W1[eahbr- iiN' Tuesday 02003 The Michigan Daily Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXIII, No. 26 One-hundred-thirteen years ofeditorilfreedom TODAY: Sunny and clear throughout the day with winds around 10 mph. HIn72 LOW: 54 Tomorrow: 79152 wwwmichigandailycom I loll El INN I Mil I ill IIII IN W INN I 1111mmm - -------- - ---------- Moment of silence Crime alert issued after night attack Department of Public Safety is still investigating the Law Quad incident By Emily Kraack Daily Staff Reporter An unknown man pushed a woman to the ground while she was walking on a sidewalk possibly near the Law Quad. The incident occurred on the 600 block of State Street Sunday morning between 2:10 and 2:35 a.m. The woman was treated and released from the hospi- tal. The Department of Public Safe- ty is currently investigating the incident and has no suspects. The location of the attack was unclear and the case was initially handled by the Ann Arbor Police Department. AAPD said the victim was an 18-year-old female Univer- sity student. AAPD reports state the woman was attacked while walking home from a party on Oakland Avenue early Sunday morning. She suffered leg pain and a scrape on her face. DPS spokeswoman Diane Brown confirmed the AAPD reports. "It sounds consistent with what little I know," she said. "Theoretically, she was pushed from behind," Brown said. She did not have information on whether the woman was walking alone. This incident marks the second DPS crime alert of the 2003-2004 school year. In this case, Brown said DPS struggled with whether or not to issue an alert, because DPS typically issues alerts when it has a description about an unidentified suspect that could help the public identify the suspect. There is no See ALERT, Page 7 LAURA SHLECTER/Daily Students stand around the Diag in the Day of Silence to protest violence against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people. They wore signs saying, "What are you going to do about the silence?" Ethnicities differ in treatment for pain Journal article finds that physical and mental pain affects patients differently By Siabhon Sturdivant For the Daily A recent study on pain and ethnici- ty dispelled the myth that "we are all alike on the inside." According to the report, racial and ethnic minorities tend to experience, express and get treated for pain differ- ently than non-minorities. The article combined the results of 180 research papers and was authored by Carmen Green, an anesthesiology professor at the University of Michi- gan, and multiple other experts locat- ed throughout the United States. "Our purpose was to bring togeth- er information from a variety of sources, and get a real sense of what is really happening," said Cynthia Myers of the University of Califor- nia in Los Angeles. Across the board, the review article stated that pain, whether physical or mental, did not affect patients in the same ways. For example, one of the studies outlined in the article focused on results from Emory University's School of Public Health. The emer- See PAIN, Page 7 I STEM CELL RESEARCH Fundmg to U' By Aymar Jean Daily Staff Reporter Two years after President Bush restricted federal funding for stem cell research, the University has received part of a three-year, $6.3 million federal grant to fund work in this field. The size of the grant pales in compari- son to other federal contributions to medical research. Last week, the National Institutes of Health announced a $2 billion initiative to promote medical research and innova- tion. The NIH has an annual budget of $27 billion. In addition, the Medical School will share the relatively small grant with two other research institutions, the universi- ties of Wisconsin and Washington. But the symbolic nature of the grant, concerns gov't, interpreted as a federal endorsement of embryonic stem cell research (ESCR), has left interest groups ill-at-ease. Groups ranging from the University of Michigan's Students for Life and Right to Life of Michigan expressed concern about this announcement. Resistance extends into the Michigan Legislature as well, as bills proposing a ban on ESCR have been introduced in the House of Representatives this year. Expressing support for the University's research, Rep. Chris Kolb (D-Ann Arbor) explained that many of his colleagues do not share the same view. "The potential for cures and treatment are mind boggling, and trying to inject religion into science doesn't always have the best outcomes. (Opponents) tie it to the abortion debate, instead of looking at the research potential," Kolb said. student groups The controversy lies primarily with ESCR, since opponents extol the benefits of adult stem cell research (ASCR), which uses cells acquired from grown adults. "The government, and the University of Michigan, should immediately with- draw itself from this unethical and unproven research in favor of adult stem cell research, which is both ethical and proven," said Ed Rivet, legislative direc- tor for Right to Life of Michigan. LSA senior Louise Conlon echoed this sentiment, saying that the opportunities for ASCR are comparable to ESCR. Con- lon also believes that "the ends do not justify the means," even if ESCR could save an inestimable number of lives. "I'd like to emphasize all the success that adult stem cell research has been having. Stem cells can not only be gleaned from embryos, but also from bone marrow and umbilical cords. And they've used these adult stem cells with great success," said Conlon, who is pres- ident of the University Students for Life. But Robert Kelch, the