The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Friday, September 7, 2012 - 3A
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Friday, September 7, 2012 - 3A
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From Page 1A
MARQUETTE, Michigan
State unveils new'
Olympic themed
license plate
Michigan is offering a new
license plate for motorists to
show their support for the
nation's Olympic athletes.
Secretary of State Ruth John-
son on Wednesday announced
the availability of the plate. The
redesigned plate features bolder
USA lettering and the phrase
"Go Team USA" along the bot-
tom.
It replaces Michigan's exist-
ing Olympic design that was
introduced in 1995.
Olympic gold medal-winning
gymnast Jordyn Wieber says in
a statement the plate "is a great
way to say, 'Go Team USA!'
Wieber is from the Lansing-area
community of DeWitt.
KANSAS CITY
Catholic bishop
failed to report
pedophile priest
The first American bishop
criminally charged in the cler-
gy sex abuse scandal was found
guilty Thursday of a misde-
meanor count of failing to report
suspected child abuse, a convic-
tion that extends the struggle
of Roman Catholic leaders to
restore trust in the church.
Bishop 'Robert Finn was
acquitted on a second count.
He received two years.of proba-
tion, but that sentence was sus-
pended and will be wiped from
his record if he adheres to a set
of conditions that include man-
datory abuse reporting training,
setting aside $10,000 in diocese
money for abuse victim counsel-
ing, and instructing all diocesan
agents to report suspected crim-
inal activity involving minors.
Finn and the Catholic Dio-
cese of Kansas City-St. Joseph
were each charged with two
misdemeanor counts of failing to
report suspected child abuse to
the state. Prosecutors said they
dropped charges against the dio-
cese, and the judge is expectedto
sign off on that Friday.
NEW YORK
Stock index soars
to pre-2008 levels
The last time the stock market
was this high, the Great Reces-
sion had just started, and stocks
were pointed toward a headlong
descent.
But on Thursday, the Dow
Jones industrial average hit its
highest mark since December
2007, and the Standard & Poor's
500 index soared to its high-
est level since January 2008 in
a rally that marked a milestone:
American stocks have come
almost all the way back.
A long-anticipated plan to
support struggling countries in
the European Union provided
the necessary jolt, and the gains
were extraordinarily broad. All
but 13 stocks in the S&P index
were up. European markets
surged, too.
TOLEMAIDA, Colombia
Colombia rejects
peace proposal
from rebel group
President Juan Manuel San-
tos on Thursday night rejected
a proposal by Colombia's main
leftist rebel movement to observe
a cease-fire during peace talks
that are to begin next month in
Norway.
Leaders of the Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia, or
FARC, said hours earlier dur-
ing a news conference in Cuba
that their first item on the nego-
tiations' agenda would be to pro-
pose a truce in the half-century
of fighting that has killed tens of
thousands.
Santos said that would not
happen. He said the Colombian
military and police had been
instructed to intensify offensive
actions against the rebels.
-Compiled from
Daily wire reports
say, at this point in time, they
view their scarce resources as
more effectively devoted to other
states. They just have a limited
amount of money, and they've got
to be smart in how They spend it."
Super PACs American Cross-
roads and Americans for Pros-
'perity recently committed $13
million to spend on advertising
in key swing states, so the deci-
sion to end Romney's advertising
campaign in Michigan may sug-
gest that his campaign is placing
less focus on winning the state in
the November election, accord-
ing to The News.
Poll numbers released by
Public Policy Polling on Sept. 3
indicate that Obama is currently
carrying a 7 point lead in Michi-
gan.
The destination for the con-
servative groups' funds may be
states such as Florida, Ohio, Col-
orado, Virginia or North Caro-
lina - battleground states that
Heaney said are more contested
and more electorally significant
than Michigan.
Political Science Prof. Vin-
cent Hutchings agreed, adding
that other swing states are more
important to Romney's election
chances and President Barack
Obama's re-election.
"(Romney) really needs Flor-
ida and Ohio; it's a little hard to
see him winning without both
those states," Hutchings said.
"But he doesn't really need
Michigan, and frankly, neither
does the president."
