The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Wednesday, March 9, 201-- 3A

The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Wednesday, March 9, 2011 - 3A

NEWS BRIEFS
WASHINGTON
NPR executive
blasts Tea Party
on hidden-camera
An NPR executive was cap-
tured on hidden camera calling
the tea party movement racist
and xenophobic and says NPR
would be better off without fed-
eral funding.
The video was posted yes-
terday on the website for James
O'Keefe's Project Veritas. O'Keefe
is the conservative activist whose
previous hidden-camera videos
embarrassed the community-
organizinggroup ACORN.
The network said yesterday it
was appalled by the comments of
Ron Schiller, who announced last
week he was stepping down as
president of the NPR Foundation.
An NPR spokeswoman says
there is no connection between
the video and Schiller's depar-
ture.
WASHINGTON
Supreme Court
dismisses 'In God
We Trust' case
The Supreme Court won't hear
an atheist's latest challenge to the
U.S. government's references to
God.
Yesterday, the court refused
to hear an appeal from Michael
Newdow, who says government
references to God are unconsti-
tutional and infringe on his reli-
gious beliefs.
This appeal dealt with the
inscription of the national motto
"In God We Trust" on U.S. coins
and currency. The 9th U.S. Circuit
Court of Appeals in San Francisco
says the phrase is ceremonial and
patriotic and "has nothing what-
soever to do with the establish-
ment of religion."
The court refused to hear New-
dow's appeal of that decision.
"In God We Trust" was first
put on U.S. coins in the 1860s and
on paper currency in the 1950s.
MADISON, Wisc.
Walker proposes
compromise about
unions in e-mails
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker
has offered to keep certain collec-
tive bargaining rights in place for
state workers in a proposed com-
promise aimed at ending a nearly
three-week standoff with absent
Senate Democrats, according to
e-mails released yesterday by his
office.
The e-mails, some dated as
recently as Sunday, show a soft-
enedstance in Walker'stalks with
the 14 Democrats who fled to Illi-
nois to block a vote on his original
proposal that would strip nearly
all collective bargaining rights for
public workers and force conces-

sions amounting to an average 8
percent pay cut.
EL PASO, Texas
Young Mexican
Spolice chief seeks
asylum in U. S.
A young woman who received
death threats after recently
becoming police chief of a vio-
lence-plagued Mexican town is
in the U.S and seeking asylum,
Mexican and U.S. officials said
yesterday.
Marisol Valles Garcia, 20,
made international headlines
when she accepted the top law
enforcement job in Praxedis
G. Guerrero, a township near
the Texas border that has been
overcome by drug violence. Her
predecessor was shot to death in
July 2009.
Garcia is now in the U.S. and
will be allowed to present her
case to an immigration judge,
according to a statement from
U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement. The town is in the
Mexican state of Chihuahua,
where ombudsman Gustavo de la
Rosa confirmed that Garcia was
in the U.S. and said she has initi-
ated a formal asylum petition.
-Compiled from
Daily wire reports

