*NAnn Arbor4___ Mndy, Januar 3,01 F TA E Monday, January 31, 2011 Ann Arbor, Michigan mic CONFLICT IN EGYPT COMES TO CAMPUS 1{'U studentstEg" a to evacuate Egyt amid gov 't tumult Members of several student groups and the community gather on Friday, Jan. 28, 2011 in the Diag to protest Egypt President Hosni Mubarak's regime. Students show support for Egyptian uprise in protest After U.S.travel warning, four students plan to leave country today By JOSEPH LICHTERMAN Daily News Editor In the midst of almost week- long anti-government protests in Egypt, four University students studying abroad in Cairo and Alexandria prepared to evacu- ate the country today as the Uni- versity cancelled its Cairo-based study abroad program. Two University students and one student from the Univer- sity's Flint campus were study- ing at the American University. in Cairo through the University's Center for Global and Intercul- tural Study, and four University students were studying at Alex- andria University with a non- University affiliated program, University spokesman Rick Fitzgerald said last night. Two of the students in Cairo - who have been staying at two separate American University in Cairo dormitories - willbe evac- uated today on a charter flight to Athens before they fly back to the United States, Fitzgerald said. One student, meanwhile, has been staying with her grand- parents and will remain in Cairo and plans to directly re-enroll in classes at AUC after classes resume. According to the AUC website, classes have been can- celled this week. Demonstrators and looters continue to quarrel with police and military forces on the streets of Cairo and other Egyptian cities, demanding democratic elections and protesting against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who has been in power for nearly 30 years. Fitzgerald said the University cancelled the program at AUC after the U.S. State Department issued a travel warning to Egypt yesterday. "(This is), consistent with the University's policy of not hav- ing study abroad programs in countries where there are travel warnings," Fitzgerald said. The University was initially unaware there were University students besides those in Cairo in the country as the students See EGYPT, Page 6A About 80 gather on Diag to denounce Mubarak By ADAM RUBENFIRE Daily StaffReporter "Mubarak, Mubarak, what do you say? How many people jailed today?" So went one of the many chants voiced by protesters on the Diag Friday afternoon. Starting at 3:30 p.m., around 80 people - including repre- sentatives from several stu- dent organizations - gathered in the Diag to protest Egypt's long-standing President Hosni Mubarak and his regime. The protest on campus came in response to reports of civil unrest in Egypt over the past few days, with a wave of citizen protests calling for Mubarak's resignation. In response to protesters, Mubarak's admin- istration has reportedly set a nationwide curfew as well as shut down the country's Inter- net and cell phone services. During a televised press con- ference Friday morning, U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clin- ton criticized the Egyptian gov- ernment for its reported use of violence against protesters. "The Egyptian government needs to understand that vio- lence will not make these griev- ances go away," Clinton said. To address the issue, Univer- sity students took to the Diag. Though University police officers were stationed on the Diag to monitor the protests, police said they were only there as a precautionary mea- sure. And the demonstration occurred without police inter- vention. Mohamed Mattar, an Engi- neering junior and president of the University's Egyptian Stu- dents Association, said at the event he's happy Egyptian citi- zens have chosen to rise up and See PROTEST, Page SA t H' rUNIVERSITY FACULTY Air Force ROTC sgt.retires after 25 yrs. of military service Master Sgt. Karen Christon honored at 'U' ceremony By SARAH ALSADEN Daily StaffReporter Master Sgt. Karen Christon, a staff member of the Univer- sity's Air Force Reserve Offi- cers Training Corps, has served abroad and in other states across the country during her time in the Air Force. But she said her most fulfilling work has been at the University. "This has been the most rewarding assignment that I have ever had," Christon said. Christon, who retired this month, was honored in the Michigan League on Friday for her 25 years of service to the United States Air Force. Since enlisting in the Air Force in 1986, she has served interna- tionally in Portugal and domes- tically in Kansas and Florida before landing in Michigan. In July 2006, Christon became a staff member of the University's Air Force ROTC detachment. "It has been a privilege to impact the lives of our future leaders ... I thoroughly enjoy interacting with the students and making a positive impact on their lives," she said in an inter- view last Wednesday. See ROTC, Page 5A ERIN KIRKLAND/Daily A house located ott campus that caught tire early Saturday morning is shown with boarded windows yesterday One dead, one in critical . . 2 condition after A2 fire CAMPUS COMMUNITY 21st annual Asia Business Conference at Ross promotes global connectedness 20-year-old Ann Arbor resident dies in incident By MICHELE NAROV Daily StaffReporter A fire at an Ann Arbor home early Saturday morning left one victim dead and one in critical condition, an Ann Arbor Fire Department official said Satur- day evening. According to AAFD Chief Dominick Lanza, the AAFD was called to the fire at 5:01 a.m. on Saturday. By the time firefight- ers arrived on the scene at 2275 Westaire Ct., two people had fled from the house. However, two others were found uncon- scious in the basement, Lanza said. After officials arrived on the scene off campus, Lanza said it took them about 15 minutes See where CrimeMAP this incident on tA;ctgat1ily. om happened to put out the fire, followed by another 15 minutes to help investigators make sure the site was safe. Twenty-year-old Jacob Rach- ford was one of the two victims found unconscious in the home and was later pronounced dead at the University Hospital, See FIRE, Page SA Event's focus on Asian countries showcases regional changes By GIACOMO BOLOGNA For the Daily Business leaders, foreign investors and professorsfromthe University and abroad addressed key issues regarding business in Asia during panel discussions at the 21st annual Asia Business Conference at the Ross School of Business this past weekend. The conference is the lon- gest-running business confer- ence about Asia in the United States that is organized by stu- dents. Business graduate student Rama Ghanta, who co-chaired this year's conference, said the primary purpose is to educate students and others about "the challenges of doing business in Asia." "Being aware of the changes in Asia is very important to stu- dents," Ghanta said. The conference originally focused on Japan - and was called Japan Day - when it start- ed 21 years ago. However, the conference has now expanded to encompass discussions of multi- ple countries in Asia. This year's conference featured panel dis- See CONFERENCE, Page 5A WEATHER HI:21 TOMORROW LO:19 GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail news@michigandaily.com and let us know. NEWONMICHIGANDAILY.COM INDEX AP NEWS....................3A CLASSIFIEDS.A............6A Encore Recordings owner shares hope for future Vol. CXXI, No.83 O P I N I O N..... ......4A ARTS ...........................7A MICHIGANDAILY.COM/BLOGS/THE FILTER ©2011 The Michigan Daily NEWS.........................5A SPORTSMONDAY..........1B michigondoilycom V.