news@michigandaily.com NEWS The Michigan Daily - Monday, April 5, 2004 - 3A In loving memo Renovations to Rackham revealed in ceremony Student assaulted while walking across Diag DPS reports from Friday indicate that while four students were walking in the Diag, a man assaulted one of them. After 'the assault, the man fled toward State and William streets, where DPS units arrested him. Huron Valley Ambulance arrived at the scene, but the victim did not sustain any injuries, nor was anything stolen from the victim. The suspect was not affiliated with the University. Toilet destroyed at Hill Auditorium A caller reported to DPS yesterday that someone damaged a toilet in one of the Hill Auditorium bathrooms. The suspect kicked over and broke marble slabs separating toilets, one of which fell onto a toilet. There is no value esti- mate for the toilet and slabs. Daughter steals prescription drugs from mother University Hospital security report- ed to DPS Saturday that a woman stole prescription drugs from her mother's purse at the Maternal and Child Health Center. DPS could not release information about the stolen -drugs., Neither woman is affiliated with the University, but the mother is a hospital patient. $3,500 charged ..on stolen cards DPS reports from yesterday indicate a caller reported leaving her credit card at an ATM machine in the Michigan Union. Later, her credit card company notified her that $3,500 had been used on the card. Victim receives harassing e-mails A person reported to DPS yesterday that they received several harassing e- mails. The victim knew the person who sent the messages, who is now consid- ered a suspect in the incident. Suspects steal paintings from Markley lobby Staff of Mary Markley Residence Hall reported to DPS Thursday that two paintings were stolen from the hall's south lobby area. DPS currently has no suspects in the incident, but each paint- ing is valued at about $250. Driver arrested for operating while :intoxicated A driver, unaffiliated with the Uni- versity, was arrested by DPS for operat- ing while intoxicated, a new term from the state in which a person does not have full capacity to operate a vehicle. A prosecutor determines if the driver is $ intoxicated based on a blood alcohol content test, if the level is above .02. A -first offense can result in three to nine days in jail, and a judge can determine other penalties, such as revoking a license. Snow remover stolen from unlocked shed DPS reports from Friday indicate that a snow blower was stolen from an unlocked wooden shed on Thompson Street. The caller who reported the inci- dent did not list a value for the machine. Student reports staffers possibly flashing people A student reported to DPS Saturday that two staff members were collecting cans from West Quad Residence Hall and being very loud. The caller also reported that the staff members alleged- ly flashed other people in the area. The suspects did not appear to be intoxicat- ed, but DPS is still investigating the incident. Wallet with credit By Kate Tomkie For the Daily Sunlight filtered through newly draped windows and flooded the fresh- ly painted rooms of the recently reno- vated Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies, where students, fac- ulty and staff celebrated the official opening last week. Rackham's roughly $28 million reno- vation budget, of which $22 million came from central administration fund- ing, covered problems in the building's technology and safety, infrastructure, layout and interior design. The project, an eight-year-long task, began as a scrapbook of pic- tures and ideas presented to former University President James Duder- stadt in 1996. Planning and construc- tion began soon afterward, and the renovations unofficially ended in January of this year, though minor touch-ups to the building continue. According to those involved in the project, the renovations were long over- due. "We were at the point where the graduate school couldn't function in this space anymore. And it looked terri- ble. You'd touch the draperies and they'd disintegrate in your hands," Rackham, Facilities Manager Tom Mull said. The building underwent several technological changes. In addition to a new fire safety system - the first for some parts of the building - most study lounges, offices and conference rooms received wireless Internet. Rackham's interiors now sparkle and shine with new light fixtures, draperies, carpets and wall colorings. Design coordinators based modifica- tions on themes from existing architec- tural features within the building. The east and west study lounges, formerly women's and men's lounges, were repainted in color schemes designed to appeal to either gender. "It was easy to come up with the designs - we just let the building itself dictate that," Mull said. Students were already back in Rack- ham's study rooms during last week's open house, and many said they liked the changes. Rackham student James Sallee said he's enjoyed the renovated study spaces. "My program is housed in Lorch (Hall), so I was basically stuck studying in the (Shapiro Under- graduate Library). I'm excited that we have our own nice place to study now," Sallee said. Rackham student Dan Rivas said despite the extensive cost of the reno- vation, he is glad to see the University investing in the preservation of its facilities. "(The University) is pre- serving something historical, and to let it decline would be a terrible loss," Rivas said. The building's open house also attracted large numbers of alumni, who paced the halls of the nearly century- old building. Gordon and Marilyn Bigelow, both University alumni and local residents, said they are pleased to see proof of the University's ongoing commitment to the preservation of its older facilities. "Many of the buildings that we knew