News 2A - Monday, March 7, 2011 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com HAR DING UNIVERSITY BANS STATE OF THE GAY LGBTQ website blocked BEYOND BORDERS 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327 www.michigandaily.com STEPHANIE STEINBERG BRAD WILEY Editor in Chief BusinessManager 734-41a-4115 ext. 1252 734-418-4115 ext. 1241 seeinberg@michigandaiycom tmdbusinessc~gmaiteam An online LGBTQ student publication created by stu- dents at Harding University - a private Christian school in Arkansas - was blocked by the school last Wednes- day after a physical copy was given out around cam- pus, according to March 2 and March 3 articles in the Arkansas Times. The publication, called StateoftheGay,waslaunched by LGBTQ students and alumni, the article reported. Harding, a Christian-affiliat- ed university, does not sup- port homosexuality. "The student handbook holds to the biblical principle that sexual relationships are unacceptable to God outside the context of marriage and that sexual immorality in any form will resultin suspension from the university," David Crouch, a Harding Univer- sity representative, told the Arkansas Times. CORNELL DEBATES HOMEWORKFREE VACATIONS Faculty members at Cor- nell University are currently debating a proposition to decrease homework during to a Feb. 11 article in The Cor- nell Daily Sun. The Education Policy Committee at the university came up with the proposal out of consideration for stu- dents' mental health, The Cornell Daily Sun reported. "What the EPC is sug- gesting is that you should not surprise students the Friday before break with an assign- ment," Dean of Faculty Bill Fry told The Cornell Daily Sun. "If the assignment is on the syllabus at the beginning, of the semester, then that is okay because they have time to plan for that:' - PAIGE PEARCY Newsroom 734-418-4155 opt.3 Corrections corrections@michigandaily.com Arts Section arts@michigandaily.com SportsSection sports@michigandaily.com Display Sales display@michigandaily.com Online Sales onlineads@michigandaily.com News Tips news@michigandaiy.com Letterstothe Editor tothedaily@michigandaily.com Editorial Page opinion@michigandaily.com Photography Section photo@michigandaily.com tlassif ied Sales classified@michigandaily.com Finance finance@michigandaily.com A University Alternative Spring Break group stands in front of a part the border of Texas and Mexico last week. states that the university school vacations, according CRIME NOTES Visitor arrested Suspected pot CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES How to beat the Talk on First blues workshop Amendment WHERE: University Hospital WHEN: Friday at about 4:15 a.m. WHAT: A man with an outstandingwarrantwas arrested in the emergency room, University Police reported. The man initally refused to leave, claiming he was visiting someone. found in closet WHERE: Earl V. Moore Building WHEN: Fridayat about 7:30 a.m. WHAT: A University Hous- ing staff member found a tin can containing suspected marijuana in a closet, Uni- versity Police reported. The tin was taken as evidence. WHAT: Students will learn the definition of depression and how to deal with depressing feelings. WHO: Counseling and Pyschological Services WHEN: Today at 4:15 p.m. WHERE: The Michigan Union WHAT: The Secular Student Alliance will discuss the First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and religion. WHO: Secular Student Alliance WHEN: Today at 6 p.m. WHERE:Angell Hall Sidewalk gets Hospital brawl 'l1+h oZT t7 --- --- Organ recital BluesC cncert A telecom company in Japan has developed technology to provide an Internet broadband ser- vice that costs $26 a month to download at a speed of one gigabit per second, The New York Times reported. No comparable service exists in the U.S. at that price. The Michigan men's basketball team swept the season series with Michigan State for the first time since the 1996-1997 sea- son >o FOR MORE, SEE SPORTSMONDAY A professor at the University of Califor- nia, Los Angeles has developed a cell phone microscope accessory that could help save lives, CNN reported. The microscope accessory - which relies on cell phone cameras - could cost as little as $5. EDITORIALSTAFF KyleSwanson ManagingEditor swanson@michigandaily.com Nicole Aber ManagingNews Editor aber@michigandaily.com SENIORNEW EDITORS:BethanyBiron,DylanCinti,CaitlinHuston,JosephLichterman ASSISTANTNEWSEDITORS:RachelBrusstar,ClaireGoscicki,SuzanneJacobs,Mike Merar, MicheleNarov,BriennePrusak,KaitlinWilliams Michelleewita aas opinioneditors@michigandaily.om Emily Onley EditoiatePage Editore SENIOR EDITORIALPAGEEDITORS:AidaAli,AshleyGriesshammer,HarshaPanduranga ASSISTANT EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS: Harsha Nahata, Andrew Weiner Tim Rohan and sportseditors@michigandaily.com Nick Spar ManagingSports Editors SENIOR SPORTS EDITORS: Mark Burns, MichaelFlorek, Chantel Jennings, Ryan Hatje, Stephen J. 