Illic4i0 an ll
0 Ann Arbor, Michigan
Thursday, April 7, 2011
michigandaily.com
LEGAL DISPUTE
Armstrong
files civil
suit against
Shirvell
Lawsuit claims [] Readthecomplaintat
defamation, MichiganDaily.can
defma Ion,"
Naia Ferguson, a student at Washington University in St. Louis, recites poetry as she competes in the College Unions Poetry Slam in the Michigan Union yester-
day. The annual event, sponsored by the Association of College Unions International, will end this weekend.
LOCAL BUSINESSES
Borders plans to relocate
State Street headquarters
invasion of privacy
By JOSEPH LICHTERMAN
Daily News Editor
Former Michigan Student
Assembly President Chris Arm-
strong filed a lawsuit against
Andrew Shirvell, a former
Michigan assistant attorney
general, on Friday alleging that
Shirvell stalked him, invaded
his privacy and defamed him.
The lawsuit, which was filed
in the Washtenaw County Cir-
cuit Court, alleges that Shirvell
"developed a bizarre personal
obsession with (Armstrong)."
Armstrong is seeking dam-
ages in excess of $25,000 from
Shirvell. u
Deborah Gordon, Arm-
strong's attorney, said in an
interview yesterday that the
intent of the lawsuit is to have
Shirvell retract false statements
he has made about Armstrong.
"The complaint... is filled with
line after line of direct blatant
lies about Chris Armstrong,"
Gordon said. "(Shirvell) refuses
to retract his statements, much
less apologize. So we can sit idly
by or we can sue him, and we've
made the decision to sue him."
Several allegedly false state-
ments made by Shirvell are
listed in the lawsuit, includ-
ing anti-homosexual and racist
claims Shirvell made against
Armstrong on his blog "Chris
Armstrong Watch." Shirvell
started his blog last April and
wrote on the website that Arm-
strong was pursuing a "radical
homosexual agenda" in his role
as MSA president. Armstrong,
whose one-year term as MSA
president ended earlier this
week, was the first openly gay
president of the assembly.
Shirvell also protested at sev-
eral MSA meetings and outside
of Armstrong's house in Ann
Arbor last year.
In a separate document also
filed Friday, Gordon requested
that the case be decided by a
jury.
"It's very important that this
be tried in front of the jury and
the community," Gordon said
in the interview yesterday. "We
want the community's opinion
as represented by the jury."
Philip Thomas, the attorney
See ARMSTRONG, Page 3A
In bankruptcy,
company looking
to save money
By ANNA ROZENBERG
Daily StaffReporter
Borders Group Inc. will be
moving away from its South
State Street headquarters after
40 years of business.
Borders spokeswoman Mary
Davis wrote in a statement that
the Ann Arbor-based company
is looking for a new home for its
headquarters several reasons.
"We have determined that
our current headquarters does
not serve the needs of our
business going forward, and
represents a cost that can be
reduced," Davis wrote. "There-
fore we will be exploring
opportunities to relocate our
headquarters within the great-
er metropolitan Detroit area
to a more cost effective loca-
tion, mindful of our corporate
employees' commute and other
factors."
Ann Arbor Mayor John Hief-
tje said he would be sad to see
the Borders headquarters relo-
cate because of its local roots.
Borders was established here in
1971by brothers Tom and Louis
Borders.
"I think there is something
about Borders's connection to
the people here," Hieftje said.
Borders Group Inc. filed for
Chapter tl bankruptcy protec-
tion in February and announced
at the time that the company
will be closing about 200 of its
642 stores across the country.
The Borders store at the Arbor-
land Mall on Washtenaw Ave-
nue is one of the stores facing
See BORDERS, Page 3A
STUDYING OVERSEAS
Ross School of Business entering
partnership with Indian companies
IJ i
I lC nit '
C.K. Prahalad
Initiative to be part
of collaboration
By RAYZA GOLDSMITH
Daily StaffReporter
In an effort to take lesson plans
about the international market
outside the classroom, the Ross
School of Business is expanding
its partnerships with companies
on the other side of the globe.
The school intends to cre-
ate programs in which Business
students and faculty work with
organizations in India and learn
firsthand about global business,
according to a University press
release issued last week. As part
of the initiative, the school will
create a partnership with the
Confederation of Indian Indus-
try, a leading Indian business
association.
The partnership, which will
involve the Business School's
C.K. Prahalad Initiative, is also
aimed at expanding the Busi-
ness School's global presence and
helping CII's India@75 organiza-
tion achieve its goals. India@75 is
a project based on a speech given
by late Business School Prof. C.K.
Prahalad in 2008. In his speech,
Prahalad laid out a series of eco-
nomic and development goals
for India by 2022, which will
mark India's 75th anniversary of
See ROSS, Page 3A
SPEAKERS ON CA"MPUS
Political activist John Sinclair relates
personal stories to 'U' course on 1960s
LSA senior Cameron McKnight shares her thoughts at the "North Campus Rant" at Pierpont Commons last night.
Students discuss desired
changes to North
Sin
orl
clair was driving alyst for the initial gathering -
decided to make one more stop.
force behind Almost every seat was filled
in an Angell Hall auditorium
ginal Hash Bash yesterday afternoon as Sinclair
spoke about his involvement in
By CLAIRE HALL the 1960s political scene and
Daily StaffReporter offered his opinions on modern
culture. As a guest speaker for
er returning to Ann Arbor Prof. Bruce Conforth's American
re 40th anniversary Hash Culture 208 class, "Post World
poet and political activist War II American Sub-Cultural
Sinclair - who was the cat- Movements: Beatniks, Hippies,
and Punks," Sinclair answered
questions from Conforth and
his students on topics such as
politics, television, music and
drug policy in the context of his
views on wealthy Americans'
supremacy and the flaws of mod-
ern media.
Comparing today's cultural
environment to Adolf Hitler's
fascist regime, Sinclair lament-
ed the power possessed by the
See SINCLAIR, Page 3A
'Rant' attendees
want better
transportation
By ADAM RUBENFIRE
Daily StaffReporter
Location, location, location
was the catchphrase for a small
group of students who came to
"rant" on North Campus last
night.
About 15 students attended
"The North Campus Rant: The
Good, The Bad, and The Dude!"
- a University event where
students were encouraged to
express their likes, dislikes
and ideas for improving North
Campus. The most common
desires students expressed to
see in the campus's future are
Campus
more social activities, efficient
transportation and accessibil-
ity to resources.
Student and staff volunteers
who facilitated the event at
Pierpont Commons sat down
with the students to discuss
the area that some students
refer to as a "satellite campus."
The volunteers were gather-
ing data for the North Campus
See NORTH CAMPUS, Page 3A
Aft
for th
Bash,
John
WEATHER HI 48
TOMORROW LO:40
GOT A NEWS TIP?
Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail
news@michigandaily.com and let us know.
NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM
Seeing Red: Obama 2012 - hope not
MICHIGANDAILY.COM/BLOGS/THE PODIUM
INDEX AP NEWS....................2A OPINION.....................4A
Vol. CXXI,No.126 NEWS.......................3A SPORTS... . ....5A
0201 The Michigan Daily SUDOKU.....................3A TH E B-SIDE..................1B
michigondoily.com
a