0 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Wednesday, April14, 2010 - 3A
* The Michigan Daily michigandailycom Wednesday, April 14, 2010 - 3A
NEWS BRIEFS
E EAST LANSING, Mich.
MSU to end retiree
health benefits for
newly hired staff
Michigan State University says
it will stop providing retiree health
care benefits to new faculty and
staff members but will honor cov-
erage for current employees.
University President Lou Anna
K. Simon announced the change
yesterday. She says it takes effect
July 1.
The university says the move is a
response to rising health care costs
and "constrained revenues." It says
Michigan State is the only Big Ten
university that still offers retiree
health benefits to new hires.
Simon says the university will
honor the health care provisions
of its collective bargaining agree-
ments.
WASHINGTON
obama says China
following through
on Iran penalties
President Barack Obama says
China is already following through
on what he says is a sincere consid-
eration of tough new sanctions on
Iran over its nuclear program.
China has sent representatives
to New York for discussions at the
United Nations aimed at imposing
new sanctions. That does not guar-
antee Chinese support for sanc-
tions, but Obama seemed pleased.
Obama says China is concerned
about the economic effects of
new sanctions since Iran is an oil
exporter and holds trade relation-
ships with nations around the
globe.
But Obama says words and
promises among nations have to
mean something, and he says the
world is growing more convinced
that Iran's nuclear program is out
of bounds.
REYKJAVIK, Iceland
Sick airline crew
cause emergency
landing in Iceland
An American Airlines flight
with 145 people on board made an
emergency landing in Iceland on
yesterday after five crew members
* became ill, apparently from chemi-
cal fumes in the cabin.
American Airlines Flight 49
traveling from Paris to Dallas-Fort
Worth landed safely at Keflavik
Airport just after 1345 GMT (9:45
a.m. EDT). Airport spokesman
Fridthor Eydal said mechanics and
civil aviation investigators were
examining the plane to find the
cause of the problem.
"They were apparently having
some sort of problems with some
sort of fumes in the cabin," said
spokesman Tim Smith of American
Airlines, a unit of AMR Corp.
Frodi Jonsson, an official at the
airport's fire department, said the
fumes might be traced to boxes in
the hold containing plane parts
with oils and liquids. He said the
cargo would be examined in an
investigation.
"There was nothing unusual
going on," he told the Icelandic
National Broadcaster when asked
whether he suspected a terrorist
attack.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti
First Lady makes
surprise visit to
Haitian captial
First lady Michelle Obama
made a surprise visit yesterday to
the ruins of the Haitian capital, a
high-profile reminder that hun-
dreds of thousands remain in des-
perate straits three months after
the earthquake.
The first lady and Jill Biden,
wife of Vice President Joe Biden,
took a helicopter tour of Port-au-
Prince, where many people are
still homeless, before landing at
the destroyed national palace
to meet President Rene Preval.
They later talked with students
whose lives have been upended
by the disaster and walked along
a vast, squalid encampment of
families living under bed sheets
and tents.
"It's powerful," Obama told
reporters. "The devastation is
definitely powerful."
A number of past and present
world leaders have visited since
the earthquake, including for-
mer presidents Bill Clinton and
George W. Bush.
-Compiled from
Daily wire reports
FIRESIDE CHAT
From Page 1A
students with disabilities requires
students who identify as disabled to
"step forward."
"If you come, you can get it,"
Harper said. "We need to figure out
how it occurs before because some-
times what happens is that students
don't want to put (their disability)on
their application material. There's
such a fear that there's going to be
negative consequences to it, so peo-
ple are silent. Then it makes it diffi-
cult to do the proactive piece."
LSA sophomore Sarah Rabinowe,
meanwhile, discussed the difficul-
ties students with learning disabili-
ties face if they want to apply for
classes that would serve as a sub-
stitute for the LSA foreign language
requirement.
All LSA students are required
to take four semesters of a foreign
language. However, if students
show documentation that they have
"extreme difficulty" learning a lan-
guage, and if students receive a score
on the Michigan Language Aptitude
Test that shows they have a lan-
guage learning disability, they may
petition the University's Academic
Standards Board for a language sub-
stitution.
In an e-mail interview after the
fireside chat, Rabinowe wrote that
there needs to be more involvement
from the University's Services for
Students with Disabilities office in
the process of obtaining a language
substitution.
