Weather TODAY: Wednesday A2003 The Michigan Daily Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXIII, No. 128 One-hundred-twelve years of editonavldfreedom Cloudy throughout the day, with skies partly clearing in the evening. LOW: 31 Tomorrow, 54132 www.mkchigandaily.com Experts link SARS * orign to livestock By Erin Saylor Daily Staff Reporter As the death toll from Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome continues to build, experts say the disease is likely to be connected to the mutation of a virus among China's livestock - specifical- ly, the country's birds. Bi Shengli, vice director for viral dis- eases at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, revealed that the earliest patients had been in close contact with chickens, ducks, pigeons and owls. Chefs and bird vendors were among the first patients to become ill with SARS in China's Guangdong province. Scientists are confident that a new type of coronalvirus, related to the virus that causes the common cold, is responsible for SARS. Arnold Monto, epidemiologist and Bioterrorist Preparedness Initiative director, said that such an explanation of the virus's origins is entirely in keep- ing with what scientists already know about how diseases can transfer from animals to humans. "We know that coronaviruses cause infectious bronchitis in livestock such as pigs, cattle and birds and that it can jump from animals to humans," Monto said. "But never has there been such a severe coronavirus in humans." Many health officials said part of the problem of containing the disease stems from difficulties with accurately identifying it. While the Centers for M Disease Control and Prevention has developed certain technologies for diagnosing the disease, Monto said they are difficult, unreliable and not ready to be widely disseminated. "We would like to be able to say for sure if you have this particular virus, but we just don't have that ability right now," he said. Monto said he hoped a reliable diag- nostic test would soon be available. But he added that antiviral drugs or vac- cines to treat the disease would take much longer to develop. "Part of the problem is getting speci- mens out of China - that takes a long tune," he said. Robert Winfield, University Health Services director, emphasized the need to keep the disease under control and out of areas of the world where other diseases, such as AIDS, have already weakened the population. "The majority of the people who have died of SARS also had some underlying disease," Winfield said. "If it spreads to underdeveloped countries that are severe- ly crowded like India and Africa, it will See SARS, Page 7 Allied troops seize Iraqi air ort, prison Success of attack on Saddam, civilian death toll remain unknown BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - U.S. forces battled the tattered remnants of Iraq's army for control of downtown Baghdad yesterday, crushing a counterattack and seizing a military airport. Saddam Hus- sein's fate was unknown after an attempt to kill him from the air. Inside the capital to stay, some Army units routed Iraqi fighters from a Republican Guard headquarters. Oth- ers discovered a 12-room complex inside a cave, complete with white marble floors, 10-foot ceilings and flu- orescent lighting. Marines battled snipers as they fought deeper into the capital from the east. They seized the Rasheed Airport and captured enough ammunition for an estimated 3,000 troops. Ominously, they also took a prison where they found U.S. Army uniforms and chemi- cal weapons suits possibly belonging to American POWs. The toll on civilians from four days of urban combat was unknown. But the World Health Organization said Baghdad's hospitals were running out of supplies to treat the burns, shrapnel wounds and spinal injuries caused by the fighting. Two cameramen were killed and at least three others wounded when an American tank fired a round into the Palestine Hotel, headquarters for hun- dreds of journalists. Commanders said hostile fire had been coming from the building, although the journalists said they witnessed none. Separately, the Arab television net- work al-Jazeera reported that a U.S. warplane attacked its office on the banks of the Tigris' River, killing a reporter. On the city's northern side, Army forces set a Republican Guard bar- racks ablaze. Warplanes flew their bombing runs unchallenged, and smoke poured out of the Ministry of Planning building in the city's center. "We are continuing to maintain our ability to conduct operations around and in Baghdad, and remove them from regime control," said Capt. Frank Thorp, a spokesman at U.S. Central Command. State-run Iraqi television was knocked off the air, depriving the regime of a key source of influence over a population thought increasingly eager to help the forces of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Four days after Americans first pen- etrated the Baghdad outskirts, the city showed the effects of the war. Civilians roamed the streets with Kalashnikov rifles in hand, uncollected garbage piled up, and there were long lines at the reduced number of gasoline sta- tions still open. There were also military losses for the Americans. An A-10 "Warthog" warplane was shot down near Baghdad early yester- day, possibly the first fixed-wing air- craft downed by an Iraqi surface-to-air missile since the war began. U.S. Cen- tral Command said the pilot ejected safely, was recovered by ground forces and was in good condition. A U.S. F-15E jet fighter also went down Sunday and a search was still under way yesterday for its two-man crew, the military announced. Officials did not say whether the plane was shot down or crashed accidentally. Outside the capital, U.S. jets bombed Iraqi positions near the north- ern city of Kirkuk, which remained under control of the regime. In the southeastern city of Amarah, Marines See WAR, Page 2 AP PHOTO U.S. Army soldiers from A Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment search a presidential palace - one of two secured in the last four days - in Baghdad yesterday. Also in the capital yesterday, Iraqis rush a seriously wounded man to al-Kindi hospital, one of many hospitals that are filling up with so many casualties that it has stopped counting, the international Red Cross says. '..x~. Greek