The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Monday, October 13, 2008 - 7A

VIGIL
From Page 1A
pants took turns reading nine
fictionalized narratives written
from the perspective of victims
who had died from hate crimes.
Attendees passed pictures of the
victims during the readings. LSA
sophomore Gibran Baydoun, a
Michigan Student Assembly rep-
resentative, said he was moved by
the vigil.
"It makes it so real. It's scary
to know that anti-LGBT crimes
are not slowing down. It feels like
we're moving backward in time,"
Baydoun said. "It's scary that it's
2008 and we still have to deal
with these issues."
After reading the narratives,
the attendees silently placed 288
flags in the grass near the Diag,
each flag representing five vic-
tims of hate crimes. Organizers
said the total marked the number
of victims since Shepard's death.
The vigil is one of several
events taking place this month on
campus as part of National Com-
ing Out Week and LGBT History
Month. The Spectrum Center,
the University's LGBT office,
chose events based on the nation-
al theme "It's About Time."
"Right now, especially, there's
a lot of talk about change in
national politics," said Gabe
Javier, the Spectrum Center's
assistant director. "The goal
with 'It's About Time' is letting
people fill in their own blank
to that. Whether it's about time
SANDALS
From Page 1A
Good teams rarely get away
with mistakes like those, and
Michigan is not a good team.
What has to worry the fan base
is a simple question: If the Wol-
verines can't win at home against
Toledo, then who can they possi-
bly beat the rest of the season?
It's not time to worry about
extending the bowl appearance
streak to 34 years. That ship sailed
at about 3:15 on Saturday after-
noon. It's time to worry aboutget-
ting a third win - for the entire
season.
After the game Rodriguez and
his players talked about taking
a day to think about the loss and
ARCHER
From Page 1A
Archer three years ago and invited
the former mayor to speak, said he
considers Archer a "mentor" for his
legal prowess and leadership quali-
ties.
As mayor, Archer helped
implement programs like federal
empowerment zones, which gave
grants and tax incentives to city
businesses to help them estab-
lish themselves in economically
depressed neighborhoods. In 1996,
Newsweek named Archer among
the "25 Most Dynamic Mayors in
America" for his efforts to revive
the struggling city.
His mayoral legacy took a hit
when the city's public school sys-
tem made few strides under his

MCCAIN
From Page 1A
important these last weeks will
be," he said. "We understand that
the importance has now been
Smagnified."
Despite McCain's decreasing
support in the state, Smith said
that the College Republicans'
strategies for convincing students
to vote for McCain aren't changing
at all.
He said College Republicans
members will still focus heavily
on grassroots organizing efforts,
which include phone banking
and going door-to-door in Ann
Arbor. Smith said members of
the College Republicans will
also take advantage of new rules
allowing volunteers to campaign
in the dorms - an opportunity
he sees as crucial to making indi-
vidual contact with students an
campus.
"Even in light of the McCain
campaign pulling out, we're focus-
ing on these grassroots efforts, on
making individual voter contacts
and engaging people that way,"
he said. "John McCain may have
pulled out, but we still have a lot to
fight for."
At Oakland University in Roch-
ester, about 40 miles northeast of
Ann Arbor, Jim Arapostathis of
OU's College Republicans chapter
said he strongly disagreed with
McCain's decision to pull out of
Michigan. He said McCain's deci-
sion hadn't impacted the activities
of the College Republicans at OU.
"It doesn't really have a strong
effect on what we're doing," he

