The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Tuesday, March 8, 2011 - 5
BENEFITS
From Page 1
amended Michigan's constitu-
tion in 2004 drastically changed
health care benefits for same-sex
couples across the state. Before
the change, same-sex couples
were recognized as domestic
partners in benefit programs.
However, this was ruled uncon-
stitutional following the 2004
vote.
Smith explained that after the
ruling, higher education insti-
tutions struggled to draw and
retain LGBTQ employees in the
new, unwelcoming climate.
Smith said this resulted in
the establishment of a loophole
that allowed faculty members to
designate one other beneficiary
on their health plan. This option
is currently open to both same-
sex and heterosexual unmarried
couples.
During her presentation,
Smith said the new beneficiary
program that universities set up
had unintended side effects. The
new policy, she said, dismantled
rights and privileges tradition-
ally associated with marriage
because of the high number of
unmarried heterosexual couples
receiving benefits.
Many taxpayers voted for
the 2004 ballot initiative, Smith
said, because they believed they
shouldn't have to financially sup-
port same-sex couples. However,
she explained that the benefi-
ciary program designed to attract
LGBTQ faculty actually increas-
es the cost of health programs.
Additionally, Smith said the
fairness of the policies varies
based on the institution.
"It is easy to manipulate (the
policies) and create restricted
universe of eligibility," she said.
Smith pointed to institutions
that use age caps to restrict
graduate students or eligibility
restrictions to limit the number
of participants in the program.
She also said same-sex couples
have to wait longer than hetero-
sexual couples for their benefits.
Smith said though the Univer-
sity doesn't have an age cap, it
still restricts eligibilityby enforc-
ing a rule that requires partners
to live together for six-months.
She added that these regula-
tions wouldn't be tolerated if they
were based on another demo-
graphic like race.
"Would it be admissible to cap
the number of benefits for other
minority groups?" she asked.
SACUA Chair Ed Rothman,
a professor of statistics, agreed
with Smith at the meeting that
these restrictions are "not fair."
At the end of the presenta-
tion, Smith suggested University
administrators consider moving
LGBTQ issues to the forefront of
discussions on faculty diversity.
She said school officials often
don't realize how faculty mem-
bers are discriminated against as
a result of institutional policy.
"My aim in coming to talk to
you today was emphasizing that
this is an issue of fairness and
equality," she said.
Because there wasn't a broad
understanding of the impact
this constitutional amendment
would have, Smith said, she felt
compelled to promote awareness
through her study. She said she
plans to continue to make pre-
sentations and publish her find-
ings within the next few years to
make the information more read-
ily available.
Smith said though the long-
termgoal of the University should
be to create an atmosphere where
LGBTQ individuals feel com-
fortable, short-term changes can
have a major influence.
"It wouldn't cost very much
for the institutions to do the right
thing, the fair thing," she said.
"And that is to make same-sex
heath benefits as accessible as
they are for married folks."
NCRC
From Page 1
about 300,000 DNA samples each
year and assists 2,000 research-
ers on campus, according to the
press release. The extra space
at the NCRC will allow 10 more
staff members to join the DNA
analysis team.
University of Michigan Health
System spokeswoman Mary Mas-
son said in an interview lastnight
that the NCRC has the potential
to have a vast economic impact
on surroundingbusinesses.
CVS
From Page 1
During the building's con-
struction some debate has cen-
tered on whether a chain store
would mesh with the historic
buildings that comprise down-
town Ann Arbor.
The State Street location that
CVS now occupies has a historic
background. The faeade of the
building was built in the 1930s,
and the original structure -
demolished in the store's con-
struction - was erected in 1899.
Ann Arbor's Historic District
Commission allowed CVS to tear
down the old building except for
the fagade in May 2009.
The chain convenience store
7-Eleven opened in January,
several blocks down on South
State Street from the forthcom-
ing CVS. The store's owner Linda
Russ said at the time that she
hoped to have the store join the
Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional
Chamber of Commerce, as well
as the State Street Association,
and integrate into the commu-
"Because the funding comes to
these researchers, they often use
it to either hire lab assistants or
use services within the commu-
nity that result in an economic
ripple effect," Masson said.
The press release cites an anal-
ysis by the Association of Ameri-
can Medical Colleges, which
determined that for each dollar
spent at a university hospital, an
extra $1.30 is "re-spent" on other
ventures.
NCRC Managing Director
Joan Keiser, also an adjunct pro-
fessor of physiology at the Uni-
versity's Medical School, wrote
nity.
Diane Keller, president and
CEO of the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti
Regional Chamber of Commerce,
said in an interview in January
that the group has various busi-
nesses and organizations that are
chains and members.
However, some community
members don't want chain sto-
ries moving in, DeAngelis said.
Despite the opposition, he said
he isn't concerned about this
affecting the new CVS.
"What generally happens is
that we're welcomed in once
(residents) come in (to CVS) and
have been there," DeAngelis said.
The company originally
bought the property on State
Street because of its convenient
location, DeAngelis said.
"It's a great site with lots of
foot traffic," he said.
