NEWS
Friday, September 29, 2006 - The Michigan Daily - 3
ON CAMPUS
Discussion to
focus on unity in
LGBT community
The Office of Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual and Transgender Affairs
and University Housing will hold a
discussion titled "The LGBT Com-
munity: A Harmonious Whole, or
Splintering Parts." The event is from
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. today in MSA
Chambers in the Michigan Union.
Emmy winner to
play Socrates
at symposium
The fifth annual Platsis Sym-
posium on the Greek Legacy,
a conference on Socrates's life
and influence, will be held today
from 2 to 7 p.m. in the Rackham
Ampitheatre. The symposium
will kick off with a perfor-
mance of Plato's "The Apology
of Socrates," featuring Emmy
Award winner Yannis Simo-
nides, followed by a series of
lectures at 4 p.m. and a reception
at 6 p.m. The symposium is free
and open to the public.
'U' scholars to
discuss breasts
A group of professors will dis-
cuss the historical and modern
perception of women's breasts
S today from 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. in
the Educational Conference Cen-
ter of the School of Social Work
Building. Speakers will repre-
sent several disciplines within
the University, including Eng-
lish, medicine and sociology.
CRIME
NOTES
Prescription
meds stolen
from parked car
Several bottles of presgrip-
tion medications were stolen
from a car parked in a lot at the
University Hospital Wednesday
at about 11 a.m., the Depart-
ment of Public Safety reported.
Police have no suspects.
Student's cell
phone swiped
from Lloyd Hall
A cell phone was stolen from
Alice Lloyd Residence Hall at
about 2 p.m., DPS reported. Police
have no suspects.
THIS DAY
In 'U' History
Court rules
search for 'U'
president illegal
Sept. 29, 1993 - The state
Supreme Court ruled that the Uni-
versity Board of Regents broke
state law by conducting a closed-
door search when it hired President
James Duderstadt in 1988.
The ruling comes more than five
years after the Ann Arbor News
filed a lawsuit against the board,
alleging that it violated Michigan's
Open Meetings Act when it held
private meetings to interview and
evaluate presidential candidates.
In addition to its own legal
expenses, which total more than
$140,000, the University will now
have to pay the legal fees of both
the News and the Detroit Free
Press, which later joined the suit.
Duderstadt's selection itself was
never in contention, only the man-
ner in which he was chosen.
"We weren't seeking to over-
turn the selection of Duderstadt?
said Ed Petykiewicz, editor of the
News. "We were concerned with
the process that was used. We felt
that the process needed to be open.
Public decisions have to be made
in public."
The ruling will affect future
presidential searches at all public
colleges in Michigan.
The University will comply with
the ruling, University Regent Deane
Baker (R-Ann Arbor) said.
"This is the University of
Michigan," Baker said. "We obey
the law."
LOOK CLOSELY
Audit: Graduation
rates have errors
Auditors blame
inaccuracies in data
used to calculate rates
LANSING (AP) - Gradua-
tion and dropout rates reported
for Michigan's public high schools
often have errors, according to an
audit released yesterday.
The main problem is the inaccura-
cy of data used to calculate the rates,
said the state's Office of the Auditor
General. Auditors found errors in a
sampling of schools from both the
2002-03 and 2003-04 school years.
New data from the 2004-05
school year likely has the same
problems, although it isn't covered
in the audit.
The state agency that calculates
the rates agrees with the audit and
says changes are under way that
would make the data solid starting
with the graduating class of 2007.
"We agree with all of the rec-
ommendations and are working to
comply with them," said Greg Bird,
a spokesman for the state's Depart-
ment of Management and Budget.
The graduation and dropout rate
data can be important to school
districts. Schools with graduation
rates lower than 80 percent face
possible sanctions under the fed-
eral No Child Left Behind Act.
The state's Center for Education-
al Performance and Information
reports a graduation rate of 87.7
percent for the Class of '05 and a
dropout rate of 3.3 percent.
The reported graduation rate in
2003-04 was 88.7 percent while
the dropout rate was reported at 3
percent.
The audit suggests the rates may
be overly optimistic in some cases
and underreported in others.
Auditors visited 10 Michigan
schools in its review and found
inaccurate graduation rates for
each school. The identities of the
schools were not disclosed.
