The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Friday, November 11, 2011 - 3
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Friday, November 11, 2011 - 3
NEWS BRIEFS
YPSILANTI, Mich.
System for failing
schools may move
beyond Detroit
The head of Michigan's new
system for failing schools is con-
sidering the inclusion of public
I schools outside Detroit in its first
year of operation-.
Education Achievement Sys-
tem Chancellor John Covington
said yesterday in Ypsilanti that
the system's initial phase should
be open to the lowest-perform-
ing 5 percent of rural and urban
schools across the state.
Plans had been to serve about
38 schools in Detroit in 2012-13
and expand statewide the follow-
ingyear.
Under the new system, school
control is placed in the hands of
principals, teachers and school
staff.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa.
Governor asks
PSU students to
halt violent acts
Gov. Tom Corbett asked Penn
State students yesterday to
refrain from the violence that
wracked their college town after
famed football coach Joe Paterno
was fired, saying the nation is
watching their behavior.
At a news conference in State
College, Corbett also expressed
disappointment in Paterno and
university President Graham
Spanier, who were fired by uni-
versity trustees the night before
for their handling of child sex
abuse allegations against a for-
mer assistant football coach.
Thousands of students took
to the streets Wednesday night
after Paterno's dismissal, over-
turning a TV news van and
I throwing rocks, bottles and
other hard objects at police and
others.
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD
U.S. soldier found
guilty in Afghan
civilian killings
Army soldier accused of
exhorting his bored underlings
to slaughter three civilians for
sport was convicted of murder,
conspiracy and other charges
yesterday in one of the most
gruesome cases to emerge from
the Afghan war.
Staff Sgt. Calvin Gibbs, of
Billings, Mont., was the highest
ranking of five soldiers charged
in the deaths of the unarmed men
during patrols in Kandahar prov-
ince early last year. At his seven-
day court martial at Joint Base
Lewis-McChord south of Seattle,
the 26-year-old acknowledged
cutting fingers off corpses and
yanking out a victim's tooth to
keep as war trophies, "like keep-
ing the antlers off a deer you'd
r shoot."
EL-ARISH, Egypt
Attackers blow up
Egyptian gas line
S Attackers set off explosives
along a gas pipeline in Egypt's
Sinai Peninsula that transports
fuel to neighboring Israel and
Jordan early yesterday, Egypt's
state news agency MENA report-
ed.
It was the seventh attack on
the pipeline since the popular
uprising ousted longtime Egyp-
tian leader Hosni Mubarak in
February.
The report on MENA said
unidentified assailants placed
explosive charges in two sepa-
rate places on the line that trans-
ports natural gas near the north
Sinai town of el-Arish, causing
blasts and huge fires. The explo-
sions forced a shutdown and halt-
ed exports to Jordan and Israel.
But later, a Sinai security
official said there was only one
explosion yesterday on the pipe-
line. He said the attackers blew
a hole in an underground part of
the pipeline, causingless damage
than in past attacks, which most-
ly targeted pumping stations.
-Compiled from
Daily wire reports
ADAM GLANZMAN/Daily
A pedestrian walks through a crosswalk on South University Avenue yesterday.
JOURNALIST
From Page 1
ton D.C.) I realized that this was
going to be a tough slog."
Eleveld returned to her alma
mater last night to speak to stu-
dents aboutherfirsthandexperi-
ences inthe world ofWashington
politics and the contemporary
progressive movement. In MSA
Chambers in the Michigan
Union surrounded by about 20
antendees, Eleveld discussed
LGBT rights, which she said
have not made enough headway
in the nation's capital.
Washington is "way behind"
in LGBT equality perspectives,
Eleveld said, more so than the
American public because poli-
ticians are reluctant to make
radical changes and distinguish
themselves as leaders in LGBT
rights.
However, the reluctance of
politicians to stand up for LGBT
rights alone doesn't character-
ize issues of the contemporary
progressive movement, Eleveld
said. Environmentalism, social
justices and reproductive rights
are a few facets of the movement
that haven't been adequately
addressed in American politics
NETWORK
From Page 1
Weinert added that the Uni-
versity has been at the fore-
front of corporate engagement.