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Additiona copis my e ickiedsupatthe Dal's oficefr $2.Subscrptinsfor talltrm,terting in Septeme, a U .S.nemail 11. Winter tern (Jnry thrnughApril) is $15, yearlong (september throughAprl)is$195.Universityailiatesare subject to areduced s*sription rate. On-nampus suscriptions tar talltern are$ s5. tSuscriptionsmust be prepeid. ThreMichieanDailynisaeberoftTheAvssniatedPrests and ThevAsnoiatd Cllegiatenresst. 91 II it eway WHERE: University Hospital WHEN: Thursday at about 7:45 a.m. WHAT: A female staff member injured her hand and passed out after tripping on an uneven sidewalk, Uni- versity Police reported. WHERE: University Hospital WHEN: Friday at about 12:30 p.m. WHAT: After arguing, two staff members engaged in a physical fight, University Police reported. No serious injuries were sustained and neither staff member was arrested. at The Ark WHAT: The jazz and blues band, the Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, will play a show at the Ark. The band has been performing for more than 20 years and has given thousands of performances in the United States and abroad. Tickets start at $35. WHO: Michigan Union Ticket Office WHEN: Tonight at 8 p.m. WHERE: The Ark WHAT: School of Music, Theatre & Dance alumn John Beresford will play the organ in a recital featuring the music of Louis Vierne and Olivier Messiaen. WHO: School of Music, Theatre & Dance WHEN: Tonight at 8 p.m. WHERE: Hill Auditorium CORRECTIONS " Please report any error in the Daily to corrections@michi- gandaily.com. Afghan president rejects U.S. apology over civilian killings Karzai says ship between Karzai's govern- ment and the United States, and expressing regret is they generate widespread outrage amongthe population. not sufficient "President Karzai said that only regret is not sufficient and also KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - mentioned that civilian casual- Afghanistan's president yesterday ties during military operations by rejected a U.S. apology for the coalition forces is the main reason mistaken killing of nine Afghan for tension in relations between boys in a NATO air attack and said Afghanistan and United States," civilian casualties are no longer the statement said. "It is .not acceptable. acceptable for the Afghan people According to a statement from anymore. Regrets and condemna- his office, Hamid Karzai told Gen. tions of the incident cannot heal David Petraeus, the top command- the wounds of the people." er of coalition forces in Afghani- The killing ofthe nine boys took stan, that expressing regret was place on March 1 in the Pech val- not sufficient in last week's killing ley area of Kunar province in east- of the boys, ages 12 and under, by ern Afghanistan. coalition helicopters. Lt. Gen. David Rodriguez, who NATO has also apologized for directs day-to-day operations of the mistaken killings. Civilian coalition forces across Afghani- casualties from coalition opera- stan, later issued avideo statement Lions are a major source of strain of apology. in the already difficult relation- In the video, Rodriguez said troops at a base in the valley were responding to a rocket attack and dispatched attack helicopters to the location they were told the rockets came from. He said the helicopters thought they were engaging insurgents, but it later turned out they were boys from a nearby village who were cutting firewood. Karzai appealed to Petraeus to do more to prevent such incidents. He made the remarks to Petraeus during a Sunday meeting of the National Security Council, a body that includes Cabinet members and senior political and military officials. According to the statement, Petraeus said during the meeting that the killing was a mistake by coalition forces and extended his condolences and regret to Karzai and the Afghan people, promising that such an incident will not be repeated. JACQUES BRINON/AP French Former President Jacques Chirac, with Agriculture Minister Bruno Le Maire, left, as he visits the Paris interna- tional agricultural fair on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011. ei ormper French president to stand trial after delay 0 Gangs, police loot 10 government officials' homes on the Ivory Coast Increase in Pro- Gbagbo security cause violence ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) - Gangs of young people, actively aided by uniformed police, ran- sacked at least 10 houses in Abi- djan belonging to officials allied with the internationally recog- nized president of Ivory Coast, as heavy fighting broke out in the country's west. Security forces loyal to incum- bent leader Laurent Gbagbo, who refuses to cede power more than three months after the United Nations says he lost an elec- tion, have turned to increas- ingly criminal behavior in the past