Lo N Matthew Green: The University should use the Statement of. Student Rights and Responsibilities as a positive - not negative - document. }> PAGE 4A
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Ann Arbor, Michigan
Thursday, March 25, 2010
michigandaily.com
UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL
Charges
dropped in
Innocence
Clinic case
Provience outcome
is clinic's third major
exoneration since its
2009 founding
By JILLIAN BERMAN
and ELYANA TWIGGS
ManagingNews Editor and
Daily StaffReporter
University Innocence Clinic
officials announced yesterday
that the Wayne County Prosecu-
tor's Office has dropped its charg-
es against Dwayne Provience.
Provience, 36, was convicted
in 2001 of murdering Detroit resi-
dent Rene Hunter and was sent
to prison. In November 2009,
Provience was released from jail
after the Innocence Clinic was
able to prove that there was a lack
of evidence to convict him.
Earlier this year, the prosecu-
tion called for a retrial in the case,
which was scheduled for April 5.
But with yesterday's announce-
ment that the prosecution is
dropping the case due to a lack of
evidence, Provience will no lon-
ger have to face the retrial.
Accordingto aUniversitypress
release, the announcement is the
Innocence Clinic's "third major
exoneration since it was founded
in the winter of 2009."
Second-year Law student Brett
DeGroff, a student attorney with
the Innocence Clinic, said in an
interview last night that the reso-
lution of the case is "just because
(Provience) was completely inno-
cent all along."
"We're thrilled," DeGroff said.
"It's a huge event for Mr. Provi-
ence. Until today, the specter of
retrial was always kind of loom-
ing over him, he had the tether
on his ankle and he wasn't free to
come and go as he pleased."
University Law Prof. and Inno-
cence Clinic co-director David
Moran said in a press release that
in the more than one year that
the clinic has been working on
the case, they've gathered a great
deal of evidence proving Provi-
ence's innocence.
"We hope that, having found
that overwhelming evidence of
who the real killers are, the pros-
ecution will consider bringing to
justice the killer who is still out
there walkingthe streets," Moran
said in the release.
Provience said in the release
that he was appreciative of the
students in the Innocence Clinic.
"If it wasn't for the Michigan
Innocence Clinic - students
See CLINIC, Page 5A
MARISSA MCCLAIN/Daily
Assistant Director of the Marine Hydrodynamics Laboratories Timothy Peters demonstrates yesterday how the Physical Modeling Basin in West Hall functions. Constructed in
1904, the basin is used to test various elements of a marine environment. Its the largest of its kind owned and operated by an educational institution in the U.S., accordingto Peters.
Officials say error onMS
MS W we1X
votng ebsteis now fixed
Glitch caused by voted in the Michigan Student The application mixed which ued to the confirmation page an
Assembly elections before 8 a.m. party appeared first on each per- submitted their ballot, there wei
randomizing feature yesterday morning. However, offi- son's ballot so that 25 percent of no problems with the randomiz
d
ire
.a-
has since been
disabled
By KYLE SWANSON
Daily News Editor
officials worked much of yes-
terday to correct problems that
occurred for some students who
cials say, the problem has since
been fixed and ballots cast now
will be properly tallied.
According to Michigan Student
Assembly election chair Sagar
Deshpande, the issue came about
because of a ballot randomization
feature, which was designed to
ensure that no party or candidate
would have an alphabetical advan-
tage over another.
voters would see Defend Affirma-
tive Action Party at the top of the
ballot, 25 percent would see Inde-
pendents at the top of the ballot,
25 percent would see MForward
at the top of ballot and 25 percent
would see the Michigan Vision
Party at the top of the ballot, Desh-
pande said.
He said that for students who
completed their ballot, contin-
tion feature and their votes were
counted. However, those who went
back to modify their ballot before
submitting it may not have noticed
that the candidates were shuffled
on the ballot when they returned
to see it, but that the boxes they
had marked were kept the same.
Deshpande explained that this
means someone could have origi-
See MSA, Page 3A
A LAB FOR EQUIPMENT
Students discuss research
with legislators in
Visit to state capital
highlighted the
importance of
undergrad research
By CAITLIN HUSTON
Daily StaffReporter
Speaking before Michigan
lawmakers yesterday, University
students said the answers to the
state's economic woes could come
from the innovations of under-
graduate research.
Twelve undergraduate students
from Michigan State University,
Wayne State University and the
University of Michigan - the
institutions that make up the Uni-
versity Research Corridor - were
chosen to present their research
to an audience of state legislators
at the capitol on Wednesday. The
Lansing
students, as well as other higher
education and state leaders, spoke
about the importance of research
to Michigan's economy.
Speakers at the event included
State Rep. Joan Bauer (D-Lan-
sing), MSU President Lou Anna
K. Simon, Jackie Jerome Marks,
a special advisor to Michigan's
governor, and Jeff Mason, execu-
tive director of the University
Research Corridor.
See RESEARCH, Page 5A
TOREHAN SHARMAN/Daily
The machine shop, located in the basement of Randall Laboratory, manufactures a large portion of the lab equipment used by
the physics department.Instrument maker Dave Carter said the shop made about $200,000 worthoftequipment last year.
CAMPUS EVENTS
Events aim to highlight Islamic culture
PETA makes visit to campus,
raises usual security concerns
Lecture tonight
will be capstone
event for Islam
Awareness Week
By OLIVIA CARRINO
Daily StaffReporter
Tonight the Muslim Students'
Association will be hosting a
lecture to mark the end of Islam
Awareness Week, an event aimed
at highlighting Islamic culture.
The lecture, which is co-spon-
sored by Multi-Ethnic Student
Affairs, the Black Student Union
and other student organizations,
will feature two keynote speak-
ers, stand-up comedian Preacher
Moss and Yvonne Seon - aprofes-
sor of African American studies at
Prince George's Community Col-
lege in Maryland and the mother
of Dave Chappelle.
The lecture will address the
idea of being a "minority within
a minority," by associating with
being both African American and
Muslim in today's world.
LSA sophomore Sarah Abe,
Islamic relations committee
chair for the Muslim Students'
Association, said the goal of the
lecture and the week as a whole
is to educate students about
Islam.
"We put on an event every
single night (this week) about dif-
See EVENTS, Page SA
Lab workers sent
e-mail to be alert in
light of week-long
demonstration
By MICHELE NAROV
Daily StaffReporter
Students passing through the
Diag are accustomed to student
groups clamoring for their atten-
tion. In the past two days, the
Animal Liberation Project - a
four-day exhibition displaying
violent images of animal abuse
- took its turn, confronting pass-
ersby on their way to class.
Sponsored by People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals
2, a subset of PETA dedicated to
youth outreach, the exhibition,
which continues through today, is
made up-of large panels that com-
pare human suffering with the
mistreatment of animals.
Though no security issues have
arisen as the result of the exhibit
thus far, lab workers in biomedi-
cal animal labs were notified of
the event via e-mail and were told
to make sure all employees was in
the appropriate zones.
One panel titled "Born Into
Slavery" displayed an image of
child laborers alongside an image
of calves confined to veal crates.'
"Branded" - another panel -
showed images of both slaves and
cows being branded.
*ALP coordinator Adrianne
Burke said the group aims to raise
See PETA, Page 5A
0
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