for equality, to come out, to talk
about things, we need change,
and now is the time"
The commemoratory month
kicked off with the annualNCOW
Rally last Monday, where there
were performances and speakers
on the Diag. Students also could
walk through a door in order to
symbolize that they accept their
identities.
On Tuesday, the Spectrum
Center sponsored a discussion on
"A Jihad for Love," a documen-
tary exploring the complexities
of being Muslim and gay. Film-
maker Parvez Sharma facilitated
the discussion. Javier said the
event aimed to challenge com-
mon conceptions of the LGBT
community.
"Many people don't think it's
possible to be Muslim and gay,"
Javier said. "Showing his story
enables us to have dialogue
around those multiple identi-
ties."
The events will continue
throughout the month. An Eve-
ning with David Sedaris, dur-
ing which the preeminent gay
humorist David Sedaris will
read from his latest book, takes
place on Thursday at 8 p.m. in
Hill Auditorium. Gay in the Holy
Land, a lecture with Israeli LGBT
activist Danny Savtich, will be
held on Thursday, Oct. 23 at 7
p.m. in the Michigan Union. The
month's festivities will end on
Tuesday, Oct. 28 with an LGBT
Training Program, intended to
train allies of the gay community
in activism.
then moving on to Penn State.
They always have that mantra,
and sometimes it's even believ-
able, but not now, not after a loss
like that.
"Coach Rod tells us, whether
it's a win or a loss, to either cel-
ebrate it or kinda be depressed
about it for only 24 hours, and
then get it out of your mind," red-
shirt sophomore linebacker Obi
Ezeh said. "With that, just try and
keep it out of your mind. It will
probably try to linger in the back
of your mind."
The fact is, this one-is goingto
stingfor anyone remotely con-
nected to the Michigan football
program for a long time.
Even a man as confident as
Rodriguez, a coach who has built
programs from practically noth-
watch. He was criticized for his
plan to bringthree casinos into the
city - an idea he felt would boost
Detroit's economy. The plan was
eventually approved, butconly after
meeting harsh opposition from
some city residents, including an
unsuccessful attempt to gather
enough signatures for a recall elec-
tion to push Archer out of office.
Widely considered to be one of
the nation's most influential black
politicians and lawyers, Archer was
named to the National Law Jour-
nal's list of 100 Most Powerful U.S.
Attorneys. Beforehistwo-termstint
as mayor, Archer served as justice of
the Michigan Supreme Court and
an adjunct professor at the Wayne
State University Law School.
Archer,who became the first black
persontoserveasAmericanBarAsso-
ciation President in 2003, recently

said.
Much of the same can be said
for the Michigan State Universi-
ty's College Republicans chapter,
which has no plans to radically
change their campaigning efforts
in and around East Lansing, said
Louis Glinzak, the chapter's press
secretary.
"We're still keeping our grass-
roots orientation, promoting to
students McCain's values, philoso-
phies and what he would like to do
as president," he said.
Several McCain volunteers were
threatened with arrest last week
by a state GOP official if they used
leftover campaign materials in an
Oakland County campaign office.
But MSU's College Republicans still
have access to a nearby office, Glin-
zak said. There, chapter members
can take remaining campaign fliers
and bumper stickers for distribu-
tion and can also volunteer to make
phone calls for the campaign.
Glinzak said College Repub-
licans members will continue to
participate in weekly debates and
forums with other campus groups
as a way to encourage students to
support the McCain-Palin ticket.
Glinzak said MSU's College
Republicans are also working
closely with the Michigan Repub-
lican Party, which has its main
offices across town from MSU,
on grassroots organizing in the
Lansing area and in other parts of
the state. The two organizations
are collaborating on a program
in which state GOP staffers drive
several vans filled with College
Republicans or other conservative
students from different colleges
each weekend to different areas

