The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Friday, April 2, 2010 - 7

The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Friday, April 2, 2010 - 7

HOUSING
From Page 1
Assembly and LSA Student Gov-
ernment elections.
MSA President Chris Arm-
strong has been a vocal advocate
of gender-neutral housing, which
was a central push of his party
MForward's recent campaign.
Gender-neutral housing will be
at the top of MSA's agenda come
fall, Armstrong said in an inter-
view last night.
"The ball will be rolling within
the administration and among
students to work together to
implement gender-neutral hous-
ing," he said.
Armstrong said he thinks the
best way to do this is to create a
working group - made up of both
administrators and students -
within University Housing to
discuss the best ways to bring
gender-neutral options to resi-
dence halls.
In a similar attempt to quantify
ARGO DAM
From Page 1
removal of trees and brush, both
living and dead, and rthe removal
of their roots, which make the
embankment prone to leakage.
The press release also stated
that "the City must also develop a
vegetation management plan that
will include both short- and long-
term strategies for managing all
of the woody vegetation on the
embankment."
According to Ann Arbor City
Councilmember Sabra Briere
(D-Ward 1), however, the need
for maintenance is a "no news
thing." The state has repeatedly
approached the city regarding the
dam's upkeep, she said.
What made MDNRE's demands
so controversial, however, was
the suggestion that the dam be
removed. Many rowing teams -
includingthe MichiganMen's Club
Rowing team - were concerned
about losing the dam because they
use the pond for practice.
Though MDNRE originally
cited a lack of upkeep of the
embankment as the reason for the
removal of the dam, some local
groups began arguing for the
dam's removal based on environ-
ODOR
From Page 1
system's ventilation component.
"This particular tank we clean
out about three times a year and
we have been following the proper
clean out system but it is not vent-
ingcorrectly," Logan said.
When officials opened the tank
on Monday, it released an odor
into the surrounding area around
Mosher-Jordan and Palmer Field,
Logan said.

student support for a gender-neu-
tral housing option, the topic was
also a component of the LSA-SG
ballot during last month's elec-
tions. The question was put onto
the ballot in an effort to reach out
to a larger body of students who
are no longer living in the resi-
dence halls.
On LSA-SG's online ballot,
students were asked to respond
to whether they support gender-
neutral housing in the residence
halls.*The ballot question stated
that students would have the
ability to choose gender-neutral
housing as an option and if imple-
mented, students would still be
able to choose to live with stu-
dents of the same gender.
The proposal also stated that
students wouldn't be placed with
someone of a different gender if
they choose to room blind.
LSA Freshman Katie McGillis
- a resident of Alice Lloyd Resi-
dence Hall who took the survey
- said that while she's in favor
of gender-neutral housing, she's

concerned about the Gender Neu-
tral Housing Coalition's implica-
tions.
"I think that gender neutral
housing is a good idea for stu-
dents who don't feel comfortable
rooming with someone of their
same sex," she said. "It should be
an option for these students, but
I don't think it should be manda-
tory in any dorm because I think
that most people would not feel
comfortable rooming with a per-
son of the opposite sex."
Kinesiology junior Kyle Fein-
auer said he didn't take the survey
and was indifferent to the idea of
gender-neutral housing. He said
that co-ed halls already exist,
so having a gender-neutral hall
wouldn't change the environment
of the residence halls for him.
Rackham graduate student Jes-
sica Johnson said that at the uni-
versity where she completed her
undergraduate degree there were
situations in which people felt
uncomfortable living in same-sex
arrangements.

She said that gender-neutral
housing would be a great step,
especially if it will keep the Uni-
versity from lagging behind other
universities already implement-
ing gender-neutral housing poli-
cies.
LSA sophomore Alex Edwards,
a resident of East Quad Residence
Hall, said he feels gender-neutral
housing should be an option avail-
able to all students and is a matter
of human rights.
"At a university that prides
itself on creating a comfortable
and welcoming environment for
its students, not having a gender-
neutral housing option is a huge
injustice," Edwards said. "Pro-
viding a gender-neutral housing
option is a simple yet meaningful
step in the struggle for equality on
behalf of the transgendered com-
munity and University at large."
Members of the Gender Neutral
Housing Coalition will be meeting
today to draw up a comprehensive
resolution using the results of the
survey, according to O'Leary.

