NEWS
The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, October 19, 2005 - 3A
ON CAMPUS
Nobel laureate to
speak on quantum
mechanics
Anthony Legget, the winner of
the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physics will
give the University's annual Ta-You
Wu Lecture in Physics today.
Legget, a University of Illinois
physics professor will talk about
the ongoing issues in understand-
ing quantum mechanics. The lec-
ture will be held at 4:10 p.m. in the
fourth floor amphitheater in Rack-
ham auditorium. The lecture is a
part of the Physics Department's
theme semester which is devoted to
Albert Einstein.
Learn meditation
techniques at the
Michigan League
To help students better cope with
stress from schoolwork, the Uni-
versity Unions Arts & Programs is
holding an event to teach students
meditation techniques.
The event will be held today in the
Michigan League Henderson Room
at 6 p.m.
Spanish author
to discuss book
writing process
Ignacio Carrion, a Spanish author
and 1995 Nadal Prize Winner, will
speak at the University today on his
writing process in crafting his most
recent book, "Diaries: 1961-2001."
The discussion will be held on the
fourth floor commons of the Modern
Languages Building at 4 p.m.
* CRIME
NOTES
Drive less? No need, many students say
By Mariem Qamruzzaman
For the Daily
Despite a recent surge in gas prices, LSA senior
Ben Lack doesn't plan on changing his driving
habits anytime soon.
With buses too slow, the weather getting too
cold and his parents footing the bill on his gas
prices, Lack said there's no need to abandon his'
92 Toyota Camry.
"I drive it around campus for convenience, but
when I need to go off campus, it's usually a neces-
sity because the bus sucks," Lack said. "It takes an
hour to get to Meijer with the bus."
Many University students who drive cars give
the same story, even as gas prices in Michigan
hover around $2.64 a gallon according to AAA.
Although some students are trying alternatives to
curb gasoline usage, the daily transportation needs
of many student drivers haven't yet overwhelmed
them in relinquishing their car keys.
Walter McManus, director of the University's
Office for the Study of Automotive Transporta-
tion, said people shouldn't be surprised that stu-
dents are continuing to drive.
McManus said research shows that if gas prices
rise 10 percent, driving is cut down by only 4 percent.
After Hurricane Katrina, gas prices rose 12 percent.
Other students who are not changing their
driving habits said that their parents paid for
their gas, or said they use their cars only to
drive to work.
First-year Law student Betsey Wiegman said
she fills her tank very rarely because she uses her
car only once or twice a week.
Students like Nursing junior Laura Ready say
higher prices have changed her driving habits. Ready
said she now walks as much as possible and doesn't
visit places like the mall as frequently as before. Yet,
she said she still needs the car for work.
"I've been making a conscious effort to take
the bus, but I'm always running late."
- Tony Smith
Rackham student
"It was really crappy that they made us have a
car and made us drive to clinical (and community
service), but they wouldn't reimburse us for gas,"
Ready said.
She said she puts as many as 90 miles on her
car per week driving to Detroit and Chelsea and
spends about $40 a week on gas.
Tony Smith, a first year physics graduate stu-
dent, said he has cut down on driving back home
to Southfield, and for on-campus transportation he
is trying alternatives like riding the bus and biking
- but not without some problems.
"I've been making a conscious effort to try to
take the bus, but I'm always running late," Smith
said. "I even started to ride a bike, but then some-
body stole my bike seat. And also, when I'd get to
class, I'd be all sweaty."
McManus said gas prices may rise in the future
because countries like China and India will prob-
ably add to the demand for fuel. He also said as a
result, fewer cars may be on campus and people
will utilize public transportation more.
Since Hurricane Katrina, gas prices have
decreased, but it may take a few more years, McM-
anus said, until gas prices truly begin to financially
squeeze the population.
20 people charged
in mortgage fraud
case i n Michigan
The suspects allegedly used
bogus appraisals of properties
and fake credit information
DETROIT (AP) - Federal authorities
have charged 20 people with fraud and
related counts, disrupting what they say
were five separate mortgage fraud orga-
nizations in the Detroit area.
The groups - operating independently
- were responsible for bilking financial
institutions out of $10 million, John Gil-
lies, assistant special agent in charge of
the FBI in Detroit, said at a news confer-
ence yesterday.
