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The latest album from Flight of Do' infra os ihu
T the Conchords should be loved reviewing your tenant rights in the
by fans but lost on everyone else. housing issue of The Statement.
SEE ARTS, PAGE 5A SEE !NSIDE
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
michigandaily.com
MIDTERMS AND MASSAGES
UNDER AGE DRINKING
State House
passes Good
Samaritan bill
MARISSA MCCLAiN/Daily
LSA freshman Lauren Beriont enjoys a massage yesterday from Ann Arbor Seventh-day Adventist Church intern Isabella Hansen, who is also a part of the group
Campus Hope. The Christian organization gives free massages at the Michigan Union every Tuesday to help relieve students' stress.
SERIES: AFTER THEY WALK
en ey Rhnthele-changer
Bill would protect
drunk minors
from citations
in emergencies
By LIBBY ASHTQN
Daily StaffReporter
The Michigan House of Repre-
sentatives unanimously voted last
week to pass the "Medical Amnes-
ty" - or "Good Samaritan" - bill,
which would grant exemption to
underage drinkers who seek medi-
cal attention for alcohol-related
health issues.
Now on its way to the state Sen-
ate, the bill seeks to amend the
Michigan Liquor Control Code,
which currently states that under-
age drinkers are guilty of a mis-
demeanor, a crime punishable by
law. The bill aims to eliminate the
hesitation that might occur when
underage drinkers are deciding
whether or not to get help for a
friend for fear of receiving a "minor
in possession" citation.
Sen. Liz Brater (D-Ann Arbor)
first introduced the bill in March.
According to a press release issued
by her office, the goal of the bill is
to "prevent loss of life and make
health and safety a higher priority
than punishment."
Brater said in an interview this
week that she was motivated to
introduce the bill after hearing
about a series of incidents on col-
lege campuses in which seriously
intoxicated students went without
medical assistance because they
or their friends were too afraid of
receiving an MIP to call for help.
"We're trying to prevent a trag-
edy by allowingsomeone to receive
medical assistance for someone
who is dangerously intoxicated,"
Brater said. "(The bill) is in no way
meant to condone minors consum-
ing alcohol but to prevent a very
narrow exception for this particu-
lar situation."
Department of Public Safety
spokeswoman Diane Brown said
the motivation for this bill might be
based on misconceptions.
"t've heard for years the percep-
tion that if you go to the E.R. and
you've been drinking, they will call
the police," Brown said. "If that's
the totality of the situation, they
will not."
Brown explained that medi-
cal personnel are only expected to
report their observations of other
legal matters, like domestic or child
abuse, not of underage drinking.
Secondly, Brown said she
believes students have a miscon-
ception that if they receive an MIP,
their records will be permanently
marked with the offense. In real-
ity, first-time offenders have the
option to participate in alternative
programs that will expunge their
records.
Still, Brown doesn't empathize
with the choice to protect oneself
from perceived legal repercussions
See GOOD SAMARITAN, Page 7A
Editor's Note: Today, the Daily
premieres a new series, 'After They
Walk," which profiles University
alumni who are significantly chang-
ing the lives of others for the better.
The series, which will run periodi-
cally throughout the year, starts with
the incredible story of Wendy Rhein,
who runs a programfor the homeless
inAtlanta.
By STEPHANIE STEINBERG
Daily StaffReporter
Two years ago, Wilkes Bonhart
was smoking a steady dose of about
three grams of crack a day, scroung-
ing for food out of dumpsters and
sleeping in boarded up, dilapidated
homes in inner-city Atlanta.
And although Bonhart now com-
pares his former self to the homeless
who wander the streets of Detroit, a
brief look at his past would make
that comparison quite hard to
believe.
In 1988, he graduated from the
University of Toledo with a bach-
elor's degree in political science.
And at age 27, he enrolled in gradu-
ate courses in economics at UT. But,
because of his constant drug use,
Bonhart was forced to drop out of
school a few months later.
"That was a decision I regretted
for the rest of my life," Bonhart said
in an August phone interview.
In a series of interviews through-
out the last couple months, Bon-
hart was polite and friendly. Amid
those conversations, he explained
the story of how he ended up on the
streets in Atlanta.
"OK, let me tell you a story," he
said when asked about the journey.
And in that moment, Wilkes was
no longer the mannerly, courteous
civilian who had been a part of the
previous conversations. He trans-,
formed into his old self, talking
slang like "balla" and "playin' " and
cursing about all the shit he went
through while addicted to crack.
