Thursday, December 8, 2005
News 3A IFC welcomes
new fraternities to
Greek system
Opinion 4A Eric Jackson gives
into the tPod
Sports 8A Cagers 6-0 after win
over Delaware State
SHOULD nE - ed fR VnATE .Irs oTKiEMl freNTom
One-/iundred-ifteen years ofedkorzidfreedorn
.
www.mcAhigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Vol. CXVI, No. 45
62005 The Michigan Daily
!-
'may soon
require health
insurance
Requirement would make University
student health plan cheaper by increasing
number of healthy participants
By Gab. Nelson
Daily Staff Reporter
Daunted by steeply escalating prices for University-provided medi-
cal insurance plans, University Health Services is looking into wheth-
er students should be required to purchase an insurance plan, in part,
as a way to lower the cost of these plans.
Rising health insurance costs lead to what is known as the "death
spiral" in the insurance business because only sick people feel the
need to buy an insurance plan, said UHS Director Bob Winfield.
"When there aren't enough healthy people buying the insurance to
cover the cost of treating the sick, the price goes up," he said.
The University health insurance plan offered to domestic students
without any other coverage costs $1,998, up from $678 for the 1997
academic year.
The cost of the domestic plan started to rapidly increase in 2002,
Winfield said. As the cost of the plan broke $1,000 because of new
benefits and a poor economy, many students stopped buying it, leav-
ing themselves uninsured.
While 3,500 students bought the domestic plan in 2001, UHS
expects about 1,700 students to buy it this year.
See INSURANCE, page 7A
Cost of Domestic Insurance Plan
ZBT punished for hazing
Interfraternity Council suspends
fraternity for one year after finding
evidence that it hazed pledges
By Carissa Miller
Daily Staff Reporter
The Zeta Beta Tau fraternity has been suspended
from the Interfraternity Council after an investiga-
tion found the fraternity guilty of hazing, the council
announced yesterday.
The suspension comes after the Hazing Task Force
and the Greek Activities Review Panel investigated two
separate complaints of hazing brought against ZBT. The
investigations produced sufficient evidence that the fra-
ternity violated Greek hazing rules, IFC spokesman Jon
Krasnov said.
"The IFC reaffirms its position that hazing is inconsis-
tent with the values and principles of Greek life and will
not be tolerated in the Greek community at the Univer-
sity," Krasnov said in a statement released yesterday.
In keeping with its bylaws, GARP, which conducts
hearings and imposes sanctions on houses that violate
Greek social and hazing policies, has imposed several
sanctions on the fraternity, said Chris Haughee, assistant
director of the University's Office of Greek Life.
In addition to the one-year suspension prohibiting ZBT
from attending IFC meetings and from participating in
events and programs of the Greek community, as well as
a public admonishment at last night's IFC meeting, ZBT
must develop and facilitate a GARP-approved hazing
education program. This program will be presented to the
members of the IFC and the Panhellenic Association next
year, Haughee said.
Haughee said that at the end of the suspension period,
GARP will hold a hearing to determine whether ZBT
has complied with the conditions of the suspension. If it
is found that ZBT failed to comply with the sanctions,
GARP can extend the suspension period.
While specific details of the violations remain confi-
dential, the hazing involved humiliation and excessive
eating, drinking and exercise, Dean of Students Sue
See HAZING, page 7A
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U.Se~n.John MciIn (R-Ariz.) greets sunnnrters at a haok reazding at Borders Book s and Muic o~ n Lbertv Street vesterdav. Mctain tlis Iteners
that he may or may not run for president In 2008. McCain's new book Is titled "Character Is Destiny: Inspiring Stories Every Young Person Should
i Know and Every Adult Should Remember."
Some students complain of long wait times at UHS
By Christina Hildreth
Daily Staff Reporter
Music freshman Mike Kelton just wanted
someone to tell him what was wrong with his
right arm.
After injuring it while working out at the
CCRB earlier this semester, he sought treat-
ment at University Health Services. But after
waiting more than
two hours to be This is the first
seen by the nurse story in a three-
practitioner, he part series on
was fed up. the University's
"They just student services.
weren't respond-
ing," he said.
UHS told him that his arm could feel bet-
ter "tomorrow or in a month." He decided that
next time he needed care, he would go to the
hospital.
Kelton is part of a vocal segment of the
student body that is disillusioned with UHS,
a University clinic that is partially funded by
student fees.
UHS allows students unlimited visits and
access to various medical specialists through
referrals.
Some students claim UHS is reluctant
to prescribe medications, employs under-
qualified staff and has long lines for walk-in
appointments that make it difficult to squeeze
in a visit between classes.
UHS Director Robert Winfield refutes these
claims, saying cases like Kelton's do exist, but
are the minority.
Most of the 300 patients that come through
UHS each day quickly receive premium care
by one of 14 board-certified doctors, he said.
"Students who get good care don't talk
about it - if you come in for a yeast infec-
tion or herpes (and receive good care), you
aren't going to tell your friend about it,"
Winfield said. "Bad news spreads fast, and
good news is not talked about in the health
care world."
Winfield cited a 1999-2000 survey of grad-
uate and undergraduate students on campus,
which asked them to rank UHS and their fam-
ily practitioners on a scale of one to four. At
the final count, UHS and family doctors tied
with a 3.42 quality rating.
Acknowledging that lines are sometimes
a problem, Winfield said the easiest way to
avoid a long wait is by making an appointment
or coming in before 11 a.m.
Winfield also recognized that many stu-
dents who come in with sniffles looking for
antibiotics leave the clinic disappointed, but y
said it is not because UHS providers don't
want to help students.
UHS policy, which dictates that health care
providers not issue antibiotics for viral afflic-
tions, is based on guidelines from the Centers
for Disease Control and is part of an effort to
reduce development of drug-resistant strains.
Despite some students' concerns that UHS
doctors may be crunching too many patients
into tight schedules, Winfield said his staff
typically sees 18 to 20 patients per day, in
15-minute slots. That's generous compared
to family practitioners, who often see five or
more patients per hour, he said.
Regardless of these concerns, many stu-
dents who have used UHS report high-quality,
convenient care.
Kinesiology junior Jeff Spencer went to the.
See UHS, page 7A Students wait in line at University Health Services yesterday afternoon.
TOMMASU OME/DailIy
Lecturers hold 15-minute
teach-ins during class time
What's wrong?
Lecturers' grievances:
Eighteen-month delay in
raises for lecturers who have
completed necessary reviews
for promotions.
IM. IA-AEI--v~l. -
Court: Disabled can't
escape student loans
WASHINGTON (AP) - America's seniors and disabled cannot escape old
student loan debts, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled yesterday in a case involving a
Seattle man, freeing the government to pursue Social Security benefits as part of
an effort to collect billions in delinquent loans.
By Ekjyot Saini
Daily Staff Reporter
clause the University is referring to is vague and that LEO
will contest the University's interpretation if disciplinary
actions are taken.
i
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