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The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Monday, A pril 20, 2009 - 3A
N ew s Monday, April 20, 2009 - 3A
NEWS BRIEFS
NAIROBI, Kenya
Gunmen seize two
foreign aid workers
An aid worker says gunmen have
kidnapped two foreign aid workers
in Somalia.
He says the Medecins Sans Fron-
tieres (Doctors Without Borders)
workers were seized in central
Somalia yesterday by around 25
gunmen traveling in two trucks.
The Somali staff traveling with
the two hostages were released.
One of the captives is European and
the nationality of the other is not
known.
The aid worker spoke on condi-
tion of anonymity because he was
not authorized to talk to the media.
Attacks on aid workers are com-
mon in Somalia. The government
accuses them of helping insurgents
and the insurgents accuse them
of being spies. Dozens have been
killed, kidnapped or threatened
within the past year.
ST. PAUL, Minn.
Senate seat dispute
to be heard by state
supreme court
Republican Norm Coleman's next
and possibly last gambit for regain-
ing his U.S. Senate seat will come
before a Minnesota Supreme Court
that seems built to his advantage:
Five of the seven justices were put
there by Republican governors.
But Coleman's edge with the
court, which is expected to receive
the appeal this week of his election-
lawsuit loss to Democrat Al Fran-
ken, isn't all it seems.
Two of the GOP appointees
will sit out the appeal because
they helped referee the statewide
recount. A third has drawn fire for
past donations to Coleman's Senate
campaigns,
And the court as a whole has a
history of nonpartisanship in elec-
tion-law decisions.
While courts nationwide are
being increasingly drawn into polit-
ical disputes, few elections reach
this stage. Fewer still have such
stakes: A six-year Senate term vital
to the Washington power struggle.
"These aren't the kind of cases
judges want to see come their way,"
said Michael Pitts, a professor at the
Indiana University School of Law in
Indianapolis.
WASHINGTON
Government seeks
cyber hackers to
fill vacant jobs
Wanted: Computer hackers.
Federal authorities aren'tlooking
to prosecute them, but to pay them
to secure the nation's networks.
General Dynamics Information
Technology put out an ad last month
on behalf of the Homeland Secu-
rity Department seeking someone
who could "think like the bad guy."
Applicants, it said, must understand
hackers' tools and tactics and be
able to analyze Internet traffic and
identify vulnerabilities in the fed-
eral systems.
In the Pentagon's budget request
submitted lastweek, Defense Secre-
tary Robert Gates said the Pentagon
will increase the number of cyber-
experts it can train each year from
80 to 250 by 2011.
With warnings that the U.S. is
ill-prepared for a cyberattack; the
White House conducted a 60-day
study of how the government can
better manage and use technol-
ogy to protect everything from the
electrical grid and stock markets to
tax data, airline flight systems, and
nuclear launch codes.
FARMINGTON, Mich.
City amends law,
requires foreclosed
homes to be kept up
Farmington officials have given
notice to mortgage lenders that
foreclose on homes: Maintain the
properties or face fines.
Farmington has amended its nui-
sance ordinance to require banks
and brokers that own abandoned
homes to keep them up. The com-
munity of 10,400 is about 15 miles
west-northwest of Detroit.
City Manager Vincent Pas-
tue says Farmington has about 50
homes in foreclosure, and about 40
percent of them are abandoned.
Pastue tells the Detroit Free
Press the law that took effect Thurs-
day requires lenders to have trash
removed and grass cut. They also
must hire managers to monitor the
properties each week:
- Compiled from
Daily wire reports
Obama says reaching out to
enemies strengthens U.S.
Obama calls for
closer ties with
Cuba, Venezuela
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP)
- Defending his brand of world pol-
itics, President Barack Obama said
Sunday that he "strengthens our
hand" by reaching out to enemies of
the United States and making sure
that the nation isa leader, not a lec-
turer, of democracy.
Obama's foreign doctrine
emerged across his four-daytrip to
Latin America, his first extended
venture to a region of the world
where resentment of U.S. power
still lingers. He got a smile, hand-
shakes and even a gift from incen-
diary leftist leader Hugo Chavez
of Venezuela, and embraced over-
tures of new relations from isolat-
ed Cuban President Raul Castro.
"The whole notion was that if
we showed courtesy or opened up
dialogue with governments that
had previously been hostile to us,
that that somehow would be a sign
of weakness," Obama said, recall-
ing his race for the White House
and challenging his critics today.
