South EndW E E K L Y

WAY N E S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y ’S S T U D E N T N E W S PA P E R S I N C E 1 9 6 7 T H E S O U T H E N D . WAY N E . E D U D E T R O I T , M I C H I G A N

TheAUGUST 15 - 21, 2012

Jon Adams / The South EndUnion members stage a protest July 27

as negotiations are underway inside the Faculty/ Administration Building.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

A Detroit community-based violence prevention program has received a $1.5 million federal grant. The grant was announced Aug. 9 as Mayor Dave Bing and the city’s police chief met with U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade, Detroit’s Housing and Urban Development field office chief and White House officials. They discussed the implementation of the city’s youth violence prevention strategy. Detroit is one of six cities in the Obama administration’s National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention. Bing presented Detroit’s plan to address youth violence and gang activity last year during a Washington summit. The grant will allow Detroit’s Youth Violence Prevention Forum team to expand its efforts, which include reducing youth firearms-related violence.

Campaign hopes to reduce gang, gun impact on teens

City receives $1.5M grant

to fight youth violence

METRO

University, faculty union set Sept. 30 as new date

for agreement extension

Contractdeadline extended

CAMPUS

Bing gives

plan for lighting

METRO

SEE NEWS, PAGE 2

KAITLYN BOURQUE Contributing Writer

Though the July 31 deadline has passed, conflict persists between Wayne State administration and the faculty union over tenure contract negotiations. As of now, no real consensus has been made, necessitating a deadline extension. “We have obtained a deadline extension of Sept. 30,” said Charles Parrish, political science teacher and president of American Association of University Professors and the American Federation of Teachers WSU chapter. “In the meantime, a committee has been formed, including myself and university President Allan Gilmour, to see us through the continued negotiations.” University administration declined to comment, but “at this point in the talks, we believe that more progress will be made if negotiations remain at the bargaining table,” WSU spokesperson Matt Lockwood said.

All sides have been locked in dispute for the last few weeks “over the process by which tenured faculty members could be reviewed if complaints are made against them, possibly leading to dismissal,” according to a July 27 article published by The South End. Law professor and former AAUP-AFT chief negotiator Michael McIntyre, however, delivered a caustic attack on the proposed contract changes in an article published in the AAUP newsletter July 23. In it, he calls the “administration’s attack on tenure” an “attack on the idea of a university, as that idea has been developed and nurtured over hundreds of years.” The article accuses the administration of wanting the authority to “fire people if it chooses to spend money to advance some agenda that it considers more important than retaining faculty and academic staff, even if these people are performing their jobs at

least adequately, and perhaps, very well or even brilliantly.” McIntyre cautioned readers against the dangers of the proposed changes to tenure at the university and the consequences they would have. “This proposal will be viewed by the outside world as an assault on the traditional idea of a university, and the response from the academic community within and without the university will be commensurate with the gravity of that assault,” he said. “It has engaged itself in a major dispute with the entire academic community that it ultimately cannot win, and that will do serious harm to the university due to the highly negative responses its actions will provoke.” One such negative response, as suggested by McIntyre, could be a potential mass exodus of faculty members from the university “who could find a home that is more congenial to basic academic values,” as well as creating a major deterrent for potential new hires.

“Why would a highly-recruited scholar pick a university that has taken tenure, with its guarantee of academic freedom, away from its faculty when all its other employment options come with a guarantee of tenure or the possibility of achieving tenure? Tenure really matters,” he said. “Few, if any, would fail to view negatively a university that had abolished it.” McIntyre advises people to read the proposals and come to their own conclusion. He said he seems confident that readers will draw the same conclusion as he has, that “the administration, plain and simple, has made a proposal that would spell the end of the university’s pretensions as a major research institution… A frontal attack on tenure, if successful, is a death sentence for any serious research university.” Appearances indicate that McIntyre is supporting a fairly

SEE CONTRACT ON PAGE 2

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The South End welcomes letters to the editors regarding all inquiries and concerns from the Wayne State community.

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The South End publishes articles online and in print. Visit our website at thesouthend.wayne.edu. While we support

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and feedback deemed offensive are subject to editing or removal.

publication

The South End is published Wednesdays during the fall and winter semesters by Wayne State University students.

Copies are available free of charge at various locations throughout campus. The Student Newspaper Publication

Board, established by the Wayne State University Board of Governors, acts as the publisher of The South End. The board

establishes and insures compliance with publication, editorial and news reporting guidelines. All complaints, comments

and suggestions concerning the student newspaper should be directed to doso@wayne.edu.

