The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
A MOMENT OF REMEMBERANCE
SAMANTHA TRAUBEN/Daily
LSA freshman Omar Fares participates in a group moment of silence on the Diag yesterday to remember those who have died in the Iraq War.
LOT
From Page 1A
the space.
"I would really like to see a
large employer come in, a busi-
ness that wanted to use that as a
headquarters or an office facility,"
he said in an interview.
The prime location of the
Library Lot, between the Main
Street and State Street areas,
makes it "vital to downtown's
future as it knits together the two
primary activity areas," according
to Susan Pollay, executive direc-
tor of the Ann Arbor Downtown
Development Authority.
A committee appointed by the
Ann Arbor City Council hired The
Roxbury Group LLC, an external
consulting firm, to review the two
hotel-conference center proposals
and draft a recommendation.
According to a report prepared
by The Roxbury Group, Valiant
LANSING
From Page 1A
together a proposal and people will
listen to you, that's really what the
platform allows," McDowell said.
McDowell said MSC also pro-
vides an opportunity for out-of-
state students to gain a better grasp
of issues plaguing the state as a
whole, rather than just the college
towns of Ann Arbor and Flint.
"I think we're also hoping for a
better understanding of what the
issues are in Michigan," McDowell
said. "Not everybody who's in the
caucus grew up in Michigan. They
may have come here for college, and
they don't really know what's going
on outside their own college experi-
ence."
Many students' presentations
yesterday focused on how to incor-
porate economic stability and job
creation in a state facing budget and
economic woes. Business senior
Michael Averbook and LSA senior
Sam Hartman proposed a new
method of public transportation in
the city of Detroit that establishes
a separate lane for busing, with
sophisticated traffic lights that
would allow for quicker and more
efficient transportation.
Averbook and Hartman also pro-
posed an incentive in the form of
a tax break for those who abstain
from owning a car in order to
encourage residents to use public
transportation. They also hope that
development of the program would
help create more jobs in the Detroit
area.
"We think this will decrease
the purchasing of new cars some-
what and will encourage the use of
public transportation," Averbook
said. "This will also increase jobs
through running more bus routes
and constructing new bus lanes on
the roads."
SCHOOLS
From Page 1A
implementation of the program,
which was scheduled to start in
Fall 2011, back to allow more time
for planning and increased com-
munity input.
"Given more time to look at vari-
ous options, we can come up with a
plan that will be more satisfying,"
AAPS administrator LeeAnn Dick-
inson-Kelley said at last night's
meeting.
Despite the criticisms, Cathy
Reishel, a clinical associate pro-
fessor at the School of Education
who is helping to lead the project,
said that if adopted, the plan would
allow for students to choose to par-
ticipate in academic enrichment
activities at the school during the
one- to two-week intersessions.
Intersessions would provide
students an "extra opportunity
to dig into interesting academic
work," Reishel said, adding that
lessons taught during the breaks
would expand on material taught
proposed 178,000 square feet of
new development, which includes
a conference center, a four-star
hotel, six high-end condomini-
ums, extensive office space, a res-
taurant and a public plaza.
The report states that Acquest
has plans for a 148,000-square-
foot development, with space for
an eight-story boutique hotel,
ground-level retail space and a
public plaza. This proposal would
eventually place a conference cen-
ter across the street at the former
YMCA site on South Fifth Avenue,
but Acquest doesn't plan to con-
struct that facility immediately.
Acquest Vice President Doug-
las Smith said in an interview that
having a separate conference facil-
ity provides the city more flexibil-
ity in terms of future expansion.
"Because (our proposal) de-
coupled the hotel and the con-
ference facility, it provided a
longer-term opportunity to grow
that conference-convention busi-
ness in order to support the down-
town," Smith said.
However, the Roxbury report,
which is available on the city's
website, found that Acquest's
proposal did not provide enough
details about the financing of the
project.
"The Acquest team chose not to
provide a specific proposal outlin-
ing how it would finance its proj-
ect, relying instead on its track
record of financing other similar
projects as evidence of its capac-
ity," the report's executive sum-
mary states.
Valiant's more comprehensive
financial strategy led the Rox-
bury Group to decisively recom-
mend the Valiant proposal for the
Library Lot site. According to the
report, Valiant offered voluntary
revisions to its original proposal,
making it a more attractive offer.
