The,,Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com'

Monday, October 31, 2011 - 5A

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Council for Disability Concerns
recognizes Richard Bernstein

Muslim Students' Association
pairs up students for cultural
exchange 'Walk in my Shoes

Attorney, 'U'
lecturer awarded
for disability
awareness work
By GIACOMO BOLOGNA
)aily StaffReporter
Though University alum and
attorney Richard Bernstein filed
a lawsuit against the University
several years ago, there were no
hard feelings on Friday when he
was honored for his work in dis-
ability awareness.
Bernstein, 55, received the
2011 James T. Neubacher award
from the University's Council
for Disability Concerns in front
of a crowd of about- 50 people
in the Rackham Assembly Hall
Friday morning. The award
- named after the University
alum, Detroit Free Press col-
umnist and disability advocate
- recognizes people who have
helped to promote disability
Bernstein, a 1996 graduate
and currently a University lec-
turer of political science, works
pro bono at The Sam Bernstein
Law Firm in Farmington Hills
to represent people with disabil-
ities. Bernstein, who is blind, is
most known for his efforts to
get the University to improve
accessible seating for people
with disabilities in Michigan
Stadium. He represented the
Michigan Paralyzed Veterans
of America in the 2007 case that
ruled that the University's reno-
vation plan for the Big House
FINANCIAL
From Page 1A
in new opportunities for students
because if you stop investing, then
you're just, you're dead," Coleman
said. "You're going to lose that spe-
cial feature, tthink we offer stu-
dents coming to Michigan."
But Slottow acknowledged that
next .year's market returns are
unpredictable.
"I don't expect this high level of
return ... to be the same next year,"
Slottow said.
In planning its budget, the Uni-
versity accounts for factors outside
of the investment office's control
- like the $47.5 million reduction
in state funding for the University
this academic year. Slottow said the
University was able to withstand
state budget cuts because it made
a conscious effort to cut costs and
increase fundraising efforts over
the last 10 years.
"The overall financial health of
the University at this moment is
quite strong," Slottow said. "That
having been said, it's a very, very
challenging environment because
of the state appropriation dropping
so precipitously."
Since 2010, the University's
operation costs have been cut by

was not in compliance with the
Americans with Disabilities Act
of 1990. This
subsequently
led to the
development
of increased
handicap
accessible
seating areas,
in addition -
to advanced BERNSTEIN
accommoda-
tions for wheelchair users.
Jack Bernard, chair of the
University's Council for Disabil-
ity Concerns who presented the
award, praised Bernstein for his
efforts to make the University
community more aware of the
needs of people with disabilities.
"People cannot resist Rick
when he puts his mind and
effort into something," Ber-
nard said. "I think Rick is the
first recipient of the Neubacher
award to have sued the Univer-
sity of Michigan on-a disability
issue."
In his speech at the award
ceremony, Bernstein described
the strength and resolve of peo-
ple with disabilities.
"Folks who live life with a true
sense of adversity, they are given
the blessing of purpose," he said.
Bernstein lauded strives
that have been made in soci-
ety regarding the acceptance of
people with disabilities.
"When you see a disabled per-
son on an aircraft, or you see a
disabled person in your class or
when you see a disabled person
on a bus ... you don't even think
twice about it anymore," he said.
"We won. We've achieved what

we've set out to do."
At the event, the Council for
Disability Concerns also award-
ed members of the University
community for their work in
disability awareness.
University of Michigan-
Dearborn junior Rebecca
Parten received a certificate
of appreciation for founding
the Alliance for Disability
Awareness - a student group
at the University of Michigan-
Dearborn that spreads dis-
ability awareness. Parten has
Arthrogryposis, a congenital
disorder characterized by joint
deformities and neuromuscular
dysfunction, and said she per-
sonally feels the benefits of the
group's work.
"It's really cool to know that
there is a good, strong group
of people that recognized the
importance and need (for rais-
ing disability awareness),"
Parten said.
James H. Neubacher, the
father of the award's namesake,
attended this year's event with
his wife.
"It's a family," he said of the
disabled community. "There's a
sense of support and community
... people come here and they see
wonderful things that people
have been doing, and they get
energized by it."
But as Bernstein pointed
out, society's recognition and
accommodation of people with
disabilities is a gradual process.
"Change comes in painfully
slow methodical steps," Bern-
stein said. "But real change can
be true, genuine and ultimately
everlasting."

