The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Tuesday, November 9, 2010 - 7
FIRESIDE CHAT
From Page 1
diversity)," Coleman said.
Coleman was also asked about
how she reconciles the importance
of diversity and academic excel-
lence. She responded by saying the
University never lowers its aca-
demic standards to increase diver-
sity, but rather that it takes a holistic
approach among qualified appli-
cants thatcincludes looking at a wide
range of factors to build a class of
students with diverse backgrounds
and opinions.
And diversity on campus, Cole-
man said in response to other ques-
tions, is one of the things graduates
say was one of the best parts of
attending the University.
"I'm proud of what we've done,
but we've got a lot of work left to do.
We're not there yet," Coleman said.
The ethnic diversity of the
incoming freshman class of Univer-
sity students increased this year for
the first time since the state passed
a ban on affirmative action, which
took effect in 2007. The population
of underrepresented minority stu-
dents increased from 9.1 percent of
the total freshmen class in 2009 to
10.6 percent of the total freshmen
class this fall.
But topics discussed at yester-
day's fireside chat also included
more light-hearted questions, like
the most recent novel Coleman read.
Coleman said her most recent
read was a book titled "The Pas-
sage," which is about a military
project gone awry and the ensuing
struggle that the only remaining
colony of people in existence face
as the power station that helps to
preventvampires from entering the
city and killing all its citizens begins
to fail.
"It's sort of a vampire book, but
it's not like Twilight," Coleman
said, explaining to the group that
she received the book as a gift when
attending a meeting of University
presidents from across the country
at Rice University earlier this year.
A student followed up with a
question for Coleman about wheth-
er the president also liked the Twi-
light saga by Stephenie Meyer.
"Stephenie Meyer is a genius, and
she's made a lot of money off Twi-
light," Coleman said. "But Twilight
books don't hold a candle to 'The
Passage."
The light-hearted topics also
included questions about Coleman
and Harper's favorite places to eat
near campus. Coleman told stu-
dents she likes to eat at Red Hawk
Bar & Grill on South State Street,
while Harper said she likes to eat
at the Ann Arbor staple Blimpy
Burger.
Another student asked Harper
and Coleman to name one thing on
their bucket lists.
Harper used her iPad to pull up
a copy of her bucket list, joking that
she'd have to look at it to find some-
thing she could share and adding
that she wants to become techno-
logically literate.
"I really love paper and pencils,
and the more beautiful paper is and
the nicer theink is the more Ilike it,"
Harper said, holding up her iPad. "I
really do have to get over that. This
has been a big help for me."
Coleman's list included a more
traditional bucketlist activity - vis-
iting the Inca ruins at Machu Pic-
chu.
"It's high on my list," Coleman
said.
In second day
of hearing,
Shirvell fired
from position
SNYDER
From Page 1
worlds together," he said.
Snyder also eschewed party
labels during the press confer-
ence, saying he chose Dillon and
Posthumus based on their expe-
rience not their party affiliation.
"Let's stop fighting over the
extremes and recognize Michi-
gan is in a crisis," Snyder said.
"And we're going to move for-
ward, we're going to roll up our
sleeves, solve the problems, that's
what the people elected us to do."
Posthumus holds the record
for the longest-serving Senate
majority leader in Michigan and
is also the former CEO of Com-
patico, a furniture manufactur-
ing company in Grand Rapids. In
addition, he served as lieutenant
governor to former Republican
governor John Engler.
SMOKING BAN
From Page 1
go home not smelling like a bar."
Art & Design freshman Mad-
eline Young echoed Evers, saying
she likes the ban because she's
doesn't like the smell of smoke.
"I love the ban," Young said. "I
like not having to go to a bar and
smell like smoke."
Recognizing patrons like Young,
some bar owners are even redeco-
rating to get rid of the old smoke
smell.
Adam Lowenstein, owner of the
Alley Bar on West Liberty Street,
Posthumus's role as a senior
adviser will be to assist Snyder
and his team in developing pub-
lic policy and translating it to
legislation. At the press confer-
ence, Snyder said he looks for-
ward to working with Posthumus
and lauded his vast experience in
both the public and private sec-
tors.
"I'm extremely excited about
having Dick join the administra-
tion," Snyder said. "His back-
ground is absolutely fabulous ...
He's got great legislative experi-
ence. And he's really going to be a
leader in helping us on legislative
affairs."
Posthumus said at the press
conference that he never antici-
pated taking on the role as senior
adviser and merely suggested
Snyder create the position to ease
the transition from the private
sector to the public sector.
"Coming from the outside,
things are a little different to
accomplish in Lansing mode,"
Posthumus said at the press con-
ference. "To accomplish things
in the legislative process is a
little different than the private
sector and I urged him to bring
some people on to assist lieuten-
ant governor-elect (Brian) Calley
in working with the process to
implement legislation for Michi-
gan."
Posthumus said he initially
declined the job because he
"wasn't looking for a job in
administration," but he was soon
persuaded by Snyder to join his
team.
"If any of you a month ago
would have said I would have
been here to talk about this sub-
ject today I would have said you
were crazy," Posthumus said.
"The governor-elect and his
team is pretty persuasive and
they convinced me that maybe
some of the experiences I have in
a very small way could help the
administration succeed so that's
why I'm here today," he contin-
ued.
At the press conference Snyder
said that like Posthumus, Dillon
has a "fabulous combination of
experience" that will be benefi-
cial to the Snyder administration.