ORDER
From Page 1A
Andrew Dalack, spokesman for
Order and co-chair of Students
Allied for Freedom and Equality,
wrote in an e-mail interview.
The core values of this year's
22-member class, as highlighted in
a press release, are "leadership and
character, passion and commit-
ment and diversity and humility."
"The class of 2010 looks forward
to improving Michigan through
an enduring commitment to hum-
ble service," Dalack wrote in the
e-mail.
While the club never officially
released its class list before 2006,
"The American people didn't
.buy it," Obama said. "And there's a
good reason the American people
didn't buy it - because it doesn't
make sense."
Still, Obama made sure to inject
some go-it-slow caution and clear
expectations for U.S. foes as he
capped his trip to twin-island
nation of Trinidad and Tobago
with a steamy outdoor news con-
ference.
On Cuba, he said Castro should
release politicalprisoners,embrace
democratic freedoms and cut fees
on the money that Cuban-Amer-
icans send back to their families.
Obama has lifted some restrictions
on Cuba, and Castro responded
with a broad, conciliatory over-
ture.
"The fact that you had Raul
Castro say he's willing to have his
government discuss with ours not
just issues of lifting the embargo,
but issues of human,rights, politi-
cal prisoners, that's a sign of prog-
ress," Obama said. "And so we're
going to explore and see if we can
make some further steps."
He did not, though, offer any
sign of lifting the crushing U.S.
trade embargo on Cuba, as many
the organizations records and his-
tory are open to the public.
Despite previous conflicts, the
organization is currently regis-
tered with the University and can
be found on Maize Pages.
Even though information about
the club is readily available, order
prefers to act silently.
"While some of our activities
are listed publicly, we seek to serve
Michigan without recognition,"
Dalack wrote.
The club, founded in 1902, was
referred to as Michigamua from
its inception until 2006, when the
group changed its name to remove
its allegedly racist reference to a
Native American tribe.
In 2000, during a takeover of
Latin American and U.S. lead-
ers want. Obama acknowledged
that the ti.S. policy in Cuba for
the last 50 years "hasn't worked"
but said change will be gradual.
In Washington, both Democrats
and Republicans said Sunday that
they wanted to see actions, not just
rhetoric, from Cuba.
"Release the prisoners and we'll
talk to you. ... Put up or shut up,"
said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
"I think we're taking the right
steps, and I think the ball is now
clearly in Cuba's court," said Sen.
Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. "They
need to respond and say what
they're willingto do."
As for Venezuela, Obama's
friendly encounters with Chavez
at the summit drew intense
publicity - partly, Obama said,
because Chavez is good at getting
in front of TV cameras. Chavez's
anti-American rhetoric has, in
the past, led Obama to call him a
demagogue.
Obama returned to Washington
early Sunday evening. But even
before he got back, Obama was
facing condemnation from some
Republicans about how he dealt
with Chavez. "I think it was irre-
Michigamua's office in the tower
of the Michigan Union, Students of
Color Coalition discovered Native
American tribal artifacts in the
group's meeting space. The coali-
tion claimed Michigamua was
in violation of a 1989 agreement
between the University and Native
American tribes to not use native
artifacts and rituals.
And while the reasoning behind
the possession of these items was
never confirmed, the club perma-
nently vacated the office in the
tower of the Union after an extend-"
ed occupation of the tower by the
Students of Color Coalition.
The same year, Michigamua
began considering women for
membership. Current members
President Barack Obama shakes hands with Venezuela's President Hugo Chan
Friday during the Fifth Summit of the Americas.
sponsible for the president to be
seen kind of laughing and joking
with Hugo Chavez," said Sen. John
Ensign, R-Nev.
The president brushed that
aside, noting that Venezuela has
a defense budget about one-six
hundredth the size of the United
claim that the club was not ruined
by the scandal, despite the contro-
versial past. The group says it has
grown from the experience and is
dedicated to repairing the broken
relationships.
"We do not intend to dismiss
the past; rather, we look forward
to building and strengthening
relationships with groups that are
affected by certain aspects of the
organization's history," Dalack
wrote.
Pride 2010 joins a group of the
University's most prestigious
alumni.
President Gerald Ford was a
member of the Order and Michigan
football coach Bo Schembechler
and University presidents Angell,
States' and owns the oil company
Citgo.
