The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
Tuesday, January 11, 2011- 7
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - 7
SPECTRUM CENTER
From Page 1
has been 40 years since the office
first opened its doors. He said he's
appreciative that the University
supported the establishment of
what was a controversial office at
the time.
"The University took an enor-
mous risk in creating the office and
sustaining it, and 'm grateful," Toy
said.
The Spectrum Center's staff,
volunteers and allies have strived
to stay strong over the years, Toy
said, despite hardships they have
faced from inequality and discrim-
ination that have plagued LGBT
students at the University.
"We are connected," he said.
"We are family."
Royster Harper, the University's
vice president for student affairs,
said at the event that the Spectrum
Center has played a pivotal role
at the University for helping stu-
dents gain a better sense of self and
increasing tolerance for the LGBT
community.
"(The center) has helped us dis-
cover who we are and what's inside
us," Harper said. "Our differences
are as important in making us
human as our similarities."
Jackie Simpson, director of the
Spectrum Center, said that in light
of recent character assaults against
LGBT students like Michigan Stu-
dent Assembly President Chris
Armstrong, it's particularly impor-
tant to have organizations like the
Spectrum Center encourage open
discussion and tolerance.
Armstrong was the target offor-
mer Michigan assistant attorney
general Andrew Shirvell, who cre-
ated a blog about Armstrong which
claimed he was promoting a "radi-
cal homosexual agenda."
"If you look at the events of the
past year, like the harassment of
Chris Armstrong and the suicides
COLEMAN
From Page 1
loans after ten years of working as a
civil servant - for recent graduates.
SACUA Vice Chair Gina Poe,
a professor of Anesthesiology,
said University faculty members
are especially good at organizing
symposiums that make research
conducted at the University more
known in the public arena, and said
events like these could help the
University get more research fund-
ing.
"What should come out of these
symposiums are grant ideas from
the industries," Poe said.
Lusmann also suggested that
legislation absolving student loan
payments should be drafted to pre-
vent the continued "brain drain" in
Michigan by providing a monetary
incentive.
He added that the monetary
incentive would keep some of the
"best minds" in the state.
COLEMAN HIGHLIGHTS
BABY CLOTHES COMPANY
Coleman also mentioned several
honors that members of the Univer-
sity community received at the end
of 2010.
Engineering senior Allen Kim
was recently named "College Entre-
preneur of 2010" by Entrepreneur
Magazine. Selected as a finalist in
August, Kim will be featured in the
January issue of the magazine.
Kim won the title for his company
Bebarang, formerly called Bebaroo,
which is an online rental service that
delivers brand name baby clothes at
discount prices. Coleman and oth-
ers have called Bebarang "the Net-
flix of baby clothes.'
Coleman said she was also
pleased that the University received
two awards for architecture in 2010
- The Best of the Best Award from
McGraw-Hill Construction for the
renovations to the Big House and
the award for Excellence in Archi-
tecture from the American Institute
of Architects.
SAMANTHA TRAUBEN/Daily
University alum Alma Davila-Toro and LSA senior Carla Fernandez-Soto at the Spectrum Center's 40th anniversary yesterday.
on college campuses around the
country, I feel it's important to have
a place of acceptance and a place
that says we care," Simpson said.
Simpson said as the center
reaches its 40th anniversary, she
hopes it will continue to establish
itself as an important institution
on campus that helps generate
thoughts about LGBT issues among
students.
Social Work graduate student
Timothy Corvidae, a staff member
at the Spectrum Center, said that
students who enter the office "walk
out with a much bigger vision."
"The fact that there is a need for
(support) is what brings us togeth-
er," Corvidae said. "We're not a sin-
gle-identity community, so we can't
be a single-issue organization."
LSA freshman Heather Coo-
per, who attended the anniversary
event, said the Spectrum Center is
a crucial part of campus because
it provides a "safe" place where
LGBT students can feel comfort-
able discussing issues they are fac-
ing.
The Spectrum Center's celebra-
tion will continue throughout the
year with a monthly film series, a
health panel series, speakers and
various entertainers.
According to the Spectrum Cen-
ter's website,oneofthemainevents
occurring this year is the Midwest
Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender
Ally College Conference (MBLG-
TACC). This is the first year the
University has been chosen to host
the conference, which will run
from Feb. 25 through Feb. 27.
MBLGTACC is the largest
national student-led LGBT con-
ference. This year, it will fea-
ture speakers like Mara Keisling.
executive director of the National
Center for Transgender Equality,
and Mandy Carter, founder of the
National Black Justice Coalition.
It will also feature performances,
workshops and presentations by
groups like the Sexual Assault Pre-
vention and Awareness Center and
InterGroup Dialogues.
Gabe Javier, assistant director of
the Spectrum Center, said the con-
ference will benefit the University
because it provides a forum to dis-
cuss prevalent LGBT issues.
"(It's) goingto be a great point of
energy for our campus as a whole,"
Javier said. "It's not just a celebra-
tion for Spectrum Center, but it's
for the University."
EVALUATIONS
From Page 1
even before the Internet made it
easy to do so, Weir said.
