LOCAL/STATE The Michigan Daily - Monday, March 17, 2003 - 3A Students First touts diverse platform, candidates Overcrowding, fight reported at Touchdown Cafe By Andrew Kaplan Daily Staff Reporter After claiming the majority of open seats on the Michigan Student Assembly and LSA Student Government last term, the Students First Party is looking to retain its control over student govern- ment in this week's elections. "Students First picks people from different com- Two separate incidents were reported at Touchdown Cafe last weekend. Due to overcrowding, the bar was closed by the Ann Arbor Fire Department Friday night at 12:30 a.m. "The fire department closed them down because of over- capacity," Ann Arbor Police Depart- ment Sgt. Patrick Hughes said. The AAPD was contacted due to a second incident Saturday, when a fight occurred at Touchdown. "We were called in for numerous subjects fighting in the bar but no one was arrested," Hughes said. Touchdown was closed at 1 a.m. Saturday night. After each incident, all patrons of Touchdown vacated the building. Man exposes self at Taubman Library An incident of indecent exposure occurred at the Taubman Medical Library Thursday afternoon. Depart- ment of Public Safety reports state a male subject wearing blue jeans and a red shirt exposed himself at the library. DPS officers were unable to locate the subject. Sleeping trespasser woken, removed from Angell Hall A frequent trespasser was discov- ered in the fishbowl area of Angell Hall Friday night. The trespasser was located sleeping in the area. The subject was cited for trespass- ing by DPS and escorted out of the building. Unattended shoes stolen outside of resident's room A student reported larceny at West Quad Residence Hall Saturday after- noon. According to DPS reports, the resident had two pairs of shoes stolen from outside his room. The shoes had been left unattended. DPS has no sus- pects at this time. West Quad resident assaults neighbor An assault occurred at West Quad Residence Hall Wednesday evening. DPS reports state a caller reported that another resident had assaulted him by pushing him into a door in addition to verbally threatening him. The victim sustained minor injuries. A report was taken but no arrests or citations were made. Unknown suspect breaks SECS Building window Malicious destruction of a build- ing was reported at the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building late Saturday night. According to DPS reports, a caller stated that an unknown subject broke a window at the building sometime that night. DPS has no suspects at this time. Stop sign damaged at Bonisteel lot DPS reports state malicious destruc- tion of property occurred at a Universi- ty parking lot on Bonisteel Boulevard Friday morning. DPS officers investi- gated and found a damaged stop sign. The cause of the damage is unknown at this time. Student discovered with marijuana, drug paraphernalia DPS located a student in posses- sion of marijuana in West Quad Fri- day night. DPS officers confiscated the student's marijuana and pipe. The student was not arrested at the time of discovery but an arrest war- rant is pending. Suspect harasses law students A trespasser was reported in Hutchins Hall Thursday afternoon. A caller reported that the trespasser, a non-affiliate of the University, was harassing students. DPS cited the subject for trespassing and escorted him from the building. Unconscious woman discovered in East Hall munities so they can be together and express the view- points of all students on campus;' Students First MSA presiden- tial candidate Angela Winte 003 Galardi said. "I think that's Students First leaders have sponsored a variety of resolutions to improve student life at the University. Such ongoing projects have sought to improve stu- dent group outreach, move back Spring Break a week later during the winter term and obtain $5 million from the University Board of Regents to revamp Recreational Sports facilities. "Students First has done amazing things in the assembly this last year," Galardi said. "Everyone always knows of student government, but I think now more than ever people know what it's doing for them." In addition to focusing on campus life improve- ments, Students First leaders have also sponsored resolutions supporting University admissions poli- cies and encouraging the federal government to seek diplomatic relations with Iraq. Although candidates of the University Party con- tend these resolutions misrepresented student views, Students First candidates said the action accomplished by the resolutions was unbiased - particularly in the legislation defending race-con- scious admissions. "That resolution that was passed was open for anyone to participate," MSA vice-presidential candidate Monique Perry said, referring to a clause of the resolution supporting nonpartisan educational activities about affirmative action. why there's been so much success." Currently, Students First holds the majority of committee chair positions on MSA and has more student representatives than any other party in student government - a type of clout that will most likely carry over into the next term, Galardi said. "All these things we've been campaigning on - we're actually doing them now," Galardi said. "I think the students are realizing that, so they're vot- ing for Students First." Representatives said that in the most recent term, "Everyone always knows