0 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Tuesday, October 26, 2010 - 3
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Tuesday, October 26, 2010 - 3
NEWS BRIEFS
BRAMPTON, ONTARIO
Canadian to go to
prison for leading
terrorism plot
The ringleader of a homegrown
Canadian terrorist group has been
sentenced to 16 years in prison for
leading a terror cell plotting to
attack Canada's Parliament build-
ings, electrical grids and nuclear
stations.
Fahim Ahmad had pleaded
guilty in May mid-trial to partici-
pating in a terrorist group, import-
ing firearms and instructing his
co-accused to carry out an activity
for a terroristcgroup. .
Justice Fletcher Dawson handed
down the sentence yesterday.
Ahmad and 17 others were
arrested and charged with terror-
ism offenses in 2006. The group
became known as the Toronto 18.
The jury had been told Ahmad
was the leader of the terror cell and
held two training camps to assess
his recruits' suitability.
WASHINGTON D.C.
Homeland Security
nears decision on
virtual fence
The Homeland Security Depart-
ment is close to a decision on what's
next for a costly, problem-plagued
"virtual fence" ordered by Con-
gress four years ago to help secure
the U.S.-Mexico border.
What was supposed to be a
fence of integrated technology to
keep watch on most of the nearly
2,000-mile border has ended up
in use across about 53 miles of the
Arizona-Mexico border at a cost of
at least $15 million a mile.
In a report this week, the Gov-
ernment Accountability Office said
DHS has committed $1.2 billion for
the project, known as SBInet, and
inadequately managed it.
"A way forward on the future of
SBInet is expected shortly and will
be fully briefed to Congress when
ready," Matthew Chandler, DHS
spokesman, said Friday.
The border fence project and its
contractor, Boeing Co., have been
repeatedly criticized in GAOreports
for delays and cost overruns.
NEW YORK CITY
As bedbugs creep
out NYC, tourists
crawl away
New York City's bedbugs have
climbed out of bed and marched
into landmarks like the Empire
State Building, Bloomingdale's and
Lincoln Center, causing fresh anxi-
ety among tourists who are cancel-
ing Big Apple vacations planned for
the height of the holiday season.
Some travelers who had
arranged trips to New York say
they are creeped out about staying
in hotels and visiting attractions
as new reports of bedbugs seem to
pop up every few days. And officials
in Mayor Michael Bloomberg's
administration are concerned
about the effect on the city's image
and $30 billion tourism industry.
The discoveries of pests at
high-profile places are often not
full-blown infestations, or even
in public areas. Bloomingdale's
reported finding exactly one bug in
the famous department store, the
Empire State Building had them in
the basement and Lincoln Center's
were in a dressing room.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.
Former hiccupping
girl charged with
murder
A teenage girl who became
famous after hiccuping uncontrol-
lably for weeks has been charged
with luring a man to a house where
he was robbed and fatally shot.
Jennifer Mee, 19, of St. Peters-
burg and two others are charged
with first-degree murder in the
death of Shannon Griffin, 22, on
Saturday.
Mee's unusual condition landed
her on NBC's "Today Show" in
2007 and got her a hug from coun-
try star Keith Urban.
But her life fell into disarray
when the hiccups finally stopped
five weeks after they started. She
ran away from home twice and her
family has sued a hiccup cure com-
pany for allegedly using her image
for profit without permission.
-Compiled from
Daily wjre reports
ARMSTRONG
From Page 1
Armstrong has remained relatively
quiet onthe issue, but did appear on
Anderson Cooper360 to discuss the
situation.
In the personal protection order
petition filed with the court, Arm-
strong wrote that Shirvell posed "a
threat to my own personal safety"
and that Shirvell had protested at
events Armstrong attended. Arm-
strong added that Shirvell had
called Speaker of the U.S. House
of Representatives Nancy Pelosi's
office during his summer internship
to speak with his supervisor about
his membership in Order of Angell
- a senior honor society on campus
with a controversial past.
In a statement released lastnight,
U. Ashwin Patel - Armstrong's
attorney - explained Armstrong's
dismissal of his petition for a PPO.
"The petition for a personal
protection order was dismissed
by Chris Armstrong because he
received assurance that he will no
longer be contacted by Andrew
Shirvell," Patel wrote. "At this time,
Chris would like to focus on his
classes, finishinghis senioryear and
his work with MSA."
Philip Thomas, Shirvell's attor-
ney, said in an interview yesterday
that though Armstrong has been
portrayed as the victim, he believes
Shirvell is the true victim.
"I really believe that my client
has turned out to be a victim of
the liberal media," Thomas said. "I
looked at all the Anderson Cooper
tapes ... nobody ever said 'Oh there
should be a hearing, a determina-
tion should be made as to whether
this is legitimate or not."
