The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Friday, February 15, 2013 - 3 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Friday, February 15, 2013 - 3 NEWS BRIEFS LANSING, Mich. Senate passes bill to let public handle bear cubs An Upper Peninsula bear ranch could legally let visitors touch and pose for photos with bear cubs under legislation approved Thursday by the Michigan Sen- ate, as lawmakers disagreed over the wisdom of having dangerous animals at roadside attractions. * The bill headed to the House also would free up other facilities to allow public contact with bears under 9 months old or weighing no more than 90 pounds, though the sponsor is unsure if similar places exist in Michigan. Oswald's Bear Ranch, which claims to be the largest bear ranch in the U.S. with 29 roaming black bears, is near Newberry - about 20 minutes south of popular U.P. tourism spot Tahquamenon Falls. CHICAGO Cartel boss moves up to become city's " Public Enemy No.1 Three A drug kingpin in Mex- ico who has never set foot in Chi- cago has been named the city's new Public Enemy No. 1 - the same notorious label assigned " to Al Capone at the height of the Prohibition-era gang wars. The Chicago Crime Commis- sion announced the move Thurs- day, saying it considers Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman even more menacing than Capone because he's the leader of the Sinaloa car- tel, which supplies most of the narcotics sold in the city. "What Al Capone was to beer and whiskey during Prohibition, Guzman is to narcotics," said Art Bilek, the commission's executive vice president. "Of the two, Guz- man is by far the greater threat. ... And he has more power and financial capability than Capone ever dreamed of." CAIRO Egyptian military apologizes for " child's death Egypt's military made a rare admission and apology on Thurs- day for mistakenly shooting and killing a 12-year-old street ven- dor in Cairo, a day after activists accused the government of try- ing to cover up the death. The boy, Omar Salah, was killed on Feb.3 near the U.S. Embassy and Tahrir Square dur- ing clashes in the area. Activists discovered his death coinciden- tally as they were searching for missing protesters in hospitals. "The Armed Forces apologizes for the mistaken killing of the child and pledges to take all legal " measures against the culprit," military spokesman Ahmed Mohammed Ali said on his offi- cial Facebook page. PARIS French company implicated in horsemeat scandal The price, smell and color should have been clear tipoffs something was wrong with ship- ments of horsemeat that were fraudulently labeled as beef, French authorities said Thursday. The government pinned the bulk of the blame on a French whole- saler at the heart of a growing scandal in Europe. Police in the U.K., meanwhile, announced the arrests Thursday of three men on suspicion of fraud at two meat plants inspected ear- lier this week by the country's Food Standards Agency. The two separate develop- ments were part of an escalating scare that has raised questions about food controls in the Euro- pean Union - and highlighted how little consumers know about the complex trading operations that get food from producers to wholesalers to processers to stores and onto their dinner table. -Compiled from Daily wire reports JOKE From Page 1 sitivity about gun violence, and when these things happen people are using new media to kind of crowdsource the story." In light of the armed response, DeFluri said he believes Thursday's incidentwas blownout ofproportion. "I honestly think it's an over- reaction," DeFluri said. "It's kind of sad recent events made people somewhat paranoid about it." LSA freshman Nicholas Vaneck said he was exiting Angell Hall, at the entrance nearest to State Street, at about 12:05 p.m. when he saw two police SUVs "flying through" the sidewalks in front of the University Museum of Modern Art. An officer came out from each vehicle, Vaneck said, adding that they grabbed rifles and ran into Angell Hall. LSA freshman Marissa Allegra said she was sitting in front of the Fishbowl waiting for class when she saw UMPD officers roaming the hallways. "I was still unsure of what was going on," Allegra said. "Initially, I was extremely frightened and concerned that I would be in one of the rare cases of a school shooting or violence." Institutions of higher edu- cation across the country have tightened security and have re- examined emergency response plans in the wake of a series of high-profile mass shootings. The ADIDAS From Page 1 records. Financial statements for 2012 are notyet available. Formersweatshop worker Heni, who only disclosed her first name, added that without the severance money, she will notbe able to afford food and housingfor her family and schooling for her children. After the rally, the group marched to the Fleming Adminis- tration Building, with choruses of "Wolverine pride, Adidas shame!" and"Coleman, stepoffit,putpeople overprofits!"echoingalongtheway. Once at president's office reception area, they presented a valentine for Coleman, signed by the attendees of the Wednesday night's panel discus- MOTT From Page 1 evolved to where we are today with all teams." From the Heart volunteer