The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Tuesday, October 4, 2011- 3
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Tuesday, October 4, 2011 - 3
* NEWS BRIEFS
EAST LANSING, Mich.
MSU gets $3.6M
to boost pre-teens'
physical activity
The National Institutes of
Health is giving $3.6 million to
Michigan State University to
expand a nursing researcher's
pilot program to help middle
school girls increase their physi-
cal activity.
The program that has been
" in operation in Lansing now
expands to Detroit, Flint, Jack-
son, Kalamazoo and Muskegon.
It's particularly aimed at girls
from minority groups who live in
urban, low-income areas.
The five-year program is called
Girls on the Move, and is headed
by Lorraine Robbins.
The university says the pro-
gram "focuses on individual and
Web-based counseling sessions
with school nurses and an after-
school physical activity club."
Robbins says fewer than 4 per-
cent of middle school girls now
meet physical activity recommen-
dations.
DETROIT
U.S. auto sales up
in September on
truck purchases
U.S. buyers shrugged off eco-
nomic worries and snapped up
SUVs and pickups last month,
surprising the auto industry and
raising hopes that a bumpy year
will end on a high note.
Big trucks typically sell when
the housing market and con-
struction industry are strong,
gas prices are low and consumer
confidence is high. None of those
was true in September. The econ-
omy remains weak, confidence is
shaky and a gallon of gas prices
cost nearly $1 per more than in
September 2010.
But other factors boosted truck
sales. Small- businesses -must
eventually-replace aging fleets of
work trucks, and auto companies
offered some good deals to clear
out 2011 model trucks. They also
stepped up their marketing. And
consumers are learning to live
with economic uncertainty.
PORTLAND, Ore.
Oregon bus driver
kicks crying baby,
woman off of bus
Oregon's largest transit agency
says it's investigating a complaint
that a driver kicked a woman and
her crying baby off a bus in sub-
urban Portland, saying, "I can't
drive with that noise."
Mary Fetsch, a TriMet
spokeswoman, says drivers are
not supposed to eject passengers
from "vulnerable populations,"
including women transporting
children.
A bus passenger, Jennifer
Chapman, says the baby wasn't
that loud and all the other pas-
sengers got off the bus in protest.
4 The incident allegedly took place
on a bus in Hillsboro on Thursday
night.
Fetsch says she's unsure
whether the bus was equipped
with a video camera.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti
Government to pay
for students to go
to school in Haiti
Haiti's President Michel
Martelly says the government
is boosting student enrollment
this year by putting more than
700,000 youths into classrooms.
The leader says that his
National Fund for Education is
paying tuition for 142,000 stu-
dents who will go to school for
the first time.
Registration fees for other
students will be picked up by a
$1.25 million donation from the
foundation of former U.S. Presi-
dent Bill Clinton, who is also the
U.N. special envoy to Haiti.
The program is also supported
by Haiti-bound phone calls and
* wire transfers.
Former 'U' student
arrested for SAT
cheating scandal
LAPRESSE/AP
Amanda Knox cries following the verdict that overturns her conviction and acquits her of murdering her British
roommate Meredith Kercher, at the Perugia court, Italy, yesterday.
Italian appeals court
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mory sophomore fraternity rush 2010 e-mail list.
Jeremy Gurwitch, president of
m Eshaghoff was the University's chapter of AEPi,
declined to comment on the situ-
n LSA last year ation, and said none of the frater-
nity members knew Eshaghoff
By STEVE ZOSKI well.
For the Daily Eshaghoff's attorney Matin
Emouna said Eshaghoff would
ormer University student is plead notguilty.
criminal charges for taking In a statement to The New
AT for other students. York Times, Henry Grishman,
cording to Nassau County superintendent of Jericho Public
cutors, Sam Eshaghoff took Schools in Jericho, N.Y., said it is
AT for six other students likely that this is not the first time
his former high school in cheating on standardized tests has
Island, N.Y. He is charged occurred.
scheming to defraud, crimi- "As the competition between
npersonation and falsifying kids for scholarships and college
ess records. The six other entrance has increased, the like-
nts are charged with misde- lihood of kids looking for ways to
ors. beat the system - to cheat - has
e of the students paid Eshag- increased," Grishman told The
etween $1,500 and $2,500 to New York Times.
