The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Wednesday, January 13, 2010 - 7A Investigation into incident at Chi Psi house dropped AAPD: Sexual assault case closed at victim's request By DEVON THORSBY Daily StaffReporter The investigation of the sexual assault of an 18 year old girl at a Chi Psi fraternity party in November has been closed, according to the Ann Arbor police. AAPD Lt. Angella Abrams told the Daily yesterday that the case TEXTBOOKS From Page 1A pate pay a rental fee and sign a contract that requires them to return the book by the last Fri- day during finals. Students must also provide a credit card, which would be charged for the price of the book plus a 10-percent process- ing fee in case the rented book isn't returned. Riedman said she hopes the program will help the bookstores effectively compete with Chegg. "We've started to see more competition in that area," she said. "We knew that rentals were an area that we needed to explore as well." While the rental program is new this semester, Riedman said "it's been hugely successful." Riedman said the Nebraska Book Company is committed to continuing the program in upcom- ing semesters. MARIJUANA From Page 1A weekly. "My idea when it comes to cannabis is to bring it to a level that any other industry is, and in this case it's a multi-billion dol- lar industry that just needs to be legitimized," Freed said. "Within that industry I do believe is the salvation of the state of Michi- gan." Freed said Michigan is the perfect setting for this industry to flourish because of its envi- ronmental landscape and soaring unemployment. "Michigan, more so than Cali- fornia or Oregon, has this ability because we have the farmland, we have the unemployed people, we have these empty factories," he said. "Everything's already here and most of this is green industry and a lot of it can be gov- ernment funded." But James McCurtis, public information officer for the Mich- igan Department of Community Health, said because caregivers are limited by state regulations to growing a certain amount of the plant, the idea that medical marijuana industries could solve the economic woes of the state is unrealistic. "Honestly, I don't think it could fix Michigan's economy," he said. "The way the law's writ- INSURANCE From Page 1A care plans, Karen Klever, student insurance manager at UHS said. "Student insurance people are sort of on hold in essence to what the government's plans are going to do and how it's going to affect it," Klever said. Anticipating several different outcomes, Klever said her office is "keeping an open mind" but is not doing anything differently during this year's negotiations. The uncertain nature of the bill leaves many unknowns for student insurance plans in the 2010-2011 school year, potential- ly making current negotiations obsolete. "This insurance has to be effec- tive for fall 2010 and I have to have alternatives available for the stu- was "closed due to the victim's request." AAPD Lt. Dave Monroe told The Michigan Daily at the time of the incidentthatpolicerespondedearly on Nov. 22, 2009 to a call reporting sexual assault at the South State Street fraternity house. Monroe said at the time that both the victim and the sus- pect were 18 years old and knew each other before the incident occurred. Michael Taub, president of Chi Psi, told the Daily at the time that the suspect was not a member of . "I think in the future what's important is to give students a choice so that if they want to buy the textbook new or used they can, or if they want to rent they can," Riedman said. Studentopinionsonthenewpro- gram are largely positive, though it remains to be seen if the program will catch on and compete with the various other options, including online retailers, traditional meth- ods of purchasing books and buy- ing from friends. Engineering freshman Matt DiTullio said he didn't know whether students would begin renting books more often than buying them. "I think that students who buy from a bookstore will use books, but I think that a lot of students prefer buying books cheaper from friends," he said. Though DiTullio didn't buy any books from Ulrich's this semester, he said he would be willing to give the new program a try. the fraternity. "The person that this affects is a person who is not affiliated at all with the fraternity," Taub said in a Nov. 23 Daily article. "He was not a guest at the event nor was he at all affiliated as a brother or pledge." AnnArbor.com reported yester- day that the suspect is a Michigan Football player, who was arrested the morning of the reported sexual assault. The football player remains on the team, according to AnnArbor. com. LSA sophomore Ben Sackett said he wouldn't rent books because he doesn't think it would save him any money. "Generally, I found that it's not really that much of a better deal," Sackett said. While he said he wouldn't use the program, he thought it would catch on with a majority of stu- dents. Engineering sophomore Mal- colm Hegeman is aware of the new program, but said he will most likely only rent books for classes that don't pertain to his major. "If it's a class that isn't really important to me or to my field of study or major, then I would be more likely to rent a textbook," he said. Hegeman added that he thought the new service will be competi- tive with websites like Chegg.com. "I could see the program here on campus being just as success- ful," he said. The site of the former Pinball Pete's location on South University Avenue. The building was torn down after afi late October. ten, people aren't compensated for providing marijuana or any- thing like that. (Caregivers) are reimbursed," McCurtis