Wednesday, February 1, 2006
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The Daily's take on the
State of the Union
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One-hundredffteen years ofedorilfreedom
www.michikandaily.com Ann Arbor, Michigan * Vol. CXVI, No. 66 2006 The Michigan Daily
"AMERICA IS ADDICTED TO OIL."
-PESIDENT bUSH IN JLA~ST NIGHT'S STATFE OF THE UNION ADDRESS
Auto named
110th high
court justice
Campus split on
confirmation of new
Supreme Court justice
By Dylan Saunders
Daily Staff Reporter
The U.S. Senate voted 58-42
to confirm Samuel Alito as the
110th justice of the Supreme
Court yesterday.
Alito replaces justice San-
dra Day O'Connor, who served
as the swing vote for the past
College Democrat members
said it was a dangerous time
for a nominee like Alito to
be appointed to the Supreme
Court.
"With revelations that George
Bush has authorized wire-tap-
ping without warrants ... it's
the wrong time to consider put-
ting someone on the Supreme
Court who doesn't believe that
his role is to check executive
power," said Jamie Ruth, Col-
lege Democrats vice-chair.
"We have three branches of
government.
It's danger-
President Bush greets newly appointed Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, right, as he makes his way into the House chamber to deliver his annual
State of the Union speech before a joint session of Congress yesterday.
Bush turns focus to clean
energy research in address
24 years, and
whose rul-
ings defended
affirmative
action and a
woman's right
to choose.
"It's a
momentous
appointment,''
said Law
School Dean
Evan -Camink-
er. "Sandra
Day O'Connor
established
some very
important
social issues.
However Ali-
to's views will
"My concern is
that it appears
that the
confirmation
was based on
party lines within
the Senate."
-Rhea Yo
Second-year Law student
ous when a
justice won't
recognize
that."
Ruth
argued that
Americans'
civil liber-
ties might be
abridged if
too much lee-
way is given
to the execu-
tive.
Unlike
Chief Justice
John Rob-
ccw T
New initiative could result
in boost to federal grants for
University researchers
By Michael Gurovitsch
Daily StaffReporter
President Bush announced an alternative ener-
gy initiative during last night's State of the Union
address that could significantly increase research
grants at the University.
The cornerstone of the proposal is a 22-percent
boost in clean-energy research funding for the
Department of Energy.
Bush characterized Americans' oil consump-
tion habits as an addiction that could be curbed
through investment in new and existing technolo-
gies, including zero-emission coal, solar and wind
power and nuclear energy.
University fientists have been beneficiaries of
substantial government research grants in the sci-
ences, and University officials had been lobbying
for an initiative like the one proposed. Cynthia
Wilbanks, University vice president for govern-
ment relations, said she is confident that if Bush's
proposal comes to fruition, University researchers
will benefit.
"I think there's a great deal of enthusiasm for a
renewed focus on the promise of new investment
in physical sciences (and) energy - some of the
basic R&D support that the President announced
tonight," Wilbanks said.
Over the last 18 months, University President
Mary Sue Coleman has served on a nationwide
See BUSH, page 7
Student dies after fall from parking structure
Police say Law student's death
was an apparent suicide; Law School
community reacts with shock
By belle Dodge
and Drew Philp
Daily Staff Reporters
Jeff Druchniak, a dual-degree public policy and Law
student, died after a fall from a parking structure on
the corner of South Forest and Willard Street yesterday
morning sometime between 5 and 7 a.m.
Police said the death appeared to be a suicide, but the
investigation is ongoing.
Druchniak earned his undergraduate degree at the
University in 2000. He was a book reviewer and maga-
zine co-editor for The Michigan Daily.
Druchniak returned to the University for law school
in 2004 after completing a master's degree in journal-
ism at the University of Illinois.
Druchniak was involved in several campus performing
groups as a musician and a performer. LSA junior Emily
Chaloner, who directed Druchniak in Shakespeare's "The
Winter's Tale" last year, described him as a hard-working
a person who "always got along with everyone."
"He was very sincere and a good guy," said first-year
Law student Walter Chen, a friend of Druchniak's.
Law School Dean Evan Caminker addressed the Law
School community in an e-mail yesterday afternoon.
"Jeff will obviously be missed by all of us here,"
Caminker wrote. "My heartfelt condolences go out to
his family, and to those of you within our family who
came to know him during his time at the school."
Caminker advised students affected by Druchniak's
death to contact Counseling and Psychological Services.
He added that CAPS representatives would be meet-
ing with students today just after noon in the Lawyer's
JLounge.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among
college students, according to Finding Voice, a student-
run mental health advocacy group on campus.
