The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Tuesday, February 3, 2015 — 3
DETROIT
Storm dumps most
snow in 41 years
The rumble of plows and
roar of blowers shook many
neighborhoods in communities
across parts of Michigan’s Lower
Peninsula Monday as road crews
and homeowners worked to dig
out from 1½ feet of snow and the
Detroit area’s biggest snowfall in
four decades.
A slow-moving winter storm
spanned about 24 hours after
moving into southeast Michigan
early Sunday morning. Coming
with it were wind gusts that
covered sidewalks, streets, roads
and freeways with the quickly
accumulating snow.
“It is Michigan. It is February,”
Gina Nitz of Roseville told The
Detroit News while waiting at a
bus stop Monday morning to get
to work. “I just hope this doesn’t
mean winter will last until May.”
Students
at
hundreds
of
Michigan
schools
got
three-
day weekends. Morning shifts
at some auto plants also were
canceled, partly due to dangerous
driving conditions. Police said
freeway off-ramps were especially
problematic.
DENVER, COLORADO
Colorado plunges
into gun debate
Senate Republicans advanced
a bill to repeal expanded back-
ground checks for gun sales in
Colorado.
The law took effect in 2013 and
was one of the most hotly debated
issues of the year when Democrats
passed it.
At the time, they controlled
both legislative chambers, but
Republicans regained the Sen-
ate in November and have made
undoing the law a priority.
The law expanded background
checks to sales conducted online
and between private sellers.
HONG KONG
Reports show no
cuts in Aisian stocks
Most Asian stock benchmarks
were relatively subdued on Tues-
day as investors waited to see
whether Australia’s central bank
policymakers would announce an
interest rate cut to help shore up
economic growth.
KEEPING
SCORE:
Japan’s
benchmark Nikkei 225 dipped 0.4
percent to 17,479.92 while South
Korea’s lost 0.3 percent to 1,947.14.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 added
0.2 percent to 5,636.10 while Hong
Kong’s Hang Seng lost 0.1 per-
cent to 24,458.67. The Shanghai
Composite Index on mainland
China rose 0.8 percent to 3,153.43,
rebounding a day after poor fac-
tory data dragged down shares.
DECISION DOWN UNDER:
There’s growing expectation that
the Reserve Bank of Australia
could announce a rate cut after its
meeting today, following a recent
surprise move by Canada, another
commodity-producing
country.
With inflation easing as commod-
ity prices slump, policymakers
have more space to maneuver to
bolster economic growth by cut-
ting rates. But economists are
doubtful that Australia needs to
act just yet.
DONESTK, UKRAINE
Artillery fire kills
at least 12 civilians
Artillery fire killed at least
12 civilians in the main rebel
stronghold of Donetsk on Friday
amid fierce fighting between
pro-Russia separatists and gov-
ernment troops as hopes for a
break in hostilities were dashed
when an attempt to call a new
round of peace talks failed.
Five people were killed as
they were waiting for humani-
tarian aid outside a community
center and two people were
killed in the same neighborhood
when a mortar shell landed near
a bus stop.
By the time an Associated
Press journalist arrived at the
community center, the bodies
were taken away.
—Compiled from
Daily wire reports
NEWS BRIEFS
In the decision released
Monday,
the
Sixth
Circuit
Court
upheld
the
charges
brought against Shirvell, but
removed damages awarded for
false light invasion of privacy
— which consists of publishing
information that casts another
person in a false light — because
the court found that the jury
in the original case used the
same statements as the basis for
both the false light charge and
another charge.
This reduced the total sum of
the sanctions against Shirvell
to $3.5 million.
In an interview Monday
afternoon, Armstrong’s attor-
ney Deborah Gordon applaud-
ed the decision. She said based
on Shirvell’s current financial
state, she wasn’t sure if the full
judgement would be recovered,
but that the symbolic value of
the ruling was also important.
“Andrew Shirvell is unem-
ployed, and as far as I know,
he doesn’t have any assets,”
she said. “So the odds of Chris
Armstrong ever collecting the
$3.5 million — not good, in my
opinion. However, the judge-
ment is priceless. Because that
was the jury speaking, and the
jury represents our community.
Chris did this because he had
no alternative. Shirvell would
not retract the disgusting lies
he told about Chris. He took
them to national T.V. So we
had to turn to the jury system
and the courts to clear Chris’s
name, which has now hap-
pened.”
