2C - The Michigan Daily - Monday, April 17, 2006
NEWS
Bush win shocks students,
who are mostly Dems
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College Republicans excited about the election's
turnout, with President Bush earning 2 percent
more votes than he garnered in 2000
November 4, 2004
By Alex Garivaltis and Justin Miller
Daily Staff Reporters
Yesterday's election results shocked many students at the University,
some of whom say they are hard-pressed to name a single friend who voted
for President Bush. According to election results from seven main polling
locations on campus, 6,472 ballots were cast for John Kerry, while only
1,765 were cast for Bush.
Allison Jacobs, chair of the University's College Republicans, said she
was excited about the turnout in the election. "It's great to see all of our
hard work pay off," she said. Jacobs said that although the president did
not win Michigan, he made a strong showing, earning 2 percent more of
the vote than he did in 2000.
Ramya Raghavan, chair of the University's College Democrats,
was concerned about what the election means for the future of her
party. "I think the Democratic Party is in a difficult situation right
now. A lot of people I know who are very far to the left sucked it up
and voted for Kerry. If the party moves to the right, I think you'll see
those people leaving the party," she said.
LSA junior Stephanie Persin, who voted for Kerry, said she was disap-
pointed.
"I thought that Kerry would get us out of Iraq sooner," she said.
Persin said she is not primarily concerned about the threats to national
security.
"I'm really scared about Roe v. Wade, women's rights and gay rights,"
she said. Constitutional gay marriage bans passed in 11 states includ-
ing Michigan. It is also widely believed that the president will make
Supreme Court nominations in his second term, possibly threatening to
overturn the Roe v. Wade decision that secured abortion rights.
"I wish the Kerry campaign would have brought in lawyers - I guess
that's more selfish," she said. But Persin conceded that she wouldn't want
the president bringing in lawyers had the tables been turned. "On the one
hand I think the concession was the dignified thing to do because the
situation in 2000 was ridiculous," she said.
LSA freshman Jonathan Nobile was more apathetic. "I think pret-
ty much things will stay the same. What Bush said in his campaign
doesn't seem like it'll make a difference in our country and around
the world," he said.
CRISTINA FOTIEODaily
Pioneer High School freshman Mollie Fawcett and friends protest Bush's re-election on State
Street while Ann Arbor resident Sopa Kung shows her support on Wednesday Nov. 3, 2004.
Michigan bans same-sex unions in Constitution
Proponents of same-sex unions disappointed with
the approval of a ballot proposal to define marriages
as only legal between a man and a woman
November 3, 2004
By Karen Tee
Daily Staff Reporter
Voters in Michigan approved a ballot proposal yesterday to amend the state's
constitution to ban gay marriage and other similar unions. With the adoption of
Proposal 2, the constitution will now define the union between a man and a woman
in legal marriage as "the only agreement recognized as a marriage or similar union
for any purpose."
About 63 percent of voters approved the proposal.
Kristina Hemphill, spokeswoman for Citizens for the Protection of Marriage, the
group that collected petition signatures to put the proposal on the ballot, said, "When
we saw the number of signatures collected during the petition drive, we knew Michigan
citizens understood the issue and wanted to protect the meaning of marriage."
Speaking during the group's victory party in Lansing, Hemphill said, "We are
now celebrating the victory, that the voice of the people have been heard."
Opponents of the proposal have voiced their disappointment over the outcome
but are not willing to concede that their cause is lost. Rocky Byington, a member
of the Coalition for a Fair Michigan, said, "If Kerry becomes the next president,
there is still hope that something can be done at the federal level to preempt what
'U' prepares for
bird flu outbreak
is being done at the state level:'
In fact, it is very likely the constitutionality of the amendment will be chal-
lenged in the courts.
"We are arguing that this amendment puts discrimination into our constitu-
tion. The last six words are so vague and poorly worded that we don't know what
the amendment will do." said Andrea Knittel, co-chair of the Stonewall Demo-
crats - the gay and trasngender arm of the College Democrats.
Members of the Stonewall Democrats have been campaigning against the propos-
al on campus, talking to potential voters on the Diag every day for the past week.
