Tuesday, March 15, 2005 34 ,,-- 4 ~2~Ir'rP AGE. 5 Weather Opinion 4 Sam Singer on the dangers of Adderall Arts 8 The Mars Volta release high-concept 'Frances the Mute' c t i twut aug His"35 LOW : 19 3/20 Sports 10 Hirsute Icers go wild for tradition One-hundred fourteen years ofeditorialfreedom www.michgandaily.com Ann Arbor, Michigan * Vol. CXV, No. 97 x2005 The Michigan Daily Courant to step dov University President Coleman to announce chair of committee to find a replacement in next few days By Karl Stampfl Daily Staff Reporter University Provost Paul Courant announced yesterday that he will step down from his position on Aug. 31 instead of seek- ing reappointment for a second term. Courant, who has held the University's second most powerful posi- tion since 2001, said he was successful in his two chief objectives as provost - easing the transition of Univer- sity President Mary Sue Coleman and guiding the University through an Courant ongoing tough budgetary situation. "I was able to help the president adjust and learn about Michigan and for Michigan to learn about her," Courant said of Coleman, who assumed her post in 2001. In an e-mail yesterday to faculty, Coleman wrote that she relied on Courant to aid her during her acclimation to the University. She said his knowledge of the University bud- get in a time of declining state funding was essential to the University's ability to main- tain its world-class academics. "Under his leadership, our academic units have continued to innovate and grow, despite resource constraints," she said. Courant named his management of budget vn as provost cuts while sustaining the University's aca- but we're having trouble sustaining support," demic excellence as the accomplishment he Courant said. "It's the problem the president is most proud of. is working very hard on right now. Other- "I hope I'm remembered as someone who wise, I think I'm leaving the place in pretty kept his eyes on what mattered more - aca- good shape." demic quality of institution," he said. Courant will end his role as provost on But with Gov. Jennifer Granholm propos- Aug. 31 and until then will continue working ing to strip the University's state funding on the University's fiscal year 2006-budget. again of $5.6 million, the University is still "I'm still on the clock," he said. "I wouldn't in a budget crisis. Courant cited those cuts leave in the middle - Aug. 31 is a very dead as the greatest challenge his successor will time around here. So we'll get through this face. budget cycle and make sure we'll be in solid t 1 r a C "American higher education is one of the spectacular successes of the modern world, shape for next year." See COURANT, Page 7 Divestment resolution likely to pass By Donn M. Fresard and Justin Miller Daily Staff Reporters A resolution supporting divestment from Israel appears to havea reason- able chance of passing in tonight's Michigan Student Assembly meet- ing, several top MSA officials said yesterday. The resolution, which attacks the Israeli military's practices toward the Palestinians as "reprehensible" and "unjustifiable" in 14 paragraphs leading up to its conclusion, would urge the University Board of Regents to create an "advisory committee to investigate the moral and ethi- cal implications" of the University's $11,000,000 worth of investments in companies that do business with Israel. As of 3 a.m. this morning, a vote c'ount by The Michigan Daily found that MSA representatives who knew how they would vote were almost evenly divided between support- ing and opposing the resolution. MSA officials said a similar late- night tally, conducted by assembly officials, yielded roughly the same results. The student government at the Uni- versity's Dearborn campus passed a similar resolution last month, and the student government at the Flint campus is also expected to take up the issue tomorrow. In an unusual move last night, MSA President Jason Mironov came out against the resolution before the vote. While its supporters claim the resolution merely suggests that a committee explore the issue, Mironov condemned it as disingenu- ous, saying it presents only the anti- Israel side of the argument. "Ninety-five percent of the docu- ment condemns the state of Israel, See DIVESTMENT, Page 7 ASHLEY HARPER/Daily The Michigan Theater on Liberty Street will host the Ann Arbor Film Fes- tival this week. The" festival will screen 125 different projects, ranging from local films to national and inter- national works. Minority bone marrow drive comes tc By Adrian Chen Daily Staff Reporter ) U, AZ FILM FESTIVAL MAINTAINS ITS EXPERIMENTAL LEGACY By Marshall W. Lee Daily Film Editor On a historic evening 43 years ago, University School of Art and Design Prof. George Manupelli gathered a casual group of close friends, artists and fascinated students into a smoke-filled Lorch Hall auditorium to watch a few films. When the lights dimmed and the whispers subsided, a projector jumped to life and the show began. From these rather inauspicious beginnings came the Ann Arbor Film Festival, an internationally renowned celebration of the filmic arts that will continue in its grand tradition March 15 through 20 at the Michigan Theater. Originally intended as an exhibition space for Midwestern and Michigan-based 16mm work, the festival has evolved and expanded over the past four decades to become, in the words of Festival Programming Director Chrisstina Hamilton, "a chrysalis of international ideas" and a highly dem- ocratic showcase for narrative and experimental work in all film, video and digital mediums. One of the largest, oldest and most celebrat- ed events of its kind in North America, this year's AAFF will screen more than 125 proj- ects, including film and video exhibitions, lec- tures, workshops and seminars over a six-day run. The festival's events begin tonight at 7 p.m. with a public gala reception and premier exhibi- tion at the Michigan Theater. The theater itself, an ornately detailed and beautifully restored 1920s art house located on Liberty Street, will be transformed with installations from local artists. For those who have never had a chance to visit the theater's two screening spaces - the 1,700-seat main auditorium and the See FESTIVAL, Page 9 It started innocuously enough, with a small, blurry dot in her field of vision. But Tara Revyn's doctor told her this was caused by a hemorrhage in her eye - a potential sign of serious brain dam- age. Tests were done and no damage was found, but in February of 2003, further examinations showed something just as serious: myelodysplastic syndrome, a precursor to leukemia. Myelodysplastic syndrome is a can- cer of the bone marrow, the site of the body's blood manufacturing. The dis- ease, like most others affecting bone marrow, damages the marrow in such a way that it cannot produce the white blood cells vital to a person's immune system, making the patient vulnerable to infections and other diseases. Without a bone marrow transplant,. Revyan is likely to die. "I was in disbelief," Revyan, a 24- year-old Korean American with a 7- year-old child, said of receiving the diagnosis. "I had just started my career and received my degree, and that's the last thing you expect to happen." Saving a life Minority Bone Marow Dave The bone marrow drive will be held in two locations today from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Locations are the Ander- son room of the Michigan Union and room 3817 of the Medical Science II building. Participants will be registered for bone marrow type and are not required to commit to a transplant. Revyan has undergone a number of experimental treatments in the hopes that one might cure her. They did not, and now Revyan is searching for a bone marrow transplant from a compatible donor to restore her immune system and save her life. The transplant would replace her See MARROW, Page 7 History of Holocaust offers lessons for modern audience This year's conference puts Holocaust in context of temporary human rights issues. Conference co-chair Tori Roth said what makes this conference - themed "A World The weeklong conference, taking place from today to March 23, features a series of events including speeches by professors and survivors, it's a human issue whose impact can be seen and felt throughout the world today," Lacks added. The main organization behind the event is room at 7 p.m., features speaker Tom Marti- nez, a former member of the white supremacist group The Order who later went undercover to - I I I