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. NoA#w Lw rResearch th e TNoment off Acne I off you have moderate to severe acne you map cpal* for a research study involving new laser technology at the University of Michigan Department of Dermatology ij oYou may also receive up to $200 for your P+pa ion off you are interested in panic patngi&call the University of Michigan Department of Dermatology to find out more. oThe number is: (734) 764-DERM !""" University of Michigan _:r Medicalcenter I Artists raise funds for Mott Hospital I d yOU knoW yOU want to 3lVei 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. aents CI no sm A oke cigarettes Al 'A I Ao Xz ,4 ^~X r .. 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." Rt~ i Kln on ci A nv ,rtrnia nlrkIr .q c k '4 U ..N'.' ' zN' .. .. $?#y~~;;i, ''S i>. . ?rx,. " «" . _ ; ; .. u «x ," xA~s ,.ks " ",;.. ..... .