Wednesday
October 29, 2003
02003 The Michigan Daily
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Vol. CXIII, No. 40
One-hundred-thirteen years ofeditorialfreedom
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Students
find cheap
textbooks
overseas
By Koustubh Patwardhan
For the Daily
Just as senior citizens have saved
money by buying prescription drugs
from outside the United States, a
bare necessity of college student's
lives is also cheaper when imported.
American-made textbooks cost less
when ordered from overseas,
according to price comparisons on
the Internet.
U.S. publishers are selling many
college textbooks in countries such
as France and the United Kingdom
for little more than half the price.
The practice has been occurring for
years, but with the advent of the
Internet, more and more Americans
have been able to gain access to the
cheaper books.
Mark Brown, textbook manager at
Michigan Book & Supply, said price
disparities exist because students in
other countries cannot afford to pay
higher prices. He cited marketing
ploys and differences in printing
costs as other reasons for the price
differentials between countries.
While publishers argue that
American students should not be
able to buy their books for less
money abroad, The New York Times
reported a 1998 Supreme Court rul-
ing paved the way for the re-impor-
tation of American goods sold
cheaply. Before this ruling, Ameri-
cans could not import products
without violating copyright laws.
Prices of books on foreign book-
stores' websites are much lower than
they are here. For example, "Funda-
mentals Of Physics" is listed for $90
on amazon.co.uk while the same
book sells for $133 on amazon.com.
In addition to buying books from
the Internet, some University students
said they choose to buy their text-
books from bookstores in Asian coun-
tries such as India and Singapore.
Engineering freshman Dinkar Jain
said while he understands why text-
See TEXTBOOKS, Page 2
Ice king
North Campus
buildings closed
after pipes bust,
'U' shuts down Media Union,
other buildings last night, but says
classes expected to continue today
By Victoria Edwards
Daily Staff Reporter
A water main break on Bonisteel Street put North
Campus out of commission last night, forcing build-
ing closures and dismaying overworked Engineering
students.
Nonresidential buildings on North Campus closed
at 9 p.m. last night, said Verena Ward, a Media Union
librarian.
"We made the announcement that there is no
water.... All the buildings are closing at 9 because it
is a safety hazard and a health hazard," she said.
Construction work was responsible for breaking
the water main, said Department of Public Safety
spokeswoman Diane Brown.
To avoid risks associated with poor lighting, city
and University officials will wait until this morning
to repair the break, Brown said.
Classes are not officially cancelled today, but there
is a possibility that individual professors might
choose not to hold class, she said. All buildings will
be open, although water may not be fully functional
in all of them.
Students on North Campus said the broken water
main and subsequent building closures adversely
affected them.
"It's kind of messed up - everything is shut
down. I have a report due today, so I may have to go
to Central Campus," Engineer senior Chijioke
Okafor said. "I would like to stay here, but I need to
use some engineering programs and they have some
on Central Campus. I don't have the programs
DAVID TUMAN/Daily
A sign posted outside of Plerpont Commons on North
Campus indicates water trouble after two water mains
broke yesterday and Monday.
myself."
LSA senior Justin Ricci, who works at the Media
Union's information desk, said he has seen many dis-
appointed engineers trudging back to Central Cam-
pus to work on computers there.
"I see people coming here from Central Cam-
pus and I have to tell them it's closing. Some
classes ... are ending early and the cafe is
closed. I've worked here for two years and this is
See WATER BREAK; Page 2
DAVID TUMAN/Daily
Michigan Ice Carving Team captain Sultan Sharried, an LSA junior, carves a
sculture of Pegasus on the Diag yesterday.
Proposal strives to keep
Tree
Town green
But opponents say Greenbelt
would raise housing costs for
students
By Mona Rafeeq
Daily Staff Reporter
With city elections in less than a week, Ann
Arbor environmental and housing groups are
stepping up their debate over Proposal B, which
aims to preserve the city's open spaces.
Voters will decide Nov. 4 whether to
approve the Greenbelt proposal, as it some-
times called. The ballot proposal recommends
taking two-thirds of funds raised from a 30-
year, 0.5-mil property tax to buy and main-
tain 18,000 acres of land in and around Ann
Arbor.
A mil is $1 per year for every $1,000 of a
property's taxable value. In Ann Arbor, the aver-
age property tax homeowners pay is between
$45 and $50.
"The state of Michigan is using land eight
times faster than the population is growing," said
Mayor John Hieftje, a major supporter of the
greenbelt proposal.
