LOCAL/STATE
The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, September 9, 2003 - 3
CAMPUS
Festival celebrates
150th birthday of
Engineering
The North Campus Day Festival will
celebrate the College of Engineering's
150th birthday tomorrow from 11 a.m.
to 7 p.m. on the North Campus Diag.
The event will feature music, games
and a birthday cake. There will also be
an Art Walk and student organization
information fair.
Sept. 11 victims
to be honored at
vigil on Diag
A vigil will be held Thursday at 8
p.m. on the Central Campus Diag to
remember the victims of Sept. 11.
Monique Perry, vice president of the
Michigan Student Assembly, will give
the introduction and Ann Arbor Police
Chief Daniel Oates will speak. Religious
leaders from many faiths will light can-
dles in memory of the 27 University fac-
ulty who died in the terrorist attacks.
Student speakers
wanted for Winter
Commencement
Students graduating during the Sum-
mer 2003 term or Fall 2003 Term who
are interested in submitting an entry for
Winter Commencement speaker should
get started now. Interested students
should submit a resume, typed copy of
their speech and audio recording of them
giving their speech. Entries should be
directed to the Office of the Vice Presi-
dent for Communications, 2040 Fleming
Administration Building, Campus Zip
1340, Attention: Student Speaker
Entries. Submissions should be received
no later than 5 p.m., October 16. Stu-
dents needing more information should
contact Julie Ashley at
ashley@umich.edu.
Economist writer
to speak on
China Olympics
James Miles will give a speech titled
"The Beijing Olympics and the New
China" tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. in the
Wallace House Gardens on Oxford
Road. Miles serves as the China corre-
spondent for the Economist and used
his Knight-Wallace fellowship to study
China's economic development. The
lecture will be followed by a reception
hosted by University President Mary
Sue Coleman and Rackham Dean Earl
Lewis.
Czar's rise will be
featured in film
The University of Michigan Museum
of Art presents the second part of "Rus-
sia: Land of the Tsars" tomorrow at
12:10 p.m. in the Museum of Art. The
film focuses on the Romanov family,
specifically following Peter the Great as
he takes power from his sister and starts
the modernization process of Russia.
A view of Kuwaiti
life after Gulf War
A documentary on Kuwait after the
Gulf War will show today at noon in
the Rackham Building room 520. The
documentary, titled "Lessons of Dark-
ness," was created by Werner Herzog
and is shown courtesy of the Institute
for Humanities.
Country music is
the best medicine
Gifts of the Arts will sponsor the
Country R. Way, a traditional country
music band on Thursday at 12:10 p.m.
in the main lobby of the University
Hospital. The concert features Wanda
Bruening, a Michigan Steel Players
Hall of Fame member.
Go swing dancing
in Union Ballroom
There will be a swing dance from
9:30 p.m. to midnight tomorrow in the
Union Ballroom. The dance will be
preceded by lessons which start at 7:30
p.m. The entrance fee is $3 at the door.
Judge to speak on
human rights and
international law
Judge Bruno Simma of the Interna-
tional Criminal Court will give a
speech titled "The Impact of Human
Rights on the Development of Interna-
tional Law," today at 2:30 p.m. in the
School of Social Work Room 1636.
The talk is sponsored by the Interna-
tional Institute and Law School.
Ask Ahh-way
Battered economy shows
little sign of turnaround
GRAND RAPIDS (AP) - Layoffs.
Plant closings. Bankruptcies.
Michigan's economy has taken a
beating during the past three years. So
when will it all turn around?
"It's very difficult to say when this
would happen," Jim Rhein, an analyst
with the Michigan Department of
Career Development's Labor Market
Information Office, said yesterday.
Rhein said the state's economic
slump started around August 2000,
seven months before the national
recession began in March 2001.
In August 2000, Michigan had a 3.8
percent unemployment rate. Earlier
that year, in February and March, the
rate had dipped as low as 3.1 percent,
according to figures from the U.S.
Department of Labor's Bureau of
Labor Statistics.
The state's jobless rate has risen
steadily since then, up to 7.4 percent
in July, the most recent month for
which statistics are available. The rate
was more than a percentage point
higher than the national average of
6.2 percent.
The number of unemployed
Michiganians was 378,000 in July,
the highest monthly total since
November 1992, when it was
379,000. John Palmer, deputy direc-
tor for Workforce Programs with the
Michigan Department of Career
The state's jobless rate
has risen steadily since
(August 2000), up to
7.4 percent in July.
Development, said while manufac-
turing employment typically
declines in July, seasonal job cuts
were higher than usual in manufac-
turing and government for the
month.
From August 2000 through last July,
the number of manufacturing jobs in
Michigan dropped from 897,100 to
735,400, an 18 percent decrease.
"It's certainly something to be con-
cerned about," said Darren McKinney,
a spokesman for the National Associa-
tion of Manufacturers, a Washington-
based trade organization. "The NAM's
whole reason for being is to turn these
types of numbers around."