"The issue is that there's a failure
model set up where there is a waiver
process that goes through the For-
eign Language Waiver Committee
(FLW), a subcommittee of the LSA
Academic Standards Board," she
wrote. "It's done through the advis-
ing department, rather than the
disability department and only one
person from the disability depart-
ment is on the committee."
She added that the Academic
Standards Board has requirements
that she says are impossible to meet.
Rabinowe said the board often ques-
tions the legitimacy of a student's
disability or says that the language
a student is taking is merely too dif-
ficult for he or she and that he or she
should try another one.
"You have to try, that's fair
enough, a foreign language before
you can apply for your waiver," she
said. "The problem is, they often
require that you try, withdraw, fail
(and) show you can't succeed in
more than one language."
By the time students complete the
process of obtaining a language sub-
stitution, their grade point average
and other academic standards have
suffered, Rabinowe said.
"By then you are no longer com-
petitive for certain graduate schools,
for many different programs, fel-
lowships and scholarships," she
said. "People lose their scholarships
over this issue."
Ideally, Rabinowe wrote, she'd
like the Academic Standards Board
to be more understanding of stu-
dents with disabilities.
"What I'd like to see happen is
that there would be the consider-
ation (for people with) these dis-
abilities," she wrote. "If they've had
these accommodations for years,
had a foreign language waiver
throughout their education, and/or
a preexisting medical documenta-
tion that says you have a disability,
that (should) be a proper indication
of your ability. Not to fail a language
at the University of Michigan. Evi-
dence of a disability should be proof
enough."
Coleman answered Rabinowe's
apprehensionsby saying the Univer-
sity is working hard to be a welcom-
ing place for all students.
"Often times with the silent dis-
abilitiesifyou'renotinawheelchair,
people say, 'Well, what do you really
need?' " Coleman said. "We've been
very active in trying to get mental
health issues to the fore and trying
to say, 'Look, this is a part of normal
issues that people have. We're not
going to discourage people because
of this."'
Another topic that came up was
the University's impending Smoke
Free Initiative - scheduled to take
effect in July 2011 - which has been
a topic of debate across campus that
students pointedly questioned Cole-
man about it at the fireside chat yes-
terday.
Students accused Coleman of
initiating the smoking ban without
transparency and without student
input. Coleman denied the charges
and defended the policy.
"I disagree with your premise
completely that we haven't been
transparent," Coleman responded
to the students who raised the
issue.
She said smokers and non-smok-
ers alike were consulted when the
decision was made to implement
the ban. She encouraged anyone
who wanted to get involved in the
process to speak with the task force
created to help initiate the smoking
ban.
"We've had lots of people
involved, and we want to find
ways to be sensitive (to people who
smoke)," Coleman said. "We're not
telling you, you can't smoke. We just
don't wantyou to smoke on campus."
MSA
From Page 1A
states that MSA should appoint a rep-
resentativeto the smokinginitiative's
Student Life Subcommittee in an
effort to gain more information about
the ban.
LSA junior Graham Kozak, the
president of the College Libertar-
ians, helped draft the resolution.
Kozak said at the meeting that he is
frustrated with University officials -
especially University President Mary
Sue Coleman - who he says did not
request enough student input before
deciding to implement the initiative.
In a press release and columns
in The Michigan Daily, members of
the College Libertarians have iden-
tified Coleman as having an appar-
ent conflict of interest due to her
position on the board of Johnson &
Johnson - a company that manu-
factures and markets smoking ces-
sation products.
Kozacksaid ifthe allegations prove
to be true, they could have large impli-
cations as Coleman is compensated
for sitting on the company's board.
He said the main reason for the
resolution and the accusation of Cole-
man's conflict of interest is that there
is not enough information provided to
campus about the origin of the Smoke
Free Initiative.
"We want to see what informa-
tion the University has gathered in
order to implement the plan and how
the students and faculty stand on the
issue," Kozaksaid.
University spokesman Rick
Fitzgerald said in an interview yes-
terday thatColeman's position on the
board of the company doesn't consti-
tute a conflict of interest.
"We are absolutely confident that
there is no conflict of interest with
President Coleman with her service
onthe Johnson& Johnsonboard," he
said.
Fitzgerald added that the company
does not make the types of smoking
cessation products recommended by
the medical community.