when we were students here are gone now, so it's important to us to see the University preserve the ones we have left," said Marilyn Bigelow, who attended the University in the 1950s. EUGENE ROBERTSON/Daily The names of loved ones affected by cancer were written on rain- soaked paper bags at the Relay for Life held on Palmer Field Saturday night. The event ended early due to bad weather. RANKINGS Continued from Page IA News and World Report's ranking is lower because it focuses more on quanti- tative statistics, such as grade point aver- ages, than on recruiter rankings. Ever since 2001, when the Medical School was ranked 10th, it has steadily advanced in its placement among grad- uate schools. With its new rank, the Medical School outranks institutions such as Columbia (eighth), Stanford (ninth), Yale (11th) and Cornell (12th) universities. Among the schools that placed ahead of the University's Medical School were Harvard University, which finished first, John Hopkins University and the University of Cali- fornia at San Fransisco. According to U.S. News and World Report, each medical school's rank- ing is determined by several factors. Research activity, primary-care rate, student selectivity (a combination of the students' grade point averages FEM FAIR Continued from Page 1A participated in Fem Fair and discussed the organizations it supports. Ninety percent of the $20,000 raised from this year's Vagina Monologues was donated to SAFEHouse, the domestic abuse shelter for Washtenaw County. The other 10 percent of funds raised went to Casa Amiga in Juarez, Mexico. Juarez is an impoverished area where many young women and children have to take jobs to support their families. Stewart said hundreds of women have disappeared while walking to work alone and have turned up murdered days later. and MCAT scores) and faculty resources are all taken into consider- ation when determining the overall rank of a school. Of the 4,767 applicants who applied to the Medical School last year, only 170 first-year medical students were selected. "It's really competitive," says LSA senior Michael Lippicki, who plans to attend a medical school. "There are so many students who would love to get the opportunity to go. to a prestigious med school like U of M. The only problem is that students work their hardest throughout their col- lege years, and come senior year, they realize exactly how low the acceptance rates really are," Lippicki said. According to the Medical School's website, the qualities that led to its high ranking include the millions of dollars it spends on research, expansion of its facilities and faculty comprised by experienced doctors, researchers and specialists in their field. Lichter says the school has a histo- ry of success that will continue in the Casa Amiga not only investigates the disappearances of the women, but also provides resources to families so their relatives do not need to work in unsafe environments. The international. organization provides safe modes of transportation for those women who still have to work. LSA senior Tamar Sanodze, who spent her time at Fem Fair touring the tables, said she was impressed by the event's theme and the interest that passing students took in it. "It's awesome that people can come out and do this to build a more respon- sible future for women here and around the world," Sanodze said. She said she hopes the campus takes advantage of the opportunities offered "The tradition of excellence that Michigan is known for allows us to attract outstanding faculty and students and make meaningful contributions to the health and health care of the population. We are gratified that our work is noticed and recognized:' - Allen Lichter Medical School Dean future. "We have been a great med- ical school for over 150 years. The tradition of excellence that Michigan is known for allows us to attract out- standing faculty and students and make meaningful contributions to the health and health care of the pop- ulation. We are gratified that our work is noticed and recognized." He added that he believes the school's ranking will continue to improve in the years ahead as it invests in new facilities and as the University focuses even greater attention on the life sciences. Dan Remick, the associate dean for admissions at the Medical School, said he also hopes the school will continue to increase in rank. "The Medical School is trying to move into the top five, and at this rate, we seem to be moving toward the right direction." Administrators at other University graduate schools said they were pleased with the rankings. When dis- cussing the rate of success that the Law School has acquired for example, Lisa Mitchell-Yellin, communications director and web architect at the Law School, said, "We take a lot of pride in that we are the number one public law school in the country. The only schools above us are private schools." But Mitchell-Yellin said Law School administrators do not focus too much on rankings alone. According to U.S. News and World Report, the Business School outranks schools like Duke University (11th) and University of California at Los Angeles (12th), and the University's Law School outranks the University of Pennsylvania (eighth) and Northwest- ern University (11th). The University's School of Education is ranked higher than New York University (12th) and the College Engineering outranks Princeton University (16th) and Har- vard University (19th). by Fem Fair to learn about atrocities .EU STRIKE LEFT YOU WITH EXTRA committed against women, both on a global and local level. E TH DAILY. Other groups at Fem Fair included No More Mercury, Amnesty Interna- CALL 76344$9 oi 0R NF . tional and Students Organizing for Labor and Economic Equality. :.kx d. . MI... . 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