The modified scheme reduced
the size of the conference center,
added one floor of office space and
guaranteed against any financial
shortfall, eliminating debt liabil-
ity for the city.
Smith said Acquest had no
plans to revise its proposal.
According to Pollay, the city
of Ann Arbor hasn't officially
reviewed Roxbury's conclusions.
"A City Council-appointed
committee reviewed the Roxbury
report and is recommending that
the developer recommended by
Roxbury be put forward to City
Council for approval," she wrote
in an e-mail interview.
However, Hieftje says he's in
no hurry to accept a proposal
because construction isn't sup-
posed to be completed on the site
until December 2011.
"The real estate we're talking
about won't even be available for
another year and a half because
it's a big hole in the ground,"
Hieftje said in. "There's just no
rush to do anything about it given
that particular circumstance."
PETA
From Page lA
the class felt it was necessary.
In an e-mail interview yester-
day, a public relations official at
the University of Michigan Health
System reaffirmed UMHS's sup-
port for the course's practices.
"While nearly every aspect of
the Survival Flight course uses
simulators, for very specific
procedures, using anesthetized
animals is the only way we can
ensure our Survival Flight nurs-
es are capable and competent
enough to perform those pro-
cedures in the field on humans,
including babies," the e-mail said.
The official requested anonym-
ity because several individuals
associated with the course have
received threatening messages.
Asked why the Survival Flight
class requires live animals when
the University recently switched
to using simulator in its Advanced
Trauma Life Support class, the
same UMHS official said the
two classes were designed for
different circumstances. UMHS
stopped using live animals in its
Advanced Trauma Life Support
class, after Physician's Council for
Responsible Medicine - a non-
profit organization that advocates
for ethical methods of research -
criticized the technique.
"While physicians do perform
the same procedures, they do
so in a controlled environment
where ample back-up and support
is at hand in emergency or oper-
ating rooms," the UMHS official
wrote.
"Survival Flight nurses must
know how to do these proce-
dures correctly the first time they
are called upon to do so under
extraordinary circumstances,"
the official continued. "Nurses
in Survival Flight are called upon
to do things that even physicians
with ATLS training are not asked
to given the unique circumstanc-
es under which they are required
perform."
But Justin Goodman, associate
director of laboratory investiga-
tions for PETA, said yesterday
that the University's use of ani-
mals in the Survival Flight course
is a "relic" among peer programs.
"The University of Michigan's
Survival Flight Training course
continues to mutilate and kill
OFFICE HOURS
From Page 1A
Many of those who believe
Assange is anti-American cite
as evidence the recent release of
cables specifying sites around
the world that officials believe
are critical to U.S. security. How-
ever, in a recent New York Times
article, Assange said the goal of
WikiLeaks isn't to purport an
anti-American agenda, but rather
to push institutions to change in
order to see progress.
Communication Studies Prof.
Graham Griffith, who was at the
British newspaper The Guardian
when WikiLeaks released an ear-
lier set of confidential documents
about the war in Afghanistan in
July, said editors use a thorough
process to decide which docu-
ments to release to the public.
The Guardian was one of the
four European newspapers that
recently received the U.S. cables
from WikiLeaks.
"I left (in July) feeling very
positive about the process that
The Guardian editors and jour-
nalists went through in weigh-
ing what they should release to
the public," Griffith said. "This
is one of those things that I think
has been misrepresented. What I
can see the process being is that
WikiLeaks is releasing docu-
ments on its website after the edi-
tors at some of these papers have
looked at (them)."
"I've seen a quote from the Le
Monde editor about how (editors
and journalists) are seeing their
work up on the website, so what
editors have deemed to redact
is also carrying through to (the)
WikiLeaks site in many cases," he
said.
Though reporters and editors
are taking precautions with the
documents, government officials
have been critical of Assange
and hackers have been attacking
WikiLeaks since the site started
releasing the documents.
