Thursday ©2003 The Michigan Daily Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXIII, No. 129 One-hundred-twelve years of editorialfreedom TO DAY: Y Sunny dur- ing the day, , and clear at night with 5 winds at LOW: 34 about 10 Tomorrows miles per 623 hour. wwwrnichigandaily. corn Iraqis celebrate end of Saddam's rule 4 Looting breaks out in Baghdad while combat continues in the North BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Their hour of free- dom at hand, jubilant Iraqis celebrated the col- lapse of Saddam Hussein's murderous regime yesterday, beheading a toppled statue of their longtime ruler in downtown Baghdad and embracing American troops as liberators. * "I'm 49, but I never lived a single day. Only now will I start living," said Yussuf Kazim, a mosque preacher. A young Iraqi spat on a portrait of Saddam. Men hugged Americans in full com- bat gear, and women held up babies so soldiers riding on tanks could kiss them. Iraqis released decades of pent-up fury as U.S. forces solidified their grip on the capital. Marine tanks rolled to the eastern bank of the Tigris River; the Army was on the western side of the waterway that curls through the ancient city. Looting broke out in the capital as Iraqis, shed- ding their fear of the regime, entered government facilities and made off with furniture, computers, air conditioners and even military jeeps. "We are not seeing any organized resistance;' said Navy Capt. Frank Thorp at the U.S. Central Command. "The Iraqi military is unable to fight as an organized fighting force." And Maj. Gen. Buford Blount III, commander of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, told reporters that "the end of the combat phase is days away." At a Pentagon briefing, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Saddam "is taking his rightful place" alongside such brutal dictators of the past as Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin and Vladimir Lenin. And while Rumsfeld and other American offi- cials cautioned that combat may lie ahead, Iraq's U.N. ambassador told reporters that "the game is over, and I hope peace will prevail." Mohammed Al-Douri's comments to reporters in New York were the first admission by an Iraqi official that Saddam's forces had been overwhelmed. There was continued combat in cities to the north, though, where government troops were under attack from U.S. and British warplanes. The scenes of liberation in Baghdad and cele- brations in scattered other cities unfolded as the Pentagon announced that 101 American troops had died in the first three weeks of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Eleven others are missing and seven listed as captured. The British said 30 of their troops were dead. There are no reliable esti- mates for Iraqi casualties, although an Army spokesman said 7,300 prisoners had been taken. See WAR, Page 2A U.S. presence leads tofjoy, hesitation By Emily Kraack Daily Staff Reporter As American troops took Baghdad yesterday, the day became an impromptu holiday for many Iraqi Americans. Hundreds of people celebrated in the streets of Dearborn, a predominantly Arab Michigan city - people honked car horns, waved American and Iraqi flags and held celebratory signs. Iraqi American students on campus expressed relief and happiness at the news. Laith Alattar, an LSA and Music senior, drove to Dearborn to be a part of the celebra- tion. "It's crazy. It's emotional, really emotion- al," he said. "Everyone knows everyone today. It's just like what's happening in Iraq, on a Granhoim 4 allies, critic look back ( first 100 da: By Dan Trudeau Daily Staff Reporter smaller scale." The fall of Baghdad prompted Alattar, an Iraqi-American Shiite Muslim, to speculate on the future of Iraq. "It seems obvious to me that today has been a victory for America and Iraq;' he said. "It's the beginning of (Iraqi citizens') freedom." LSA freshman Calvin Kattola said all Iraqi Americans are celebrating today. "You will not find any Iraqi Americans who are opposed to this war," he said. "The people who do oppose the war are the Iraqis in Iraq who are misin- formed or are just too scared to say otherwise." But LSA freshman Sayf Al-katib, a Sunni Muslim born in the United States, said he thought celebration was premature. "I'm relieved but I don't know if celebration is how I "It seems obvious to me that today has been a victory for America and Iraq~ - Laith Alattar LSA and Music senior feel;' he said. "I guess I would have to wait a little bit until I celebrated. It's more of a sym- bolic taking over right now." "Beautiful" was the word LSA senior Paul Gabrail used to describe the sight of American troops entering Baghdad. "All the things we See STUDENTS, Page 8A Also yesterday, Iraqi U.N. Ambassador