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The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Thursday, February 14, 2013 - 5A
N cw Thursday, February 14, 2013 - 5A
TAXI
From Page 1A
licensed by the city, a process that
includes reviewing the individu-
al's criminal history and driving
record.
Ahamok hasn't had any report-
ed problems with customers
before the recent accusations,
Etter wrote.
"We had received no previous
complaints regarding this driver,"
Etter wrote. "We are not aware of
any allegations concerning Blue
Cab and any other incidents of
inappropriate or criminal behav-
ior."
The statement also noted that
pending the results of the AAPD
investigation, Ahamok will not be
allowed to lease a taxi from Blue
DEAN
From Page 1A
son in the history of the universe;
I can't deny the possibility that
someone could do this job more
quickly than I could."
But for Caminker, speed is not
crucial, quality is.
"I think that in everything
I've tried to do here, I've tried to
maintain authenticity and integ-
rity," Caminker said. "There are
lots of splashy ways to pretend
you are doing something new and
different.,I think we try and do
things the right way and for the
right reasons."
Before his appointment,
Caminker served as U.S. Depu-
ty Assistant Attorney General,
clerked for U.S. Supreme Court
Justice William Brennan and prac-
ticed law in public interest and
private firms. After a diverse range
of legal experiences, Caminker
entered education as a faculty
member at Universityof California,
Los Angeles Law School.
In 1999, Caminker joined the
University's Law School faculty
and was later appointed as associ-
ate dean for academic affairs.
In addition to passion for teach-
ing, Caminker said legal study
opens possibilities not available to
those who practice in government
or private sectors.
"I really liked the idea of being
able to select the problems that I
wanted to try and solve, and one
advantage of being a scholar is
you generally have free reign to
figure out what are the problems
in society that really need atten-
tion and how you could you then
go figure out how to best contrib-
ute to a conversation."
Caminker's attention to detail
and pressing issues is a trait that
has permeated most aspects of his
time as dean, including the massive
facilities project of constructing
Aikens Commons and South Hall.
Michele Frasier Wing, the law
school's director of finance and
planning, spent the last three
years working with Caminker
on initiatives such as the build-
ing projects and financial aid
improvements.
"He's an incredibly smart and
IRWIN
'From Page 1A
wasteful expenditures.
The decriminalization of mar-
ijuana could save local and state
government "hundreds of mil-
lions of dollars" in police, judi-
cial and corrections costs, Irwin
Cab.
"The safety of our passengers is
our highest priority," Etter wrote.
"Any complaints concerning
our service are thoroughly and
promptly investigated. We do not
knowingly tolerate any abusive
or inappropriate conduct on the
part of the drivers who lease our
vehicles."
A female student reported that
on Feb. 3, a taxi driver raped her
/in his cab in a parking lot on the
300 block of East Madison Street.
The suspect in that case is still at
large. He is described as a white
male, in his mid to late 20's with
short brown hair.
In a written statement Wednes-
day, AAPD Det. Lt. Robert
Pfannes acknowledged a third,
earlier assault previously unre-
leased to the media. A 19-year-old
University student alleges that
on Jan. 23, a taxi driver acted
towards her in an unwanted man-
ner after dropping off two other
passengers.
The student alleges that, after
parking, the suspect made "inap-
propriate advances," including
tryingto take off an article of her
clothing. The student reportedly
kicked the driver before exiting
the cab. The suspect in that case is
described as a male with medium
olive complexion.
Pfannes wrote that AAPD is
still investigating the Jan. 23
and Feb. 3 incidents, and are
"exploring the possibility that
the crimes may or may not be
related."
-Managing News Editor Adam
Rubenfire contributed to this report.
deliberative person, but the thing
that I think stands out the most
for me is that he has a tremendous
amount of integrity in the way he
approaches all of the decisions he
has to make," Frasier Wing said.
"He takes it extraordinarily seri-
ously."
Frasier Wing said Caminker
cares deeply about the student
experience, a characteristic that
may help him as he moves on to
become a member of the school's
faculty. She said he worked
diligently to ensure the largest
expansion to the law school cam-
pus since its construction.
Law School student Elizabeth
Och, president of the school's
senate, said the upgrades have
drastically improved the student
experience.
"The space that has opened up
has completely changed the face
of the law school and a change in a
really positive way - the waythat
students are able to engage with
each other," Och said. "Nobody
really imagines what life was like
before it. It feels like it belongs."
In addition to spearheading
the construction projects, which
continue with renovations to the
Lawyer's Club, Caminker has
ushered University law education
into the 21st century.
While in previous decades
law firms often trained new
hires in firm-specific techniques,
Caminker said most firms are now
looking for graduates to be ready
to begin practice right away.
To prepare graduates for these
demands, Caminker led the effort
to more than triple the number of
clinical programs, which provide
experiential training and allow
students to provide real repre-
sentation to clients under faculty
guidance. Many of the new clin-
ics, which include topics such as
human 'trafficking and environ-
mental law, are housed within the
recently laid stone of South Hall,
visible just outside Caminker's
window.