1,200 evacuate as fire burns 2,000
acres northeast of Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Fire
officials prepared late Sunday
for rapid growth of a wildfire
blazing 20 miles north of down-
town with the expected arrival
of strong, dry wind gusts over-
night.
"There's been no open flames
for hours. It's just smoldering,"
Los Angeles County Fire Depart-
ment spokesman Ron Haralson
said Sunday night. "We want that
to continue but the winds are
going to grow and we risk a flare-
up."
The fire, which broke out about
2 a.m. Sunday, burned through
2,066 acres of rugged terrain in
the Angeles National Forest, raz-
ingahouse, agarage,severalsheds
and three mobile homes. More
than 0,200 people were evacuated
and advised not to return to their
homes overnight.
The fire was 20 percent con-
tained Sunday night and no seri-
ous injuries were reported.
But Haralson warned the situ-
ation could easily deteriorate as
powerful Santa Ana winds of up
to 60 mph were forecast to arrive
from inland areas. Gusts could
spread embers and ignite parched
brush and chaparral as far as a
mile away.
A "fire weather watch" was
declared Sunday afternoon
ing into powerhouses, had too
much doubt in his eyes after Sat-
urday's game for comfort.
He has the coachingcstaff he's
comfortable with and the system
that has made him famous. Sure,
Rodriguez could use more talent
on the field, talent tailored to his
schemes. But the coach knows no
matter the talent level, his team
shouldn't look like it did against
Toledo, not halfway through the
season.
On Saturday, Rodriguez didn't
sound angry as he did after the
losses to Notre Dame and Illinois.
Instead, he sounded sad.
What else can be done? How
low can it go?
- Sandals can be reached
at nsandals wumich.edu.
toldTheAssociatedPressthathemay
run for governor in2010.
The former mayor has spoken at
the Universityseveraltimesbefore,
both during his mayoral terms and
in the years following it.
Norman said BULA, which
has between 20 and 25 members
- almost all of whom are in the
pre-law program - hopes Archer's
visit will generate interest in the
group, which has undergone many
organizational changes in past
years. BULA went through what
Norman described as a complete
overhaul in 2003 and rewrote its
constitution just last year.
The organization was founded
in the early 1990s by a group of
black Pre-Law students who want-
ed to increase the limited number
of opportunities available to them
on campus.
of the state where they campaign
for the McCain-Palin ticket and

Republican candidates running for
local office.
"We're pushing within our
chapter to get more members inter-
ested and involved in that, and just
getting MSU students involved as
well," Glinzak said.
Since the McCain campaign's
decision to stop campaigning in
Michigan, Smith and Glinzak
said they've faced questions about
whether the Republican candidate
actually cared about the state's
voters - especially young voters.
Thetwoyoungpoliticosbothsaid
theyrelished thechance to respond
to young voters' worries and con-
cerns, mainly because itgives them
the opportunity to explain about
why they think McCain is best suit-
ed for the presidency.
"We think that's actually an
opportunitywhen people approach
us" with questions about McCain's
decision, Glinzak said. "I'd rather
have people voice their opinion
and let me explain why the sena-
tor made that decision. And after
we explain why Senator McCain
chose to do that, they seem to be
more understanding."
Smith said he thinks the Univer-
sity of Michigan's College Republi-
cans have a tougher sell, now that
McCain's presence in Michigan
has diminished.
"They've asked me why it's been
left to the state party, and now that
he's gone, why should I vote for
John McCain," Smith explained.
"Does it make our job a little bit
tougher? Certainly. But I'm happy
to answer the questions of anyone
asking about John McCain."

for all of Southern California
except the deserts through Tues-
day.
Some 1,000 people were
deployed to fight the fire along
with water-dumping helicopters
and planes.
Theblazethreatenedneighbor-
hoods around Kagel and Lopez
canyons, forcing the evacuation
of about 450 homes. Many dis-
placed residents sought refuge at
a shelter set up at nearby San Fer-
nando High School. Horses and
farm animals were evacuated to
Hansen Dam.
"It burned right down to a cou-
ple of neighborhoods," said U.S.
Forest Service spokesman Stan-
ton Florea.
The fire was burning south of
the Wildlife Waystation, an ani-
mal sanctuary and rehabilitation
facility set on 160 acres. The non-
profit agency houses more than
400 animals, including lions,
bears and deer. Officials loaded
up the animals ready for evacu-
ation in case the fire switched
direction.
"They are packing them up in
case they have to go," said U.S.
Forest Service spokeswoman Dee
Dechert.

APPHOTO
A plane douses wildfires in the Los Angeles area Sunday. The fire, which was only
20 percent contained as of last night, spread 2,000 acres.


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