The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Thursday, January 5, 2012 - 5A
CAUCUSES
From Page 1A
of the audience was part of what
drew him to Paul.
"This was nice, just because
I've got more views on Ron Paul
now," he said.
However, not all of Paul's
young supporters were attracted
to him simply as a result of the
enthusiasm of their peers.
. Drake University sophomore
Ben Levine said he got involved
in Paul's campaign several
months before Paul began to rise
in the polls. For Levine; Paul's
libertarian policy positions were
why he supported him.
"Paul stands for something
consistently," Levine said. "I
don't think there's as much ener-
gy for other candidates because
it's hard to get behind somebody
who's going to say anything to
get elected, whereas Ron Paul,
WATER
From Page lA
algae growth.
"(It's) a little bizarre, but they
growlike crazy whenyou add this
stuff," Cardinale said. "It could be
quite possible that this herbicide
could actually stimulate growth
of things that clean up water and
produce oxygen."
Despite the apparent change in
the growth rate, Cardinale said
no observations are official yet,
and the algae could potentially
be harmful. He plans to assess
factors such as the speed of oxy-
gen production and nutrient con-
sumption in the future.
"If those algae aren't edible
(to fish), there could be knock-on
OBAMA
From Page 1A
drew attention to the state of
Michigan - where Romney's
father served as governor in the
1960s - by mentioning Rom-
ney's controversial decision to
withdraw his support for gov-
ernment aid in the bailout of the
Detroit auto industry in 2008.
"Mitt Romney has a lot of
explaining to do in Michigan,"
Axelrod said. "He let Detroit go
bankrupt. The President took a
different view, which was that
we shouldn't cavalierly dismiss
the auto industry. Romney is
going to try and seize on the fact
that he's from Michigan, but
the question is whether he's for
Michigan."
Axelrod added that he
believes Romney is misguided
in his belief that productivity
can be equated with financial
stability in his economic policy
stances.
"(Romney) talks about a meri-
tocracy, but what he means is
that if you have all the advan-
tages, you should have all the
advantages and everyone else
should be left to fend for them-
selves," Axelrod said.
Messina echoed Axelrod's
sentiments and said Obama's
campaigning leading up to the
caucuses was reminiscent of the
"ground-up" movement built by
Obama's campaign in 2007 and
he has proven time and time
again (that) he's (going to) say
whatever he wants."
Levine, who has been cam-
paigning for Paul for a few
months, said he also believes
Paul could be viable in the gen-
eral election.
"I think he could blow Obama
out of the water," he said.
When deciding who to sup-
port, Valley High School senior
Clara Shoemaker said she seeks
candidates that share similar
values to her, particularly in
regard to religion.
"What I look for is people who
have the same beliefs as me,"
Shoemaker said. "My faith is
really important to me, so I'm not
for abortion, and then Republi-
can views (are also important to
me.)"
While young voters in Iowa
hold varying values and come
from a variety of backgrounds,
they seemed to hold one prin-
effects to other things we care
about," Cardinale said. "We will
not know until the data is ana-
lyzed."
Cardinale said environmen-
tal studies scientists have com-
monly believed testing Roundup
was ineffective, but his study
may disprove the idea. Scientists
have also previouslythought that
the active compound in Roundup
would break down easily, but he
said the increased algae growth
may suggest otherwise.
Thus far, the study's findings
apply strictly to the Huron River,
but Cardinale plans to test other
rivers in Michigan this summer.
Cardinale cited the Rouge
River in metro Detroit as a body
of water that is similarly in need
of environmental improvement,
adding that the Huron River is
2008. He added that the Obama
campaign is attemptingto recre-
ate its past success by mimicking
previous tactics.
"(The campaign) has con-
tinued to reach out to voters
through cafes and coffee shops,
just like the caucuses in 2008,
building from the ground up,
despite our running uncontest-
ed," Messina said.
Obama ran unopposed in this
year's Democratic caucuses and
secured a victory with 98 per-
cent of the vote, according to the
Iowa Democratic Party.