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vent aimed to a "buddy" from MSA with whom
they discussed cultural and reli-
Crease religioUS gious backgrounds.
"In that pairing up, people
inderstanding make friends and at the same
time learn that we're just like
By ANGELA SON any other college student on
For the Daily campus," said Public Policy
junior Ayesha Usmani, MSA
iversity students of differ- Islamic relations chair.
iths paired up with Mus- The pairs later reconvened
udents last week to try to into the large group, and par-
stand what it's like to walk ticipants had the opportunity to
mpus in their shoes. expand on their one-on-one con-
e University's Muslim versations.
nts' Association invited Previously known as "A Day
nts to participate in last in a Life," MSA started the event
s three-day event titled "A five years ago to raise awareness
in my Shoes," which sought about the Muslim community,
hance campus exposure to especially in the wake of 9/11.
m culture and the Islamic According to Usmani, the
on. Participants attended event is intended to be a tool for
lamic prayer session and outreach.
ed about cultural practices, "We're not teaching about
g other activities. Islam or converting anybody,
er the course of three days, but just reaching out to differ-
participant was paired with ent communities on campus and

clarifying misconceptions about
Islam," Usmani said.
Rackham student Emily
Archambeault said the conver-
sations helped highlight cultural
similarities she wasn't aware of.
"In talking about the things
that I perceived would be very
different from our upbringing, I
found similar themes, even if the
ways in which it played out was
different," Archambeault said.
LSA freshman Philip Gilmore
said the discussions helped him
become better informed about
Muslim culture.
"I definitely feel more com-
fortable talking about the faith
(of) Islam," Gilmore said.
Another upcoming collabo-
ration with different student
groups is the Good Will Tour in
December, in which MSA mem-
bers collaborate with Christian
and Jewish organizations on
campus and attend each group's
religious services.


FLOREK
From Page 1A
"Michigan football, as I know
it, is playing defense," Hoke said.
"First and foremost."
This isn't exactly Michigan
football as Hoke remembers
from his previous stint in Ann
Arbor. He and his trained robots
that come to the press conferenc-
es will be the first to tell you that.
The defense isn't at that level.
And no, it hasn't proven itself
against the best competition. But
it doesn't need to. Michigan plays
just one ranked team the rest of
the season. That's Nebraska, who
has to come to Ann Arbor.
Hoke wants to build a team
that has its defense win games.

And, to a large extent, it did so
on Saturday. Senior defensive
tackle Mike Martin's second-
quarter safety provided the turn-
ing point of the game. The play
made up for the defense giving
up a first-drive touchdown, and
it redeemed the offense after it
had thrown an interception at
Purdue's five-yard line.
In the third, Michigan was
stuffed at Purdue's goal line
on 4th-and-1. It was a playthat
could have derailed a season in
a game that traditionally did so.
(Do you want to be reminded
of the 2009 Illinois game when
Michigan was stopped on the
goal line ina similar fashion?
Oops, too late.) But thedefense
forced the Boilermakers to punt
on the next drive. Michigan

scored one drive later to go up 22
and put the game away.
"This defense is great with
responding to adversity, whether
it's a sudden change, whatever
it might be or we get scored on
which we never want that to
happen," Martin said. "But we
did a great job of comingto the
sideline and re-gathering (after
giving up the touchdown) and
knowing that we had to play bet-
ter defense. That's what we did."
Eight games into his tenure,
Hoke knows he has a defense
that can do what he needs it to
do.
That won't make his oppo-
nents breathe any easier.
-Florek can be reached
at Florekmi@umich.edu


about $100 million, according to
University Provost Philip Hanlon.
Between 2003 and 2009, the Uni-
versity saw about $135 million in
operation cost reductions.
"This is almost a decade-long
realfocus," Hanlon said.
Faculty salaries, financial aid,
facility operations, and mainte-
nance are among the University's
highest costs, according to Slottow.
The University's main sources of
revenue are tuition, state funding
and private donations.
The University of Michigan
Health System and federal grants
are other sources of revenue, Han-
lon said. He added that the Uni-
versity wants to avoid increasing
enrollment as a way toraise money
- a decision other universities have
made in recent years. However, the
University's Board of Regents have
voted to increase tuition in the last
few years.
The University raised tuition by
6.7 percent for in-state students
and 4.9 percent for out-of-state
students for the 2011-2012 aca-
demic year. Despite the size of the
endowment, in upcoming years
tuition will likely increase gradu-
ally - but not spike at once like
other universities including the
University of California system,
Slottow said.