She said she wouldn’t be
surprised if Shirvell chose
to appeal, but added that she
didn’t think it was realistic.
Reached by phone Monday
afternoon, Shirvell said he had
no comment at the moment on
the ruling. In a 2012 interview
following the initial district
court ruling, however, he hint-
ed to the prospect of a Supreme
Court appeal.
”(The case) will for sure be
overturned on appeal either
at the sixth circuit (court) in
Cincinnati, or eventually at the
U.S. Supreme Court — it may be
a landmark First Amendment
case,” Shirvell said at the time.
The ruling also touched on
the appeal of a federal court’s
decision last year to dismiss a
counter-suit filed by Shirvell
against Gordon. The coun-
ter-suit alleged that she had
worked with the attorney gen-
eral’s office to fire him.
Authoring the opinion for
the court, Federal Judge Julia
Gibbons wrote that the appeal
was frivolous, and also warned
Shirvell against pursuing fur-
ther litigation in that direction.
“As time went on, it became
increasingly
clear
that
(Shirvell’s) claims amounted
to nothing more than specula-
tion,” the opinion stated. “His
failure to withdraw the allega-
tions violated Shirvell’s con-
tinuing duty of candor.”
In January of this year, in
a separate case on the same
incidents, the Michigan Court
of Appeals also ruled against
Shirvell, stating that he was
not entitled to unemployment
benefits after his termination.
That ruling overturned a previ-
ous 2012 ruling by the Ingham
County Circuit Court which
said that the state could fire
him, and he was entitled to the
benefits.
At the time, Shirvell said in a
statement that he would appeal
that ruling to the Michigan
Supreme Court.
Gordon
said
should
the
appeal occur, Monday’s deci-
sion could have an impact on
that case as well.
“I think that it’ll be impor-
tant, as a matter of examining
the law, that the Sixth Circuit
court of Appeals has found
that he violated the law,” Gor-
don said. “This whole idea of
whether he should get unem-
ployment benefits or get his job
back, in part it’s going to turn
on did you do anything illegal?
Then it’s kind of a done deal
because you’re not entitled to
unemployment.”
COURT
From Page 1
versity Plant Operations and
the Office of Student Life via
conference call. Ultimately, the
group decided canceling classes
would be the best move — a sug-
gestion that Washington ulti-
mately delivered to University
President Mark Schlissel.
“Really
recognizing
that
there is a significant number of
University employees, faculty
and staff who live elsewhere
in Washtenaw County and
beyond, and also recognizing
that there are some students
who are not necessarily in Ann
Arbor … It was really that con-
sideration of what conditions
could be,” Washington said.
The new system resulted
from a task force to review
University operation reduction
procedures after some students,
faculty and staff expressed
concerns that the University
did not cancel classes last year
during a period of inclement
weather in the first week of
January, prompting a review of
the University’s severe weather
policy.
The
University
later
announced a cold day in late
January.
Following that cold day, Uni-
versity Provost Martha Pollack
said in a Senate Advisory Com-
mittee on University Affairs
meeting that policies then in
place were not sufficient to
address last-minute cancella-
tion of classes.
“By the time it became
clear that we were facing an
extraordinary weather event,
we realized that we didn’t have
appropriate
mechanisms
to
close the University even if we
wanted to,” she said. “Closing a
university is more like closing a
city than closing a building. You
can’t just close; there is a hospi-
tal, there is a police force, there
are students on campus who
need to be fed.”
Though Monday’s snow day
was the second cancellation of
classes in the last year, Fitzger-
ald said closure will not likely
become a yearly trend.
“I think what we have is real-
ly a coincidence of two winters,”
he said. “What will happen in
the future is just impossible to
predict.”
WEATHER
From Page 1
months.
“In the weeks following
the incident I have witnessed
a great deal of patience and
restraint through many peace-
ful demonstrations that have
occurred,” Seto said. “I am
grateful to be the police chief
in a community where its citi-
zens can express their opinion
in a peaceful and respectful
manner.”
Demonstrators
marched
through Ann Arbor Saturday
protesting
police
brutality
and the prosecutor’s decision,
which characterized the shoot-
ing as an act of “lawful self-
defense.”
