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Monday, January 13, 2014
Ann Arbor, Michigan
michigandaily.com
BUBBLE FUN
ADMINISTRATION
'U' charged
for nuclear
security
violations
RYAN REISS/Daily
Music, Theater & Dance junior Elias Wygodny creates bubbles in front ofnthe UMMA during an A2 Bubbles event on Sunday.
RESEARCH
Brelm center, national org.
to enhance diabetes studies
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission fines for
multiple incidents
By AUSTEN HUFFORD
OnlineEditor
The United States Nuclear Reg-
ulatory Commission announced
Friday a proposed $3,500 fine
against the University's Radiation
Safety Service for "security-relat-
ed violations" discovered during a
routine inspection.
The security violation occurred
on the Ann Arbor campus and
the University "took immediate
corrective actions" after it was
informed of the violation.
The NRC found two safety
violations and one security viola-
tion during its June 2013 inspec-
tion and subsequent interviews,
according to the inspection report
sent to the University and obtained
by The Michigan Daily. All of the
violations are classified as Sever-
ity Level IV, the lowest level viola-
tion for those that are "more than
minor concern."
In the inspection report
released to the public, information
about the violation that resulted in
the fine was withheld for security
reasons.
One of the safety violations con-
cerned a 2012 incident in which
cadmium-109 was used on two
human research subjects without
the proper licensing. The report
said while the University took
"corrective action" at the time, not
enough was done subsequently to
"prevent recurrence."
The other safety violation said
the University did not properly
notify the NRC after it stopped
using its license at the Murchie
Science Building on the Flint cam-
pus. The report said this violation
occurred because of a "misinter-
pretation" of the statute.
The RSS is part of the Univer-
sity's Occupational Safety and
Environmental Health office and
is chargedwith providingtraining,
guidance and technical support
regarding radiological material
at the University, according to its
website.
The University was sent the
inspection report on Oct. 4 and
appears to have responded on Nov.
8.
According to a "conversation
record" made by the NRC, Dennis
Palmieri, a senior OSEH represen-
tative, told the NRC that the Uni-
versity "does not dispute any of the
violations referenced in the subject
letter," referring to the Univer-
sity's response sent in November.
University receives
$1 million grant to
examine the disease
By AMABEL KAROUB
Daily StaffReporter
The University's Brehm
Center and Juvenile Diabe-
tes Research Foundation have
partnered to investigate a new
hypothesis about the origins of
Type 1 diabetes.
Scientists have long sup-
ported the idea that in Type 1
diabetes, the body loses its abil-
ity to produce insulin due to
the death of beta cells, which
are insulin-producing cells in
the pancreas. Recently, how-
ever, researchers at the Brehm
Center found evidence that
beta cells may not be dying, but
instead regressing to an imma-
ture state and losing the ability
to produce insulin.
JDRF, the top Type 1 diabe-
tes fundraising organization
worldwide, granted the center
roughly $1 million to explore
the hypothesis. Andrew Rake-
man, director for JDRF's Cure
Therapies division, said the col-
laboration intends to confirm
the process is occurring and, if
it is, to look for ways to disrupt
and reverse beta cell regres-
sion.
"The first steps will be to
really show through animal
models, mouse models with
Type 1 diabetes, as well as with
samples from humans with
Type 1 diabetes whether or
not this process is occurring,"
Rakeman said. "Second, we'll
be beginning to look at what are
the mechanisms that cause the
beta cells to lose function, and
could we think about drugs or
therapies that would disrupt
that mechanism."
The Brehm Center was
See DIABETES, Page SA
ANN ARBOR
City could claim
land wanted for
campus growth
With the right council members see itt pur-
chase as important to main-
of first refusal, tain Ann Arbor's quality of life
and prevent the property from
A2 can purchase falling off the tax rolls.
Conversely, the University
Edwards Bros. land holds that its growth is in the
best interests of students and
By EMMA KERR faculty at the University, as
Daily StaffReporter well as the city of Ann Arbor.
The Michigan Department
More property, more prob- of Treasury reports that Ann
lems. Arbor's tax base has grown
While the University has by 36 percent since 2001,
plans to purchase the $12.8 while comparable communi-
million Edwards Brothers ties in Michigan experienced
property on South State Street, a decline of 4.9 percent. The
the cityofAnn Arbor holds the difference is in part due to
power to use its right of first the University's presence
refusal to block the Univer- and growth in Ann Arbor,
sity's purchase of of the 16.7 according to Jim Kosteva, the
acres of land. However, the University's director of com-
city would then be compelled munity relations. The growth
to purchase the property, and translates into about $23 mil-
most likely, search for a pri- lion of additional annual tax
vate entity to buy the land. revenue for the city.
Although the city does not "You shouldn't look at the
have a specific need for the purchase of a property by the
extra property, many city See LAND, Page SA
GOVERNMENT
Sierra Club
asks Snyder
for policy
changes
Report card gives
Gov. a weak review
before annual State of
the State address
By SHOHAM GEVA
Daily StaffReporter
The results are in, and the Michi-
gan chapter of the Sierra Club has
given Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder
weak reviews.
The club's "gubernatorial Score-
card" - an evaluation of envi-
ronment-related actions during
Snyder's tenure - ranked Snyder on
energy, environment and what the
group calls "good government" poli-
cies. The group found that the gov-
ernor made only eight decisions the
Sierra Club approved of as environ-
mentally sound.
The evaluation was originally
based on the group's evaluation of
36 bills and administrative actions,
See SIERRA CLUB, Page SA
Omar Barghouti speaks on why the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement asks the world to boycott Israel
until it ends its mistreatment of Palestinians on Friday at Hutchins Hall.
Palestinian activist urges
'U' to divest fro-m Israel
Barghouti's talk
draws praise and
ire across campus
By MICHAEL SUGERMAN
Daily StaffReporter
With a focus on universal
human rights and activism,
Omar Barghouti - a key mem-
ber of the Boycotts, Divest-
ment and Sanctions campaign
against Israel - received a
standing ovation from those in
attendance at his guest lecture
in Hutchins Hall Friday night.
"The very basis of BDS is
the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, and in that,
a very basic concept that has
been forgotten to an extent:
that all human beings are born
free and equal in dignity and
rights," Barghouti said.
Barghouti, a Palestinian
activist and commentator,
explained BDS's mission by
focusing on what he said were
oppressive Israeli policies,
including a lack of access to
education for many Palestin-
ians.
"BDS was launched by Pal-
See ACTIVIST, Page SA
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