Collings said officials might
start becoming more cautious
about future communication
methods and protection of infor-
mation. The cables that were
released were considered "clas-
sified" - a relatively low level of
confidentiality that may prompt
Thursday, December 9, 2010 - 5A
cats and pigs despite the fact that
human-like simulators are avail-
able to replace the use of animals
in this course and that they've
been shown to better prepare
trainees to treat human patients
and that they're endorsed by lead-
ing medical organizations across
the country," Goodman said.
Goodman said the Air and Sur-
face Transport Nurses Associa-
tion - an organization that seeks
to advance the work of transport
nurses by enhancing the level
of patient care they provide -
recently confirmed that of the 30
institutions offering its transport
trauma courses in the country,
only the University uses live ani-
mals.
"On all counts, the use of ani-
mals in this course is- indefen-
sible," Goodman said. "It's just a
matter of time before it's going to
stop. But we're hoping that we're
able to give them a gentle nudge
and see that it's ended sooner
rather than later."
And, Goodman said, PETA's
campaign of phone calls, e-mails
and other events at the University
will not stop until the University
changes its policy.
"The campaign will continue
until the school commits to end-
ing the use of animals in the
course," Goodman said, explain-
ing that activity would likely slow
down over the holiday break. "But
when the next semester starts,
the campaign will be in full force
on campus again."
Asked about Tuesday's phone
and e-mail drive aimed at grab-
bing Coleman's attention, Good-
man said he thinks the volume of
calls would be difficult for Cole-
man to ignore.
"The inconvenience that Cole-
man's office may have had to
deal with (Tuesday) is nothing
compared to the lives of pain and
suffering that the animals in Sur-
vival Flight are forced to endure,"
he said. "If we can cause them just
a little bit of the discomfort that
animals in labs are caused, then
we're doing a good job."
PETA is not alone in its calls for
the University to end its practice
of using animals in the Survival
Flight course. The Michigan Stu-
dent Assembly passed a resolution
last month urging the University
to switch from using live animals
in the course to the simulators
used by other programs.
the government to alter the system
in the coming months.
Although Assange has suggest-
ed that the documents show U.S.
embassy officials engaged in espi-
onage for their country, there has
also been talk of trying Assange
for espionage against the U.S.
Griffith said the possibility
that Assange will be punished for
his decision to release the cables
threatens journalistic freedom.
"I'm not going to defend Julian
Assange, but the bluster about try-
ing him for espionage is something
that journalists have to find some-
what chilling," Graham said. "I
think if that's the case, then what
would stop administrations from
trying New York Times report-
ers? (Journalists) should be a little
more concerned about it than I
think a lot of them are."
Currently, WikiLeaks has
released only about 1,000 of the
250,000 cables Assange has access
to, and news sources around the
world continue to report the con-
tent of the cables.
Arbor Networks, an Ann Arbor-
based company, was able to track
the WikiLeaks site's movement as
it bounced to different domains to
resist efforts to shut down the site.
"We have a system that moni-
tors Internet traffic on a global
basis," said Kevin Whalen, Arbor's
director of corporate communica-
tions. "What WikiLeaks has been
doing is just changing the (site's)
hosting providers to more robust
providers capable of handling
(the) attacks."
In addition to garnering nation-
al attention, the leaks have also hit
closer to home at some colleges
across the country. The career ser-
vices office at Columbia Univer-
sity's School of International and
Public Affairs advised students
last week not to discuss the leak
on social networking sites because
it could lower their chances of
future government employment,
according to an article in The
Huffington Post. The career office
later backtracked and reiterated
the school's commitment to stu-
dent free speech.
Promoting open discussion on
the issue, University spokesman
Rick Fitzgerald said the Universi-
ty "believe(s) a vigorous, informed
discussion of important, current
topics is good for all of us."
SALAM RIDA/Daly
Samanatha Hawkins, Michigan Municipal League staff member, talks possible improvements to students' proposals yesterday.
Samantha Harkins, staff mem-
ber of the Michigan Municipal
League and member of the House
Commission on Civic Engagement,
said the pair's proposal is crucial to
economic development in Detroit,
especially since it is one of the few
cities in the country without a pub-
lic rail-system.
"At municipal, we love pub-
lic transportation" Harkins said.
"Detroit is the largest metropolitan
region in the country without some
sort of public rail transit and that
hurts us."
