LOCAL/STATE
The Michigan Daily - Friday, November 22, 2002 - 3
C AMPUS
History professor
explores colonial
and western
issues of India
The Center for South Asian Studies
will host a lecture today entitled,
"Objects and Attachments in Colonial
Western India: A Chapter in the Social
Life of a Thing." The talk will feature
prominent scholar and History Prof.
Rachel Sturman. The lecture begins at
2 p.m. in room 1644, School of Social
Work Building.
Film recounts
historical events
of 1972 Japan
Masato Harada's new film, "The
Choice of Hercules," based on events of
1972, will be screened today in an event
sponsored by the Center for Japanese
Studies. The movie portrays the conflict
between police and Red Army soldiers
seeking prisoners. The film begins
tonight at 7 p.m. in Lorch Hall.
A cappella group
performs annual
fall concert
The a cappella group 58 Greene is
performing tonight in its annual fall con-
cert. Included in their program are hits
by Stevie Nicks, Coldplay, En Vogue and
Stevie Wonder. This small group of 13
derived their name from a practice room
in East Quad.
The performance begins at 8 p.m. in
Rackham Auditorium. Tickets cost $8
and are available at both the Michigan
Union Ticket Office and the door.
Indian American
cultural show
blends new and
traditional
The Indian American Students Asso-
ciation will host its Annual Cultural
Show Saturday at the Michigan Theater.
This year's show, "Prathanjali," will fea-
ture both traditional and contemporary
aspects of Indian culture, including skits,
fashion shows of Western and Eastern
attire and dance performances.
Tickets can be purchased in advance
from any Ticketmaster outlet or at the
door. Main floor seats are $15 and bal-
cony seats are $11.
Japanese tea,
party enacted in
Omote style
The Museum of Art is offering mem-
bers of the University community an
opportunity to perform a traditional
Japanese tea ceremony Sunday after-
noon at 3 p.m. The theme of the ceremo-
ny, "Deer's Cry in Late Autumn Dusk,"
will be enacted in the Omote style. Fol-
lowing the ceremony will be a discus-
sion of the symbolism and significance
of the rituals.
Caribbean writer
reads poetry
Jamaican poet Lorna Goodison wil
read her work Monday at 5 p.m. Good-
ison is one of the most prominent and
respected poets to write on the culture
and people of the Caribbean. Her read-
ing, sponsored by the English Depart-
ment will be in room D1276 of
Davidson Hall.
Campus orchestra
to perform classics
The Campus Symphony Orchestra
will be led by three graduate students,
Patrick Farrell, John Goodell and Rachel
Lauber, Monday evening in a concert
sponsored by the School of Music.
This ensemble of non-music majors
will perform musical pieces by
Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Borodin and
Shostakovich.
The concert, held at the Michigan
Theater, begins at 8 p.m.
Hospital hosts
benefit for heart
disease research
A fine dining buffet will be held
tonight at Mott Children's Hospital as
part of the 10th annual "Save a Heart."
Proceeds from the benefit will go
toward heart disease research and treat-
ment programs for the hospital.
Also scheduled for the charity event
is a silent auction of goods and servic-
es. For reservations, call 936-9134. The
event begins at 6:30 p.m.
Movie depicts
disease outbreak
in T-%:"wnn
To smoke or not to smoke
Student government
elections end, final
results still pending
MSA campaigning and
controversy fail to increase
voter turnout on campus
By Carmen Johnson
Daily Staff Reporter
Complaints and controversy are just part of
student government elections and this year is
no different - but whether controversies
affect voter turnout is questionable.
"An election doesn't go by that there isn't a
scandal or some complaint filed," Michigan
Student Assembly Elections Director Collin
McGlashen said.
This year 5,881 students voted in the elec-
tion, although official results will not be
available until this evening, McGlashen said.
Numerous factors, such as the national
elections earlier this month and less cam-
paigning activity, were said to influence voter
turnout.
This fall's election controversy includes a
mass e-mail the Students First party claims
contained false statements to benefit the Blue
Party and a petition filed by the Blue Party
stating Students First violated the "campaign-
ing near a polling place" code.
The Blue Party and Students First present-
ed their case last night at an election board
hearing. As of midnight, the board had not
reached a verdict, which could result in can-
didates receiving demerits.
The Blue Party members said a Students
First campaigner had placed quarter sheets on
computer workstations in the Media Union at
11:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The Blue Party claims this is a violation of
the election code which states that there
should be no campaigning near a polling
place. The Media Union computer worksta-
tions would be considered polling sites at
midnight when the voting website would be
activated.
"The quarter sheets are a proxy of the Stu-
dents First campaign, (to) influence voters
and gain an unfair advantage over the Blue
Party," said John Simpson, spokesman for the
Blue Party.
"I know the election code very well. If
there was any question I would have not have
risked the campaign of my candidates," said
Students First member Pete Wiowode, who
was seen walking through the Media Union
the night before elections polling sites
opened. "I did not intend to influence stu-
dents voting."
