IE Jfiiigan )atij

Ann Arbor, Mich. michigandaily.com Monday, July 2, 2007 Summer Weekly

'om I '0 AT

}SP

NEWS
Shooting near
campus
A fight at Bell's Pizza likely led
to the shooting in the parking lot
of a Geddes Avenue apartment
complex early Friday morning,
police say.
See page 2.
OPINION
From the Daily:
Access denied
For an institution that sup-
posedly prides itself on diversity
and inclusion, you would expect
the University to jump at the
opportunity to make Michigan
Stadium more accessible to the
disabled. Instead, the University
has skirted the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990 so it can
move forward with its skybox
plan. The process to pass the
plan has heen an emharrass-
ment to the University's tradi-
tion of diversity.
See page 4.
SPORTS
Wolverines passed
up again
For the third
straight year, no
Michigan men's
basketball player
was taken in the
NBA Draft.
See page 9.
INDEX
Voi. cxvii. No. 146
02007 The Michigan Daily
michigandaily.com
N EW S... .................................... 2
SUDOKU........................................3
OPINION........................................4
C LA SSIFIED .................................6
A RT S....................................... 9
SPO RT S........................................13

U Uar
hospital
to receive
$50 million
Anonymous donor
gives second largest
endowment in
University history
By JESSICA VOSGERCHIAN
ManagingNews Editor
The University's new Cardio-
vascular Center announced on
Monday that it is to receive a $50
million gift from an anonymous
donor.
The donation is the second larg-
estthe Universityhas ever received
- hehind only University alum Ste-
phen Ross's $100 nmillion gift to the
School of Business in 2004.
The $50 million endowment
will fund cutting-edge research
that will bring together experts
from several medical specialties,
said James Stanley, an executive
director at the center.
Stanley said the benefactor,
who asked the center to conceal
his or her identity, was compelled
to donate to the center in support
of the center's novel approach to
treatment.
"The donor is knowledgeable
about health care and the ravages
that cardiovascular disease has
taken on society," he said.
The center's layout and staff
organization puts different kinds
of specialists together who in
many hospital systems would work
in separate locations and rarely
encounter each other, despite
treating many of the same patients.
The center's design allows patients
to more conveniently consult sev-
eral experts and encourages physi-
cians to combine specialties when
j See GIFT, Page 8

Marilyn Daniels, a doctor from Belleville, Mich., hands out leaflets for the Michigan Coalition for Health Care Nom outside the
Michigan Theater on Friday, the day Michael Moore's new film 'Sicko' opened in Ann Arbor. See page 9 for the film review.
W new policy, grants
health care to same-sex pairs

'U' sidesteps ruling
with 'other qualified
adult' benefits plan
By EMILY BARTON
Daily News Editor
HistoryProf.Alexandra Stern has
been with her partner for 12 years.
While Stern teaches at the Univer-
sity, the health care that the Univer-
sity provides for the couple allows
Stern's partner to forgo work so she
can finish her nursing degree.
But because the Michigan
Supreme Court ruled in February
that theban on same-sex marriage
means public institutions are no
longer allowed to offer benefits
to domestic partners of gay and
lesbian employees, the University
must alter its health care program
at the end of 2007.
But the University might have
found a way to continue providing

benefits to same-sex partners with
the new policy it announced on
June 18. The policy, effective Jan.
1, grants benefits to an adult close
to a University employee, referred
to as an "other qualified adult,"
who meets a list of seven criteria.
The new policy stipulates that
pairs applying for coverage must
have lived together for at least six
months and share a bank account.
Candidates must also have power
of attorney over the employee and
be the primary beneficiary in the
employee's will, life insurance or
retirement plan.
"I think it shows a real commit-
ment on behalf of the University,"
Stern said. "I think the University
showed a lot of leadership."
Stern said the University has
done all it can for now and the
next step is up to the Michigan
Supreme Court, which will hear
the American Civil Liberties
Union's appeal of the February
ruling in the near future.

"I feel pretty discouraged with
the state of Michigan," she said.
"It's sad that Michigan can't get on
board with the 21st century."
University spokeswoman Kelly
Cunningham said the University
reviewed the February Supreme
Court ruling and formed its new
policy to not base benefit offer-
ings on any particular kind of
relationship.
"We believe this complies with
the court's ruling," she said.
Cunningham said that because
the policy does not define the type
of relationship it's meant for, an
employee for the University is able
to obtain benefits for anyone who
matches the criteria, like a room-
mate or friend.
However, the "other qualified
adult" coverage does not extend to
adult family members or compan-
ions of the opposite sex. Because
the state allows marriage between
men and women, these couples
See BENEFITS, Page 8