Friday January 1, 2003 ©2003 The Michigan Daily Ann Arbor, Michigan One-hundred-twelve years of editoldfreedom Scattered snow showers during the day and snow shower at night, with winds up to 18 mph H:24 R W N1 Tame row,. 221z44~ Vol. CXIII, No. 71 www.mkchigandaily.com Atty. gen. vows to reform new post By Dan Trudeau Daily Staff Reporter Mike Cox, Michigan's new attorney general, is laying a determined and deliberate course for his term in office. Cox, who is taking the position vacated by recently-elected Gov. Jennifer Granholm, is calling for dramatic reforms within the attorney general's office as well as in the laws of the state. Cox's early agenda includes a plan to reorganize the bureaucracy of the attor- ney general's office, combining the 31 different legal divisions of the office into five larger bureaus. Cox said in an interview with The Michigan Daily that the conglomeration would increase the efficiency of the office and provide support and resources to departments in need. "We're making this into a modern law office. You used to have divisions that had 22 lawyers and divisions that had one lawyer. By consolidating, you make it possible to share lawyers and to share secretaries," Cox said. The attorney general noted that the changes would allow the office to operate within a more efficient budget and would also help other areas of the state government perform more effec- tively. "If the attorney general's office is more effective, it can generally save the government as a whole a large sum of money," Cox said. In addition to his plans for internal improvements, Cox has made a strong statement about more public reforms. In outlining his priorities as a public official, the attorney general highlighted enforcement of child support payments as a pressing issue and hopes that reform of the current. system will be part of his legacy as attorney general. See COX, Page 7 Alliance files in favor of 'U' race policies By Tomislav Ladika Daily Staff Reporter A coalition of organizations rep- resenting the nation's second fastest-growing minority group sent a letter to President Bush yesterday asking him to support the Universi- ty's admissions policies and affir- mative action. The University policies, which are expected to be delib- erated in the U.S. % Supreme Court in i late March or early April, are vital to increasing the num- ber of Hispanics attending college in the United States, chairman of the New American Alliance Moctesuma Esparza said. The New America Alliance is one of 12 national Hispanic organiza- tions that united in sending Bush a letter asking him to support the Uni- versity in the two cases. "We are requesting that the presi- dent acknowledge publicly his com- mitment to diversity," Esparza said. The Supreme Court ruling "will determine whether or not the top selected colleges in the United States will continue to reach out to Latinos." The lawsuits, Grutter v. Bollinger and Gratz v. Bollinger, challenge the University's use of race as an admis- sions factor in the Law School and the College of Literature, Science and the Arts, respectively. The Court's ruling will be the first on the issue since its 1978 Bakke decision - which per- mitted colleges to consider race in admissions decisions - and is expected to have huge ramifications for college admissions policies. One-third of Latinos are under 18 years of age, but only 11 percent of all Latinos have received post-sec- ondary education, according to U.S. census data. A press release from the coalition said a ruling in favor of the University's policies would benefit Hispanic youth in the future, but Latino enrollment rates could decrease if the policies are judged unconstitutional. "If decided against the University, they could severely limit Hispanics' opportunities to gain the education they need to become doctors, lawyers, politicians and business leaders who make a strong contribu- tion to society," the coalition said in the statement. Although Bush has not yet responded to the letter, Esparza said that upon delivering it to the White House, employees assured him that See ALLIANCE, Page 7 BRENDAN O'DONNELL/Daily Business senior Amit Agarwal has applied to work for companies who have offered him positions in India, his home country, but will not offer him a job in the U.S. Political climate slows job search for int'l students By Lydia K. Leung Daily Staff Reporter The most fundamental qualities needed to secure a job include a solid resume, interview savvy and ample amount of work experience. While that may be enough for most students, for others, one thing is still missing from the list - U.S. citi- zenship. "I was interviewing with one of my top choice compa- nies - General Electric - and I did very well in the first- round interview and got into the second round, but I didn't tell them I was an international student," Business senior Amit Agarwal said. "When they found out I was an international student, they said if I am interested in working with them, they can inter- view me in my home country but they cannot offer me a job here (in the United States)," he said. Agarwal, who is from India, said he was extremely disap- pointed by the experience but with perseverance and persist- ence, he finally received an offer for a full-time position from Dell, Inc. in Texas. "I am one of the lucky ones to have gotten a job, so I am not complaining at all," Agarwal said. "Most of my friends from India are not able to find a job even though they are pretty actively searching - just because of the fact that they are international students." U.S. companies are not xenophobic, but they are unwilling See JOBS, Page 7 Live local laughs Family memorializes son with generosity By Christopher Johnson Daily Staff Reporter Although almost a year and a half have passed since the Sept. 11 attacks, individuals continue to cherish the memories of the loved ones who perished. One act of memorial is the recent donation of $250,000 to the Medical School in honor of Todd Ouida, an alum who was killed in the attacks. Todd Ouida was on the 105th floor of the World Trade Center, where he worked as a bro- ker for Cantor-Fitzgerald. Although Todd called his mother on his cell phone