Though Dillon was vying to
run as a Democrat for governor
earlier in the year before Lan-
sing Mayor Virg Bernero won the
Democratic nomination, he said
he decided to join Snyder's team
because he's "very impressed
with the governor-elect's vision
for the state."
"We need fundamental change
in Michigan," Dillon said at the
press conference. "I also believe
that because these changes are
so dramatic, we've got to shed the
labels. Democrats and Republi-
cans need to work together."
From Page 1
Armstrong worked this past sum-
mer - during work hours, the
press release states. Shirvell tried
to get Armstrong fired from his job
with Pelosi's office, according to
Cox's statement.
Also, "Shirvell would, at times,
post attacks on Armstrong on the
Internet while at work," Cox wrote
in the press release.
Shirvell is the creator of a blog
titled Chris Armstrong Watch on
which he has accused the MSA
president of promoting a "radical
homosexual agenda."
The decision to fire Shirvell was
also based on his dishonesty with
other assistant attorneys general
who investigated Shirvell's case
throughout his disciplinary hear-
ing, Cox wrote. The disciplinary
hearing to determine Shirvell's
employment status with the state's
attorney general office began on
Friday.
Deborah Gordon, Armstrong's
lawyer, wrote in a statement
released today that Shirvell must
"realize there are consequences
for his reckless, outrageous state-
ments and actions..."
"This is clearly the correct
decision by the attorney general's
office," Gordon wrote. "The next
step must be a complete retraction
of all the malicious lies and fabri-
cations by Mr. Shirvell, and a pub-
lic apology to Chris Armstrong, his
family and the others Mr. Shirvell
has slandered."
Calls to Shirvell'slawyer weren't
immediately returned yesterday.
In a phone interview this eve-
ning, Gordon said Cox's decision to
fire Shirvell didn't come as a sur-
prise.
"I wasn't surprised really
because I looked into the matter,"
she said. "I know the attorney gen-
eral's office has been doing a full
investigation and there's so much
wrongdoing there."
Gordon said she assumes the
panel at the disciplinary hearing
"made a recommendation" to Cox
regarding Shirvell's employment
status.
"I think it had to be an obvious
end for him, for Shirvell," Gordon
said. "You can't conduct yourself
that way and remain an assistant
attorney general."
Gordon said she and Armstrong
intend to follow through with their
complaints to the Michigan Attor-
ney Grievance Commission. They
have requested an investigation of
Shirvell's recent actions and pos-
sible disciplinary action, up to and
including potential disbarment.
Gordon said she also filed a
supplemental complaint, including
Shirvell's blog, with the Attorney
Grievance Commission on Friday.
But there has yet to be any prog-
ress on the complaints filed, she
said.
"Typically, it's not a fast pro-
cess," Gordon said, adding that
there isn't a lot of precedent for a
case of this nature..
Gordon said Shirvell should be
disbarred due to his actions involv-
ing Armstrong.
"He should lose his right to
practice law based on his behav-
ior," Gordon said. "You have to
be trustworthy and reliable and I
don't see (that) that's possible with
him."
In addition to pursuing the com-
plaints with the Attorney Griev-
ance Commission, Gordon said
she and Armstrong are evaluating
other "legal options."
"We continue to look at our
other legal options; no decisions
have been made," she said.
Gordon told the Daily last week
that she and Armstrong believed
Shirvell's actions had been in vio-
lation of the Michigan Rules of
Professional Conduct - a guide
state attorneys must follow. This
alleged violation led Gordon and
Armstrong to file the complaints,
she said at the time.
Shirvell was previously barred
from setting foot on campus due
to a trespass order issued by the
University's Department of Pub-
lic Safety. However, the order was
modified last Wednesday so that
Shirvell can now be on campus but
cannot attend events where Arm-
strong is present, including MSA
meetings.
Gordon said DPS's trespass
order modification was "sensible."
"I think it was a reasonable
decision on their part," Gordon
said. "That's a tough issue, to bar
people from campus completely;
legally that's a tough issue."
said when he took ownership of
the bar in August, he and his part-
ners made an effort to eliminate
the lingering smoke smell by tear-
ing out the old carpet and putting
a fresh coat of paint on the walls.
"Old smoke smell is worse than
new smoke smell," Lowenstein
said. "And the best smoke smell is
no smoke smell."
other local business owners
whose bars were non-smoking
before the ban say they have not
been affected by it.
Ben Hammond, day manager
at Good Time Charley's on South
University Avenue, said the ban
has not impacted business because
the indoor area was already non-
smoking before the ban. However,
customers could smoke in the out-
door caf6.
Since the ban took effect, cus-
tomers cannot smoke in Charley's
outdoor caf6 while eating meals.
Lowenstein, who also owns
Good Time Charley's and BTB
Cantina above Charley's, said he
agrees with the ban but thinks
people should be able to smoke out-
side while being served food.
But Higgins said smokers still
go to restaurants and bars even
though they cannot smoke inside.
"Definitely, there are crowds
outside smoking, but it's not ridicu-
lous," Higgins said.
Higgins, who said the smoking
ban helped him kick his smoking
habit, added that his customers
who smoke still come to Ashley's
despite the fact that they cannot
enjoy their cigarettes at the bar.
"It's not like anyone else offers
smoking," Higgins said. "There's
nowhere else for them to go."
Though a smoker herself, LSA
freshman Brogan Dysert said she
supports the statewide smoking
ban.
"I think it's good because obvi-
ously the health risks of breathing
secondhand smoke, (and) I think it
will help people quit," Dysert said.
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