2 •

NEWS

New tenure regulations would devastate WSU

Greater efficiency will come at cost of faculty, research

LOU ROMANOGuest Writer

A recent article in The South End dealing with the AAUP-AFT contract negotiations prompts me to provide a statement regarding the administration’s proposal to change the de-tenuring process at Wayne State.

Tenure at a research university is much more than job security. Tenure is the best system developed to date for ensuring the quality of instruction and research at a modern university and encouraging universities to engage in rational long-term planning of their educational and research directions. Tenure is not the cause of universities’ difficulties; it is the solution.

Virtually all faculty members at a university like WSU have a Ph.D., and most did a post-doctoral internship or took a part-time teaching appointment. Most have published articles or a book before they receive a full-time appointment and then spend a further six or seven probationary years as untenured assistant professors before the decision of granting tenure is made.

This represents the longest and

most demanding apprenticeship program in the U.S. Given the difficulty of finding academic jobs, many faculty members are in their late 30s or early 40s before achieving tenure. Having tenure allows these faculty to teach and carry out research without fear that studying an unpopular or marginalized subject will result in dismissal. It protects not only freedom of thought and expression, but scientific freedom as well. It is the basis for the traditional idea of a university.

The institution of tenure helps the university as well as the individual faculty member: first, of course, by rigorously screening out less qualified candidates. But, just as important, by making the university consider how well an individual faculty member’s potential contribution figures in the university’s overall plans for its mission and direction. The tenure process not only examines a candidate’s academic quality, but it also examines whether a candidate fits into the department’s, college’s and university’s future plans. Both the candidate’s faculty peers and the university administration are charged with making these judgments as part of the tenure

process.And it is here that the WSU

administration’s proposal reveals its true nature and most serious flaws. No one thinks incompetent faculty should be retained, but procedures already exist to remove them. The administration complains it takes too long, but the difficulty is merely what is necessary to guarantee due process. Tenure is not granted lightly, so it should not be lifted lightly. The current system is essentially the same as is found at almost every other research university in the country. The proposed system would replace this process with one where two administrators, an associate provost and the president alone are able to make the crucial decision about terminating tenure.

But the actual goal of the administration’s proposal is not to devise a way to more efficiently remove a few deadbeat professors. No, they want a means to lay off large numbers of faculty members without going through the embarrassment of declaring a financial exigency or the even greater embarrassment

of discontinuing programs.Those two avenues for laying

off faculty members who are not incompetent are difficult to accomplish, and intentionally so. This is especially true if the program being eliminated is one that the administration had been investing in by adding tenured faculty. Under the proposed model, the university could fire any faculty by simply stating that the budget for them is unavailable. There is little doubt that this section of the proposal would provide the means to lay off productive or even outstanding faculty who happen to fall out of favor with the administration.

The administration has repeatedly stated that the goal of this proposal is not to end tenure but to make the de-tenuring process more efficient. Unfortunately, were this proposal to revise the tenure

policies put in place, it would effectively end tenure at WSU and signal the end of WSU as a research university.

Lou Romano is a professor of chemistry and president of the Academic Senate. He is also a member of the AAUP-AFT.

OPINION

Photo by Anthony DeGuzman Jr.

AUGUST 15 - 21, 2012 THE SOUTH END

universal position from the union’s perspective. In a letter to Gilmour, an organization called the California Scholars for Academic Freedom declared its solidarity with the AAUP-AFT, urging the university administration to withdraw the proposal. “You have reportedly said that even one bad employee is too many, but your wish to root out a few bad employees must not trump the higher goals of academic excellence and integrity, and constitutionally-protected freedoms,” the letter reads. “The advancement of knowledge is a good that

transcends (but does not oppose) considerations of ‘efficiency’ and ‘cost-cutting.’” Like McIntyre, the organization warned Gilmour of the proposal’s likelihood of alienating scholars, arguing that, “Since studies have demonstrated that the best ideas – the most innovative and the most viable – originate in atmospheres tolerant of critique, we also note how vital freedom of thought and expression is to the quality and reputation of any university, Wayne State included. The disadvantages of the proposal heavily outweigh any benefits that might accrue from it, since nothing less than the usefulness of Wayne State to its students, its business partners, and the citizens of Michigan, is at stake.”

CONTRACTFROM PAGE 1Bing suggests new plan

to fix public lighting deficitCOREY WILLIAMSThe Associated Press

Mayor Dave Bing has announced a plan aimed at lighting some of Detroit’s most darkened streets and freeways. The strategy, released Aug. 10, calls for a backlog of 3,300 reported light outages to be fixed within six months after the creation of a public lighting authority. But the authority requires passage of a bill in the state legislature

allowing communities to establish lighting authorities. Bing said the plan also needs the passage of a utility users’ tax and suspension of an income tax rollback. Bing said he expects the legislation impacting his plan to be discussed Aug. 15 in Lansing, when the legislature reconvenes for one day. The plan’s total cost would be about $160 million, with most paid through bond sales by the authority.