MEDICAL POT
From Page 1A
The most recent version of the
AOD Policy - which is updated
every two years - came out last
August. Consistent with federal
law, the policy states that "the
use, possession or cultivation of
marijuana in any form and for
any purpose continues to violate
the UM Alcohol and Other Drug
Policy and is prohibited at the
University of Michigan."
The policy abides by federal
law because of the University's
reliance on federal funding. The
Drug-Free Schools and Commu-
nities Act states that an institute
ofhighereducationthatreceives
federal funding "must certify
that it has adopted and imple-
mented a program to prevent
the unlawful possession, use, or
distribution of illicit drugs and
alcohol by students and employ-
ees" or risk forfeiting its eligibil-
ity for federal funding.
Mary Jo Desprez, the Univer-
sity's AOD Policy and Preven-
tion administrator, wrote in an
e-mail interview that after the
Michigan Medical Marihuana
Act passed in 2008, there was
a "thorough review and dis-
cussion" of how to deal with
medical marijuana use among
students.
However, since the University
must comply with federal law to
receive federal funds for pro-
grams such as financial aid and
research grants, Desprez wrote
that there wasn't much room for
debate.
According to Desprez, the
committee reviewing the policy
researched relevant legisla-
tion - including the 2008 state
act, the Drug-Free Schools and
Campuses Act and the Drug-
JOB
From Page 1A
plans to reinvigorate Michi-
gan's economy through boost-
ing technological capital and to
change the state's tax systems.
"When he got elected, he
had an agenda of change that
I think is long overdue in our
state," Fraser said. "I indicated
that I was willing and would
help them in that exercise."
Fraser said his current job as
city administrator - which will
end on April 29 - consists of
day-to-day operational respon-
sibilities similar to those of a
chief operating officer. Having
worked in local governments
across the country for more
than 47 years, Fraser said he has
enjoyed his position because it
allows him to impact the lives
of Ann Arbor residents.
"We're given the opportunity
to affect people's lives on a daily
basis in a positive way," Fraser
said. "We have the ability here
to make things better for the
folks that live in our commu-
nity."
Reflecting on his time in
office, Fraser said he is proud
he helped improve the way the
city manages its budget, espe-
cially since the Ann Arbor City
Council was worried about its

finances when he first took the
job.
However, Fraser said the city
may still have a few fiscal obsta-
cles to overcome.
"We still have some financial
struggles ahead of us," he said.
"Some of the decisions that are
being made at the state level
are going to impact cities in a
very difficult way financially, in
addition to the difficulties we're
experiencing as a consequence
of other decreasing revenues."
Fraser added that his out-
look for Ann Arbor's future is
an optimistic one. He said he
is excited the city will formal-
ly open its newly built Justice
Center - which now houses

Free Workplace Act - to con-
struct the most recent version
of the AOD Policy. She added
that the committee also looked
at what other states had done to
adjust to medical marijuana leg-
islation.
University Housing Spokes-
man Peter Logan said all stu-
dents caught with marijuana in
the residence halls will face the
same consequences regardless
of whether or not they are reg-
istered patients or caregivers, as
University Housing is in compli-
ance with the AOD Policy.
"Even if a student was caught
in a (residence) hall or an apart-
ment with what they claimed
to be medical marijuana, they
would still be subject to the
same kind of process for vio-
lation of community living
standard and go through the
same kind of conflict resolution
processes that are available to
them," Logan said.
This past year, University
Housing Security reported sev-
eral instances of residential stu-
dents with medical marijuana
cards going through student
conduct procedures for having
or using marijuana in residence
halls or on-campus apartments,
according to Logan.
While the University's policy
will comply with federal law,
DPS will enforce state law,
according to DPS spokeswoman
Diane Brown.
"The police enforce laws,
they don't enforce policy,"
Brown said. "The police will
need to enforce the laws of the
state of Michigan."
However, Brown pointed out
that the University could still
get involved in DPS cases, in
which instance, federal guide-
lines may apply.
offices and courtrooms of the
city's 15th District Court - on
301 E. Huron St. in the spring.
Despite his successful track
record as a city official, Fra-
ser's nine years working in Ann
Arbor included some disagree-
ments with council members.
City Council member Sabra
Briere (D-Ward 1) said her
relationship with Fraser was
cordial, but they didn't always
share the same views on poli-
cies. She added that her rela-
tionship with Fraser has been
limited since most of their
interactions occur during City
Council meetings.
"We haven't always agreed,"
Briere said. "Mostly, we've
interacted enough to disagree."
She added that she isn't sur-
prised Fraser is leaving for Lan-
sing. She said Fraser told her
"he has reached a point where
he's ready to try newthings that
are of a different intensity."
City Council member Chris-
topher Taylor (D-Ward 3) said
he's appreciated the work Fra-
ser has done.
"It has been a great pleasure
working with Roger Fraser,"
Taylor said.:"His tenure at the
city has been marked by long-
term planning and resourceful-
ness in the face of tremendous
adversity."