he college placement exam Tom Ewing, a spokesman for
em, prosecutors said. Eshag- Educational Testing Service -
ook the test for one of the the company that administers the
students for free. SAT - told the times that the test-
e University's Office of Pub- ing company can't alert colleges
fairs declined to comment when students cheat because of
e situation, but confirmed privacy laws. Instead, the com-
Eshaghoff attended the Uni- pany simply informs the students
y. Eshaghoff, currently a and the schools that the scores
more at Emory University, have been withdrawn.
one year at the University of Each year, out of the 2.5 million
gan before transferring. SAT exams administered, about
cording to Eshaghoff's entry 1,000 SAT scores are withdrawn.
University's MCommunity Ninety-nine percent ofwithdraw-
ory, he was in the College of als are because of cheating, Ewing
ture, Science, and the Arts. told the Times.
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erican student over the main DNA evidence
linking the two to the crime.
reed after four While the court won't release
its reasons for clearing the two
years in jail for weeks, the discrediting of the
DNA evidence was believed to
RUGIA, Italy (AP) - have been the fatal blow to the
Ida Knox left prison yes- prosecution's case in the absence
y, a free woman for the of a clear motive.
ime in four years, after an The jury had two options to
n appeals court threw out acquit: determining there wasn't
oung American's murder enough evidence to uphold the
ction in the sexual assault conviction or that the pair sim-
:abbing death of her British ply didn't commit the crime.
mate. The jury determined the lat-
ox, 24, collapsed in tears ter, clearing Knox and Sollecito
the verdict was read, her completely.
rs draping their arms Even if prosecutors appeal
d her in support. Her co- the acquittal to Italy's highest
dant and former boyfriend, court, nothing in Italian law
n Raffaele Sollecito, also would prevent her from return-
Aeared of killing 21-year- ing home to Seattle. An Italian
eredith Kercher in 2007. lawmaker who has championed
e're thankful that Amari her case, Rocco Girlanda, said
nightmare is over," her she was due to fly out Tuesday-
er sister, Deanna Knox, from Rome.
eporters outside the court- About 90 minutes after the
"She suffered for four verdict was handed down a black
for a crime she did not Mercedes carrying Knox was
it." seen leavingthe prison.
e eight-member jury The jury upheld Knox's con-
ted both Knox and Sol- viction on a charge of slander
of murder after a court- for accusing bar owner Diya
ed review of the DNA "Patrick" Lumumba of carry-
nce cast serious doubts ing out the killing. But he set the
sentence at three years, meaning
for time served. Knox has been
in prison since Nov. 6, 2007, five
days after the murder.
The Kercher family looked
on grimly and a bit dazed as the
verdict was read out by the judge
after 11 hours of deliberations.
Outside the courthouse, some of
the hundreds of observers shout-
ed, "Shame! Shame!"
"We respectthe decision of the
judges but we do not understand
how the decision of the first trial
could be so radically overturned,"
the Kerchers said in a statement.
"We still trust the Italian justice
system and hope that the truth
will eventually emerge."
The victim's sister, Stephanie
Kercher, who was in Perugia
with her mother and brother for
the verdict, lamented that Mere-
dith "has been nearly forgotten."
Inside the frescoed court-
room, Knox's parents, who have
regularly traveled from their
home in Seattle to Perugia to
visit her over the past four years,
hugged their lawyers and cried
with joy. Knox herself was so
overwhelmed with tears that
two guards tugged on her arms
to escort her out of the court-
room.
hoff was listed on the Mary
ley Residence Hall e-mail
nd on the Alpha Epsilon Pi
- The Associated Press
contributed to this report.
Markets sink as
Greek deficit fears
continue to build
Libya's post-Gadhafi leaders
name new cabinet members
Dow drops 2.4
percent, Euro hits a
9-month low
NEW YORK (AP) - The latest
setback in Greece's financial crisis
sent major stock market indexes
to lows for the year yesterday and
put the Standard and Poor's 500
index on the verge of a bear mar-
ket. The euro fell to a 9-month low
againstthe dollar, and the yield on
the 10-year Treasury note sank as
investors piled money into lower-
risk investments.
