The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Friday, January 21, 2011 - 3
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Friday, January 21, 2011 -3
NEWS BRIEFS
LANSING, Mich.
Bills introduced
to lower autism
treatment costs
Michigan lawmakers are renew-
ing efforts to require the offering
of insurance coverage for certain
autism treatments.
Bills were introduced this week
in the state Senate. Democratic
Sen. Tupac Hunter of Detroit said
yesterday the insurance coverage
is needed to help families that can't
afford the costs of certain autism
treatments for their children.
More than 20 other states have
similar laws, but the Michigan
measure is opposed by business
and insurance groups that say man-
dating coverage would raise the
cost of employer-sponsored health
insurance.
Supporters of the measure say
it's an issue of fairness and that it
would save Michigan money in the
long run.
The proposal to require autism
insurance coverage stalled in the
Senate last year. Bills are being
reintroduced for the 2011-12 legis-
lative session.
WASHINGTON
Pair of pandas
remain at zoo for
breeding tests
National Zoo and Chinese con-
servation officials have signed a
deal extending the stay of Wash-
ington's two beloved pandas.
The $2.75 million deal signed by
the Smithsonian National Zoo and
China Wildlife Conservation Asso-
* ciation yesterday at the zoo's panda
exhibit allows 12-year-old Mei
Xiang and 13-year-old Tian Tian to
stay until 2015. The pair arrived at
the zoo in 2000.
The deal was first announced
Wednesday.
The agreement calls for Chinese
scientists and breeding experts to
visit the National Zoo to try new
breeding methods. Also, if they
aren't able to breed after two years,
one or both of the pandas could
be switched out for others from
China.
Any cub born to the pair would
now be allowed to stay four years,
instead of the previous limit of two.
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia
Monument honors
Holocaust victims
A new monument was unveiled
yesterday in eastern Canada mark-
ing the country's decision to turn
away a steamship carrying Jewish
refugees fleeing Nazi Germany in
1939.
The luxury liner MS St. Louis
was first turned away by Cuba,
' then the United States and final-
ly Canada before returning to
Europe just before the outbreak of
war.
Of the 900 German Jews
aboard, almost a third died in the
Holocaust.
The sculpture by Daniel Libe-
skind, called the Wheel of Con-
science and unveiled in Halifax,
Nova Scotia, is the centerpiece of
a $476,000 national project aimed
at educating Canadians.
"It tells the story of a tragedy, a
dark period of Canadian history,
where anti-Semitism and anti-
immigration policies led to the
murder of hundreds of people and
the suffering of hundreds of oth-
ers," said Libeskind.
PARIS
WikiLeaks cited in
terrorism trial
Lawyers for ex-inmates of the
Guantanamo prison camp used
documents released by WikiLeaks
to argue for their acquittal in a
French terrorism trial yesterday.
Five Frenchmen held at the
prison were acquitted by a French
appeals court of terrorism charges
in 2009, in a high-profile disavow-
al of the camp. But then a new trial
was ordered.
As that trial opened yesterday,
defense lawyers presented at least
three U.S. diplomatic cables citing
French anti-terrorist investiga-
tors.
The lawyers argued that it was
inappropriate for French inves-
tigators to have discussed the
ex-inmates' cases with American
authorities.
The prosecutor dismissed the
argument and urged the court to
sentence the five to one-year pris-
on terms. The defendants were not
present at yesterday's trial.
-Compiled from.
Daily wire reports
FACEBOOK
From Page 1
enough members to attract the
attention of Facebook adminis-
trators, Innes wrote. She added
that Facebook has become a huge
part of people's lives, so the way
gender is represented on the site
can have major social ramifica-
tions.
"If enough people ask for their
product to change, as a com-
pany producing this product,
they should change it," Innes
wrote. "But, really, the idea goes
beyond Facebook itself - if we
can change the way our genera-
tion views gender, through Face-
book asa vehicle, we can start the
discussion of inclusion in a wider
format. Right now this seems to
be an invisible issue."
Facebook does give users the
option to not display their gen-
der, but according to Innes and
CROWS
From Page 1
sleeping sites from one day to
another for security, often not
coming back to the same place,"
Payne wrote.
According to Payne, this pat-
tern is a more recent develop-
ment.
"They didn't do this when I
was a student in the 1950s," Payne
wrote. "We think that, being
intelligent, they have learned
safety in being in towns."
