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Wednesday, February 23, 2011
michigandaily.com
EN GARDE!
UNIVERSITY FACULTY
SACUA calls
for personal
decisions on
tenure clock
TODD NEEDLE/Daily
University alum Rebecca Garber and Ann Arbor resident Michael Lloyd rehearse theatrical hoplology, or theatrical combat, with The Ring of Steel Theatre Troupe in
the Student Theatre Arts Complex yesterday. The troupe has performed stunts in movies and stage productions the last 21 years.
GRADUATE EMPLOYEES
,Concerns about unionizing for
GSRAs addressed in meeting
Faculty leaders also
look for long-term
solution to tenure
. By JOSEPH LICHTERMAN
Daily News Editor
In a document given to The
Michigan Daily yesterday, the
leading faculty governing body
proposed a mechanism that
would allow individual fac-
ulty members to add up to two
years to their tenure probation-
ary period as a temporary fix to
issues with the University's cur-
rent tenure system.
This proposal came in
response to University Provost
Philip Hanlon's recommenda-
tion to amend the University's
Regent Bylaw 5.09 to extend the
tenure probationary period.
Statistics Prof. Ed Roth-
man, chair of the Senate Advi-
sory Committee on University
Affairs and SACUA Vice Chair
Gina Poe, an associate professor
of anesthesiology and molecular
and integrative physiology, pre-
sented their four-point plan to
University President Mary Sue
Coleman yesterday afternoon
and plan to e-mail the document
to members of the University
Senate today.
The tenure probationary
period is the amount of time
faculty members have to obtain
tenure, which protects faculty
member's academic freedom by
ensuring they can't be termi-
nated from their position at the
University without just cause.
The centerpiece ofthe SACUA
proposal is the "checkboxto stop
the clock"method of extending
the tenure probationary period.
According to the document, an
option would be added to faculty
members' annual effort certifi-
cation page - a federally man-
dated statement that all faculty
and staff must sign to ensure
they are performing their work
appropriately - allowing them
to choose whether or not they
want to extend their tenure
clock by up to two years.
In an interview last night,
Rothman said the option would
allow faculty - specifically
clinical faculty in the Medical
School - who feel rushed by the
current eight-year tenure proba-
tionary period to extend their
clock without impacting other
faculty members.
"The idea of a checkbox is
See SACUA, Page 3A
'U' official:
Organizing GSRAs
* is 'not a good idea'
By KAITLIN WILLIAMS
Daily StaffReporter
Representatives from the
University's Graduate Employ-
ees' Organization discussed
concerns about the unioniza-
tion of certain graduate student
employees at a meeting last
night organized by graduate
student research assistants.
Walter Eagle, a GSRA and
the president of the Aerospace
Graduate Student Council,
helped organize the meeting,
which was held in a conference
room in the Frangois-Xavier
Bagnoud Building on North
Campus.
Eagle wrote in an e-mail
that the purpose of the meeting
was to discuss the unionization
of GSRAs with the aerospace
department. Some GSRAs in
attendance asked members of
GEO prepared questions and
also discussed concerns regard-
ing joining the union.
Attendees of the meeting
expressed their uneasiness
aboutpaying dues to be part,
of GEO's collective bargaining
agreement. They also discussed
the differences between GSRAs
and graduate student instruc-
tors and why they should, or
should not, be included in GEO's
contractwith the University.
GEO President Rob Gillezeau,
a GSRA in the University's
Department of Economics,
estimated that 70 to 80 percent
of GSRAs are in favor of being
included under GEO's contract
and collectivebargainingrights.
See GSRAS, Page 3A
UNIVERSITY ACADEMICS
Sweetland Writing Center
offers new writing. minor
Minor open to LSA
students beginning
this fall
By JENNIFER LEE
For the Daily
LSA students who major in
math or science, but also have
a passion for writing will soon
have the opportunity to put their
talent on their transcript.
The Sweetland Writing Cen-
ter will offer a minor in writing
beginning this fall. According to
Anne Ruggles Gere, the director
of the Sweetland Writing Center,
the minor was created to draw
more attention to writing and to
provide an organized academic
track for students who already do
a large amount of writing in their
concentrations.
The writing minor is intended
for students with various inter-
ests who are studying in all
departments of LSA, Gere said.
She added that the program is
selective and students must dem-
onstrate skill in prose writing to
be accepted to the minor.
Gere added that the minor
will help students become "par-
ticipants in 21st century writ-
ing" by giving them the capacity
to develop their writing skills in
See MINOR, Page 3A
UNIVERSITY RESEARCH
Study finds gender does not impact
risk of mortality from heart attacks
TODD NEEDLE/Daily
Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) addresses a group of Law School students in Hutchins Hall yesterday,
In speech to Law students, Sen. Carl
Levin promotes political participation
Findings also show
women have more
blood complications
By MARY HANNAHAN
Daily StaffReporter
A recent study conducted by
* researchers at the University's
Cardiovascular Center suggests
that gender does not affect the
risk of death during heart attack
treatments, contrary to previous
research conclusions.
In the study published in
January, researchers observed
8,771 patients from 32 hospi-
tals between 2003 and 2008.
According to Elizabeth Jackson,
assistant professor of internal
medicine and the study's lead
author, findings also showed
that women had higher rates of
bleeding due to heart attacks
that required transfusions and
higher rates of vascular compli-
cations than men.
'Jackson said because there
have been beneficial changes in
terms of medications and new
interventions in heart attack
treatment, she and her col-
leagues wanted to look at the
See HEART ATTACKS, Page 3A
Senator discusses
personal life,
government affairs
By JEREMY ARMAND
Daily StaffReporter
In a talk with students and
members of the University
community yesterday, Senator
Carl Levin (D-Mich.) didn't
shy away from expressing his
opinion on international mat-
ters and current events.
"There is no doubt that
there are regimes we have
supported that have seen dic-
tators using oppressive mea-
sures, and we are paying the
price," Levin told an audience
of about 40 people on campus
yesterday.
Levin - who chairs the
U.S. Senate Armed Services
Committee - spoke at the
Law School to members of
the Frank Murphy Society, a
group of Law students inter-
ested in government careers.
Levin focused his speech on
current events and his own
political experience.
Asked about the current
uprisings in the Middle East
and how the United States
should respond, Levin said the
See LEVIN, Page 3A
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