University's executive vice president for medical affairs, who will administer the federal funds, said that argument is flawed. Since adult cells are fully matured, they exhibit less potential than embryonic cells, which can develop into a number of different tissues, he said. "The greatest potential for development' for specialized tissues is with undifferenti- ated (embryonic) cells. That's not to say that adult stem cells are not valuable. They are, and important work is going with them See STEM CELLS, Page 7 Pros and cons of stem cell research In favor of using embryos 0 Relatively few embryos could save many lives Adult stem cells are less versatile, while embryonic cells develop into many different tissues M Reputable scientists oppose cloning; embryonic cell duplication is merely a method, but an essential one Researchers use few embryonic cells, since existing cells can repli- cate In opposition to using embyos Research on embryonic cells devalues life Embryonic research is not neces- sary, because researchers can use adult stem cells Unchecked, researchers will over- use stem cells, compounding the problem Embryonic stem cell research will lead to cloning of humans Students wait Inside University Health Service, which will soon offer influenza vaccinatIons before the height of the flu season. Early vaccine. shots fight flu before winter By Ashley Dinges Daily Staff Reporter For students, close living quarters mean not only sharing space but also sharing germs. To counter the slew of illnesses the fall semester brings, the University Health Service wills offer $15-flu vaccine starting later this month. UHS will also be holding clinics across campus where stu- dents can be vaccinated, from Nov. 17 to 21, in locations such as the Michigan Union. Other clinic locations have yet to be determined, but on Nov. 14 table tents will be placed in all res-' idence hall dining areas with the complete list of locations where students may obtain the vaccination. "When there is the flu in the community, everyone is sus- ceptible. We see students, faculty and staff with influenza," UHS Director Robert Winfield said. Flu symptoms can include fever, sore throat, cough; headache, chills and muscle ache and are sometimes North Hall cracks under pressure from its newest neighbor, Life Sciences By Carmen Johnson Daily Staff Reporter North Hall - one of the oldest build- ings on campus -now stands partly-con- demned with cracks running down its walls in the shadow of the recently con- structed Life Sciences Institute. How long it will stand dilapidated is a mystery, but students and faculty that use the building hope it won't take too long. Years of construction for the LSI build- ing has shifted the soil, affecting the foundations of the adjacent North Hall and causing cracks to form alongside its walls, said Bob Kaminski, project direc- tor for the Palmer Drive site. The freezing and thawing weather cycle and the shallow foundations of North Hall also contributed to the problem. "Because the building is so old, there m, has amlwa e hen snme cracks in the walls immediately responded to try to stabilize the foundations." But University officials currently working on a repair plan for North Hall do not have an estimated cost for the damages or know how long the process of reconstruction will take, said Diane Brown, spokeswoman for Facilities and Operations. Built in 1900 as a homeopathic hospi- tal, North Hall now holds the offices and classrooms of the Reserve Officer Train- ing Corps. When senior Army cadet Mark Gold- farb was a freshman taking classes in North Hall, he remembers the walls shak- ing while pole drivers dug into the soil at the nearby construction site. "But the condition of the building did- n't get too bad until last year when I thought the whole building was going to come down," said Goldfarb, who enters accompanied by nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. "I had (the vac- cination) last year. I didn't want to waste time that I could use going to classes. If you're sick, your p e r form an c e drops. (The vac- cine) did help," LSA sophomore Filip Fracz said. Although some "Periodically, the flu has reached epidemic proportions. Some years it is light, and some years it is heavy. Last year was a light year." - Robert Winfield Director, University Health Service students such as Fracz choose to invest in BRENDAN O'DONNELL/Daily Following the construction of the Life Sciences Institute, right, cracks due to soil pressure developed on the north side of North Hall. the building as a cadet at the University 25 years ago, said the damages have disrupted activities as offices are moved because of the lost of space in the building. However, Rienstra said he does not want to move into another newer building. Several offices were consolidated into a completely, Kaminski added. "This building has been our home for decades. It's fantastic as long as it func- tional," Rienstra said. But now the ROTC might have to break tradition and not host the annual Halloween haunted house held in now the vaccination, many more do not. "I would probably get it if everyone started getting (the flu), but no one really has it right now," Business School junior Zhuo Wang said. But by that time, it may be too late. UHS's website suggests getting the vaccination before or during December, because immunity develops about two weeks after receiving it. In addition, it also advises that students living in the resi- dence halls be vaccinated, as the virus is easy to catch when living in close quarters. "Periodically, the flu has reached epidemic proportions.