LOCAL/sIrAirt Lecturer receives leadership award Robert Williams, an adjunct lecturer in the University's School of Public Health, has received the John G. Weigenstein Leadership Award for ,outstanding contributions to the co- tse from the American College of :Emergency Physicians. Through his health policy research, Williams has made significant contri- butions in educating his colleagues on the role of emergency medicine in a ;reformed health care system,the ACEP said. Lead poisoning rises in Africa Recent studies show that more than 90 percent of the children in urban and rural communities of the Cape Prov- ince of South Africa have blood lead levels higher than 10 micrograms per deciliter. Guidelines published by the Centers for Disease Control say more than 10 micrograms per deciliter is a health risk for children. Many U.S. children had levels this trigh during the late 1970s and early 1980s, Jerome Nriagu, professor of en- vironmental and industrial health, said 'in a statement. SReducedleadingasoline,housepaint, drinking water and consumer products helped reduce U.S. children's blood lead levels, he said. *,In Africa, environmental problems, lack ofeducation and otherhealth prob- lems people are less aware of the dan- ger of lead poising. Nriagu presented phis findings at the American Public -Health Association meeting yesterday in San Diego. Some youngsters imitate alcohol use A University School ofNursing study of 1,314 fourth-graders found that 2.2 percent reported having more than one or more drinks of alcohol per week. The fourth-graders who drank cited peer pressure, friends who use alcohol and permissive parents. Students who were more likely to say no to a drink were considered popular and had sup- portive families. Thirty-eight percent of the children reported having had a drink of alcohol, but for most, this meant having tried or tasted a drink, usually with parents, and were considered non-drinkers. The study was headed by Carol J. Loveland-Cherry, associate professor of nursing. She presented her findings at the American Public Health Associa- tion meeting Tuesday in San Diego. Breast cancer seminar scheduled "The Role of Exercise in Breast Can- cer Recover" will be the topic of a seminar sponsored by the Michigan Initiative for Women's Health at noon next Wednesday. The research, funded by MIWH in 11994, was conducted by Michelle Segar, a graduate student in the University's School of Public Health, and Victor Katch,aprofessorofKinesiology. Segar will present findings on the role of exercise in recovery from breast cancer surgery as it relates to depression, anxi- ety and self-esteem. - Compiled by Daily Staff Reporter Cathy Boguslaski The Michigan Daily - Thursday, November 2, 1995 - 3A Multiple-offenders plague DUI laws NOPPORN KICHANANHA/Daity State Rep. Liz Brater and state Sen. Alma Wheeler Smith speak at a forum in the Michigan League last night. They and Rep. Mary Schroer urged women to get Involved in politics, a field in which the three said women are under-represented. Female legislators urge women to get inoled n overnmnAJLt I Laws seem to be cutting down on drunk driving in Michigan By Jeff Eldridge Daily Staff Reporter Drunk drivers convicted of repeated violations are an albatross around the neck of Michigan's otherwise success- ful 1992 drunk-driving statutes, a re- cent University study found. "In drinking and driving, what we found was there is still a problem with multiple offenders," said David Eby, an assistant research scientist at the University's Transportation Research Institute. Eby's study of56 drunk drivers con- victed in 1992 and 1993 found that about 45 percent of those convicted had at least one other drinking-and- driving conviction in the past 10 years. Fifteen percent had at least two prior alcohol-related convictions during that time. In 1992 and 1993, the state ofMichi- gan convicted thousands of people for drinking-and-driving violations. "The laws in Michigan seem to be working for most of the population," Eby said. Marvin Tauriainen, community re- lations director at the Washtenaw Council on Alcoholism, applauded what the 1992 law seems to be doing. "I think it has cut down on the people who are drinking and driving," he said. "Consumption, as we know, is down." Eby said that college-age drivers make up a significant portion of driv- ers being prosecuted for drunk driv- ing. "The younger drivers are overrep- resented. ... They're about twice as likely to be convicted of a drunk-driv- ing arrest." Tauriainen said repeat drunk-driv- ing offenses go hand-in-hand with the typical symptoms of alcoholism. "In our experience with alcoholics, there is nothing that indicates to them they're too drunk to drive, in spite of the consequences," Tauriainen said. He also said that a social drinker would be more likely to be aware of his or her inability to drive and seek assis- tance. Tauriainen added some alcoholic drivers may be operating their vehicle while under a blackout. ElainedCharney, director of -he Driver's License Appeals Division for the Michigan's Secretary of State's Office, said that Michigan is on' the leading edge of states looking to curb drinking and driving. "We're doing better than the rest6f the nation, and that's obviously en- couraging because it means we'reS4. ing lives," Charney said..; Nationally, 42 percent of fat~Iftr accidents are drinking-related:.;I Michigan, the rate is 37 percent.