Barnero says
Dillon is not
supportive of
he alth care bill

In governor race,
Lansing mayor aims
to tie house speaker
to Republicans
LANSING (AP) - Lansing
Mayor Virg Bernero yesterday
cast aspersions on the Demo-
cratic credentials of his main
gubernatorial rival, questioning
why House Speaker Andy Dillon
isn't more supportive of the new
federal health care law and try-
ing to tie him to Republicans.
Speaking outside the Capi-
tol, Bernero cited a newsletter
article published last Friday in
which Dillon said he wasn't sure
if he would have voted for the
federal health care law.
"I haven't read it," Dillon
told the Michigan Information
& Research Service newsletter,
which covers state government
and politics. "It's about 2,000
pages long."
Bernero has criticized Repub-
lican Attorney General Mike
Cox, who's also running for
governor, for joining 13 other
attorneys general to challenge
the health care laws on consti-
tutional grounds.
He said Dillon needs to do
more to oppose Cox's efforts.
"I don't see Andy Dillon get-
ting a resolution passed trying
to stop Mike Cox from wasting
taxpayers' money on this ridicu-
lous legal boondoggle," Bernero
said. "How is it that Andy Dillon
can't make up his mind about
something this important?"
Dillon spokesman Ken Coleman
said Dillon has expressed support
for the measures dozens of times.
He said Dillon wants to ana-
lyze what's in the new laws and
how they will affect state ser-
vices as the complex measures
unfolds over the next four years.
"Citizens are desperately
wanting a thoughtful approach
to making sure this law gets

implemented to the benefit
of millions of Michiganders,"
Coleman said. "The health care
act is the law of the land and
now it's up to the states to find
out how to best implement it to
serve Michigan residents."
Bernero asserted the Dillon
campaign was "beginning to do
some backpedaling that would
rival that of a circus clown on a
unicycle."
Dillon sent out a campaign
e-mail yesterday evening saying
he supports the federal health
care law. In a dig at Bernero, he
said "we need a governor with
vision, not venom."
The two Democrats are
locked in fierce competition for
the party's nomination, with
state Rep. Alma Wheeler Smith
also in the race. Cox and four
others are running for the GOP
nomination. Democratic Gov.
Jennifer Granholm must step
down at year's end because of
term limits.
Although it's likely Dillon has
a lead in fundraising, Bernero has
won the endorsement of many of
the state's major labor unions.
But neither Bernero nor Dil-
lon, a lawyer and former busi-
ness-turnaround specialist from
Wayne County's Redford Town-
ship, are well-known to voters
statewide. Polls show around
half of Democratic voters remind
undecided, and Bernero is try-
ing to capitalize on voters' lack
of knowledge to paint his more
moderate opponent as lacking
true Democratic credentials.
"April Fool's Day is a good
time to remind people who
think he is a decisive leader and
a strong Democrat that the joke
is on them," the mayor said.
Dillon is addressing health
care costs with a proposal to
place all public employees -
teachers, university employees
and state and local government
workers - into one health care
program that would be negoti-
ated by the state.

Ann Arbor's Argo Dam yesterday. City officials recently received word from the state that the dam will be allowed to remain in
tact -as long as it is cleaned properly -despite an order from state officials last year that the dam be repaired or removed.

mental concerns.
Briere said the decision to
remove the dam cannot be one
based solely on the dam's integ-
rity, as the cement dam itself is in
excellent condition. Instead, she
said that the river's best interest
must be kept in mind when decid-
ing what to do with the dam.
"Personally, I'm really fond of

the pond, but I'm willing to con-
sider whether it's better for the
river to have the pond gone," Bri-
ere said. "I have to believe it's bet-
ter, scientifically, for the river to
have the pond gone."
Briere added that not all envi-
ronmental activists think remov-
ing the dam is a good idea.
"Not all people who support

doing good things for the envi-
ronment supported removing the
dam," she said.
Briere said if the city does
decide to remove the dam, the
decision will have to come in the
future because, currently, the city
can't afford to build the park that
would be created by the dam's
removal.


Many students living in the area
said they've noticed the odor for
quite some time, but they couldn't
tell where it was coming from.
LSA sophomore Jessica Kildea
said the odor smells like "eggs and
sewage," and that she first smelled
it last year. She said she can some-
times even smell it from her room
in Stockwell Residence Hall if she
has the windows open.
"Sometimes it gets really bad and
travels over here to Stockwell but
most of the time it's just over there
toward Alice Lloyd," Kildea said.

