Tuesday, February 17, 2004 News 3 'U' heart center among top nationwide Opinion 4 The state's budget proposal doesn't make the cut * Sports 8 Michigan hopes to cut down on turnovers Military history revealed in 'The Fog of War' ... Arts, Page 5 it4Ufl Weather hI:32 LOW: 18 TOMORROW: 38/24 One-hundred-thirteen years ofeditorialfreedom www.michigandaily.com Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXIII, No. 98 ©2004 The Michigan Daily ADMISSIONS Applications from abroad on decline By Melissa Benton Daily Staff Reporter Although more than 4,000 international students are currently on campus, the Univer- sity has seen a 12 percent decrease in interna- tional student applications this year. University administrators say the decrease is a result of tightened U.S. security and challenges with immigration paperwork since Sept. 11. The University is losing international stu- dents to England, France and other European countries because there are fewer travel restrictions than in the U.S., International Center Director Rodolfo Altamirano said. "The past couple of years, we have been working double time and triple time to com- pensate for the new regulations," hesaid. MBA student Matthieu Garnier said he has noticed that applications from students in Europe to schools in the United States has "dropped dramatically" from last year. "I think it has something to do with the economy, but also because it's harder to get a visa and there's more paperwork," said Gar- nier, who was born in France. International students must be especially careful when filling out their visa forms, Altamirano said. "One wrong move could terminate or deac- tivate their visa," he said. Students must meet requirements and make sure that their passports are valid, or they could be deemed unlawful, Altamirano said. He said while most international students are not deport- ed, paperwork errors can complicate the process of obtaining or renewing a visa. In order to have a valid student visa, under- graduates must take at least 12 credits at a time, a graduate student must take eight cred- its and a doctoral student must have at least six credits. In addition, international students are not allowed to work more than 20 hours per week. "For our international students, there are so many hindrances to come to the U.S.," Altamirano said. International students at the University said they have noticed changes under new security laws. "Before 9-11, it used to be fine to travel back and forth. But now just by looking at our last name (immigration officials) check us," LSA sophomore and India native Aparnaa Bhatt said. One of students' biggest fears is going home and not being able to get back into the United States. Because background checks for a visa can take up to six months, interna- tional students could miss the first semester See VISAS, Page 7 PedsJanks coss Nrth University Avenue yesterday afternoon while the "Don't walk" sign flashes. Measures to Inform students on the dangers of jaywalking continue. Jaywalking causes greater -concern since student deaths Loss of reactor hurts By Alison Go Daily Staff Reporter nuclear program By Yasmin Elsayed For the Daily Only three months ago, Engineering students Norhananim Zainol and Teh Nanni Roshema Roslan were killed by a driver in a pickup truck while crossing Plymouth Road. Despite the incident and the University's efforts to prevent similar accidents in the future, students and faculty alike continue to jaywalk. Although jaywalking is commonly shrugged off as a minor fault and not worth reporting, Ann Arbor Police Depart- ment Lt. Mike Logghe said it has potential danger. "It might not be a serious issue now, but it will be serious when someone gets hit by a car," said Logghe. According to Logghe, the reason indi- viduals resort to crossing the street illegal- ly is due to their fast-paced lifestyle. "Most people think they're too busy to wait, they don't think they have enough time for anything anymore. People just have to learn how to slow down," Logghe said. Since the accident involving Zainol and Roslan, members of the Malaysian Stu- dents Association, Department of Public Safety Director Bill Bess said there has been discussion with the city police regarding how to improve safety on Ply- mouth Road. Last week during a City Council meet- ing, a preliminary report was issued that showed that the University supports the city's decisions regarding matters of safety on Plymouth Road. But students hold a variety of thoughts regarding the seriousness of jaywalking. Engineering junior Fatima Alkatheeri said it's a good idea to wait the two or three minutes for a traffic light to change. "Most of the time I do follow traffic lights for my own safety, as well as the safety of others. I don't see a reason why I wouldn't," said Alkatheeri. But LSA freshman Pauline Clark admits that she jaywalks very frequently. "I'm not obnoxious about it. I don't get in the way of the flow of traffic. The cross- walks just aren't always the most conven- ient or efficient paths," Clark said. University Planner and Traffic Consul- tant Susan Gott has held meetings with University officials regarding