"Back then when it was paper,
even though the faculty members
saw the results, there were often
steps taken so they wouldn't actu-
ally see the handwriting, so that
was a confidentiality technique
back in the old days," Weir said.
But students worrying about
anonymity was not the main rea-
son they were lying at SOSU and
UNI. The study, which will be
published this year in "Market-
ing Education Review," found that
students tended to fib in order to
make instructors they like look
good and ones they don't like look
less favorable to administrators
who read the evaluation, accord-
ing to the The Des. Moines Regis-
ter article.
LSAhsenior Quincy Westhuis
said she could understand why
students would lie if they wanted
to portray a professor in a better
light.
"I think sometimes people
probably exaggerate if they don't
like the class, but they like the pro-
fessor," Westhuis said.
LSA sophomore Hannah Fiels-
tra said she thinks lying on course
evaluations is pointless because
it's the only chance students have
to voice their opinions about pro-
fessors and classes.
"If you lie on a course evalu-
ation, it's not really going to help
anyone," Fielstra said.
LSA sophomore Alicia Biggs
said she tends to make her
answers more moderate when fill-
ing out course evaluations, mostly
because of the University's avail-
able responses to questions.
"I tend to play them down
because only the comments section
is open, everything else is always
agree or disagree, and I never
choose the extreme," Biggs said.
According to Weir, however,
lying on University course evalu-
ations is not one of the main con-
cerns or faculty members. Weir
said since the switch from paper
to electronic submissions in
December 2008, there has been a
significant drop in the number of
students who fill out evaluations.
"We've done a lot of research
about what happened in other
schools and colleges, and in fact,
it was a pretty well documented
thing that when you go to elec-
tronic evaluation, the participa-
tion rate drops," Weir said. "We've
been trying to look at a number
of different ways to encourage
response rate."
Biden visits Afghanistan to assess war progress
U.S. official says
relations with
Karzai going well
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -
Vice President Joe Biden made a
surprise visit to Afghanistan Mon-
day to meet with President Hamid
Karzai and assess progress toward
a key objective of handing over
security from foreign to Afghan
forces.
The U.S. plans to begin with-
drawing combat forces from
Afghanistan in July but remains
concerned that gains made in the
nearly decade-long war could be
reversible. There are also questions
about the ability of Afghan security
forces to take up the fight against a
virulent insurgency. NATO hopes
Afghan forces will assume full
responsibility for security by 2014.
Tensions have surfaced between
the Obama administration and
Karzai, whose government is
plagued by charges of corruption.
U.S. officials have expressed grave
concerns about how this is affect-
ing efforts to stabilize and rebuild
the country.
Just a month ago, Obama came
to Afghanistan but did not meet
with Karzai. The White House said
that foul weather foiled plans to
take Obama to the presidential pal-
ace in Kabul from the Bagram Air
Field military base where he land-
ed, and that technical difficulties
prevented the two presidents from
talking by secure videoconference.
Although the two leaders spoke
briefly by telephone, the change of
plans was seen by some in Karzai's
circle as a snub. And it was unclear
whether part of the reason for
Biden's visit was to smooth things
over with Karzai.
A senior U.S. official traveling
with Biden tried to present a united
front, saying the U.S. and Karzai
are "very much on the same page"
after a NATO summit in Lisbon in
November and the December U.S.
review of its war strategy. The offi,
cial said the visit comes at a "pivot
point in our policy" with the U.S.
moving from atroop surge last year
to the planned start of a pullout and
it would give Biden an opportu-
nity to discuss progress toward the
transition.
' The official spoke on condition
of anonymity and was not autho-
rized to talk to the media.
NATO and U.S. officials insist
they are making progress in
quelling the insurgency. In an
end-of-year review of strategy in
Afghanistan, the Obama admin-
istration said the U.S. had made
advances in its push against the
Taliban in the south - the insur-
gents' traditional stronghold - but
acknowledged that "gains remain
fragile and reversible."
The Taliban has repeatedly
shown its ability to regroup, despite
constant offensives by the interna-
tional coalition, and to carry out
attacks across Afghanistan seem-
ingly at will. Last year was the
deadliest for NATO forces in the
country, with more than 700 troops
killed.
Afghanistan is also suffer-
ing from a lack of social services,
unemployment is rife and Afghans
complain that they have seen little
tangible improvement in their lives
since the 2001 invasion that top-
pled the Taliban. The insurgents,
in turn, have tried to capitalize on
that frustration, tapping into the
discontent to win new supporters.
Karzai has accused foreign gov-
ernments of meddling in Afghani-
stan's internal affairs, most notably
taking issue with criticism follow-
ingfraud-plagued presidential elec-
tions in 2009 and parliamentary
elections last year.
The White House official said
Obama has made it clear that
the U.S. was not "here to govern
Afghanistan, we're not here to
nation build." He said the purpose
of the mission was to help Afghans
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, right, speaks with Gen. David Petraeus, NATO's top com-
mander in Afghanistan, during a press event in Kabul, Afghanistan yesterday.
reach a stage "where they can fully
assume the responsibilities of gov-
erning the country and securing
the country."
