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One-hundred fourteen years ofedorflfreedom
www.mzchigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Vol. CXV, No.10
@2004 The Michigan Daily
'U,
' limits
honors on
transcripts
Changes prompted in part by
student protests regarding secret
society on transc
By Kristin Ostby
Daily Staff Reporter
In response to student protests, the
number of honors listed on student tran-
scripts will now be limited, the Office of
the Provost announced yesterday.
The new policy
notations to include
ors. Previously,
the list contained
more than 400
honor societies,
fellowships, schol-
arships, awards
and student orga-
nization member-
ships, said Lester
Monts, senior vice
provost for aca-
demic affairs.
The change was
prompted in part
by the efforts of
Student Voices in
narrows transcript
eight approved hon-
Approved
Honors that wi
transcripts Inc
University Honc
List, Angell Schol
Phi Beta Kappa
Levels of distin
or schools
Highest Honor;
Distinction
ALI OLSEN/Daily
"The Rock" on the comer of Washtenaw Avenue and Hill Street Is painted In protest of Columbus Day yesterday. The Native American Student Association
and La Voz are protesting the holiday because they say that the arrival of Columbus resulted in the genocide of the Americas' Indigenous people.
Columbus Day sparks debate
over explorers legacy
ript
for acceptance like an honors society. It's
usually done by the discretion of the pre-
vious class," Stehney added.
The University's ambiguous policy
triggered a revision of how the Universi-
ty determines what honors should appear
on the transcripts, said Monts.
"None of us knew what that process
was, and when we found out it was such a
flimsy process,
Honors we initiated
some action to
II appear on change it," said
Jude:Monts.
lude: MStehney
added he is sat-
isfied that the
ars demands of SVA
i, Tau Beta Pi were met by the
change in tran-
ction for colleges script policy.
Previously,
and with Highest a school or col-
lege simply
had to call the
registrar's office in order to get an award
placed on a transcript, and there was
no formal method of approval, Monts
added. He also saidsmany of the honors
were obscure awards.
Now, transcripts will specifically
include University Honors, the Dean's
List, Angell Scholars, honor societies
such as Phi Beta Kappa and Tau Beta
Pi. Levels of distinction for individual
colleges or schools such as Magna Cum
Laude, Highest Honors and with High-
est Distinction will also remain on tran-
scripts.
"We're not trying to deny students
recognition. We just think there is a bet-
ter way for students to be recognized
for their achievement. This new process
allows students to do that," Monts said.
See HONORS, Page 7
By Michael Kan
Daily Staff Reporter
Writing in his journal two days
after setting foot in the Ameri-
cas for the first time, Christopher
Columbus came to a conclusion
about the native peoples - "I
could conquer the whole of them
with 50 men, and govern them as
I pleased."
More than a year after his arriv-
al in 1492, Columbus returned to
the Americas with 17 ships and
1,200 men, enslaving the natives
in search of gold. With his expe-
dition also came disease, decimat-
ing the population. By 1555, some
claim that two million natives on
the island of Hispaniola were near-
ly reduced to extinction.
And for this cruelty, America
awards Columbus with a holiday,
said Matt Stehney, president of the
Native American Student Associa-
tion.
The explorer made his historic
landing in the Americas 512 years
ago today, opening the pathway to
the colonization of the New World.
Now, not only is he remembered
through yesterday's Columbus
Day, but his name is seen on street
signs and bridges and is even the
namesake of cities.
Yet in the minds of many Native
Americans like Stehney, beneath
the icon lies his spirit for conquest
and an untold story of genocide,
which ultimately led to the gradual
takeover of Native American land.
In an attempt to dispel the myths
behind the explorer and reinforce
the need to abolish the holiday,
the Native American side of the
story will be told today as NASA,
La Voz Latina and the Office of
Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs will
hold a forum examining the his-
tory around Columbus and his
legacy in America.
This legacy has fostered Steh-
ney's resentment toward Colum-
bus. As a member of the Taino
tribe, Stehney's people were the
See COLUMBUS, Page 7
Action, a group formed earlier this year
to protest student budget cuts, said Monts.
Last spring, SVA staged protests and
spoke at a University Board of Regents
meeting for the removal of Michigamua,
a secret society, as an honorary notation
on transcripts.
Although SVA was pushing for Mich-
igamua's removal from transcripts, the
administration decided to overhaul the
entire honors system, said Matthew
Stehney, president of the Native Ameri-
can Student Association.
NASA worked with SVA to remove
Michigamua because of its racist practic-
es, said Stehney, an LSA junior. He said
the secret society's rituals denigrated
Native American practices.
