Wednesday, March 30, 2005
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Jordan Schrader
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One-hundredfourteen years ofeditoralfreedom
www.mzhki~andaziy.com Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXV, No. 108 @2005 The Michigan Daily
GSIs,
'U'
Doctor shortage foretold
reach some
agreements
EIf progress continues, GSIs says
they may not need to authorize an
open-ended strike next week.
By Ekjyot Saini
Daily Staff Reporter
With negotiations continuing late last night, the Graduate
Employees' Organization and the University have begun to
make significant progress since last week's walkout, which
includes agreement on international GSI issues.
GEO President Dave Dobbie said that if progress continues
on this manner, he is hopeful that the union will not have to
authorize an open-ended strike next week.
The agreement reached yesterday dealt with the testing and
training of international GSIs. Various GEO members had
expressed concerns that their English skills were not being accu-
rately assessed by the exam that they were required to take, and
that certain countries were being targeted.
The University accepted GEO's proposal of instituting a pre-
test that would gauge an international student's English language
* ability before having to take the English language exam.
"(The University) agreed in principle that a pre-test makes
sense," Dobbie said.
GEO also demanded that the University provide financial sup-
port for all GSI training that occurs before the semester starts
- not just for LSA GSIs. Under the new agreement, GSIs in all
academic units would be eligible for financial support.
GEO also agreed to the same tuition wavier clause that was
in the previous contract. GSIs that are employed at a ".25 frac-
tion" or greater - which means working 10 hours or more
per week - will not pay tuition, while those at lower fraction
appointment - less than 10 hours a week - will pay a certain
See GEO, Page 7
Penny wars to
grant wishes
The Make-A-Wish Foundation of
Michigan is raising money for children
with life-threatening illnesses
By C. C. Song
Daily Staff Reporter
The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Michigan has declared a
penny war between Central Campus, North Campus and the Hill.
The proceeds of the "war," which started Monday and will end
Friday, will help the national Make-A-Wish Foundation grant
more kids their wishes.
The organization has placed donation jugs in the lobbies of all
the residence halls. Every penny added to the jugs will add one
Thirty-one percent
of medical schools will
"definitely" or "probably"
increase enrollment
By Kingson Man
Daily Staff Reporter
The prognosis is dire: By the year
2020, there will be a nationwide short-
age of 85,000 doctors. The recommend-
ed treatment? Increase the number of
medical school students by 15 percent
each year.
The congressional Council on Gradu-
ate Medical Education presented this
scenario in a report released last month,
and Medical advocacy organizations
are heeding COGME's call to action.
The Association of American Medical
Colleges has changed its position from
claiming there is an oversupply of phy-
sicians to calling for a "modest increase
in medical school enrollment," accord-
ing to a press release.
Reversing the decades-old stance that
there are too many medical students,
medical schools around the country are
preparing to increase the number of stu-
dents they enroll. A recent AAMC poll
showed that 31 percent of medical schools
were "definitely" or "probably" going to
increase enrollment in the next few years,
with another 20 percent "possibly" plan-
ning on taking the same route.
The dean of admissions and the direc-
tor of the Medical School could not be
reached for comment because they are
out of the country.
See DOCTORS, Page 7
Graphic by Mathew Daniels
GLENN GETTY/Daily
MSA President Jesse Levine shakes hands with outgoing president Jason Mironov last night.
New MSA president inugurated
"We have so
many people
here looking
to make a
difference."
= Jeff Tosoian
President of Make-
A-Wish of Michigan
point to the campus where the dorm
is located and subtract one point from
the other two campuses' totals.
The competition is also being held
between fraternity and sorority hous-
es as a part of Greek Week activity.
Make-A-Wish participated in Diag
Day on Monday - the first day that
fraternities and sororities contributed
to the Penny War - and will take part
in State Street Day - when fraterni-
ties and sororities compete to make
donations again on Friday.