Thus far, Obama's campaign
has held 1,435 training and plan-
ning sessions, house parties and
phone banks, according to Mes-
sina.
Sixty two field team leaders
were sent to Michigan, and 71
were sent to Colorado, both of
which are battleground states in
2012, Messina said.
Despite the Obama cam-
paign's attention to Romney's
platforms, University Political
Science Prof. Vincent Hutchings
said in an interview before the
caucuses that policy may not be
the most important issue to vot-
ers. *
"(The caucuses) appear to
have generated into kind of a
popularity contest based on
perceived personality traits,"
Hutchings said. "The voters
don't appear to be primarily
focusing on the policy implica-
tions of their choices."
ciple in common - a belief in
the importance of voting among
America's youth.
"I think it's good just to be
responsible and to be involved in
the process," Hall said. "In the
last election, we saw what a lot of
young people could do in really
rallying behind Barack Obama
and really, you know, helping
him surge to the nomination ... so
I think that young people have a
huge part."
Levine agreed, addingthat the
United States is at a critical point
in its history, making it critical
for young people to get involved
if they want a say in where the
country goes.
"We're really at a point where
you have two options: You can go
down the same path or you can
switch gears," Levine said. "And
if students don't realize that, and
they don't get involved ... you're
not (going to) have the same
country we have now."
healthier because it is aided by
extensive bidiversiy and con-
tains healthy levels ofynutrients.
"The goal ultimately is to build
on our case study of the Huron
River to include pretty much all
the watersheds in Michigan that
would be flowing into the Great
Lakes."
Cardinale, who previously
lived in California, sampled riv-
ers in Los Angeles and through-
out southern California before
comingto the University.
He said syringes, body parts
and other medical waste in some
California rivers required him to
get vaccinations before testing
them.
"(It's) unbelievable in a devel-
oped country thatyou have to get
vaccinations before you go into a
stream," he said.
Axelrod said Romney entered
and emerged from Tuesday's
contest as a "kind of weak front
runner," due to his unstable lead.
Amanda Caldwell, chair of the
University's chapter of College
Democrats, said in an interview
before the caucuses that all of
the candidates appear toube lack-
ing strong support, which she
said was evident during events
leading up to the caucuses.
"They don't have a candidate
who a lot of people are getting
behind, who's getting a lot of
movement," Caldwell said.
Though Axelrod only dis-
cussed his thoughts on Romney,
he said the president's campaign
is prepared to face any nominee,
regardless of whether or not
Romney proves victorious.
Looking forward, Brian Kozi-
ara, external vice-chair of the
University's chapter of College
Republicans, said Romney could
strengthen his campaign in New
Hampshire if he emphasizes his
economic experience.
"I think it all comes down
to the candidate's background
and experience," Koziara said.
"Romney is seen as more adept
when it comes to the economy.
He's able to handle economic
issues a lot more easily and he
has more widespread appeal to
most independents."
-Daily Staff Reporter
Andrew Schulman
contributed to this report.
Randy King, Superintendent at Mount Rainier National Park, speaks with reporters, on Jan. 2
Mount Rainier National Park
to re-open after ranger death
Memorial service
to be held next
Thesday
SEATTLE (AP) - Mount
Rainier National Park will
reopen to the public on Satur-
day, nearly a week after a park
ranger was shot to death trying
to stop a vehicle inside the park.
A public memorial service
has been scheduled Tuesday at
a Tacoma university for Mar-
garet Anderson, a 34-year-old
mother of two who was married
to another park ranger.
Anderson had set up a road-
block on New Year's Day to stop
a vehicle that blew through a
checkpoint that Mount Rain-
ier rangers use to determine
whether vehicles are equipped
with chains for winter driving.
The driver of that vehicle shot
Anderson in her car and fled on
foot.
Searchers found the body of
the suspect, Benjamin Colton
Barnes, in a snowy creek Mon-
day with a handgun and rifle
nearby. An autopsy showed he
had hypothermia and drowned.