University students have also been participat-
ing in the debate over Proposal B and many sup-
port the initiative.
Carolyn Hwang, a representative for Stu-
dents for Public Interest Research Group in
Michigan, said environmental groups on
campus have been building awareness of and
support for the Greenbelt proposal through-
out the semester.
"As a third-year student, I've seen Ann
Arbor changing rapidly in my few years
here," Hwang said.
She said Proposal B affects the campus
community because parks in Ann Arbor "pro-
vide a refuge for students away from the traf-
fic and hustle and bustle of Central Campus."
"As students of the University of Michigan, we
become citizens of Ann Arbor and ... just a few
hundred students could make or break this vote,"
she added.
But Jeff Fisher, public affairs director of the
Washtenaw County Home Builders Association,
opposes Proposal B because of the effects it will
have on housing costs.
"The city did not take the opportunity to
research the issue and because there was no dis-
cussion, it's an example of poor public policy,"
Fisher said.
Fisher, who is also the campaign coordinator
for the Washtenaw Citizens for Smart Growth,
the coalition opposing Proposal B, said he
believes the Greenbelt proposal will increase the
cost of housing, which could negatively impact
students.
"After November 4, we're willing to go
back to the table and work out a proposal that
is balanced, that provides diverse housing,
that protects parks and preserves open
spaces," Fisher said.
Hieftje said urban sprawl is the No. 1 threat
to the watershed of the Huron River, the main
source of drinking water for Ann Arbor resi-
dents.
In a few years, urban sprawl spreading
from the east will surround the city, he said,
making it vital to preserve patches of rural
landscape.
The city would buy some of the land and
develop parks.
For other parcels, it would only buy the
development rights, allowing
"The state of Michigan is
using land eight times
faster than the population is
growing.
- Mayor John Hieftje
Ann Arbor
"'The city did not take the
opportunity to research the
issue and because there was
no discussion, it's an
example of poor public
policy.'
- Jeff Fisher
Washtenaw County Home Builders Association
farmers to keep their land but preventing it
from being developed.
See GREENBELT, Page 3
Women's
celebratedc
Day of A(
rights
I during
,tion fair
Profs say growing
nanotech research at
'U' goes unnoticed
By Aymar Jean
Daily Staff Reporter
By Siabhon Sturdivant
For the Daily
Abortion rights, sexual assault and
media misrepresentation were some
of the issues that were addressed last
night when nine student organizations
came together in a joint effort to sup-
port women's rights.
The fair, organized by Students For
Choice, was held to mark National
Young Women's Day of Action. LSA
junior Erin Stringfellow said the day
commemorates the death of Rosie
Jimenez, one of the first known
women to die from an illegal abor-
tion after Congress passed the Hyde
Amendment in 1977, which denied
women federal funding for abortions.
of the national event. "The day itself
is about raising awareness about the
issues that women face, and what it
means to be a feminist," she said.
Another abortion advocacy group
in attendance was MARAL Pro-
Choice Michigan, a branch of the
national organization NARAL Pro-
Choice America. Members of the
group said their main goal was to get
people interested in joining a march
on Washington. "Our big thing is
registering people for the march for
women's rights to reproductive free-
dom," said University alum Christina
Kuo, a NARAL coordinator.
The march, set to take place April
25, is being organized by the four
largest women's-rights organizations
At the University, professors in
chemistry, physics, engineering and
medicine have been performing
research in nanotechnology for at
least a decade. After successes in
receiving grants and discovering new
concepts, some researchers say the
University should better publicize its
developments.
Over the past few years, faculty
members have won federal grants sup-
porting research in nanotech - the
practice of manipulating, engineering
and ultimately understanding the work-
ings of molecular structures.
The Center for Biologic Nanotech-
nology in the Medical School, created
in 1999, recently renewed its three-
whole new area of research that will:
intersect with virtually all areas: ener-
gy, medicine, environmental, and engi-
neering," said CBN Director James
Baker.
We are "probably more multi-inter-
disciplinary than any other group
because we started early," said Claire
Verweij, program manager for the
center.
The CBN is not the only University
department conducting research in the
area. Chemistry Prof. Raoul Kopelman
has received a three-year, $7 million
grant from the National Institutes of
Health for his research with cancer.
"The aim is to try and destroy cancer
cells. Obviously, when you deal with
any kind of medication, the idea is to
not only kill the bad cells but (to not
kill) the good cells. Every medication
d- I
DAVID TUMAN/Daily
I '