The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Thursday, April 14, 2011 - 3A
NEWS BRIEFS
LANSING
Workers may have
to pay more for
health insurance
Republicans who control the
state Legislature yesterday took
a key step toward requiring pub-
lic employees in Michigan to pay
at least 20 percent of their health
insurance premiums, part of
what the GOP calls an effort to
control government costs.
A Republican-led Senate com-
mittee approved two measures
connected to the effort on party-
line votes. Republican Sen. Mark
Jansen of Kent County's Gaines
Township said the measures
could come up for votes on the
Senate floor later this month.
The legislation would affect
employees with the state, local
governments, public school dis-
tricts, public universities and
other public employers.
PHEONIX
Ariz. may require
candidates to
prove citizenship
The Arizona Senate has
approved a bill requiring presi-
dential candidates to prove they
are U.S. citizens before they can
be included on the state's ballot.
The bill approved yesterday
would make Arizona the first
state to pass such legislation.
Democrats say it exceeds the
state's authority.
Under the bill, candidates
who don't have a birth certificate
could show two alternative doc-
uments, including a baptismal or
circumcision certificate, a hospi-
tal birth record or a postpartum
medical record.
The proposal was prompted by
the claim that there is no proof
President Barack Obama was
born in the United States and is
therefore ineligible to be presi-
dent. Hawaii officials have certi-
fied Obama's birth in the state.
BRASILIA, Brazil
Brazil promotes
tourism with 3-D
animated movie
Brazil's tourism agency plans
to use the global release of the
3-D animation movie "Rio" to
promote the country as a desti-
nation for foreign tourists.
Besides promoting Brazil, the
video is aimed at reducing con-
cerns that foreigners may have
about violence in Rio de Janeiro,
the Brazilian city most visited
by tourists, an Embratur official
said. The official agreed to dis-
cuss that aspect of the video only
if not quoted by name.
In 2009, police began an
ambitious "pacification" pro-
gram in which security forces
clear heavily armed gangs from
slums and establish a police
presence. The program aims
to reduce violence in the city
before the 2014 World Cup
and 2016 Olympic Games and
improve the lives of shantytown
residents by bringing in basic
services.
MOSCOW
Russia to focus on
space with plans
for new spacecrafts
Russia's space agency chief
says the nation will test a next
generation spacecraft, build a
new cosmodrome and even con-
sider a manned mission to Mars.
But Anatoly Perminov con-
ceded yesterday that Russian
spacecraft depend on imported
electronics.
Perminov spoke to lawmakers
in remarks carried by Russian
news agencies a day after Russia
celebrated the 50th anniversary
of the first human spaceflight.
Russian President Dmitry
Medvedev has vowed space will
remain a government prior-
ity, but skeptics said the nation
has done virtually nothing to
develop a successor to the Soyuz
spaceship.
-Compiled from
Daily wire reports
Group shares accounts of
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Pro-Syrian protesters rally in front the Syrian embassy, in Beirut, Lebanon,
Tuesday April12, 2011.
Syrian president denies
uprising despite increase
in number of protests
Increasing number
of students demand
political freedoms
BEIRUT (AP) - Women, chil-
dren and students took to the
streets in Syria yesterday, lend-
ing their voices to a monthlong
uprising that President Bashar
Assad insists is the work of a for-
eign conspiracy.
The protest movement is pos-
ing an increasing threat to Assad's
iron rule as it attracts an ever-
wider following, with tens of
thousands of people demanding
political freedoms and an end to
the decades-old emergency laws
that extend state authority into
nearly all aspects of Syrians' lives.
"We will not be humiliated!"
shouted some 2,000 women and
children who blocked a main
coastal road in northeastern
Syria, where security forces
and pro-government gunmen
have cracked down on dissent
in recent days. The protesters
were demanding the release of
hundreds of men who have been
rounded up in the villages of
Bayda and Beit Jnad.
"Yesterday they raided our
home in Bayda and took away my
father," said one of the protest-
ers, a 21-year-old woman. "I'm
not leaving here until they return
him to us."
In an apparent attempt to
calm the women's demonstra-
tion, authorities released about
100 of the detainees and paraded
them in front of the protesters,
prompting cheers and cries of
triumph, a witness said. Some
of the men were bruised and
appeared to have broken bones,
witnesses said.
Residents and activists said
hundreds of men, young and old,
were arrested Tuesday when
security forces and pro-govern-
ment gunmen attacked the vil-
lages in northeastern Syria in a
move to crush growing dissent
there.
