r. r:n e ic1 i n a4#0t1 Ann Arbor, Michigan Wednesday, November 25, 2009 michigandaily.com CAMPUS POLITICS CSJ disbands constitution convention PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CARTER CENTER/L Gubb Dante Vasquez treats Latifah, 9, who had two Guinea worms surfacing from the back of her knee. In 1986, there were an estimated 3.5 million cases of Guinea worm in 20 African and Asian countries. But with the efforts of officials from The Carter Center, like Vasquez, and other organizations, there are fewer than 5,000 cases today. Dante Vasquez: worm eradicator Student court rules that effort needed campus-wide vote By MALLORY JONES Daily StaffReporter A Michigan Student Assembly effortto revamp the document that governs campus life for students at the University has been deemed unconstitutional by the leading campus judicial body. In a trial that ended late Mon- day night, the Central Student Judiciary ruled that the Consti- tutional Convention, which was being organized and executed by, top officials from MSA, violates the student constitution. They also ruled that the convention needed to be disbanded immediately. When the convention was first presented as a resolution during a weekly MSA meeting earlier this semester, Rackham Rep. Kate Stenvig said she did not think it was constitutional. After the reso- lution passed, Stenvig brought the case to the CSJ. Student General Counsel Jim Brusstar and Rules and Elections Committee Chair and Rackham Rep. Michael Benson argued the case on behalf of MSA. They served as secretary and vice chair of the convention, respectively, until it was disbanded last night. The justices found that the cre- ation of the convention was not in compliance with the student con- stitution, which states that a con- vention requires its delegates to be elected. in preparing for the conven- tion, MSA officials opted to invite all students to apply to serve on the Constitutional Conventional, rather than hold a campus-wide election. MSA President Abhishek Mahanti then reviewed students' applications and selected about 40. students to serve on the con- vention. These 40 names were then presented to the assembly for approval. Stenvig applied to serve on the convention in one of the eight seats allotted for MSA representatives but was not chosen by Mahanti. CSJ ruled that this process did not qualify as an "election," which the constitution deems mandatory, and the judicial body ruled the current convention invalid. "CSJ ruled that the conven- tion should be proportionately represented by school or college and serious questions were raised about whether or not student orga- nizations should be represented at all," MSA Vice President Mike Rorro wrote in an e-mail to MSA members after the ruling. Stenvig's legal representation, Joyce Schon, argued that includ- ing so many MSA members in the convention would just advance the majority party's agenda. "I think that the current MSA leadership that organized the con- vention in this manner has been making a series of attacks on the See CONVENTION, Page 7 2005 grad Vasquez works in Africa to end Guinea worm By KATHERINE MITCHELL Daily StaffReporter Dante Vasquez lives in Juba, the capital of southern Sudan, in a compound constructed roughly out of imported crates and ship- ping containers. He travels the country as best he can - land cruiser, motorcycle and, when necessary, by foot. For some, it would appear a grueling exis- tence. But for Vasquez it's busi- ness as usual. A 2005 University graduate, Vasquez now works in Sudan as a deputy regional technical adviser to The Carter Center, an organi- zation founded in 1982 that "is committed to advancing human rights and alleviating unneces- sary human suffering," according to its website. Sudan isa country with a histo- ry marred by civil war stemming from religious and military strife. But Vasquez is not there to try to put an end to the conflict. He's waging a different kind of war - a battle against Guinea worm. Guinea worm is a parasite that enters the body through a water source, typically drinking water. The parasite releases its larvae in water, which, when ingested by a host, mate and produce a worm that can grow up to three feet in length. The worm can take up to a year to surface through a pain- ful skin blister but, when present, causes an intense burning sensa- tion as it exits the body. Removing Guinea worm is an excruciatingly delicate process. Extrication methods involve