The slump came on the first day
of trading for the fourth quarter
and followed the weakest quar-
ter the market has had since the
financial crisis. Stocks opened
lower, turned briefly higher in
late morning trading, then slid
throughout the afternoon. The
Dow Jones industrial average lost
258 points.
European markets slumped
after Greece said it won't be able to
reduce its budget deficits as much
as it had agreed to as part of a deal
to receive more emergency loans.
Markets have responded ner-
vously to headlines out of Europe
for weeks, fearful that if Greece
defaulted on its debt there mightbe
another lockup in the global finan-
cial system, similar to the one trig-
gered by the collapse of Lehman
Brothers in September 2008.
"The market is continuing to
trade based on what is happen-
ing in Europe, and that is going
to overshadow everything else,"
said Quincy Krosby, market strat-
egist at Prudential Financial. "The
math (for the Greek bailout) didn't
add up a year ago, and the math
doesn't add up today," Krosby
said.
Decision took
six weeks amid
political friction
BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) -
Libya's transitional leaders
named a new Cabinet yester-
day and vowed to step down
after the country is secured,
a move designed to show the
North African nation is moving
on even though fighting per-
sists and Moammar Gadhafi
remains at large.
The announcement was
made jointly by the head of the
National Transitional Coun-
cil, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, and
de facto Prime Minister Mah-
moud Jibril in a news con-
ference following weeks of
political infighting and delays
over the formation of a new
government.
In the end, the Cabinet line-
up did not contain many chang-
es, prompting many Libyans to,
question why it took so long,
coming about six weeks after
revolutionary forces seized!
the capital, Tripoli, and forced
Gadhafi into hiding.
Jibril, who graduated from
and taught strategic planning
at the University of Pittsburgh
for several years, remains in his
position but also takes over as
foreign minister, meaning his
current deputy and Foreign
Minister Ali al-Issawi is out.
Ali al-Tarhouni, a U.S.-edu-
cated economist, will continue
acting as oil minister until the
National Oil Company is ready
to take over.
The new leaders said they
would remain in place until
the country is secured and lib-
eration is declared, then a new
transitional government would
be formed within a month.
"We have signed a pledge
to the Libyan people that we
will not be part of the future
government not in any way,"
Abdul-Jalil said to applause.
The pledge was intended to
reassure the public they will not
suffer under another dictator-
ship.
Revolutionary forces are still
battling loyalists of Gadhafi on
two major fronts as well as pock-
ets deep in the southern desert.
But Jibril said he had asked
that liberation be declared after
Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte is
captured because that would
ensure that all sea, land and air
entry ports are secure.
He acknowledged fighting
would continue in Bani Walid,
where the terrain and the har-
boring of suspected high-levt
el -regime figures - possibly
including Gadhafi's son Seif al-
Islam - has led to a weekslong
standoff. But he said it was
important to declare victory
and begin rebuilding the coun-
try.
"Bani Walid doesn't have
any international exits," Jibril
said. "And it is very important
to begin and speed up the tran-
sitional process and begin the
democratic stage."
The NTC has promised to
hold elections eight months
after the end of fighting.
A new minister for Libyans
killed and wounded was also
named. He is Abdel-Rahman al-
Keissah, described as a lawyer
who was wounded in the fight-
ing. Hamza Abu Fas will replace
Sheik Salem al-Sheiki as the
minister of religious affairs.
When asked if members of the
Cabinet might remain in their
posts after liberation, Jibril said
that would be up to the future
leadership and would depend on
their performance.
"We ask Libyans to under-
stand that this is a sensitive and
critical stage," Abdul-Jalil told
reporters in the eastern city of
Benghazi, which was the birth-
place of the revolution.
NATO, meanwhile, expressed
concern about the possibil-
ity that thousands of portable
surface-to-air missiles left over
from Gadhafi's regime are miss-
ing in Libya. NATO airstrikes
played a key role in the rebellion
that ousted Gadhafi.
for more information call 734/615-6449
The University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and
the Arts presents a public lecture and reception
-Compiled from
Daily wire reports
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