"They are no longer affiliated with the
University. There is no sort of standards
ELECTIONS '04
Website urges Nader supporters to trade votes
By Jamoel Naqvi
Daily Staff Reporter
In the 2000 presidential election, Ralph Nader's
vote total in Florida exceeded President Bush's
margin of victory in the state. After the dust set-
tled, many liberals pointed their fingers squarely at
Nader - then running on the Green Party's ticket
- for taking votes away from Democratic candi-
date Al Gore and denying him the presidency.
To prevent a similar scenario in the upcoming
Nov. 2 election, the websites like VotePair -
which counts Democrats, Greens and Nader sup-
porters among its ranks - are enabling supporters
of Nader and other third-party candidates in swing
Nader supporters
can pledge to vote for Kerry to ensure victory in swing states
states such as Michigan to trade their votes with
backers of democratic presidential candidate John
Kerry in safe states, where polls are predicting a
clear victory for either Kerry or Bush.
Websites also urged voters to adopt such a strat-
egy in the 2000 election.
On the site, wwwvotepair.org, third-party sup-
porters pledge to vote for Kerry to ensure his vic-
tory in their closely-contested state, while Kerry
backers in safe states agree to vote for a third-party
candidate. This tactic guarantees that the third-
party candidate's national vote tally is not dimin-
ished by the reluctance of his supporters to vote
for him in states that might subtract enough votes
from Kerry's side to get Bush re-elected.
"Michigan is in play," said Steven Yoder, Vote-
Pair's marketing coordinator and founder of Vote-
exchange.org, a similar site that facilitated vote
trading in 2000. "Michigan is a way for people
whose first choice is Nader and (Green Party can-
didate David) Cobb to have their vote registered
elsewhere and not contribute to a Bush victory."
In a Time magazine poll conducted last week
among registered voters nationwide, the percent-
age of respondents who said they would vote for
Nader is greater than the margin between Kerry
and Bush. That means that it is possible for Nader
to become a "spoiler" candidate - a label his
campaign has vigorously rejected in press confer-
ences.
Despite some Democrats' assertions that "a
vote for Nader is a vote for Bush" and vote trad-
ing's potential contribution to a Kerry victory, nei-
ther campaign's Michigan organization has voiced
support for the practice.
"I'm not in favor of it," said Margaret Guttshall,
Nader spokeswoman for Michigan. "It feeds into
the lie that Nader is responsible for Bush in the
White House.
"What's going to determine this election is what
John Kerry does, not what Nader and his support-
ers do," she added.
As reported by the Detroit Free Press on Sept.
22, Kerry's Michigan campaign has also said it is
not encouraging vote trading.
As of last night, 2,459 individuals had registered
at VotePair's website. This is far short of the esti-
See ELECTION, Page 7
Activist speaks up
for transgender
equal rights
Vioxx recall affects
students, two
m illion Americans
By Jiwon Lee
and Alexandra Sloan
For the Daily
Jamison Green never fit in as a
woman, so after several medical pro-
cedures he became male at the age of
40. Green, a transgender activist and
author, was yesterday's National Com-
ing Out Day keynote speaker.
Green said although it is easier to
come out today than ever before, there
are still many barriers to equal rights
.-h 1 1; - .A lei a l -nAa e-
Andre Wilson, a transgender gradu-
ate student in the College of Architec-
ture, said the gay, lesbian and bisexual
communities need to further unite with
the transgender community to fight for
more rights. Wilson said the schism
within the LGBT community has
slowed progress in the transgender
rights movement.
"Trans people have been asked to
wait for many years by the entire cul-
ture. ... It's a conversation that doesn't
even happen in the gay community,"
cau - u am ien.rh tee-cair of
By Kelly McDermott
For the Daily
While the health plans of many
senior citizens were thrown into
upheaval by the recall of popular
arthritis medication Vioxx, students
also have been affected and trou-
bled by the drug's negative health
effects.
"It's kind of scary," said David
Curtis about the Vioxx drug recall
in late September. Curtis, an LSA
sophomore who has suffered from
inflammatory arthritis for a few
vears is one of more than two mil-
students were using Vioxx. "Due
to the widespread marketing of the
drug, it was very common for young
people to use Vioxx," Fendrick said.
He said he also believes Vioxx was
frequently prescribed to college ath-
letes to relieve pain.
Researchers are not sure why
Vioxx causes an increased risk
for cardiovascular disease, but
most experts believe that the drug
increases blood clotting.
Vioxx belongs to the family of
Cox-II inhibitors, which is part of
a larger group of medicines called
non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory