The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Thursday, February 20, 2014 - 3A

The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Thursday, February 20, 2014 - 3A

ICE
From Page 1A
low to moderate levels in the last
couple years.
"The warming effect that
we've seen - both air tempera-
ture and water temperature -
and then with polar vortex come
down draws the heat out of the
lake, change things radically, so
we end up this year with a lot of
ice cover," Leshkevich said.
While the ice is particularly
severe this season. Leshkevich

said this demonstrates the
increased variability of recent
years. Historically, ice levels
fluctuate from year to year, but
when averaged out, ice levels over
the lastseveral decades have been
on a very gradual decline.
"Theicecoverhasbeenvariable
throughout the years, even in the
70s and 80s," he said. "Overall
it will still be downward, but it
seems like we're seeing greater
fluctuation in recent years."
Average ice cover at this
point in the season is 35 percent,
according to Leshkevich. The
current levels are the highest

since 1979, when the lakes were
almost 95 percent covered.
While the ice may present
obstacles for ships and
beachgoers, Leshkevich and
other scientists said it represents
an important component of the
Great Lakes' ecosystems. Surface
ice prevents winter evaporation,
which helps maintain water
levels, and some species of fish
rely on the ice to protect nesting
grounds from winter storms.
Several factors - mainly
wind, rain and air temperature
- could influence whether the
ice continues to grow or begins

melting. If cold weather persists,
the ice could theoretically
continue to grow and approach
nearly 100 percent.
While the early winter season
may have been the key player
in the ice formation this year,
Leshkevich said global climate
change may be playing a role
in the overarching change in
fluctuations.
"A lot of climatologists
attribute (the ice) to both natural
variability and perhaps some to
climate change, to global change,"
he said. "At least that's what I'm
hearing from them."


STUDIES
From Page 1A
cago. The committees will
establish courses available to all
students in theCIC.
Political Science Prof.
Pauline Jones Luong, director
of the Islamic Studies program,
said that in order to test the
technology and teaching, the
program will offer a small
number of courses the first year.
The number of courses offered
will then increase yearly.
According to Luong, the
courses will cover all aspects
of Islam, including its theology,
history and culture. The courses
will be enough for students to
earn an Islamic Studies minor.
"It's going to be broad, but
we want to make sure that
we include courses that will
be offered consistently for
students," Luong said.
Funding for the grant will
last five years, but Luong said
she hopes the live-streaming of
courses within the CIC becomes
integrated with the existing
curriculum.
Most of the courses students
can choose from will be offered

through the University, but
students can also enroll in
any of the courses offered by
participating CIC schools,
including Northwestern
University, the University of
Chicago and Purdue University.
If one of the courses is not
offered through the University,
students will have lecture either
in a classroom with a large
projector screen or on their own
personal laptops, depending on
the number of enrolled students.
"Our students are going to
benefit from this because there
are going to be some years where
faculty are on leave and cannot
teach students, but students
will still be able to have access
to those courses because of the
virtual curriculum," Luong said.
Loung added that creating the
Islamic Studies Virtual Curricu-
lum displays the University's
leadership - especially pertain-
ing to education - which not
only enhances the University's
Islamic Studies program, but the
programs of the CIC as well.
"We're the leader in many dif-
ferent ways, but one of the ways
we want to be a leader is figuring
out how to teach students most
effectively through this medi-
um," Luong said.

WORKERS
From Page 1A
weeks for months at a time for
the equivalent of $48 per month.
Sikder worked in Rana Plaza,
a factory in Savar, Bangladesh
that collapsed on April 23, 2013.
At 2 p.m. workers were told to
leave, but were brought back
the next day after being told
the building had been evaluated
by an engineer and was safe.
Approximately 1,000 people
were killed and many were
trapped for several days.,
Before the collapse, Sikder
observed visible cracks in the
building's walls and said debris
would regularly fall on her
co-workers' heads. Sikder and

several co-workers were trapped
during the disaster and were
rescued after two and a half days.
"I want this brand to pay
and build a safer place," Sik-
der said through a translator. "I
don't want anyone to have to go
through what we went through."
Public Policy senior
Maya Menlo, USAS Worker
Rights Consortium Board
Representative, said she hoped
the event opened students' eyes
to the realities of these workers'
lives, as well as how important
their involvement is.
"Most students probably know
that their (University) apparel
isn't made in the most ethical
way, and our group isn't asking
them to boycott Adidas tennis
shoes or refuse to wear apparel,"
Menlo said. "It's all about this

precedent-setting document
that would force companies to
allow their workers the right
to safe working conditions and
making sure that nothing like
this happens again."
Menlo added that there
have not been any incidents
at factories where University
apparel is made, but that
ensuring this does not happen is
a major area of concern.
"We want to make sure there
isn't ever any blood on the block
'M' and one way to do that is
through awareness, making sure
that students know what's going
on in these factories and what
the workers lives are like."
Engineering sophomore Nahi-
yan Bakr, who is originally from
Bangladesh, said the event was
meaningful since he was at home

when the incident occurred.
"I wasn't at the factory or
anything, but I know as close to
first hand as many of my peers
what the incident was like and
what happened that day," he said.
"I wanted to see (the group's)
perspective on the situation
and what they think should be
done because it's a problem and
awareness needs to step up."
Bakr added that the event was
a good step in getting students
involved and aware of how they
can contribute to the cause.
Last year, USAS staged several
similar events to raise awareness,
including a march to University
President Mary Sue Coleman's
office, a demonstration for better
factory conditions, and avigil for
improved wages for sweatshop
workers.