Curtis Schuster said the pro- gram aims to bring a smile to the patient faces in the midst of a challengingtime in their health. "Our whole mission is about bringing a little bitcof fun and a lit- tle relief to kids and families who are having a really hard time," Schuster said. "It's no fun to be a kid in the hospital or the parent with kid in the hospital. When we come to visit we don't want anything. Usually, when a doc- tor comes in they need questions answered or tests done. We're just there to brighten their day." One week, field hockey play- ers were dancing to the song "Gangam Style" and tennis play- ers were singing along to Justin Bieber on the 12th floor, while the seventh floor pediatric inten- sive care unit received decorated valentines pictures with the patients. Dan Fischer, director of Child and Family Life at Mott, said the organization has immeasurable benefits for the patients and their families. He said they look for- ward to the visits every week. "It's fun for them; it's distract- ing for them and it really helps them through a' difficult time," Fischer said. The relationship between the student athlete volunteers and the patients exists beyond Thursday nights. Brian Griese, a '97 alum and football player, took one of the patients he met 2007 incident at Virginia Poly- technic Institute and State Uni- versity was the second-largest mass shooting at a school in U.S. history, taking the lives of 32 peo- ple and wounding 17 others.. Tony Holt, Wayne State Uni- versity police chief, outlined the factors that go into making tacti- cal decisions similar to UMPD's armed response. "In a University setting, you have to be very proactive," Holt said. "At Wayne State, there are no weapons allowed, (so) if we got a call, with even the suspicion of someone having a weapon on Uni- versity property, we would prob- ably first send out a text alert to the campus community and then launch a full tactical operation." Like WSU, the University pro- hibits weapons on campus. Holt said that whenever there is even the possibility of danger in a campus setting, immediate action must be taken to ensure student safety and minimize dis- placement, even if the presence of a weapon cannot be confirmed. "Whenever a gun is even a pos- sibility, we have to err on the side of caution and safety because you don't get second chances in situa- tions like this," Holt said. Though an armed police response may have scared some students, Holt said it's better to be safe than sorry, comparing it to sending officers to investigate ifa fire exists instead of a fire truck. "We don't take anythingas a joke. A lot of people may think it's sion on the same topic. Though a receptionist notified the group that Coleman was not in; the office, they presented the val- entine and their statementsto Cole- man's executive assistant, Erika Hrabec,who agreedto pass bothon.1 In an interview after the event,1 Hidayat said he and Heni made the journey to the United States as part of a national tour to raise awareness for their situation. "(The) University of Michigan1 has a large contract with Adidas,"i Hidayat said. "We need their sup- port now more than ever to help make Adidas take responsibility for our severance pay. If Adidas refuses to do that, we hope that the University of Michigan will take further action and cut their contract with Adidas." through this organization to her high school prom. Although the patient was paralyzed from4 the chest down, Griese held her while the couple danced. Another patient, a 15-year-old girl, joined the volleyball team, to cheer from4 the benchinuniform,justlike the1 players. Boullion told the story of one young patient who, after being1 told he wouldn't be in the hospital1 on Thursdays, said he didn't want to come to the hospital at all. "This little boy would come1 in on Monday and go home on; Friday morning," Boullion said.1 "One day the doctor says 'Okay, Brad, we're going to change your protocol so you can go to school more. So, now you come in oni Friday and get to go home on Tuesday.' (The boy) says, 'I guess I won't be coming back. If I'm not here on Thursday nights, I'm not coming back anymore."' 1 Typically, there are some- where from 30 to 40 student athletes participating in the pro- gram, but in January, Schuster said there were a record 107 stu- dent athlete volunteers. Swimmer Angie Chokran, a LSA junior, has been volunteer- ing regularly on Thursday nights since she was a freshman. "This is something I look forward to during the week," Chokran said. "This program means a lot more to me than I can put into a couple of sentences. Being here and having the oppor- tunity to brighten someone's day is huge, but they don't realize they're brightening our day too." Soccer player Tyler Leppek, a LSA junior, said the Thursday night visits offer a much-needed overkill for cops to come in full tactical gear, but student and cam- pus safety has to be our number one priority at all times," Holtosaid. The proximity and credibility of incident reports is crucial in determining the course of action to be taken, said Ronald Haddad, chief of police in Dearborn, Mich. "You can always scale back the investigation when it's deter- mined that he's not a threat, but when