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plaguin
Voice members it difficult for Israelis and Pales-
tinians to determine how best to
vOcate citizen move forward.
"There are ... issues particular
)articipation to an area where there has been
a conflict for decades and these
By CECE ZHOU include issues of trust and fear,"
For the Daily Steinberg said. "Some of these
issues have led people to not be
ut 50 members of the Uni able to visualize a better future
community gathered in for themselves."
ss School of Business last As part of OneVoice's goal to
o hear first-hand accounts establish.'a more peaceful envi-
Israeli-Palestinian conflict ronment' the organization has
ords of hope for peace in established the Imagine 2018
ion. project, which calls for Israelis
nbers of OneVoice, an and Palestinians to share their
ational organization visions for what the future would
d in 2002 to give voices look like with a peace agreement.
se involved in the Israc- Shir Lachis;, a 25 year-old,.
stinian conflict, spoke Jewish law student at Tel Aviv
their personal stories at University, shared an experience
rnt, which was hosted by that occurred 10 years ago near
i Ross - a student organi- a club in Israel when a suicide
in the Ross School of Busi- attack broke out. Lachish recalled
ntered on Israeli students that 21 Israeli teenagers were
mni. killed that night and hundreds of
ness graduate student others were either wounded or
cobsberg, co-president of traumatized.
PRoss, said in an interview "Living at that time in this
the event that the club environment makes (it) veryhard
d to host the conference to think about the other," she
e he thinks many people said. "All you think about is for
only hear biased versions you to feel safe, for your family
sraeli-Palestinian conflict and your friends to feel safe. It's
news. He said the panel very hard to look at the outside
d for interactive discussion and see what's going on there."
hose who, had witnessed Lachish , said she decided
nflict first-hand, adding to join OneVoice after several
was not a "political rally" encounters with Israeli Arabs
her an open and relaxed and discussions with Law School
ion about a solution to the friends who felt their opinions
t. weren't significant.
Voice encourages a two- "They felt like there's noth-
olution - a stance that ing they can do in their commu-
as a result of a poll con- nity, there's nothing they can do
by the organization, in to create change ... what they're
thousands of Israelis and doing is meaningless to the bigger
nians were surveyed. The picture," she said.
found that 76 percent of Lachish added that while
were in favor of a two- OneVoice members have differ-
gotiation. ent perspectives and viewpoints,
ael Steinberg, OneVoice they share the same goal.
tional Education Pro- "OneVoice understands two
manager, said the issues narratives that clash from time to
ig the region have made time," Lachish said. "We disagree
on many things, we have differ-
ent motives, we even disagree on
facts ... but at OneVoice, we can
agree on the future."
OneVoice Palestine represen-
tative Mohammad Asideh said
one of his earliest memories of
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
that.iipacted his life on a pef-
sonal :level was when his fam-
ilywas told that the Israeli army
could destroy'two of his family's
houses "for security reasons."
"I believed only in the armed
resistance as the only way to end
occupation and to end the cor-
flict,..'Asideh said.
He added that he was inspired
by his father, who told him that
ratter than seeking vengeanc4,
he should instead look to how he
could change the future for the
better.
"One of the most important
things in my life my father told
me (was), 'Mohammad, it's easy
to get revenge, but you have to
ask what's next? My son, you
must think more about the future
and less about history,' " Asideh
recalled.
Though Lachish and Asideh
shared different experiences,
they reached similar conclusions
- that it is more effective to focus
on creating a peaceful future
for the region rather than con-
centrating on the past. To work
toward this goal, they each began
speaking at universities and to
public officials about a two-state
solution.
Steinberg said she thinks past
efforts toward peace have been
unsuccessful because there has
been a lack of activism from citi-
zens. OneVoice is "asking Israelis
and Palestinians to take personal
responsibility in ending the con-
flict," she said.
"One of the reasons that we
believe that past negotiations
have failed is because there
wasn't a grassroots engagement
and ownership over the peace
process," Steinbergsaid.
,. ,
PELL GRANTS
From Page 1A
academic year.
In the same year, the report
showed the University's Pell
Grant population - 12.8 percent
of its student body - to be below
the average of even the 50 colleges
and universities with the largest
endowments, which on average
have 80 percent fewer students of
Pell Grant-eligible students than
the average of all colleges and
universities in the country.