CITY

• 3

THE ASSOCIATED PRESSLANSING, Mich. — Michigan voters will get the chance this fall to repeal the state’s emergency manager law after a bipartisan panel agreed Aug. 8 to place the measure on the ballot against the wishes of Republican Gov. Rick Snyder. The Michigan Board of State Canvassers unanimously certified the referendum for the November election after the Michigan Supreme Court ordered that it go forward. The law, which Snyder signed into law last year, is currently suspended, and administration officials have said an older law granting managers fewer powers replaces it. Emergency managers were appointed by the governor to turn around poor cities and schools and were equipped with sweeping authority to cut spending, sell assets and tear up contracts without the approval of elected officials. The Local Emergency Financial Assistance Loan Board re-appointed managers in Benton Harbor, Ecorse and Pontiac on Aug. 8. The board said in a release that it appointed Ed Kurtz as Flint’s new emergency manager. Kurtz is a former

emergency financial manager for the city. The city of Flint said in a release that Kurtz plans to appoint Mike Brown, who had been emergency manager up until Aug. 8, as city administrator. Flint was expected to get a new manager because of a technicality in the old law. Emergency managers also were put in place in public schools in Detroit, Highland Park and Muskegon Heights. A union-backed group called Stand Up for Democracy collected more than 200,000 signatures to get the referendum before voters. A divided Supreme Court ruled in favor of the group in a dispute over type size on the petitions. Although Detroit doesn’t have an emergency manager, the possibility of appointing one led Mayor Dave Bing and the city council to agree to a deal with the governor that put several strict requirements in place to repair the city’s finances last spring, especially pay cuts. Bing has said many changes still will stick, though union officials have argued anything that resulted from the 2011 law should be nullified.

Mich. Board of State Canvassers approves emergency manager

referendum for November electionPublic will determine whether

appointees retain current powers

Illustration by Jon Adams / The South EndNew technology could soon power an electric car up to 200 miles on a single charge.

AUGUST 15 - 21, 2012THE SOUTH END

STATE

GM partner seeks more

durable electric cars

AUTOMOTIVE

Envia Systems may soon overcome class mileage limitations, cut costs

TOM KRISHERThe Associated Press

A small battery company backed by General Motors is working on breakthrough technology that could power an electric car 100 or even 200 miles on a single charge in the next two to four years, GM’s CEO said Aug. 9.

Speaking at an employee meeting, CEO Dan Akerson said the company, Newark, Calif.-based Envia Systems, has made a huge breakthrough in the amount of energy a lithium-ion battery can hold. GM is sure that the battery will be able to take a car 100 miles within a couple of years, he said, and it could be double that with some luck.

“I think we’ve got better than a 50-50 chance to develop a car that will go to 200 miles on a charge,” Akerson said. “That would be a game-changer.”

GM’s current electric car, the Chevrolet Volt, goes about 35 miles on a charge and has a small gas motor that generates power to keep the car going after that. Few competitors have electric cars with more than 100 miles of range. Tesla Motors’ Model S can go up to 300 miles, but it has a much larger battery and can cost more than twice as much as a Volt. The Nissan Leaf and Ford

Focus electric cars both claim ranges of around 100 miles, but that can vary with temperature, terrain and speed.

Envia said earlier this year that its next generation rechargeable lithium-ion cell hit a record high for energy density. The company said the new battery could slash the price of electric vehicles by cutting the battery cost in half.

GM Ventures, LLC, the automaker’s investment arm, put $7 million into Envia in January 2011.

The GM meeting, which was broadcast on a conference call to employees, lasted about an hour. A participant allowed a reporter from The Associated Press to listen.

“These little companies come out of nowhere, and they surprise you,” Akerson said in response to a question about GM’s strategy on gas-electric hybrid vehicles.

Akerson said the company is looking at hybrids, all-electric cars, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and natural gas vehicles, as well as developing more efficient petroleum-powered engines.

“We can’t put all of our chips on one bet,” he said. “We’ve got to look at them all.”

MATTHEW LEEThe Associated Press

PRETORIA, South Africa — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, visiting the country with the world’s highest rate of HIV infection, said Aug. 7 that American-sponsored efforts to stop the virus “have saved hundreds of thousands of lives” in South Africa.