Music, Theatre & Dance soph-
omore Briana Stuart said she
thought the odor may have been
coming from the smoke stacks in
the buildings near Mosher-Jordan,
adding that recently the smell has
become much more common.
"I noticed it (at) the beginning of
the school year but more often now
I've been smelling it," Stuart said.
"I think I probably smelled it at
least two or three times this week."
Engineering freshman Jonathan
Rubins said he also noticed the smell
at the beginning of the year and

probably once every couple of weeks.
"When I walked outside, I'd keep
my nose shut and breathe through
my mouth," Rubins said.
Though the smell may be
unpleasant, Logan said the odor
isn't a threat to public health.
The University is currently try-
ing to determine a time to clean the
tank and inspect the ventilation
system.
"We will try to schedule a time
that will minimize further annoy-
ance to students' noses," Logan
said.

FBI used ruse
to arrest militia


SOCCER
From Page 1
national organization Street Soc-
cer USA, which organizes soccer
teams for the homeless through-
out the country.
Lawrence Cann, founder and
CEO of Street Soccer USA, said he
founded the organization after his
experience working at a homeless
shelter in New York following his
graduation from college in 2002.
Cann said during his time at
the shelter, he organized revital-
ization art projects with the indi-
viduals at the shelter and also put
together soccer games.
After playing soccer with the
homeless during his time at the
TANNING
From Page 1
University students and salon
employees are concerned about
the tax.
School of Art & Design fresh-
man Jackie San Fillipo said that
even with the 10-percent tax
increase, she would not stop get-
ting her bi-monthly tans.
"My tans are usually around
$10 so I wouldn't stop going from
a one dollar increase," San Fillipo
said. "I think that people will still
go, because there are still really
expensive sprays and beds and I
still see people going all the time."
LSA freshman Emily Abrash
said that, if implemented, the tan-
ning tax will discourage her from
going to Campus Tan op Church
Street - the tanning salon she fre-
quented this past winter.

shelter, Cann said he decided to
form Street Soccer USA in 2005.
He said the goal of the organiza-
tion is to provide the homeless
with a sense of community and
reduce the stigma they often face
about their living situation.
"These individuals are seen for
what they are lacking," Cann said.
"We wanted to make their posi-
tive attributes visible."
Street Soccer USA now has 16
teams throughout the nation. The
organization competes against
54 teams in other countries dur-
ing the Homeless World Cup held
each year, according to Cann.
SSPORT practices throughout
the year for the Street Soccer USA
Cup held in Washington D.C. each
summer. This year it hopes to

compete in the Homeless World
Cup in Brazil in September 2010.
Since Silvennoinen started the
Washtenaw County team in 2007,
she has coached the Street Soc-
cer USA National team that com-
peted for the Homeless World
Cup in Australia. Last year, one
of the SSPORT players qualified
for the Homeless World Cup in
Milan.
Silvennoinen said SSPORT
is important because it helps
inspire the homeless to turn their
lives around. Many players have
entered substance abuse recovery
programs or returned to school as
a result of their experience, Sil-
vennoinen said.
She added that one homeless
individual, who was a member of

the team in the past, decided to go
back to school and enrolled at the
University.
Cann said the teams help par-
ticipants to develop a "good work
ethic" and other skills they can
use to improve their lives.
"With the qualities that the
teams build in individuals, there
is really nothing that can keep
someone from finding a home,"
Cann said.
Silvennoinen said the team not
only benefits the homeless but
also county residents who get a
chance to play soccer and make
new friends.
"The team changes a lot of their
lives, and they give a lot of sup-
port to each other," Silvennoinen
said.


"I know (using tanning booths)
is bad for you, but I still go,"
Abrash said. "But if they're raising
taxes on it, that means that it's so
bad for you that you should prob-
ably stop going."
According to the National Can-
cer Institute, women who use
tanning beds more than once a
month are 55 percent more likely
to develop malignant melanomas
- the most dangerous form of skin
cancer.
Katie Johnson, manager of
Tanfastic, which has salons on
Washtenaw and S. Main Street,
said her business will be affected
by the tax because customers will
now have to pay more to get their
bronze glow.
"Clients are going to have to pay
10 percent more than they already
pay," Johnson said. "Tanning is a
luxury, so any disposable income
that people want to spend is (being

