The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Tuesday, April 20, 2010 - 3A

NEWS BRIEFS
* MEMPHIS, Tenn.
Mistrial declared in
transgender beating
A federal judge in Memphis has
declared a mistrial for a former
police officer charged with beating
a transgender prisoner.
The mistrial was declared yes-
terday after jurors began deliber-
ating last Wednesday in the case
against Bridges McRae. He was
accused of violating the civil rights
of Duanna Johnson, a biological
male who lived as a woman.
Johnson was repeatedly hit in
the face with handcuffs as she was
being booked into jail on a prosti-
tution charge in February 2008.
McRae testified Johnson pushed
and scratched him and he was try-
ing to control her.
The 43-year-old Johnson was
shot to death later in 2008 on a
street corner near her home. No one
has been arrested.
Prosecutors say they plan to
charge McRae again. He will stay
free on his current bond.
DETROIT, Mich.
GM to announce
early repayment of
federal loans
A person briefed on the matter
says General Motors Co. CEO Ed
Whitacre will announce tomor-
row that the company will repay its
remaining $4.7 billion in U.S. gov-
ernment loans earlier than expect-
ed.
The person says Whitacre will
make the announcement at the GM
assembly plant in Kansas City, Kan-
sas. Then he will head for Washing-
ton, D.C. to meet with government
officials. The person did not want
to be identified because the details
have not been announced.
GM said during its fourth-quar-
ter earnings announcement on
April 7 that it planned to repay the
money by June, five years ahead of
schedule.
SAN PAULO
Priest detained for
molestation of boys
Police detained an 83-year-old
Brazilian priest after a congressio-
nal hearing produced allegations
he molested boys as young as 12 and
" a television station displayed a sex
tape of him in bed with a 19-year-
old.
The pedophilia allegations
against Msgr. Luiz Marques Bar-
bosa are the most lurid of several
sexual scandals to hit the Brazilian
church recently, largely because of
the videotape that has been widely
distributed over the Internet.
Sen. Magno Malta, the lawmak-
er leading the legislature's sexual
abuse probe, said that the deten-
tion late Sunday of Barbosa was
a milestone in the fight against
child abuse in Brazil. He said the
investigation is not an attack on
the church, but at suspected child
molesters.
Judge Romulo Vasconcelos, who
participated in the congressional

probe, told Globo TV on Monday
that he requested Barbosa's imme-
diate detention out of fear that the
priest would flee the country.
PHOENIX
Arizona passes bill
to crack down on
immigration
Arizona lawmakers approved
a sweeping immigration bill yes-
terday intended to ramp up law
enforcement efforts even as crit-
ics complained it could lead to
racial profiling and other abuse.
The state Senate voted 17-11
nearly along party lines to send
the bill to Gov. Jan Brewer, who
has not taken a position on the
measure championed by fellow
Republicans. The House approved
the bill April 13.
"This bill goes a long way to
bringing law and order to the
state," said Sen. Al Melvin, R-Tuc-
son, who cited costly services pro-
vided to illegal immigrants and
the recent slaying of a southeast-
ern Arizona near the U.S.-Mexico
* border as reasons for the move.
The new measure would be
the latest crackdown in Arizona,
which has an estimated 460,000
illegal immigrants and is the
nation's busiest border crossing
point.
Arizona enacted a law in 2005
making human smuggling a state
crime and prohibited employers
from knowingly hiring illegal
immigrants with a law in 2007.
- Compiled from
Daily wire reports