to tell her that he was unharmed, he did not come out of the build- ing. Todd's father, who worked on the 77th floor, managed to escape.t "Somebody told me that Todd was above me. I still say that Todd's above me," said Herbert Ouida, Todd's father. Herbert said he and Todd's mother Andrea offered the money to the University because their son was particularly fond of his days as a student at Michigan. Todd graduated from the University in 1998 with a bachelor of arts in psychology. Herbert noted that a speaker at his son's memorial service said everyone on campus referred to Todd as "Buddy." The remark inspired the name for his memorial website, www.mybuddytodd.com. "Todd came into his own at Michigan," said Herbert. "He loved the school. It was a signifi- cant part of his life." Todd's parents offered the money to the Med- ical school specifically for the treatment of childhood anxiety disorders. The school will use the funds to establish the Todd Ouida Clinical Scholars Award and an annual lecture in child- hood anxiety and depression. "The Todd Ouida Clinical Scholars Award will support new research on the genetic, biological and psychological factors con- tributing to childhood anxiety disorders," said school associate Prof. Gregory Hanna, director of the Division of Child and Adoles- cent Psychiatry, in a statement. "The annual lecture will allow us to focus national atten- tion on these important problems and to pro- vide information to clinicians and researchers about the latest advances in the field." Herbert said he contributed the money to the Medical school because his son suffered from panic attacks in his youth. After medication failed to alleviate Todd's anxiety disorder, the young Ouida entered psychotherapy and signifi- cantly improved his condition. "Many people get stuck in this problem," Her- bert said. "He didn't. He thrived. He traveled all over the world." Todd's parents established the Todd Ouida Children's Foundation Fund after his death to provide financial assistance to programs that treat children who suffer from anxiety disorders. The memorial website lists many beneficiaries of the fund and how others can make additional donations. BRENDANO'DONNELL/Daily Local comedian Jim McLean presents his routine at the Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase on Liberty Street yesterday. Public institutions The Detroit Project Is trying to convince local television stations to air advertisements that discourage driving SUVs. SUV ads stir u area controversy By Jeremy Berkowitz Daily Staff Reporter Debate stemming from an environmental group that * believes fuel-inefficient sports utility vehicles instigate ter- rorism has caused confusion in the Detroit area because their organization's name is the same as a local community service group. The Detroit Project, a California-based environmental group, is persuading television stations across the country to run advertisements convincing Americans not to utilize SUVs because they require the U.S. to purchase more oil from Middle Eastern governments. Engineering sophomore Jeff Powers said the group's mes- sage is ridiculous because there are so many different parts of American life that require the use of oil, such as smaller cars and public transportation. "Anybody who doesn't walk or ride a bike is a supporter (of terrorism) to a lesser extent," Powers said. Cap _q1 Des 7 narrow p By Allison Yang Daily Staff Reporter The disparities in perceived academic might and achievement between public and private higher education may be diminishing as more public institutions, including the University of Michigan, try to compete with top private schools. The University attracts students with its academic reputation, faculty and facilities whether they are looking for an Ivy League school or a public uni- versity, said Ted Spencer, director of undergraduate admissions. vate edge "We are a great institution. We can compete with Ivy League schools for all the right reasons, and that's based on more than a feel-good attitude," he said. While University admission process- es enroll 5,000 undergraduate students a year, private institutions enroll less than 500 students on average, Spencer said. The chances of getting into the University are higher, which he said is very attractive to students. But for some students, the lower acceptance rate of private institu- See SCHOOLS, Page 7 Conference investigates impen By Carmen Johnson Daily Staff Reporter As more U.S. troops prepare for departure to the Middle East in case of a possible war with Iraq, Uni- versity students are organizing to educate and confront the conflict with this weekend's anti-war conference at the Law School. Organized by Anti-War Action! and the Muslim Stu- dents' Association, the two-day conference will feature speakers such as former U.S. Rep David Bonior (D-Mt. Clemens) - who will discuss his visit to Iraq, and Michael Alhert editor of 7Maaine urho uillsneaknl on alternative economics of corporate globalization. Conference organizer and AWA! member Megan Williamson said more than 500 students are expected to attend the conference, which was organized to raise awareness of the Iraq conflict and to explain why peo- ple should be against the war. "Firstly we wanted to raise awareness by educating. We also want to facilitate, network and encourage effective activism," Williamson said. Tomorrow's speakers will be covering topics, includ- ing the historical background of the Iraq conflict, the "War on Terror" and the general impact of war in the nast nresent and future. Workshnn sn international ing war in Iraq law, lobbying and community organization will be held on Sunday. Phyliss Englebert, a staff member at the Ann Arbor Area Committee of Peace, which was formed after the Sept. 11 attacks, said the committee has been impressed by the anti-war efforts of MSA and AWA!. AAACP will be at the conference to hold a workshop on creative community action and organizing. "We will be talking about how to craft literature, (and) what to do with a public speaker and using music and culture. We want to help activists appeal across generational differences and people of different races," TpN O AMPFFRF Doaos 7 I .