The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Monday, December 12, 2011-- 3A
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Monday, December12, 2011 - 3A
NEWS BRIEFS
WATERFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich.
Township employee
spent stolen funds
on lottery tickets
The Oakland County Sheriff's
Department says a bookkeeper
embezzled $110,000 from a sub-
urban Detroit electrical contrac-
tor and used the stolen money to
buylotterytickets.
The department says 47-year-
old Waterford Township resident
Steven Sharrard was arraigned
Friday in Pontiac District Court
on embezzlement charges and
freed on a $50,000 bond. He's due
back in court on Thursday.
The sheriff's department says
Sharrard worked as a bookkeeper
at Moote Electric in Pontiac and
had been employed there about 12
years.
The department says its detec-
tives found that he took $110,000
over the past year.
BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK, Texas
U.S. proposes new
border regulations
with Mexico
The U.S. is proposing its first
unmanned border crossing with
Mexico in a remote stretch of
West Texas.
Federal officials tout the port
of entry in Big Bend National
Park as a security upgrade, not-
ing that wading across the shal-
low Rio Grande undetected is all
too easy.
By the spring, kiosks could
open up allowing people from the
tiny Mexican town of Boquillas
del Carmen to scan their identity
documents and talk to a customs
officer in another location, at least
100 miles away. Authorities say
extra Border Patrol agents would
be stationed in the park if the
crossing is approved.
A public comment period runs
through Dec. 27 on the estimated
$2.3 million project, which has
support from both countries.
SACRAMENTO, Calif.
* Calif. psychologist
accused of faking
her own rape
Authorities allege a woman
was so determined to convince
her husband of a need to move to a
safer neighborhood that she faked
being raped.
She split her own lip with a pin,
scraped her knuckles with sand-
paper, had her friend punch her in
the face, and even wet her pants to
give the appearance she had been
knocked unconscious, authorities
said Friday.
Charges filed by the Sacramen-
to County district attorney allege
Laurie Ann Martinez, a prison
psychologist, conspired with the
friend to create the appearance
that she was beaten, robbed and
raped by a stranger in April in her
Sacramento home.
MEXICO CITY
Mexico hit by
6.5-magnitude
earthquake
A magnitude-6.5 earthquake
struck in Mexico's western Guer-
rero state, shaking buildings and
causing panic in the nation's capi-
tal and the Pacific resort of Aca-
pulco. Officials said at least three
people died, but there were no
reports of widespread damage.
The U.S. Geological Service
initially estimated the quake at
magnitude at 6.8, but downgrad-
ed it to 6.7 and then 6.5. A quake
of that magnitude is capable of
causing severe damage, although
the depth of this temblor lessened
its impact.
The USGS said the quake
occurred at 6:47 p.m. Saturday at
a depth of 40.3 miles (64.9 kilo-
meters). It was centered about
26 miles (42 kilometers) south-
west of Iguala in Guerrero and
103 miles (166 kilometers) south-
southwest of Mexico City.
Mexico's Interior Department
said the quake was felt in parts of
nine states.
-Compiled from
Daily wire reports
RELAXATION STATION
PAUL SHERMA
LSA junior Patricia Haslinger and LSA freshman Holly Eschenburg recieve massages at the Trotter Multicultural
Center as a part of the 72 Hour Study Break on Friday night.
BUDGET
From Page 1A
do harm to institutions right
now by saying, 'OK, suddenly
we're going to have a formula
that seems wills-nill."
very specific in those measure-
ments.
"We're not at all opposed to
performance-based funding.
yia bcii 1 y-11 . pc v iai~-ac ui lg,
Regents last month, University Coleman suggested using the Hanlon said. "How the formu-
President Mary Sue Coleman Carnegie Classification of Insti- la's constructed is really impor-
wrote that the state should put tutions of Higher Education to tant, and an important piece is
more emphasis on academic decide the state's appropriated that it captures performance
performance, rather than just funds. The system groups com- and not activity."
fulfil criteria like graduation parable universities and has Last month Coleman and
and retention rates. controls for institutional differ- Hanlon sent a letter to Nixon's
In an interview with The ences, making it a useful tool in office voicing their concerns
Michigan Daily last week, Cole- analyzing various universities. regarding the formula.
man echoed her previous state- Because the state's formula Nixon told the Daily he's
ments and said she's worried is still being developed, Nixon "not offended by the letter,"
about the equality of the new said he wasn't able to comment but added the formula's devel-
funding plan. on specifics details. However, opment is based on realistic
"I've never seen a formula he said the formula will include options for the state.
that could be fair," Coleman performance-based metrics "We are dealing with a cer-
said in her office-on the second like graduation rates. tain set of realities as we put
floor of the Fleming Admin- In an interview with the together the budget and those
istration Building. "I'm very Daily last week University Pro- realities are that we aren't flush
concerned since the funding vost Phil Hanlon said though with cash," Nixon said. "So as
level in the state is the bottom the University supports perfor- you look at the resources we
10 percent in the nation among mance metrics, the construc- have, you have to take great
states, that somehow we would tion of the formula must be care in allocating them."