said. "It's not anything where they can make a profit from it, they can't open up a medical marijuana store...medical marijuana is not the answer for the economy." But officials at the Med Grow Cannibis College, in Southfield, Mich. disagree. The school - founded last May by 24-year-old Nick Tennant - has about 80 to 120 students enrolled each month and a cur- riculum with classes on cannabis horticulture, legal issues, history, cooking, advocacy and politics, according to Tennant. Perry Belcher, a professor at the college, teaches the history of cannabis from 6000 B.C. through modern day, which analyzes the various perspectives of marijua- na throughout time and the pro- paganda that has contributed to its negative stigma. Belcher said the medical mari- juana industry has the prospect to offer vast job opportunities for the unemployed in the state, especially for those interested in becoming caregivers. Because Michigan's medical marijuana law limits patients and caregivers to grow the plant, as opposed to purchasing it at a dis- pensary - as is the case in other states like California - Belcher said most of the jobs that are dents, and so I can't put things on hold for what might be," Klever said. She said her office's current strategy is to establish a plan that's "flexible" so that it could be re- adjusted easily to fit any changes that may come in the upcoming months with the national health care legislation. It is still unknown what, if any, components of student insurance policies will change, or if existing plans will be replaced completely by a public option. Despite the uncertainty of next year's insurance plan, Klever said Michigan Blue Cross Blue Shield entered into the bidding for the first time this year. Continued corporate interest demonstrates that private insurance compa- nies - many of which are directly involved in the creation of the bill - are not concerned that the leg- becoming available because of the legalization of medical mari- juana in the state are in the hor- ticultural sector. "It's incredible to watch actu- al farming come back into style and become a powerful occu- pation for somebody," Belcher said. "These are really jobs that are happening and income that's being made and it's all by the people for the people. What I'm seeing is great success, not just for the college but for the state of Michigan." Chris Chiles, an LSAsenior and founder of the University's chap- ter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, said he thinks the indus- try could greatly help Michigan's economic situation. "I think people will very soon realize the benefits of the emerg- ing medical marijuana industry because more revenue will stay in-state instead of being fun- neled away to illegal markets," Chiles said. The medical marijuana eco- nomic sector also provides entrepreneurial opportunities for people out of work or recent graduates looking for employ- ment, Chiles said. "It's creating more revenue and giving people the knowledge to create their own businesses and become entrepreneurs in this industry," he said. "Soin this respect, I think it's nice to see that open up." islation will affect their student plans with universities adversely, she said. Students covered under the Uni- versity's current student insurance plan receive the same University Health Service benefits that stu- dents under their parents' insur- ance have, in addition to coverage under the nationwide Aetna net- work. The policy covers doctor and specialist visits and medical testing procedures, among other services-. "It's a very good policy, it's a very rich policy," said Klever. Other unique benefits of the plan are that it doesn't require pol- icyholders to be full-time students and it offers inclusive coverage for students' spouses, according to Klever. , "We don't exclude anyone who is working towards their degree, " she said. VACANT LOT From Page 1A the area when the fire occurred led Ann Arbor police to believe Arens and Mackenzie were involved in the incident. Arens was arrested on Nov. 29 after Police spotted him walking in downtown Ann Arbor. Mackenzie later turned himself in. Arens, 21, pleaded no contest to charges of arson of real property to Circuit Court Judge Melinda Morris on Monday. Arens now faces up to 10 years in prison for the conviction - a reduced sen- AMBASSADOR From Page 1A century is law enforcement on a global scale, fighting organized crime, cybercrime, piracy, counter narcotics, human trafficking and other forms of lawlessness over international borders," he said. He added that the FBI and the Russia Federal Security Service have already begun collaborating to specifically fight international cybercrime. Though Beyrle admitted that many U.S. presidents have made similar promises to improve U.S. relations with Russia with little success, he said the Obama administration is taking a differ- ent approach. At a July 2009 summit, President Barack Obama and Russian Presi- dent Dmitry Medvedev agreed to form a bilateral commission, which wouldfocusonanexchangeof ideas between the two countries. "It was agreed there would be tence after making a deal with Prosecutor Karen Field. tn preliminary court proceed- ings, Field dropped the additional charge of arson of personal proper- ty for both defendants, stating that the arson of a vacant building fell more accurately under real prop- erty. The dismissal of the personal property charge removed 10 years from Arens's maximum sentence. Arens faced problems earlier in court proceedings when a request to lower his $100,000 bond was denied in his preliminary exami- nation by Judge J. Simpson, who cited his previous criminal record. Inthe past,Arens was convicted