you don't know what you're dealing with, you have to error on the side of caution," Haddad said. "Obviously it would have been unacceptable if the tip had been discredited and then the suspect turned around and shot up a bunch of young people." Haddad said UMPD's imme- diate, armed response was nec- essary because the DeFluri was in a campus environment with a large, dense population. "I understand the validity of the first amendment and this young man's right to express himself, but imagine if he'd gone to an airport (in camouflage and a gas mask)," Haddad said. "He would have been immediately met by police, Department of Homeland Security, Transporta- tion Security Administration and everyone else, because you can't take those kind of risks." The 2007 Virginia Tech shoot- ing and last year's incidents in Aurora, Colo., and Newtown, Conn., were all perpetrated by people under the age of 25. There has been speculation that the Heni added that the severance t money would undoubtedly makew a difference in the lives of her family members. p "It would mean a lot for us," f Heni said. "I was in the sewing c business, so I could open a small I tailor shop and be able to fulfill o my family's dailyneeds." p Both mentioned the "code of con-a duct" between Adidas and the Uni- versity, which they believe has been v broken. Heni and Hidayat believe o that if they continue business rela- r tions despite their breach ofcontract; thecontract"mightaswellnotexist." d Arielle Wisbaum, LSA fresh- o man and USAS member, said u she felt the demonstration - the l result of months of planning - i was a success. USAS raised funds t in conjunction with the organiza- tl distraction for the patients. d "I feel like it takes their mind o off what's going on in the hospital and gives them a new face to see," a Leppek said. "Taking pictures F with them makes (the patients) i the center of attention in a posi- t tive light." e Swimmer Roman Willets, an education senior, said the volun- k teering experience impacts both t the patients and athletes in a t meaningful way. S "First and foremost it keeps s things in perspective for us as a athletes. Sometimes people get d bogged down by a tough practice l or balancing school and working l out," Willets said. "It gives us all t a lot of energy for the week. This is a very motivating place to come a and humbling as well." n Eaton Rapids, Mich. resident A Devin Gauna, an 18-year-old seek- v ing treatment for Hodgkin's Lym- phoma, was visited by redshirt ti sophomore football players Jake r Ryan and Joey Burzynski. He said. A the visit kept his spirits up. g "Today was good because I s feel a lot better than I have been," t Gauna said. "The athletes made me laugh a little, a lot. I noticed c them through the window a little r bit, these big ole football players." a Grand Blanc resident Jennifer Witten's 3-year-old son Cohen is p being treated at Mott for pineo-, blastoma, a type of brain tumor. b Witten said she enjoyed the fresh d faces that brought a smile to her b son's face. l "It really brightens our day; it's s alotoffun. Itgiveshimsomebody else to talk to and see besides his t mom and dad all day long," Wit- t ten said. "I think it's awesome iL that they come, period. They r shooters in these cases were all suffering from some form of men- tal disease. According to a Jan. 22 video report by CBS News, police units across the country are retrain- ing officers to better confront uncertain situations, especially when there is an active shooter is involved. In a training exercise at George Mason University, offi- cers moved in without waitingfor backup and swept the hallways searching to find the "shooter." At the University of Michigan, police appeared to respond in a similar manner. Regular, uni- formedofficerssweptthehallways as a plainclothes commanding officer coordinated units around the buildingfrom outside. In September, the Univer- sity of Texas and North Dakota State University both responded quickly to bomb threats on their campuses, forcingthe evacuation of tens of thousands of students. No suspicious items were found in both cases, but administrators acted quickly to warn students via text, e-mail, and website post- ings. No such warning or commu- nication was issued immediately at the University of Michigan on Thursday, though UMPD's web- site was updated. periodically with information. UMPD alerts the University community through the Emergen- cy Alert System when it feels a situ- ation poses a campus-widethreat. Brown said the system was not activated in responseto Thursday's ion's national branch to bringthe workers to the University. "Yesterday, the room for our 'anel discussion was completely illed; we even had to get more hairs,"Wisbaumsaid."Today,Ifeel ikewe werethe mostnoticed group n the Diag, and so many more 'eople areinformedofthisissueina way that they weren't before." Wisbaumsaidshebelievesthe Uni- ersity's decision will have influenee nAdidas,becausetheywon'twantto isklosingacontractofthissize. "We've been in contact with Presi- ent Coleman several times previ- 'usly," Wisbaum said. "She showed slettersthatshe'swrittentoAdidas etting them know that she's watch- ng what they do and expects them o honor the promise they've