Candidates are now ready to hear results.
"In the last two days everything has been
the campaign. We are pushing so hard to talk
to as many people as we can and encourage
people to vote," MSA Blue Party candidate
Anita Leung said. "The whole competition
thing is pretty intense but if there wasn't any
competition then it wouldn't be fun."
In this fall's midterm election, 4,955 ballots
were cast for MSA compared to last fall's
5,924 MSA ballots.
Voter turnout for LSA Student Government
and University of Michigan Engineering
Council remained the same.
SARAH PAUP/Daily
The Great American Smokeout yesterday encouraged people to stop smoking for
a day. Some students, like LSA sophomore David Salinger, chose not to quit.
SIncrease iMedica
costs crea tes 'sucking
sound 'instate budget
LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Michigan must make
drastic changes to its Medicaid system before it is
overwhelmed by rising health care costs, according
to participants in a summit yesterday sponsored by
Democratic Gov.-elect Jennifer Granholm.
Around 500 people attended the forum at
Lansing Community College. During the guber-
natorial campaign, Granholm had promised that
fixing Medicaid would be among her top priori-
ties. She takes office Jan. 1.
Medicaid provides health care to more than 1.2
million low-income people in the state, many of
whom are elderly or disabled. The state expects to
spend 25 percent of its $9 billion general fund on
Medicaid in the 2002-2003 fiscal year.
If there are no changes to the program, the
state will be spending 32 percent of its general
fund on Medicaid by 2004 and 37 percent by
2007, said Paul Reinhart, director of health and
human services in the state Department of Man-
agement and Budget.
"In the state budget, that giant sucking sound
you hear is Medi'cAid;"'Graiiholm said.
The problem is one all states are facing. In the
past fiscal year, Medicaid costs rose an average
of 12.8 percent nationwide, while general fund
budget spending rose about 2 percent, according
to Vernon Smith of Health Management Associ-
ates, a consulting firm with offices in Lansing
and Farmington Hills.
In the current fiscal year, Medicaid costs
nationwide are expected to go up another 6.8 per-
cent, but states have only appropriated an average
increase of 4.8 percent, Smith said.
There are several factors leading to the increase
in costs. In Michigan, more people have enrolled in
Medicaid as the economy has worsened, from just
over 1 million in 2000 to 1.24 million in 2002.
"Every month for the last six months, Michigan
has set a record for enrollment,' Reinhart said.
Because of rule changes, Michigan will be get-
ting less from the federal government for Medic-
aid in the coming year. The state also has nearly
depleted a trust fund established in 2000 to help
pay Medicaid costs.
Michigan and other states also have been hurt
by the rising cost of prescription drugs. Accord-
ing to Health Management Associates, prescrip-
tion costs nationwide are growing by double-digit
percentages each year, including a 14.5 percent
average increase in 2000 and a 13.8 percent
increase in 2001.
During her campaign, Granholm said she
would support multi-state compacts to buy
drugs in bulk and lower their cost. She didn't
mention that idea yesterday, but said she is
committed to making Medicaid a high-quality
system that focuses on preventive care and
minimizes bureaucracy.,
Granholm invited participants to give her ideas
for improving Medicaid on a new website.
Granholm said the comments will be considered'
as she drafts a Medicaid plan to be released later
in January.
"I am not interested in a conference that does-
n't produce results," she said. "I want to fix it."
Some states are limiting enrollment to cut down
on Medicaid costs, something Granholm said she
wouldn't want to do. Michigan has tried to cut
costs by instituting a preferred prescription drug
list that requires drug companies to give discounts.
Drug companies have sued over that measure.
"Michigan has been at the forefront of Medic-
aid reform. Let us continue that," Granholm said.
Michigan State Medical Society president Dr.
Dorothy Kahkonen, an endocrinologist at Henry
Ford Hospital in Detroit, said Granholm's
approach is innovative.
International students
cite advantages with
U.S. higher education
By Tomislav Ladika
Daily Staff Reporter
Pass by 10 people on the way to class and
chances are that one of them left their fami-
lies, friends and home countries to study at
the University.
A large number of international students are
attracted to the University - Michigan ranks
ninth in the nation with 4,149 international stu-
dents, according to an article published in this
week's issue of The Chronicle of Higher Educa-
tion - and there are many reasons behind their
decisions to study here.
LSA sophomore Akshay Bajpaee, who attend-
ed school in Hong Kong and is originally from
India, said his high school administrators and par-
ents encouraged him to study either in the United
States or Great Britain.
"It was expected, ever since I entered high
school," Bajpaee said.
LSA sophomore John Lim, an international
student from Singapore, said his parents stud-
ied in the United States and likewise expected
him to do so.
The educational opportunities offered by
the University also influenced the decisions
of Lim and Bajpaee, as well as many other
international students.
"The University of Michigan is well known for
its reputation," said Shahrun Sofian, an LSA
sophomore from Malaysia. "It is a huge opportu-
nity in every single thing."
