The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Tuesday, January 17, 2012 - 3A NEWS BRIEFS GROSSE ILE, Mich. Coast Guard investigates report of body in river The U.S. Coast Guard says it's searching the Detroit River near Grosse Ile after a witness report- ed seeing what appeared to be a body in the water. Lt. Justin Westmiller says the Coast Guard sent out a helicopter and ship after getting the report yesterday afternoon. The report comes five days after a 27-year-old worker on the Ambassador Bridge fell 150 feet into the water. Several days of searching failed to find him. Ken Morton of Garden City was doing maintenance work on the bridge linking Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. Grosse Ile is about 10 miles downstream. MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. Jon Huntsman quits Republican presidential race Republican Jon Huntsman has dropped out of the GOP pres- idential race and has endorsed Mitt Romney. Huntsman said the former Massachusetts governor gives the Republican Party its best shot at defeating President Barack Obama in the November general election. After staking his candidacy on New Hampshire, Huntsman finished third in the primary there last week. He faced a likely defeat in South Carolina's prima- ry on Saturday. Huntsman's resume had sug- gested he could be a major con- tender for the GOP presidential nomination. But the former Utah governor and diplomat found a poor reception for his brand of moderate civility, which he had hoped would draw support from independents as well as Republi- can moderates. CARACAS, Venezuela * Venezuela sends Miami consulate personnel home Venezuela is withdrawing personnel from the country's consulate in Miami more quickly than planned because the per- sonnel have been threatened by exiles with links to terrorism, the foreign ministry announced yesterday. "With the intention of pre- serving their physical and moral integrity, the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezu- ela has decided to withdraw its consular personnel," the foreign ministry said in a statement. The decision comes shortly after President Hugo Chavez said his government would close the consulate in response to Washington's expulsion of a dip- * lomat there. The accused exiles reject the terrorism charges. SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador Funes apologizes for massacre after 20 years of denial El Salvador President Mauri- cio Funes apologized yesterday for the 1981 El Mozote massacre of 936 civilians in an army coun- terinsurgency operation. Funes also commemorated the 20th anniversary of the 1992 peace accords that put an end to the country's 12-year civil war. Funes said the El Mozote mas- sacre, named for the town where it occurred between Dec.11 to 13, 1981, was "the biggest massacre of civilians in the contemporary history of Latin America." He formally acknowledged the gov- ernment's responsibility for the killings. He also asked for forgiveness from the relatives of the estimat- ed 12,000 people disappeared in the conflict, which left 75,000 dead. -Compiled from Daily wire reports SUSTAINABILITY From Page 1A topics - climate action, waste prevention, healthy environ- ments and community aware- ness. The University's climate action sector has implement- ed programs geared toward energy conservation, reduced carbon and renewable energy technologies and "alterna- tive" University transporta- tion options, the report states. In order to continue devel- oping these initatives, there will be a renewed focus on the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, energy use and University transportation energy demand. The report indicated that energy use on campus has decreased by 21 percent since fiscal year 2004, which can largely be attributed to the involvement of Univer- sity buildings in sustain- able efforts, like Planet Blue Operations. According to the report, the Chrysler Center on North Campus reduced ener- gy use by 30 percent, the Insti- tute for Social Research also saw a 30-percent decrease and Angell Hall had a reduction of 18 percent. Despite these successes, total greenhouse gas emis- sions increased 7.5 percent from fiscal year 2010 to fiscal year 2011. The report attribut- ed this change to a population increase and greater electric- ity needs due to construction of University buildings during the period. The report added that the Universityexpects to decrease fuel use by 30 percent by inte- grating biodiesel buses and additional hybrid sedans to complement the transporta- tion systems' ethanol and electric vehicles. Sustainable efforts for waste prevention are also being currently being devel- oped for the University. The report indicated that Uni- versity programs such as the Student Move Out program, which has produced more than 140 tons of donations for local charities, have assisted with the green movement on campus. Due to these efforts, from fiscal year 2010 to fiscal year 2011, there has been a decrease of approximately 3 percent in total waste production and an approximate 4 percent decrease in annual trash dis- posal, according to the report. The healthy environments theme area of the report describes the University's SNYDER From Page 1A an America." Snyder spokeswoman Sara Wurfel wrote in an e-mail statement to the Daily that the governor appoints emergency managers to make certain that citizens are protected when dire financial circumstances arise. "The last thing the Gover- nor wants is to have to appoint emergency managers, as he views that as a failure point," Wurfel wrote. "However, he and the state have a criti- cal obligation to protect the health, safety and welfare of its citizens and to ensure that residents are not cut off from basic services ... and taxpayers are protected from the conse- quences of a municipality fail- ing to take action." Residents of Benton Harbor, Pontiac, Ecorse and Flint - all cities currently under control of emergency managers - spoke out at the rally about the abuses of management in their cities. Alison Woods, who identi- fied herself as a "former resi- dent" of Benton Harbor, said the emergency financial man- ager law has impacted the city's credibility. "The voice of Benton Har- bor is not being heard any longer," Woods said. "City offi- cials, city managers don't mat- ter. It's just a lot of corruption plans to preserve local habi- tats and water resources while aiding in sustainable food "sourcing." According to the report, the student-supported program "Go Blue, Eat Local" contributes to sustainabil- ity on campus by purchasing locally grown food for dining hall meals. "By purchasing locally pro- duced food, U-M can support Michigan's economy while preserving prime agricultural land," the report states. "Local produce tends to minimize transportation and process- ing, and is sold sooner after harvest maximizing