The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Thursday, October 18, 2012 - 5A
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Thursday, October18, 2012 - 5A
From Page 1A
ki, the chair of the University's
chapter of College Republicans,
said Snyder has displayed a will-
ingness to cooperate with unions
in a way that would make the
proposed amendment an unnec-
essary preventative measure.
"In his first two years in office
he's shown he's very willing
to work with unions to ensure
they're still getting the benefits
but also working on reforming
our government," Jankowski
said.
LSA senior Lauren Coffman,
the communications director of
the University's chapter of Col-
lege Democrats, said she feels
the collective bargaining amend-
ment is a necessary addition to
GAUCHER
From Page 1A
Pharmacology Prof. Jim Shay-
man to develop the drug and
license it to Genzyme - a devel-
opmental therapy subsidiary of
the Sanofi Company, a pharma-
ceutical research group - for
clinical development.
"(It) is actually a very long
process (to develop a drug),"
Shayman said. "This project
actually started well before I was
doing science." .
While some Gaucher disease
patients experience organ swell-
ing of up to 60 times their normal
size, severe anemia and crippling
due to lack of bone density, others
have minimal symptoms.
Shayman said tests of the drug
on 40 newly diagnosed patients
around the world showed only
mild side effects involving gas-
trointestinal distress when tested
in increased concentration. The
drug will now undergo further
testing, this time in a study with
160 patients.
MCUBED
From Page 1A
make funding requests for spe-
cific projects in the pilot cubing
phase.
To ensure equal opportunity,
Burns and his team are temporar-
ily using a semi-random process
to choose SO projects for the
first phase. Each project will be
given a number and officials will
randomly pick from each unit
to determine which group will
receive funding.
"We got a very enthusiastic
response across campus, so the
result is we have to be careful
(and) hopefully everyone who
wants to cube can cube," Burns
said. "I want to make sure the
process is fair."
the state constitution.
"As Democrats, we believe
it's important that workers who
protect and serve Michiganders
are given the opportunity to
negotiate for fair pay and safe
working conditions," Coffman
said. "Unions really serve as the
backbone of the state of Michi-
gan from the auto industry to our
wonderful University hospitals
to our schools."
Last year many University
students turned their attention
to collective bargaining rights
when the state Court of Appeals
upheld a law that banned Grady-
ate Student Research Assistants
from unionizing. Saltzman said
Proposal 2 would likely incor-
porate GSRAs, effectively over-
turning the current restriction.
"It's a pretty large trial for a
rare disease," Shayman said.
Shayman said he chose to
invest his time in the rare disease
due to the larger implications his
research may have to other ill-
nesses.
"Therapies developed for rare
diseases become applicable to
more common diseases," Shay-
man said. "The most humorous
example is Botox. Botox was
developed, for a rare neurologic
problem and now, obviously, has
widespread use for other pur-
poses."
Cynthia Frank, who suffers
from Gaucher disease and advo-
cates for research, underwent the
Phase 3 trials and said she experi-
enced positive results.
"Every cell in my body feels dif-
ferent. Everything," she said.
"I have a lot less bone pain on
this drug," Frank continued. "I
just feel like I've changed on a cel-
lular level. I feel like it's changed
me from the inside going out,
whereas on the other drug, I felt
like it put a band-aid on it."
For Frank, taking the drug as
Under current law, tenured
faculty at universities may collec-
tively bargain. However, unlike
institutions such as Eastern
Michigan University and Wayne
State University, University of
Michigan faculty have not exer-
cised these rights, according to
Saltzman.
In a legal memo to Snyder
examining the implications of
Proposal 2, Michigan Attorney
General Bill Schuette predicted
the amendment would repeal
more than 170 existing laws on
collective bargaining.
Jankowski said she fears the
repeal of these laws that she
deems necessary for economic
health.
"Unions already have a lot of
power in the state," Jankowski
said. "It would basically give
unprecedented power to the
unions and union bosses and so
I think that it takes too much
power and puts it in the hands of
the wrong people."
State Rep. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann
Arbor) supports the law, and
said he feels collective bargain-
ing laws are critical to improving
workplace conditions and have
been beneficial to working and
middle class American families.
"What's happened in the last
few years in the Legislature is
really horrible for working fami-
lies and for individuals who work
for a living and want to protect
their rights in the workplace
environment," Irwin said.
State Representative Mark
Ouimet (R-Ann Arbor) did not
respond to requests for comment.
In a video statement released
on Oct. 12, Lt. Gov. Brian Calley
called the amendment a back-
ward solution with an economic
burden that would cost taxpay-
ers an estimated $1 billion while
establishing a "fourth branch of
government."