The Penny War is just one of the
many fundraising activities - includ-
ing December's open skate in Yost
By Jeremy Davidson
Daily Staff Reporter
Former MSA President Jason Mironov called the
last MSA meeting of his term to order last night at
7:30 p.m. and passed the torch on to MSA President
Jesse Levine. Though the new administration had
not even been sworn in, constituents brought issues
for the next year to the attention of the assembly
from the start of the meeting.
Jennifer Holmes, director of Operations for Uni-
versity Hospitals and Health Centers, voiced con-
cern with part of Levine's platform that emphasized
increased privacy for students who were admitted
to the hospital for alcohol-related incidents.
Members of the assembly had voiced concerns
about minors being afraid to seek treatment, due to
fear of being turned over to police or the Depart-
ment of Public Safety.
Holmes assured the assembly that privacy was
at the foundation of all policies of the University's
hospitals and health centers.
"I want students fo be secure in knowing that if
they come to the hospital for care for any reason,
that their case will be held in the utmost confiden-
tiality," Holmes said. "We protect the confidential-
ity of all our-patients, including students, and there
is no reporting to any University officials."
Levine said he was pleased to hear this, but that
he wanted to ensure that past infringements of stu-
dent privacy were not repeated.
"Privacy laws need to be respected at the U of
M Hospital, and I'm glad to hear that the policy at
the U of M. hospital respects those laws. However,
I am troubled to hear that there was an instance
in which a students privacy rights may have been
infringed upon," Levine said. "I'd like to make
sure that such aberrations do not happen in the
future," he said.
These early points of clarification did not bring
any doubt about Levine's ability from Mironov.
"I have the utmost faith in Jesse, and I hope he
and the assembly lead and serve this campus to the
best of their ability," Mironov said.
These sentiments echoed Mironov's motto for
Levine, and the job of MSA president, "Loved,
hated, but never ignored."
Mironov emphasized that while everyone may
not have always agreed with his decisions, that he
always acted with what he believed to be the best
interest of the students.
Former MSA Chief of Staff Elliott Wells-Reid
had similar advice for the next administration.
"Remember that your job here is to represent
the students, and not to forget to put students first
when making all decisions," Wells-Reid said.
Levine said he was eager to start his term and
looked forward to an ambitious year as president.
"MSA is on a total and complete upswing, and
See MSA, Page 7
Arena - that Make-A-Wish of Michigan has sponsored since it
was founded last semester. The event at Yost raised $2,000.
"We have so many people here looking to make a difference,"
said LSA sophomore Jeff Tosoian, president of Make-A-Wish of
Michigan. Tosoian said his organization has expanded its mem-
bership to 100 people in less than a year.
Make-A-Wish Foundation, a world-wide organization that
grants wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses, was
See WISH, Page 7
*Former ambassador calls for U.S. action in Sudan
Steinberg says students
can effectively work
4 to relieve the crisis by
I writing letters to Congress
pNBy Olga Mantilla
For the Daily
ti ', Donald Steinberg. former U.S.
Steinberg's reflection immediately
evoked the gravity of the events that are
taking place in Sudan's western Darfur
region today.
"In retrospect, no Qone can deny
that they knew what was going on.
Rwanda happened in 100 days. Dar-
fur is that same genocide, in slow
motion, and warrants an adequate
response from our government," said
Steinberg, who is also the former
chair of the Student Network on Asy-
lum and Refugee Law, the genocide in
Sudan has been largely ignored by the
media. "This is an area where we've
seen alarming lack of awareness," she
said. "We feel responsibility to raise
consciousness on campus about this
massive humanitarian crisis."
SNARL co-sponsored the event,
along with the Muslim Law Student
Association and Students Taking Action
on the other, has largely been respon-
sible for the killing that has been
carried out. The violence has moved
several groups on campus to petition
Congress in an effort to change the
tide of events in Sudan.
Steinberg said that although the
humanitarian relief being provided by
the international community has been
impressive, it is not enough to stabilize
the situation in Sudan.
I