He did not hold back.
After burning through his stu-
dent loans and supporting himself
on unemployment checks, Bonhart
took his last check in March 1989
and fled south. The next 10 years of
his life were spent onthe streets. He
earned about $500 a week detailing
cars - but he quickly spent it all on
drugs.
See AFTER THEY WALK, Page 3A
MICHIGAN FOOTBALL
Cornerback Boubacar
Cissoko kicked off team
Cissoko was due in
court yesterday for
disorderly conduct
charge
By MICHAEL EISENSTEIN
Daily Sports Editor
Sophomore cornerback Bou-
bacar Cissoko was dismissed
from the Michigan football
team yesterday afternoon for a
violation of team rules, Michi-
gan coach Rich Rodriguez said
through Athletic Department
spokesman Dave Ablauf.
Cissoko was due to appear in
Detroit's 36th district court yes-
terday for disorderly conduct
charges stemming from a traffic
arrest over the summer, accord-
ing to an Aug. 25 annarbor.com
report. If found guilty, Cissoko
could receive up to a $1,000 fine
and 90 days in jail.
Another annarbor.com report
from late July described a June 6
incident in which Cissoko was a
passenger in a vehicle pulled over
in Belle Isle for speeding. When
the police officer asked the driver
to get out of the car, Cissoko was
quoted as saying "Leave my boy
the (expletive) alone," accord-
ing to the annarbor.com story.
He was then arrested after the
officer ordered him to stop, the
report said.
Thomas Wilcher, Cissoko's
former coach at Cass Technical
High School in Detroit, said the
See CISSOKO, Page 7A
MICHIGAN STUDENT ASSEMBLY
MSA passes concerns resolution
Chair of the University's Council for Disability Concerns Jack Bernard shakes hands with Truman, a golden retriever, on the Diag
yesterday during an event called "Dogs, dogs, dogs...and how they help!" The event was part of Investing in Ability Week.
Investing in Ability Week celebrates
artistic eXpression of life's hardships
In reversal, assembly
will revamp the way
community can voice
public concerns
By MALLORY JONES
Daily StaffReporter
In a big reversal, the Michigan
Student Assembly passed a con-
troversial resolution last night
that will add restrictions to the
"community concerns" portion of
its weekly meetings, potentially
preventing people from address-
ing the assembly in the future.
The resolution passed the
assembly 23-7 - with two mem-
bers choosing to abstain from
voting - and needed a two-thirds
majority to pass.
A version of the resolution
was put before the assembly two
weeks ago and failed to pass.
Amendments were added, howev-
er, which called for the executive
board to provide a written report
when they decide to turnsomeone
away, allowing the resolution to
pass last night.
The amendments also specified
that the board base its decisions
on whether the topic the speaker
would be addressing is relevant to
students, campus and the commu-
nity, and whether MSA could have
an impact on the issue.
The assembly will now require
a valid, non-expired Mcard for
community members to speak
during the community concerns
segment - now titled "communi-
ty input." Non-affiliates will have
to request permission from the
executive board in order to speak.
The time for community speak-
ers was also shortened from
See MSA, Page 7A
hig
awai
If yo
yesterd
of ador
How
than ju
vice do
'ies of events to therapy to people with disabilities.
The dogs were part of a demon-
Fhlight disabilities stration for the annual Investing
in Ability Week, now in its 19th
reness ends Oct. 31 year, sponsored by the University's
Council for Disability Concerns.
By DYLAN CINTI The program seeks to promote
Daily StaffReporter campus awareness about disability
issues.
tu walked through the Diag This year's program is themed
lay,you probably saw a bunch "Art and Abilities." It began on Oct.
able golden retrievers. 19 and will continue through Oct.
'ever, these dogs were more . 31.
st cute pets - they were ser- Anna Ercoli Schnitzer, a librar-
.gs, providing assistance and ian who specializes in disability-
related content at the Taubman
Medical Library and Health Sci-
ences Libraries, serves on the coun-
cil and helped plan the week-long
event.
Schnitzer explained that the
council works to level the play-
ing field for people with physical
or emotional challenges. Its work
includes examining blueprints of
University buildings to ensure they
meet accessibility standards set by
the Americans with Disabilities
Act, as well as advocating for stu-
See ABILITY WEEK, Page 7A
WEATHER HI 64
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