"(It's) partly a testament to
the fact that the University of
Michigan has shown the lead-
ership on this front, and it's
very fulfilling to see that taken
forward to additional institu-
tions across the state," Weinert
said.
Charles Hasemann, execu-
tive director of Business-
CONNECT, the business
engagement office at Michigan
State University, said the net-
work is especially beneficial
to the University of Michigan-
Dearborn, Michigan Techno-
logical University and Western
Michigan University because
these schools didn't previously
have business develop-
either, she said.
Eleveld contrasted journal-
ists' pursuitofthe truth to politi-
cians, whose campaign promises
are influenced by which groups
provide them the most funding,
she said.
"Our Washington advocates
or organizations are not get-
ting the job done," Eleveld said.
"The individual activists are the
ones holding our government
accountable."
However, the LGBT commu-
nity is taking strides to educate
and motivate citizens whether
they're in Washington D.C. or on
the Diag, Eleveld said. Shedding
light on shadowed issues isn't
easy, but it's not impossible, she
added. Eleveld noted the repeal
of the U.S. Military's 'don't ask,
don't tell' policy - which banned
gays from openly serving in the
military - as one of the several
achievements LGBT activists
have made in the last 18 months.
"There's a long way to go, but
I feel like the pastyear and ahalf
has been incredibly significant,"
she said.
Helen Fox, professor of
human rights in the Univer-
sity's Residential College, said
before yesterday's forum, she
thought LGBT issues were easy
ment offices. Wayne State Uni-
versity is also involved in the
collaboration.
"It will be a really nice tool
for connecting - in a really cool
and informative way - what is
it that we have at the univer-
sities both in terms of faculty
and just resources," Hasemann
said.
He added that the network's
focus on small businesses is
important.
"One of the hallmarks of
small companies is that they
don't have a lot of money.
They're trying to make their
way," Hasemann said. "While
they would love to work with
a university, when they don't
have deep pockets that's hard,
so this money will subsidize
that relationship."
The network also includes
three programs - the Small
Company Innovation Program,
the Small Company Intern-
to address in the media and in
politics. However, after the dis-
cussion, she gained an under-
standing of the challenges facing
the LGBT community and the
progressive movement.
"(Eleveld) really showed how
these issues take a tremendous
amount of work, and not only
work, but knowledgeable activ-
ism," Fox said.
She added that while the mil-
lennial generation is extremely
progressive, students can still
do more to make greater social
impacts.
"(Students should) delve into
the reasons for the problems that
we see in the world, exactly the
kinds of changes we would like
to see and what it would take to
see a different world," Fox said.
LSA junior Ethan Hahn, chair
of the Michigan Student Assem-
bly's LGBT Issues Commission
- which sponsored the event
- said he would also like to see
changes in student activism and
involvement.
"I seefearofgettinginvolved,"
Hahn said. "Someone who is not
affiliated with our community
might not want to advocate for
rightsbecause they don't want to
be perceived as part of our com-
munity."
ship Award program and the
Instant Innovation Program.
The first program is designed
to help small businesses devel-
op technologies with members
of the universities. The second
program will provide compen-
sation for students to intern or
work with small businesses in
the STEM - science, technol-
ogy, engineering and math -
areas. The third program will
partner university faculty with
businesses to solve various
problems the companies face.
Hasemann explained that
the entire state will benefit
from the collaborative work of
the businesses and universities
involved in the project.
"I think it helps us be more
relevant as we do work that
helps advance commerce and
helps us be a part of the solu-
tions in making Michigan a
more competitive and success-
ful state," Hasemann said.
DPS
From Page 1
incident likely caused the stu-
dent's hesitation to report it, and
DPS did not issue a crime alert
due to the delay in the reporting.
"We didn't perceive that by
the time we had the informa-
tion there still was a threat to
the community's safety," Brown
said. "But that did not stop us
from investigating because we
do want to hold this person
accountable."