0

Biden talks
heal ahiicare
law in Minn.

Marijuana may
prove lucrative
for Colorado

HATCHER
From Page 1A
University's Bentley Historical
Library and research assistants
from the School of Information
graduate program.
Rackham student Madeline
Sheldon, a research assistant
on the project, said the history
of diversity is very important at
the University.
"To see that displayed in the
exhibit made me feel proud that
I can be associated with that,"
Sheldon said.
The outer portions of
the exhibit features more
contemporary information
about campus diversity, while
the inner sections display
information dating back to the
founding of the University in
the 19th century.
Nichols said while some of
the information used in the
exhibit was previously known,
the research team uncovered
new information using old
documents, including historical
newspapers and reports from
the Board of Regents from the

University's early history.
One exhibit panel describes
the beginning of the current
Rackham Barbour Scholarship
for female students from Asian
countries in 1914. The scholar-
ship's recipients must contrib-
ute to their native countries
upon entering their careers.
"Getting to meet someone
from another country was
pretty unusual in this part
of America in the dead of the
Midwest," Nichols said.
Another panel at the exhibit
asks students what diversity at
the University means to them.
Students can place their own
answers to that question on
the panel with provided sticky
notes.
"Something I really like
about the exhibit is that no
matter what your background
is or what you're looking for
you can find some content that
connects with you and speaks
to you," said Rackham student
Molly Malcolm, a research
assistant on the project.
Nichols said the there are
plans to present the exhibit
online when the physical
location closes this month.

VP encourages
enrollment despite
exchange issues as
deadline approaches
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -
Vice President Joe Biden said
Wednesday that it would be a
good start for the federal health
care law if 5 million to 6 million
people sign up by the end of
March, an acknowledgement
that enrollments might fall
significantly short of the Obama
administration's unofficial
target of 7 million.
Biden, who was attending
a private fundraiser in
Minneapolis, made a brief
unannounced stop at a coffee
shop and visited with a handful
of women who have signed up
for coverage. Open enrollment
under the federal law ends on
March 31, after which people
without insurance are subject
to federal tax penalties.
Biden acknowledged the
rocky rollout of the admin-
istration's Affordable Care
Act website and the difficulty
people have had in signing up.
Minnesota has been among the
numerous states, along with the
federal Healthcare.gov site, to
experience rampant technical
problems that hampered enroll-
ment.
"We didn't want this to start
off as shaky as it did," he said.
"But it's complicated."
Before the exchanges
launched, the Obama
administration projected
monthly enrollment targets
based on a congressional
estimate that7millionwould sign
up during the six-month open
enr6llment period. Signing up
enough individuals - especially
younger, healthier people - is
critical for the insurance pool at
the heart of the law to function
properly, keeping premiums low

for everyone.
Immediately, enrollment
figures starting falling behind
the targets. Although the
pace of sign-ups has picked up
substantially, there's still a lot of
catching up to do from the initial
months. About 1 million enrolled
in January - the first time the
administration met its monthly
target.
Biden acknowledged that "we
may noteget to 7 million, but if we
get to 5 or 6 million that's a hell
of a start."
In total, nearly 3.3 million
had enrolled through the end of
January. That's about 75 percent
of what the administration had
hoped to achieve by that point in
the open enrollment period.
Biden's office said the four
women picked to meet with
Biden either signed up for
insurance under the federal
law, or have worked as a
navigator assisting others in
the signup process. In the brief
conversation, Biden related
several health crises in his own
life, including a serious car
accident and a brain aneurysm,
saying he appreciated the sense
of security knowing he could
count on his insurance.
Dressed in a dark suit with
a dark scarf around his neck,
Biden briefly worked the room
at Moose and Sadie's, located in
a trendy urban neighborhood
near downtown Minneapolis.
His voice was hoarse, and he
was difficult to hear over the
coffee shop's din. He did speak
up when he spotted a woman
with a San Francisco Giants
cap.
"They allow you to wear that
in Minnesota?" he said.
Biden was attending a private
Democratic Party fundraiser
at the restaurant Bachelor
Farmer. Owned by the sons of
Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton,
the restaurant hosted a dinner
for President Barack Obama in
2012.