"Any agreement (unions)
make would overrule or cannot
be affected by state law," Calley
said in the video. "This would
not work in the interest of kids
we protect with some aspects
of state law, or the elderly, or
in some cases even employees
themselves and the rights they
have enshrined in state law
today," Calley said.
Ina telephone poll released on
Oct. 15 by Baydoun Consultirig;
about 40 percent of individuals
sampled were in favor of the law,
approximately 42 percent were
against it and 16 percent were
undecided.
an oral compound rather than
having IV infusions every two
weeks has been a substantial
change, and has allowed her to do
things likegoon arecentvacation.
"(Gaucher) controls where I
live and what I do. You can't go
away from home for too long
when you're tied to a needle,"
Frank said. "It's changed my qual-
ity of life in that sense."
Frank said her hope for the
disease is for it to receive greater
awareness, noting that Gaucher
is now more common than Tay-
Sachs disease - an illness also
commonly found in people of
Jewish descent that impacts the
nervous system and was the sub-
ject of a widespread education
campaign during the 1960s and
1970s.
"I would love to just see more
knowledge about the disease in
both the medical industry and
the regular community," she
said. "And with more knowledge
and more education, more people
going into med school are going
to know about this disease and
hopefully choose to do research
52ND DISTRICT
From Page 1A
concern is lackluster funding for
higher education and its negative
impact on the state's economic
growth. She noted that national-
ly, Michigan ranks in the bottom
half in the number of college-
educated adults and the amount
of higher education funding.
"One of the ways that we
build a stronger economy is
through the education system,"
Driskell said. "As astatewe need
to invest in our people and our
students ... cutting funding to
make it affordable is the wrong
way to go."
Driskell said Ouimet has
failed to represent the ideals of
Washtenaw County citizens in
issues concerning education,
the environment and women's
rights.
Ouimet, however, said his
work as a state representative
has been dedicated to lower-
ing taxes for small businesses,
decreasing unemployment and
balancing the state budget.
"People throughout the state
of Michigan understand that the
state is now headed in the right
direction, and they can see it by
median income being up, we've
cut their taxes this coming year
COMMENCEMENT
From Page 1A
future leaders.
"I want students to go out
with both the recognition of
their accomplishment from
which it's commendable to be
graduating from a great school
like Michigan, but at the same
time also to be prepared to take
that knowledge that they've
gained and use it to make the
world better in whatever way:
being good citizens, being good
parents, good family members,
workers, leaders in every way,"
Kington said.
In an interview with The
Michigan Daily, Coleman said
she has heard Kington speak
before and is excited he will be
addressing the graduates this
winter. Coleman called King-
ton, who is the first black and
openly gay president of Grin-
nell College, a "groundbreaking
individual."
"I'm very proud of him,"
Coleman said. "He's a very
inspirational speaker ... He's
very proud of his Michigan her-
itage and he's done a fantastic
job."
Kington noted he was sur-
prised when Coleman called
and asked him to be the speaker.
"I had no idea what she was
calling about," Kington said. "It
was a big surprise."
Kington, who visited Ann
Arbor sporadically while serv-
ing on an advising board for a
study within the Institute for
Social Research after graduat-
ing, said he still visits his former
college town every few years.
During his time at the Uni-
versity he said he especially
enjoyed the city's diversity and
smaller scale in comparison to
his Baltimore upbringing.
"I liked all of the diversity
that you had there with incred-
ible entertainment, and great
restaurants and lots of interest-
ing things to do and at the same
time a scale that wasn't over-
whelming," Kington said. "I
love the city; I had great faculty
and teachers and that was won-
derful. I was exposed to a lot of
the world on that one campus."
To be selected as a com-
mencement speaker and hon-
orary degree recipient, the
University's Honorary Degree
Committee chooses nominees
from a list, which is compiled
throughout the year. Selec-
tions for speakers and honor-
ary degree recipients are made
from the committee's list in the
spring and winter.
Kington and the other hon-
orary degree recipients must
be approved by the Univer-
sity's Board of Regents at their
monthly meeting, which will be
held on Friday at the University
of Michigan - Flint campus.
At the meeting, honorary
degrees are also being recom-
mended to five others includ-
ing Michael Boyd, Molly
Dobson, Cornelia Kennedy,
Joshcka Fischer and Dee Dee
Bridgewater. Coleman said they
are "all very distinguished peo-
ple." The regents will have to
approve these recipients along
with Kington on Friday.
Boyd is the former director
of the Royal Shakespeare Com-
pany and helped to foster part-
nerships with the University
to develop their shows during
his time with the British-based
company. Boyd is being recom-
mended for a Doctor of Humane
Letters.