DeAngelis said he doesn't
think other pharmacies in the
area will pose a problem for CVS,
addingthat the franchise offers a
more convenient shopping expe-
rience.
However, Debra Cook, man-
ager of The Village Apothecary
in the release that such a large
move of researchers into the
NCRC required substantial prep-
aration.
"Each of these researchers
operates their own little busi-
ness and are passionate about
their productivity ... so we really
had to make an effort to bring up
the core services to support them
in parallel with their moves,"
Keiser wrote.
The NCRC was established
shortly after the University pur-
chased the site of the former
Pfizer facility for $108 million
dollars in June 2010. The 173.5-
- a locally owned pharmacy on
South University Avenue affili-
ated with Sav-Mor Drug Stores -
said she doesn't think people will
seek out the South Street CVS if
they aren't nearby.
"I think in the wintertime if
(customers) need something, and
they're in the area (of South Uni-
versity), they're notgoing to walk
all the way over there," she said.
Cook added that despite CVS
being a chain pharmacy with
a large national presence, it
can't compete with The Village
Apothecary which is more than
50 years old and has loyal cus-
tomers from the community.
"We're more like a home-type
family business, compared to a
chain where no one knows your
name," Cook said. "I've had cus-
tomers come in and say I'm here
because I was at CVS, didn't like
the way I was treated and I don't
want to be a number."
But some students said
despite CVS being a chain store,
they favor the pharmacy's lower
costs.
Business sophomore Jordan
Kaye said he thinks CVS will
acre complex houses 28 buildings
that contain various laboratories
and offices.
Ora Pescovitz, the Universi-
ty's executive vice president for
medical affairs, said in an inter-
view last summer that the NCRC
would become a resource for sci-
entists in multiple areas to work
with each other in their research
pursuits.
"We're really excited about the
types of research programs that
will be brought in here," Pesco-
vitz said. "We're going to take
advantage of the fact that the
space is wide-open."
provide a source for students to
purchase less expensive essen-
tials and toiletries, which is a
major priority for students on a
tight budget.
LSA senior Kaili McKnight
said the new CVS will provide
an accessible option for students
without personal transportation
to travel to drugstores farther
from campus.
"I think it'll be more conve-
nientfor all the students because
some students don't have access
because they don't have cars,
so it'll just be easier for them,"
McKnight said.
Kaye said despite CVS being
a chain, he doesn't think it
will have a big impact on State
Street's image.
"I think people like CVS,"
Kaye said. "CVS is a big name,
so I guess that may hurt (State
Street), but I still don't think so."
But McKnight said it is "dis-
heartening" that CVS may take
away from locally owned busi-
nesses like The Village Apoth-
ecary.
"I do think it's a big deal," she
said.
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CITY COUNCIL
From Page 1
ond reading.
Proposed by City Council
member Sabra Briere (D-Ward
1), one.,namendment discussed._
last night wold allow A medical
marijuani- patient and ai' Ainn
Arbor resident who isn't a City
Council member, physician or
medical marijuana caregiver to
become a member on a proposed
board that would approve medi-
cal marijuana dispensary and
cultivation facility licenses.
In response to Briere's pro-
posal, City Council member
Tony Derezinski (D-Ward 2)
pointed out that by labeling the
newly added board member as
an "Ann Arbor resident," one
could infer that the other four
board members would not need
to be residents of Ann Arbor.
Ann Arbor Mayor John Hief-
tje responded by saying that
non-residents are only allowed
to hold a position on a city board
if they possess expert skills
that would benefit that particu-
lar group. He added that such
a board member also must be
approved by a supermajority
of the City Council members.
However, Hieftje said he would
prefer all board members be
Ann Arbor residents.
Offering a solution, Postema
said the amendment could
denote the board member as
"one other Ann Arbor resi-
dent." Briere acknowledged her
support of this change to her
amendment.
Later in the discussion of
the amendment, Marcia Hig-
gins (D-Ward 4) noted that
city board commissioners are
required to identify themselves
by their addresses, which may
be available in public records.
She pointed=out,thatAhiscould,
cause a problein bdeause ifany
caregivers andpaHencs are cob'
cerned with keeping their per-
sonal information from the eyes
of federal officials.
Hieftje said requiring these
particular board members to
provide their personal informa-
tion could constrain the variety
of candidates available for coun-
cil to choose from.
"It could create a situation
where there's an extremely nar-
row field of applicants," he said.
City Council member Sandi
Smith (D-Ward 1) noted that
this change could be made in the
second reading of the ordinance.
In an interview after he spoke
in front of council, Matthew
Abel, senior partner at Canna-
bis Counsel P.L.C. - a Detroit-
based law firm that specializes
in cases related to marijuana -
said council should consider the
importance of privacy when
deliberating on the ordinance.
"We are concerned that the
federal government does influ-
ence our records and we're con-
cerned that that may continue,"
Abel said. "I recommend to
my clients to keep a minimum
amount of records. Unfortu-
nately it has to be that way."
- Daily News Editor Dylan
Cinti contributed to this report.
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