The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Tuesday, November 20, 2012 - 3
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Tuesday, November 20, 2012 - 3
NEWS BRIEFS
DETROIT
Freedom for man
held 10 years on
rape conviction
A judge granted a prosecutor's
request to drop a rape case Mon-
day against a Michigan man who
was immediately released from
custody after nearly a decade in
prison.
James Grissom, 54, shook as
he thanked the judge. He has
maintained his innocence since
his photo was picked from among
thousands of police photos in
2002, 18 months after the alleged
attack outside a Meijer store in St.
Clair County.
Despite no physical evidence or
witnesses, Grissomwas convicted
of first-degree criminal sexual
conduct and sentenced to at least
15 years in prison. After the trial,
new evidence emerged that the
woman had lied about as many as
nine assaults in California.
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.
Twinkles maker
Hostess lives at
least another day
Twinkies. will live to see
another day.
Hostess Brands Inc. and its
second largest union agreed on
Monday to try to resolve their
differences after a bankruptcy
court judge noted that the parties
hadn't gone through the critical
step of private mediation. That
means the maker of the spongy
cake with the mysterious cream
filling won't go out of business yet.
The news comes after the
maker of Ho Ho's, Ding Dongs
and Wonder Bread last week
moved to liquidate and sell off
its assets in bankruptcy court.
Hostess cited a crippling strike
started on Nov. 9 by the Bakery,
Confectionery, Tobacco Workers
and Grain Millers International
Union, which represents about 30
percent of Hostess workers.
THE HAUGE, Netherlands
World court:
4 Islands belong to
Colombia
The International Court of Jus-
tice ruled Monday that a group of
tiny islands in the western Carib-
bean belongs to Colombia, but
also granted Nicaragua control of
a large swath of the surrounding
sea and seabed that could hold oil
reserves.
The decision not to grant
Colombia full sovereignty over
the waters connecting all the
archipelago's islands drew a vehe-
ment objection from Colombia's
president.
Based on evidence presented
to the judges by lawyers for both
nations, "Colombia and not Nica-
ragua has sovereignty over the
islands," the court's President
Peter Tomka told delegations
from both sides.
SYDNEY
Aussie fake-bomb
plotter sentenced
to 13.5 years
An Australian investment
banker who admitted chaining a
fake bomb to a Sydney teenager
as part of a bizarre extortion plot
was sentenced to 13 years and six
months jail Tuesday.
Madeleine Pulver, then 18,
was studying at home alone in
her family's mansion in August
2011 when Paul Douglas Peters
walked in wearing a rainbow-
striped ski mask and carrying
a baseball bat. He tethered a
bomb-like device to her neck
along with a ransom note and
then slipped away, leaving the
panicked teen alone. It took a
bomb squad 10 hours to remove
the device, which contained no
explosives.
At the sentencing, Judge Peter
Zahra said Peters intended to put
the fear into the young victim
that she would be killed.
-Compiled from
Daily wire reports
MARYLAND
From Page 1
flagship universities in education,
research, and innovation will
boost the University of Mary-
land's ascendancy in academic
excellence."
After approval from the Mary-
land Board of Regents, the Big
Ten Council of Presidents unani-
mously approved Maryland on
Monday morning. Delaney said
the counciliwas "giddy" to receive
the Terrapins' application.
"Some people fear the turtle,"
Delaney said. "We embrace the
turtle."
University President Mary Sue
Coleman, a member of the Coun-
cil of Presidents, knows Loh well
from his time serving as provost
at the University of Iowa from
2008-2010 and Kirwan from his
tenure as The Ohio State Univer-
sity president from 1998-2002.
"We have enormous respect
for the University of Maryland,
and we think that this is going
to be a very good alliance over
time," Coleman said.
The transition to the Big Ten
is seen as a largely financial deci-
sion for both parties. Maryland
has faced severe cutbacks due
to a multi-million dollar bud-
get deficit in recent years. It has
also eliminated seven varsity
programs - men's and women's
swimming, men's cross country,
men's indoor track, acrobatics
and tumbling, men's tennis and
women's water polo.
Loh said sitting down with
Anderson to explain which teams
would be cut was "perhaps the
most painful thing we'll ever have
to do."