Knittel said the amendment threatens to take away benefits that were offered to
couples in domestic partnerships and civil unions. As such, unions will no longer be
recognized under state law. This means benefits such as health insurance for domestic
partners and their children may be taken away now that the proposal has been passed.
However, Hemphill argued that all the amendment aims to do is to protect the
traditional meaning of marriage. "This has never been about taking benefits away
from people. The last six words of the amendment were added on the advice of
our legal counsel in order to precisely define marriage. Even the court of appeals
agreed that this was the best way to protect the definition of marriage."
"With Proposal 2, the goals of the ballot were very intentionally left out, unlike
other proposals," Knittel countered. "The proponents do not want people to know
how broad the amendment is, and what it will actually do."
University Law School Dean Evan Caminker said there is sufficient passion on
both sides of the issue to push the courts to provide an exact explanation of what
the amendment means.
A possible position opponents could take is to challenge the constitutionality
of the amendment based on the way it is worded.
Mae Kuykendall, professor of law at Michigan State University, said the word-
ing of the amendment does not match what its propenents claim it should achieve.
"This amendment goes much farther, appearing to invalidate private arrange-
ments and civil unions," Kuykendall said.
She said that state laws already ban gay marriage and that Michigan's conserva-
tive courts currently would not use the state constitution to overturn the statutory
ban on gay marriage. Hence, according to Kuykendall, the wording of this amend-
ment is hostile to homosexual people as it denies them benefits that domestic part-
nerships and civil unions offer.
While unmarried heterosexual couples will suffer a similar loss of benefits that
normally come with civil unions, because the amendment says that the state can
only recognize marriage as a type of legal union, gay couples will bear the brunt of
the proposal, Kuykendall said.
Despite the proposal's outcome, the University said it will still offer benefits to
same-sex and heterosexual couples. President Mary Sue Coleman has said the Uni-
versity will continue offering health care and other benefits to same-sex domestic
partners of University employees. In a letter to University faculty and staff on Oct.
14, Coleman wrote, the University will "vigorously defend (its) right to offer such
benefits" regardless of the amendment.
Knittel applauded Coleman's stand. "It is a good place for the University to be
standing up for what it believes in - equality" Washtenaw County was among
those that voted against the proposal - about 65 percent voted against it. As of
4:40 a.m. today, 10 out of the 11 states, that put gay marriage bans on the ballot had
approved their proposals.
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As of Nov. 3, the World
Health Organization has
recorded more than 100
people infected with the
disease
December 2, 2005
By Christina Hildreth
Daily Staff Reporter
Had the flu yet this year? Medi-
cal experts say you should be OK
after several days of rest. But next
year, your fever, stuffy nose and
sore throat could have a fowl tinge,
researchers say.
Avian influenza, better known as
bird flu, is "a legitimate concern,"
said Robert Winfield, director of
University Health Services.
"I do see its(happening) in the
next few years."
As of Nov. 3, the World Health
Organization had recorded more
than 100 human cases of avian flu,
mostly concentrated in Asian coun-
tries.
The WHO says all of the condi-
tions necessary for a massive out-
break of the lethal disease have
been met - except the development
of a strain that can transfer easily
from human to human.
In the past, the disease has killed
50 to 60 percent of its victims.
Governments across the world
are laying plans for mass vaccina-
tion and treatment should an out-
break of the killer virus occur, and
the University is following suit.
On Dec. 21, medical administra-
tors will stage a mock emergency
situation, using Palmer Commons
as an "alternate care center" - a
place to treat up to 250 flu victims
if nearby hospitals reach capacity.
The modular emergency medical
system will go through the motions
of an outbreak to work out possible
complications.
"Right now on a normal day we
are approaching 90-percent (hos-
pital) occupancy, so we are pretty
full as it is," said Peter Forster,
administrator of the University's
Department of Emergency Medi-
cine.
"In any kind of an event - be it a
communicable disease or a disaste-
like Katrina - we're not well
prepared" because there are simply
not enough hospital beds, he said.
Given the high mortality rate of
the avian flu, Winfield pointed out
that an outbreak on campus could
have drastic consequences.
In a typical flu epidemic, 50 per-
cent of people in the affected area
become sick, he said.
