Wednesday, October 20, 2004
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Ann Arbor, Michigan
Vol. CXV, No. 14
V2004 The Michigan Daily
'U' looks into
reports of hazing
By Emily Kraack
Daily News Editor
Certain houses in the Greek system are facing
allegations of extreme hazing practices on their
pledges, and the University has begun looking into
those claims.
Interim Dean of Students Susan Eklund, who
took over for former dean Ed Willis in early
August, said the University is investigating hazing
claims from this month's pledging activities that
involve at least five fraternities and two sororities.
She said resident advisors familiar with the Greek
system had brought forward some of the reports
from pledges living in residence halls.
Eklund said the Office of Student Conflict Reso-
lution is investigating the incidents and police have
Allegations of illegal pledging activity involve seven houses in Greek system
been notified.
Although she declined to name the Greek
houses included, she said incidents brought to her
attention were confined to the Greek governing
bodies Interfraternity Council and the Panhellenic
Association, with none in the councils that oversee
minority fraternities and sororities.
Eklund described a variety of hazing abuses,
all involving heavy drinking. Included among the
incidents was one which Eklund described as "very
disturbing," in which members of a sorority were
summoned to a fraternity chapter house and were
"strongly recommended" to drink heavily. Clothes
were allegedly torn off the women, who were then
STATE OF THE ART
led into a cramped room with intoxicated mem-
bers of the fraternity's pledge class. Eklund said
that what followed reportedly included widespread
sexual activity.
Another incident involved 15 members of a fra-
ternity pledge class forced to drink excessively and
then wrestle with older members of the fraternity.
Reports say the pledges were then forced to strip
to their underwear and stand in a room with open
windows on a cold evening. Eklund said that one
pledge required medical treatment after the inci-
dent.
Other allegations Eklund mentioned included
obscenities written on drunken pledges in perma-
nent marker and drunken fraternity members pad-
dling their pledges.
Ann Arbor Police Department Lt. Mark Hoorn-
stra said he is investigating one hazing allegation
which occurred Oct. 6, but that "it's real sketchy
as to whether or not any actual hazing occurred"
during that incident. He said he has heard that
the Office of Greek Life has seen a "substantial
increase" in the number of hazing reports received
this year.
University spokeswoman Julie Peterson stressed
that the University has no definite evidence yet.
"All are allegations at this point, absolutely,"
Eklund said.
Eklund said that IFC and Panhel members had
been notified of the allegations at a meeting. "My
understanding is that students took it very serious-
ly," she said. She added that the violations occurred
at a very small number of chapters on campus and
that responses to a similar situation last year had
been productive.
IFC President Casey Bourke said he had seen
some of the reports. "I think it's a big problem right
now that we're going to fix," he said, adding that
the IFC hazing task force is investigating.
"We're not going to tolerate it - we had a long
discussion on it, the most serious I can remember
See HAZING, Page 8A
Hospital taking
steps to clear up
overcrowded ER
By Leslie Rott
Daily Staff Reporter
Engineering sophomore Derek Deveaux sat
in an artificially lit room cramped close togeth-
er with 20 other people. Complaining of chest
pains and shortness of breath, he ended up at
the University Hospital's emergency room,
after waiting for a day in the hopes that his
symptoms would subside.
Deveaux said he arrived at the hospital at
6 p.m. and waited five
hours in a crowded
room just to see a doc- Each time
tor. When he told one of e
the nurses that the pain get a e
in his chest had gotten the numbe
worse, she told him
that there was nothing p tientsg
she could do for him
- he would just have
to wait his turn. When -
he finally was seen, he Chair of emerg
said the doctor looked Univ
at him for 10 minutes,
and sent him home with
medication.
Deveaux's experience of waiting several
hours for care is not uncommon, and is a
symptom of a nationwide dilemma among
hospitals: overcrowded emergency rooms.
William Barsan, a physician and the chair
of emergency medicine at the University
Hospital, said packed emergency rooms have
become typical in hospitals across the country.
In 1996, there were 6,200 emergency rooms in
the country and more than 90 million annual
visits, Barsan said. By 2002, there was a
decrease in the number of emergency rooms
to 4,037, while annual visits increased to more
than 114 million.
The Centers for Disease Control and Pre-
vention confirmed these statements in a recent
news release, citing "a continuing increase in
the number of Americans seeking medical
care in hospital emergency departments, even
as other data show the actual number of emer-
gency departments on the decline."
The issue can be especially pertinent to col-
lege-age students, who have the second highest
rate of visiting emergency departments behind
the elderly, according to the CDC.
"Persons aged 75 and older continue to have
better,
r of
)es up."
William Barsan
gency medicine,
versity Hospital
the highest rate of emer-
gency department visits
(61.1 per 100 persons),
while the next highest
rate was for persons
aged 15-24," a March
report from the center
states.