SUMMER
From Page lA
into allegations of wrongdoing by
Michigan's football program.
First on the agenda for Coleman
will be reviewing the proposed
revisions to the Statement of Stu-
dent Rights and Responsibilities.
Coleman is set to make the final rul-
inglaterthis month on whether five
proposed amendments will be put
into effect for the next academic
year.
The proposed changes include
changing language in the student
code to make it gender neutral,
realigning the statement's current
nondiscrimination policy to match
that of the University's Board of
Regents and adding intimate part-
ner violence as a violation of the
code.
A controversial amendment
proposal that would have lowered
the burden of evidence needed to
convict a student of code violations
from clear and convincing evidence
to a preponderance of the evidence
standard will likely not be imple-
mented, after the Michigan Student
Assembly withdrew its support for
the proposal earlier this year.
However, in an interview with
The Michigan Daily last month,
Coleman said she couldn't rule the
proposed amendment out, say-
ing she wasn't familiar with what
would happen in that situation.
"I can't comment on them
because I really don't know yet
what they're going to be moving
forward," Coleman said in March,
addingshe didn'tknow whetherthe
burden of evidence proposal would
be considered. "I don't know. I
mean, I assume notifit'sabeen with-
drawn, but as I've said I haven't got-
ten anything yet so I don't know.
In June, Coleman will be leav-
ing the country on a trip to China.
During her visit, Coleman will be
makingseveral stops, including one
at Shanghai Jiao Tong University -
the school with whom the Univer-
sity has a joint institute - and at the
world expo.
"I'm very much looking forward
to that trip because I'm hoping that
we'll be solidifying this research
relationship we have with Shanghai
Jiao Tong," Coleman said last month.
At the same time, University offi-
cials, including outgoing Provost
Teresa Sullivan and incoming Pro-
vost Philip Hanlon, will continue to
work on finalizing the University's
budget for next year.
The finalized budget proposal
will be presented to the University's
Board of Regents in June for a vote.
In recent years, the regents have
typically unanimously approved
the budget proposal. However, last
year when a 5.6 percent tuition
SWIRLBERRY
From Page 1A
up for us and we didn't really have
to invest heavily in the location."
Leo added that when the busi-
ness first came to State Street
in the spring, it did very well
and profits were high - in part
because of the minimal start-up
costs.
"We had a really good summer,
an amazing summer actually. But
then when school started, we saw
that sales were going down," Leo
said. "This was partly due to the
weather and partly due to several
other frozen yogurt places com-

ing up in the area."
Leo explained that Swirlber-
ry's "superior product" also made
it difficult to survive in the
Ann Arbor Fro-Yo market.
"Most of our products we
make ourselves or get from local
Michigan dairies, so we have to
charge a bit more for it and that
didn't sit well with the student
population," he said.
And with such a competi-
tive market, Leo said he doesn't
think Swirlberry will re-open
near campus again.
"State Street is a very lovely
place, but it is very competitive"
Leo said. "I don't think we'll
consider a location on campus
again. Sava's was lucky enough
to find a place across the street
that suited (its) needs. We
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increase was proposed, Regent
Julia Darlow (D-Ann Arbor) and
Regent Denise Ilitch (D-Bingham
Farms) voted against the budget
proposal, which still passed with a
majority of votes.
University officials have
remained silent on how much
tuition might increase next year,
but have hinted that a tuition
increase is very likely.
In an interview after testifying
before the State Senate Subcom-
mittee on Higher Education last
month, Coleman said both cost cut-
ting and revenue enhancements
were beingconsidered.
"It'll be a combination I think of
looking at tuition revenue, looking
at alternative offerings we could
have in the spring and the sum-
mer," Coleman said of the revenue
enhancement options.
Aggressive cost cutting mea-
sures have been a staple on campus
in recent years and Coleman has
said she expects $22 million to be
trimmed for next year. However,
the number pales in comparison to
the up to $68 million less in state
appropriations that both Coleman
and Sullivan have said the Univer-
sity may face.
Adding to an already busy sum-
mer, University officials are also set
to appear before the NCAA's Com-
mittee on Infractions in August as
part of the ongoing NCAA probe
into allegations that the Michigan
football team violated association
rules.
In February, the University was
presented with a list of five specific
charges, which included allegations
that the University exceeded the
number of allowable practice hours,
allowed staff to conduct and moni-
tor off-season workouts and that
head coach Rich Rodriguez created
an atmosphere of non-compliance.
Another controversial topic on
the agenda for both University
regents and administrators is the
implementation of a continuous
enrollment policy at the Rackham
School of Graduate Studies.
The policy would mandate that
all Ph.D. students and candidates
enroll in all fall and winter semes-
ters from matriculation to degree
completion. officials, including
Rackham Dean Janet Weiss con-
tend most students will notice little
or no change because of the policy.
However, the policy has drawn
a great deal of criticism from some
Ph.D. students and candidates and
from faculty members - including
several who serve on the Senate
Advisory Committee on University
Affairs, the leading faculty gover-
nance body.
Despite the opposition, the poli-
cy is set to be implemented next fall
if the University's Board of Regents
approves a decrease to the Rack-
looked and couldn't really find
anything that was appropriate."
But despite the struggle of
owning a business on State Street,
Leo said he still believes the area
has a lot of potential.
"I think the CVS will do really
well in that location," he said. "It
has good traffic flow and espe-
cially when the construction (on
North Quad) is done, it will be
really well-suited to the needs of
the students."
David Curtis, a sales associate
at Collier's International, said
Swirlberry's challenges at the
location aren't unusual for the
area. Collier's listed both the for-