Earlier this month, MLive.com
reported that 19 crows had been
found dead in Ann Arbor, the
majority of which were uncov-
ered near North Campus and
along railroad tracks close to
the Gandy Dancer restaurant on
Depot St. It was determined the
crows died of poisoning, accord-
ing to the article.
Though some may think the
deaths may be linked to mysteri-
ous mass bird deaths across the
country, Payne wrote that they
aren't related.
"Recent mass deaths of birds in
other parts of the U.S. appear to
be due to pesticides and to birds
the group's other co-founders,
LSA sophomores Lindsey Olson
and Nicole Tillem, this doesn't
address the issue of gender neu-
trality.
"The idea here is two-fold,"
Innes wrote. "The first is to
respect that gender is not binary,
and even if you don't show gen-
der, you are forced to be complicit
with the idea that you are either-
or.Youhave to dealwithpronouns
that you may not believe respond
to you as an individual. Secondly,
not displaying your sex is just
making the issue more invisible
- literally. You are erasing your
gender, ratherthan embracingit."
The "I Choose Neutral" Face-
book group has gotten more
than 150 "likes" on the site since
its founding in the beginning of
November.
One of the group's supporters,
LSA junior Leyla Bozer, wrote
in an e-mail interview that she
recently realized that choosing a
being disturbed at night (by lights
and noise) and flying around and
crashing into power lines," Payne
wrote. "The Ann Arbor crows
don't have this problem."
About 5,000 dead blackbirds
were discovered in Beebe, Ark.
on Dec. 31, according to a Jan. 3
article in The New York Times.
It is believed the birds died from
"'acute physical trauma"' as a
result of nearby fireworks, The
New York Times reported.
Several days later, about 500
birds were found dead on a high-
way in Louisiana, according to a
Jan. 4 MSNBC.com article.
Though some students said
they haven't noticed large groups
of crows on campus, others, like
Engineering freshman Brian
Miller, said they've been scared
by nearby swarms of crows.
"They're a major threat," Mill-
er said.
Miller described his encounter
with the birds around 2 a.m. one
night when he and a friend were
walking through the Diag.
"As we were walking there,
we were talking about the crows,
and how terrifying they are," he
said. "We were looking around to
make sure they weren't there, and
gender on Facebook would be dif-
ficult for many people. She said
that Facebook, being one of the
largest social networking web-
sites, should take all its members
into account.
"Facebook is supposed to be a
place where you can express your
identity as you see it, and you
should be able to display whatev-
er aspects of your personal iden-
tity you choose to reveal," Bozer
wrote.
Bozer and Innes both wrote
that while there may be certain
conflicts with the site's preva-
lence of pronoun usage and gen-
der-targeted advertising, there's
no reason why this should limit
users' identities on their profiles.
"There is really no excuse for
the exclusion of non-gendered
persons," Innes wrote. "Facebook
should be held accountable to all
of its users, including those who
don't fit easily into the identifica-
tion of male or female."
of course they were, in four or five
trees."
Miller said once they saw the
crows, he and his friend started
running, trying to avoid being
defecated on.
"I thought, 'Oh God, here we
go. I'm just going to run through'
... They start rustling the leaves
and flapping around.
There was a deafening noise of
crows ... We sprinted the entire
way, not looking back once," Mill-
er said.
Miller had a piece of advice for
others regarding the crow situa-
tion on campus.
"Avoid the Diag after sunset,"
he said.
Other students who've also
noticed the birds around town,
however, have attempted to
actively ward off the flocks.
Business sophomore Michael
Kovach said he often sees crows
sitting in trees near his fraternity
house, Phi Psi, on State Street. He
said he's thrown ice chips at them
before for entertainment purpos-
es, but that they've always flown
away before being harmed.
- Daily Staff Reporter Claire
Goscicki contributed to this report.
CAREER CENTERS
From Page 1
offer before contacting the Busi-
ness School, he said.
According to Zikakis, 84.5 per-
cent of undergraduates at the Busi-
ness School receive at least one job
offer before graduation. He said the
reason for the high percentage is
due to the business skills taught at
the school that make students more
attractive to specific employers.
"We reach out to companies in
which our students have expressed
an interest and ask them to con-
sider recruiting at Ross," Zikakis
said. "More often, though, we are
contacted by companies that want
to begin recruiting at Ross."
