The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - 7 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Tuesday, March 30, 2010 -7 Students in residence halls get taste . of local offerings at lunch yesterday Meal was part of University's Earth No executions took place in Europe in'09 Day series of events By SUZANNE JACOBS Daily StaffReporter Students who ate lunch in the dininghalls yesterdaygot a taste of Michigan as local ingredients took center stage. In recognition of the 40th annu- al Earth Day celebration coming this April, all residence halls and University-operated restaurants and caf6s featured locally pro- duced and organic foods yesterday, supporting the student-led "Go Blue, Eat Local" program to pro- mote sustainable dining. Sustainable Dining, organized by the University's Division of Student Affairs, University Hous- ing and University Unions, offered students a variety of local ingre- dients, including fruits, produce, meats, dairy products and pasta. The zero trans-fat frying oil used for cooking also came from Michi- gan. According to the Housing web- site, the residence halls used nap- kins made of 100-percent recycled fiber, and any raw food waste from the meal preparation was collected and taken to Ann Arbor's compost site. Among the items made from local ingredients that were served were whole wheat penne pasta, spicy black beans, a local Michigan quarter-pound burger, chicken and dumplings, butternut squash ravi- oli, Michigan fruit crisp and Mich- igan French vanilla ice cream. After eating lunch at South Quadrangle, LSA freshman Lizzy Head Chef Rob Sutch of The University Club in the Union gives a sneak peak at preparations for a local-produced meal y Nagler said she enjoyed the meal not necessarily because the food tasted better than normal but because she supported the cause. "I wouldn't say it tasted better, but I felt better about it," she said. Engineering sophomore Ian McDonald said the lunch at South Quad was "definitely better than what they normally have." At East Quadrangle, Residen- tial College sophomore Dafna Eisbruch said she loved the but- ternut squash ravioli and thought the meal as a whole seemed extra special. "The chef (took) it up a notch," she said. The chef at East Quad, Nelson Cummings, known as Buzz, was transferred to East Quad from South Quad in 2006 in order to develop a vegan and vegetarian focus there. University Housing spokesman Peter Logan,, said 2006 was when Cummings began seriously advo- cating for the use of local foods in the residence halls. Since 2006, the portion of the dining hall menus made from local ingredients has grown to 20 per- cent, Logan said. Despite this significant increase in the use of local foods, Logan said the possibility of hav- ing local foods constitute the majority of dining hall menus is very unlikely. "It's not so much the financial side," Logan said. "The challenge is really finding the Michigan food products, particularly produce, that are available at this time of the year." Accordingto Logan, the increas- ing number of local farmers and regional producers using hot hous- es - greenhouses meant to recre- ate warmer climates - to grow out-of-season crops can certainly help the University's effort to use local foods, but that alone will not be enough to support a major shift to locally grown products. In addition to buying local ingredients, Logan said Univer- sity Housing is trying to make an overall shift toward more sustain- able practices in the food services operations on campus. Logan mentioned that the din- ing halls are considering tray-less dining. The endeavor could reduce food waste, save water and energy and reduce operational costs in the dining halls. Logan added that students also play a big role in the move toward sustainability. "One of the key elements ... comes down to the education of the diner, that is, encouraging stu- dents to be mindful of the amount of food they take," he said. But two executions in Belarus quickly ended the trend LONDON (AP) - Europe had its first year without executions in 2009, human rights group Amnesty International said last Tuesday. But the London-based organization said the spell was recently broken by the execu- tion of two men in Belarus - an indication of the challenges the group faces as it fights to abolish capital punishment. Amnesty International has been tracking executions inter- nationally since 1980, although their figures don't include extra- judicial killings or the casualties of war. Western European coun- tries such as France, Britain and Germany abolished the death penalties in the years follow- ing World War II, and abolition spread rapidly through Eastern Europe with the collapse of Iron Curtain. Many former Soviet satel- lites banned capital punishment in the 1980s and '90s. Russia and Ukraine have not executed anyone more than a decade. Amnesty said that Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan have executed about 130 people between them over the past 10 years, but since 2006 Belarus has been the only Euro- pean state to carry out death sentences. The death penalty is "on its way out," according to Amnesty's interim Secretary General Clau- dio Cordone, before acknowl- edging that countries such as Belarus were a "hard core" where the practice would likely linger for some time. Amnesty said Belarus execut- ed two convicts just under