing a lot of influenza A."
A study of influenza cases in Michi-
gan for the 2002-2003 season by the
Michigan Department of Community
Health indicates that in the second
week of 2003, the number of reported
cases of the flu in Michigan was just
below 40. By the fourth week, the
number was about 90 and in the fifth
week, there were more than 130 cases.
UHS has 400 doses of the flu vac-
cine left, Winfield said. Anti-virals are
available to shorten the flu - which
usually lasts about 10 days - and
decrease the symptoms. He added that
the pills take 48 hours to begin work-
ing and range in price from $10 to $55.
Flu season began the second week
of January and usually extends through
the end of March, Bauman said.
"It's never too late to get the vacci-
nation," she said. "But if you do
become ill, make sure that you get a lot
of rest and don't go back to work or
school too soon because you can pass
it on to co-workers or classmates."
Students wait in University Health Services pharmacy. Much of this waiting can be
attributed to the increasing number of influenza cases on and around campus.
ASSAULT
Continued from Page 1A
case, but added "there is suspicion that there was
some alcohol involved."
James said investigations involving rape and sex-
ual assault are especially difficult to investigate due
to the nature of the crime.
"We have interviewed both parties, but we are
still interviewing people about it," James said. "We
are still trying to determine what happened. It is dif-
ficult to determine it one way or the other."
Besides interviewing the victim, suspect, and any
witnesses, investigations involve collecting, gather-
ing and recovering evidence from the night, much
of which may have disappeared by the time the vic-
tim reports the crime.
Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center
Director Kelly Cichy said any biological evidence
must be collected within 72 hours after a rape or
sexual assault occurs. Students who believe that
date-rape drugs were involved in a rape or assault
should go to the hospital immediately, she added.
The evidence collection procedure includes visit-
ing the hospital; giving consent for the procedure;
answering a list of questions about the incident; tak-
ing oral, anal and/or vaginal swabs; collecting
pubic hairs; and collecting scrapings from under-
neath fingernails.
Cichy added that although hospitals are
required to report crimes that they are made
aware of, they are not required to release any
information given to them by the victim without
his or her consent, so victims still unsure of
whether to report the incident can collect the
evidence without having to go to police.
"It's a pretty invasive and painful thing for some-
body to have to go through," Cichy said. "But if the
person wants to prosecute criminally, the evidence
can be very helpful in case the person denies it....
It really opens up (his or her) options in terms of
what the victim wants to do in the future."
There are many legal and emotional factors stu-
dents should consider when deciding whether to
file a report with police about a rape or sexual
assault, Cichy said.
Benefits, she said, include holding the perpetra-
tor accountable for his or her actions, as well as
possibly helping a future victim should someone
else experience a similar incident with the same
perpetrator.
"The disadvantages that we talk about are ones
that most people think about right off hand, which
is, how many times am I going to have to tell my
story?" Cichy said. "And some people just really
don't want to have to go to court as a witness. That
can be a very private thing."
If a student does choose to file a police report, it
is up to the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office
to choose to prosecute, James said.
Besides going to police, students also have the
option of filing a complaint with the University,
through the Office of Student Conflict Resolution.
Victims choosing to go that route will have to file a
written complaint and cooperate with an investiga-
tion. Students found guilty of a sexual assault or
rape through OSCR could be suspended or
expelled, Cichy said.
BUSINESS
Continued from Page JA
DeBruin, the legal representative for
the joint brief.
Christine Edwards, executive vice
president and chief legal officer of
Bank One, said the institution signed
onto the joint brief because it believes
"it is good business to have a diverse
employee base to think about the needs
of our consumer base."
The brief argued educating stu-
dents about racial and cultural dif-
ferences is a compelling
government interest because busi-
ness is increasingly conducted on a
global scale.
GM spokesman Edd Snyder said
his company, which filed a separate
brief, needs employees who are pre-
pared to interact with business rep-
resentatives across the world.
"We make and sell vehicles across
the world, and we have to function
with a variety of cultures, a variety of
races," he said. "You have to have peo-
ple who understand these cultures and
races."
He added GM has a direct stake in
the cases because they hire many Uni-
versity graduates.