U.S. Postal Service cuts
jobs amnidfinncialstrife
PETA continues to use pigs in intuba-
PTagetion training.
From Page lA In an e-mail sent to the Daily
on Friday, David Perle, senior
lems or the inability to find a media coordinator for PETA,
new home prevented some adop- wrote that PETA was pleased
tions," the statement said. with the University's decision
The statement added that to replace cats with intubation
while the University's main pri- simulators.
ority has been to provide quality "Lost, stolen and homeless
training to flight nurses through pets will no longer have hard
the Survival Flight course, it plastic tubes repeatedly forced
aims to reduce the number of down their delicate windpipes,
animals used in research and before finally being killed," Perle
educational initiatives. wrote.
"(The University) is commit- He added PETA will continue
ted to the principles known as to campaign to stop the use of
the "3 Rs" - reducing the pigs in intubation training at the
number of animals used to the University.
minimum necessary, replacing LSA junior Akshay Verma,
the use of animals with director of the student organi-
other options whenever pos- zation Michigan Animal Rights
sible and refinement of practices Society, said while she was glad
to ensure the most humane to hear that the course will no
conditions possible," the state- longer be using live cats intrain-
ment said. ing, she is disappointed that the
Howeverthe FOIA data shows use of pigs will persist.
that the University uses cats "For me, I think the grossest
from R&R Research, an animal injustice is that it was unneces-
dealer currently under inves- sary," Verma said.
tigation by the United States He added he believes the med-
Department of Agriculture for ical problems the cats endured
criminal charges of selling stolen that led to their eventual eutha-
and undocumented pets. nization were likely a result
"The records show that (the of their use in the University's
University) obtains the cats training.
from R&R Research - a notori- In May, more than 100,000
ous 'Class B' animal dealer that signatures were compiled for a
obtains lost, stray and aban- petition to end the use of cats in
doned cats and dogs from animal Survival Flight training. MARS
shelters as well as from undocu- and PETA have campaigned
mented 'random sources,' the against the use of animals in
PETA release states. the Survival Flight training pro-
According to the University's gram for years, garnering sup-
statement, no cats have been port from the Michigan Student
used in intubation training since Assembly and appealing to the
July. However, Survival Flight University Board of Regents.
domain names for any purpose.
DOMAINS "The University has absolutely
From Page 1A no intention of creating web-
sites in this new .xxx domain,"
Fitzgerald said.
it as a bit of an insurance policy The University owns a total
on the Internet." of 470 domain names, but 50 of
The .xxx domain names those names only protect the
became available for purchase institution from being used by
last Tuesday, the same day the another entity. For example, the
University filed for a number of University owns michigandif-
the names it ultimately procured. ference.org, michigandifference.
"By opening up this new sort com and michigandifference.net,
of new section of the Internet, but only michigandifference.org
if you will, it kind of reopens is a functional website. The oth-
the whole naming convention," ers direct users to the website.
Fitzgerald said. "So that's the According to Fitzgerald, this
reason that we took these sort of avoids confusion for users decid-
additional steps, just to protect ing which website to visit to find
the reputation of the University." University-affiliated content.
The University acquired the A number of universities in
domain names in two phases. Michigan have also taken similar
The first was in October, when precautionary measures. Central
the University and other corpo- Michigan University purchased
rations were given the opportu- three domain names, and other
nity to buy the domain names of universities around the country
phrases for which they had reg- have also followed suit.
istered trademarks as of Sept. 1, Michigan State Univer-
2011. At that time, the University sity chose not to buy any .xxx
acquired 14 names at the price of domain names and instead plans
$200 per name for a 10-year peri- to closely monitor the use of xxx
od. Some of these included wol- websites under the university's
verines.xxx, mgoblue.xxx and name.
michigandifference.xxx. MSU spokesman Kent Cas-
On Tuesday, the University sella told the Detroit Free Press
had the opportunity to bid on there are too many potential
domain names for which no reg- domain names for the school
istered trademark exists. In this to buy, so it doesn't make sense
phase, the University purchased financially for MSU to buy them.
an additional seven names such Should MSU's legal copyrights
as umich.xxx and leadersand- be infringed upon, the school
best.xxx. These were purchased would take legal action, accord-
at the cost of $99 each for a one- ing the Detroit Free Press.
year period. While Fitzgerald acknowl-
Fitzgerald said while he is edged that the University cannot
unaware if a decision has offi- protect every name, he said the
cially been made as to whether or decision was the right call finan-
not the University will renew the cially.
one-year holds on the websites, "It was the University's judg-
he believes it most likely will. ment that these costs were rea-
He added that the Univer- sonable, and (it) just seemed
sity does not plan on using these to make sense to go ahead and
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Upward of 28,000
mail positions to be
slashed
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) -
The U.S. Postal Service's plan to
close 252 mail processing facili-
ties and cut 28,000 jobs by the
end of next year may help the
agency curb its mounting finan-
cial problems, but it faces big
practical obstacles.
