LOCAL/STATE
The Michigan Daily - Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 3A
CRIME
U Party vows to make
campus its priority
Custodians climb
desks, cause
damage, cracks
An employee in Wolverine Towers
on State Street called the Department
of Public Safety on Tuesday to inform
officers that Building Services person-
nel damaged seven desks last year. The
caller said the desks were damaged
when custodians from Building Ser-
vices stood on top of them to remove
and hang vertical blinds from windows
throughout the building, causing the
desktops to crack. According to the
DPS incident log, the incidents all
occurred between Oct. 10 and Nov. 2.
'U' vehicle driver
gets gas, leaves
without paying
The driver of a University vehicle
that stopped to get gas at a Marathon
gas station Sunday afternoon allegedly
drove away from the station without
paying for the gas they received. The
Ann Arbor Police Department
informed DPS officers of the incident
Sunday afternoon. DPS reports state
that upon investigation, it was deter-
mined the driver believed they could
fuel up at any gas station for free.
DPS searches for
larceny suspect
A man who has been arrested multi-
ple times for theft in the past was caught
on camera trespassing in Mott Children's
Hospital Monday, the same day that a
string of larcenies occurred in the com-
plex. Among the items reported stolen
were money from a backpack, a cell
phone and a wallet, all of which were
allegedly stolen between 10 and 11 a.m.
Sgt. Stacy Richmond said DPS is
searching for the man, a non-University
affiliate, but he would not comment on
the suspect's physical characteristics.
Richmond said cameras are located
throughout all the University's hospitals.
Officer falls on ice
during exercise
A police officer reported to DPS that
he had fallen and slipped on ice Tues-
day morning during a training exercise.
The report did not state where the ice
was located or whether the officer was
injured in the fall.
Office window
victim of apparent
baseball attack
A broken window located in a
Chemistry Building office belonging
to a John Smith was maliciously
destroyed, possibly by a baseball, DPS
reports state. A graduate student dis-
covered the broken window at 5 a.m.
Monday and informed officers that the
broken window was likely too high to
be used to gain entrance to the build-
ing, believing that vandalism was the
more apparent cause.
DPS reports did not state either the
time the destruction occurred or the
graduate student's reason for being
inside the Chemistry Building at 5 a.m.
Computer, map
case damaged in
graduate library
A computer and a map case in the
Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library were
both reported maliciously damaged
Tuesday afternoon. DPS officers were
informed about the computer at 3:04
p.m. A second call, informing police of
the damaged map case, was made at
3:07 p.m. The callers stated that the
damage appeared to be purposeful in
both cases.
DPS has no suspects.
Dripping water
ruins paint job on
man's vehicle
A man who parked his vehicle in the
Fletcher Street parking structure Satur-
day told officers Monday morning that
water had dripped from the carport onto
his car, causing the paint to come off.
Police arrest
trespasser twice
in same day
A man who has frequently been seen
trespassing on campus was arrested at
1:30 p.m. Monday for trespassing in the
Michigan Union, according to the DPS
crime log. The arrest, however, did not
deter the man from returning to the
building later that night. He was spotted
and arrested again for trespassing in the
Union at 9:25 p.m., DPS reports state.
Would-be thief
By Andrew Kaplan
Daily Staff Reporter
Some students complain that their current
Michigan Student Assembly too often passes
resolutions meddling in domestic and foreign
affairs. But a new political party appearing
on next week's student government election
ballot says on its website that it is "dedicated
to bringing government back to tangible, stu-
dent-related issues" - not national and inter-
national politics.
Led by presidential candidate John Clifton
and his vice-presidential running mate, Paul
Scott, the University Party advocates campus
improvements
and remain-
ing nonparti-
san on
political
issues like
affirmative
Wnter 2003
~bi1SA
e toions
will procure funds and space for student
forums on any topic, but representatives will
abstain from endorsing a specific cause.
"That's not to say we don't have passion in
our party," he said. "We just don't think (res-
olutions are) the form for it."
Echoing MacVay's statements, Clifton said
the party will focus its energies on enhancing
the University environment by popularizing
wireless Internet access, providing free foreign
language tutoring and allowing all students to
access residence halls at any time.