One school had a reported gradu-
ation rate of 100 percent in 2002-03
and an audited rate of 84.3 percent.
Another school had a reported gradu-
ation rate of 42.8 percent in 2003-04
and an audited rate of 80.3 percent.
One of the audited schools didn't
report its graduation data to the
state for 2003-04.
The rates are based on data that
high schools supply to the state. The
audit said CEPI does not have the
authority to review high schools'
records or the power to withhold
state aid payments for schools that
give the agency faulty information.
JEREMY HO/Da ly
Applicants hoping for a spot on MTV's "The Real
World" gather at a casting call at Scorekeepers on
Maynard Street yesterday. Applicants were asked to
bring photographs of themselves.
Firs lady raises
funds for DeVos
Laura Bush doesn't
carry the negatives
that her husband does
on campaign trail
LANSING (AP) - Republican
Dick DeVos was happy to schedule
a $1,000-a-plate fundraiser with
first lady Laura Bush yesterday in
Bloomfield Hills.
But when President Bush and
Vice President Dick Cheney came
to Michigan for fundraisers helping
GOP U.S. Senate candidate Mike
Bouchard, gubernatorial hopeful
DeVos was nowhere to be found.
DeVos spokesman John Truscott
said DeVos already had commit-
ments when the president and vice
president announced they were
coming to Michigan. But Demo-
crats say it's clear the Ada busi-
nessman is trying to avoid being
seen with anyone from the JBush
administration.
"We're seeing (Republican)
governor candidates around the
country staying away because the
president's not a help. I'm seeing
that everywhere?' said New Mex-
ico Gov. Bill Richardson, head of
the Democratic Governors Asso-
ciation.
Richardson was in southeast
Michigan on Thursday, launching
a Latinos for Granholm effort to
support Democratic Gov. Jennifer
Granholm.
DeVos already has distanced
himself from the Republican presi-
dent on one issue: a proposed meet-
ing between Bush and the heads of
the Big Three domestic automak-
ers. The meeting has been pushed
back until after the Nov. 7 elections
despite calls by DeVos, Granholm,
Bouchard and Democratic U.S.
Sen. Debbie Stabenow to hold the
meeting sooner.
"We're being ignored here in
Michigan by the White House,
and it has got to stop," DeVos
told reporters in August before
the White House said the meeting
would be held after Election Day.
DeVos was more conciliatory
Thursday after Laura Bush spoke
at Oakland Hills Country Club in
Bloomfield Hills. He said he hasn't
met with Bush or Cheney because
of scheduling conflicts, but the first
lady's schedule meshed with his.
DeVos said he had no plans to
meet with Bush or Cheney before
the Nov. 7 election, but added
"Certainly the president and vice
president are always welcome in
Michigan. We are pleased to have
them."
Granholm campaign spokesman
Chris De Witt said there was a dis-
connect between the "hundreds of
thousands of dollars" DeVos has
given to Bush and his willingness
to appear with the president with
his own election on the line.
As in other states, Bush's popu-
larity in Michigan remains low
among voters concerned about the
war in Iraq and other Bush admin-
istration policies.
Michigan voters are especially
critical of the president's handling
of the economy. Only 29 percent
of 608 likely voters surveyed ear-
hIer this month by Lansing-based
EPIC-MRA gave Bush a positive
job rating on his handling of the
economy, while 69 percent gave
him a negative rating and 2 percent
were undecided.
Overall, 42 percent said they had
a favorable opinion of the Republi-
can president and 51 percent had an
unfavorable opinion.
Laura Bush apparently carries
little if any of that negative bag-
gage.
"She's pretty well liked by every-
body. She's not a political person,"
Truscott said.
The first lady told supporters last
night that DeVos blended the right
business experience for children's
and educational programs and that
he is committed to keeping com-
munities safe.
Laura Bush cited his work
as head of several manufactur-
ing companies including Alticor,
the company formerly known as
Amway - which she referred to
more than once as "Alitor" - to
say DeVos was dedicated to creat-
ing jobs in Michigan.
"Dick's dedication to the people
of Michigan and his achievements
remind us of why he must be
elected governor," she said. "Dick
understands that your state and our
country face challenges too impor-
tant to be reduced to just politics."
I
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