In regard to Fraser's suc-
cessor, Briere said Ann Arbor
Mayor John Hieftje is consid-
ering asking a current staff
member to act as interim city
administrator - a standard
practice in this type of situa-
tion.
Hieftje could not be reached
for comment as of last night.
Fraser said he doesn't have
an "automatic successor" and
that council can appoint anyone
to the position, adding that he
expects the announcement will
be made within the next few
weeks.
"I expect that it will be some-
body out of my executive team,"
he said. "I'm not going to specu-
late on who that would be."

BRANDON
From Page 1A
porates many aspects of being an
educator.
"I get to do a lot of interac-
tion with students and trying
to teach them lessons that I've
learned," Brandon said. "I'm
not a coach, but I coach coaches.
So I feel, to a large degree, (my
career) has come full circle."
In his speech, Brandon said
he accepted his current job
because of his long-time ties to
the University.
"I took this job because
Michigan opened up enormous
opportunities for me," he said.
Brandon pointed out how
much he's benefited from the

University in the past, including
receiving treatment as a pros-
tate cancer patient. After an
extensive search, Brandon said
he decided to get treatment at
the University's Comprehensive
Cancer Center.
"Nine years later I'm cancer-
free, and I have the Michigan
Cancer Center and the Michi-
gan Department of Urology to
thank for that," Brandon said.
Brandon said it was a no-
brainer to take a job working for
the institution that had done so
much for him.
Later, Brandon steered the
focus of his discussion to the
University's Athletic Depart-
ment, saying the program needs
to generate revenue to continue
to be self-sufficient.

"Our job is to generate the
capital we need to improve and
expand," he said.
Fielding questions about
the football program, Brandon
said improving the team will
also benefit the University as a
whole.
"As Mark Twain said, 'If
you're going to put all your eggs
in one basket, you better watch
your basket,"' Brandon said. "All
my eggs are in the football bas-
ket."
Measuring the success of the
University's athletic program
against that of Ohio State's is a
primary motivation, he added.
"I want to get to the point
that we're not as good as them,
but we're better than them,"
Brandon said.


MSA
From Page 1A
the University to install more
water-filling stations, like
the two that were installed in
Mason Hall this year, to encour-
age the use of reusable water
bottles.
Art & Design senior Lauren
Sopher was inspired to write
the petition by her work on the
LSA Water Theme Semester
Student Steering Committee.
Sopher worked with Maggie
Oliver, chair of MSA's Environ-
mental Issues Commission, to
create and promote the online
petition through MSA's UPeti-
tion website.
Though the commission held
events that raised awareness
about bottled water in the past,
Oliver said, this term seemed
like a good time to launch the
campaign because of the LSA
Water Theme semester.
"LSA was doing the water-
themed semester, so it's going
to be on people's minds," Oliver
said.
Sopher said buying bottled
water just doesn't make sense.
"The thing with water bot-
tles is water is a resource that
should be available to everyone.
It shouldn't be a commodity,"
Sopher said.
But, Tom Lauria, vice presi-
dent of communications of the
International Bottled Water
Association, said water is a
product that "has no special
LAWYERS
From Page 1A
the talk yesterday because she
"thought it would be good for
students to hear from people who
have actually chaired a death
penalty case."
Though the death penalty was
outlawed in Michigan in 1846, it
was a possible outcome in this
case because it took place in fed-
eral court. The death penalty is
permissible under federal law.
Kammen said he hoped stu-
dents would value the rare
chance to speak with the differ-
ent sides involved in the case.
"I think they have a really
unique opportunity," Kammen
said. "In law school, as with
most graduate schools, you study
things in a very theoretical way...
Death penalty cases in trials are
so much different on the ground
than they are in theory, and I
think, hopefully, the students
had a unique opportunity to get
a sense of what those differences
are."
The primary strategy the
defense used to convince the jury
not to sentence O'Reilly to death,
Kammen said, was to show that
he was ahumanbeingwith afam-
ily that cared for him. Emphasiz-
ing a strong relationship with the
defendant and his or her family
is a tactic often used by defense
attorneys in death penalty cases,
he said.
The case as a whole was very