"What we want to do is to represent each and
every of the 38,000 students on this campus,
and one way to do this is to focus on issues that
affect us everyday," he said. "Those are the
conversations we want to have, not the ones
where we send resolutions to Saddam Hus-
sein," he added, referring to an MSA resolution
urging the federal government to pursue diplo-
matic relations with Iraq.
While U Party candidates pride themselves
on an unconventional campaign strategy and
party unity, they say the U Party is anything
but an "election machine."
"It is not all about winning, it's about
what's best for student government," LSA
Student Government presidential candidate
Ravi Perry said. "We believe that forging a
relationship between student government and
student groups is the same relationship we
would like to encourage between each other."
"We want to make sure that we're still
University Party candidates for LSA Student Government play songs in the Diag in an effort to win votes. One
song, "Yo Quiero Taco Bell," advertised their campaign promise to bring Taco Bell to Central Campus.
action and war with Iraq, Internal Party
Chairman Michael MacVay said.
"We're a party who believes we know the scope
that's limited to a student government of any sort,"
he said, adding that assembly resolutions - such as
one passed in support of University admissions
policies last month - have no impact. "I believe
(the resolutions are) alienating significant portions
of the student population, instead of trying to edu-
cate in a more perfect union."
MacVay added that, if elected, the party
HOLOCAUST In
Continued from Page 1A
stop by the Memorial of Names tent
anytime before noon today. By Rob
Organizations that wished to partici- For the D
pate signed up for a timeslot beforehand,
including the College Democrats, Stu- Alth
dents Organizing for Labor and Eco- dents fi
nomic Equality, Volunteers In Action and cold or
the Center for Russian and East Euro- should
pean Studies. otics fr
Students Allied for Freedom and In th
Equality also asked to be given an express
hour, but conference organizers otics to
requested the group not to read names Since v
after the organization sponsored a lec- ment w
ture by "Holocaust Industry" author infectio
Norman Finkelstein. Ther
Finkelstein, who some believe thinks of antib
Holocaust commemorations are insin- drug-r
cere, visited campus Tuesday to talk sharply
about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. By th
"The idea is to get everyone that asr
involved," conference organizer and ria Strej
LSA senior Courtney Rangen said. both pe
"This is about respect and remem- causes t
brance and while I am in no way infectio
indicating that any member of SAFE Base
denies the Holocaust, the fact that
they sponsored Norman Finkelstein,
who has made offensive and hurtful
remarks in relation to the Holocaust,
indicates an indifference or toler-
ance of Finkelstein's views on
SAFE's behalf."
Although Rangen said she encourages
individual members of SAFE to partici-
pate in the reading of names, SAFE
chair Fadi Kiblawi, an LSA senior, said
the group was disappointed about the
decision.
"SAFE wanted to read the names
because we mourn all human catastro-
phes," Kiblawi said, adding that SAFE
does not believe Finkelstein's views deny
the Holocaust or are hurtful to those
remembering the victims.
"We are very disappointed because
we received an e-mail sent throughout
campus inviting student groups to par-
ticipate in the reading of the names,
and it is unfair for them to exclude us,"
Kiblawi added.
IRAQ
Continued from Page 1A
military action to avert a political
uproar that threatens the career of
Prime Minister Tony Blair. British
diplomats had initially expected the
United States and Spain to co-sponsor
the demands to Saddam, just as they
had co-sponsored the resolution -
but they didn't.
U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte
said he "commended the proposal" to
the council for consideration, but want-
ed to see how members reacted "before
we embrace it in its entirety."
If the council starts to rally around the
so-called benchmarks, Negroponte said,
the United States would be prepared to
accept "a very, very, very brief exten-
sion" of the March 17 deadline for Iraq
to complete the disarmament tests.
Otherwise, he said, last week's reso-
lution with the March 17 ultimatum for
Saddam to prove he is disarming or
face the threat of military action
remains before the council.
Based on public statements and pri-
vate interviews with senior diplomats,
The Associated Press has determined
that the resolution currently has the
support of seven countries: Britain, the
United States, Spain, Bulgaria,
Cameroon, Pakistan and Mexico.