"No future Maryland athletic
director will ever have to look in
young men and young women's
eyes and say you can't compete,
you can't wear the colors of the
school, because we can't support
you financially," Anderson added.
The Big Ten has the most
lucrative television contract in
college athletics, with each mem-
ber receiving $24 million cut last
year. The Big Ten Network could
earn up to an additional $200
million if it were added to basic
cable packages in Washington,
D.C. and New York City with the
addition of Rutgers and Mary-
land, according to ESPN.
"The membership of the Big
Ten enables us to guarantee the
financial sustainability of Mary-
land athletics for a long, long,
long time," Loh said, adding that
the athletic department had'
been surviving "paycheck to pay-
check."
Maryland also faces a $50 mil-
lion .exit fee to leave the ACC,
though the school is in negotia-
tions to lower the fee.
Maryland senior Andy Magee
- a member of the men's tennis
team that had its funding cut last
summer - said in a telephone
interview that the staggering fig-
ures have raised some eyebrows.
He said the response from Ter-
rapins students as "all negative,
100-percent negative."
"All my friends are pretty
much athletes," Magee said. "And
they are saying they came hero to
play in the ACC and not to go play
in the Big Ten. A lot of it is just
money-driven and, 'We just cut
sports, how are we getting this
money?' It's not overly excite-
ment."
Loh clarified later that Mary-
land intends to reinstate some of
the disbanded programs with the
increased revenue gained from
joining the Big Ten. Maryland
now fields eight men's and 10
women's programs.
Maryland has now become one
of two schools to leave the ACC.
South Carolina was the other,
leavingin 1971 tobecome an inde-
pendent; the Gamecocks are now
members of the SEC.
"Our best wishes are extended
to all of the people associated
with the University of Maryland.
Since our inception, they have
been an outstanding member of
our conference and we are sorry
to see them exit," ACC commis-
sioner John Swofford said in a
statement.
Maryland journalism senior
Eric Morrow said the Terrapins
will be an "interesting fit" in the
Big Ten.
"It's probably the most south-
ern out of all the schools, but I
think it will be a good match,"
Morrow said. "I think it will be a
good experience. My dad always
joked that I would end up going
to a Big Ten school, and here we
are."
"Iunderstand why we're doing
it, but I think a lot of people are
sad to see change come," added
Maryland communications and
public relations junior Caroline
Niski, "but a lot of times it's just
something that's inevitable."
Michigan has had little expo-
sure to Maryland in the athlet-
ics landscape. The football teams
played three times between
1985 and 1990, with the Wolver-
ines winning all three contests.
The Terrapins have an all-time
4-44-1 record against Big Ten
opponents, with most of those
appearances up against Pennsyl-
vania State University.
Maryland and Rutgers will
join the Big Ten Leaders Division,
while Illinois will move into the
Legends Division, ESPN reported.
With a dte with undefeated
Ohio State on the docket this Sat-
urday, Michigan football coach
Brady Hoke stayed mum on the
conference expansion.
"Right, now, I think Ohio may
be a little more important," Hoke
said at his Monday press confer-
ence.
Michigan athletic director
Dave Brandon said the expansion
helps Michigan expand to reach
alums and fans in the Baltimore-
Washington market. He feels
Maryland was a good fit for the
conference.
"Although we're very proud of
our Midwest-centric tradition,
there's a lot of growth, in fact
more growth, in other regions
of the country and the fact that
we're moving into some of those
areas over the long haul will be
very positive for this conference,"
Brandon told the Detroit Free
Press.
Daily News Editor Haley
Goldberg and the Associated
Press contributed to this story.
RESEARCH
From Page 1
San Francisco.
Chan explained that axons,
a part of nerve cells essential
for nervous system functioning,
need to be insulated by myelin,
a protective material made by
other types of body cells, in order
to work efficiently.
"If you look at any type of
wire, it's covered by some type
of insulation. If you look at any
power cord, it has this sheath
that surrounds it and this is simi-
lar to what myelin is," Chan said.
"In the nervous system we have
axons that transmit electrical
signals throughout the nervous
system."