Mohammed AI-Douri declared "the game is over" for Saddam. Students write loved td Ia ones S -tone in raq By Emiy Kraack Daily Staff Reporer Some students on campus who have friends or relatives serving in the military in Iraq have been spending a little extra on postage lately. As the war in Iraq nears the end of its first month, lines of communication between soldiers and their friends at home consist almost completely of packages and written letters. LSA freshman Shawn Sinacola said she has not received a letter from her best friend, Pfc. William Fischer, since he left the base he was stationed at in Kuwait, though she has continued to send him let- ters. Fischer is currently involved in fighting in Iraq. Sinacola said she keeps her letters to Fischer upbeat. "I don't talk about the war" she said. "I recall a lot of memories for him." Sinacola was hesitant to reveal what Fischer had written to her. "I don't know, maybe Marines aren't supposed to say that they're scared," she said. LSA sophomore Cara Anne Kircos has friends stationed in Iraq, Turkey and South Korea. She said that while she receives e-mails and letters from friends in Turkey and South Korea, communication from Iraq has stopped. Kircos said she lets her friends choose what they want to write about. "I really let them decide - if there's something on their mind, they're going to tell me," she said. "If they need to talk, they need to talk. That's what being a friend is about." Gary Lillie, a Vietnam War veteran, said it doesn't surprise him that letters have stopped coming from Iraq because soldiers do not have the energy or time to write. He said a Veterans of Foreign Wars organization sent him a package while he was serving in Vietnam and he doesn't remember responding. "I never did go to that VFW to thank them for See LETTERS, Page 8A One hundred days have passed since Gov. Jennifer Granholm took office on New Year's Day with promises of innovation and growth for the state of Michigan. While Granholm has been generally well received by the public, there is debate about whether the governor has lived up to her initial promises. While critics say crippling budget shortfalls of $1.7 bil- lion and a lack of organization have hindered Granholm from pursuing the innovative approach she promised, the governor insists that balancing the budget has been a tri- umphant accomplishment that has established a foundation for her future agenda. "Anyone who looks at the governor's budget proposals can see where her policies are and where her priorities are. Her budget laid the framework for the policies she's putting in place," Granholm spokeswoman Liz Boyd said. "We're very proud of the first 100 days." Boyd cited new prescription drug programs and the restoration of the K-12 foundation grant as examples of pro- posals within the governor's budget that illustrate her com- mitment to families and education. The proposed drug program would extend the health care benefits for citizens on Medicaid, while the K-12 grant offers resources for underfunded public school systems. However, Republicans in the state Legislature are not as optimistic about the course set so far by the Granholm administration. State House Speaker Rick Johnson (R-LeRoy) said the gov- ernor not only lacks clear stances on policies, but also has See GRANHOLM, Page 8A JASON COOPER/Daily Students protest outside the Michigan Union to support divestment from the Caterpillar Corporation yesterday. Studentsdemand new 'U' di*.vestment By Carmen Johnson Daily Staff Reporter Students shouting, "divest from Cater-killer" - referring to the Cater- pillar Corp. bulldozers used by the Israeli army - rallied on the steps of the Michigan Union yesterday. Pro- moting awareness of their campaign for the withdrawal of University invest- ments in Caterpillar, Students Allied for Freedom and Equality members marched to the Diag holdinga banner reading "Free Palestine." Focus on Caterpillar's bulldozers which students say are used as weapons and tools for home demolition in the occupied territories - increased after American peace activist Rachel Corrie was killed by a bulldozer last month. SAFE encouraged students to write University President Mary Sue Cole- man, asking her to use the school's investment as leverage to pressure Caterpillar, with the hope of ending its sale of bulldozers to Israel. But University spokeswoman Julie Peterson said she is unaware of any official requests sent directly to the University calling for divestment. "University policy in regards to divestment issues sets a high bar to make a decision," Peterson said. "Divesting is a substantive process." Ann Arbor resident Yumm Elkhoja said she joined the rally because she does not want students to forget