The businesses which signed on
to the joint brief - including Coca-
Cola, Reebok, Kellogg, General
Electric and Pfizer - do not
specifically address the University's
admissions policies, but instead
defend race-conscious policies in
general, DeBruin said.
Despite the number and range of
businesses represented in the briefs
filed, their arguments probably will not
significantly influence the court's rul-
ing, University of Virginia law Prof.
Kim Forde-Mazrui said. The court will
mainly focus on the evidence and argu-
ments presented by the opposing par-
ties, he said.
At the same time, if the briefs pres-
ent arguments not previously consid-
ered by the justices, they can affect
them "almost at an intuitive and sub-
conscious level," he said.
Peterson said the total number of
briefs filed for the cases may surpass
the previous record of 78, but said the
total is uncertain because she had not
been notified of groups filing late last
night.
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Artists raise funds
for Mott Hospital
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By ENzabeth Anderson
Daily Staff Reporter
A multitude of campus performing
arts groups brought their talents together
to produce "Standing Room Only," a
variety show and charity event. For the
third year in a row, University Hillel and
Dance Marathon co-sponsored the
event, which benefited the University's
C. S. Mott Children's Hospital.
Event organizer and LSA senior Eric
Bukstein said the event's purpose was to
raise money for a good cause and to
combine the efforts of many campus
groups. "A goal of ours is to bring other
groups on campus together that wouldn't
normally be able to work together," Buk-
stein said, referring to the diverse pur-
poses of each participating group.
Chioma Nwachukwu, a member of
the Dance Marathon planning team,
stressed that the event was mainly about
presenting different types of performing
arts. "We're trying to increase campus
diversity through art," Nwachukwu said.
"We're hoping that attendance will reach
300 people, and hoping that both stu-
dents and faculty will attend."
The local band Tally Hall kicked off
the show with four original rock songs
and a 1950s pop song. Other perform-
ers included the a cappella group
Amazin' Blue, singer and guitarist
Hanna LoPatin, Impact Dance and the
Bhangra Team. LoPatin said that her
reasons for performing in the show
were both charitable and personal. "I'm
already dancing in Dance Marathon,"
LoPatin said, "and this is a great oppor-
tunity for performing."
Much of the ticket sales will be donat-
ed to the Child and Family Life program
at Mott. Program Associate Karen Lar-
son said she and her co-workers feel
great gratitude to be included as dona-
tion recipients. "We think it is a privilege
to be a part of Dance Marathon. I can't
begin to tell you how impressed I am
with the central planning team. They are
so committed to helping patients and
their families," Larson said.
"The Child and Family Life program
helps reduce the stress of hospitaliza-
tion," Larson said. The money raised
will go toward art, music and activity
therapy programs.
Dance Marathon Executive Director
and Business School senior Michael
Mayer said last year's event raised about
$750, a total they hope to double this
year. "We also fund school re-entry pro-
grams, which make transitions back to
school easier for the child," Mayer said.
"We're making therapies fun so (the
kids) don't even know they're therapies."
In addition to the performances, art-
work and poetry by Mott patients were
displayed outside the theater. University
students also contributed artwork.
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MILITARY
Continued from Page IA
of public affairs at West Point.
The armed forces draw about 25
percent of their officer corps from the
service academies. Supporters of the
brief and legal experts said a diverse
officer corps is essential for powerful
armed forces. During the 1960s, there
was widespread discrimination in the
armed forces due to the large discrep-
ancy of white officers and minority
soldiers.
"It's very important for us to have
future officers that are going to be repre-
sentative of the army they lead and the
nation that they are expected to defend,"
Whaley said. "It's important for us not to
military academies also use outreach
methods to encourage minority enroll-
ment. There are about 200 preparatory
schools in the United States for high
school graduates who have the potential
and leadership skills for acceptance into
the academy but might need another
year of academic enrichment for prepa-
ration into the schools.
Lt. Gen. Daniel Christman, former
superintendent of West Point, said these
preparatory academies are open to all
races, but that 30 to 40 percent of their
students are minorities.
"They are a tremendous source for
minority students," Christman said. "If
we find that the Michigan case is over-
turned, we're going to have to rely even
more on those."
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