On a different wall in Camink-
er's office, there's a framed black
portrait of the Supreme Court
in Washington D.C. - another
emblem of Caminker's tenure.
Caminker has organized lectures
by three Supreme Court justices
in his-time here.
The portrait is also representa-
tive of his firstday as dean in 2003
- a day when the U.S. Supreme
Court handed down itsdecision in
Grutter v. Bollinger, the landmark
affirmative action case against
the school. University Presi-
dent Mary Sue Coleman worked
closely with Caminker during the
court proceedings, which eventu-
ally upheld the University's nar-
row use of affirmative action in
race-based decisions.
Och, who has closely worked
with Caminker during her term as
Law School Student Senate presi-
dent, recognizes his ability work
through any problem whether
they are student complaints or new
projects for studentorganizations.
"First and foremost, he's very
thorough," Och said. "He's defi-
nitely always willing to listen to
any sort of complaint or listen to
input on how to solve a project.
He always does his homework to
get the full picture moving for-
ward. He makes sure to involve
lots of different viewpoints in
his decisions, and he's also very
mindful of making decisions that
fit with the spirit of the school and
the character of Michigan Law."
Och remembers sitting next
to Caminker at an event, where,
after speaking to a student about
his interests and law school
experience, he was concerned he
couldn't remember the student's
name. Och said Caminker could
have brushed it off, but he instead
asked her about it so he could put
a face to a name.
Whether he's dancing on a
table to raise money for public-
interest summer programs, or
speaking on a serious topic with
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena
Kagan, Och said students admire
the dean.
And for Caminker, it's all part
of maintaining the culture that
drew him to the University in the'
first place.
"The thing that attracted me
(to the University) was this sense
of community and culture,"
Caminker said. "There was a com-
bination of seriousness of purpose
but a friendliness and playfulness
that I don't think I've ever seen at
any other law school."
TICKETS
From Page 1A
attendance and usage of the
department's H.A.I.L. mobile
application. The department,
which has already distributed its
allotment, will still pay for many
of those tickets, as it has in the
past.
Though most students had
little issue with the policy itself,
many felt misinformed or misled
by the department. Many never
received word from the depart-
ment about the policy shift.
Others took issue with the pol-
icy's enforcement, particularly
with the use of H.A.I.L., which
some fans argued was an ineffec-
tive gauge of loyalty.
"I think it's a really good pol-
icy, and I'm personally in favor,"
said Jason Okrasinski, a Business
senior. "I just assumed that they
would, at some point, email us or
at least just say they're going on
sale, or at least the process, how
it's going to go."
All parties agree that the pol-
icy was unclear until the middle
of the season. Typically, the Ath-
letic Department has paid for
the school's allotment of student
tickets and given them to the
Maize Rage, Michigan's fan sec-
tion, to distribute as it sees fit.
With demand surging and
supply still limited, according to
Associate Athletic Director Dave
Ablauf, the Athletic Depart-
ment's marketing office decided
to alter that policy in the middle
of this season.
"We're now taking over the
administration and distribu-
tion of the ticket in that we're
rewardingthe students who have
the greatest loyalty to the pro-
gram during the season - that's
the difference," Ablauf said. "We
wanted to have at least the over-
sight of it to know that we were
giving it to the students that
showed the most loyalty to the
program throughout the year."
Ablauf said the change was
soon communicated to the Maize
Rage and that a portion of the
tickets still went to the organi-
zation. Sasha Shaffer, vice presi-
dent of the Maize Rage, called
the policy "different" but added:
"We're not mad about it."
Many students not active in
the organization remained in the
dark. The problem was exacer-
bated by an apparent disconnect
between the marketing depart-
ment and the Michigan Ticket
Office.
One student who contacted-
the email address for the Ticket
Office on Jan. 29, for example,
received the following reply from
an unnamed responder: "I have
been told that the Marketing
Team will send an email in the
next week or two to students that
ordered student season tickets.
When you read the email, make
sure you understand the guide-
lines. The email will explain
everything in detail."
The emailnever came, though,
leaving those fans waiting in
vain.
Those who independently
sought out a ticket paid for
their preemptive purchase. Eric
Hutchinson, the Engineering
senior who has missed two home
games overall and just one game
this season, bought student tick-
ets in advance through the Big
Ten website. Though he poten-
tially could have been eligible
for the free ticket offer based on
attendance, he said his purchase
disqualified him. He said he ulti-
mately paid about $65, including
fees, for the student ticket.
The students whg bought tick-
ets early "kind of got screwed
over by that too, showing their
dedication and buying a ticket,"
said Hutchinson, who is a mem-
ber of the Maize Rage core.
"The Athletic Department did
not want to help them out there
because they had already bought
a ticket."
Members of the Maize Rage
and others who did not buy
in advance, and who were not
offered free tickets, were left
scrambling. With less than 100
tickets initially available, and
less after the free tickets were
distributed, only the very early
responders found student tick-
ets.
One member of the Maize
Rage, who wished to remain
anonymous, said that once word
spread, "It was kind of a rush."