of student government, but I think now more than ever people know what it's doing for them. - Dana Galardi MSA presidential candidate, Students First Party "If you look at the accomplishments and the things we've done, we've done so much more than these two resolutions." Reaffirming Perry's statements, LSA-SG presi- dential candidate David Matz - a former Blue Party member - said he ultimately decided to campaign for Students First because its supporters represented all moods of student activism. "I saw that Students First had so many people from all over the place that work together well - that constructively represented their groups," Matz said. "Students First has managed to bring them all together for many different issues." According to the party's website, current Students First representatives hold member- ships to nine academic societies, eight cultur- al groups, seven community service groups and three environmental organizations. Rep- resentatives also belong to 15 fraternities and sororities. Although Students First members tout a complex party agenda, some candidates said their docket is not dissimilar from other parties' platforms. Despite several unique ideas, including the addi- tion of bus routes to Central Campus and increased counseling services to off-campus tenants, some platform items such as relaxing student access to residence halls and expanding campus wireless Internet are shared by Students First and the Uni- versity Party. But Students First candidates said the flexibil- ity of their platform separates Students First from other parties. "The things we have in common (with other parties) are things we agree on, like pushing Spring Break forward and financial aid reform," MSA representative candidate Rachel Fisher said. "But each (Students First) candidate can develop their own specific platform for things they're working on, or good at working on." Tradiionaldance group commences Latino Unity Month By SoJung Chang Daily Staff Reporter "Every dance has a story" said Hedges Elementary School student Ramon Flores, referring to the traditional Mexican dances he performed last Saturday at the Michi- gan Union Pendleton Room. Flores is part of the Back of the Yards Ballet Folklorico, an award-winning cultural dance group from Chicago with over 200 members, whose ages range from 4 to 21. Their performance kicked off the University's celebration of Latino Unity Month. "We wanted to have a program for the initiation of Latino Unity Month so we thought this would be a good idea to show the community some of the traditional dances from the culture we come from," LSA senior Ruben Martinez said. Martinez is part of multicultural fraternity Sigma Lambda Beta, who organized the event. "It involves a lot of stomping," Nursing School senior and Sigma Lambda Beta member Joseph Salazar said about the group's routines, many of which utilize tap dancing. "It's very vivid, because of the bright colors they wear,"he added. Many of the dances, such as the Bailemos Polka from the Mexican state of Duran- go, feature men in sombreros paired with women in long, flowing dresses, who waved their skirts around to the beat of traditional Mexican music. But there were also routines such as the Almudes from the state of Campeche, in which the younger dancers performed tap routines while balancing a tray of water cups on their heads. "I was really amazed at the younger kids and how talented they were" Rackham student Michelle Kelso said. "They had a lot of spirit," she added. The group ended its performance with four ritualistic dances from the state of Concheros that reenacted a warrior dance, a fertility dance, a war preparations dance and a dance portraying appreciation for the gods. The Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council, which runs the Ballet Folklorico, is , a non-profit group that provides community services to the south side of Chicago. "It gives them a good environment to be in after school;' Engineering senior Ramon Martinez said about the dance program. "This is kind of a place for them to gather with friends and enjoy their culture." Maribel Gomez, whose 14-year-old daughter Erica has been part of the group for nine years, said the program helps keep kids off the streets while learning about their heritage. "Dancing is a very nice way of expressing the Mexican culture," Gomez said. Upcoming Latino Unity Month events include "Yo Soy Latina" on March 20, which will discuss issues affecting Latino women, and the annual Latino Cultural Show on March 29. The show's title, "No es o Mismo Pero es Igual," can be roughly translated as "It's not the same, but it's equal." Donney Moroney, the Latino coordinator for the Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs, said the show's theme addresses the fact that the Latino culture encompasses a diverse range of individuals and ethnic categories. "If you haven't had exposure to the Latino community, it is easy to believe that Latino means Mexican,"Moroney said. While Mexican Americans make up the predominant group of Latinos at the Uni- versity, Moroney said there are also students, faculty and staff of Puerto Rican, Argentinian, Nicaraguan, Ecuadorean and Costa Rican descent. Moroney said the Latino Unity Month events aim to celebrate and share Latino culture in order to raise awareness and educate the campus community. Martinez said the Ballet Folklorico's routines reflect different