system see1i~simprovement i~'i&i;'&<~-. .............................................. ~ * By Katie Glupker Daily Staff Reporter Gathered around a conference table, proposals, visions and strate- gies were offered up for discussion - not at a meeting of the Univer- sity Board of Regents, but by leaders of the Greek community. Last night, an advisory board com- posed of leaders from the four Greek councils, faculty members, staff advisors and a professional consultant met to discuss the future of the University's Greek system and the changes that lie ahead. Plans are still in progress, but include modifications in Greek leadership, membership, funding, social events and housing. The planning committee is in the process of developing a long- term improvement plan that involves nine key issues, and pre- sented 59 recommendations for the Greek community at the meeting: "I'm very excited - this is the first time we've done anything like this where we take a good look at the future and where we want to be," said Mary Beth Seiler, director of Greek life. Ron Binder, Greek life consult- ant for universities nationwide, was hired to help the team plan and make recommendations. "We're also looking at what other Big Ten schools are doing in their Greek systems," he said. The meeting involved a series of discussions about the planning committee's various recommen- dations. See GREEKS, Page 7 Read my book Students voice concerns over campus integration By Ryan Vicko Daily Staff Reporter SARAH PAUPDai+y University alum and "Found Magazine" creator Davy Rothbart hosts his own book release party of "The Lone Surfer of Montana, Kansas." .Al hlres new fire chlef after 2-year search The University has engaged teams of resident advisors, minority peer advisors, multicultural ini- tiatives and students to promote interaction among races. But in most campus residence hall cafeterias, Asian Americans, African Americans, Arab Ameri- cans and caucasian Americans often sit separately, but there's no all-Americans table. Derek Liu, who was involved in campus integra- tion efforts for three years before graduating in December, said he feels that more students need to take the initiative and meet all kinds of people - not just those of their own race. "I don't feel this campus is integrated at all. On one side there's white students, on the other there's minorities," he said. He said it is very hard to get people to step outside what he calls "their comfort zone." But students must still learn to empathize with people of other races, he added. Liu said he planned parties with live bands and tried to promote discussions about pertinent issues, in addition to being a member of Ambatana, a South Quad Residence Hall group that focuses on multicultural issues. He recalled one discussion among whites and blacks about affirmative action that turned into a heated argument. "Race is salient," he said. Liu recalled another situation in which a white student who had previously assumed all minority stu- dents are under-qualified, lost that precon- ceived notion when a black peer articulated an intelligent response in class. LSA senior Jonathan Jones, an R.A. at South "I don't feel this campus is integrated at all." - Derek Liu Former resident advisor Quad, said his job is geared toward student inter- ests, rather than minority interests. "In general the idea is integration,"he said. Jones mentioned some specific activities that were held in his hallway, such as a "squarnival," or a carnival with raffles, and karaoke, as well as academic activ- ities, such as helping students find the right major. When asked about integration on campus, most students began by explaining where they are from. Business School senior Krupesh Mehta, said he is from a diverse neighborhood in New York. LSA senior Ryan Hudson said he grew up in a small, all-white community. Mehta said interaction with other races is not dif- ficult for him and University residence halls were not that big of a change. "It depends on the person. Most college students are open-minded," he added. But Hudson said the residence hall he lived in was one drastic change among many others for him. "For people coming from a racially homoge- nous community, the University is the first expo- sure to integrated living," he said. He added, however, that most of the real interac- tion he had with other races was a result of his own initiative, because he came from a community in which people make an effort to get to know their neighbors. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION by SARAH PAUP/Daily An upcoming University study suggests a strong correlation between caffeine intake and migraines. See inside for story. Page3. Filmlamb asts, U.S. Iraq stance By Michael Gurovitsch Daily Staff Reporter America's immoral and incongruent policies toward Iraq have caused irreparable damage, according to a film pro- duced by Arab Film Distribution titled "Hidden Wars of Desert Storm," which was shown last night in Angell Hall. The movie claimed the only reason the U.S. military is involved in Iraq for its oil and that the U.S. government has been actively lying to the world about its role in the Middle East for decades. It also asserted that the current economic sanctions on Iraq are immoral and hurting the country's people, rather than Saddam Hussein's regime. "I think it is important to look at the history of U.S. engagement in the region. (The movie) gave the viewers an insight of what truly motivates the U.S.," said LSA senior Fadi Kiblawi, chair of Students Allied for Freedom and Equality, which organized the event. "The discourse surrounding the war has really been igno- See FILM. Page 3 By Elizabeth Anderson Daily Staff Reporter After an exhaustive two-year search process, Ann Arbor finally hired a new fire chief, Joseph Gorman, who is scheduled to start in early May. Gorman currently works in Saudi Arabia on a contract job with the U.S. Army. Gorman has previously worked in several fire stations across the coun- try, as a fire chief and in other high- ranking administrative positions. City Councilman Robert Johnson (D - 1 st Ward) stressed the importance of Gorman's experience in his selection. "He's working in Saudi Arabia, which is a pretty interesting job," Johnson said. The interviewing process was See FIRE CHIEF. Page 7 I