madeto heir workers." lon't have to do that. They're not bligated to do that." On top of the Thursday night thlete visits, Michigan From the Heart hosts a charity golf outing n the spring and special trips o different University sporting vents. "Thursday night visits are a ey componentlto Michigan From he Heart, but we take families o athletic events all year long," chuster, one of the volunteers, aid. "We try to aid the family in ny way that we.can. This is all lone in conjunction with the ath- etic department. They give us a ot of help and support in getting he athletes trained." Fischer said the organization iso represents a connection of two najor University affiliates - the thletic Department and the Uni- ersity of Michigan Health System. "It's really a three prong rela- ionship; there's been a really nice elationship between Mott, the thletic Departments and Michi- an From the Heart," Fischer aid. "It's ultimately a benefit for he patients and their families." Athletic department offi- ials did not respond to several equests for comment for this rticle. The relationship between the thletic Department, Mott and Michigan From the Heart has been crucial to sustaining Thurs- lay night athlete visits, but it has been the athletes' dedication that ivens the organization, Boullion aid. "The most important part of he program has been the volun- eers through the years," Boul- ion said. "You've got dedicated eople." event because reports of DeFluri were limited to one building. "The Emergency Alert System is to used when there is a con- firmed, imminent threaf that the majority of people need to take cover," Brown said. "Our campus is different for one single build- ing. It was one building, so offi- cers were doing their best to deal with that one building." Universities and colleges across the country have also faced false alarm situations from internal miscommunication. Last year, Tulane University errone- ously sent an emergency text message to students warning of a shooter at an unspecified loca- tion. Officials later retracted the message and wrote that it was accidentally released during a training session for the emergen- cy rsponse system. In 2011, U.S. Capitol Police in Washington, D.C. responded to reports that a gunman had been spotted near the Georgetown University Law Center. Officers later found a gun nearby, but determined it was unrelated to the incident and Georgetown released an "all-clear" message to its campus community within a few hours. -Editor in Chief Andrew Weiner, Managing News Editor Adam Rubenfire; Daily News Editor Peter Shahin; and Daily Staf f Reporters Giacomo Bolgona, Matt Jackonen and Stephanie Shenouda contributed reporting. LAND From Page 1 istrators. They aim for "a policy that will govern these issues and that would ensure that the city would not see continually diminishing revenues from the University's land purchases," Hieftje said. Hieftje added that he and Councilmember Sally Hart Petersen (D-Ward 2) have been working on a proposal to ease the issue. While he would not specify what the proposal will entail, Hieftje said he and Petersen would be "putting it into a formal request" in about a month. Councilmember Christopher Taylor (D-Ward 3) said even though the University is vital to the city's economy, he advocates a settlement on standards that would stop the city's increasing revenue losses. "There is no question that the University is the primary economic driver in the city and the region, and that the Univer- sity's growth is important to the city," Taylor said. "That said, the University's growth in the city clearly reduces the tax base and reduces the city's ability to provide services to its residents and the University, and it's my hope a reasonable accommoda- tion will be made." Jim Kosteva, the University's director of community rela- tions, said the conflict over the University's tax-exempt sta- tus resurfaces every four-to- six years in a "cyclical nature," often after the University pur- chases a cluster of properties. "Some folks get a little anx- ious about the properties that are removed from the tax rolls and what the impact (will be)," Kosteva said. Recently, the University purchased the site of Blimpy Burger and a nearby property for $1.5 million. Since 1999, the University has purchased, 29 pieces of land in total around the city. When the University bought the former Pfizer build- ing - now the North Campus Research Complex - in 2009, the city's revenue from prop- erty taxes decreased by 4.8 per- cent. According to Kosteva, the University has added 9,000 jobs to Ann Arbor's economy over the past 10 years. He said the University brings immense value to the city. "Nevertheless, the Univer- sity feels convinced that it does add a very substantial value to the community, and that our growth, our expansion, our ful- fillment of our public mission does provide a very substantial value," Rosteva said. Koteva added that the Uni- versity would not necessarily be opposed to a proposal, should one be on the table. "Our door is always open to our conversations." WE MAY NOT BE EMPLOYABLE, BUT WE' KNOW HOW TO DRINK CHEAP WINE. COME HELP US INNOVATE AND FINISH THIS BOX OF FRANZIA. CLICK "JOIN THE DAILY" AT MICHIGANDAILY.COM