"Pfizer would have been the number
one choice to work in Michigan. "
Andrew Laskowski, 2007 Engineering graduate and former Pfizer intern
OPINION
From the Daily:
Keeping promises
In another misguided deci-
sion on the war in Iraq, President
Bush stubbornly vetoed Con-
gress's time-tabled withdrawal
plan. Despite the setback, Con-
gress has a responsibility to end
the unjust war. See page 4
SPORTS
Wolverines soar
into postseason
The Michigan softball team
drew Illinois in the first
round of the Big
Ten Tourna-
ment next
weekend in
Colombus. The
Wolverines'
stomped Michi-
gan State 9-1
in five innings
yesterday.
See page 13
INDEX
Vol. cxvii, No. 139
©200 The Michigan Daily
michigandaily, com
NEWS.............................................2
O PIN IO N ........................................4
C LA SSIFIED ...................................6
A R T S ...............................................9
SUDOKU........................................11
SPORTS.........................................13
SHAY SPANIOLA/Daily
Pfizer Inc. terminated its internship program in Ann Arbor when it closed its Ann Arbor site in January, ruining the plans of
University students who were counting on working for the company during the summer
contract
By JESSICA VOSGERCHIAN
ManagingNewsEditor
In an effort to distance itself
from a national controversy
over loan companies paying
colleges for preferred status,
the University Alumni Asso-
ciation on April 26 terminated
a contract that provided JPM-
organ Chase & Company access
to its mailing list, a statement
from the association said.
New York Attorney General
Andrew Cuomo, who is lead-
ing an investigation of lenders'
relationships with colleges,
announced on May 3 that the
inquiry would extend to college
alumni associations.
Cuomo's office is sending 90
subpoenas to alumni associa-
tions of universities nationwide
questioning their connections
See ALUMNI, Page 8
THE CUOMO INQUIRY
AND THE 'U'
In February, NewYork AttorneyGen-
eral Andrew Cuomos campaign askedthe
Universitypfor itsfinancial records in order
to determinewhetherthe University was
receiving payment from lenders.
After the inquiry found no fault, the
University was asked to sign Cuomo's
code of conduct prohibiting administra-
tors from collaborating with lenders,
Universityspokeswoman Kelly Cunning-
ham said.
The Universityprefused to sign the
document because the investigation
determinedthe University hadn't done
anythingwrong, Cunningham said.
The closing of Pfizer Inc.'s
Ann Arbor site in January
caused 2007 Engineering
graduate Andrew Laskowski to
panic.
After interning with Pfizer last
summer, he planned to go back to
the company if other internship
opportunities didn't pan out.
He didn't think Pfizer would
shut its doors.
"At the time I was really wor-
ried," he said. "I thought that
would be there for a long time."
Pfizer terminated the Ann Arbor
site's internship program this year
and left many University students
scramblingto secure other summer
work opportunities in a state with a
struggling job market.
Recent Engineering graduate
Heidi Howes said she found out
her summer plans were ruined
after reading about the closing in
a newspaper.
She had interned with Pfizer last
summer, and had talked with her
former supervisor about returning.
But when she called to check on the
internship this year, she found out
that both her and her supervisor
were out of jobs.
"It put me at a disadvantage,"
Howes said. "I was behind when
I was looking for an internship or
a job."
Cynthia Redwine, director of the
Engineering Career Resource Cen-
ter, said that Pfizer usually hired
interns from the College of Engi-
neering in the past.
She said about 10 Engineering
students a year reported receiving
internships from Pfizer and that
there were probably many more
that chose not to report their sum-
mer plans to the ECRC.
Laskowski's main concern after
Pfizer announced its closing was
whether or not he would be able to
find another job in Michigan.
"I was a little afraid that I
wouldn't be able to find work for
the summer," he said. "All the other
Michigan companies had already
done their hiring."
Ann Arbor SPARK, a non-profit
organization dedicated to bolster-
ing Ann Arbor's economy, adver-
tises available jobs and career
training opportunities on its web-
site to keep former Pfizer employ-
ees in Michigan.
These efforts are made as part of
the Pfizer Strategic WorkingAction
See PFIZER, Page 3