mer Shaman Drum building and
the storefront previously occu-
pied by Ritz camera.
Curtis added that the number

ham Graduate tuition rates - a
move administrators say is essen-
tial to make such a policy work.
However, according to Sullivan,
the regents will not vote on the rest
of the policy, as the tuition com-
ponent is the only component that
requires regential approval.
University officials and regents
will also continue to evaluate the
current endowment spending rule
over the summer, with rumors cir-
culating that they may decrease the
annual payout.
Such a decrease could come
amidst an already strained bud-
get. However, officials - including
Coleman and Timothy Slottow, the
University's executive vice presi-
dent and chief financial officer -
have said the University needs to
consider both present and future
needs.
The review of the payout is
required by a motion passed by the
regents in 2006 to change the way
in which the University calculates
the endowment's value. Coleman
and Slottowhave both stressed that
no decisions have been made yet
and that an increase or decrease to
the spending policy are both pos-
sible.
Finally, University officials will
await a confirmation of reaccredi-
tation from the Higher Learning
Commission this summer. The
nod does not have a specified time
of release, but the University has
already completed the entire pro-
cess, and only need a final ruling
from the HLC.
In an interview last month, Sulli-
van said the University had already
reviewed a copy of a draft report
from the HLC site visit and evalu-
ation committee, which was to be
sent to the HLC's board. After the
board meets later this year, they
will issue their final ruling.
While on site, the HLC site visit
committee reported they were
pleased with the University's per-
formance and indicated they would
recommend to the HLC that the
University be reaccredited. How-
ever, the HLC maintained one
"reservation" in the area of the
University's commitment to diver-
sity - calling on the University to
strengthen its efforts.
In last month's interview, Sulli-
van called the reservation a sign of
the HLC's wish that the University
continue to fight the ban on affir-
mative action.
"(Fernandez Calistino) wanted
to be on record that our accrediting
body wants us to be diverse, so that
when the University gets sued the
next time, we're able to say 'Even
our accrediting body thinks that
diversity is one of our strengths,' "
Sullivan said of HLC site visit com-
mittee chairman's comments on
diversity.
of empty storefronts isn't "higher
than usual."
"It's tough for businesses to
find a spot, especially when you're
leasing a space that is largely
dependent on students," he said.
"So when they're gone for the
summer, the businesses go down.
So unless they can take the hit
that summer gives and provide
services that are good all year
round, it is hard for them to sur-
vive."
Curtis said though Swirlber-
ry's challenges weren't out of the
ordinary businesses in the area
are impacted by the difficulties of
the area in different ways.

"You get food places that are
doing really well there, so it
depends on what you're dealing
with," she said.

