I The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Tuesday, November 16, 2010 - 3 NEWS BRIEFS LANSING Snyder appoints ,three new officials Republican Gov.-elect Rick Snyder named former Michigan United Conservation Clubs execu- tive director Dennis Muchmore as his chief of staff yesterday, then selected two longtime state employees to direct communica- tions and legal affairs once he takes office Jan. 1. Geralyn Lasher, who served as former GOP Gov. John Engler's deputy press secretary, will be Snyder's communications direc- tor. She now works for the Michi- gan Department of Community Health handling public awareness campaigns and is a former depart- ment spokeswoman. Snyder said he chose her because of her mar- keting skills and ability to use social media. Michigan Supreme Court legal counsel Michael Gadola will become Snyder's legal affairs director. Under Engler, Gadola served as deputy legal counsel and director of the office of Regula- tory Reform HARTFORD, Conn. Wholesalers stop shipping Four Loko Connecticut liquor wholesalers have agreed to voluntarily suspend their shipment and deliveries of a caffeinated alcoholic drink that has been banned in four states. Gov. M. Jodi Rell and Consumer Protection Commissioner Jerry Farrell said yesterday that they have secured the deal to curb the distribution of Four Loko and two similar beverages, including Four Maxed and Joose. The popular drinks have been banned in Washington, Michigan, Utah and Oklahoma. Four Loko is made by Chicago- based Phusion Projects. It comes in several varieties, includingfruit punch and blue raspberry. A 23.5- ounce can has an alcohol content of 12 percent, comparable to four beers. College students have been hos- pitalized after drinking the bev- erages, including in New Jersey, where one school banned them on campus. The federal Food and Drug Administration isreviewing the products' safety. LONDON U.K. compromises in ex-Guantanamo detainee lawsuit Britain's government has agreed to a deal with a group of ex-Guan- tanamo Bay detainees who were suing the U.K. for alleged complic- ity in their torture. Prime Minister David Cam- eron's office said in a statement yesterday that the details would be announced to lawmakers on Tuesday. Government officials declined to discuss the settlement in advance - or confirm whether it would pay compensation - citing a confidentiality agreement. A total of 12 men were suing Britain over claims they were mistreated. They include Binyam Mohamed, who alleges he was abused while held in Pakistan in 2002. In July, Cameron said a judge- led inquiry would be set up to examine the handling of torture overseas by Britain's intelligence agencies. SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. Illegal immigrants get in-state tuition The California Supreme Court weighed in yesterday on the politi- cally charged immigration fray when it ruled that illegal immi- grants are entitled to the same tuition breaks offered to in-state high school students to attend pub- lic colleges and universities. While the ruling applies only to California, the case was closely watched nationally because nine other states, including New York. and Texas, have similar laws. Republican congressmen Lamar S. Smith of Texas and Steve King of Iowa filed a so-called friends of the court brief urging that illegal immigrants be denied the reduced rate. A unanimous state Supreme Court, led by politically conserva- tive Justice Ming Chin, said the California provision was constitu- tional because U.S. residents also had access to the reduced rates. - Compiled from Daily wire reports. Renovation would repurpose MLB basement, build School of Ed. center Pizza delivery man robbed on North Campus Friday From Page 1 that she understands the state's current fiscal constraints but that investing in higher educa- tion is essential to Michigan's revitalization. "We respectfully ask that the state reinvest in higher educa- tion by increasing our appro- priation by 2.6 percent in fiscal year 2012, in order to cover the projected 1.6 percent increase in the Detroit CPI and the one percent in lost state scholarship funding for students with need," Coleman wrote. The 1-percent loss in state scholarship is the result of the elimination of the Michigan Promise Scholarship and reduc- tions to the Michigan Competi- tive Scholarship. REGENTS TO CONSIDER PARTIAL MLB, SCHOOL OF EDUCATION RENOVATIONS In two separate communica- tions to the University's Board of Regents, Slottow also requested a total of $3.4 million to finance the renovation of parts of the Modern Language Building and the School of Education building. The first request, which seeks $2 million from the College of Literature, Science and the Arts, would finance renovations to the MLB's basement and second floor. In his letter to the