The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Thursday, March 29, 2012 - 5A


HOLDER
From Page 1A
law school to consider Holder as
a prospective speaker.
"We examine people who are
nationally prominent, whether
in public office or private indus-
try," Caminker said. "I hope that
the attorney general can offer
students insight on ways of com-
mitting one's self to parts of the
industry."
In a statement this afternoon,
Adora Andy, press secretary for
the U.S. Department of Justice,
said Holder will speak to gradu-
ates regarding the "critical role
attorneys play in strengthening
our country." Andy added that
Holder will also discuss how
graduates can use their legal
education to make a difference
in their communities.
Law student Sarah Palmer,
former co-chair of Outlaws, a
political and social organiza-
tion that serves the needs of the
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgen-
GREEK WEEK
From Page 1A
Hospital, The Friendship Circle,
SafeHouse Center, Ele'sPlace and
the Scott L. King Serving Aces for
Sarcoma Research Endowment.
LSA junior Laura Raines, a
member of the Greek Week 2012
business committee and the Zeta
Tau Alpha sorority, said orga-
nizers added a new community
service day to this year's activi-
ties. Teams New York City, New
Orleans, Chicago, Aspen, Miami
and Las Vegas sent about 100
members to nearby Dexter to help
clean up damage from the March
15 tornado.
"It was a really great addi-
tion this year to get more into
the service aspect instead of just
the competition and just raising
money," Raines said.
Raines explained that other
service projects included cleaning
up Nichols Arboretum, writing
letters to soldiers serving over-
seas, and volunteering with Will
Work For Food - a University
organization aimed at supporting
malnourished children around
the world. The week also includ-
ed traditional events such as the

der and queer community at the
University, said she is pleased
that Holder will be delivering
the speech after her involvement
in protesting Portman's appear-
ance last year.
"It's encouraging that Dean
Caminker consulted with some
students before making the
choice this year," Palmer said.
"Hopefully it'll be a lot more
representative of the commu-
nity."
Though first-year Law stu-
dent Zack Stillings isn't graduat-
ing this year, he echoed Palmer
in hoping that the commence-
ment speech will better stand
for the students' views.
"The (third-year Law stu-
dents) are very excited about
it, so it should be a very good
thing," Stillings said.
Third-year Law student Ilya
Feldsherov agreed that Holder
was a wiser choice than Port-
man.
Feldsherov said he protested
Portman's speech last year, add-
ing he was pleased he would

"not have to walk out (of) my
own commencement."
"I'm glad that this year it's
someone who is, in my opinion,
much less controversial, and
someone that I would be glad to
hear speak," he said.
Feldsherov pointed to Hold-
er's intent to address lawyers'
service to the community and
the choice of an African-Amer-
ican speaker as the two main
reasons he is looking forward
the speech. As a coach of Ypsi-
lanti High School's mock trial
team and as a Teach for America
alum, Feldsherov said he agreed
with Holder's message, and as a
member of the Black Law Stu-
dents Alliance he said he was
eager to hear the attorney gen-
eral.
"He's a prominent figure, but
he's also a prominent African-
American figure," he said. "It's
great that it's a prominent Afri-
can American- - I'm happier
about that than necessarily the
fact that he lines up with my
own politics."

AUSTEN HUFFORD/Daily

LSA senior Ariel Taivalksoki prepares a specimen for the Museum of Zoology Bird Division.


Greek Olympics, the Mr. Greek
Week pageant and Anchor Splash
- an aquatics competition held by
Delta Gamma sorority.
Raines added that the annual
Journey of Dreams - an event
in which representatives from
each of the six charities benefit-
ing from the week's events spoke
to team members and University
students about the missions of
their organizations - was partic-
ularly successful this year.
"While (Greek Week) is a fun
time in our community, it also
helped a lot of people in the Ann
Arbor community," she said.
Raines said she is proud of the
work the Greek community did
this year, adding that events such
as the Greek Week blood drive -
collected 40 donations per day
for five days - are particularly
important to helping those in
need.
"It has been a great turn-
out. Everyone has been around,
wearing their team shirts and
showing great spirit," she said.
"It has been a great week just to
show the campus what the com-
munity does and was a great way
to give back and still have fun."
LSA senior Julia Martorana,
a member of the Pi Beta Phi