two weeks ago. Death row prisoners in the authoritarian country are only given a few moments' notice before they're killed. They're then shot in the back of the head and their bodies are buried secretly, the group said. Worldwide, the total number of officially state-sanctioned executions is as uncertain as ever - in large part because China, the world's largest executioner, refuses to say how many prison- ers it puts to death. Unusually, Amnesty said it would refuse to put a figure to the scale of Chinese executions, saying that previous estimates - based on publicly available data - have been far too low. In 2008, Amnesty put the minimum figure of people put to death at 1,718. OBAMA From Page 1 less dedicated, and they would be thrilled for you to challenge them directly to meet the demands of the 21st century, as their forbears were by John F. Kennedy." Coleman added that the Uni- versity not only has ties to past presidents but to Obama's adminis- tration as well. "I would be remiss to close with- out conveying how extremely proud we are of the many University of Michigan alums working for you and your administration, who could serve as a valuable resource as you consider this invitation," she wrote. But Coleman was not the only one who lobbied the president to come to campus. A group of 30 cam- pus leaders sent a letter to Obama requesting that he speak at the Big House. The letter from University stu- dents discussed students' experi- ences on election night in 2008, when they celebrated on the Diag after Obama's victory was announced. "And there we stood, all united as students of University of Michigan who had witnessed history being made; shouting in one voice, 'YES WE DID!"' the students wrote. "As members and representatives of the upcoming graduating class of the University of Michigan, we feel a RESEARCH From Page 1 cap. The first grants are expected to be given in late June. Stephen Forrest, vice president for research at the University, said in a press release that the new research collaboration provides a one-of-a-kind opportunity for the University. "By collaborating on renewable energy and biomedical research projects, we have a unique oppor- tunity to move our innovations much more quickly toward the marketplace, where they can begin to benefit people across the globe," Forrest said in the release. "I cannot think of two other areas of research that can have a greater impact on the environment and the quality of life of people worldwide." The goal of the renewable energy partnership is to identify renewable energy projects that have commer- cial potential to reduce global car- bon emissions and that will attract research funding from government and industry in both the United States and China, according to the release. Possible topics to be funded include clean coal technol- ogy, building efficiency and clean vehicles. The program in biomedical tech- nology aims to improve technology used in the health care industry and will focus on topics including diag- nostic and therapeutic imaging, special connection to this great day in American history." LSA senior Rebekah Sharpe, assistant secretary of the Univer- sity's chapter of the NAACP and a signatory of the letter, said she started an initiative last summer to invite Obama to this year's spring commencement. Sharpe said she was put in touch with Coleman's office, which was already inthe process of recruiting Obama, and the student represen- tatives on the University's Honor- ary Degree Committee, the group responsible for determining the commencement speaker and those who will receive honorary degrees during the commencement cer- emony. "I worked with the project man- ager at the president's office, and then we met with the studentrepre- sentatives of the Honorary Degree Committee to cultivate an innova- tive and creative campaign to make the University of Michigan stand out," Sharpe said. Business junior Alex Serwer, one of the two student representatives on the Honorary Degree Commit- tee and a signatory of the letter to Obama, said the letter was written as a way to show student support, without alerting the entire student body, which may have been dis- appointed if Obama declined the request. "We devised a plan so it wouldn't get out to the general public, minimal and non-invasive therapy - used to minimize surgical risks and recovery time - and bio-nan- otechnology, which allows many specific procedures to be carried out at the microscopic level. The biomedical technologies part of the partnership will also address tissue engineering and bio- materials. In addition, researchers will study biomedical devices like surgical instruments and in vitro diagnostics, neural engineeringand rehabilitation and medical infor- matics - the use of computers and information within medicine. Forrest wrote in the release that he is looking forward to the part- nership. "The research strengths of our two universities are quite comple- mentary," he said in the release. Yesterday's announcement ends several months of University offi- cials being tight lipped on the issue, as Forrest made multiple trips to China to continue negotiations. When asked about the ongoing negotiations in a January interview with The Michigan Daily, Univer- sity President Mary Sue Coleman indicated that the project might focus on alternative energy, since matching money was available