He added: "I imagine some
people didn'tgetitiftheyweren't
fast enough, but that's, obviously,
I guess an advantage to having
been at that one meeting."
Another portion of the student
section attended games but rare-
ly checked in with the H.A.I.L.
application.
"I guess I just go to the games
and my phone's in my pocket,"
said Ari Kurzmann, a LSA senior.
"Watching the game I might take
a picture or two, but I'm not real-
ly trying to check out any apps....
I just wish I would've known at
the beginning of the season that
(a Big Ten Tournament ticket)
was on the line because I prob-
ably would've just gone to those
games and checked in."
Added Hutchinson: "I like
the thought to try to get more
people down there, but they gave
the free tickets to people who
had checked into H.A.I.L. every
time, not the people who show
up early, get the front row, orga-
nize the cheers and all that kind
of stuff. The people who really
show dedication to the school
were not rewarded for it."
Some students, like Sam
Gross, the LSA senior who had
looked for tickets along with his
housemates, still said he would
consider attending the tourna-
ment, which will be held at the
United Center in Chicago.
As of Wednesday night,
MGoBlue.com contained a mes-
sage saying that all tickets to the
Big Ten Tournament had sold
out, with a link to StubHub.com,
an online ticket marketplace.
There, a pass for all six sessions
for the tournament started at
$397.00, plus fees, for a ticket in
the upper corner of the United
Center.
ADIDAS
From Page 1A
to the severance payments, but
Adidas has yet to pay its $1.8 mil-
lion.
The University's chapter of
United Students Against Sweat-
shops hosted the event with the
goal of persuading University
President Mary Sue Coleman to
give Adidas a 90-day notice
to pay the former workers the
severance pay they're owed. If
Coleman leveragesi the Univer-
sity's $60-million contract with
Adidas - the largest collegiate
agreement the company holds -
the group hopes Adidas would be
persuaded to pay up.
Hidayat said during his time
working at the factory from 2001
until the factory's' abrupt clos-
ing, the workers received with
low wages, worked overtime
and were sexually harassed. As
the head of the workers' union,
he said the company threatened
to kill him twice and put him in
jail for four months after he had
attempted to begin discussion
about minimum wage.
In late September, Coleman
wrote a letter to Adidas Ameri-
ca President Patrik Nilsson and
Gregg Nebel, the head of the
company's social and environ-
mental affairs, expressing con-
cern over the treatment of their
former employees. In the letter,
Coleman requested a monthly
report from the company and
assistance to the former employ-
ees.
Heni said Adidas compen-
sated the former employees in
vouchers to a market that did
not supply specific necessities
for her family. Without unem-
ployment benefits, Heni and
Hidayat both said the vouchers
were not effective in alleviating
the hardships of,being without
a job.
"This suffering is not some-
thing made up and not some-
thing manipulative," Heni said.
"This is something that I and my
friends truly experienced. Oth-
ers suffered even more than I
did, and, for this reason, we ask
for your solidarity."
USAS's national organiza-
tion pays for former PT Kizone
employees, including Hidayat
and Heni, to travel the nation to
inform college students of the
situation.
LSA junior Katherine Corbit,
a member of USAS, said Univer-
sity students should take notice
of the issue because Adidas is
the brand displayed on much of
their maize and blue merchan-
dise.
"Think about all the t-shirts
for basketball and for football
with the Adidas logo on it,"
Corbit said. "Students have a
relationship with these workers
because these workers made our
apparel."
Michigan apparel was being
produced when the factory shut
down, meaning that the employ-
ees were not paid specifically
for making University-licensed
clothing.
Concluding the event, Public
Policy senior Abigail Williams,
a member of USAS, said the
University is legally obligated to
demand that Adidas pay the sev-
erances because of the its con-
tract with the company.
"We have a power," Williams
said.
Corbit said Coleman and
members of a University adviso-
ry committee are working with
the company to develop a plan.
She said USAS hopes to meet
with the advisory committee to
talk more about the issue.
said. He said he would like to see
money saved through decrimi-
nalization go toward budget pri-
orities, such as education.
"I think this issue is impor-
tant enough that our political
leaders really ought to put aside
the potential controversy of it,"
Irwin said. "I think we're going
to find out that decriminalizing
marijuana is an excellent first
step that will make our kids safer,
take a whole lot of money and
energyout of the hands of violent
criminals and (will allowi us) to
put more energy inthe issues that
we should be focusing on, includ-
ing education, making college
more accessible and affordable,
and improving our roads."
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Unstuck: Reviving the
Movement for Social Justice
and the Environment"
featuring Dr. Cornell West,
The Rev. James Forbes and others.
Saturday February 16th, 2013 Noon
until 5:30p.m. at the Michigan
Theater.
Tickets can be purchased through Brown
Paper Tickets. Any remaining tickets will be
sold at the box office beginning at 11:00am
on Saturday: Regular $20, -Students and
Low Income: $10.
For more information call: (734) 846-3578 or
go to http://www.michtheater.orc/shows/unstuck