Deciding which plants to
close will be difficult and face
opposition from community
leaders. Actually closing all of
them could take a few years, and
most workers will stay employed
under union rules. The bulk of
the job cuts will actually come
from attrition and retirements,
not layoffs, while the remaining
work force is shuffled into new
locations and positions.
What's about to unfold in cit-
ies from Reno, Nev., to Chicago
will illustrate the complexity of
cutting a work force protected
by strong union contracts and
shrinking operations dependent
on intricate logistics.
"The downsizing or the
demise of the postal service, it's
going to be a mess and it's going
to bea mess for a long time," said
John Zodrow, a retired Denver
attorney and former Postal Ser-
vice arbitrator who wrote a book
about its labor relations. "It's a
huge undertaking."
The proposed closures are
among several moves aimed at
helping the agency avert bank-
ruptcy and adjust to declin-
ing mail volume as customers
migrate to the Internet to com-
municate and pay bills. Delivery
changes announced Monday
would virtually eliminate the
chance for stamped letters to
arrive the next day for the first
time in 40 years and pave the
way for closing more than half
of the 461 plants where the mail
gets processed and sorted.
Postal officials say they can
save up to $3 billion by 2015 by
following through with the cuts
- getting rid of buildings, run-
ningequipment more efficiently,
operating fewer mail trucks and
cutting employees.
The postal service's man-
ager of collective bargaining
said Monday that the agency
foresaw the "potential for sig-
nificant attrition" given that
more than 20 percent of postal
workers were eligible for early
retirement. Managers and non-
career employees could be laid
off while no decisions have been
made on how any early retire-
ment incentives will be offered,
said the official, Kevin Rachel.
For most workers and com-
munities, the uncertainty is ter-
rible but the economic impact
might not be as catastrophic
as feared. Most workers in the
facilities are represented by
the American Postal Workers
Union, which reached a four-
year contract in May guarantee-
ing that its 220,000 clerks and
maintenance employees cannot
be laid off or transferred more
than 50 miles away.
Employees in plants that are
closed will have to decide wheth-
er to relocate to the places where
work is consolidated, which will
need to rapidly expand in size. If
they stay behind, they will fight
for remaining jobs in the area
and will likely have to switch
duties. Many post offices, for
instance, have deliberately left
open retail clerk and letter-car-
rying jobs.
"It's, 'grab a job before there
are no more jobs left to be
grabbed.' It's the proverbial
musical chairs," Zodrow said.
Zodrow said the turbulence
could motivate more workers
to take early retirement, which
he warned would be a mistake
for some. Postal workers do not
have skills that transfer well to
the private sector and are mak-
ing more than they would else-
where, he said.
The outcome of negotiations
between the postal service and
unions representing mail han-
dlers and letter carriers, which
both have deadlines of next
week, could be crucial in deter-
mining how cost-cutting plans
are carried out. Mail handlers,
who are represented by a union
of 47,000 members, are bargain-
ing about job protections and
reassignment rules.
Kate Bronfenbrenner, direc-
tor of labor education research
at Cornell University, said she
wonders whether the postal ser-
vice will get as many retirements
as it is counting on. "Nobody in
this economy is retiring unless
they are really ready. There has
to be some incentive," she said.
The agency first has to decide
which plants to close.
While they have had a list of
252 prospective targets since
September, postal officials say
final decisions will not be made
until they assess the potential
savings, the impact on mail
delivery and whether other
plants in the area could handle
the volume.
There will be intense local
opposition. The city council in
Reno, Nev., passed a resolution
Wednesday protesting any plans
to close its processing facility
and move 177 jobs to West Sac-
ramento, Calif., one of the pro-
posals under review. Members
of Congress in Iowa, Illinois and
elsewhere are already going to
bat for local plants. Businesses
that rely on speedy mail delivery
are fighting, too.
Once a closing decision is
made, it could take a year or
longer to wind down operations
and transition work elsewhere,
postal service spokesman Rich-
ard Watkins said in a phone
interview from Kansas City.
The closing of the mail pro-
cessing center in Sioux, City,
Iowa, in October illustrates
what may be awaiting other
postal workers.
Some mail handlers and
clerks moved 90 miles north
to the facility in Sioux Falls,
S.D., where their operations
were transferred. Some union
employees filled vacant posi-
tions for letter carriers in Sioux
City and are now walking routes.
Others have been performing
temporary assignments while
they wait for permanent jobs.