regions of Mexico and encom- pass many Mexican states. Cancer pprevention studies find common link By Acn Go Daily Staff Reporter Increasing exercise, eating healthy and quitting smoking could lead to 60,000 less cancer deaths each year, according to a study released by the Institute of Medicine last week. The statement is a compilation of conclusions made by the medical com- munity over the past six years and contains a series of 12 recommendations to policy makers and those who are able to make a difference in health care and medical research, said Susan Curry director of the Health Research and Policy Centers at University of Illinois at Chicago. The recommendations run from calling for a nationally organized cancer prevention program to a motion to increase the cigarette tax. The report examines and underscores the importance of cancer prevention, early detection and a need for interventions to alter smoking, poor eating and exercise habits. Also addressed is the necessity for professional education and training and government programs that support the cause. "The objective of this report is to emphasize the potential to reduce the incidence of cancer," Curry said. But LSA senior Janice Liao, president of University Students Against Cancer, said she believes the report to be overly idealistic. "To tackle the issue of cancer at a national level seems like a very unrealistic goal, but then again, there are no other better alternatives,"she said. USAC now focuses on cancer treatment and research, but Liao said this informa- tion could be a great opportunity to encourage a shift in focus toward prevention. Aside from affecting policy, the report emphasizes individual informed-decision making. According to the statement, lung cancer was virtually unheard of before the emergence of the tobacco industry. The report also concluded that quitting smoking would dramatically reduce the existence of lung cancer, the top cancer killer. "Students need to take a proactive role in their own well-being. The onset of Holocaust survivors share stories, emphasize hope and forgiveness HOLOCAUST Continued from Page 1A never saw them again." Butter's family was not taken to Auschwitz, but to the concentration camp Bergen Belsen, where "every morning you would wake up and see who was still alive." LSA sophomore Yael Holoshitz said he wanted to learn about survivor's personal stories to keep their messages alive by sharing them with others in the future. "A lot of people who know first-hand what happened are getting older and soon won't be able to tell their stories," Holoshitz said. "I want to be able to tell their stories." Miriam Brysk, who at age eight hid from the Nazis in a forest near Lida, Poland, recounted her experience of living in a plank-covered hole in the ground for two years, while her father, a surgeon, performed daily operations for wound- ed Jews without antibiotics. "My father allowed me to watch all of his work except the abortions he performed for women who had been raped by German soldiers," said Brysk. "I had a shaved head and wore boys clothes so I wouldn't be raped. Many of the other children, however, were smothered to death for fear they would yell out and give everyone away." Jon Lim, an LSA sophomore, attended the panel's presentation to learn more about individuals' personal experiences. .:. "People think the Holocaust happened a long time ago, but there are people here who lived through it," Lim said. "Listening to their stories is more valuable than going to a museum or reading a book." Eva Kor, who with her twin sister Miriam had been a part of Josef Mengele's medical experiments, presented a message of forgiveness. "Forgive your worst enemy," said Kor. "It will heal your soul and set you free." Kor was 10 years old in the spring of 1944, when she became ill after an injection in Mengele's lab. Told she had two weeks to live and given no food or medicine and little water, Kor spent the next five weeks in the hospital - a place, it was rumored, from where no one returned. Kor, however, did recov- er and was reunited with her twin sister Miriam. The two were experimented on until Jan. 27 - four days before her eleventh birthday - when "the guns were silent because the Soviet Army had liberated Auschwitz." Although the Nazis killed her family and subjected her and her sister to torturous medical experiments, Kor said she has forgiven them. "Healing through forgiveness is my legacy from Auschwitz," Kor said. The survivor's memories left Victoria Shapiro; an LSA freshman, with a sense of hope and self-evaluation. "I was really inspired by their recollections," Shapiro said. "They really forced me to reevaluate what I get upset about and make me marvel at the human spirit." "The goal of the conference is to bring the lessons of the Holocaust and its history to as many people as possible. There is always more to learn," said Courtney Rangen, LSA senior and conference chair. "When I tell friends from other places that in Ann Arbor we have a week-long Holocaust remembrance with the reading of victims'.am s scheduled programs and survivor speakers, they are surprised," Brysk said. "Most people are good if they remember it one night year at the synagogue. Here, in Ann Arbor where there are 108,000 people, we do itfor a full week. I have lived4n other college towns and I have never seen this before." 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