American schools, including the University, are
known for having the best engineering programs
in the world, said Onur Cetin, president of the
Turkish Student Association.
"The focus (at the College of Engineering) is
industry-sponsored projects. Almost all the gradu-
ate students are sponsored, which means I am not
paying anything to the school," said Cetin, an Engi-
neering doctoral student. "If the industry is paying
you money, it's something important to them."
In addition to the quality of education, diversi-
ty factored into LSA junior Joy Kuang's decision
to leave Hong Kong and attend the University.
Kuang said tourists account for most of the diver-
sity in Hong Kong.
"I wanted to go some place where people are
different," she said.
While the experiences and excitement of
studying in a different part of the world attract
many international students, the cultural and aca-
demic differences pose major challenges. To cope
with the difficulties they face in adjusting to col-
lege life at the University, some international stu-
dents turned to friends and family who had
studied in the United States.
Kuang said her sister helped her by explaining
slang terms such as "all-nighter" and advising her
on where to go for certain services while the two
attended the University. Kuang's sister graduated
at the end of her second year.
"My parents weren't really nervous since my
sister was here to take care of me," Kuang said.
Cetin said Turkish students who had stud-
ied at the University warned him about the
practical, everyday problems he would face,
such as opening electrical accounts and deal-
ing with landlords.
But plenty of student organizations are ready
to step in and help international students who do
not have friends or family to help them.
Groups like the Turkish Students Associa-
tion focus on helping international students
make the transition to independent life in the
United States, Cetin said.
"The real services for the newcomers, for the
first few months, are advising on how to solve the
problems," he said.
Many student associations also help interna-
tionals meet other students. Kuang said she
met many Americans and other international
students through AIESEC, a global organiza-
tion that promotes cultural understanding
through internship exchange programs.
Bajpaee became involved in many extracur-
ricular activities, such as The Michigan Inde-
pendent, the Indian American Student
Association and the Hong Kong Student Asso-
ciation to forget the distance separating him
from his family and home country.
"I was known for never being in my room," Baj-
paee said. "It really helped in adjusting to the envi-
ronment, meeting new people. I didn't have the
time to feel homesick.'
Counting errors hinder
atty. gen. election results
LANSING (AP) - The state Democratic
Party has discovered enough vote counting
errors and inconsistencies in the attorney
general's race to lead it to think a Gary Peters
victory is possible, Democratic Chairman
Mark Brewer said yesterday.
The differences aren't firm enough for the
party to know yet if it wants to ask for a
recount in the race between Peters, a Democ-
ratic state senator from Bloomfield Township,
and his Republican opponent, Wayne County
Assistant Prosecutor Mike Cox of Livonia,
Brewer said.
Cox on Tuesday named the director of his transi-
GUERRILLA GiButdi
Continued from Page 1A current
when the community hears the same war wit
message from a group like the Guer- "I kn
rilla Girls, it starts to have an effect. present
"They're important to the art was ho
world," she said. "They point to all the con
forms of bigotry." the sam
Jacobsen added that even at the Altho
University, 66 percent of Art students to Ann.
are female, while less than 23 percent said the
are full-time faculty. versity's
Michelle Hinebrook, an Ann Arbor "Wet
resident who facilitated bringing the to its lib
Guerrilla Girls to the College of Cre- But d
ative Studies in Detroit a year ago, group's1
said she has been a friend of theirs intentio
since working together. "Wet
"They made a difference in the bility t
overall community of CCS, and the Guerril
tion team and said his 5,198-vote lead over Peters
made him the winner, regardless of what the
Democrats decide.
But Brewer said it's too early to declare victory
until the votes are certified Monday by the Board
of State Canvassers and the two sides decide if they
will ask for any of the votes to be recounted. Both
sides have up to 48 hours after Monday's meeting
to ask for a recount.
"We believe we have found enough votes to
turn the race around if we ask for a recount,"
Brewer said yesterday. "We found enough
uncorrected errors at this point that it could
alter the outcome."
Hinebrook regrets that the
didn't directly address more
issues, like the possibility of
h Iraq.
now it's hard to keep (their
ation) current," she says. "I
ping there would be more in
tent, but their message is still
Ze.
ough the Girls have never been
Arbor before tonight, Kahlo
ey heard rumors that the Uni-
s Art Department needs work.
think Michigan should live up
beral reputation."
despite the biting humor in the
publications, there is a serious
n in their actions.
think it's everyone's responsi-
o fight discrimination," said
la Girl Kathe Kollwitz. "And
EQOD PC '(THOUIJGHT
HANOI JANE
For refusing to make propaganda broadcasts with Jane Fonda in
North Vietnam, our prisoners were tortured. One POW was forced
to kneel on a gravel covered floor for three days, holding steel
weights in front of him and beaten with bamboo canes every
time his arms dropped. When our POW's returned home, Fonda
accused them of being liars and hypocrites for saying that they
had been tortured. In a chance meeting, Benge a Vietnam vet
challenged her to a debate on TV, but she would not respond.