Thomas continued, "This is the
United States of America, we have
a right to free speech. If the stan-
dard applied in this case were to
applied in our society, then Presi-
dent Obama could go and get a PPO
against Rush Limbaugh or the Tea
Party or against any of the different
political action groups and that's
not what PPOs were designed or
intended to protect against."
Thomas added he didn't feel the
circumstances warranted a PPO
because Armstrong said in a police
report that he was feeling "some-
what harassed" by Shirvell.
"That's not what PPO law is
designed and intended to guard
against, not somebody feeling
somewhat harassed," Thomas said.
"It's designed to protect people who
have been threatened and who have
had people show up at their work
and sending them text messages
and all of that."
Thomas also said he feels the dis-
missal of the PPO petition, which he
called a "fair outcome," should lead
to the withdrawal of the Univer-
sity's trespass order againstShirvell
and disciplinary hearing with the
state that is scheduled for Nov. 5.
The University's Department
of Public Safety issued a trespass
warning for Shirvell on Sept. 14,
banning him from the University's
Ann Arbor campus. Prior to the ban
from campus, Shirvell protested at
several events where Armstrong
was in attendance, including at a
Michigan Student Assembly meet-
ing during which he called on Arm-
stronglto resign.
DPS spokeswoman Diane Brown
confirmed this morning that the
trespass warning is still active. She
said the ban from campus could
only be lifted after a review of the
warning in a meeting between DPS
Chief Ken Magee and Shirvell.
Brown said Shirvell requested
such a meeting shortly after the
trespass warning was issued, but
that it has not been scheduled and
that Magee is currentlyout of town.
Thomas said yesterday that he is
not happy with the lack of progress
in moving the appeal forward to
lift the trespass order on Shirvell.
However,hesaidhehopesthewith-
drawal of the petition for PPO will
help expedite the process, though
he said he's not sure it will.
"I would like to see the U of M
say, 'Hey, we're going to dismiss
this notice and we're going to dis-
miss it because the application for
a PPO was dismissed or we're going
to expedite it,"' Thomas said. "But
while I want to see those things
happen, I can't say for sure that it is
going to happen."
A1
4---------
FULBRIGHT
From Page 1
University officials focused on
globalization in their self-study
during its decennial reacredita-
tion process last year and Univer-
sity President Mary Sue Coleman
has developed a challenge to double
the number of students who have an
international experience while at
theUniversity.
"Some of our strongest students
are applying for Fulbrights and
being successful," Hanlon said.
In a press release issued yester-
day, several other University offi-
cials echoed Hanlon's satisfaction
with the performance of students in
the Fulbright competition.
Ken Kolman, the acting direc-
tor of the University's International
Institute and the acting vice provost
for international affairs, said in the
REGENTS
From Page 1
to help the University sustain its
resources.
Both Democratic candidates said
they would focus on implementing
newtuition plans if elected.
Lazzerin's speech focused less on
finances and instead on the atmo-
sphere she would aim to create for
students, if elected. Drawing on her
experience doing service work with
Detroit youth, Lazzarin said she
would be able to effectively focus
on students' needs. She added that
she also would promote an envi-
ronment that is supportive of free
speech and creativity.
Stephens, who previously ran in
2002, said if elected, he would work
to make the University more afford-
able and accessible for students.
Asked about the most important
challenges for the University in the
upcoming years, Stephens spoke
again about the importance of
reducing tuition costs as well as
the importance of increased faculty
engagement.
Brown said he believes the Uni-
versity will meet many financial
obstacles, which the regents and
faculty can overcome by having
more of a public presence and advo-
cating for public funding. State
legislators voted to cut funding for
public universities by 2.8 percent
last month.
Newman said that though the
biggest challenge facingthe regents
in the upcoming term will be deal-
ing with the University's finances,
the cost-cutting measures that offi-
cials have already started putting
into place will help the University
maintainits stable finances.
Richner also focused on the Uni-
versity's financial struggles, but
added that the University must still
work to maintain its prestigious
academic reputation.
A question from a faculty mem-
ber shifted the conversation from
finances to diversity atthe Universi-
ILLNESS
From Page 1
Fitzgerald went on to say that
the health department took the lead
on this case, because the soror-
ity house is off-campus. They
will conclude tests and be able to
confirm the cause of the illnesses
within the week, he said.
For now, the health department
is conducting interviews of those
affected by the illness and taking
inventory of what the people ate
in order to figure out the cause of
press release that the high number
of Fulbrigbt recipients at the Uni-
versity reflects the quality of the
Universityoverall.
"The number of Fulbright grants
speaks to the caliber of our stu-
dents and their passion for interna-
tional research and study," Kolman
said. "Our success in earning these
reflects Michigan's commitment
to fostering global and cultural
exchanges."