the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during the war in Iraq. "By divesting, it's symbolic that we are not going to support these bulldoz- ers that are used to kill unjustly," Elkhoja said. "Regardless of who is dying, we cannot support an invest- ment that helps pay for the bulldozers." Benjamin Cordani, Caterpillar rep- resentative for social responsibility, 11 See CATERPILLAR, Page 8A COMBATING DEPRESSION By Victoria Edwards Daily Staff Reporter Last Sunday, a female student at Alice Lloyd residence hall took desper- ate measures against depression when she swallowed 25 anti-depressant pills and was rushed to the emergency room. But many ways to alleviate such depression exist. Psychology Prof. Susan Nolen-Hoeksema said several factors cause depression to emerge dur- ing the college years. "The stress of being away from the social support system of the family and friends triggers depression in people. This is especially true if they have a vulnerability to it," Nolen-Hoeksema said. "People with bouts of depression as teens especially, are likely to get depressed in college." She added that most serious mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia surface between the years of 18 and 24. This increased likelihood of mental illness can result from genetic predisposition coupled with the stress of college, as well as network. An LSA sophomore who wished to remain anonymous said that she con- sidered suicide last November when her friends distanced themselves from her just as she was facing an over- whelming school schedule. "The broken social circle was a huge factor in the depression, but it also dealt with classes - they were very hard. ... I was working at the cafeteria as well, which was a physi- cally demanding job for me. Other things that factored into the depres- sion were that I didn't value myself. When something bad happened I'd always blame myself. And my friends made me feel worthless," the sopho- more said. She said it got to the point that she was crying every day. She said she was constantly angry with herself and her friends. "When I woke up in the morning I would just want to go back to sleep. Every day was a freaking ordeal" the sophomore said. She said it was at that point that she Dean searches may reach closure soon By Jeremy Berkowitz Daily Staff Reporter Photo Illustration by NIC''A'ZARU/Dai'y Most serious mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia surface between the years of 18 and 24, Psychology Prof. Susan Nolen-Hoeksema said. to herself. "I was thinking about slitting my wrists or jumping off the roof of my dorm. That is when I decided to seek counseling at (Counseling and Psycho- logical Services) at the union," the sophomore said. CAPS is a counseling center that is run exclusively for University students. CAPS director Todd Sevig said that because the staff only interacts with well. They can empathize with what it is like to graduate and go back home. As a result they feel that their counsel- ing - intensely focused on the student demographic - is unique, he said. "The overall mission is to support students in their emotional lives and try to help them in the academic pro'ess. And at the same time trying to help them be emotionally healthy, and maintain good relationships with Exactly one year ago, Shirley Neu- man announced her decision to become provost at the University of Toronto after three years as LSA dean. Today, her former position has yet to be permanently filled. But sociology Prof. James House, chair of the 11-person advisory com- mittee charged with finding a new dean, said the search timeline was delayed because the offices of presi- dent and provost remained without per- manent occupants until last fall. "It's very difficult to move forward to be the dean of LSA, because they're going to want to know who they're going to be working with," House said, explaining why the search committee began work last October. House said he plans for the commit- by the end of the month to University Provost Paul Courant, who will submit his final recommendation to the Uni- versity Board of Regents. "I would be guardedly optimistic that we have a known person by some- time in May," House said. He said the list submitted will be diverse - including internal and exter- nal candidates, members of underrep- resented minority groups and faculty from a variety of disciplines. With the University's race-conscious admissions policies being debated by the U.S Supreme Court, diversity is a high pri- ority for the University in all areas especially administration. "The proportions of starkly under- represented groups in the academic institutions decline more or less as you move up the hierarchy," House said. Faculty members have expressed mixed feelings about the search. I i