week, killing six unarmed women protesters in the street on Thursday. An eyewitness reported hav- ing seen a pickup truck belong- ing to the elite paramilitary police force CECOS leaving the house belonging to Alassane Ouattara's finance minister on Saturday. The CECOS truck was loaded down with a refrigera- tor, he said, and it later returned to the house, owned by Charles Koffi Diby, leaving a second time with a large safe. Dozens of teenagers smashed the doors and windows of the house and later leftwearing suits and robes, carrying dishes and other valuables, said the witness, who asked not to be identified for fear of retribution. Hundreds of miles away in the region bordering Liberia, heavy fighting broke out between pro- Gbagbo and pro-Ouattara forces. On the Liberian side of the fron- tier, Saah Nyuma, the deputy director of the Liberia Refugee Repatriation and Resettlement. Commission, said he heard the sounds of explosions coming from Ivory Coast. At least one mortar shell fell on the Liberian side. A fighter allied with Ouat- tara and who was reached by telephone and who asked not to be named for fear of reprisal, said the fighting was occurring in the border village of Toulepleu. Top Ouattara adviser Amadou Coulibaly said that police recruit youth to participate in the loot- ings, which began Thursday. "They're trying to install an atmosphere of terror," he said, "but you can't do more than what they've already done, firing on unarmed women. They're get- ting desperate." Chirac first French president to be tried since Nazi-era PARIS (AP) - After years of claiming presidential immu- nity to avoid legal proceedings, Jacques Chirac is finally facing a court. The former president, a buga- boo for George W. Bush during his rush to war in Iraq, today becomes France's first former head of state to go on trial since its Nazi-era leader was exiled That is, if the whole case isn't derailed by a last-minute protest by another defendant. If the trial goes ahead as planned, Chirac, 78, faces a month in court on charges that he masterminded a scheme to have Paris City Hall pay for work that benefited his political party when he was mayor - before he became president in 1995. A prison term is seen as highly unlikely, but in principle if convicted, Chirac could be jailed for up to 10 years and fined euro150,000 ($210,000). France's restive political circles are gearing up for next year's presidential race, but the fallout from this trial is unlikely to hit anyone other than Chirac and the nine other defendants including a grandson of Gen. Charles de Gaulle and a former left-wing labor union leader. Still, the trial looms as an embarrassing coda to Chi- rac's 12-year presidential term, potentially denting his legacy, recent philanthropic work and image as one of France's most popular personalities since he left office. The trial will also shine a spotlight on the underside of high-level politics that could be uncomfortable background noise for Chirac's successor and one-time protege, President Nicolas Sarkozy, who wants to rebuild his depleted poll num- bers before a possible re-elec- tion bid. The trial fuses two separate but similar cases. One of the other defendants, former Chirac aide Remy Char- don, says the two cases shouldn't be combined. His lawyer told The Associated Press he will ask the judges Monday to decide whether the decision was con- stitutional, which could throw the whole trial into disarray. In the first case, investigat- ing magistrate Xaviere Simeoni in Paris has focused on claims that Chirac had City Hall pay for 21 contract hires who never worked for the city but instead worked for his party, then called RPR. He faces charges of embez- zlement and breach of trust. Simeoni, in her order for Chi- rac to stand trial, wrote that he was the "conceiver, author and beneficiary" of that system. The other case, led by inves- tigating judge Jacques Gazeaux in the western Paris suburb of Nanterre, centers on seven jobs at Chirac's former party said to be improperly paid for by City Hall. Chirac is accused of illegal conflict of interest in that case. That case netted a conviction and temporary ban from politi- cal office in 2004 for Chirac's longtime political ally Alain Juppe, a former prime minister who recently returned in a big way to political life - and is now foreign minister. Chirac will answer for only a fraction of the scandals that have hounded him over the years: the others were either thrown out for a lack of evidence or had exceeded the statute of limitations. Even for those going to court, he will answer for just 21 total jobs out of 481 turned up in the investigation by Simeoni's team: Those before 1992 are too old to warrant prosecution. Plus, under onerofthe unusual aspects of France's legal sys- tem, the Paris prosecutor, Jean- Claude Marin, will actually argue against a conviction.