Lauren Rossi, recruiter with
PricewaterhouseCoopers - atcom-
pany that provides assurance, tax
and consulting services - said
while some businesses may be
searching for a more diverse group
of recruits, many students they
interview typically have an exper-
tise in business.
"LSA students are more than
welcome to become a part of (the
company)," Rossi said. "The major-
ity of offerings are for those folks
who are an accounting focus, who
have that business background."
Bret Caldwell, representative for
the sales and marketing company
ZS Associates, said businesses like
his have been branching outside
of their typical business student
recruits.
"We're looking for smart and
quantitatively-oriented people,"
Caldwell said. "We absolutely
recruit across all majors."
Atboththepre-professional cen-
ter and University Career Center,
students have access to a recruit-
ment database of employers who
are coming to campus. The centers
also provide opportunities through
jobs fairs and presentations and
host interview and r6sume-writing
workshops. Additionally, a major
focus of all the centers is emphasiz-
ing networking, the directors of the
centers said.
Borland said the comparative
lack of early career planning by
LSA students fuels the false per-
ception thatthey have fewer career
service opportunities. She said
liberal arts majors typically don't
seek resources early onin college -
something that would help to nar-
row their career objectives.
"If a student takes advantage of
all the things that might lead to
deciding (a career), then the steps
of them pursuing an opportunity
in that area become just as clear
as the marketing major," Borland
said.
She added that because many
companies are looking for well-
rounded students, having a certain
major is becoming less of a factor in
finding jobs after graduation.
"A student's major is having
decreasing impact on who is being
considered for positions," Borland
said. "It's an element, but employ-
ers are really looking at the total
package that a student is bringing
to the table."
Kerri Boivin, director of the
Engineering Career Resource
Center, said all the career centers
on campus are equally devoted to
working with employers to help
them recruit students.
"We all come together as career
services," Boivin said. "We all tend
to offer the same services. I don't
know that anyone is doing any-
thing more than any other career
service office."
Students at Wednesday's Winter
Career Expo agreed that Business
School students have more career
focus, making their job search
more rewarding. LSA senior Kend-
ra Marshall said Business students
seem to take more advantage of the
resources offered to themthanLSA
students.
"I don't think that Business stu-
dents get more resources," Mar-
shall said. "If you actually really
go into your major and under-
stand how to actually talk to the
right people you will get as many
resources as Business students."
LSA senior Matt Shepherd said
he feels that students often over-
look resources the Career Center
offers.
"I feel that the Career Center is
an under utilized resource on cam-
pus, and as an RA in Alice Lloyd;,
I often promote its use among
residents in the building who are
struggling to find their way, look-
ing for a job or preparing for life
after graduation," Shepherd said.
TEXTING
From Page 1
he's concerned that despite the
statewide ban, people will con-
tinue to textwhile driving.
"As market penetration of
phones increases, and as people
make a greater use of texting ...
the frequency of texting while
driving would increase," Green
said. "So what we see now would
only be a small part of the poten-
tial problem."
Green said that while younger
generations tend to text more fre-
quentlythan older individuals, the
population as a whole is becom-
ing more accepting of texting as a
means of communication. Young
adults, however, continue to pose
the highest risk while engaging in
distracted driving.
"Younger drivers tend to be
less experienced and tend to
be less capable at multi-task-
ing while driving, so therefore
they're more susceptible to prob-
lems," Green said. "And if they're
more frequently engaging in tex-
ting, then that compounds the
situation."
While it may not be possible to
completely eliminate the danger
of texting while driving, Green
said the University's Transpor-
tation Research Institute is cur-
rently engaged in research on the
topic. He said they hope to change
the method of texting in the
future by exploring new hands-
free options.
Rapundalo, the lead sponsor of
the former citywide texting pro-
posal, said the ordinance would
have also prohibited drivers from
making phone calls while driv-
ing, in addition to banning all
hand-held electronic devices that
weren't directly fixed to the dash-
board. While the statewide law
doesn't include a ban on talking
on the phone while driving, this
portion of the proposed citywide
ordinance, among others, haven't
been pursued.
The push for such legislation at
the local level came in response to
concerns about distracted driving
'as a result of drivers' use of hand-
held electronic devices, Rapunda-
lo said.