Angola and Guinea were still uncom-
mitted yesterday. Chile, Germany and
China are expected to abstain. Russia
could also abstain or vote against the
meeting and making sure'people are doing
their job right," Clifton said. "That's a big
problem if someone gets elected and doesn't
do anything."
Eschewing more traditional campaign meth-
ods like chalking candidates' names on side-
walks and handing out flyers, U Party candidates
said they personally seek out voters.
As students walked through the Diag yes-
terday, U party members playing guitars sere-
naded them with a key platform item -
putting a Taco Bell on campus.
"We think that campaigning person-to-person
is the best way to educate a voter," Clifton said,
adding that U Party candidates do not post flyers
in dorms without student consent. "We're going
to do away with these because we're putting that
publicity on the line to most accurately represent
the students."
In addition to personally engaging con-
stituents, the U Party has also draped four
banners across campus and posted campaign
videos on their website www.theuparty.com.
Although the U Party is the first body to
emerge after the dissolution of the Blue
Party, which garnered only two seats on MSA
in the last elections, party members said they
offer an original agenda.
"There's former Blues that jumped to Stu-
dents First (Party) and there's Blues who have
jumped to become one of us," MacVay said.
"But I don't believe that we fill Blue shoes.
We're just filling a spot on government that
needed to be filled."
rproper drug use creates hardier germs
yn Lukow
aily
ough winter is the season when many stu-
Ind themselves suffering from the common
influenza, a recent study indicates that they
think twice about a prescription of antibi-
om a doctor.
e study released early this week, researchers
ed concern over doctors who prescribe antibi-
treat patients' colds and flu-like symptoms.
iruses cause both of these infections, treat-
ith antibiotics - designed to fight bacterial
ns - is ineffective.
researchers claim that the unnecessary use
iotics is one reason why the occurrence of
esistant germs in the United States is
increasing.
he summer of 2004, the researchers predict
many as 40 percent of the strains of the bacte-
ptococcus pneumoniae could be resistant to
nicillin and erythromycin. This form of strep
housands of cases of meningitis, sinusitis, ear
ns and pneumonia each year.{
d at the Harvard School of Public Health,
these researchers studied reports from sites in eight
states, measuring how much drug resistance
increased from 1996 to 1999. Penicillin resistance
rose from 21.7 percent of strep strains in 1996 to
26.6 percent in 1999, and for erythromycin it
increased from 10.8 percent to 20.2 percent.
"The use of antibacterial agents is highly correlat-
ed with the increase in resistance of Streptococcus
pneumoniae," the researchers said in the paper.
Robert Winfield, director of the University
Health Service and specialist in internal medicine,
supports the researchers' claim that overuse of
antibiotics accelerates the development of drug-
resistant germs.
"Because (the bacteria) have been exposed to
antibiotics, they mutate and become resistant. They,
like us, want to survive," Winfield said.
Although Winfield stressed that UHS does not
support the practice of prescribing antibiotics for
patients suffering from influenza or the cold, he
realizes that there are doctors who, out of the
desire to help their patients, will yield to this
resort.
"In our nation, doctors tend to overuse antibiotics.
Doctors feel the need to help their patients, especial-
ly when (the patients) feel awful and have been wait-
ing hours to receive treatment," Winfield said.
Candace Cato, a University medical student, said
the Medical School teaches its students to use cau-
tion when prescribing antibiotics.
"In the last couple years, the prescription of antibi-
otics for the cold and flu has been looked upon unfa-
vorably by the medical community. This is because
papers started coming out and revealed the serious
link between over-prescribing drugs and the rise of
drug-resistant germs," Cato said.
The researchers suggest that doctors could
combat the rise of drug-resistant germs by
encouraging vaccination. In fact, studies have
shown that the vast majority of infectious diseases
seen in college-age patients are viral rather than
bacterial infections. Winfield urged students to
not push their doctor to give an antibiotic that
they do not need. He added that UHS offers many
antiviral drugs such as Relenza and Tamiflu that
are much more suitable for treatment of influenza
than antibiotics.
"It's hard when you have exams, need help, and
want to feel better. But the misuse of antibiotics can
sometime cause more harm than good," he added.
The woman who fought for the right to vote also fought for the right to life.
We proudly continue her legacy.
Refuse to Choose. ' Women Deserve Better.:"
I