about 16 working groups under this presidential commission, focusing not only on nuclear secu- rity or health, but also issues like space, cultural exchanges, sports and a whole range of issues to build a structure of interaction below the level of presidents," Beyrle said. He said though presidents of the U.S. and Russia have had good relationships in the past, it is vital to take steps to unite the constitte- ents of the respective nations. The ambassador said Russia experiencedgreatchange inthelast few years, edging closer to democ- racy and to a healthier relationship with America. He said Russian citi- zens are traveling across national borders more than ever and have uncensored Internet access, despite previous restrictions. "Russia has never been more open to the outside world, and the Russian people have never been more free to express their opin- ions," Beyrle said. But he said the state of human of home invasion and retail fraud. With such a history, Judge Simp- son said Arens's release would be "detrimental to the safety of the community." Arens remains in custody and will stand before Judge Morris again for sentencing on Feb. 22. Mackenzie, 18, stood in front of Judge Morris on Jan. 4 for his pretrial conference, which was adjourned until Jan. 25. At the time of the adjourn- ment, the court was made aware that Mackenzie intended to sub- mit a written request to post the $50,000 bond and be released from custody. rights in Russia remains a problem and added that organized political activity and television broadcasts are still closely controlled. In his closing remarks, the ambassador said the United States has a responsibility to help Russia reach its democratic potential. "Our national interest demands that we maintain a productive, constructive relationship with this country to ensure that her transition to a prosperous democ- racy - the democracy that my Russian friends in Moscow tell me that they deserve after all they've been through in the last 20 years - happens sooner rather than later," he said. Joanna Steele, a graduate stu- dent in the School of Information, said she felt encouraged by the ambassador's speech. "I attended a talk at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow in 2006 and was very disappointed by the atti- tude of the embassy at that time," Steele said. "After hearing the ambassador today, I'm hopeful." FAN THE DAILY ON FACEBOOK WHY RENT WHEN you can Buy? Check out all of the available proper- ties for sale in the area. www.lSellA2.com 734-476-9768 HELP WANTED M!BARTENDING!!! $300 /day poten- tial. No exp. nec., training provided. AGE 11+ OK. 800-965-65209x 125. APPLY NOW! FUNDRAISE for the U: Michigan Telefund, $9.25/hr. NEW campus location! 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Older child, Responsibile references and Own Transportation. 734-769-1462 For Thursday, Jan. 14, 2010 AEIES (March 21 to April 19) Today's New Moon is the perfect time for you to think about your life direction in general. Are you heading in the direc- tion you want to go? TAURUS (April 29 to May 20) Is there any further education or train- ing that you can get that will help you in your job or career, or enrich your life in some way? Today is the best day to con- sider this possibility. GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) What is your relationship to the debt in your life? Its good to develop a steady, ongoing plan to reduce your debt. Perhaps youneed to define matters about shared property. CANCER (June21 to July 22) How can you improve your partner- ships or close friendships? This is the only New Moon all year that gives you an excellent chance for "a new begin- sing" in this area. LEO (July 23 to Aug. 22) Can you think of ways to improve your job, how you do your job or how you feel about your job? The New Muon makes today a great day to make new resolutions. VIRGO (Aug. 23to Sept. 22) It's important to have a healthy bal- ance in your life. Do you have a good balance between play, fun and recreation versus your work, obligations and responsibilities? LIBRA (Sept. 2310o Oct. 22) Every New Moon is a chance to make resolutions. Today's New Moon is the time to think about how to improve your home and your family relationships. SCORPIO (Oct. 23 to Nov. 21) Are you clear in your communication with others? Do you really listen, or are you just waiting for your chance to talk? Think about this. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 to Dec. 21) What is your relationship to money? Do you think you are your bank account or your possessions? What are your val- ues? CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 to Jan. 19) Today, the only New Moon in your sign all year is taking place. This is the perfect opportunity to think about the image you create. AQUARIUS (Jan. 290 Feb. 18) Do yoa take enough downtime for simple moments of privacy to restore and replenish your state of mind? It's so easy to ignore this in our busy, hectic lives. PISCES (Feb. 19to March 20) Do you hang out with quality people? If you want to have more friends, the secret is simple: be friendlyl YOU BORN TODAY You are pus-: sionate about your beliefs, and you won't hesitate to pursue your course. In this way, you are very focused. Obstacles and adversity will not daunt you. Not only are you courageous, but danger seems to attract you! This year, something you've been involved with for about nine years will diminish or end in order to make room for something new. Birthdate ofKevinDurand, actor; waye Dunamay, actress; Albert Schmeitzer, Nobel laureate/theologian. WANT TO JOIN THE NEWS SECTION? COME TO OUR MASS MEETING. TON IGHT8 RM. AT 420 MAYNARD 2010 King Featuresyndicte, Inc.