at the federal level, but she said that nothing had been formalized. "We are looking for research opportunities and partnerships and there are some discussions, but there's nothing that's happened. Nothing has been signed," Coleman said at the time. "I hope they're because we didn't want students to get all excited about it and then be disappointed about it if he decided not to come," Serwer said. "But, instead, in order to show we had student support, we decided that writing a letter to the White House would be something that would be more appropriate." Michigan football player David Moosman said in a phone interview last week that he signed the letter because he believes Obama's speech at the Big House will be "historic." "It's a time of rejuvenation for the country, and Obama, I think, is leading that," Moosman said. "Him speaking and giving his wisdom and words to the next class of lead- ers in the community and in the global market will be inspiring and, for lack of a better word, useful." Engineering senior Meha Pan- dey, the president of the Society of Women Engineers, said she signed the letter because she thought it was important for students to show the administration that they want- ed Obama to be their commence- ment speaker. "I think it's a great opportunity not only for my graduatingclass but to have the president of the United States come to this campus, and it kind of brings recognition toward the University and makes us real- ize that Michigan is great," Pandey said. Lisa Connolly, project manager in Coleman's office, also had fre- interested because it would be a good opportunity to do some inter- esting research." Coleman added, "I think there's an opportunity particularly in areas that might be of mutual interest." University Provost Teresa Sulli- van echoed Coleman's comments in a January interview with the Daily. "It's a little too soon to tell what it might mature into, but I think that there is interest on both sides in the existing partnership in mak- ing it deeper and more substantive than it already is," Sullivan said at the time, adding that the Univer- sity's relationship with Shanghai Jiao Tong has already proven valu- able for some Engineering stu- dents. In December, Sullivan had hinted at a possible research investment with Shanghai Jiao Tong University that would have financial benefits for the University. However, in Janu- ary, Sullivan said she was only using the example as a way to explain non- traditional partnerships. "It's not an investment in the sense that we're selling them stock or something. It's more that we have been talking about research possibilities together," Sullivan said at the time. "That's a conversation that's ongoing." Sullivan also said the research collaboration could be a valuable addition to the North Campus Research Complex. "We see (the NCRC) as a space for collaboration that we didn't really have before and now it opens quent contact with Mastromo- naco, according to the documents obtained throughthe FOIA request. On Nov. 6, 2009, Connolly wrote to the White House and enclosed two previously sent invitations to Obama to speak at commencement and a previously sent invitation for Obama to come to Ann Arbor from Oct. 13 to 15, 2010 to participate in events celebrating the 50th anni- versary of the announcement of the Peace Corps. Connolly's other correspondenc- es with the White House, which included an e-mail dated Dec. 18, 2009 and a letter dated Jan. 29, 2010, were both inquiries regard- ing the timing of any decision made about attending commencement. Connolly also wrote that Obama's presence at commence- ment would send an unparalleled message to the graduates. "We believe President Obama's presence at the University of Michi- gan this spring would provide an unsurpassable send-off to our graduates as they enter a workforce laden with challenges," she wrote. University officials announced that Obama would be the com- mencement speaker on Feb. 11, 2010. Commencement will be held on May 1 at 11 a.m. Approximate- ly 3,500 undergraduates will be graduating and, according to a Feb. 11 Daily article, more than 40,000 friends and family members of graduates are expected to attend. up this possibility and since Shang- hai Jiao Tong we've had a really good exchange now of student and faculty going both ways," she said at the time. "They were kind of a logi- cal partner to talk to about whether there was potential there." . The new research partnerships between the University and Shang- hai Jiao Tong have come after years of collaboration between the two schools. The University became the first American institution autho- rized by the Chinese government to give graduate degrees in engineer- ing to students in China. In 2005 the two universities strengthened their partnership by forming a joint institute to manage and direct degree-granting pro- grams offered by both universities to students from both nations. Ties with the Shanghai Jiao Tong will be further strengthened this summer when Coleman travels to China. Earlier this year Shanghai Jiao Tong was reported to be associated with cyberattacks made to Google. A Feb. 18 New York Times article reported that the cyberattacks were traced to computers at Shanghai Jiao Tong. The hackers got into the Gmail accounts of human rights activists as well as the accounts of 34 companies. SJTU representa- tives denied