Kelly Peckens, who directs the
Fubright Program advising at the
University's International Institute,
praised the student recipients in the
same press release.
"These students have worked
tremendously hard to prepare their
projects, and we are very proud to
have them represent U-M across the
globe," Peckens said. "Our grantees
are researching some of the world's
most pressing issues with optimism
and sensitivity."
ty. Addressing a question about the
promotion of racial diversity in the
future, all candidates agreed that
diversity is an importantcpart of the
University experience.
"I feel we have almost a sacred
obligation to truly have a racially
diverse campus and truly give all
students from all our neighbor-
hoods in the state and around the
country a chance to matriculate
here," Brownsaid.
Brown said he feels a change in
the admissions policy would bring
the needed diversity to campus. He
added that the University should
also work harder to recruit a more
diverse faculty body.
Newman and Richner both
claimed the University has done
well in promoting diversity thus far,
despite the state-wide ban on using
affirmative action in admissions.
"I think we've done a good job in
dealing with Proposal 2 and taking
a holistic approach towards admis-
sions, and the record is improving
and on the rightctrack," he said.
Stephens said he feels that while
the University is doing a good job
attracting minority students, the
actual retention rates are very low.
Though he said he feels this is a
nationwide trend, reducing the
cost of tuition should help increase
retention rates, he said.
SLOTTOW TALKS COST
CUTTINGMEASURES
Tim Slottow, the University's
executive vice president and
chief financial officer, told Senate
Assembly members yesterday that
officials are continuing to balance
cost-cutting measures to reduce
the University's financial risk.
Slottow said officials are focus-
ing on cost controls, diversifying
revenue streams and continuing
to invest in buildings on campus,
while trying to evaluate the Uni-
versity's internal workings.
"We're both working from top-
down and bottom-up to ensure
that even the detailed financial
contamination, Fitzgerald said.
The sorority house - located at
718 Tappan St. - has been thor-
oughly cleaned and the Univer-
sity has advised students to stay
away from others who are sick,
wash their hands and cover up
their mouths when they cough
in order to minimize contamina-
tion.
Chapter Advisor Susan Lcus
wrote in an e-mail interview that
sorority officials are not sure yet
what caused the sicknesses.
Taylor Robinson, a sopho-
more in Delta Delta Delta, said
And while the record number of
student recipients is good news for
the University, an analysis of Ful-
bright Scholar grants - given to
faculty members - provides a more
sobering statistic.
Asked about the University's
performance in securing Fulbright
Scholar grants, Hanlon said he
knew it was an issue, but that he
wasn't in a position to comment on
it.
"All I can say is I noted that as
well and I want to try to understand
that better," Hanlon said.
University professors netted only
five Fulbrgh Scholar awards, paling
in comparison to many other univer-
sities. Harvard University led the
pack of faculty receiving Fubright
awards, netting 38 grants. The Uni-
versity of California at Berkley and
Columbia University followed close
behind, earning24 and 23 Fulbrights
for faculty, respectively.
transactions as well as the larger
broad ones you may hear of have
a continuous focus on continuous
improvement in reducing the risk
to protect both the financial and
reputational risk of the Univer-
sity," Slottow said.
Using a disciplined budget
strategy, Slottow said the Uni-
versity is working to cut millions
of dollars from its next operating
budget. The cuts include ratio-
nalizing information technology
services, condensing office duties
and streamlining facilities main-
tenance.
Slottow added that these cuts,
like with the custodial services,
may take a while to be implement-
ed, because the University does
not want to disturb daily research
and teaching activities.
"It will take us a while to get to
a point where we can provide com-
modity-type basic services to folks
in a less expensive way but also
not have it affect your research or
your ability to teach, hopefully to
enhance it," he said.
Looking at an overview of the
University's budget, Slottow said
there is still a "healthy relation-
ship" between total assets and
total liabilities. But, he added
that the amount of liabilities has
recently increased due to a new
$1.6 billion addition for post-
retirement health care.
other threats to the Univer-
sity's budget include increased
post-retirement benefits, increas-
ing health care costs, the chang-
ing nature of capital markets and
general building energy and main-
tenance, Slottow said.
To alleviate these threats,
Slottow said the University
recently finished a dependent eli-
gibility health benefit audit, which
removed 914 dependents from the
University's health care plan.
Slottow said he feels the Uni-
versity can gain more capital by
investing in campus buildings in a
"thoughtful" and "sophisticated"
way.
the members of the sorority have
been asked not to comment on the
issue until they know more.
As of yesterday afternoon,
Fitzgerald said there were no new
cases reported.
The last major outbreak of
norovirus occurred at the Ross
School of Business shortly after
the completion of its construc-
tion in January. Ten people who
had eaten at the Siegle Cafe
and 13 of the caf's workers fell
ill and reported intestinal and
stomach issues characteristic of
the virus.