He said U.S. manufacturers would
greatly benefit if the federal govern-
ment would reform health care, pro-
hibit "frivolous litigation" and reduce
regulatory authority over the manufac-
turing industry.
Without such changes, no more than
half the jobs that Michigan lost during
the last three years will return, McKin-
ney said.
"There are a myriad of policy areas
in which action has to be taken sooner
than later or we will, in fact, jeopardize
the long-term ability of U.S. manufac-
turers to remain competitive - and
solvent, for that matter," he said.
Although corporate bankruptcies
grab most of the headlines, those num-
bers remained steady during the past
year. But there was a sharp increase in
personal bankruptcy filings when
comparing figures from the first seven
months of 2002 with those from the
same period this year.
The total number of federal bank-
ruptcy filings in the state rose 19
percent, from 31,524 to 37,489,
according to the two U.S. Bankrupt-
cy Courts in Michigan. The com-
bined number of Chapter 7 and
Chapter 13 filings - the two routes
most commonly chosen by individu-
als - also increased 19 percent,
from 31,374 to 37,334.
Michael Baum, a Bloomfield Hills
attorney experienced in bankruptcy
law, said part of the problem is that, in
the current economic climate, some
cash-strapped companies can't find
willing lenders.
"The result is that workers are find-
ing themselves in a position where
they are either unemployed or under-
employed," and facing their own finan-
cial difficulties, he said.
AP Photo
Arnold Schwarzenegger talks to the crowd during "Ask Arnold," a
meeting with students and locals at Chapman University Memorial
Hall in Orange, Calif. yesterday.
Lawmakers seek more info on budget decsion
IRAQ
Continued from Page 1.
the groundwork for speedy work by the GOP-run
Congress, expressed support for the president's
plan.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.),
who spent much of the day in his home state
with Bush, said the proposal "warrants the sup-
port of Congress."
And House Appropriations Committee Chair-
man Bill Young (R-Fla.), whose panel will help
write Congress' version, said he would "aggres-
sively expedite the president's request" through
the committee.
But in a foreshadowing that it would take law-
makers longer than the three weeks they needed
to approve the $79 billion package in April,
some top Republicans said they didn't expect
Bush to send a formal, detailed request to Con-
gress until next week. And GOP committee
chairmen spoke of holding hearings on the pro-
posal so administration officials can be asked
questions.
"People will have an opportunity to vet" the
request, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Chairman Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) said in a brief
interview.
"But life goes on, and we really need to go
ahead with the president's plan," Lugar said.
Five months after Congress approved the earli-
er money, lawmakers of both parties are chafing
over the scant detail the administration has pro-
vided over how the funds have been used.
The White House said that of the $87 billion,
$66 billion would be for U.S. military operations
in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.
Of that, $51 billion would be for supporting
what the document called "a robust force in
Iraq" of U.S. and multinational forces, and to
repair and replace equipment.
Currently there are about 140,000 U.S. troops
in the country.
The money was to include an unspecified
amount to allow U.S. troops in Iraq for a year to
get two weeks of leave, $300 million for body
armor and $140 million for "Humvee" vehicles.
An additional $20 billion was to help rebuild
Iraq - $5 billion to set up an Iraqi army, a
police force and other security, and $15 billion
to rebuild drinking water and electrical systems,
railroad lines and other facilities.
The reconstruction request ranged from $6 bil-
lion to buttress the country's electric power sup-
ply to $300 million for private sector business
initiatives and job training.
Overall, the paper said, initial estimates were
that rebuilding the country would take $50 bil-
lion to $75 billion.
The administration is hoping the costs can be
split about evenly between U.S. taxpayers, allied
countries and funds from Iraqi oil sales, said one
GOP congressional aide.
In their briefing with reporters, the adminis-
tration officials said they expect Iraqi oil sales to
produce $12 billion next year, and $20 billion
each of the two succeeding years.
The request included an additional $11 billion
for U.S. military efforts in Afghanistan, and $1.2
billion - including $400 million provided in
earlier legislation - to help rebuild that coun-
try's infrastructure and security forces.
ROBBERY
Continued from Page 1
fers from a crime rate higher than other
downtown locations. The structure is
one of the few on campus that is unat-
tended and free to the public after 6
p.m. It often sees much of its activity
after dark.
"I think (the relatively high number
of crimes) is largely because it gets a
lot of use after hours due to all the
businesses along South University
(Avenue) and adjoining streets," Lewit
said.
He added that DPS officers do regu-
larly patrol the parking structure, but
added that "it's a matter of being at the
right place at the right time." In addi-
tion to frequent surveillance, the car-
port has emergency phones on each
level of both stairwells and another
phone along Church Street near the
structure's main entrance.