spent) here, so of course (the tax)
is goingto affect business."
Some businesses have already
opted to take a different route to
counteract the financial strainthat
tanning consumers will endure as
a result of the tax increase.
"We're already planning on
lowering our cost (to) where it
won't affect our customers," said
Kelly Keeton, owner of Big House
Tan on South University Avenue.
Keeton, who opened her tan-
ning salon in five separate loca-
tions, said the small businesses
in the tanning industry will take
a major hit with the institution of
the tax increase.
"The tax is targeting small busi-
ness, and the majority of salon
owners are women," Keeton said.
"It's like they're picking on the
small business and making things
hard especially in this economy."
But Udow-Phillips has a differ-

ent take on the issue.
"I don't think it's hurting small
businesses - first of all, it's not
going make a big difference in
terms of actual business," Udow-
Phillips said. "I think people will
go regardless. And second of all,
there's so much that helps small
business (in the bill) and I think
it will more than make up for the
increase in business costs."
Some tanning salons are already
in the process of protesting the tax
increase, calling for its immediate
repeal.
"We have flyers in each room for
a (website) that clients can go to
try to stop the tanning tax," John-
son said. "It's our responsibility
as a company to make our clients
aware of what's going to happen if
they do enforce this tax. It's just
really important that our clients
know what's happening, because it
will affect them."

Christian militia
lured to warehouse
unarmed for fake
memorial service
DETROIT (AP) - Five mem-
bers of a Midwest Christian
militia accused of conspiring to
overthrow the government were
lured to a warehouse to attend a
phony memorial service so they
would be unarmed when author-
ities arrested them, Michigan's
chief federal agent said Thurs-
day.
The ruse in Ann Arbor was
part of a series of weekend raids
in several states that resulted in
the indictment of nine people in
the alleged plot, officials said.
"We basically set up a scenario
where we were able to draw them
all to one location," Andrew
Arena, the FBI's special agent in
charge in Detroit, told The Asso-
ciated Press. "And the reason
we did that was to obviously get
them away from their weapons."
Nine suspected members of a
group called the Hutaree based
in southern Michigan's Lenawee
County were charged this week
with seditious conspiracy, or
plotting to levy war against the
U.S., attempting to use weapons
of mass destruction and other
crimes.
They planned to make a false
911 call, kill responding police
officers and set off a bomb at
the funeral to kill many more,
according to prosecutors. The
FBI said it broke up the plot with
the help of an undercover agent
and informants.
Eight of the suspects are in
custody in the Detroit area. The
ninth is being held in Indiana.
U.S. District Court Magis-
trate Judge Donald A. Scheer in
Detroit said Thursday he needed
more time to decide whether to
grant prosecutors' request that
the eight remain locked up until
trial. A decision was expected
Friday.

Urging Scheer to deny the
request for bond, Assistant U.S.
Attorney Joseph Falvey Jr. said
that while there is nothing wrong
with owning guns or hating the
government, it is illegal when
"people with dark hearts and evil
intents" gather to discuss ways to
commit violence.
Releasing the defendants
would allow them to regroup and
would increase their fear of law
enforcement, Falvey said.
The Hutaree are self-pro-
claimed "Christian warriors"
who trained themselves in para-
military techniques in prepara-
tion for what they say on their
Web site is a battle against the
Antichrist.
Defense attorneys told Scheer
that no evidence against the
group has been aired outside the
indictment.
Kristopher Sickles, 27, of San-
dusky, Ohio, issued a statement
late Thursday in which he said
he is "not an extremist, racist or
a cop killer." In the statement,
released by his brother, Alec
Romick of Huron, Ohio, Sickles
said he is "simply guilty by asso-
ciation and personally had no
intentions of harming any per-
son, member of law enforcement
or the United States govern-
ment."
Arena said the FBI started
looking into the Hutaree nearly
two years ago based on "informa-
tion from the public" he wouldn't
disclose.
An undercover agent infiltrat-
ed the group, becoming part of
suspected ringleader David Brian
Stone's inner circle, making
explosive devices under Stone's
supervision and attending meet-
ings and special family events,
authorities said.
They said the agent accom-
panied Stone and others to a
planned meeting of militias in
Kentucky in February. They were
forced to turn back in India-
napolis because of bad weather,
but the agent recorded a speech
to those in the van by a speaker
identified as Stone.

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