DELEGATES
From Page 1A
from last week," Light said.
"You couldn't help but be excit-
ed and enthused as he delivered
the speech of the night."
Light compared the con-
vention's excited mood to the
enthusiastic support Obama
garnered at the 2008 conve-
tion.
Recent polling data indicates
the November election will be a
close race, Political Science Prof.
Michael Heaney said. He added
that he expects the youth vote
to be a determining factor in the
election's outcome.
"The polls show it's basical-
ly an even race," said Heaney.
"Very few people are undecided.
The trick is getting the few that
wouldn't participate, to partici-
pate."
Light said he attended the
convention to continue foster-
ing student support for Obama,
noting that the student voice is
increasingly important thisyear.
"I thought it was really
important to go, to show that
young people really support
the President and the work he's
doing for us," Light said.
Elkus said he will be vot-
Like Romney and conser-
vative groups, Obama and his
backers have spent little on
advertising in Michigan, accord-
ing to Hutchings. He added that
the lack of Michigan funding
seems to be a sign that neither
campaign expects the state's
vote to be close.
"(Obama's) not going to spend
a lot in Hawaii or in California,
and by that token, Mitt Romney's
not going to spend a lot in Utah
or in South Carolina," Hutchings
said. "That's because they're not
competitive. To the extent that
Michigan becomes non-com-
petitive, then neither candidate
is going to spend much money
here."
In spite of the withdrawal of
advertisements here in Michi-
gan, LSA senior Jared Boot,
chair of the University's chapter
of Students for Romney, said the
group will continue advocating
for the GOP candidate. He said
the group will continue to make
telephone calls to garner support
for Romney every Thursday.
"I still think the race (in Mich-
igan) is competitive," he said.
Matt Frendewey, spokesman
from the Michigan Republi-
can Party, also told The News
that Romney, who was born
and raised in Bloomfield Hills,
Mich., is not ceding the chance
to become the first Republican
presidential candidate to win
Michigan since former President
George H.W. Bush in 1988.
"The last two credible polls
showed Michigan in play," said
Frendewey. "We recognize we're
the underdog and we have to
compete hard to win."
ing for the Obama-Biden ticket
based on the pair's track record.
"I'm voting Democrat and for
Obama because of what he has
done to improve the life of the
average American," Elkus said.
Specifically, Elkus cited the
Affordable Care Act - the com-
prehensive health care reform
plan passed under Obama in
March 2010 - as a transforma-
tive piece of legislature.
"Obama has done so much for
people like myself with cerebral
palsy by passing the Afford-
able Care Act and eliminating
pre-existing conditions," Elkus
said. "As a delegate, I see myself
as a voice for the disability com-
munity whose worlds would
be turned upside down by the
Romney-Ryan plan."
- Light said he will cast his
presidential vote Democratic
not only because of what his
administration has accom-
plished the past four years, but
because of the strength of the
convention's message.
"This convention has
marked the Democrats going
on the-offensive ... we have the
direction for the future and
for the next four years," Light
said. "It's really the future
that we are electing (bama)
for."
GOOGLE
From Page 1A
the University's online directory.
Girardi said the new Google
platform aims to establish more-
efficient and collaborative tools
for communication within the
University. The Dearborn and
Flint campuses will also move to
M+Google this fall, she added.
"This effort is about much
more than e-mail and calendar,"
Girardi said. "It's about working
together more effectively and
easily. We're already seeing how
Google collaboration tools are
changing the way we work."
According to Girardi, the Uni-
versity also has plans to inte-
grate more existing tools with
the Google platform. She said the
hope is to sync Wolverine Access
calendars and class schedules
with Google, though this change
will require software changes to
Wolverine Access, which won't
happen immediately.
Though Girardisaid the change
will likely be significant for many
faculty members who have used
the old program for awhile, she
said she's not concerned that stu-
dents will have difficulties with
the new interface.
"The move to M+Google for
e-mail and calendar is a big
change, especially for those facul-
ty and staff who were accustomed
to using e-mail software like Out-
look or Apple Mail," Girardi said.