regents, Slottow wrote that the renova- tion would include repurposing the former Language Resource Center - now located in the North Quadrangle academic building - to meet the needs of LSA's Instructional Support Services Media Center, which is currently housed in leased space off campus. Additionally, the project would repurpose space in the basement of the MLB to house the Department of Screen Arts and Cultures film editing suites, which are currently located in the Argus II Building. If approved, the project would be completed during the sum- mer of 2011. In his second request, Slottow asked the regents to approve a $1.4 million project that would renovate a vacated storage space in the School of Education to create the Brandon Professional Center and Archive. Slottow described the new space as "a 21st-century educa- tion library" that would house a wide array of resources that could be used by students for studying professional practices in education. The project would be funded by a private gift, investment income and School of Educa- tion resources, Slottow wrote. If approved, the project would be completed in fall 2011. DPS official says authorities will issue a warning to delivery restaurants By MICHELE NAROV Daily StaffReporter A pizza delivery man was robbed on Friday after being called to a fake North Campus address, University Police report- ed. Department of Public Safe- ty spokeswoman Diane Brown said that at around 8:15 p.m. on Friday night, the delivery man was searching for the address on Bishop Avenue when he was approached by a hooded man who "brandished what was perceived tobe a gun." "The delivery person later fig- ured out that it was not a real gun," Brown said. The delivery man did not have any money with him, but his iPhone was stolen by the perpe- trator. Following the robbery, the suspect fled, and the driver called the police about 20 minutes after- wards, according to Brown. "It appears to be a calculated crime," Brown said. "It wasn't just random." The suspect is described as being in his mid-twenties, dark- skinned and about 5 feet 9 inches tall. Currently there are no leads. Brown said in light of the inci- dent officials will issue some type of warning to local delivery res- taurants. "I think there's some out- reach that will happen, if it hasn't already, with the pizza places that deliver because that's who will be at risk," she said. Similar events have not occurred on campus in recent years, according to Brown, though they have happened in other parts of Ann Arbor. "We haven't had reports of this sort of thing on campus but it is something that pizza delivery people are trained about on a reg- ular basis," she said."I know there have been reports of these (types of crimes) elsewhere in the city." MARIJUANA From Page 1 Among the key issues addressed in the proposed ordinance are the requirements that dispensaries cannot stand within 1,000 feet of schools and cannot extend their business outside the premises. The ordinance also establishes rules for dispensary operations, including no smoking on the prem- ises, no drive-in dispensaries and a restriction on customers under the age of 18 without an accompanying parent or guardian. Since the Oct. 6 preliminary reading, city officials made a series of additions to the ordinance that elaborate on certain "reasonable restrictions" regarding the growth and use of medical marijuana. These additions include a man- date that dispensary owners sign an annual zoning compliance per- mit as well as a series of guidelines for medical marijuana in single- family homes. In requesting a postponement, council member Marcia Higgins (D-Ward 4) said council members need additional time to consider the proposed changes before vot- ing on the issue. With Higgins' postponement approved, council is set to vote on the ordinance at its Dec. 22 meeting. Addressing council at the public forum portion of last night's meet- ing, Charmie Gholson - manag- ing editor of a quarterly marijuana advocacy publication entitled The Midwest Cultivator - said she was concerned that the ordinance is far too restrictive and will encourage retaliation. "If it's too prohibitive, you're going to have ...unintended conse- quences," Gholson told the council. In an interview after her pre- sentation, Gholson added that she's concerned the ordinance and its enforcement will amount to a ban akin to the prohibition of alcohol during the 1920s and early 1930s. "My job isto remind people that prohibitiondoesn'twork," shesaid. In contrastto Gholson, longtime city resident and self-described "lifetime non-marijuana user" Thomas Partridge praised the ordinance, saying he's in favor of harsher regulations to keep medi- cal marijuana from people who will abuse it. "Many marijuanausers ... ignore the very serious perils of lighting up," Partridge