The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
MSA
From page 1A
the Michigan Progressive Party, an
MSA party running for election at
the time.
During the March 2006 election
period, a computer program repeat-
edly downloaded a single file on the
MPP website more than 200,000
times without actually visiting the
site.
The website had a function that
could redirect students to the MSA
elections website, where students
couldvote.
The attack happened during the
votingperiod.
Vuljaj belonged to MPP's rival
party, Students 4 Michigan, at the
time of the election.
S4M won the presidential race
and most representative races
over MPP by a slim margin in the
election.
The election was marked by
scandals thatnearly disqualified the
top three vote-getting parties, MPP,
S4M and the Student Conservative
Party.,
A preliminary hearing for both
students is set for Oct. 31.
Schweitzer declined to comment
until the case is resolved. Vuljaj did
not return calls for comment.
STAPH
From page 1A,
tions. The number of Americans
killed each year by MRSA-related
infections exceeds the number of
deaths from AIDS.
However, 85 percent of MRSA
deaths occur among the those
already seeking care for medical
treatment, avulnerable group that
notably includes the elderly and
hospital patients, according to the
American Medical Association.
Ernst said MRSA infections
were once largely confined to
people who were already sick or
at risk, but that there has been a
rise in MRSA infections among
the general population over the
past several years.
"We've seen cases at the UHS,"
he said. "We've been seeing them
increasingly over the past few
years."
According to Ernst, increased
use of antibiotics to treat bacterial
infections has contributed to the
rise in MRSA cases.
"What's happened is that we've
taken a germ that's relatively
common, and it has genetically
BULKING UP FOR THE GOPHERS
MINORS
From page 1A
tration Program degree revolving
around peace studies.
Travers said he wanted to con-
tinue pursuing peace education
after transferring from Wayne
State University, which allows stu-
dents to major in Peace and Con-
flict Studies, but only if they also
major in any other subject.
"I had just transferred from
Wayne State and they had one
over there, so it was kind of sur-
prising that Michigan didn't," he
said. "The type of people who go
to Michigan, it's right up their
alley."
Several other colleges, includ-
ing the University of California at
Berkeley and Columbia University,
have peace studies programs.
Travers worked with RC Lec-
turer Helen Fox, who advised
Travers's individual concentration
and now directs the minor, to find
professors and courses dealing
with conflict resolution or social
discrimination.
Andrew Yahkind, former presi-
dent of LSA-SG, said he heard
about a meeting Travers was
holding to present his research
on peace studies majors at other
schools. After attending, Yahkind
decided to include the proposal
in LSA-SG's campaign for the
creation of minors - such as the
international relations program
- across LSA.
"(Travers) had done everything
we would have done in research-
ing the proposal," Yahkind said.
"It was really about getting the
ball rolling with the administra-
tion using LSA-SG's contacts."
Yahkind said the Peace and
Social Justice minor's two-year
development process was short
compared to the time it.generally
takes the University to implement
new academic programs.
"The wheels of academic
reform turn very slowly at the
University," he said. "Michigan
always tends to look to see what
other schools are doing instead of
taking initiative.".
Brian Coppola, associate chair
for curriculum and faculty affairs
in the chemistry department, said
faculty in the department had con-
sidered creating several minors
for years but just recently started
to pursue it - a move many chem-
istry departments at other colleges
made long before, he said.
"The honest answer is we're
Thursday, October 25, 2007 - 9A
probably five or six years over-
due in doing it," Coppola said. "It
finally made it to the top of the
agenda."
Coppola said the department
delayed developing a minor pro-
gram because the field of chemis-
try seemed too broad a subject to
be contained in the smaller course
requirement for minoring. Creat-
ing several minors was the answer
to that, he said.
"We (the Chemistry Depart-
ment) were locked into the idea
that one size fits all," he said.
"What broke the log jam in our
thinking was the idea that the
minors could represent different
specializations."
Coppola expects the minors will
be attractive options for pre-med
students who want to diversify
their medical school applications
by majoring in liberal arts with a
chemistry minor.
LSA 'freshman Abby Ander-
son said she plans on majoring in
chemistry and then applying to
medical school. But she said the
minors are an appealing option
if she decides to concentrate in
another subject.
"If I decide not to major in
chemistry, I'd definitely minor in
it," Anderson said.
BENJIDELL/Daily
Michigan running back Mike Hart competes in a wing-eating contest at Buffalo
Wild Wings on State Street to raise money for UM Stars, a group that works with
the Make-A-Wish foundation to help children with terminal illnesses.
changed to acquire resistance
to our antibiotics," he said.
"The hospitals have pushed the
increasing use of antibiotics. Now
we're seeing the germ moving out
of the hospitals and into the com-
munity."
One University senior being
treated for a staph infection is still
waiting to hear from his doctors
whether or not he has the MRSA
strain. He spoke on the condition
of anonymity because he does not
wantto scare potential employers.
He said he wasn't too concerned
about the results, but his mother
was upset.
"My mom has heard everything
about MRSA, and she is just freak-
ing out," he said.
Winfield said treating a MRSA
infection is not that different than
any other staph infection.
"If we think the infection
might be MRSA, we use an addi-
tional antibiotic," Winfield said.
"This protocol has been com-
pletely successful at the Univer-
sity so far."
Certain students are more
at risk than others. Ernst said
athletes, for example, are more
vulnerable to staph infections
because they often have cuts and
are more likely to come into con-
tact with other people's exposed
skin.
William Canning, the Univer-
sity's director of Recreational
Sports, said the department is
aware of MRSA.
"Building services are trying to
get additional funding to continue
to clean and keep things more
clear," he said.
Canning, also said he would
consult with UHS to determine
whether or not Rec Sports should
notify intramural athletes about
the existence of MRSA and how
to prevent the infection.
Ernst said swelling and tender
red areas on the skin that get sig-
nificantly worse over a period of
24 hours are often staph infec-
tions, and he urged students who
think they might be infected to
seek help at UHS.
Ernst said that like most infec-
tions, the MRSA strain of staph
can often be prevented by fre-
quent hand washing.
"Not sharing items such as tow-
els or razors and using a sanitary
spray on gym equipment and mats
can be helpful," he said.
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