Corey said that his lab pro-
duced nanofibers - man-made,
synthetic fibers with properties
mimicking axons - and Chan's
lab ran the biological experi-
ments with those fibers. They
discovered that the nanofibers
with a larger diameter are more
likely to naturally be myelinated.
"We've known for a long time
that axons - these cables of the
nerve cells that corlduct electric-
ity from one cable to another - if
they are particularly large, are
myelinated," Corey said. "The
truth of the matter is that we
have never known why that's the
case."
The research specifically
looked at the sensitivity of oligo-
dendrocytes - cells found in the
brain and spinal cord that are
one type of myelinating cell - in
response to physical properties
of nanofiber diameter.
"The whole idea here is to
understand the basic environ-
ment that is conducive for the
cells to form myelin," Chan said.
"Ifwe canget any cluesorinsight
into the way the cells form this
myelin, we might have ways to
repair the nervous system after
demyelination - like in (multi-
ple sclerosis) where the immune
system attacks the myelin."
Corey stressed that he was
able to conduct the research due
to his background in biomedical
engineering and neurology that
allowed him to design nanofi-
bers in a way never attempted
before.
Sam Tuck, a University alum
and member of the research
team, said that as a biology
major, he was seeking a job in a
laboratory when his aunt, who
went to college with Corey, told
him about the opening.
"Just recently (our research
has) been getting all this cool
recognition," Tuck said. "It's
something I definitely never
found myself getting into
because it's a much more mate-
rial science (than biology)."
Tuck primarily conducted
electrospinning in the lab, a
process that involves dissolv-
ing plastic pellets and applying
electrostatic force to the solution
until fibers form and collect.
"It's something that you often
have to repeat over and over
again because it's such a finicky
process," Tuck said.
He said, until Corey's lab,
he had never heard of electro-
spinning being utilized for tis-
sue research, adding that he has
since seen many schools start-
ing to use the process in tissue
research.
"There's a lot of promise for
stem cell research," he said. "It's
not limited to just nerve regen-
eration."
AATA
From Page 1
upcoming changes.,t
AATA CEO Michael Ford said
at the event that the renovation is
the result of years of planning.
"We began nearly three years
ago with an investment for an
$8-million facility. We are on the
brink of that reality right now,"
Ford said. "This groundbreaking
is the latest in a series of positive
developments for AATA."
Ford added that the changes to
the center are needed to accom-
modate riders and to update the
facility.
"The new Blake Transit Cen-
ter will provide residents with
a modern, clean and visually
appealing structure," Ford said.
"The new ... center is necessary
to meet the projected ridership
increases intheverynear future."
According to AATA plans, the
new center will be more than
twice the size of the current cen-
ter, making it more spacious for
users. While the existing building
has only one floor, the new center
will have two floors as well as a
basement. The upper floor will
be designed to give bus drivers a
space to relax between routes.
Al Thomas, an AATA staff
member, said the new spaces for
employees are welcomed.
"I think for myself, personally
it's exciting that this is happen-
ing," Thomas said. "Not only is
it expanding a space, it's giving
the drivers and operators a better
place to sit back and take a break
and eat lunch."
The new structure will also
feature a larger space for a cus-
tomer service lobby, offices for
AATA and getDowntown staff
members, additional restrooms,
COUNCIL
From Page 1
cilmember Marcia Higgins
(D-Ward 4) was added to the
agenda midway through the
meeting. Higgins said the sus-
pension would give time for
Council to decide how the city
shouldhandle the funding of
public art.
Immediately following a
meeting recess, however, it was
decided to postpone the less
than an hour-old ordinance for
two weeks.
a staff break room and a base-
ment for storage and mechanical
equipment.
The transit center will also be
moved to the opposite side of the
street in order to redirect traf-
fic flow and allow the use of the
current transit center as long as
possible while the update is con-
structed.
Additionally, it will include
heated sidewalks, which will
reduce the use of salt in the win-
ters to melt snow.
The increase in size is large-
ly a response to the uptick in
AATA passengers. According to
an AATA report, "ridership has
increased more than 60 percent
since 1987, with more than 5,000
riders arriving and departing
daily through the Blake."
Ann Arbor Mayor John Hief-
tje agreed in his address to the
crowd that the congestion on the
AATA has been an issue.