Police say Barnes, a 24-year-
old Iraq war veteran, had been
involved in an earlier shooting
at a party early on New Year's
Day in Skyway, south of Seattle.
Both shootings were under
investigation Wednesday.
The family of Barnes extend-
ed condolences and asked for
privacy in a statement published
by The Seattle Times.
"Please know that our
thoughts and prayers are with
you and your families as well
during this difficult time,"
the statement said. "We are as
shocked as anyone concerning
the events of the last few days
and while we in no way condone
or excuse Ben's behavior, he was
a beloved member of our fam-
ily and we are saddened by his
loss."
Mount Rainier National Park
receives 1.5 million visitors each
year. In a statement, the park
said that all services would be
available Saturday except for
snow play.
An incident management
team brought in by the Nation-
al Park Service was helping
plan the memorial service for
Anderson, who had worked at
Mount Rainier for three years.
She is survived by her husband
and two young daughters. The
memorial will be at 1 p.m. Tues-
day at Pacific Lutheran Univer-
sity, park spokeswoman Patti
Wold said.
LETTER
From Page 1A
In the letter, Coleman dis-
cussed four ways to keep higher
education affordable and acces-
sible for more American fami-
lies, including an increase in
private donations to universi-
ties, increased partnerships
with private businesses, greater
philanthropic donations and
further budget restraints at the
institutions.
"Higher education is a pub-
lic good currently lacking pub-
lic support," Coleman wrote.
"There is no stronger trigger for
rising costs at public universities
and colleges than declining state
support."
White House Director of
Social Media Shin Inouye wrote
in a Dec. 28 statement to The
Michigan Daily that the Obama
administration "appreciates"
Coleman's commitment to the
issue and will continue to work
with university presidents in the
future to manage costs.
"The President and his
administration have already
taken many steps to make col-
lege more affordable, including
acting to reduce monthly pay-
ments for students, double fund-
ing for Pell grants and creating a
$2,500 tax credit to help pay for
school," Inouye wrote.
Coleman also wrote in the let-
ter that the state cut 15 percent
of the University's funding last
year-amounting to a 30-per-
cent reduction over the last
decade. She added that the cuts
are not unique to Michigan, and
that many public universities
and colleges across the country
share similar problems.
Specifically, she noted how
underfunding of the higher edu-
cation system in California has
led to the rapid "dismantling" of
institutions admired around the
world.
The University has tried to
follow the principles outlined
in Coleman's letter in recent
years, University spokesman
Rick Fitzgerald said in a Dec.
22 interview. He added that the
University has tried to shield
student costs as much as pos-
sible in the face of budget cuts.
"The University has a com-
mitment to increase financial
aid by at least the same per-
centage that tuition increased,"
Fitzgerald said. "In six of the
last seven years, financial aid
has increased at 10 percent or
more. In this year's budget, cen-
trally awarded financial aid was
budgeted at $137 million, which
was a record amount."
Fitzgerald added that Cole-
man, who also serves as presi-
dent of the Association of
American Universities, sent the
letter to Obama in mid-Decem-
ber because she was unable to
attend a meeting of university
presidents hosted at the White
House earlier in the month.
Art & Design senior Ian
Matchett, spokesman for occu-
py U-M, said he views the let-
ter as a valid start, but doesn't
agree with all of Coleman's
positions.
Specifically, Matchett said
he believes Coleman's goal of
increased state funding is the
most effective way of maintain-
ing college affordability, add-
ing some of the other goals are
unhelpful or even antithetical to
Occupy U-M's beliefs.
"Philanthropy is something
that is nice - it happens, but you
can't build a policy around the
sporadic goodwill of a minority
class," Matchett said. "You have
to build a policy that's sustain-
able, whether Bill Gates feels
like giving you a million dollars
this year or not."
To showcase its feelings on
the issue, last month, the Occu-
py U-M movement protested
against tuition costs atthe Board
of Regents meeting.