The Council also addressed
the city’s response to the
severe weather and snow that
accumulated over the week-
end. City Administrator Steve
Powers noted that Ann Arbor
has received 14 inches of snow
in the past 28 hours, reportedly
the third largest event two-day
accumulation since 1970. Since
Monday afternoon all major
roads have been plowed twice.
“Our crews are working
all hour shifts 24 hours a day
and it’s expected that all local
streets will be plowed by 1 p.m.
on Tuesday,” he said.
Powers said the city will
clean dead end streets and will
follow with downtown alleys
and clear snow from sidewalks,
parking lots and lanes and
parks.
The Council also unani-
mously approved a resolution
that provided for Ann Arbor’s
listing as a supporting munici-
pality in an amicus brief for
DeBoer vs. Rick Snyder.
The case, which the U.S.
Supreme Court added to its
2015 docket in January, chal-
lenges the state’s ban on same-
sex marriage.
Ann Arbor Mayor Chris-
topher Taylor (D) noted that
the city has supported amicus
briefs from district courts and
appellate courts all the way to
the Supreme Court, and said he
is delighted City Council has
supported the defense of right
to marriage.
“Equal protection of the law
is fundamental to our soci-
ety and if what happens come
June is what we all hope hap-
pens come June, then that will
be good day and that principle
will be ratified and moved for-
ward,” Taylor said.
Finally,
City
Council
approved the DTE Energy Co.
installation of a solar panel at
the Ann Arbor Municipal Air-
port. The license is effective for
20 years with the option of 10
one-year renewals.
SETO
From Page 1
sity announced two of the IGR
courses would also fulfill the
Race and Ethnicity degree
requirement.
Maxwell added that IGR is a
valuable addition to any major,
especially given her belief that
students must become global
citizens who know how to dis-
cuss complex issues pertaining
to diversity and inequality.
“Students who earn a minor
in intergroup relations educa-
tion will develop the insight
and skills to lead diverse orga-
nizations and work effectively
across differences,” she said.
Yiddish Studies
The Yiddish Studies minor
was introduced in an effort to
provide students with exten-
sive opportunities to study the
Yiddish language and explore
Yiddish culture from a per-
spective of a variety of disci-
plines.
Students interested in the
minor must take Elementary
Yiddish.
Yiddish
Lecturer
Alexandra Hoffman said the
language prerequisite is neces-
sary to give students basic com-
petence in reading, writing and
communicating in the Yiddish
language.
Hoffman added that the
minor was created to showcase
the expertise of the Univer-
sity’s Yiddish studies faculty,
and to raise awareness about
the language.
“Just like any language,
Yiddish is a whole treasure
chest to rich literature, music,
poetry, novels and history,” she
said. “Michigan is really a hub
of pretty fantastic and excep-
tional Yiddish studies profes-
sors. We have three levels of
Yiddish language instruction
here, which is unique.”
Arab and Muslim Ameri-
can Culture
The Arab and Muslim Amer-
ican Culture minor is designed
to address the cultural politics
of being Arab or Muslim in the
U.S., as well as the contribu-
tions of these groups to Ameri-
can Culture.
To
complete
the
minor,
which requires a 15-credit
minimum, students take an
introductory survey course in
either Intro to Arab American
Studies or The Middle East in
Hollywood Cinema. Students
then select additional courses
offered by the Arab and Mus-
lim American Studies program.
Evelyn Alsultany, associate
professor of American culture,
wrote in an e-mail interview
that the AMAS minor is unique
to the University, the Univer-
sity of Michigan — Dearborn
campus and San Francisco
State University.
“We see the AMAS minor
as a unique and important
opportunity for students given
the large demographic of Arab
Americans and Muslim Ameri-
cans in Michigan and the
current challenges to under-
standing Arab and Muslim
identities in today’s political
climate,” Alsultany wrote.
She
said
students
have
already
started
declaring
minors in AMAS, and some of
whom have told her the pro-
gram offers them the skills to
develop a more complex analy-
sis of today’s social and politi-
cal issues, such as the “war on
terror” and its representation
in the media.
Art and Design
The Art and Design minor,
offered through the School of
Art and Design, is expected to
have significant enrollment.
JoAnn McDaniel, assistant
dean for undergraduate pro-
grams in the Art and Design
School, said she foresees the
minor will be limited by the
amount of space that the
school’s facilities offer.