wrapping the worm around a small stick and slowly turning it to pull the worm from the body. CONTINUING SERIES: A FT ER T HE Y WA LK However, because the worm wraps itself tightly around the host's muscles and bones, twist- ing the stick must be done with extreme care so as to not break the worm. The process can take many weeks or, in extreme cases, months. There is currently no vaccine or cure for the' Guinea worm, meaning health activists and vol- unteers like Vasquez must focus on prevention through other See AFTER THEY WALK, Page 7 BIG HOUSE INCIDENTS NEXT STOP: STUFFING Man pushed by Bill Martin regrets not pressing charges Kahn says athletic 0 director's apology wasn't sincere ByJOELLE HECKER For the Daily The Department of Public Safety employee who was alleg- edly pushed by Athletic Director Bill Martin during a Michigan football game last month said he now regrets not pressing charges. After Eastern Michigan Uni- versity sophomore Arif Kahn denied Martin entry into the Regents Guest Area after the Del- aware State game Oct. 17, Martin grabbed Kahn's windbreaker and slightly pushed him, according to a police report. Martin apolo- gized for the incident on Oct. 26 and Kahn did not press charges against him. Kahn said that in Martin's apology, the athletic director claimed he was running late for a meeting and that there is usually a police officer at the entrance who recognizes him. Martin also noted in his apology that the con- fusion was due to recent policy changes he was not made aware of, according to Kahn. Kahn decided not to press charges because he wanted a "quick, easy resolution," and he thought taking it to court would be "too big of a deal." Kahn said See INCIDENT, Page 3 UNIVERSITY RESEARCH Pharmacy intervention program shows promise to help mentally ill MARi$SA MCCLAIN/Daiiy Students head home for Thanksgiving break on the Amtrak train yesterday evening. CA US GROPS The Daily elects new slate of editors Program could help mentally ill manage *medication schedule By ESHWAR THIRUNAVUKKARASU Daily StaffReporter Patients who forget to refill their prescription medication may soon receive help through pharmacy-based intervention - a hands-on approach to encourage mentally ill patients to take their medications. Marcia Valenstein, associ- ate professor for the Univer- sity's Department of Psychiatry, recently led a study that proved the value of such a program. The randomized trial com- pared patients who received the MedsHelp pharmacy interven- tion with those who received usual pharmacy care. Published in this month's online edition of Schizophrenia Bulletin, the study reported an 86-percent adher- ence to refill dates for the inter- vention group - nearly 25 percent greater than that reported for patients without assistance. "The reason we started the study is because people with seri- ous mental illnesses often have difficulty taking their medications See RESEARCH, Page 3 Next class will serve year-long terms starting in January By LIBBY ASHTON Daily Staff Reporter The Michigan Daily has elected a new class of editors who will offi- cially begin a yearlong term this January. Each year, the Daily holds staff-wide elections to appoint its editor-in-chief and editorial page editor, while the other sections hold smaller elections to deter- mine their editors. The elected editor in chief appoints other key positions that are confirmed by the Daily's senior editors, includ- ing managing editor - the paper's second in command. Elections for editor in chief and editorial page editor take place in one roughly 12-hour block of time. During elections, the entire Daily staff asks the candidates ques- tions relevant to how they would approach the position. Each staff member's vote is counted equally. After standing through about eight hours of questions, Business junior Jacob Smilovitz - the Dai- ly's current managing news editor - was elected as the paper's next editor in chief. See EDITORS, Page 3 WEATHER HI: 42 TOMORROW LO: 35 GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-763-2459 or e-mail newsa michigandaily.com and let os know. NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM A bittersweet end for 'Jon & Kate Plus 8.' MICHIGANDAILYCOM/BLOGS/THE FILTER INDEX NEWS ...........2 ARTS.............,......S....5 Vol. CXX, No.,55 SUDOKU ............... 3 CLASSIFIEDS ....... .. ..... ..6 C2009TheMichianOaily OPINION ............................4 SPORTS................. 8 m'iichigondoitycom