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Tuesday
March 2, 2003
@2003 The Michigan Daily
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Vol. CXIII, No. 117
One-hundred-twelve years of editorialfreedom
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Bioterror
info project
* to network
physicians
By Erin Saylor
Daily Staff Reporter
Doctors may soon find it as easy as
' reaching in their pockets to obtain the
latest bioterrorism warnings and dis-
ease treatments from the U.S. govern-
ment. The project uses personal digital
assistants and could enable physicians
to access important medical informa-
tion at all times.
U.S. Health and Human Services
Secretary Tommy Thompson
announced in Dearborn last Friday that
messages about bioterrorism threats
and the latest in health care news will
be sent directly to physicians through
their PDA or Palm Pilot. Links will
also be sent that display information on
diagnosis and treatment.
"The project is part of a culmination
of efforts to cut down on medical
errors by using technology," HHS
spokesman Bill Pierce said. "It is also
driven by desire for public health pre-
paredness in the event of a bioterrorist
attack."
The distribution of the pilot pro-
ject's bioterrorism warning will
undergo a three-month trial period
and include over 10,000 doctors who
use the ePocrates network. HHS will
be evaluating it to see how often doc-
tors use the technology and if it is
constructive.
"When an alert is sent out, doctors
can choose to download it then or wait
until later," HHS spokeswoman Karen
Migdail said. "If they really use this, it
will be a great way to get vital infor-
mation to the health community."
HHS spent $85,000 to use the
ePocrates technology in the pilot pro-
gram. While the current focus is on
bioterrorism, many health officials
indicated that the technology would be
useful to identify all types of out-
bre4;s, including Severe Acute Respi-
ratory Syndrome and West Nile virus,
which have both received recent
national media attention.
See PDA, Page 3
Iraqi resistance
grows as forces
near Baghdad
The Associated Press
Aiming for Saddam Hussein's seat
of power, U.S.-led warplanes and heli-
copters attacked Republican Guard
units defending Baghdad yesterday
while ground troops advanced to with-
in 50 miles of the Iraqi capital. Presi-
dent Bush put a $75 billion price tag
on a down payment for the war.
The helicopter assault marked the
first known engagement between
forces in central Iraq, and many of the
American craft were hit by Iraqi
groundfire. One went down behind
enemy lines - the cause was unknown
- and the Pentagon said the two-per-
son crew had been taken prisoner.
Five days into Operation Iraqi Free-
dom, resistance prevented American
and British forces from securing the
southern cities of Basra and An
Nasiriyah and thwarted efforts to extin-
guish burning oil wells.
"These things are never easy," con-
ceded British Prime Minister Tony
Blair, on the day his country suffered
its first combat casualty of the war.
"There will be some difficult times
ahead but (the war) is going to plan
despite the tragedies."
Saddam sought to rally his own
country in a televised appearance. "Be
patient, brothers, because God's victo-
ry will be ours soon," he said, appear-
ing in full military garb and seeming
more composed than in a taped appear-
ance broadcast last week.
Despite Saddam's defiant pose, a
military barracks in the northern part
of the country was bombed, and Bagh-
dad fell under renewed air attack by
day and by night. Iraqis set up mortar
positions south of the city and piled
sandbags around government buildings
and other strategic locations, in evident
anticipation of a battle to come.
"Coalition forces are closing in on
Baghdad," Maj. Gen. Stanley McChrys-
tal told reporters at the Pentagon.
He said U.S. Apache helicopters
attacked Saddam's Republican Guard
forces arrayed around Baghdad while
another official, speaking on condition
of anonymity, said a "large portion" of
the day's bombing runs were dedicated
to hitting the same units.
Defense officials at the Pentagon
said the Apaches encountered heavy
groundfire during their assault on the
Medina armored division. One official
said many Apaches were hit by fire,
but managed to kill about 10 Iraqi
tanks before cutting off their attack.