“You can’t put 25 students
into a studio class that is
capped at 20 and works best for
16,” she said. “If you’re in a lec-
ture class, you could just bring
in some more chairs.”
The minor is an 18-credit
program. There is one prereq-
uisite course, which can be a
choice of a drawing course or a
dimensional course, which can
be fulfilled by several 2D and
3D studio classes.
McDaniel said she hopes the
minor program will be similar
to the art major in that students
can individualize their sched-
ule to create a minor that works
for them.
“For instance, a student who
is in environmental studies and
really interested in sustainabil-
ity, they can do a minor in art
and design with an emphasis on
sustainability design,” McDan-
iel said. “If you were a creative
writing student, you may find
taking courses in graphic nar-
rative and electronic books can
really broaden and deepen the
scope of that minor.”
Entrepreneurship
The minor in Entrepreneur-
ship, offered through the Inno-
vate Blue program, aims to
foster an entrepreneurial spirit
in the classroom through part-
nerships with businesses and
local organizations.
The minor is a 15-credit pro-
gram available to any sopho-
more-standing student with a
declared major who is in good
academic standing.
In addition to the 15-credit
requirement, the minor also
requires
two
semesters
of
substantial
entrepreneurship
focus through extracurricular
activities.
The minor comprises six
core credits that will establish
fundamental knowledge in cre-
ativity, innovation and busi-
ness disciplines.
Beyond those requirements,
students will take a mini-
mum three credits of elective
courses that allow students to
explore disciplinary areas in
depth.
The final portion of the
minor is a 6-credit immersion
program. The “practicum” sec-
tion of the minor gives students
the opportunity to experience
real-world learning in front of
a large audience.
Jeni Olney, Innovate Blue’s
academic advisor, said the cre-
ation of the minor was a grass-
roots movement by students
who wanted an entrepreneur-
ship curriculum on their tran-
script.
“What’s really great about
the minor is that we have the
ability to pull from the mul-
tidisciplinary strengths from
the University,” Olney said.
“It’s really exciting because
the minor isn’t getting turned
down by any of the schools
or colleges at the University
because they see the value of
the minor.”
MINORS
From Page 1
down
Michigan’s
same-sex
marriage ban, allowing more
than 300 couples to obtain
marriage licenses. Later, the
Sixth Circuit Court ordered a
stay and later upheld the ban.
The U.S. Supreme Court will
review the case, as well as sim-
ilar cases from Kentucky, Ten-
nessee and Ohio, this spring.
Irwin said he first became
interested in the legality of sec-
ond-parent adoption when he
worked as a commissioner in
Washtenaw County. He said, in
2004, a local judge was grant-
ing adoption to same-sex par-
ents until the Michigan court
caught wind and ruled that all
judges were prohibited from
such action.
Because of the “direct, local
impact” Washtenaw County
faced, Irwin saw the impor-
tance of granting second-par-
ent adoption and decided to
pursue the issue throughout
his career.
“It was a tragedy here at the
local level and we were now
not allowed to reflect our local
responsibility,” he added.
He first introduced the bill
to Michigan Congress in 2011
upon winning a seat in the
Michigan House that year.
Brad O’Conner, president
of the Jim Toy Community
Center, a resource for LGBTQ
residents of Washtenaw Coun-
ty, lauded Irwin’s continual
persistence in bringing up the
issue in the face of continued
pushback from opposing mem-
bers in the Michigan legisla-
ture.
O’Conner said by not pass-
ing this bill and similar bills,
Republican
representatives
allow discrimination to persist
within the state.
“They have no interest in
passing this; they would rather
go as far right as possible,” he
said.
Irwin said the bill is mod-
eled after other states with
similar laws, such as Oregon,
California and Wisconsin.
Irwin added that though
the discussion has become
directed at LGBTQ couples, in
reality there are many couples
that would wish to second-
parent adopt, including other
family members or unmarried
straight couples.
“It’s very sad because once
again you have parents who are
trying to step up to adopt chil-
dren, in some cases very needy
children, and the state is trying
to prevent them from taking
accountability for these kids,”
he said.
O’Conner said even if same-
sex marriage is legalized in the
state, there is still more work to
be done for LGBTQ rights.
“We might have marriage
equality but we still don’t have
secondary adoption, we still
don’t have protections in work-
place,” O’Conner said. “You can
get married but you can still be
fired for being gay.”
ADOPTION
From Page 1
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