"The medical community tells us
that the most effective medical inter-
ventionto help people stop smoking is
the prescription cessation product,"
he said. "Johnson & Johnson simply
does not make any prescription cessa-
tionproduct."
In addition, Fitzgerald explained
that the University has not yet deter-
minedif,whentheSmokeFreeInitia-
tive is implemented, it will subsidize
smokingcessation products or simply
negotiate a discounted rate.
Fitzgerald added that with imple-
mentation of the ban more than ayear
away, the University is still finalizing
the details.
"We're still more than a year away
from implementing this policy so
there are many details to be worked
outjustlikeallthesubcommittees are
stillatworkdeterminingthebestpos-
sible wayto implement this policy for
this campus," he said.
He continued: "Subcommittees
will report back by this fall ... leaving
plenty of time for people to under-
stand what that implementation plan
would be."
LSA senior Jonathan Slemrod,
former president of the College Liber-
tarians, said at the meeting last night
that the resolution is about transpar-
ency and obtaining information about
the ban.
"The resolution has nothing to do
with if you agree with the ban or not,"
he said.
He said very few students have
been involved in the process, add-
ing that the 1,500 students who were
contacted for input on the ban do not
accurately represent the 40,000 stu-
dents on campus.
Kozak said that he hopes that
through MSA, the administration
may recognize students' opinions
on the issue. He added that students
may benefit from tryingto maketheir
voices heard.
"Whether the University listens or
not, I think we as a student body have
something to gain," he said.
MSA PASSES RESOLUTION IN
SUPPORT OF LEO
At last night's meeting, MSA
unanimously passed a resolution to
establish solidarity with the Lectur-
ers' Employee Organization, which
is in the middle of negotiating a new
contract with the University.
LEO represents about 1,300 lec-
turers on the University's three cam-
puses - with 900 members on the
Ann Arbor campus, according to the
resolution.
Currently, the University is pro-
posing an increase in health care
premiums by 240 and 300 percent
for part time lecturers, which would
result ina large pay cut, according to
the resolution.
LSA Rep. John Oltean, an
author of the resolution, said
MSA is crucial in inspiring cam-
pus-wide support for University
lecturers.
"Lecturers make up 30 per-
cent of our college education
time," Oltean said in an interview
after the meeting. "We need to
look out for our lecturers so that
we can receive the quality educa-
tionthat we want."
RESOLUTION TO CREATE
GOVERNMENTS COUNCIL
A resolution was unanimously
passed at last night's Michigan
Student Assembly meeting to
create a Michigan Student Gov-
ernments' Council that would
promote a unified student voice
afross all University of Michigan
campuses.
This resolution, drafted by MSA
Rackham Rep. Michael Benson, is
intended to encourage discussion
between the Ann Arbor, Flint and
Dearborn studentgovernments.
"(The Student Governments'
Council is) nothing overly complicat-
ed,butsomethingwherebyindividual
student governments can reach out to
each other and have a collaborative
dialogue," Benson said.
The three student governments
are members of the Student Asso-
ciation of Michigan, which addresses
issues within the state.
One of the main purposes of the
Student Governments' Council is to
"encourage and facilitate open com-
munication" between the campuses,
according to the resolution.
Benson said in an interview before
last night's meeting that all the cam-
puses are onboard for more cohesion
and governance so thatthey can tack-
leissues together.
"To be able to speak as a single
council, it is now all the students at
the University of Michigan speaking
with a single voice on a single topic,"
Benson said.
Benson said all three campuses
need to have a mode for students to
address the University administra-
tion and Board of Regents.
Owen Agho, current student gov-
ernment president at the Univesity's
Flint campus, said at the meeting last
night that the resolution would ben-
efit all University students.
"We will have a place to come
together to talk about all different
issues thataffectall campuses,"Agho
said. "We need a place for all Michi-
gan students to come together and
work together in a practical manner."
Since MSA passed the resolution,
Agho said the Flint and Dearborn
campuses will now follow suit.
- Daily News Editor Kyle Swanson
contributed to this report.
MEXICO
From Page 1A
versity's International Travel
Oversight Committee, said the
violence has risen to such a
level at the border that it is now
"extremely dangerous" to travel
in the area.