The U.S. Air Force flew more than
See WAR, Page 2
AP' PHOTOI
Iraqis gather around a television inside a barber shop in the Karrada district of Baghdad yesterday to watch Iraqi
President Saddam Hussein address the nation.
Saddam outl~zes .Jcwar strateg i'z
televLs'ed address
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Faced with a fight for sur-
vival against a U.S.-led onslaught, Saddam Hussein is ral-
lying Iraqis to fight for the land of their ancestors -
seeking to portray the war as one pitting the faithful
against evil.
A televised address by Saddam shown on state-run tele-
vision yesterday underlined his strategy to rally Iraqis
through Islam. He mentioned "God" 28 times, "jihad," or
holy war in this context, seven times, and the word "faith-
ful" four times.
"It is a near victory that God promises the patient faith-
ful with. Those who are believers will be victorious," Sad-
dam said. "In these decisive days, the enemy tried not
using missiles and fighter jets as they did before. This
time, they sent their infantry troops. This time, they have
come to invade and occupy your land."
to Iraq/yI "people
Military communiques issued daily in Iraq speak of
troops as "God's soldiers," cite verses from the Quran
about a small minority being able to defeat a larger force,
and end with Islam's rallying cry of "Allahu akbar!" or
"God is great!"
There's evidence his calls to patriotism and religion are
resonating among a people that Washington had expected
to welcome coalition forces as liberators rather than fight
them as enemies.
U.S. and British forces are meeting unexpectedly stiff
resistance in fighting in southern Iraq and, as coalition
troops press toward Baghdad, militiamen loyal to Sad-
dam are continuing to harass them with deadly ambush-
es and ruses.
In the southern city of Basra, the scene of some of the
See SADDAM, Page 2
Student sentiment
missing f rom 'U'
admissions policies
Faculty demand improved
healthcare services from'U'
By Kyle Brouwer
Daily Staff Reporter
As a 10 percent decrease in state funding casts
a shadow over next year's budget, University offi-
cials are already planning ways to maintain cur-
rent standards with less help from Lansing.
In anticipation of the decrease, University
Provost Paul Courant met with the Senate Advi-
sory Committee on University Affairs yesterday
to discuss possible ways in which the University
can keep its academic quality with a smaller
budget.
The governor's proposal, if passed by the state,
will result in about a $36.4 million cut in the Uni-
versity's budget, Courant said. He added that the
actual amount of the budget cut may be different
if and when the bill gets passed, as the budget
office is planning for the case of a cut larger than
$36.4 million.
"That is the governor's proposal," he said.
"Things can change in the legislative process."
Furthermore, the administration may offer cer-
tain classes less often in order to have fewer class
times with more students in each class, Courant
said. "We may have to cutback on tutoring for
students having academic difficulty," he added.
But SACUA focused most of its attention yes-
terday on the possibility of changing healthcare
benefits offered to University employees. With
the costs of providing medical treatment to facul-
ty members increasing dramatically each year, it
will be under serious consideration for cutting
costs, Courant said.
"Our healthcare and prescription drug costs are
doubling every five years," he added. "That is not
sustainable."
The ways employee medical benefit plans will
change is still unclear, but there is the possibility
of charging staff members a co-premium for
insurance costs, Courant said. He added that the
University will still have a benefit plan compara-
ble to other universities even after cost cutting.
Despite changes in faculty healthcare, "Our
healthcare plans should be competitive in the
marketplace," he said.
Associate philosophy Prof. Jason Stanley
said the medical plans offered by the Universi-
ty are an attractive factor in faculty recruit-
ment. "One can imagine a situation in which
drastic enough changes would be a factor
though," he added.
But cutting healthcare costs to help the budget
is a desirable alternative to other methods like
cutting employment, Stanley said.
See SACUA, Page 3
By Jeremy Berkowitz
Daily Staff Reporter
LSA senior Heather Mc Phail
remembers her freshman orientation
when she randomly spoke out
against the University's race-con-
scious admissions policies.