"That's exactly what (Obama's)
vision is, and it's also President
Karzai's vision as I understand it,"
he said.
American troops are the bulk
of the 140,000-strong NATO force
that has been battling the Taliban.
The White House said Biden,
who last visited in January 2009,
met Monday night with U.S. Gen.
David Petraeus, the commander of
U.S. and NATO forces in Afghani-
stan. He also plans to visit U.S.
troops and tour an Afghan Army
trainingcenter.
Biden is also reported tobe head-
ing to Islamabad this week to deliv-
er a message that the U.S. will send
more help to Pakistan, which U.S.
and Afghan officials see as a key
partner in routing the Taliban.
The Taliban's top leadership is
believed to be hiding somewhere
along the rugged and porous
Afghan-Pakistan border, but Islam-
abad has resisted pressure to crack
down on them.
The challenges faced by NATO
forces in Afghanistan were brought
home by an alliance announcement
Monday that airstrikes had killed
three Afghan police officers and
wounded three mistaken for insur-
gents settingup an ambush.
The incident was at least the
fourth in roughly a month in which
coalition troops killed civilians or
friendly forces in error - lapses
that have threatened to further
sour Afghan attitudes toward the
foreign troops.
In Kandahar, scene of some of
the fiercest fighting of the war, a
suicide car bomber struck a bor-
der police convoy Monday, killing
at least two officers and a civilian,
said Zalmai Ayubi, the spokesman
for the Kandahar provincial gov-
ernor.
NATO says it is making progress
in battling the Taliban with major
offensives in the southern provinc-
es of Kandahar and Helmand. An
extra contingent of more than 1,000
U.S. Marines will be deployed in
Helmand in what coalition spokes-
man Brig. Gen. Josef Blotz said
Monday was a temporary operation
to take advantage of gains on the
ground.
JEWELRY
From Page 1
to Peru again to find a designer she
would want to use in the long run.
While the company originally
created general types of jewelry like
rings, necklaces and bracelets, Jones
said that as a student, she saw the
need for a class jewelry niche. Jones
said she decided to pursue class jew-
elry opposed to other types while in
one of her business classes here. The
idea was then solidified after a sur-
vey she conducted showed that 90
percent of women in the survey said
class jewelry options for females are
unfashionable.
"It's about time women have
something to celebrate their
achievement and have something
they actually want to wear. It's
sophisticated and subtle and some-
thing you want to wear," said Jones
of the class jewelry Heart Graffiti
produces.
Once she decided she wanted to
add class jewelry to Heart Graffiti's
product line, Jones applied for and
was given licensing rights to the
University of Michigan trademark
in June 2010. Since then, she has
created seven pieces for women to
choose from, ranging in price from
$145 to $435. The company also has
five pieces of jewelry designed for
Michigan State University students,
according to the Heart Graffiti web-
site.
While most of the jewelry is sold
online through Heart Graffiti's
website, Jones also has a deal with
M-Den. -
Jones said she is working with
her sales representatives on campus
to spread awareness about the prod-
uct and create a client base within
the sororities at the University..The
company has also held several trunk
shows near campus.
The company's first class jewelry
item sold was actually for a woman
who graduated in 1972, she said.
With four lines of jewelry, Jones
said she's sold about 50 pieces from
three of the lines and 12 items
from Ecole, which means "cool"
in French and is the class jewelry
line. Jones said the line is growing
slowly, but she foresees doing well
around graduation.
LSA senior Sarah Hanson said
she hasn't considered getting a
class ring because of their high
price tag and limited options for
women.
"I got a high school ring, but
I never wear it because the girl
options are so ugly," Hanson said.
"To be honest, I haven't even really
looked into the ones for college."
But she said that if the rings avail-
able were more fashionable, she
would consider getting one.
"I'd only get a ring if it was some-
thing I would wear a lot," Hanson
said. "Grad stuff costs so much that
it would have to be worth it."
Business junior Allison Haney, a
sales representative on campus for
Heart Graffiti, said the company's
class line as well as other lines have
been well received.
"I lovemyMichiganclassbracelet
and always get tons of compliments
on it," Haney said. "The fashion line
of jewelry is really classy and origi-
nal, and it also matches the class
jewelry wonderfully."
U' U..i'1.. 1
Campus Mind Works Wellness Groups
FREE drop-in education and support groups for any
U-M student with Depression, Bipolar, or Anxiety
When: Tuesday January 11th from 5:00-6:30 p.m.
Where: North Campus, Room 133, Ch rysler Center
Visit www.campusmindworks.org for more
information.
No pre-registration is required.-
/_YI & A:.% &.
Are you a sopnomore with a passion for the environment'
Apply for the Graham Institute's Undergraduate
Sustainability Scholars Program by January 19, 2011!
Each year, 25 high-achieving undergraduate students from
diverse majors are accepted to this 11-credit, interdisciplinary
sustainability leadership program. In addition to earning
a sustainability certificate, scholars enjoy special access
to, and funding for, field-based sustainability experiences.
Details and application at www.graham.umich.edu.
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