However, Margaret Rodri-
guez, the University's senior
associate director of financial aid,
wrote in an e-mail interview that
the University's internal statistics
differ from those in The Chroni-
cle report. While The Chronicle
reported a small decrease in Pell
Grants awardedby the University
from 2004 to 2008, the Universi-
ty's records show an 18.7-percent
increase in Pell Grants from 2008
to2009.
For the 2008-2009 academic
year, University students received
a collective $11 million in Pell
Grants.
Despite the University's fig-
ures that show growth in the
number of University students
receiving Pell Grants, Rodriguez
wrote the University must do
more to increase its Pell Grant
student population.
"We are not where we
would like to be yet, butwe're
focusing on doing even better
going forward," Rodriguez
wrote.
Because students' fam-
ily income isn't considered in
the admissions process, the
University accepts academi-
cally qualified low-income
students at the same rate as
students without demon-
strated financial need. How-
ever, low-income students do
not apply for admission at the
same rate, Rodriguez wrote.
"It is important to note
that income is not a factor
in the admissions process,
which is need-blind," Rodri-
guez wrote. "Ultimately, we
admit lower-income students
at the same rates as upper-
income students."
Rodriguez explained that
many low-income families
may assume the University is
too expensive for their level
of income, though theaUniveesity:..is that as= a pn ea efimancia aid.ss_ s y to try-rvy ou-re qualifieds aedemically to
is committed to meeting 100 per- economic diversity, the place we improve the socioeconomic diver- get in, we will make it possible for
cent of the demonstrated finan- need to focus on is the application sity of our student body," Hanlon you to come to Michigan through
cial need of in-state students. stage -getting a richer applicant said. acombinationofgrants andwork-
She wrote that her office and the pool." Hanlon added that though Pell study and loans," Coleman said. r
Office of Undergraduate Admis- A second study conducted by Grant numbers at Michigan col- She added that the difficulty of
sions are working to educate low- Hanlon's office sought to find leges and universities have not attracting low-income students
income families about the options why students from low-income significantly increased in the past is something many Universities
they have to afford University families weren't applying to the few years, the University's statis- face.
tuition. University at the same rate as stu- tics are similar to its peer institu- "I think one of the challenge6
"Direct recruitment of pro- dents from more affluent fami- tions in the state. across the board for higher edu*
spective lower-income students lies. His office surveyed students In an interview last week, cation is convincing low-income
is key," Rodriguez wrote. "To who sent in their ACT scores, but University President Mary Sue families that it is possible to com
this end, staff from the Univer- had not applied. Hanlon said the Coleman acknowledged the to college, even if you don't thinl
sity's Offices of Undergraduate survey (ound that low-income importance of the University you have the wear-with-all;'
Admissions and Financial Aid students didn't believe financial making prospective students Coleman said.
begin active outreach to prospec- aid was available to them and aware of financial aid options.
tive Pell-eligible students at the were concerned they would have "We need to do a much better - Phoebe Barghouti, Daily
middle school level and continue to pay full tuition. job of educatingpeople across the News Editor Joseph Lichterma
through high school." "That further helps us under- income spectrum about the fact and Managing Editor Kyle Swansom
In an interview last week, stand what our issue is," Hanlon that, if you get into Michigan, if contributed to this report
University Provost Philip Han- said. "We have a communica-
lon said a study conducted by his tions issue. We aren't getting
office found that low-income and out the word to students - GEt pt.
high-income students sent ACT particularly lower-income
scores to the University at simi- students - about what kind
lar rates. Additionally, the per- of financial aid resources are
centages of low-income students available to them."'
and high-income students who To help solve this prob- CREativS uatE5
were admitted to the University lem, Hanlon said the Univer-
and the percentage that enrolled sity created a marketing office Now Available at
were the same. The only differ- within the Office of Under- the -M Computer
showcase wel~umch.edu
ence between low-income and graduate Admissions.s s
high-income students during the "We don't have a goal in
admissions process, Hanlon said, mind or articulated, but we're
was the number of applicants definitely tracking how we're Central Campus - Michigan Union North Campus - Pierpont Commons
from each group. doing and trying to craft our
"That was a really helpful find- communications strategy, our
ing," Hanlon said. "What it said marketing strategy and our Mnno rme
Peace Corps-50 Years of Promoting
Global Peace & Friendship
- - - --1I
Information Session:
Thursday, April 14th
6:30 p.m.
International (enter, Room 9
Become a Fan! www.facebook.com/UMpeacecorps
life is calling. How farwill you go? 800.424.8580Ipeacecorps.gov/5C
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