Mark Terrell, president of Finding Voice, said poten-
tial suicides often exhibit signs of depression or loss of
interest in normal activities. But he added that these sig-
nals are often overlooked.
"The best thing you can do (for someone you are wor-
ried about) is take them seriously," Terrell said. "Don't
promise them you won't tell anyone. You're obligated
to tell."
LSA sophomore Matt Devine, who was also in "Win-
ter's Tale," said Druchniak was intelligent and his death
was unforeseen.
"He was well liked, but a bit misunderstood," Devine
said. "I never expected him to do anything like this."
When Caminker announced to his class yesterday
See DRUCHNIAK, page 7
differ from O'Connor's will be
the deciding factor."
Alito has drawn criticism
from Senate Democrats since
President Bush announced his
nomination last October. A
last-minute attempt by Demo-
crats to block his nomination
with a filibuster failed Monday
night.
Students are divided over the
confirmation.
"We're glad it went through,"
said Robert Scott, vice-chair
of the College Republicans.
"Obviously there's a lot of poli-
tics behind the confirmation ...
but most of the public interest
that developed saying he was a
racist or sexist has been washed
away."
In a statement to the Senate
Judiciary Committee on Janu-
ary 18, American Civil Liber-
ties Union Executive Director
Anthony Romero said: "(Alito)
wrote several dissents arguing
for higher standards for plain-
tiffs seeking trial on their race,
gender and disability discrimi-
nation claims."
Romero cited Alito's dis-
sension from a decision that
ruled a search warrant for a
strip search of a suspect's wife
and 10-year-old daughter was
unconstitutional.
erts, whom
the Senate
confirmed last September,
Alito will not separate politics
from his rulings, Ruth said.
President Bush has described
Alito as "a brilliant and fair-
minded judge who strictly
interprets the Constitution and
laws and does not legislate
from the bench."
"Bush has been behind more
judiciously sound nomina-
tions," Scott said. "He stuck
with that-promise with Roberts
and Alito."
Some students were con-
cerned that the vote on Alito's
confirmation indicated this was
more of a political appointment
than a judicial one.
"My concern is that it
appears that the confirmation
was based on party lines within
the Senate," second-year Law
student Rhea Yo said. "In the
past, justices were confirmed
by the majority of the Senate
without such strong polariza-
tion between the parties."
Alito's confirmation ended a
seven-month drama that began
when Sandra Day O'Connor
declared she would retire - the
first change on the court since
1994.
- The Associated Press
contributed to this report.
. Athletes to show
off on Hill stage
HAPPY NEW YEAR
'Brokeback' continues
streak with eight
Oscar nominations
Tonight's Mock Rock
performance will raise
money for C.S. Mott
Children's Hospital
By Amber Colvin
Daily Staff Reporter
"All the athletes get to see what other
people put together. Some teams are real-
ly funny; some teams come up with really
creative ideas;" golfer Kelly Easton said.
The men's and women's golf teams
will perform a combined dance routine,
Easton said.
Olympic gold medalist Michael
Phelps and Michigan wide receiver Steve
Breaston will be returning as special
guest judges. They will be joined on the
panel by Breaston's teammates Mike
Hart and Lamarr Woodley, as well as
national championship softball players
Jennie Ritter, Samantha Findlay, Grace
Leutele, Tiffany Haas and Jessica Mer-
chant. Rounding out the group of judges
is NFL running back and University
alum Tyrone Wheatley.
'Crash' and 'Good
Night, and Good
Luck' also clean up
By Jeffrey Bloomer
Managing Arts Editor
Ang Lee's romantic drama "Broke-
back Mountain" continued its awards-
season dominance yesterday morning
The stage of Hill Auditorium has seen
it all, from esteemed symphonies to big-
name rap artists. Tonight, a different
kind of performer will take the stage at
the elegant theater - the kind that tends
to perform on South Campus.
Michigan athletes will put away their
jerseys tonight and wield microphones to
put on the seventh annual Mock Rock,
out the film's eight nominations.
Other Best Picture nominees include
"Good Night, and Good Luck," "Capote,"
"Crash" and Steven Spielberg's "Munich,"
which explores the aftermath of the 1972
Munich Olympics terrorist attack. The
controversial film had been largely ignored
in other year-end competition.
James Mangold's hit Johnny Cash
biopic "Walk the Line" and Woody
Allen's "Match Point" were among the
films most notably passed over for Best
Picture nominations.
TEN In a rare occurrence,
each film in the Best Pic-
ture category also earned a
by garnering eight Academy
nominations including Best
Picture, the most of any film
released last year.
The increasingly popu-
Award
LIS
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