the matter, to -inform the community about the risks of jaywalking and the necessary safety measures to avoid an accident. "We've had many meetings with the School of Public Health and the Ronald McDonald House to communicate the information regarding jaywalking. Pedes- trians must realize that there are large See JAYWALKING, Page 7 In the year since it completed shutting down the Ford Nuclear Reactor on North Campus due to financial concerns, the University has been unable to meet the needs of students affected by the loss. While students in programs ranging from geological sciences to engineering used the reactor, one of the programs most affected by its decommissioning is the Nuclear Engineering and Radio Sciences department. "This is a real loss to the department," said NERS Prof. John Lee, chair of the department. "This was one of the three flagship nuclear reactors around the country." The NERS undergraduate and graduate pro- grams were once the top-ranked programs in the country, according to U.S. News and World Report rankings. Now, the programs are ranked fifth and tied for third, respectively, said Antho- ny Francis, the University's associate vice presi- dent for research. "I am very sad and worried that it will take a considerable effort and time to make up for our "This was one of the three flagship nuclear reactors around the country. - Prof. John Lee Chair of Nuclear Engineering and Radio Sciences department lost ranking and to improve the program to the quality that students expect," Lee said. However, other University officials say that a nuclear reactor is not necessary for a top-ranked school in nuclear engineering. The University of California-Berkeley, the third-ranked school for undergraduate nuclear engineering this year, has never had a nuclear reactor. "What would be an interesting test is the effect (the decommissioning) has in the upcom- ing years," Francis said. Students who are now in NERS said the Uni- versity has done little to alleviate the inconven- ience caused by the loss of the reactor. See REACTOR, Page 7 Spread of stomach flu outbreak slows Writer: War on Iraq unjustifiable 'U' cts back on extra health care measures due to decline in number of infectrons By Faraa Amine Daily S Reporter Preventive measures taken in the last two weeks to combat the spread of viral gastroenteritis across campus are being cut down because of a decline in "clus- ters of students" contracting the dis- ease, University Housing spokesman Alan Levy said. By the end of this week, University officials plan to gradually phase out strict practices put into effect at the onset of the outbreak on Feb. 5, Levy said. Viral gastroenteritis, which Universi- ty health officials said was caused by ..r n o A nhrra now that the situation appears to be under control, administrators are pulling back on some of the more strict measures. "Dining services is going to let go of some of its precautionary practices," Levy said. Students who live in Markley Hall said they can now serve themselves food in the dining hall and swipe their own M-card - actions which had been prevented earlier. Engineering freshman Fahim Islam, who lives on the fourth floor of Reeves House in Markley, where the outbreak first appeared, said students in his hall have become more lax on the hygiene guidelines posted on bathroom doors. Islam said students are ready to return things back to normal. "Most students are just happy they don't have to deal with it anymore" he said. Dnoi + tnn -dn r sti;tin By Michael Kan Daily Staff Reporter For the past few years, writer Tariq Ali has made it his mission to expose what he sees as the deceit of President Bush and the true intentions of U.S. foreign policy to design a new imperial order. Disgusted with the U.S. occupation of Iraq, Ali took the opportunity last night to speak at the Michigan League, urging the University community to oppose the Bush administration, which he sees as a group of lying politicians serving their own interests. Ali came to the University in hopes of sparking the motivation for students to overcome their own apathy about what he called an unjust war in Iraq and about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But he said he also wanted to make clear the faults of the Bush administration by attacking the oresident's justification for conducting the war," he said. Aliexplained it has become evident in the aftermath of the war that the reasons for invading Iraq were based on lies. He added that statements from former Trea- sury Secretary Paul O'Neill indicate the Bush administration had begun prepar- ing for an invasion of Iraq since Bush was elected. All the administration needed was a pretext to start a war, so they began using blurred photos of an Iraqi factory to spread the lie that it was creating weapons of mass destruction, Ali said. Ali said the lies justifying the war were apparent to him even before the war began, because he said he knew America would never attack a country that possesses nuclear weapons that could be used against it. "If America did attack, (Saddam) would have used it," Ali said. Now Iraq is being looted by America, I k=.