The Wolverines bring in their biggest
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FACEOFF 2007
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Thursday, October 25, 2007
CHEMISTRY WEEK
michigandaily.com
aph ris
at 'U'not
as high
MRSA causing worries
across country
By MARA GAY
Daily Staff Reporter
Adrug-resistanttypeofstaphinfection-known
by the acronym MRSA - caused alarm across the
country after a Virginia high school student died
from the infection earlier this month. But Uni-
versity of Michigan health officials say the staph
infection is nothing new and should not be cause
for panic on campus.
A staph infection is a strain of bacteriathat can
live on the skin without harm but can become
a problem if it enters the body through a cut or
scrape.
Although they are contagious and staph infec-
tions can pass through any break in the skin, even
a microscopic cut, covering up the infection is usu-
ally enough to prevent other people from getting a
staph infection from casual contact, said Dr. Rob-
ert Ernst, medical director of University Health
Service.
Ernst said that while the infection can be more
difficult to treat than other strains of staph, it is
rarely fatal.
"There is no question that the student in Virgin-
ia has raised awareness of the infection, but this is
not anew bug," Ernst said.
Dr. Robert Winfield, the health services direc-
tor, said UHS has been aware of MRSA for years.
In 2005, UHS carried out its own study of staph
infections at the University and found 24 cases
of MRSA, all of which were treated successfully..
Since then, UHS looks for MRSA as part of every
staph infection treatment.
"Now every staph infection is tested for the
MRSA strain," Winfield said.
Although UHS does send out mass e-mails about
flu vaccinations and immediate health concerns,
Winfield said UHS has no plans to use e-mail to
address MRSA because the infections still remain
relatively infrequent at the University.
"At this point, it would raise alarm in the pub-
lic," Winfield said. "If we had a cluster of them, it'd
be different, but I always worry about wearing out
the welcome mat with e-mails. It's a balance."
Fears were heightened after this month's Jour-
nal of the American Medical Association reported
an increase in the number of deadly MRSA infec-
See STAPH, Page 9A
ANTI-ZIONIST CONTROVERSY
Press
keeps
Pluto
contract
Distribution deal was in
question because of controversy
over British publisher's
anti-Israel book
By ANDY KROLL
Daily StaffReporter
The University of Michigan Press executive
committee announced yesterday that it will con-
tinue its distribution contract with left-wing Brit-
ish publisher Pluto Press.
A statement released by University spokeswom-
an Kelly Cunningham said the board unanimously
agreed to maintain its contract with the London-
based publisher under existing contract terms.
The board plans to develop guidelines for its
distribution contracts, keeping in mind "the
principle. of freedom of expression," the state-
ment said.
Sales of Pluto Press books represented 16 per-
cent -$918,000 - of-the University Press's total
revenue in the fiscal year that ended June 30, Cun-
ningham said.
Anne Beech, managing director of Pluto Press,
praised the University Press for continuing its
contract with Pluto, describing the decision as
"brave."
"The University itself was quite resolute, and
we admire, them for that," Beech said. "They really
stuck to their guns in this debate."
The debate surrounding the press's contract
with Pluto involves its distribution of the book
"Overcoming Zionism," written by Bard College
Prof. Joel Kovel.
"Overcoming Zionism" argues that Zionism has
created an apartheid-like racist state in Israel and
that a single, secular, democratic state is the only
See PRESS, Page 7A
BENJI DELL/-Daily
LSA sophomore Stephen Martin watches the reaction after dropping an M&M into a tube of potassium chlorate on the Diag yes-
terday. Martin, a liaison to the American Chemistry Society, was promoting Chemistry Week with fellow society members.
LSA CONCENTRATIONS
Long effort results in new minors
ROLLING GREEN
New minors available in
chem, Peace and Social
Justice
By JESSICA VOSGERCHIAN
Daily StaffReporter
After years of lobbying by a Residen-
tial College alum, LSA Student Gov-
ernment and Chemistry Department
professors, LSA has begun offering six
new academic minors. Five of the majors
are in chemistry-related fields. The
other is the University's first peace stud-
ies concentration.
Peace and Social Justice, offered
through the Residential College and
open to all LSA students .except RC
Social Science concentrators, incorpo-
rates courses from several fields, includ-
ing environmental studies and political
science, that deal with social inequality
and resolving conflicts.
The minors created in the Chemistry
Department - chemistry, biochemistry,
chemical physics, chemical measure-
ment science and polymel chemistry -
are the first minors offered in the field.
The minors are not open to students
already concentrating in chemistry and
biochemistry concentrations.
The Peace and Social Justice minor is
the result of two years of campaigning
by Residential College alum Will Trav-
ers and members of LSA Student Gov-
ernment.
Travers began pushing for the cre-
ation of the minor in 2005. His goal was
to establish the minor at the University
as part of the senior project he devel-
oped fof his Individualized Concen-
See MINORS, Page 9A
INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS
'U' leads nation in Fulbright awards
cHANEL VON HABSBURG-LoTHRINGEN/Daily
The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority introduced a new fleet of hybrid electric buses yesterday. Each
bus runs on a mixture of soybean oil and diesel gasoline to help cut down on carbon emissions. The AATA
plans to implement 1S hybrid electric buses by Oct. 31.
Alleged MSA hackers arraigned
37 Yale University. Of the 119 University of
of 119 applicants Michigan applicants last year, 31 percent
win grants received the prestigious grant.
The Fulbright Program, sponsored
by the U.S. Department of State, is the
By SARA LYNNE THELEN largest international exchange program
Daily StaffReporter in the United States. It offers awardees
fully-funded professional and research
The University of Michigan had more experience in 150 countries.
Fulbright winners than any other uni- Amy Kehoe, the Fulbright coordina-
versity this year. tor for the University of Michigan, said
The University had a school-record competition for the award is intense and
37 grant winners, 10 ahead of runner-up the application process is complicated.
Students must apply to a specific coun-
try and be proficient in the language of
their desired destination. They also have
to write two pages about the purpose of
their work there and a two-page person-
al statement.
All applicants used to go through an
interview process to help them in craft-
ing their applications, but this option was
eliminated for undergraduate students
at the University of Michigan this year
because there aren't enough faculty nd
See FULBRIGHT, Page 3A
By DAVE MEKELBURG
Daily News Editor
Michigan Student Assembly Rep. Anton
Vuljaj and Engineering senior Joel Alan Sch-
weitzer were arraigned yesterday in Washt-
enaw County Trial Court in connection with
a web attack during the 2006 MSA elections.
They each face charges of use of a comput-
er to commit a crime - a felony that carries
penalties of up to four years in prison and a
$5,000 fine - and interference with an elec-
tronic communication device, a high court
misdemeanor that carries penalties of up to
two years in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Both students were released on personal
recognizance, which means they didn't have
to pay a fine to stay out of jail but could face
steeper penalties if they fail to show up at
their preliminary hearing, DPS spokeswom-
an Diane Brown said.
The charges stem from a March 2006 mci-
dent in which someone attacked the website of
See MSA, Page 9A
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