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. _--------- Want Real Food FAST? * t 'notjast for alu ni and staff " Self-serve soup, salad, entre barl " Food prepared fromt 9 1scratch by real. hefs Some available options include: - chicken wings " quesadillas - tliWc & 'iPchees( If you care about the future: yours and he Earth's Barry University School of Law offers a dynamic program and a distinguished faculty ready to help you build your career as a successful attorney. When you become a Barry Law student, you join a caring community - a community that co-founded the Center for Earth Jurisprudence. The Center, the first of its kind in the United States, helps prepare lawyers to face unprecedented environmental challenges, encouraging a practice of law that respects the rights of the natural world. 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