claim to being free." our environment"
"As a commodity, water is in However, Lauria said there
everything. It is ubiquitous," is no reason to target bottled
Lauria said. "It is collected from water as an environmental
private property like any other threat.
natural resource." "It's just easy to get natural
At a fireside chat with stu- spring water or purified water,"
dents last month, Coleman said Lauria said. "It tastes better. Its
she was impressed with the mineral contentgives it abright-
level of environmental activ- er flavor. It is physically clearer
ism on campus, but said it was when you put it up against the
unlikely the administration tap water. And I don't under-
would ever implement a ban of stand why anyone would be
plastic water bottles. questioning me consuming this,
"I think a more effective particularly when I have a recy-
strategy is to convince people cling bin in the kitchen."
not to buy bottled water," Cole- The Environmental Issues
man said, adding that Univer- Commission has advertised the
sity administrators make an bottled water petition on cam-
effort to use reusable pitch- pus, in the residence halls, and
ers and cups instead of bottled by e-mailing professors and stu-
water at their meetings. dent groups to raise awareness
"I encourage you to let your of the issue.
voices be heard," Coleman said. Even if the commission
"But just from a standpoint of doesn't persuade the adminis-
what we can to do as an admin- tration to ban the sale of bottled
istration, to say we're not going water on campus, Oliver said
to sell things on campus, that's the petition will have succeed-
more difficult for us. But, I cer- ed in the most important goal
tainlythinkyoushouldadvocate in spreading the commission's
for more sustainable practices." message.
For individuals who prefer "We have nearly 2,000 sig-
bottled water because of its con- natures right now, and that's
venience, Oliver said, this rea- 2,000 people who said they are
soning isn't worth its costs to willing to change," Oliver said.
the environment. "If this act got people thinking,
"I understand it could be and got people to use reusable
frustrating having to take a water bottles, and got people
few extra seconds to grab your more environmentally aware,
water bottle and clean your that's what EIC is trying to do."
water bottle," Oliver said. "It's
hard to changeyoufr behavir - aily News Editor
But I'm asking you, please make Joseph Lichterman
that change, not for me, but for contributed to this report.
taxing, Gurewitz said. moral questions raised by the use
"You don't know how bad it's of the death penalty.
going to get until you get to the "One of the things that I found
penalty phase and how difficult myself feeling through the pro-
and emotional that trial is for cess of this trial was that spend-
everyone that has to dealiwith the ing all the time arguing of the
pressure of those personal revela- details of the law and the evi-
tions," he said. dence really seemed to me to take
Chasteen said though he away some of our humanity on
wasn't as close with the victim's some occasions," Gurewitz said.
family as the defense attorneys Chang said she appreciated the
were with O'Reilly, he was sur- opportunity to speak with the
prised by the impact of the vic- attorneys and the judge ina class-
tim's death so many years after room setting.
the murder. "I definitely think that I got
"What struck me was the more out of this than I did with
depth of pain that the family felt some of my one-on-one con-
nine years after this man's mur- versations with counsel, if only
der," Chasteen said. "It was just because now I know more of what
as real, at some points, almost to ask," she said.
worse because of how long the Law student Zachary Oswald
process had been going on ... The said though he isn't planning to
emotion that they had in talking pursue criminal law, the presen-
about Norman as a person ... it's tation was interesting for him
just heartwrenching." academically.
Kammen said though he could "It is always interesting to
think of certain cases in which get a practitioner's perspective
the death penalty was appropri- as opposed to a professor who
ate - specifically, in the case of focuses on theory, rather than
Timothy McVeigh, the perpetra- what actually goes on in a day-to-
tor of the 1995 Oklahoma City day basis," Oswald said.
bombing - he feltthat ingeneral, Law student Lyman Thai
he isn't comfortable with capital said the presentation gave him a
punishment. chance to think about the case in
"In my experience, it has noth- a different way.
ing to do with this case, but the "It really took the discussion
law just doesn't do a good job of outside of the theoretical," he
really sorting it out," Kammen said. "Most of the time the stuff
said. you read is out of a textbook or
Gurewitz agreed with Kam- articles, and it is really abstract
men and said that arguing over ... it definitely challenges you to
the details during the case think about it more than you
seemed to take away from the would have."

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