Ann Arbor, MI Trading in the maize and blue Former quarterback Steven Threet shares the reasons behind his transfer SEE PAGE 11 Curbing smokers' rights an injustice Why the University's ban on outdoor smoking is nothing but huff and puff SEE PAGE 4 ARTS 'Wolverine' not sharp enough Unrealistic special effects ruin X-Men's latest trip to the silver screen SEE PAGE 9 SPORTS 'M' baseball falls flat in Columbus The Wolverines dropped two games before salvaging a late win SEE PAGE 11 IN DEX Vol CXIX, No. 135 1T 2009 The Michigan Daily michigandaiy.com N EW S ......... .............. ........... . . -..2 O PIN IO N ... .....................................4 A RTS .........................................:......9 SPO R T S ............................................ 11 CL A'7S!FIED ........................................6 Graduates raise their fists one last time to HNail to the Victors" at this years graduation ceremooy io Michigan Stadiom. A final- farewl Weekly Summer Eclition ANIMAL TREATMENT Activists target UMHS practices Animal rights groups cite many violations By LARA ZADE ManagingNewsEditor The University of Michi- gan Health System is-under fire from two animal rights groups following reports of misconduct in University laboratory experi- ments and improper use of fed- eral funding. Alka Chandra, a laboratory oversight specialist for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said that documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act revealed 33 violations of animal treatment by the University over a six month period. "We have never seen any- thing like this before in terms of number of violations in such a limited period of time," Chandra said. In lightcof the findings, Chan- dra submitted a letter on behalf of PETA requesting that the Na- tional Institute of Health revoke the University's assurances - the permits that allow researchers to conduct their experiments. In the letter, which was ad- dressed to NIH Director of the office of Animal Welfare Patricia Brown, Chandra wrote that the University displays a "culture of contempt" toward animal wel- fare. Chandra cited examples of University researchers letting animals die of starvation, dehy- dration and beingtrapped in cag- es that caught on fire. She also said that a University researcher See PETA, Page 8 A crowd of 40,000 gather once more at the Big House By JASMINE ZHU Daily News Editor Graduating students in caps and gowns filed through Michigan Sta- dium Saturday as this year's gradu- ation commencement ceremony returned to its regular venue. The University of Michigan Commencement Band played a fit- ting arrangement of"M Fanfare" for a crowd of approximately 40,000 to kick off the ceremony. Last year, spring commence- ment exercises were relocated to the Diag for the first time in the University's history due to ongoing construction at the Big House. University alum Will Rich, who graduated from the Ford School of Public Policy last year, said he was happy to see graduation return to the Big House. "It was great," Rich said. "I ac- tually graduated last year on the Diag, so it was nice to be able to do it in the Big House this year." Throughout the commence- menteeremony, thespeakersvoiced a shared sentiment of perseverance in the face of economic uncertainty. LSA Dean Terrence McDonald said that though the class of 2009 is graduating in turbulent times, he is confident the situation will turn around. "America is now, and forever will be, a good investment," Mc- Donald said. School of Music, Theatre & Dance senior Ariel Arce, who gave the reflection, said that in spite of the economic crisis, "It's neverbeen a better time to be young." Her optimism was echoed by LSA senior George Dong, the stu- dent speaker for the event. "Yes we can, and yes we will change the world one day," said Dong, echoing one of President Barack Obama's most famous man- tras. Dong, who is from Fuhou, Chi- na, explained that his presence at the podium was quite an achieve- ment. When he first came to the University, he barely spoke English. Now, Dong will teach English in the inner city of Chicago as part of the non-profit organization Teach for America. "Although our homes are miles apart, it's the Michigan experience that connects us all," Dong said. Dong ended his speech with a rousing chorus of "It's Great to be a Michigan Wolverine," and was joined by the graduating class. Larry Page, Google co-founder and University alum, delivered the commencement address at the cer- emony. Page urged the graduating se- niors to have a "healthy disregard for the impossible," citing his per- sonal obstacles in creating Google. "Sometimes it's important to wake up and stop dreaming," said Page, in reference to how he trans- formed his vision of Google into a reality. Summing up the secret to changing the world in one sentence, Page said that the key is to "always work hard on something that is un- comfortably exciting."