fresh- ness, flavor and nutrient value." The report added that the University's efforts to pursue healthy environment initia- tives aided in the preserva- tion of endangered peregrine falcons. "A pair of endangered per- egrine falcons who have been seen on campus since 2006 gave birth for the first time after taking up residence in a nesting box built by a local Eagle Scout that U-M Staff located on the roof of the Uni- versity Hospital," the report states. Water conservation mea- sures are also in place due to increased water use in recent years. The University's water consumption increased by 6.2 percent during fiscal year 2010, but decreased by 7.1 per- cent from fiscal year 2004, according to the report. The University uses irriga- tion technology, including the computerized irrigation sys- tem Maxicom, to lessen water consumption, which has suc- ceeded in decreasing water use by 22 million gallons annually on Central and North Campuses. The University also aims to collaborate with the campus community and Ann Arbor residents through developing programs that promote com- munity awareness. The report describes efforts geared toward increased engage- ment, such as the Planet Blue Ambassador Program, that connects students, faculty and staff in sustainability move- ments around campus. "Promotingthe type of soci- etal change required to instill sustainability related values is an extremely challeng- ing task," the report states. "By providing education and opportunity, we can initiate a culture shift where sustain- able choices become a way of life and are no longer looked upon as additional responsi- bility or burden." goingon whether or not people don't see it." Flint resident Cheryl Jor- dan said though an emergency manger is brought in to rem- edy a failing government, their complete control over the city can lead to devastating results. "The emergency manager has extensive powers and can sell public assets, whatever he chooses," Jordan said. "... We hope he is going to be a benev- olent dictator, but there is no guarantee that that will be so." Jordan said she fears that in losing the right to control the government by electing lead- ers, other civil liberties may also be dismissed. "We live in the land where there is supposed to be democ- racy, and we have none in our city," Jordan added. Ann Arbor resident Mar- tin Vega also said he feared democracy was in danger, add- ing that he is concerned about the possibility of the imple- mentation of an emergency financial manager in Detroit and how it may impact the city's African American com- munity. "It is a flagrant violation of civil rights that disenfran- chises a large group of people, disproportionately African Americans," Vega said. "If an emergency manager is installed in Detroit, roughly half the African American population in Michigan will have lost its vote on a local level." AUSTEN HUFFoRD/DAILY Keynote speaker Michele Norris gives a talk for Martin Luther King Jr. day at Hill Auditorium yesterday. From Page 1A writing her book, "The Grace of Silence: A Memoir." Throughout the process of drafting the book, Norris said she learned about her African American family's activ- ism, including actions her father, who is a World War II veteran, took. "(My father and fellow black veterans) experienced a special kind of patriotism because they saw themselves as America," Norris said. " ... They saw that they could show America what it could be by showing America what they could be." Norris added that learning about family stories from before, during and after the civil rights movement taught her that activ- ism is not just comprised of large protests and rallies, but also smaller-scale movements and behaviors that often go unseen. One of the stories Norris shared was about her grand- mother, who made a living by dressing up as Aunt Jemima in order to sell instant pancake mix around the Midwest in the 1940s. Norris talked about how her grandmother played a role in advocating for black equality by refusing to behave in offen- sive preconceived manners of black behavior demanded by her bosses. "When I think about her and I think about activism, what she did was a brand of activism because when she was hired by Aunt Jemima to go out and do this job there were certain expectations that she would look a certain way, that she should wear a uniform, but also that she would speak a certain way," Nor- ris said. "... But what I learned from (local) newspaper articles was that she took the job, she wore the uniform, she wore the headscarf - but she spoke like an educated woman because she was an educated woman." Norris said that by observ- ing actions taken by her father and grandmother, she learned that the groundwork in taking a stand for African American rights lays in even the most min- ute efforts. "Sometimes activism whis- pers," Norris said. "Sometimes activism is just the act of show- rig that you can be more than anyone expects you to be." University President Mary Sue Coleman also spoke at the Keynote Memorial Lecture, welcoming the audience before Norris took the stage. During her address, Coleman accepted a replica of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial that was given to the University to acknowledge its contribution in constructing the memorial hon- oring King in Washington, D.C. that opened last year. "Establishing, funding, designing and erecting this trib- ute was no easy task," Coleman said. "It took years of discussion ... and dedication for it to become the stunning ... exhibit it is." Coleman acknowledged the three members of the Univer- sity community who contrib- uted to the planning, designing and construction of the memo- rial - James Chaffers, a profes- sor emeritus in the College of Architecture and Urban Plan- ning; University alum Ed Jack- son Jr., who was the memorial's executive architect; and Adjunct Senior Lecturer Jon Lockard, an adjunct senior lecturer in the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies. "This year for the first time ever, we as a society celebrate Dr. King's life, knowing there is now a glorious memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.," Coleman said. Contribute to the conversation on Twitter SEND US A LINK WITH THE HASHTAG #MICHLINKS Contact U-M Peace Corps Representatives: SCott Burgess and Mackenzie Knowling International Opportunities Center, Room 10,603 E. Madison St. peace.corps@umich.edu, 734.647.2182, facebook.com/UMpeacecorps PEACE CORPS NEEDS APPLICANTS WITH DEGREES AND SKILLS IN: Education - English Teaching - Agriculture Forestry. Environment. Public Health Math .oScience -oFrench -eSpanish For campus office hours & events, visit peacecorps.gov/events. Find us at the 1/17 SNRE Career Fair or 1/19 Info Session! Sign up for updates atpeacecorps.gov/info. Life is calling. How far will you go? 800.424.85801 peacecorps.gov Like the Daily on Facebook A