"As new people come to work
in our city, we have to have a
better way to get them here, and
unless we're able to improve
transit we are faced with a future
of more and more congestion and
air pollution," Hieftje said.
Hieftje added that he hopes
to encourage people visit-
ing Ann Arbor to reduce their
use of automobiles by offering
improved public transportation
systems.
Nancy Shore, the director of
Ann Arbor's getDowntown pro-
gram, said the Federal Transit
Authority granted $2.7 million
for the project under specified
stipulations.
"The FTA asked for a certain
number of disadvantaged enter-
prises'as well as small business
to be a part of this project, so we
have companies that are smaller
businesses that we are working
Early in the meeting, how-
ever, the Council spent con-
siderable time discussing an
ordinance that would change
how the living wage ordinance
affects city contractors.
The proposed ordinance
would increase the minimum
value of a contract between the
city andaecontractorthat would
cause the living wage law to
come into effect from $10,000
to $25,000 per contract. It
would have also allowed non-
profit companies that work for
the city to be exempt from the
living wage law.
with," Shore said. "They asked
for a portion of the business to
be dedicated to public art, so
that is something else we are
incorporating."
AATA plans also show the
structure will meet U.S. Green
Building Council's LEED Gold
Certification sustainable stan-
dards as an environmentally
friendly building due to its use of
durable, low-maintenance mate-
rials including recycled material.
The center will aim to accom-
modate passengers with dis-
abilities, unlike the current
transit center, according to
AATA board member Jesse Ber-
nstein. An elevator will make
the new structure more acces-
sible to those with disabilities,
and help make the center com-
pliant with the Americans with
Disabilities Act.
Bernstein added that the
AATA hopes to work with Uni-
versity buses to incorporate the
two transit systems.
"We have been working more
closely with University of Mich-
igan Transit people than ever
before," Bernstein. "We are at a
point where we can have some
open discussion about sharing,
like we did at the Central Cam-
pus bus station, where you get
AATA and U of M buses. I can
see us doing similar things here
and bringing students in."
Ann Arbor resident Roy
Mann, one of the few residents
at the event, said he came to see
what the new building would
look like and how it would affect
the flow of traffic.
"It does need updating,"
Mann said, in reference to the
current center. "I think the new
transit center is going to work
out pretty good. The new design
looks great."
Ultimately, the ordinance
was postponed as the Council
voted to put the ordinance on
a second read for a later meet-
ing.
Council also unanimously
approved an ordinance clos-
ing off streets for Festifools -
an annual arts parade held in
April- as well as an agreement
with the University's Board of
Regents that will allow the
University to lay wire below
the Ronald McDonald house,
an organization that houses
families with relatives staying
the University hospital.
SCIENCE BOARD
From Page 1
a member (of the board), Dean
Ball will continue the tradition
of service to our nation by U of
M."
While the National Board
of Science is broader in scope
than Ball's previous member-
ship on the.National Board for
Education Sciences, her new
appointment will still contain an
educational component.
She said she hopes to build
connections between research
funding and improving the
education system in the United
States, since her background in
the field of education is unique
among the board members.
"Whenever I've had opportu-
nities inthe past to interact with
scientists and mathematicians,
it adds a great deal to what we
do in the School of Education by
making the connections back
and forth between research and
practice and what we do to try
to improve education for young
people," Ball said.
She added that she expects
the appointment will benefit
the University.
"The University of Michigan
is a huge player in research,"
Ball said. "I think that I will
learn things about the kinds
of priorities the National Sci-
ence Foundation is making
and things that might help us
improve the kinds of priorities
we are setting here."
Michigan Football
A History of the Nation's
Winningest Program
VISIT BOOK.MICHIGANDAILY.COM FOR
MORE INFORMATION
"This is a treasure trove of history and
memories, not only for Michigan fans, but for
anyone interested in a golden era of college
football."
- Rick Berke, The New York Times
"For fans who live and die with every tick of
the scoreboard in the Big House, this is a stroll
through a funhouse of memories, from grue-
some to awesome."
- Gary Hoenig, ESPN Publishing
"I thought I knew everything about Michigan
football. Now I actually do."
- Sam Walker, The Wall Street Journal
A