Monday, October 3, 2005
News 3A Conference celebrates
successes of
businesswomen
3 "rv TEL Fr7 r . - C
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Opinion 4A
Mara Gay sheds light
on hush phenomenon
Arts 8A System of a Down
rocks Joe Louis
One-hundredfifteen years of ediorialfreedom
www.michikandaily.com Ann Arbor, Michigan m Vol. CXVI, No. 3 2005 The Michigan Daily
Same-sex
benefits
decision
appealed
U' says it will file amicus
brief with appellate court to
support benefits
By Jameel Naqvi
Daily News Editor
State Attorney General Mike Cox
announced Friday he would appeal last
week's ruling in favor of domestic partner
benefits.
The American Civil Liberties Union of
Michigan, which filed the lawsuit result-
ing in last Tuesday's ruling, has indicat-
ed it will fight attempts to overturn the
decision.
The Ingham County Circuit Court ruling
permits public institutions in the state to
provide benefits such as health care to the
same-sex partners of employees despite
Michigan's constitution ban against same-
sex marriages.
The University will continue to support
the right of public employers to offer part-
ner benefits.
"We will be hopeful that the decision the
lower court issued will be upheld," Univer-
sity spokeswoman Julie Peterson said.
The University, which issued an amicus
brief to the circuit court in support of part-
ner benefits, will file another amicus brief
with an appellate court if permitted, Peter-
son added.
Circuit Judge Joyce Draganchuk's deci-
sion was based on her determination that
health insurance is a benefit of employ-
ment, not marriage. She therefore ruled
that providing such benefits does not
amount to a recognition of marriage or a
civil union, both of which are prohibited
in multiple instances by state law, includ-
ing a constitutional amendment approved
by voters last year.
Besides Cox's appeal, Draganchuk's rul-
ing also faces a challenge from two state
Senate resolutions introduced by Sen. Alan
Cropsey (R-DeWitt) Thursday.
The resolutions call on the Michi-
gan Supreme Court to issue a temporary
restraining order preventing the state from
providing partner benefits until the high
court rules in the case.
But Liz Boyd, spokeswoman for Gov.
Jennifer Granholm, said the governor would
honor her earlier pledge of providing same-
sex benefits to state employees in the event
of a favorable decision, by presenting the
See APPEAL, page 7A
Enemy
of the State
The Wolverine's celebrate their 34-31 victory over Michigan State on Saturday.
Michigan comes up big in must-win games
AST LANSING - It was a combina-
tion of relief and redemption.
Seconds after Gar-
rett Rivals's field goal sailed
through the uprights, the Michi-
gan sideline emptied. Players
gathered in a circle and started
chanting, "It's great to be a
Michigan Wolverine" as they
jumped around and pumped
their fists in the air.
A week's worth of pressure
had just disappeared.
"When Michigan State is STEPHP
ranked ahead of you and you're WRIG
Michigan, it's not good," tail- (fright on
back Mike Hart said. "There's
pressure there. That's just pressure in itself.
If Michigan had lost, it would have confirmed
every criticism aimed at the program this sea-
son. Spread offenses own this defense. Chad
Henne has succumbed to the sopho-
more slump. Lloyd Carr can't coach.
Michigan isn't the powerhouse it used
to be.
But by beating the Spartans in
overtime for the second straight sea-
son, the Wolverines proved all their
critics wrong.
No one expected this Michigan
team - which blew leads against
Notre Dame and Wisconsin - to
NIE hold on against the Spartans' high-
T powered offense. But Henne matched
Target Drew Stanton throw for throw, and
the defense allowed 21 points - 28
fewer than Michigan State's season average.
No one expected Hart to be so spectacular
in his return from injury, or wide receiver Carl
Tabb to step up in place of the injured Steve
Breaston. But Hart, Tabb and the rest of the
offense wanted this game and accumulated
488 yards of total offense - the most it has
gained in a contest all season.
And certainly no one expected Carr to go
for it on back-to-back fourth downs late in the
game.
But we should have expected nothing less.
After all, it's been a long time since Michigan
lost a game it absolutely had to win.
Let's be honest: As much as we wish it
could, even a program as storied as this one
can't expect to win a national title every year.
Teams have little control over their destinies
in the BCS; it's not fair to call this season a
failure simply because Michigan won't win a
national title.
Carr recognized long ago that winning the
Big Ten should be the Wolverines' ultimate
focus, and, in case you forgot, he's led his team
to five conference titles in the past eight years.
I'll guarantee Michigan will never give up its
title without a fight under Carr.
Notre Dame is a big game every year, but it's
not really a must-win, because losing it doesn't
affect Michigan's chances for the conference
crown. In this era of parity in the Big Ten, teams
can still win the title with one conference loss.
True must-win games don't begin until after
Michigan has a Big Ten loss. And this is when
the Wolverines are most dangerous.
The 2003 season is a perfect example. Michi-
gan recorded two early losses to Oregon and
Iowa, which meant it had to win every game for
the rest of the regular season. The Wolverines
See WRIGHT, page 3A
AI
H
T
Bill Gates to talk
about tech careers
By Michael Kan
Daily News Editor
Microsoft chairman and multi-bil-
lionaire Bill Gates will speak at the
9 University on Oct. 12 to encourage
students to seize the many oppor-
tunities available in a computer sci-
ence career.
With, enrollment levels in com-
puter science majors declining
nationwide, Gates hopes to boost
interest in computer-related fields by
embarking on a three-day tour of the
nation's top engineering and science
colleges, starting with the University
of Michigan.
"The opportunities for computing
to change the world have never been
greater, and the ideas and excitement
of today's computer science students
are driving the future of innovation in
our industry," he said in a statement.
Since the dot-com bust in the late
1990s left a backlog of computer sci-
entists in the job market, interest in
the field has plummeted. Nationally,
Bill Gates Lecture
Tickets are free and
available starting today
in the Michigan Union
Ticket Of f ic ,
Lecture will be held in
Rackham Auditorium at
10 a.m. on Oct. 12
One ticket per student
incoming students who expressed
interest in a computer science major
fell by 60 percent from 2000 to 2004,
according to a study by the Higher
Education Research Institute at the
University of California, Los Angeles
University enrollment figures par-
allel that trend. From fall 2002 to fall
2004, students majoring in computer
science and computer engineering
decreased by 31 percent.
See GATES, page 7A
COLLEGE CLAMIDIA
FOREST
CASEY/ Daily
"It's col-
lege - If
you don't
have
clamidia
yet,
you're
doing
some-
thing
wrong."
Author
and sex
colum-
nist Dan
Savage
spoke at
Angell
Hall Fri-
day night.
Great
Lakes
center
planned
Research facility
would centralize
environmental groups
By Ian Herbert
Daily Staff Reporter
It's just a concept design at this
point - three or four years away
from becoming a reality - but last
Wednesday University President Mary
Sue Coleman voiced her support for a
project that would bring together five
of the premier organizations that study
the Great Lakes.
It wasn't the first time Coleman had
put her support behind the project that
if realized would bring together the
Great Lakes Commission, the Great
Lakes Fisheries Commission, Michi-
gan's Institute for Fisheries Research,
the Great Lakes Environmental
Reearch Lhnratnrv and the Great
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