Report indicates
legalized cannibus
sales could bring
millions to state
DENVER (AP) - Colorado's
legal marijuana market is far
exceeding tax expectations,
according to a budget proposal
released Wednesday by Gov.
John Hickenlooper that gives
the first official estimate of how
much the state expects to make
from pot taxes.
The proposal outlines plans
to spend some $99 million next
fiscal year on substance abuse
prevention, youth marijuana use
prevention and other priorities.
The money would come from a
statewide 12.9 percent sales tax
on recreational pot. Colorado's
total pot sales next fiscal year
were estimated to be about $610
million.
Retail sales began Jan. 1 in
Colorado. Sales have been strong,
though exact figures for January
sales won't be made public until
early next month.
The governor predicted sales
and excise taxes next fiscal year
would produce some $98 million,
well above a $70 million annual
estimate given to voters when
they approved the pot taxes last
year. The governor also includes
taxes from medical pot, which
are subject only to the statewide
2.9 percent sales tax.
Washington state budget
forecasters released a projection
Wednesday for that state, where
retail sales don't begin for a few
months.
Economic forecasters in
Olympia predicted that the
state's new legal recreational
marijuana market will bring
nearly $190 million to state cof-
fers over four years starting in
mid-2015. Washington state sets
budgets biennially.
In Colorado, Hickenlooper's
proposal listed six priorities for
spending the pot sales taxes.
The spending plan included
$45.5 million for youth use
prevention, $40.4 million for
substance abuse treatment and
$12.4 million for public health.
"We view our top priority as
creating an environment where
negative impacts on children
from marijuana legalization
are avoided completely,"
Hickenlooper wrote in a letter to
legislative budget writers, which
must approve the plan.
The governor also proposed
a $5.8 million, three-year
"statewide media campaign on

marijuana use," presumably
highlighting the drug's health
risks. The state Department of
Transportation would get $1.9
million for a new "Drive High,
Get a DUI" campaign to tout the
state's new marijuana blood-limit
standard for drivers.
Also, Hickenlooper has
proposed spending $7 million
for an additional 105 beds in
residential treatment centers for
substance abuse disorders.
"This package represents a
strong yet cautious first step"
for regulating pot, the governor
wrote. He told lawmakers he'd
be back with a more complete
spending prediction later this
year.
The Colorado pot tax plan
doesn't include an additional
15 percent pot excise tax,
of which $40 million a year
already is designated for school
construction. The governor
projected the full $40 million to
be reached next year.
The initial tax projections
are rosier than those given to
voters in 2012, when state fiscal
projections on the marijuana-
legalization amendment would
produce $39.5 million in sales
taxes next fiscal year, which
begins in July.
The rosier projections come
from updated data about how
many retail stores Colorado
has (163 as of Feb. 18) and how
much customers are paying for
pot. There's no standardized
sales price, but recreational
pot generally is going for much
more than the $202 an ounce
forecasters guessed last year.
Mason Tvert, a legalization
activist who ran Colorado's 2012
campaign, said other states are
watching closely to see what
legal weed can produce in tax
revenue.
"Voters and state lawmakers
around the country are
watching how this system
unfolds in Colorado, and
the prospect of generating
significant revenue while
eliminating the underground
marijuana market is
increasingly appealing," said
Tvert, who now works for the
Marijuana Policy Project.
Meanwhile, The Denver
Post reported Wednesday that
banks holding commercial
loans on properties that lease to
Colorado marijuana businesses
say they don't plan to refinance
those loans when they come
due. Bankers say property used
as collateral for those loans
theoretically is subject to federal
drug-seizure laws, which makes
the loans a risk.


OBAMACARE
From Page1A
ber of people whose first interac-
tion with the health care system
after they get on Medicare ends
with them getting a foot ampu-
tation for untreated diabetes,"
he said. "What's cheaper, a podi-
atrist once per year, time with
a nurse, and insulin, or paying
Johns Hopkins a $30,000 bill
minimum to get a foot amputa-
tion?"
Greer said he was optimistic
about the future of University of
Michiganhealthservicesdespite
the challenges facing research-
focused medical centers.

"Now the insurance
companies have turned on the
academic medical centers due
mostly to cost. I think UMHS
is probably going to do fine
because it adopted the farseeing
strategy of being the hospital of
reference for the entire state,"
Greer said.
LSA junior Katarina Alajbe-
govic said she thought the lec-
ture was informative, especially
given the vast sum of informa-
tion regardingthe new laws.
"I think it's good to know
what's going on," she said.
"Especially because it's so politi-
cized - when you go on the
news, you can't be sure you're
getting an accurate description
of what's goingto change."

FrenchieSkate 2014

IT'S FIVE O' CLOCK IN THE MORNING
AND WE'RE STILL AT THE DAILY
WRITING THIS AD FOR YOU
(JUST KIDDING IT'S ACTUALLY 2)
BUT STILL YOU SHOULD LIKE US
ON FACEBOOK TO SAY
'THANKS FOR STAYING UP SO LATE FOR US'
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/MICH IGANDAILY


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