"Because so many students were
already using Google, it seems
the transition has been easier for
them."
In a four-month period from
May to August, many University
faculty members and staff migrat-
ed to M+Google mail and calendar.
However, the University of Michi-
gan Health System, along with
other small research groups, is not
permitted to transition due to the
nature of healthcare regulations
and data restrictions. The Uni-
versity of Michigan-Google Apps
for Education Agreement doesn't
include liability protection, which
is a concern for UMHS and other
groups handling sensitive subject
matter. However, the groups will
still have access to Google tools
beyonde-mail.
Girardi said about 27,000 of
M+Google student users self-
migrated in the past six months,
about 51 percent of the student
population, noting that she
expects about 52,860 students to
self-migrate.
"As of this week about half
(of the University) has moved to
M+Google," Girardi said. "We are
sending out weekly reminders
to those who haven't moved yet,
advising them that they have until
the end of September to do so."
Engineering junior Shan
He said the self-migration was
appealing since he is already
familiar with Google's e-mail plat-
form.
"I migrated last semester
because I had a Gmail account
before I came here," he said. "It is
much more convenient because it
has Google calendar and Google
documents which are really use-
ful."
Even though Engineering
sophomore Andrew Pollack
didn't previously have a Google
account, he said he found the
transition to be smooth.
"Migration was a very easy
process," Pollack said. "I did it
about a week before school start-
ed, and it's a lot better because
Gmail keeps you logged in and it
shows the entire e-mail conversa-
tion."
However, theconcernsofsome
students who have had problems
making the change from IMAP
to Gmail are discouraging others
from making the switch.
"I haven't migrated yet
because a lot of my friends who
did lost two weeks of e-mails,"
Engineering senior Hannah
Balge said. "Also, I don't have
time to migrate and it seems like
a long process."
ROSS
From Page 1A
announcement will be made.
The Related Companies is
one of the largest privately-
owned real estate firms in the
country, best known for devel-
oping Time Warner Center, a
skyscraper complex in NeW
York City.
Ross, 72, graduated from the
University with a bachelor's-
of business administration
in 1962. In 2004, he donated
$100 million to construct the
new Business School complex
in 2004, after which the Uni-
versity renamed the school in
his honor. As of March, his net
worth was $3.1 billion, accord-
ing to Forbes.
"I really have a lot of respect
for what's taught at Michigan,
the people here, and what it
stands for," Ross said.
Blau earned a bachelor's of
business administration from
the University in 1990 and has
also donated significant sums
to the Business School. Blau
Auditorium is named after him.
Peter Allen, moderator of the
event and a lecturer in the Busi-
ness School, said he connected
Ross and Blau after a lecture
in 1988. Allen explained that
after Ross spoke to his class, he
asked to meet with Allen's best
student, and that started the
partnership between Ross and
Blau.
"What came through loud
and clear was their emphasis
on passion and quality, both
on people and the product they
build," Allen said in an inter-
view after Thursday's event.
The majority of the questions
from students revolved around
job prospects, community val-
ues and personal reflection
for Ross and Blau. One student
said he had started three failed
businesses and asked the duo
about their greatest business
shortcoming.
"That story (the three failed
businesses) is worth more than
your GPA," Blau responded.
"Failure should be viewed as a
learning experience," he added.
Ross advised students to
think outside the traditional
market to find jobs, citing his
own company as an example.
"You have to have the atti-
tude that you don't want to be
where everybody else is," Ross
said. "We're always looking to
be doing things differently."
Ross also criticized the
Obama administration for new
regulations during the event,
saying the private sector could
"out wait" Obama and the 2012
election before investing.
Ross co-hosted a $2,500-per-
plate dinner for Republican
presidential nominee Mitt
Romney in January accord-
ing to Palm Beach Daily News.
However, Ross did not mention
Romney by name during the
event.
"From a political standpoint,
I think if we don't have a new
president,' we could have. a
worldwide recession, just the
way things are lined up," Ross
said.
