The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

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NEWS BRIEFS
NEW YORK
Citigroup
chairman resigns,
cites bad debt
Citigroup Inc. Chairman and
Chief Executive Charles Prince,
beset by the company's billions of
dollars in losses from investing in
bad debt, resigned yesterday and is g
being replaced as chairman by for- w
mer Treasury Secretary Robert E. u
Rubin. t
The nation's largest banking in
company announced Prince's w
widely expected departure in a
statement following an emergen- th
cy meeting of its board. Citi also tI
said Sir Win Bischoff, chairman c
of Citi Europe and a Member of m
the Citi management and oper- b
ating committees, would serve
as interim CEO. Rubin, a former mi
co-chairman of Goldman, Sachs ti
& Co., has served as the chair of th
Citi's executive committee, and it
was also expected he would take ci
a greater role in leading the com- p
pany. qu
pa
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan a
Pakistani elections I'
could be postponed f
byup to a year e
w
Police and soldiers emboldened U
by state of emergency powers swept
up hundreds of activists and oppo- en
sition members yesterday, dragged ins
away protesters shouting "Shame cc
on you!", and turned government he
buildings into barbed-wire com- b
pounds.
Gen. Pervez Musharraf's gov-
ernment said parliamentary elec-
tions could be delayed up to a year
as it tries to stamp out a growing (
Islamic militant threat - effec-
tively linking two of the great-
est concerns of Pakistan's biggest
international donors: the United
States and Britain.
Increasingly concerned about
the unfolding crisis, Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice said Wash-
ington was reviewing billions of I
dollars in aid to its close terrorism-
fighting ally. Britain is also exam-
ining its assistance.
JERUSALEM
Israeli leader looking
to make moves prior A
to Bush's departure
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud
Olmert said yesterday vigorous
peace negotiations could go far
toward establishing an indepen-
dent Palestinian state before Presi-
dent Bush leaves office. Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice promised
a "serious and substantive" launch
to new talks.
#If we and the Palestinians act
with determination, there is a
chance that we can achieve real
accomplishments" in the little
more than a year Bush has left,
Olmert told a gathering of schol
ars, leaders and former peace
negotiators.

The Israeli leader did not say a
final deal is possible in that time
frame, although he affirmed that L
the practicalgoalof talks is an inde-
pendent Palestinian state alongside
Israel.
Israel has been reluctant to set
even a loose deadline for talks,
but Olmert appeared to come
closer to the Palestinian demand
of a date certain for a separate
state.
BOSTON
Hurricane Noel
causes outages in
T
Northeast
Several thousand coastal resi-
dents fromMassachusetts to Maine
faced a second night without power
yesterday, and at least two house
fires were indirectly blamed on the
remnants of Hurricane Noel
The storm struck New England
with just a glancing blow Satur-
day, bringing down tree limbs and
knocking out power to 80,000
homes.
- Compiled from
Daily wire reports

Court to rule on
partners' benefits

Ruling would grant
rights to partners of
same-sex workers
LANSING (AP) - The Michi-
an Supreme Court will begin
'eighing tomorrow whether state
niversities and other public-sec-
or employers can provide health
isurance to the partners of gay
orkers.
But even if gays lose the case,
hey ultimately could still get
heir benefits despite a 2004 state
onstitutional ban against gay
arriage that threatened those
enefits.
Universities and local govern-
entshaverewrittentheir domes-
c partnership policies in light of
he measure.
The new policies no longer spe-
fically acknowledge domestic
artnerships but make sure "other
iualified adults" - including gay
iartners - are eligible for medical
nd dental care. The adults have to
ve together for a certain amount
f time, be unmarried, share
nances and be unrelated.
"It's a temporary, stopgap
ethod. It's certainly not a pana-
a," said Jay Kaplan, an attorney
ith the American Civil Liberties
nion of Michigan.
While no same-sex partners of
mployees have lost their health
surance while the legal battle
ontinues, many now are getting
ealth insurance only on a pilot
asis, he said.
The University of Michigan,

Michigan State University and
the city of Kalamazoo changed
their rules after the state Court of
Appeals in February said the gay
marriage ban also barsbenefits for
the same-sex partners of public
employees.
The court signaled, howev-
er, that benefits for unmarried
partners would be OK if they
aren't based on recognizing their
"agreed-upon relationship."
Kaplan said the distinction
made by the appeals court was
disingenuous.
"You can exist as long as we
don't acknowledge you exist," he
said.
Depending how the high court
rules, benefits for gay couples
may continue because conserva-
tives who drafted the marriage
amendment don't appear to have
big problems with the new benefit
policies - at least legally.
"They may be constitutional.
I don't anticipate further law-
suits on that particular question,"
said Gary Glenn, president of the
Midland-based American Family
Association of Michigan.
But Glenn and the AFA still
oppose same-sex partner benefits.
"From a standpoint of public
policy, we don't believe the taxpay-
ers of Michigan should b forced
to subsidize behavior the major-
ity of citizens believe is wrong,"
he said.
The redesigned policies' legal-
ity could be on the back burner
Tuesday when the Supreme Court
hears an appeal by 21 gay couples
who lost their right to benefits.


MG* Stiidenttrniverse~com I

Medicine and Biology by using Mathematics?

If so, then the University of Michigan's SUBMERGE program may be just right for you.
We are now beginning to accept applications for the next groups of students to
participate in the SUBMERGE program.
Many of the challenges of contemporary biology and medicine lie at the intersection of
the mathematical and biomedical sciences making the education and training of a
scientific workforce capable of integrating these fields essential. The University of
Michigan's SUBMERGE (Supplying Undergraduate Biology and Mathematics Education
and Research Group Experiences) program merges the subjects of mathematics and
biology for undergraduate students in three important and unique ways i) direct
involvement in interdisciplinary research at the interface of biology and mathematics,
ii exposure to experimental biology within mathematical modeling courses and
exposure to quantitative analysis in biology courses, and iii) regular mentoring by
teams of faculty researchers in each field,
SUBMERGE is ideal for undergraduates with at least two years of study remaining
and who have demonstrated an interest in interdisciplinary science. Student cohorts
will consist of balanced groups of mathematics and biology majors, separated into
teams of four. Students in this program will have the opportunity to investigate
experimentally and mathematically the first plant to have its entire genome sequenced,
to build synthetic genetic systems and model their behavior, and study the mechanical
characteristics of bacterial aggregates in flowing blood. SUBMERGE also brings
together an exciting group of faculty, both senior and junior to carry out its innovative
strategy and will pave the way for a fully integrated and first of its kind program in
mathematical biology.
The 21st century promises a new era of rapid growth of modern life science and
biotechnology.This explosive growth of vibrant and novel scientific agendas and
paradigms calls for an increase in the size as well as a shift in the philosophy of the
scientifically trained work force. SUBMERGE graduates will be prepared for the
interdisciplinary challenges that await them in graduate school or in industry.
Who is eligible?
Undergraduate students with at least two years remaining
Students must be citizens or permanent residents
For more information visit http //ww wmath1ch dusubmrge
Or contact Professor Patrick Nelson at pwn uniichedu

3850
Number of American service mem-
bers who have died in the war in
Iraq, according to The Associated
Press. There were no new casual-
ties identified yesterday.

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