Harkins advised that the pair
focus especially on job development
because it is a major issue among
state legislators that transcends
party lines and could lead to poten-
tial widespread support in the state
legislature.
"The word jobs is like crack in
Lansing," Harkins said. "Everybody
is talking about jobs on both sides of
the aisle and everyone wants more
jobs."
According to McDowell, another
in class and would focus on read-
ing and math.
The partnership with AAPS
would offer student-teachers from
the University the opportunity to
work in a collaborative environ-
ment with University faculty and
teachers at Scarlett and Mitchell.
It would also allow teachers and
students from different grades to
interact, particularly when sub-
ject matter overlaps in the cur-
riculum.
"We could imagine, for example,
8th graders participating with 5th
graders in some kind of explora-
tion of the First Continental Con-
gress," Reishel said.
But not everyone is as excited as
Reishel about the partnership. Par-
ents and members of the commu-
nity raised several concerns about
the program at the AAPS Board of
Education meeting last night.
One main point of concern was
the change to a blIanced calendar,
which one parent said was incon-
siderate.
"Our family time is precious to
important aspect of MSC is that it
gives students like Averbrook and
Hartman firsthand exposure to the
processes and logistics involved in
the legislative process at the state
level.
"It's easy to say that everyone
should do x and y, that everyone
should eat healthier, but to actu-
ally make a proposal that takes
into account what exactly you want
the legislation to do is not as easy,"
McDowell said.
Jeff Kupperman, associ-
ate professor of education at the
University's Flint campus and co-
facilitator of MSC, said the program
gives legislators the opportunity to
hear from a group of youth constitu-
ents - a voting group that is often
underrepresented.
"Legislators often tell us (the
program) is really special because
the proposals are really well-
researched, and they're not just
somebody saying it ought to be a
law," Kupperman said. "The caucus
has spent weeks and months work-
us," said Elizabeth Baker, whose
child attends Ann Arbor Public
Schools. "Summertime allows my
son to be happy, well-rounded and
relaxed."
Parents were concerned with
the logistical challenges they may
face when one child attends Mitch-
ell or Scarlett and another attends
any of the other district schools
operating under a traditional cal-
endar. As the plan stands now, the
balanced school year would not
apply to Scarlett's feeder schools:
Pittsfield, Carpenter or Allen ele-
mentary schools.
Reishel acknowledged the con-
cern.
"There is no question that it
would be difficult for families to
have kids on two different sched-
ules - not impossible, but it would
be different," she said.
Reishel added that while a bal-
anced school year may be new to
the Ann Arbor school district, it is
not a new concept. There are over
3,000 schools across the country
using such a schedule, she said,
ing on these proposals and deliber-
ating on them."
McDowell echoed his senti-
ments, saying that the caucus allows
state representatives to learn about
the problems that affect students,
a perspective they don't normally
hear on the House and Senate floors.
"It provides a steady stream of
ideas and concepts," McDowellsaid.
"It's another constituency that's not
lobbyists, not corporations and not
representatives that are giving ideas
of what should be passed." .
In the past, MSC representa-
tives submitted proposals that have
influenced state law. Successful
proposals include the designation of
texting while driving as a primary
offense rather than a secondary
offense - a bill that was passed into
law this March.
"We have had resolutions that
have become law; some have started
here and some have dovetailed with
initiatives that were brought up by
other constituencies," Weisserman
said.
including schools in Grand Rapids,
Mich.
But some parents at the meeting
voiced their support of the part-
nership.
"I believe that the balanced cal-
endar does not shut out the whole
summer," said Gloria Yamas,
whose children attend Scarlett. "I
know that it may be uncomfortable
as most change is uncomfortable to
people, but the benefits to our chil-
dren, to me, are unending."
At the meeting, Scarlett Princi-
pal Gerald Vazquez cited research
published in the "Review of Edu-
cation Research" that suggests
students lose much of what they've
learned during the academic year
over the summer months - partic-
ularly in the areas of reading and
math - in a phenomenon termed
the "summer slide."
officials chose Mitchell and
Scarlett as sites for the project,
Mitchell Principal Kathy Scarnec-
chia said, due to a discrepancy in
students' performance and their
diverse ethnic backgrounds.
FAN THE DAILY ON
FACEBOOK.