In an interview after the
session, Ross said the only sur-
prising topic was the amount
of questions he received about
the . Miami Dolphins. He also
expressed uncertainty about
the fate of future entrepreneurs
as the country goes through a
"great change."
"It's unfortunate, you like
to think you're leaving it bet-
ter for the next generation, and
that might not be the case,"
Ross said.
Business senior Stan Dupuy
said he was impressed with
Ross and Blau's answers dur-
ing the event, but he wasn't
surprised Blau was being pro-
moted to CEO. Dupuy said two
years ago in a class visit, Ross
had indicated that Blau was
being groomed for the posi-
tion.
"We were pretty much told
that Jeff (Blau), having been
in the company for 20 years,
was really the next in line, and
that Steve was forming him to
be the next CEO of Related,"
Dupuy said.
Business freshman Abhi
Satya said he found Ross's
answers thorough and genu-
ine, and saw the stories of his
struggles with failure early in
his career as motivational.
"He truly inspired all the
students by telling us the story
of his failures and made him-
self seem like a real person,
like one of us, who came up
from being an eager student
to one of the most successful
businessmen of all time," Satya
said.
OBAMA
From Page 1A
said. "I never have. You didn't
elect me to tell you what you
wanted to hear. You elected me to
tell you the truth. And the truth
is, it will take more than a few
years for us to solve challenges
that have built up over decades."
He vowed, however, to solve
those challenges - to grow the
economy and restore the promise
of the middle class, end foreign
wars and energy dependence,
while improving all levels of edu-
cation.
"But know this, America, our
problems can be solved," Obama
said. "Our challenges can be met.
The path we offer may be harder,
but it leads to a better place. And
I'm asking you to choose that
future."
The plan Obama presented
in his speech included the cre-
ation of 1 million manufacturing
jobs by 2016, the reduction of net
oil imports by half by 2020 and
decreasing the growing rate col-
lege tuition in the next decade.
Obama spoke little of the youth
vote or on higher education, but
emphasized his experience in for-
eign policy and with the economy.
Obama called voting for him over
Republican presidential nomi-
nee Mitt Romney "the clearest
choice of any time in a genera-
tion," directing his most pointed
language to Romney's record of
outsourcing jobs.
"After a decade of decline,
this country created over half a
million manufacturing jobs in
the last two-and-a-half years,"
Obama said. "And now you have
a choice. We can give more tax
breaks to corporations that shift
jobs overseas or we can start
rewarding companies that open
new plants and train new workers
and create new jobs here in the
United States of America."
Obama continued to tout
his experience and his accom-
plishments in office, contrast-
ing himself with Romney. He
responded to Romney's charges
against him at the Republican
National Convention last week,
saying the Republicans failed to
offer solutions to the nation's
challenges.
"Now, our friends at the
Republican convention were
more than happy to talk about
everything they think is wrong
with America, but they didn't
have much to say about how
they'd make it right," Obama
said. "And that's because all
they have to offer is the same
prescription they've had for the
last thirty years."
Obama's focus on solutions
stemmed, in part, from his
desire to frame the election asa
choice between him and Rom-
ney rather than as a judgment
of his economic record, Politi-
cal Science Prof. Michael Trau-
gott said.
"He is vulnerable when the
campaign centers on the refer-
endum, and he's vulnerable if
the Republicans get the focus
on the current state of the econ-
omy," Traugott said. "Buthe's at
an advantage' when he compares Institute, both noted that Obama Ior and followed former President
his experience as an incumbent directed many reminders of his Bill Clinton's and Vice President
against Romney's relative lack of first term's progress to women. Joe Biden's addresses well.
experience, and he's at an advan- Kall called, the final evening of "There was some concern
tage because he has a vision of the the convention "a night of a dozen about whether or not he would be
future that's more optimistic and female pronouns." able to deliver in light of the qual-
detailed than Mitt Romney's." In assessing whether Obama ity that preceded him," Traugott
Traugott and Aaron Kall, hit his mark with the speech, said. "But I thought he met or
director of the University's Traugott added that Obama lived exceeded everybody's expecta-
Debate Program and Debate up to expectations as a great ora- tions."