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www.mkchziandady.com Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXVII, No. 22 ©2006 The Michigan Daily
Dearborn
student gov't
demands
divestment
Bill passes
unanimously; regents
almost certainly
won't vote to divest
By Kelly Fraser
Daily Staff Reporter
The student government
at the University's Dearborn
campus last week unanimous-
ly passed a resolution calling
for the University's Board of
Regents to vote to divest from
Israel.
The student government
passed similar resolutions in
2004 and 2005.
This year's resolution reads,
"We demand that the Universi-
ty cease all investment in com-
panies that financially benefit
from the actions of the Israeli
military in illegally occupied
territories."
Bilal Dabaja, Dearborn's
student government's senate
speaker, said the resolution is
stronger than the previous two
because of this summer's war
between Israel and Hezbollah.
Dearborn Student Govern-
ment President Tarek Bay-
doun said the resolution has
broad support on campus. It
is unlikely, however, that the
resolution will be meet with
the same level of support in
Ann Arbor or by the regents,
who would ultimately decide
whether the University divests.
As a branch of the Univer-
sity, the Dearborn campus can-
not independently divest.
The resolution asks the
regents to form an advisory
committee of administrators
and students to examine the
University's financial ties
with Israel. This request fol-
lows procedure created by
a resolution adopted by the
board in 1978 to consider
divestment cases.
The 1978 resolution reads,
"If the Regents shall determine
that a particular issue involves
See DEARBORN, page 7A
Gov. Jennifer Granholm and husband Daniel Mulhern speak to the press after the first gubernatorial debate in East Lansing on Monday.
Portrait of a
first gentleman
Along with his parental duties, governor's husband
doesn't shy away from the 'first lady mantle'
By Dave Mekelburg
Daily Staff Reporter
Daniel Mulhern is something of a rarity in
the world of American politics: He's a gover-
nor's husband.
Mulhern is married to Gov. Jennifer Gra-
nholm, one of only eight female governors in
the country.
Mulhern's most common moniker is "first
gentleman," though there is no standard title
for a female governor's husband. Other titles
range from "First Coach" Raymond Blanco,
an ex-football coach and husband of Gov.
Kathleen Babineaux Blanco (D-La.) to "First
Dude" Gary Sebelius, husband of Gov. Kath-
leen Sebelius (D-Kan.).
"It's amusing from time to time," Mulhern
said. "One of the fellas on the state police
used to kid me - he'd call me AG."
The name "AG,' he said, refers to Gran-
holm "and guest."
In an attempt to capitalize on his position,
Mulhern advocates programs for children
throughout the state of Michigan. The first
gentleman's most prominent project is "Men-
tor Michigan," a program started by Gran-
holm while she was attorney general.
The program provides opportunities, fund-
ing and recognition for adults mentoring chil-
dren. Mulhern doesn't shy away from what he
calls the "first lady mantle" - the idea that
an executive's spouse should use his or her
power to champion a cause.
Mulhern, who was student director of a
mentor program as an undergraduate at Yale
University, said kids have always been impor-
tant to him.
Mulherns career aspirations have varied
over the years.
"My husband was going to become a Cath-
See GENTLEMAN, page 7A
MSA on divestment
The Dearborn campus's student government has
passed three resolutions to divest from Israel in the
past three years.
The Michigan Student Assembly has not taken up
the issue since the spring of 2005, when a resolution
requesting that the University Board of Regents form
a committee to examine the University's investments
linked to Israel was defeated by a 25-11 vote.
Hundreds of students crowded the scheduled
room, anxious to hear the results. MSA was forced to
relocate the meeting to the Michigan Union Ballroom
to accommodate the crowd. At times, the tension
erupted and crowd members interrupted speakers with
passionate outbursts.
Prior to the vote, 12 clauses - all but the final
three - were removed from the resolution because of
concern that the resolution's language targeted and
condemned Israel.
Coming
out at
the 'U
Group supports
students during what
can be a difficult time
By Taryn Hartman
For the Daily
Last summer, Mike* sat in his base-
ment - just weeks before leaving home
for his freshman year at the University
- anxiously drafting and re-drafting
an e-mail to his mother while she sat
upstairs.
The e-mail would confirm that Mike
was gay - a possibility his mom had
been considering for two years. After
writing for nearly an hour and acci-
dentally deleting his first attempt, he
clicked "send" and sat nervously await-
ing a reply.
He told his mom in the e-mail that it
was OK to share its contents with his
father. A short time later, Mike received
a "polite" reply from his father telling
him his sexual orientation was "just a
phase."
"It was really intense," he said about
two months later. "There's always the
worry that your family won't accept
you, even if you know that would never
happen."
He said he didn't take offense to his
father's initial response.
"Right now, that's what I believe (that
I'm gay), and you just have to go off
what you know," Mike said.
What Mike doesn't know is how
to make his coming out easier on his
mother, whom he said isn't good at
talking about it.
Is Wikipedia worthy
of trust at ballot box?
Several mistakes
found in entries
for gubernatorial
candidates
By Amanda Markowitz
For the Daily
What do Arnold Schwar-
zenegger and Gov. Jennifer
Granholm have in common?
According to wikipedia.
org, they were both once con-
testants on the daytime televi-
sion show The Dating Game.
Wikipedia is the online
encyclopedia with more than
5 million articles and 229
language editions. The site
allows user- to add, remove
and edit its content. Anyone
can create and update articles,
but this open policy has led to
debate over the reliability of
the entries.
Politically charged entries
come under especially close
See WIKIPEDIA, page 7A
Wikipedia vs.
Britannica
In 2005, Nature maga-
zine compared 42 pairs
of entries from Wikipe-
dia.com and Encyclope-
dia Britannica Online.
The study found that
Britannica averaged
three errors per entry
and Wikipedia four
errors per entry.
POTTERS GUILD
"I hope she doesn't feel bad that I told
her and then moved away," he said. Top 20
Mike also has questions about how
ask another guy on a date and how to Campus PrideNet named the
know whom it's OK to talk with about University one of the 20 best
his sexuality. campuses for LGBT students.
He said he hopes he'll find the Ranking was based on resourc-
answers to his questions at a Univer- es and support
sity-sponsored support group for those Oct. 11 is National Coming Out
who are just discovering, are curious day. The LGBT office will sponsor
about or are questioning their sexual events in the week before it.
See GROUP, page 7A
Ann Arbor resident Deborrah Frable works on a mug yesterday at the Potters Guild on Hill
Street. The guild was founded In 1949. It has about 44 full-time members and 30 students.
"