Still, the department is currently in
the process of reviewing its security
practices for the parking structure,
Lewit said.
"We are constantly doing reviews
any time there is a pattern of crime in
the area," he said.
The safety procedures under consid-
eration include making the parking
structure a monitored staff-only lot 24-
hours a day, but Lewit said the depart-
ment wants to strike a balance between
protecting the structure's users against
crimes and providing convenient park-
ing to patrons of the downtown area.
Not allowing for after-hour public
parking "has its drawbacks," Lewit
said.
VISAS
Continued from Page 1
students on campus, the Interna-
tional Center works with the stu-
dents on visa issues and other
adjustment aid.
International Center Director
Rudy Altamirano was an interna-
tional student from the Philippines
twenty years ago. Now a U.S. citi-
zen, he said academic visa policies
need revision.
"I recognize the need for home-
land security but international stu-
dents make a very significant
intellectual contribution," Altamira-
no said.
"Tightened security makes inter-
national students hesitant to go
back home in fear that they won't
be able to enter the United States
again."
A reformed appeals process for
students who are denied visas and
added provisions to allow interna-
tional students to change their visa
status or renew their visas without
leaving the country are some of the
reforms advocated on the petition.
But the petition has yet to be for-
mally given to the University.
The Bureau of Citizenship and
Immigrant Services, which works
under the Department of Homeland
Security, has stated that one of the
bureau's immediate priorities is to
promote national security and
improve immigration customer
services.
Since the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks, the number of student visas
issued have decreased from 226,465
between October 1999 and August
2000 to 174,479 in 2002-2003,
according to the State Department.
ASHLEY HARPE
LSA junior Chlrag Badkar, an International student, displays his visa and alien
Identification forms, which took several hours to complete.
WRIGHT
Continued from Page 1.
"After elections, the United States is going to
have to be fairly tolerant and open-minded of
what is going to happen in Iraq, and realize that
it may not be perfect. ... But the Iraqis must
believe that they were allowed to do it them-
selves."
Wright added that to encourage reform, the United
States should educate the Islamic world and develop
alternative sources of energy to eliminate dependence
on Middle Eastern oil. She added that the latter solu-
tion is politically unattractive.
Despite her long-term optimism, Wright said she
is pessimistic about the outcome of some the imme-
diate challenges for the United States in the Islamic
world, including the ongoing reconstruction of Iraq
and Afghanistan, and the roadmap for peace in the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"The trouble we've witnessed so far may well con-
tinue into next year. ... Iraq reminds me a lot of
Lebanon 15 years ago on the eve of its civil war," she
said. "The outcome in each area will have a tremen-
"Iraq reminds me a lot of
Lebanon 15 years ago on the
eve of its civil war.... The
outcome in each area will
have a tremendous impact
on America's credibility.'
- Robin Wright
Global Affairs Correspondent The
Los Angeles Times
whom enjoy U.S. support - are building militias
and that the Bush administration has lowered its
expectations of success in the country.
Afghanistan is an even more precarious situation
because President Hamid Karzai enjoys little
support and parts of the nation have succumbed
to warlords or anarchy, she added.
Both countries are at risk of suffering out-
breaks of renewed hostilities between ethnic
groups within their borders, she said.
Time is an additional burden due to several
deadlines the United States has set, such as free
elections in Afghanistan next summer or the cre-
ation of an interim Palestinian state by the end of
the year, Wright said. Failure to meet such dead-
lines could threaten the long-term success of the
roadmap and reconstruction processes.
Wright added that other threats from the
Islamic world come from Iran - whose govern-
ment is probably trying to develop nuclear
weapons, she said - Pakistan and Saudi Arabia,
which she said has the worst human rights record
in the world.
Yet little pressure for change in these countries
will come from the United States because "we
don't have the time, the resources or the military
troops for another intervention," Wright said.
She also highlighted a third tier of countries,
such as Turkey, Egypt, Syria and Jordan, which
she said may but hopefully will not create prob-
lematic political situations.
The lecture, entitled "The Middle East Chal-
lenge: Coming to Grips with Islam, Democracy and
Terrorism," was held at the Michigan Union in
honor of University alum and Sept. 1lth victim
Josh Rosenthal. The Gerald R. Ford School of Pub-
lic Policy sponsored the event.
dous impact on America's credibility."
She said many Iraqi politicians
- some of
TRASH
Continued from Page 1.
Katzmann said she agreed that it is not
a problem between the two countries.
"The Toronto versus Michigan spin
potentially halt waste shipments from
Canada though it has yet to be
enforced.
"I think the message the people of
Michigan have sent is loud and clear:
'Enough is enough - Stop those
stricter regulations. Neely insists that
there is no harm from importing Cana-
dian trash.
With respect to recycling, Canada's
"mindset is two to three generations
from where we are right now," Neely
Ann Arbor Branch
9; th Annul SIlcpd Rook Sale