said at the meeting. "It's important that City Council keep this in mind." SENATE ASSEMBLY From Page 1 with tutoring and class schedul- ing, as well as general time man- agement skills. The center also tracks the academic progress of the athletes, Hughes said. With the academic center open from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. most weekdays, Hughes said he has seen student-athletes use the facility regaslgrly, with an influx of students coming to the center for tutoring in the evenings. Hughes added that because the students are representa- tives of the University's Athletic Department, he feels the cen- ter is important in shaping the students' decision-making and overall image. "Student-athletes have to feel connected to the University," he said. "They have to feel that the University is connected to them, and therein is the hope that they'll make better and more ethical decisions about their behavior." Addressing a question from a member of the assembly, Hughes said he realizes that some ath- letes prioritize their sport above academics. He said the structure in place at the academic center helps the students understand the importance of their academ- ic life as well. Robert Frost, an associate professor in the School of Infor- mation and a member of the Sen- ate Assembly, said though he thinks the resources at the cen- ter are helpful, he is concerned about the segregation it cre- ates between student-athletes and the general student body in the classroom. Hughes echoed Frost's sentiments, saying that he was also concerned about that disconnect. In an interview after Hughes's talk, Anna Bielinska, an assis- tant professor in the Universi- ty's Medical School, said she was concerned about the academic center's amount of control over the lives of student-athletes. "(The program) helps the young person to pass from the first year to the next but not to get a personality developed or a habit of self studies," Bielinska said. "It's completelyguided from .7:30 in the morning. Somebody watches him, what he does." Hughes said though the cen- ter does heavily guide and moni- tor students initially, they are gradually weaned from the sys- tem. He added that the academ- ics of an athlete must be tracked to determine whether they are able to play during practice and games. TECH TRANSFER AT'U' LAUNCHES NEW BUSINESSES Ken Nisbet, executive director of Tech Transfer at the Universi- ty, also spoke at yesterday's meet- ing highlighting the importance and success of Tech Transfer ini helping faculty commercialize their research. Nisbet said the Tech Trans- fer program is composed of two parts - one to help faculty with the licensing of their technologi- cal inventions and another that searches for start-up businesses. He said the licensing program also conducts market research to find companies that would be interested in adopting faculty inventions. Nisbet said he believes the pro- gram is doing very well, adding that the program placed 91 tech- nologies with entities in 2009. In 2008, the program placed 78 technologies with entities. Past inventions licensed through the Tech Transfer program, Nisbet said, include MedImmune, which made the FluMist influenza nasal vaccine, Sakti3, an advanced battery lab, and Health Media, an online health coaching program. He added that Tech Transfer is important for the success of faculty inventions as well as for the reputation of the University, as high-profile commercialized inventions may attract new fac- ulty to campus. Currently housed in the 28-building North Campus Research Complex, Nisbet said he is excited that the program is in a collaborative space with other researchers. As the pro- gram launches other start-up companies through its business accelerator, he said he is glad the NCRC willibe home to those com- panies. The Tech Transfer program also contains the Michigan Ven- ture Center, which was estab- lished a year ago to develop start-up businesses based on technological inventions from faculty, Nisbet said. Nisbet said. the center fea- tures a "Mentor-in-Residence" program in which experienced entrepreneurs help assess wheth- er various inventions are viable for the market. The center gives students the opportunity to participate in a summer internship program, in which they learn about the licensing and development pro- cess and after which they may continue working for the Tech Transfer Center. - Jonah Most contributed to this report. TWEET, TWEET, TWEET. Follow the Daily on the Twitter machine for the latest campus headlines: @MICHIGANDAILY IS 0 GET Y SENIC TAKEF Novembe in the Sop of the Mic North Ca in Valley r SA OUR )R PORTRAIT r 10-12 and 15-19 hia B. Jones room higan Union mpus November 18-19 oom of Pierpont The sittingfre is just $1S! 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