Iraqi court
orders vote
recount in
electio0n

Prime Minister's
bloc claimed
election fraud
BAGHDAD (AP) - An Iraqi
court yesterday ordered a recount
of more than 2.5 million votes cast
in Baghdad during the March 7
parliamentary election, a decision
that could tilt the results in favor
of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki
and inflame sectarian tensions
after what has already been a con-
tentious election.
Al-Maliki's bloc won 89 of par-
liament's 325 seats, putting him
just two seats behind former Prime
Minister Ayad Allawi. Neither
has been able to cobble together
a majority coalition with the sup-
port of other parties yet. In the
meantime, al-Maliki has been try-
ing to alter the outcome through
court appeals and other challeng-
es, and by trying to woo support
away from Allawi.
Al-Maliki's State of Law bloc
has claimed election fraud and
demanded a recount in five prov-
inces, including Baghdad, which
accounts for almost a fifth of par-
liamentary seats.
The recount was ordered by a
three-member court that investi-
gates election-related complaints
and will be carried out by Iraq's
Independent High Electoral Com-
mission, said commission official
Hamdia al-Hussain.
She said the election commis-
sion has so far only received the
court's decision on Baghdad and
has not received any decisions
about the other provinces. She said
the electoral commission would
decide how and when the recount
would be carried out.
The complete election results
were released by the election com-
mission on March 26 but were
immediately challenged by al-
FIRES
From Page 1A
ber of similar car fires at least since
the beginning of the year, Cham-
berlain said in the article. Cham-
berlain also emphasized that all of
the car fires are being investigated
collectively, according to the article.
The fire department has yet to
conclude, however, ifa South State
Street house fire that also occurred
on April 3 - killing an Eastern
Michigan University student and
injuring two others - was inten-
tionally set and if it is linked to the
string of car fires.
"We are continuing to investi-
gate whether the vehicle fires may
be related to other fires that have

Maliki's State of Law coalition,
which claimed the vote was beset
by fraud and irregularities.
The decision to recount the
Baghdad ballots could signifi-
cantly lengthen the time it takes to
seat the next government, raising
questions about the country's sta-
bility as political factions battle for
supremacy.
Iraq's minority Sunni com-
munity, which saw its once domi-
nant position under Saddam
Hussein destroyed under the
majority Shiite government that
came into power after the 2003
U.S.-led invasion, was jubilant
after Allawi's I----+raqiya came up
with a two-seat edge over State of
Law.
Allawi, who like al-Maliki is
Shiite, included Sunni candidates
in his election list and attracted
significant support from that com-
munity. Any perception that they
have been robbed of their votes
could have potentially violent
repercussions in a country still
reeling from years of sectarian vio-
lence.
During anews conference Mon-
day, al-Maliki said the recount
could alter the election results.
"We will all abide by the results
of the recount. But I can say that
it is possible for the results to be
changed after the recounting," the
prime minister said.
The United Nations, the Arab
League and U.S. officials have all
praised the election, saying it was
fair and legitimate.
A spokeswoman for Iraqiya
questioned the decision to hold a
recount.
"We need to make sure that no
one, neither the State of Law nor
anyone else, will take seats they do
not deserve. As long as the proce-
dure will be handled in a transpar-
ent way, we will have no worries
or concerns," said Maysoun Dam-
louji.
occurred in the area," Chamberlain
told AnnArbor.com. "Of particular
importance is the recent fire that
resulted in the death of a young
Eastern Michigan University stu-
dent."
According to an April 7 article
published in The Michigan Daily,
the Ann Arbor Police Depart-
ment is already treating that fire as
arson and considers it linked to the
car fires, an AAPD sergeant who
requested to remain anonymous
told the Daily atthe time.
"Given what you can surmise
from what happened (April 3), I
would say any reasonable person
could deduce what caused the
fires," the sergeant told the Daily at
the time. "As far as we're looking at
it, it wasn't an accident."

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