Out of about 40,000 students,
faculty and staff at the University,
that means 20,000 could fall ill.
With the disease claiming the
lives of more than half its victims,
"that would be unbelievable," said
Winfield.
Another concern is a lack of bird
flu remedies.
University Health Services has
stashed 150 units of Tamiflu, an
antiviral drug used to combat regu-
lar flu.
The University Hospital has addi-
tional units, but these would not be
enough in the case of an outbreak,
Winfield said.
No vaccination has yet been con-
cocted, although drug companies
have started research funded by
federal grants.
Yet some students think the
preparation could be an overreac-
tion. LSA senior Jacquelyn Zacny
said she hadn't heard much about
bird flu, but that she recognized the
danger.
"It's important to be realistic that
this could happen.
But it's similar to (fears about)
Y2K," she said, referring to wide-
spread concern in the late 1990s
that a software glitch would render
many computers and computer-
assisted vehicles and appliances
useless on the first day of 2000.
"Preparing isn't a bad idea, but
taking it too far and letting it con-
sume everyone could be bad."
Law student Aaron Mace, who
said he gets the flu "almost every
year," agreed.
"It's excessive probably," he said,
but added that he will probably get
a flu shot this year if he can.
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COURTESY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Design plans for the new C.S. Mott Children's and Women's Hospital. The project could cost up to $523 million. Mott Hospital will replace the parking lot on East
Medical Center Drive and East Hopsital Drive.
Regents approve design for new
children's andwom.en's hospital
New C.S. Mott Hospital,
scheduled for completion in 2011,
could cost $523 million
February 20, 2006
By Gabe Nelson
Daily Staff Reporter
The University Board of Regents approved the
design for the much-anticipated new C.S. Mott
Children's and Women's Hospital at its meeting
Friday.
When it opens its doors in spring 2011, the state-
of-the-art facility will replace the existing Mott
children's hospital and the women's hospitals.
The most notable features of the hospital will
be its environmental friendliness and its comfort-
ing interior.
Most patients will be able to see the Nichols
Arboretum and the Huron River from their rooms.
Suggestions from patients and their families
guided the design, which will include an outdoor
courtyard and abundant natural light. It will be
the length of two football fields and is expected
to accommodate 4,500 births per year.
The facility will house both inpatient and out-
patient programs and is slated to cost $523 mil-
lion.
In addition to approving the design, the regents
approved a $25-million increase to the project's
budget. The money will primarily go toward
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
certification. LEED certification indicates that a
building is enivornmental sustainable.
The change of the hospital's plans to include
LEED certification was spurred, in part, by stu-
dent input at previous regents meetings.
"We absolutely value input from students, but it
had been in our minds already," said Krista Hop-
son, spokeswoman for the University of Michigan
Health System. "We have a longstanding commit-
ment to environmental stewardship, and this is
part of that commitment."
Robert Kelch, the University's executive vice
president for medical affairs, said the extra money
is worth it.
"We researched the process extensively and
concluded that the cost associated with this will
be warranted over the long term," Kelch told the
regents.
The cost of the hospital will be covered by
UMHS funds and donations.
University Regent David Brandon and his wife
Jan, along with head football coach Lloyd Carr
and his wife Laurie, are leading a fundraising
drive to benefit the hospital. Their project has
already raised $46 million toward the new hos-
pital.
In approving the design, the regents approved
an increase in the hospital's size. The hospital
will occupy 1.1 million square feet, an increase
from the 1 million originally planned.
in that 1.1 million square feet are 180,000
square feet of shell space for programs for future
expansion.
The current children's hospital is about 272,000
square feet.
"We're trying to think about what may be com-
ing down the road in terms of medical advance-
ments," Hopson said.
The hospital will be L-shaped, with one nine-
floor wing mainly dedicated to clinics and offic-
es and a 12-floor wing mainly to inpatient and
emergency care. The inpatient care wing will
make up about 75 percent of the total space, and
clinics and offices will make up the remaining
25 percent.
Located on the intersection of East Medical
Center Drive and East Hospital Drive across the
street from Mary Markley Residence Hall, the
Mott hospital will replace a parking lot.
Last year, 11,955 children were admitted or
born at Mott.
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