In some of the cases, the suspects, in
cooperation with loan officers, set up
phony buyers for dilapidated properties
in Detroit, according to authorities, who
also said the suspects inflated the values
of the properties with bogus appraisals
and used fraudulent credit information to
obtain loans and then split the proceeds.
"Obviously, this required a good deal
of coordination ... and conspiratorial acts
by the people indicted by the grand jury,"
U.S. Attorney Stephen Murphy said.
Nineteen of the suspects are Michigan
residents. One is from Woodland Hills,
Calif. Among the charges they face are
mail fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy,.
Six of the suspects were indicted by a
federal grand jury on Oct. 6, and authori-
ties said they were responsible for steal-
ing $2.7 million. Fourteen others charged
in criminal complaints are responsible for
the rest, authorities said.
Murphy said 17 of the 20 are in cus-
tody, and authorities are looking for the
remaining three people.
"This case is not over, and the investi-
gation is continuing," Murphy said.
About 125 officers from the FBI, the
Michigan State Police and the Macomb
County sheriff's department were involved
in the operation, said Daniel Roberts, spe-
cial agent in charge of the FBI in Detroit.
Authorities searched seven homes and
businesses yesterday looking for addition-
al evidence, Roberts said. He would not
disclose which businesses were searched.
In the case examined by the grand jury,
FBI agents were tipped to the scheme by
lenders, who routinely file reports of sus-
picious activity, Roberts said.
When agents noticed a pattern, they
called in agents from other areas of the
country to infiltrate the operation, at
times posing as phony homebuyers, he
said.
The indictment alleges that Myron L.
Hooker Jr., 39, of Southfield and Peter
Garland, 36,. of Southfield, recruited
phony home buyers as well as loan offi-
cers from several companies to take part
in the fraud.
Hooker and Garland face charges of
wire fraud, mail fraud and conspiracy to
commit those offenses.
Many of the loans went into default
after a few payments were made, leaving
the companies with properties worth far
less than the loan amounts, the indictment
said.
The scheme involved five properties in
Detroit and two in suburban West Bloom-
field Township, the indictment said.
Drunken subject
found harrassing
females
On Sunday night, The Department
of Public Safety recieved a call that
an intoxicated subject was. harass-
ing females in the Michigan Union
Underground. The subject, who was
not affliated with the University,
was transported to a hospital by a
Huron Valley ambulance.
Laptop stolen
from third floor of
Graduate library
A caller reported that someone
stole his laptop from the third floor
of Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library
on Sunday evening.
The victim said he left his laptop
alone for 20 seconds but returned
to find his computer missing. He
reported no suspicious subjects near
the area. DPS has no suspects.
Caller asks
subject for credit
card numbers
A subject reported to DPS that
he received a suspicous telephone
call, which the caller asked personal
questions about his credit card infor-
The subject then canceled his
credit cards, as he discovered some-
I~~~~~-- --EEIW----ITST I--r-
O e a e
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one attempted
infromation.
to change his card
THIS DAY
In Daily History
Preachers talk,
but few students
are listening in
Oct. 19, 1987 - Mike Caulk isn't
afraid to call you a whore.
"You are all whores and whore
mongers," Caulk said to a crowd of
students the other day.
Butiheahas an agenda. A sacred
one in fact. A preacher, he along
Multidisciplinary.
It sets us apart.
School of Information master's students
learn in a multidisciplinary environment.
Our professors have academic backgrounds
in such fields as information sciences,
behavioral sciences, organizational sciences,
and computer sciences. Our human-centered
approach to teaching and learning stresses
the ties between technologists, end-users,
and educators. Be part of it. Connect with SI.
SC it N2L__IN FfRMAlION
UNIVERSITFY (F MICHIGAN
Q .
O f4
Before Si:
BS, Electrical
Engineering
At SI:
Archives and
Records
Management
After S1:
Archivist,
General Archives
of Puerto Rico
We provide all training - first time officials welcome
. Very flexible scheduling
M .Uniforms provided and yours to keep Tan
.e Earn $8.15 per hour!!! tng
tng
, Leam great new plays for your teams
SOfficiate toumaments nation wide
ing
is
All clinics are held at the Intramural Sports Building.
Please attend all meetings; new material covered at each.
Football: October 1.9h, 20th24th, 25th 7PM
'1 1 _ ~ ..r*