While Matchett said he sup-
ports University interaction
with businesses, he also believes
that the state should increase
funding with tax revenue gener-
ated from businesses, whether
or not the businesses directly
benefit from such partnerships.
"You can't have a business
only pay for public education
when it benefits (the business)
specifically or (when) it sees a
direct personal benefit from it,"
Matchett said. "Businesses are
benefiting from a socially-creat-
ed wealth."
Libyan military aims to
protect desert borders
Mangoush makes
disarming former
rebels top priority
TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) - Lib-
ya's new military chief of staff
said yesterday his first missions
are to protect the desert nation's
vast borders and help disarm
thousands of former rebels who
took part in the overthrow of
longtime leader Moammar Gad-
hafi.
Speaking to reporters in the
capital, Tripoli, Gen. Youssef
Mangoush said the country's
fledgling military faces huge
obstacles, including rebuilding
its bases and purchasing new
equipment.
"Many of the military com-
pounds are partially or totally
damaged, most of the gear and
equipment is destroyed and the
army before the revolution was
neglected by the old regime," he
said.
One of the most serious and
immediate problems facing
the interim leaders is disband-
ing disparate armed groups
of former revolutionary fight-
ers, divided among the regions
where the operate. The regional
militias, which played a main
role in bringing Gadhafi down,
are in charge of security in their
areas in the absence of a strong
and unified national military
force. Clashes are frequent.
Fierce gunbattles between the
militias erupted this week in the
center of Tripoli, leaving at least
four fighters dead.
Mangoush said unifying the
militias is a top priority.
"We hope to integrate the
rebels and have life go back to
normal, and keep things under
control," Mangoushsaid. He said
that in the first phase of recruit-
ment, some 25,000 soldiers will
be trained.
"Our long term plans are to
build a modern army," he said.
The Libyan military, still
recruiting fighters and under-
going an overhaul, has also yet
to establish itself as the central
authority on the ground.
Mangoush said that brigades
that once protected Gadhafi,
who was captured and killed in
October, are still armed.
Mangoush was once a spe-
cial forces commander under
Gadhafi, but he resigned from
the military 10 years before the
uprising. He joined with the
opposition in its battle to over-
throw Gadhafi's regime shortly
after protests erupted in Febru-
CO-OP
FromPage 1A
centrally located to campus.
The planning committee for the
co-op is currently looking at
property in the South University
Ave. area, as well as the former
Border's property on East Lib-
erty Street, Green said.
A major initiative of the co-op
is to develop a place where stu-
dents can be educated about
local food sources, while learn-
ing more about choosing healthy
food options, Green said. Ulti-
mately he said he hopes that the
co-op will become an educa-
tional tool for students, since the
University doesn't have a large
agricultural program like Michi-
gan State University.
"Michigan has had a need for
a large-scale food program,"
Green said.
Green said the group has also
received help from organiza-
tions that have expressed inter-
est in collaborating with the
initiative to brainstorm ideas on
how to start the co-op.
Yoni Landau, co-founder of
the Cooperative Food Empow-
erment Directive - an organi-
zation that helps establish food
co-ops on college campuses -
said his group helped the Ann
Arbor Student Food Co-op get
off the ground.
"We've just started support-
ing their young endeavor and
they're doing great," Landau
said.
Landau said CoFED, a recent-
ly developed company, wishes to
create a formal membership sys-
tem in which co-ops like the Ann
Arbor Student Food Co-op work
collaboratively with its organi-
zation.
LSA senior Ellyn Guttman
said she usually shops at markets
away from campus because she
has a car.
"I don't think there are very
many options on campus and I
think it tends to be a little pric-
ier," Guttman said. "You usually
can't get everything you need."
Guttman added that it is often
difficult for students without
cars to obtain fresh meat and pro-
duce, and she said she believes
the new co-op would provide a
more convenient option.
"I like to get fresh fish, fresh
meat," Guttman said. "I think
for people who don't have cars,
a co-op can provide food to kids
who are on campus ... it would be
extremely beneficial."