News 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."