sorority and part of Team Las
Vegas, volunteered in Dexter and
helped to remove fallen trees and
other debris from the aftermath
of tornado. Martorana wrote in
an e-mail interview that help-
ing local people in need was
gratifying, particularly during
her experience of speaking with
a woman who could see the tor-
nado from her window.
"We were glad we could help
and hope that others will join
in the effort of helping a nearby
town get back to normal," Mar-
torana wrote.
Business seniorAllison Haney,
also a member of the Pi Beta
Phi sorority, wrote in an e-mail
interview that there was a clear
need for help in Dexter and she
was glad to have the opportunity
to take part in the service learn-
ing experience.
"One thing I learned is that
the insurance companies pay
for structure damage, but don't
cover anything else on the prop-
erty, such as clearing trees,"
Haney wrote. "We were told
many of the residents affected
were older or lived alone, so a
task like removing trees would
have been too difficult to do with:
out volunteers."

From Page IA
said people from all over the
country come to study the speci-
mens in the museum's collection,
though it is not open to the pub-
lic. He said a veterinarian from
Sea World in Florida visited a few
years ago to study the museum's
collection of whale teeth.
Myers explained that his
job is largely a balance of keep-
ing specimens preservgd and
ensuring their longevity for
future research, while also mak-
ing them available for current
research..-
"Our charge is to make sure
nothing bad happens to them,
but also to make them avail-
able for teaching and research,"
Myers said.
Myers has recently found
a way to increase access and
eliminate potential harm to
the specimens. A new website
called Animal Diversity Web -
an online species information
database - has allowed Myers to
share the University's collection
with scientists worldwide.
Myers said he came up with
the idea while teaching a class
about animal diversity in 1995,
noting that he thought the best
way to help the students learn
would be to let them discover the
information for themselves.
Myers set out to create a web-
site where students could learn
from and add information about
the animals. He enlisted Roger

Espinosa, a University applica-
tions programmer-analyst, and
Trisha Jones, a research area
specialist, to help him with the
technical aspects of the project.
Animal Diversity Web has
a large collection of "species
accounts" - written reports that
describe various aspects of spe-
cies. There are more than 3,300
species profiles, which together
include more than 22,000 imag-
es.
The site is unique, Myers said,
because the information is orga-
nized into an easy to use data-
base that makes searching for
species simple.
"Literally, with a couple clicks
of a mouse, we can have students
generate a table where each
row is a species and each col-
umn is some attribute," Myers
explained.
Undergraduate students at the
University contribute most of
the information, with additions
from other institutions around
the country. Myers said for some
classes students are required to
research and add a new species
to the database.
"We ask students to put a lot
into writing these accounts,"
Myers said. "It's not just amatter
of going to Wikipedia and look-
ing up a few facts."
Myers, other co-workers
and volunteers then check the.
reports for accuracy before they
are made available online.
"It has to be correct and it has

to be legitimate," Myers said.
Myers said students from
more than 50 universities, who
contribute to ADB, benefit since
it enables their work to be shown
to a large online audience. Myers
said the site gets about 400,000
visits every month.
For Myers, the website has
three main purposes - it can
increase animal knowledge,
improve undergraduate teaching
and showcase University speci-
mens to the public.
"If you're a high school class
in Detroit, you really don't have
access to the, diversity of mam-
mals that we have here physi-
cally, but you can go online and
actually see specimens."
Recently, Myers and Educa-
tion Prof. Nancy Songer have
rewritten the data at a lower
reading level to increase accessi-
bility for younger students. This
website, called "Critter Catalog,"
is used by public middle and ele-
mentary schools in Detroit.
Songer said the website ben-
efits both undergraduates and
younger. students in different
ways. Undergraduate students
learn research skills by creating
the pages while younger students
learn about animals by exploring
the information.
Songer and Myers agree that
students learn better when they
are actively engaged.
"Kids don't learn very much
science if its memorization
intensive," Songer said.