"We've read State Depart-
ment reports and spoke with
council officers in Mexico, and
on the basis of that review, we've
decided it is too dangerous for
students to go on University-
sponsored activities," Godfrey
said.
Much of the violence stems
from ongoing fights between
drug cartels that are vying to
control drug trafficking routes.
"This has been going on for a
number of years, but in recent
months the head of one car-
tel was killed in the fight and
another was arrested, and now
they're fighting for control of the
territory," Godfrey said.
According to Godfrey, the
areas are "unstable" and "unpre-
dictable" - citing large fires
in the middle of the day and an
instance where two mechanical
engineering graduate students
from the Technological Insti-
tute of Higher Learning of Mon-
terrey were shot to death during
crossfire between Mexican sol-
diers and drug gangs.
The State Department's travel
warning is effective until May
12. University students may still
travel to central and southern
Mexico for University programs.
However, undergraduates
must have their trip approved'
by their dean or an advisor and
must submit a consent form
signed by a legal guardian. Uni-
versity faculty members plan-
ning to lead a student trip in
central or southern Mexico must
also obtain approval from their
dean.
According to Godfrey, the
travel ban has caused two stu-
dent groups that were planning
to visit Mexico, in May and
June to make new trip arrange-
ments.
One was a bus trip that
planned to start its tour in
Mexico City and then contin-
ue into northern Mexico. The
other - a Global Intercultural
Experience for Undergraduates
group, which takes University
students on trips abroad - was
planning to visit both sides of
the Mexican border. The GEIU
group will now stay in Tuscan;
Az.
Godfrey said the travel ban
will continue indefinitely until
the situation improves.
"That's anyone's guess as to
how long that will be," Godfrey
said. "For the near term it looks
like it will remain unstable,
There is very little that is predi-
cable now."
Accordingtothe State Depart-
ment travel warning, more than
2,600 people were killed just in
Ciudad Juarez in 2009. Mexi-
can officials also report that
there were more than 16,000 car
thefts and 1,900 carjackings the
same year.
The University last issued a
travel ban to Mexico in April
2009 when the H1N1 virus first
surfaced. The University then
lifted the travel restrictions in
May, which Godfrey said was
because the virus moved into'
the United States.
As for the current travel ban,,
Godfrey said the University is'
going to keep an eye on the situ-
ation.
"We're going to watch it:
closely and when it resolves:
itself we'll lift the suspension,"
he said.
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ROSA
From Page 1A
day, Coleman said she was very
excited that Rosa would be taking
the helm at UMMA.
"We are so pleased that Joe
Rosa has agreed to lead the Uni-
versity of Michigan Museum of
Art at this particularly auspicious
and exciting moment in its histo-
ry," Coleman said in a statement.
"As an accomplished scholar,
teacher, thinker and leader with
wide-ranging museum experi-
ence and numerous publications
to his credit, Joe has dedicated
his career to bringing the visual
arts, design and culture to life for
a broad range of audiences."
In an interview with The Mich-
igan Daily yesterday, Coleman
expanded on her remarks, prais-
ing both Steward for his work
at the University and saying she
looks forward to what Rosa will
be able to do once he arrives on
campus. "I was just so compelled
by his vision and the way in which
he had thought about an art muse-
um that is part of an academic set-
ting," Coleman said. "Many of the
ideas that he has relate to getting
academic departments involved."
Coleman added that the reno-
vated museum will allow Rosa to
continue to innovate at the muse-
um.
"It's just a terrific opportunity
for Joetocome in and really make
a big statement about the Univer-
sity of Michigan in the art world,"
she said.
In a statement released yester-
day, Rosasaid he was excited tobe
coming to the University.
"I am thrilled and honored to
be given this wonderful oppor-
tunity to lead the University of
Michigan Museum of Art into the
future at this very special time in
its history," he said in a statement.
Prior to his current position
with the Art Institute of Chi-
cago, Rosa was a curator the San
Francisco Museum of Modern
Art, a curator at the Heinz Archi-
tectural Center at the Carnegie
Museum of Art in Pittsburgh. He
also worked as the chief curator
at the National Building Museum
in Washington, D.C. and as the
director of the Columbia Archi-
tecture Galleries in New York.
Rosa has curated more than
30 exhibitions and written 14
books, including works that
have appeared in Architectural
Design, Assemblage, Casabell,
Oculus, Praxis and Progressive
Architecture.