"There was a lot of distracted
driving predominantly due to
the use of hand-held electronic
devices, and (the citywide pro-
posal) was an attempt to mitigate
some of the inherent dangers and
outcomes of that here locally,"
he said. "(It was) pretty much on
par with what other communities
here in Michigan ... have tried to
do or have done."
The initial plans to implement
legislation to ban the use of hand-
held electronic devices in the city
were met with mixed reactions
from city residents, according
to Rapundalo. Some Ann Arbor
residents were concerned that the
proposed ordinance would also
prohibit devices fixed to the dash-
board.
"There was concern that the
languageinitially written ... would
include GPS units," Rapundalo
said. "So we did alot of refining of
the language to ensure that it was
clear."
REGENTS
From Page 1
federal stimulus funding through
more than 500 stimulus research
grants from when the funds were
made available in 2009 through
Nov. 30, 2010, according to a Uni-
versity press release issued yes-
terday.
Though Forrest praised the
University's high caliber research,
he also said there is still room for
improvement.
An important part of maintain-
ing a successful research institu-
tion, Forrest said, is remaining
engaged in the community and
forming partnerships with out-
side groups.
"Universities ...have hard walls
and hard boundaries to the out-
side world," Forrest said. "But (the
University) bleeds right out onto
State Street."
During his presentation, For-
rest also said the University's new
North Campus Research Complex
and the founding of the business
center Venture Accelerator and
Tech Transfer, are significant
developments that help bring
research and ideas into the mar-
ketplace.
After the meeting, University
Regent Andrea Newman (R-Ann
Arbor) also said she appreciates
the emergence of Tech Transfer
- a group that looks for ways to
apply University technology to
the marketplace - among other
University projects.
"It was nice to see the focus on
Tech Transfer because that's so
important," Newman said. "It cre-
ates jobs, it helps the reputation of
the University and it encourages
people to come here."
In an interview after his pre-
sentation, Forrest said that in
addition to developing Venture
Accelerator, he has assembled a
group of entrepreneurial faculty
members to further research at
the University. He added that
though the University conducts
prominent research, it isn't the
"top" institution.
"We're in the middle of getting
(Venture Accelerator) settled and
it's a good time to take a breath
and look for the next step," he
said. "We understand that we
have to move on from here, that
this isn't the end."
Forrest also said he feels
University students should be
involved in research on campus
because they support the overall
research atmosphere.
"I think students should always
be looking for research experienc-
es while they're here," he said. "By
research, I'm talking about any-
thing, whether it's social sciences,
arts, engineering, you name it. Get
involved."
$1.5 MILLION UPGRADE
TO ISR BUILDING APPROVED
The regents approved a $1.5
million improvement to the fire
suppression system in the Univer-
sity's Institute for Social Research
Building at the meeting.
The installation is expected to
be completed in the spring of 2012
and will be funded by the ISR and
the Office of the Provost.
The board also approved a $2.55
million budget to renovate utility
tunnels underneath Central Cam-
pus and Huron Street. The new
project is funded by University
Utilities and will distribute power
to campus from the University's
Central Power Plant.
The construction on the 500
feet of tunnels as well as the
replacement of 120 feet of the
tunnels is expected to be com-
pleted in winter 2012.
CONDUCT OF DPS CHIEF
QUESTIONED DURING
PUBLIC COMMENTS
During the public comments
section following yesterday's
regents meeting, Douglas
Smith, a former University pro-
fessor, submitted a request to
be granted access to records
involving Kenneth Magee, the
executive director of the Uni-
versity's Department of Public
Safety.
Magee is reported to be on
a medical leave of absence, but
Smith said he believes Magee is
on leave because of sexual mis-
conduct allegations.
After the meeting, Univer-
sity spokesman Rick Fitzger-
ald said Magee is presently on
medical leave and that there is
no investigation into the mat-
ter. Fitzgerald declined to com-
ment further on the allegations
Smith spoke of, reiterating that
there is not an investigation
going on.
Smith said he previously
submitted a request for records
regarding possible allegations
or suspicions of Magee, but that
the University administration
refused to comply on the grounds
of attorney-client privilege.
At yesterday's meeting, Smith
appealed to the Board of Regents
to overturn the denial of his
request.
In an interview following yes-
terday's meeting, University Pres-
ident Mary Sue Coleman declined
to comment on the proposed alle-
gations of sexual harassment and
misconduct by Magee.
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