FOOTBALL
From Page 1A

A+R treasurer, said the orga
tion seeks to facilitate and
good deeds throughout the
Arbor.

schooling amid financial crises "Our big mission state
at home. as Appreciate + Reciproca
Throughout the night, the appreciating what we have
speakers stressed the impor- given and then trying to rec
tance of working hard and giving cate that for other people
back to the community. gratitude for what we have
"The importance of giving given," Duiven said.
back, as I understood; is that if Football coach Brady
someone supported you, support was scheduled to speak,
them," Jones said in an interview could not attend due t
after the event. father's death on Mo
Jones, who founded the Bow Though he was not in a
Tie Cause Foundation, said he dance, Carr acknowle
believes in giving back to the Hoke's achievements durin
community and those around speech.
him, which is the primary focus In an interview after
of A+R. event, Carr continued to
"You came into this world Hoke's work since beco
with the help of another and head coach of the football to
you are going to leave this world "Brady and his staff have,
helping others as well," Jones a tremendous job last fall.
said. you go from 115th in the cou
Jones said that Carr, who in defense to 15th, you knc
coached him from 1996-1999, you've done some things r
helped inspire him to give back Carr said.
to others. Carr added: "Every
"Coach Carr taught me, 'It's has to instill the things
not about you. It's about some- he believes deeply in, an
thing greater than yourself'," very obvious the players
Jones said. "I've lived my life responded in a significant w
that way ever since." Carr said this season has
LSA junior Jack Duiven, the particularly enjoyable to w;

niza-
spur
Ann
ment
ate is
been
ipro-
out of
been
Hoke
, but
o his
nday.
tten-
edged
ng his
the
laud
ming
:eamn.
done
When
mntry
low ...
ight,"
coach
that
d it's
have
nay."
been
'atch,

especially with the team's vic-
tories over Nebraska, Ohio State
and Virginia Tech in the Sugar
Bowl.
"I think (Hoke and his team)
are generating great enthusiasm
among the students," he added.
After dinner, Jones moder-
ated a panel with Carr and Mar-
tin where they talked about the
importance of helping others,
and how certain mentors had
had an impact on their lives.
For Carr, the motivating fig-
ure in his life was late Michigan
football coach Bo Schembechler.
Martin said his influence was his
mother, who was sitting in the
front row.
"Really, all you have in life is
the people you surround yourself
with and the relationships that
you have," Martin said. "To real-
ly cherish that, that is something
I learned from (my mom)."
Martin said it's bittersweet
joining Jones as a former Wol-
verine after completing his
senior season, but noted that he
is looking forward to the future,
adding that he'd ideally like to
play for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
"Steeler Nation Baby - but
hey, it's not my choice," Martin
said. We'll seewhat happens on
draft day."


RESIGNATION delayed reporting the alleged
possession of child pornography
From Page 1A by the former resident for six
months.
have Suellyn return to the Law "It has absolutely nothing
School faculty," Caminker said. to do with (the Jenson case),"
"As a tireless legal advocate for Fitzgerald said. "Suellyn was
children and an experienced very instrumental in handling
civil litigator, she will be a won- the University's response to that
derful addition to a wide array situation and she's worked very
of our outstanding legal clinics, hard going forward with that."
including our Human Traffick- Coleman asked Scarnecchia
ing Clinic."
According to Coleman's
e-mail, Debra Kowich, associ-
ate general counsel, will serve 'V
as interim vice president and
general counsel until a com- "For the veggie
mittee selects a permanent
replacement for Scarnecchia. Present valid stu
University spokesman Rick
Fitzgerald said there is no time-
frame for finding a permanent
replacement. any en
Fitzgerald said Scarnec- Dine-in/Carry-outnly .Nov
chia's decision to change posi- 10 * * MaNinnAb, M3
tions was not influenced by the
recent case involving Stephen
Jenson, in which the Univer-
sity of Michigan Health System

to remain as a special assistant
to advise the implementation
of the response plan she and
her office developed to improve
management issues that caused
the lapse in reporting the felony.
"I'm pleased Suellyn has
agreed to serve asa special assis-
tant to me through May 2013,
to complete this and several
other critical projects," Coleman
wrote.

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2012 Orren C. Mohler Prize Lecture
Friday, March 30, 2012 " 7:00pm
New Worlds:
the Search for Planets
outside the Solar System
Scott Tremaine
Institute for Advanced Study
member of the National Academy of Sciences
In the past fifteen years, hundreds of planets
have been found around other stars. The
ultimate goal is to find Earth-like planets that
could sustain life.
182 Dennison Bldg., 500 Church St.
Sponsored by the Department of Astronomy
http://goo.gl/unXhm (734) 764-3440


-~ S

f,