After obtaining security foot-
age, DPS officials conducted
an investigation and internal-
ly shared pictures of the man
believed to be connected with
the sexual assault, Brown said.
However, DPS could not identify
the suspect and decided to share
the evidence with the public.
"At this point we are releas-
ing them more broadly so that
perhaps members of our broad-
er community might be able to
assist in that identification,"
Brown said.
Brown could not confirm
whether police have received
any tips since the pictures have
been released. She added that
no similar incidents have been
reported to DPS since the stu-
dent contacted the police.
Brown said the incident is
"not at all" related to the string
of sexual assaults that occurred
throughout Ann Arbor last
summer. AAPD Chief Barnett
Jones also said the East Quad
incident isn't related to previ-
ous assaults.
Residents and employees of
East Quad were upset about the
11-day period between the inci-
dent and the e-mail notifying
them of the assault.
LSA freshman Melissa Free-
land said the decision to post-
pone notification to residents
was "ridiculous," and students
should have been given some
type of warning immediately
after the crime was reported.
"I think that this should be
something they send an emer-
gency alert about," Freeland
said. "East Quad has always
seemed like such a safe place ...
(I am) a little more nervous now.
(This is) something to be careful
about."
Freeland said she will begin
taking additional safety precau-
tions in the residence hall at
night, like making an effort to
stay with other students at all
times.
University Housing officials
organized a meeting in East
Quad yesterday to provide stu-
dents the opportunity to meet
with Brown, DPS Lt. Bob Larry
and representatives from the
University's Sexual Assault Pre-
vention and Awareness Center
and Counseling and Psychologi-
cal Services.
About 20 female students
attended the meeting and
addressed the lack of security on
the residence hall's first floor and
DPS's decision to delay notifying
students of the incident.
Several students called for the
installation of additional Mcard
readers to secure doors within
the building. Brown and Larry
suggested that students keep
curtains and windows closed
and refrain from holding the
building's main doors open for
people waiting to get inside.
Kelly Pearson, a graduate stu-
dent in the School of Social Work
and an East Quad resident advi-
sor, said she plans to hold a meet-
ing with University Housing
security officers for her residents
to attend.
"I'm living on the ground
floor, (and) a few of my residents
were at the meeting tonight and
were concerned," Pearson said.
"I'm setting up (another) secu-
rity meeting to ensure my resi-
dents feel safe."
Brown said DPS currently sta-
tions Housing security officers
in each residence hall to ensure
a quick response should an inci-
dent arise. Officer protocol in the
residence halls will not change
in wake of the sexual assault, she
added.
"Housingsecurity will contin-
ue to do the things they've been
doing well; (which is to) be able
to build awareness of risk reduc-
tion techniques," Brown said.
"I'm sure the Housing security
staff will be focused on provid-
ing that because that's one of
their significant functions."
Engineering freshman Scott
Wigler said he is satisfied with
the security presence in East
Quad, but thinks officers should
spend more time in certain areas
of the building.
"DPS walks around my hall
a lot, but there's never a DPS
officer-by the entrance (of the
building), so I think they should
increase that," Wigler said.
-Daily staff reporter Adam
Rubenfire contributed to this
report.
A Chinese papercut found in the basement of the Center for Chinese Studies.
COUNCIL
From Page 1
enter the crosswalk, but it also
provides drivers with much-
needed clarity as to whenthey're
obligated to stop for pedestri-
ans," Taylor said.
Council member Carsten
Hohnke (D-Ward 5) noted that
the original ordinance was
drafted as a result of a two-year
research project and public
input. He advised the council to
be careful when alteringthe law.
"It's useful to make sure that
we keep in mind what we're try-
ing to accomplish here, which is
... to ensure the safety of pedes-
trians," Hohnke said, adding
that pedestrians should not be
asked to risk "life and limb" to
use a crosswalk.
Hohnke said he wasn't sure if
the amendment addresses citi-
zens' concerns. He said he wants
to leave the text of the ordinance
unchanged.