"It's unlikely that as a conse-
quence of me shaking hands or
having a polite conversation with
Mr. Chavez that we are endanger-
ing the strategic interests of the
United States," Obama said.
Henry Hutchins, Alexander Ruth-
ven, Harlan Hatcher and Robben
Fleming were all honorary mem-
bers.
More recent reputable members
include Indianapolis Colts Run-
ning Back Mike Hart and Miami
Dolphins Tackle Jake Long, U.S.
Olympic gold-medalist swimmer
Peter Vanderkaay and Dallas Stars
Goalie Marty Turco.
Other secret societies atthe Uni-
versity include the Phoenix Senior
Honor Society and Vulcan Senior
Engineering Society, both of which
do notrelease membership lists.
- Daily Editor in Chief Gary Graca
was tapped to join this year's class
of Order but declined the invitation.
TRANSFER
From Page 1A
do our best."
Mosena said that when she final-
ly managed to meet friends - who
mostly live on Central Campus - it
was more difficult to socialize with
them because she lived on North
Campus.
Adam Runkle, president of the
Organization for Adult and Trans-
fer Students, a student organiza-
tion dedicated to helping transfer
students adjust to life at the Uni-
versity,said many transfer students
have voiged similar concerns.
"I have had several students
complain of their placement on
North Campus because it hinders
their ability to maintain a social
life with other students on Cen-
tral," Runkle said.
Runkle, an LSA senior, said
many freshmen or non-transfer
students living on North Campus
already have a social circle, and
+hatft +maes- it ex+remely hard
for transfer students to adjust.
When LSA senior Tae Won Um
first arrived at the University, com-
ing from Korea, he understood that
he would probably have to learn
new customs, styles and slang. But
the culture shock that normally
comes with moving to a foreign
country was only exacerbated, Um
said, because he was placed in Baits
I on North Campus, isolated from
many of his fellow students.
Um transferred from Hankuk
University of Foreign Studies in
Seoul, South Korea, last year, and
said he has had trouble adjusting
to life at the University because of
where he lives.
"As an LSA student having all
classes on Central Campus, it was
neither a time-effective nor social-
ly engaginglife," he said.
With the libraries on Central
Campus having more resources
related to, his studies, he said, his
placement on North Campus made
life that much more challenging.
It also forced him to be conscious
of +the s cedule owhen Leoing to
study.
"The University needs to con-
sider more carefully when putting
students into dorms," Um said.
Jennifer Brown, an LSA junior
who transferred from Grand Valley
State University at the beginning of
this year, said she has mixed feelings
about her experience as a transfer
studentresiding on North Campus.
Brown was placed in North-
wood III with many other transfer
students that she said she probably
wouldn't have met if she lived on
Central Campus.
"Itiskindofnicetobe livingwith
other transfer students because
we are all going through the same
transition, and it is nice to have
others that you can relate to close
by," she said. "However, I know a
majority of the other students in
Northwood probably have not
had the same experience."
Brown saidshe also felt unnec-
essarily isolated living on North
Campus.
"Adjustingto a new college for
the-ndAtimecnhedifurtaI
it is," she said. "And feeling isolated
from the rest of the campus makes
the transition a little more difficult
than necessary. Especially when a
majority of my peers are lining on
Central and/or have already estab-
lished their own friendships, living
on North makes it harder to try to
mingle with other juniors."
In order to meet more students
and become more "connected"
with - Central Campus, Brown
joined Alpha Gamma Delta soror-
ity shortly after she arrived on
campus.
"North can be a deterrent to
becoming involved in academic
and social organizations," she said,
and joining the sorority has helped
her become more involved with
student activities.
LSA junior Kaitlin Terpstra-
Sweeney, who transferred from
Pasadena City College in Padadena,
Calif., said she couldn't completely
adjust to life at the University of
Michigan until she moved away
from North Campus at the end of
her first semester.
"It was a pretty lonely experi-
ence (living in North Campus),"
she said. "I just had transferred
this year from California, and
because I transferred from so far
away I didn't know anyone."
Terpstra-Sweeneysaidshemade
the decision to move off of North
Campus because she "wanted bet-
ter opportunities to meet people
and make friends," and since there
was anopeninginthe MarthaCook
Building, she grabbed it.
And, she said, "It has made a
world of difference."