In order to determine
who needs to be treated
first, hospitals must
"sort out who is most
likely to need medical
attention right away,"
Barsan said, adding
MIKE HULSEBUS/ Daily
Artist Anthony Wilson, center, along with Sam Hollenshead, with camera, talk to Ann Arbor resident Ivano Zamperia about Wilson's travel-
ing art, titled "A New American Century." The artists are making a film on people's reactions to the portraits of Bush administration fig-
artists take their
work (andpolitics) on the road
that he would nonetheless not want to have to
decide who should be treated first.
Such decisions prove to be problematic,
not only for those trying to receive care, but
also for the hospitals that have to deal with
severe overcrowding. Despite the increase in
the number of patients, hospital budgets are
shrinking, Barsan said. This means that even
though the number of patients is increasing,
funding allocated to hospitals may not grow at
a rate that will allow hospitals to accommodate
all the new patients.
There are many reasons for the increase
in hospital emergency room visits. Sicker
patients, shorter hospital stays leading to
See PATIENTS, Page 7A
By Ekiyot Saini
Daily Staff Reporter
Huge, visually imposing paintings of President
Bush and his foreign policy team brought tears and
jeers from spectators at the Ann Arbor Art Center
yesterday, creating heated political discourse.
Two local artists are causing such commotions
with their moving exhibit of political paintings, A
New American Century, which is traveling to cit-
ies in the Midwest and the South, beginning with
Ann Arbor.
Anthony Wilson, who created the artwork for
the exhibit, displayed six large oil canvases on
West Liberty Street, portraying President Bush,
Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defense
Donald Rumsfield, Secretary of State Colin Pow-
ell, National Security Advisor Condolezza Rice
and Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz.
Wilson, working in conjunction with photogra-
pher Sam Hollenshead, is recording viewer reac-
tions on camera and engaging them in political
discourse, in hopes of capturing what he called
"this very unique time."
"(The art) bring's people's
emotions to the surface,
usually positive, but
some real fury as well."
- Anthony Wilson
Artist
Political polarization has led to political discus-
sion among the like-minded, but no real discussion
exists across partisan lines, he said. "No one wants
to be painted as a bad person" for supporting Presi-
dent Bush or for opposing him, he said.
Hollenshead said by creating an ethnography of
the election, he hopes to help "to understand this
country and to understand the people by speaking
one on one and get an emotional reaction."
"The ultimate goal is to facilitate an honest dis-
cussion" among the public, he said.
The dialogues about politics that the artwork
* n : "A New American
Century" art exhibit. Two local artists
have painted several renderings of
top politicians, in hopes of sparking
political dialogue between patrons.
DPS reports steep
rise in MIP tickets
espoused among Ann Arbor residents has been
mixed but generally positive, the artists said.
The art "brings people's emotions to the sur-
face, usually positive, but some real fury as well,"
Wilson said.
"We are tired of doomsday politicians;' said
Odile Hugonot-Haber, who viewed the exhibit and
is the chair of the Woman's International League
for Peace and Freedom, which works to achieve
conditions for peace, freedom and justice. "People
in the community need to put more pressure on the
politicians. This country has forgotten what war
means," she said.
See ARTWORK, Page 8A
By Melissa Benton
Daily Staff Reporter
ELECTIONS 04
On Mideast conflict, talks vs. reforms
Although no one wants to receive a minor
in possession of alcohol citation, if you find
yourself getting one this year, you're definite-
ly not alone.
The Department of Public Safety has
recorded a significant increase in MIP viola-
tions on campus this year. From Aug. 25 to
Oct. 9 this year, 129 MIPs were handed out,
compared to 80 MIPs handed out during the
same time period last year.
DPS Capt. Joe Piersante said there could
be many reasons for the increase, but pointed
specifically to the larger freshman class and
an increase in pledging activity among the
fraternities and sororities.
"Those are the only two definitive things
I can point to. The rest is just speculation,"
Piersante said.
He said DPS officers have noticed more
students out at night because of fall Rush for
the Greek system this year.
"Whether that contributes to the overall
increase, I don't know, but there has been an
overall increase in pledging activity at night
where alcohol is involved," Piersante said.
Interim Dean of Students Sue Eklund also
said she has received reports of more pledg-
ing activity. "There have been more reports
this year that have gotten all the way to my
level," she said.
But Alan Lovi, spokesman for the Interfra-
ternity Council, said there has been no change
in pledging activity this year.
"There's nothing different this year than
any other year. Nothing more, nothing less,"
said Lovi, an LSA senior.
Piersante said he has noticed a problem
with binge drinking among all students this
year, but it's hard to tell if there has been
an increase, because like assaults, hospital-
izations due to binge drinking don't all get
reported to DPS.
"One of the things we are concerned with
about underage drinking is binge drinking.
We've had to transport a number of kids to
the hospital this year. My sense of it is that
we're getting several of those every week-
end," Piersante said.
See CITATIONS, Page 7A
By Farayha Arrine
Daily Staff Reporter
As a Middle East analyst and self-described
evangelical Christian, Michael Evans has been
hard at work promoting President Bush's plan to
resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Kerry pushes for peace negotiations;
Bush stresses Palestinian adjustments
seek representation from more moderately aligned
politicians.
Massachusetts senator has also said he supports
the construction of an Israeli wall in the West
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