"During all of the time when
Michigan has had this spe-
cial relationship with the RSC,
Michael has been involved,"
Coleman said. "It's wonderful
that we're going to be able to
honor him."
Dobson, a University alum, is
a philanthropist and volunteer
in Ann Arbor as well as the 2007
Community Foundation Award
winner from the Council of
Michigan Foundations. Dobson
was selected to receive a Doctor
of Laws.
Kennedy, also a University
alum, is the senior judge of the
6th circuit U.S. Court of Appeals
and is nominated to receive a
Doctor of Laws. Kennedy is the
first woman to be a Chief Judge
of a U.S. district court.
Joshcka Fischer previously
taught at the University and
will receive a Doctor of Laws.
Fischer is a German politician
who helped spur the rise in
popularity of the Green party in
Germany. He served as the Ger-
many's Foreign Minister from
1998 until 2005.
Dee Dee Bridgewater, a Flint
native, was selected to receive a
Doctor of Fine Arts. Bridgewa-
ter is a singer and songwriter
who has won three Grammy
Awards and a Tony Award. She
will have her degree conferred
at the University of Michigan -
Flint's Winter Commencement
on Sunday, Dec. 9.
and we have people employed,"
Ouimet said.
According to Ouimet, Michi-
gan has become Newsweek
magazine's No. 1 state for job
growth, is Bloomberg's second-
fastest growing economy and
is ranked seventh by the Tax
Foundation - a nonpartisan
organization that analyzes state
tax burdens.
Ouimet said Driskell's victory
would lead to a reversion to the
time when Jennifer Granholm,
a Democrat, served as governor,
in which he claimed the state
faced numerous difficulties.
"(Driskell) has struggled
with wanting to go back to the
Granholm years of government
where ... the budget was not bal-
anced, we had declining popu-
lation in our state and we had
raised taxes," Ouimet said.
Matt Frendewey, the commu-
nications director for the Michi-
gan Republican Party, said he
believes Ouimet has a good
chance of keeping his House
seat.
"We're confident he will hold
on to his seat," Frendewey said.
"He's done a fantastic job repre-
senting this district."
Frendewey said Ouimet has
a deep understanding of the
district and has had a positive
impact on the state's financial
issues. Frendewey cited Oui-
met's role in reducing the state's
debt and balancing the budget
as evidence of his success.
He added that the Republi-
can majority in the House has
demonstrated that it values the
concerns of Michigan residents
when implementing policy.
"When you compare what the
Republican leadership has done
in the House now, compared
with the Democratic leader-
ship two years ago, there's just
absolutely no comparison,"
Frendewey said. "The Republi-
can majority has the best inter-
est in mind for middle class
families."
State Rep. Jeff Irwin (D-
Ann Arbor) said Ouimet has
appealed to moderate voters in
the past, which has helped him
maintain his position.
"Mark Ouimet's success in
the past has always been predi-
cated on his ability to get more
moderate Republicans and even
some Democrats to vote for
him," Irwin said.
Irwin added that Ouimet has
campaigned as pro-choice and
pro-education, but has voted
against both ideals during his
time in the House.
"He likes to wear maize and
blue and go to football games
... but he's willing to cut U of M
(funding) by 15 percent," Irwin
said.
MICHIGAN FOOTBALL: A HISTORY OF THE NATION'S
WINNINGEST PROGRAM
He added that MCubed even-
tually hopes to return to a first-
come, first-serve system, but if
the number of proposals con-
tinues to outweigh the available
funding, random cubing will
remain in effect.
Burns said he estimates the
pilot phase will be completed
in about two months, at which
point MCubed will officially
open its website for interaction
and cubing phases to fill the 200
available project slots.
Sile O'Modhrain, an associ-
ate professor of performing
arts technology at the Univer-
sity's School of Music, Theatre
& Dance, is in the process of
submitting a project to MCubed
with Brent Gillespie, an asso-
ciate professor of mechanical
engineering.
O'Modhrain said her proj-
ect aims to improve the current
braille system by placing dots
more compactly resulting in a
more comprehensive, full-page
display that allows users to read
more than one line at a time.
She added that she believes
the random cubing process will
work more effectively than the
first-come, first-serve approach.
"(Random cubing) allows
time for cubes to develop,"
O'Modhrain said. "If it were
first-come, first-served, every-
one would be under pressure
to cube at the beginning of the
process ... whereas this way,
because you know the process
is random, then it may allow for
more time for people to look and
see if they're interested in par-
ticipating in projects."
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