Coleman said she and other Uni-
versity of Michigan officers have
had to make difficult choices to
keep the University in the top quar-
tile in investment returns among
universities across the country.
"I'm extremely pleased that we
continue to be very solid financial-
ly" Coleman said. "That represents
a lot of work by alot of people over
a long period of time."
Coleman and Hanlon recently
announced a new University ini-
tiative, the Michigan Investment
in New Technology Startups.
Through MINTS, the Univer-
sity will invest up to $25 million
- money from the University's
endowment - in faculty start-up
companies in the next 10 years.
Hanlon said MINTS is part of
the University's focus on diversi-
fying revenue streams, along with
cutting costs, as a way to maintain
financial health. The initiative is
the result of an investigation into
the University's investment strate-
gies over the last 20 years, which
revealed the University would have
had a comparable return on invest-
ments if the funds went into Uni-
versity start-ups.
"I think that we will continue to
focus on cost cutting, and no doubt
we will continue to focus on multi-
ple revenue streams," Hanlon said.


SHIRVELL
From Page 1A
amount of information during the
past year that shows that Deborah
Gordon has deliberately set out to
* destroy me by any means neces-
sary," Shirvell wrote. "It is particu-
larly shocking that an attorney like
Deborah Gordon, who has made a
career out of championing wrong-
fully-terminated employees, would
so viciously and maliciously inter-
fere with my employment in order
to ensure that I was terminated
from my job."
Shirvell was fired from his posi-
tion following a claim issued by
Gordon-that Shirvell had made
several homophobic remarks
against Armstrong - the first
openly gay MSA president - on his
blog "Chris Armstrong Watch."
Shirvell claimed on his blog that
Armstrong, who graduated this
past spring, was trying to instill
S a "radical homosexual agenda"
while leading MSA.
Shirvell, who recently moved to
New York, filed the federal lawsuit
in the United States District Court
for the Eastern District of Michi-
gan. Gordon is a resident of Michi-
gan, and the case will be based on
diversity 'jurisdiction, the press
release states.
Shirvell claimed in the release

that Gordon embarked on a "year
long campaign of intimidation and
defamation" against him.
Armstrong filed a lawsuit
against Shirvell in April that
alleges the former assistant attor-
ney stalked and defamed him.
The lawsuit requests damages in
excess of $25,000 and was filed
in the Washtenaw County Circuit
Court.
In April, Shirvell filed a coun-
tersuit against Armstrong for
allegedly inflicting personal and
economic damage against him for
aiding in his termination from
his position with the state. In
May, Shirvell subsequently filed a
motion to rescind various claim-
sArmstrong made against him
in the April lawsuit. The motion
sought to rescind claims of stalk-
ing, infliction of emotional dis-
tress, abuse of process, defamation
and one count of invasion of pri-
vacy.
"Unlike Mr. Armstrong, I have
suffered real economic dam-
age, including significant loss of
income, future earnings and the
right to enjoyment of my liveli-
hood," Shirvell wrote in a May 10
statement to The Michigan Daily.
"And, I have suffered those dam-
ages as a direct result of Mr. Arm-
strong's wrongful conduct. I look
forward to successfully litigating
my claims in the court."

Gordon told the Daily in May
that Shirvell's termination was
due to "wrong-doing on his part"
- citing examples such as using
his work computer to write his
blog and lying to former Attor-
ney General Mike Cox about his
behavior. Gordon said at the time
that Shirvell should rescind his
statements against Armstrong and
publicly apologize for his trans-
gressions.
"What Mr. Shirvell really needs
to do is take responsibility for
what he has done and the lies he
has published," Gordon said at the
time. "He needs to retract them,
he needs to apologize and he needs
to try to move on with his life."
In last night's press release,
Shirvell wrote that he anticipates
support for his suit against Gor-
don.
"Ms. Gordon needs to be held
accountable for her course of
conduct against me, which I find
beyond reprehensible," Shirvell
wrote. "No other member of the
State Bar of Michigan would ever
put up with what I have put up
with from Ms. Gordon over the
past year. I look forward to hold-
ing Deborah Gordon accountable
for her atrocious actions and libel-
ous statements."
Gordon and Shirvell could not
be reached for interviews as of 1
a.m. last night.

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A