- Charney said Michigan is both bl- rowing ideas found successful in other states and experimenting with now ones. "We can't be reinventing the wheel if it's out there and successfut°' she said. Charney said the recent declines are part of a 10-year effort. She said there were no immediate plans to directy address the repeat-offender proble. "There's only so much you can do in a statue," she said, emphasizing the need for localities to assert control and judges to enforce strict rehabilitation as part of a convict's sentence. Eby's study found that 55 percent of the drunk drivers in the sample were involved in at least one previous crash, 30 percent were driving with a: rg- stricted, suspended, revoked orexpirel license, 88 percent of convicted drunk drivers become intoxicated in public, and 93 percent of arrests take place between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. on week- ends. Eby recommends that the minimum blood-alcohol level for drunk driving be lowered from .10 percent to- .08 percent. Some foreign countries =and other states punish drivers for levels as low as .02 percent. Additional ideas include the seizure or immobilization of the offender's vehicle, specially coded license plates, changes in the process teen-agersun- dergo to receive their first licenseland additional driver checkpoints. By Kate Glickman Daily Staff Reporter The Ann Arbor area's three female state legislators urged women last night to get involved in politics so they can continue changing government. State Sen. Alma Wheeler Smith and Reps. Liz Brater and Mary Schroer, all Democrats, spoke to a small group in the Michigan League about their expe- riences in politics as women and urged female audience members to get in- volved. "You are either acting in politics or politics is acting on you," Smith said. All three expressed frustration with working in fields where women are under-represented. "They can't hear our voices," said Smithspeaking of herexperience work- ing with men in the state Senate. "People always refer to women as a minority. We are not aminority. We are a majority," Brater said. Smith said that many times women initiate ideas only to be ignored while the same ideas brought to the table by men will be heard and addressed. Brater added that many decisions are made by male legislators "at the bar." She said women are not invited to the bar and ifthey show up, the men "aren't sure they want them there." The social factors that deter women from entering politics are compli- cated, said Brater, a former Ann Ar- bor mayor. "The same behaviors that are favor- able in men are not accepted in women," she said. For this reason, women are not en- couraged to become involved in poli- tics, Brater said. "Maybe it's a little embarrassing for us to call attention to ourselves," Brater said. Women have been socialized to "be seen and not heard," she said. The lawmakers were also concerned about politics in general as they are all Democrats and do not have majority status in the Legislature. "We are in a bit of a retreat," Brater said. "Voters age 18-20 sat at home. Mi- norities sat at home. If we don't get our colleagues and friends involved, we will continue to be run by an oligarchy and special interest groups," Smith said. However, things have gotten much better for women in politics during the last 10 years, Schroer said. "You are either acting in politics or politics is acting on you. " - Alma Wheeler Smith State senator "Women in Congress have allowed men to show a softer side," she said. Men are now able to speak on issues such as domestic violence and women's health, Schroer said. Despite some frustrations they've had, all three women encouraged fe- male college students to be confident that they have something to say and take advantage of opportunities to run for office. The forum, sponsored by the Michi- gan Student Assembly's Women's Is- sues Commission and Michigan League Programming, is a preview to a series dedicated to women's issues beginning next term. The series will include weekly speak- ers, a national speaker, a women's band and a women's film. iiU Construction workers injured in explosion EAST LANSING (AP)-Six construction workers tunneling under a major East Lansing street escaped serious injury yester- day after an explosion flashed through the tunnel they were in. East Lansing officials late yesterday were still trying to find out what caused the 7 a.m. explosion in a 13-foot-tall sewer tunnel being dug under the road that separates downtown East Lansing from Michigan State University. Six of the nine people working in the tunnel were injured in the blast, said Tom DiPonio, president of Jay Dee Contractors. Two were treated for their injuries and released. Four others were taken to Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, where one was in fair condition and three were in good condition. Those hospital- ized suffered first- and second-degree burns, DiPonio said. The six men could have climbed the 35 feet to the road's surface and exited through man holes at several points in the tunnel. But all six escaped by walking 2,000 feet toward the tunnel's entrance and then using a mining train to travel the remaining 6,500 feet, DiPonio said. "They did exactly what they had rehearsed and been told to do," said East Lansing spokeswoman Judith Taran. "As far as we can tell, all safety procedures were in place. There were no gas readings in the tunnel before the explosion." The men took about 16 minutes to escape from the tunnel, she said. Emergency medical crews from East Lansing, Lan- sing and Meridian Township were waiting at the tunnel's entrance to help the injured. Although the explosion was not heard above ground, the men used mine telephones in the tunnel to notify other Jay Dee workers that they were hurt and on their way out. "They were in constant communication," said East Lansing Deputy Fire Chief Joe Clevenger, who headed the rescue effort. "They told us what kind of injuries they sustained so we were completely ready for them." Investigators said they would have to inspect air monitoring equipment and speak to the injured workers before they knew what caused the flash fire. After ventilation fans flushed the air in the tunnel for several hours yesterday morning, firefighters, Jay Dee workers and state inspectors wearing special tunnel gear climbed down to check for damage and possible causes for the explosion. "(They) found only minor damage to the tunnel and no damage to the boring machine," Taran said. "And no gas." An inspector from the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration office inspected the tunnel yesterday afternoon, but couldn't see much because lights in the tunnel still were shut off. great scores.. Law School Business School Dental School Graduate Schoo Medical School great teachers Kaplan helps you focus your test prep study where you need it most. Our teachers wil[show you the proven skills and test-taking techniques to help you get a higher score. r.-' get a higher score: f I -800-KA P-TEST *or E-mail: padinfoeumich.e iu J > a ; . . ? awK+iM fMl/ CAL'E ' ': :Mw. l+MMf w ' . rwA ! What's happening in Ann Arbor today GROUP MEETINGS Q AIESEC Michigan, International Student Happy Hour, 662-1690, Ann Arbor Brewing Company, 9 p.m. Q Archery Club, 930-0189, Sports Coliseum, Hill Street, 7-9 p.m. Q Campus Crusade for Christ, Real Life, 930-9269, Dental Building, Kello gg Auditorium, 7-8:15 p.m. Q Muslim StudentsmAssociation, meeting and halaqa, 665-6416, Rackham Assembly Hall, 7 p.m. EVENTS Q "Bake Your Own Challah and Watch the Shows," sponsored by Hillel, Hillel Building, Hill Street, 7-11 p.m. U "Careers in Health: Nurse Prac- titioner, Physician Assistant, Athletic Trainer," sponsored by Career Planning and Place- ment, CCRB, 7:10-8:30 p.m. Q "Dia De Los Muertos Art Ex- hibit," sponsored by La Voz Mexicana, Michigan Union, tion Session," sponsored by Ca- reer Planning and Placement, Business School, Phelps Lounge, 4:30-6 p.m. 0 "MDs and DOs: Similarities and Differences," sponsored by Career Planning and Placement, 3200 Student Activities Building, 4:10- 5 p.m. U "Nicholas Delbanco, Lorna Goodison, Lemuel Johnson and Tish O;Dowd Reading From Their Works," Writers Harvest for SOS, sponosred by Depart- ment of English and Borders Books, Rackham Amphitheatre, 7:30 p.m. U "Optical Tweezers and Laser in- terferometry Used to Study Macromolecular Dynamics," physical/analytical seminar, Prof. Christoff Schmidt, spon- sored by Department of Chem- istry, Chemistry Building, Room 1640, 4 p.m. U "Orality Studies and Rabbinic LitArnture: Redescribing the North Dixboro Road, 7:30-9 p.m., free but reservations required, call 973-7377 for more information Q "The National Space Science Data Center," Dr. James Green, sponsored by Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences, Francis Xavier Bagnold Building, Boeing Audi- torium, 4 p.m. U "The 'Pure Way of Men' and 'im- pure Man-Sex' According to Minakata Kumagusu and Iwata Jun'ichi, with a Note on Stray Cats and Freckled Boys in Ann Arbor, ca. 1980," Gail M. Nomura, sponsored by Center for Japanese Studies, Lane Hall Commons Room, 12 noon STUDENT SERVICES U Campus Information Centers, Michi- gan Union and North Campus Com- mons, 763-INFO, info@umich.edu, UMeEvents on GOpherBLUE, and http://www.umich.edu/~info on the World Wide Web WHEN YOU SAW TORI AMOS, CRACKER AND COUN3 TING CROW'S ON TOUR LAST YEAR did you have a dog (Eye ve w? (reaturing Peter Stuart) dogs eye VjeW happy nowhere THE DEBUT AL BUM*9 In stores now yW ' FOR JUNIOR NURSING STUDENTS A NURSING EXPERIENCE AT MAYO FOUNDATION HOSPITALS - ROCHESTER, MN Here is your opportunity to work at Mayo Medical Center for the summer. Summer III is a paid, supervised hospital work experience at Saint Marys Hospital and Rochester Methodist Hospital, both part of Mayo Medical Center in Rochester, Minnesota. 1.