"I'm much more confident
in the language we earlier had,
and it's not clear to me that this
addresses any particular chal-
lenge that we have," Hohnke
said. "We're simply shifting the
burden of discretion to the weak-
er party to which the heavier
machines should be yielding."
Ann Arbor Mayor John Hief-
tje said he believes the amend-
ment offers clarification of the
ordinance.
"We may have thought that
'approaching' was a term that
had been used in other places
and was working well," Hieftje
said. "Obviously not everyone
considered it that same way."
He added that input from
community members has been
particularly helpful to deter-
mine how to alter the ordinance.
While answering questions
from council members last night,
Ann Arbor Police Chief Barnett
Jones noted that from Sept. 18
to Nov. 1 about 30 accidents in
Ann Arbor involved pedestri-
ans or bicyclists using a cross-
walk. Though many residents
have attributed several rear-end
accidents to drivers' confusion
regarding the ordinance, Jones
said pedestrians are not at fault
for suchcollisions.
In the public commentary
section of the meeting, Architec-
ture and Urban Planning gradu-
ate student Joel Batterman, vice
chair of the Washtenaw Bicy-
cling and Walking Coalition,
praised the current pedestrian
ordinance.
"The ordinance is working,"
Batterman said. "A few months
of education and enforcement
will dramatically increase the
proportion of folks stopping for
pedestrians on our streets."
Batterman, also a Michigan
Daily columnist, said local media
outlets have attributed rear-end
crashes on Plymouth Road near
North Campus directly to the
ordinance. He noted, however,
that pedestrian safety has been
a long-standing problem. He
referred to an accident in 2003 in
which two University students
were killed when they were hit
by a pickup truck while attempt-
ing to cross the five-lane thor-
oughfare.
Batterman said while he
believes the ordinance will pro-
tect pedestrians' rights, driv-
ers will need to embrace the
changes for the ordinance to be
effective.
"What's been needed on
Plymouth for years is greater
awareness and better facilities,"
Batterman said. "Not backped-
aling on our commitment to
pedestrian safety."'
ARTWORK
From Page 1
gher, director of the Center for
Chinese Studies, papercuts are a
traditional type of Chinese folk
art that consists of images made
from thin red paper that is cut
into various designs. This par-
ticular set of papercuts tells the
story of China's Cultural Revo-
lution and features key images
and people who defined the time
period.
Gallagher said while the
papercuts are not rare artifacts
themselves, it was special to find
a complete set. She added that
it was particularly unusual that
some of the papercuts depicted
Lin Biao, a controversial politi-
cal figure in China who was sup-
posed to succeed Mao Zedong
as emperor before he was killed
in a plane crash in 1971. Biao
gained notoriety when it was
later discovered he was fleeing
China at the time of his death in
an attempt to plot a coup against
Zedong, Gallagher said.
"A lot of papercuts that
were produced in the Cultural
Revolution that showed Lin
Biao would've been destroyed
because his reputation was
destroyed after his death," Gal-
lagher explained. "So it is also
unusual that they had this aspect
too."
Gallagher said the papercuts
were likely originally acquired
by the late Prof. Mike Oksenberg
during his visit to Hong Kong in
the early 1970s. Oksenberg was a
senior staff member in the U.S.
National Security Council from
1977 to 1980 and worked dur-
ing the Carter administration
to improve relations with China
after the Cold War.
While it is not exactly clear
how Oksenberg obtained the
papercuts, Gallagher said the
center's staff believes he either
bought or was given the col-
lection, and then proceeded to
donate the set after he left the
University in 1991.
Wang Zheng, a University
professor of history and women's
studies, was able to contact the
artist of the papercuts, according
to Gallagher. Wang discovered
the papercuts were created in a
small art academy in Guangdong
- a southern Chinese province
near Hong Kong. According to
Gallagher, the artist crafted the
papercuts with knives, rather
than scissors, which made them
easier to replicate.
The center has digitized
images of the papercuts so that
people can view them online.
Currently, the center is trying to
find a way to display the paper-
cuts, but it first plans to frame
them so they are preserved and
protected.