that the University had any involvement in the attack. - Daily Staff Reporter Joseph Lichterman and Lindsey Mandich contributed to this report. RESTAURANT From Page 1 that embraces the casual culture of the area. Aronoffstarted her career with a part-time cooking job in a local res- taurant kitchen while studying at Brandeis University in Massachu- setts. Since that time, she said her passion for food has grown. Aronoff said that as a child she always had a love for food because she grew up in a family that revolved around eating and cooking. After graduating from Brandeis, Aronoff took her cook- ing skills to the next level and studied at Le Cordon Bleu - a culi- nary school in Paris. Aronoff said she enjoys opening restaurants because she loves the many aspects of the food industry - the food, the business and a res- taurant's atmosphere. "I wanted to do something per- sonal and independent and just really try to do something special," Aronoff said. "My style of cooking is French philosophy with a lot of influences from all over ... just try- ing a bunch of different ingredients together and paying attention to the texture and contrasts." ForAronoff, thethoughtofopen- ing more restaurants is not out of LESKO From Page 1 solution to closing this projected gap in the budget," Lesko wrote in the post. Inspired by the anonymous political writings of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Paine, whose anonymity enabled them to focus solely on issues, Lesko decided to make her blog anonymous. "The point of political writing is to focus on the issues and not the person who's writing on the issues," Lesko said. According to Lesko, reader responses to A2Politico were both positive and widespread, withup to 7,500 visitors in a given month. By tracking visitors to her blog, Lesko said she found people log- ging on from the University, Ann Arbor's city hall and even Wash- ingtonD.C. "What I found is that thousands of others were equally interested in the issues facing our city," Lesko said. Lesko said writing the blog con- vinced her to become more active in local politics, and from there, she began to consider the possibility of running for office. On Feb. 2, 2010, Lesko revealed her identity on the blog and announced her plans to run for mayor. Since then, she's been working to pull together a campaign in prepa- ration for the Aug. 3 primary, dur- ing which she'll run against fellow Democrat and current Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje. Lesko said she faces tough com- petition from Hieftje, who has served as the city's mayor since 2000. Nevertheless, Lesko said she's confident about her chances of the question, butshe said she would want the restaurants to be in places similar to Ann Arbor, where she is able to make food from scratch and buy products from local farmers. Because Aronoff will be head chef and owner of both Eve and Frita Batido, she said she plans to have a sous chef at each restaurant to help her run both places success- fully and smoothly. Aronoff has become somewhat of a local celebrity for more than just her restaurant. Last year, she com- peted on season six ofBravo's reality competition show "Top Chef." Aronoff said she cannot com- ment on the experience due to a contract with the network, but she said she learned that televised com- petitions weren't her style. "I thrive on real life challenges, but reality television and televised challenges were not my cup of tea," Aronoff said. While "Top Chef" was a unique and challenging cooking experi- ence, Aronoff said she looks forward to the challenges of owning two businesses and creating a restaurant that embodies her cooking and style. "I really care about the qual- ity and standard and creativity," Aronoff said. "I am such an infor- mal person that I am really excited tobedoingsomethinglikethat,that is really special atthe same time." winning the primary and plans to start campaigning door-to-door in April. She added that her door- to-door campaigning will target University students first - a sec- tor of the population Lesko said other local politicians frequently overlook. "Iknow that most ofthe students will be gone (by the primary) and only a very, very small percentage will vote, but that won't keep me from going door-to-door," Lesko said. University alum Hatim Elhady, who was an LSA senior last year, similarly targeted student-heavy areas, including South Quadrangle and East Quadrangle, in his cam- paign for a City Council position last November. Elhady lost and, according to a Nov. 3, 2009 Daily article, East Quad and South Quad saw only 3.06-percent and 2.64-percent voter turnouts, respectively. Nevertheless, Lesko is confident that the student voice matters and that with a little prodding can be heard. "It's shortsighted to look at stu- dents and say, 'I will get nothing from them,"' Lesko said. "That's not leadership." Lesko added that the goals of her campaign center around public ser- vice. "I'm not a career politician. This is not a stepping stone," Lesko said. "This is a run for public service, not public office." If elected, Lesko said she hopes to manage city funds responsibly without cutting or reducing key services like police and firefighter forces. "Finances and responsible spending - if you don't have those covered, you can't grow as a city," Lesko said. "It's all about getting back to the basics."