"People thought I was nuts," Mc Phail
said yesterday. "They were surprised."
In a Michigan Student Assembly sur-
vey completed last week during elec-
tions, 41.5 percent of students expressed
their opposition
to the admissions SSIO"-
policies, while
40.8, percent of
students said they
supported the h
University. Fur-
thermore, 17.7
percent of stu-
dents said they
needed more information before making
an intelligent decision.
This survey was conducted on a cam-
pus where the voices of groups such as
the Coalition to Defend Affirmative
Action and Fight for Integration and
Equality By Any Means Necessary are
usually louder than those of Young
Americans for Freedom - a conserva-
tive faction opposed to the University's
admissions policies. In addition, the
University is set to defend their admis-
sions policies before the US. Supreme
Court a week from today.
Like many other students across cam-
pus either opposing or supporting the
policies, Mc Phail said the students who
do oppose the policies find it futile to
express their opinions. No matter how
"I think a lot of people
feel, 'No matter what I
say, the administration
has their agenda and
they're going to push
it."'
- Jackie Two Feathers
Rackham student
much they protest, the University has
made up its mind and will not listen to
them.
"I think it's because the way the
school is run. People are supposed to be
tolerant of diversity," Mc Phail said. "We
pride ourselves on being liberal."
"I think a lot of people feel, 'No mat-
ter what I say, the administration has
their agenda and they're going to push
it,"' Rackham student Jackie Two Feath-
ers said, adding that she is in favor of
race-conscious admissions.
Two Feathers compared the Universi-
ty's admissions policies to the current
war in Iraq. She said both the Bush
administration and University adminis-
tration are stubborn in their position and
need to do a better job in public out-
reach.
"Both administrations made their
positions known right away and didn't
seem like they were willing to compro-
mise very much," she said. "I think (the
University administration) has to take
into consideration what the student body
is feeling."
See STUDENTS, Page 3
Provost Paul Courant listens during the Senate Advisory
Committee on University Affairs meeting yesterday.
Robinson confesses to
two counts of assault
By Maria Sprow
Daily Staff Reporter
Choosing a plea agreement over
chancing an unfavorable jury verdict,
Michigan basket-
ball player and
Kinesiology junior
Bernard Robinson
pleaded guilty to
two counts of
assault and battery
in an incident that
occurred in April.
According to
Department of Robinson
Public Safety reports, Robinson was
accused Anril 20 of fondling a female
student in the stairwell of West Quad
Residence Hall. The woman was able
to escape from the stairwell and con-
tact DPS, who arrested and released
Robinson later that morning.
Robinson is a 6-foot-6 forward from
Washington who averaged 32.2 min-
utes, with 11.7 points and 6.1 rebounds
per game this past season.
His attorney, Nicholas Roumel, who
works for Student Legal Services, said
Robinson had originally been facing
three counts of fourth degree criminal
sexual conduct. Had he been found
guilty of those charges, he would have
been listed in the Sex Offender Reg-
istry for the next 25 years. He also
See ROBINSON. Page 3
Forum addresses
current tension in
Korean peninsula
By Min Kyung Yoon
Daily Staff Reporter
Once the war in Iraq is over, the possibility of a preemp-
tive war in North Korea may become a reality, said Selig
Harrison, director of the Asia Program at the Center for
International Policy.
In a discussion titled "The North Korean Nuclear Crisis"
held at the Lydia Mendelssohn Theater yesterday, panel
members discussed the United States' role in exacerbating
the ongoing nuclear crisis on the Korean peninsula.
Since the start of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, increased
tensions have been escalating on the Korean peninsula.
See N. KOREA, Page 3
JONATHON TRIEST/Daily
Leon Sigal, director of the Northeast Asia Cooperative Security Project and sociology Prof. John Lie
narticinte in n nanel discussion on the North Korean nuclear crisis yesterday.
I