In the capital of Pretoria, Clinton met with Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane and other senior officials in the second cabinet-level strategic dialogue between the two nations. She also participated in a summit of leading U.S. business executives and their South African counterparts with the aim of boosting trade between the two countries.

The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief has spent $3.2 billion on anti-retroviral drugs and HIV prevention programs in South Africa since 2004. The program was initiated by President George W. Bush and has been continued by President Barack Obama’s administration.

“Together, I think it’s fair to say we have saved hundreds of thousands of

lives,” Clinton said.On Aug. 8 in Cape Town, she

presided at a ceremony at which the U.S. began shifting administrative control of the AIDS initiative and treatment implementation to the South Africans. The handover will take five years.

With Nkoana-Mashabane at the U.S.-South Africa business summit, Clinton hailed the growing trade ties between the two countries. She noted that two-way trade had shot up 21 percent to almost $22 billion from 2010 to 2011.

Nearly 98 percent of South Africa’s exports to the U.S. enter the country duty-free under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which is set to expire in 2015. Nkoana-Mashabane urged the U.S. Congress to extend the act and Clinton said the administration would work with lawmakers on it.

Since she began her Africa trip in Senegal, Clinton has been stressing the responsible nature of U.S. investment, saying that it seeks to add value and not extract it. She has contrasted it with that other unnamed countries, which some critics say exploits Africa for its resources without regard for local populations.

“We don’t want to see the bulk of the

benefits of our economic engagement to go to a small group of elites or to foreign companies,” Clinton said. “We want it to empower people.”

When asked about South Africa’s increasing trade ties with China, Clinton said it would be irresponsible not to engage in global business, but she added it was important that the business be responsible.

“It would be p o l i t i c a l malpractice if the government did not seek out economic o p p o r t u n i t i e s everywhere,” she said. “The United States does the same; we trade all over the world, including China.”

C l i n t o n played down U.S. concerns over South Africa’s reluctance to support western-backed initiatives at the United Nations, where South Africa is

wrapping up a two-year elected term on the Security Council.

South Africa abstained on the last Security Council resolution on Syria, which would have called for sanctions for non-compliance with Kofi Annan’s peace plan. The resolution failed on a double veto by Russia and China.

“As crisis and opportunities arise, there are tough issues that we have to tackle together,” Clinton said. “We do

not always see eye-to-eye on these issues. ...Sometimes we will disagree, as friends do.”

Clinton and Nkoana-Mashabane pledged to intensify cooperation in dealing with crises in African hotspots, such as in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia.

“We believe as partners on the continent we can do more about stability and the way we are going to foster economic growth and security,”

Nkoana-Mashabane said.Clinton is in South

Africa for an 11-day tour that has already taken her to Senegal, Uganda, South Sudan, Kenya and Malawi. After the stop in Cape Town, she will travel on to Nigeria, Ghana and Benin before moving on to Turkey, where she will have meetings to discuss Syria.

4 •

NEWSINTERNATIONAL

US, South Africa claim AIDS battle victoryInitiatives ensure African country’s stability, economic gains

AUGUST 15 - 21, 2012 THE SOUTH END

Aslan Media / Flickr Creative CommonsU.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has been visiting Africa, including Uganda and Kenya.

• 5AUGUST 15 - 21, 2012THE SOUTH END

New Aaliyah album announcement is iffy for loyal music lovers

Even support from late singer’s family, colleagues can’t remove doubts of true motivation from fans

ASHLEIGH DANDRIDGE Staff Columnist

For months, the Internet has been buzzing with rumors that there will be a posthumous album released from late singer Aaliyah. Record companies releasing music from artists post-death is nothing new (i.e., Tupac, Notorious B.I.G., Amy Winehouse, etc.), but the news of this album has been receiving mixed opinions from the late singer’s fans.

Aaliyah’s label, Blackground Records, released a compilation album entitled “I Care 4 U” in 2010, which included released and unreleased music – so what’s the problem here? Let’s take a look at the different people involved with this project and see why a new Aaliyah album may or may not be such a good thing after all.

Drake: Yes, Drake the rapper. Drake has had Aaliyah fans and the Internet going crazy ever since he announced that he will be the executive producer on the album, along with his producer Noah “40” Shebib. Drake recently released a track entitled “Enough Said,” that includes vocals from the late songstress.

If you’re familiar with Drake, you know that he has made it clear numerous times how much he adores Aaliyah and her music. He’s even gone to the extreme and has two tattoos to pay homage to Aaliyah; one of her face on his back, and one of her birthdate

on his arm. Yet his admiration for the late singer does raise some questions.

Is Drake the right person to produce an Aaliyah album? Does being a huge fan give him the right to tamper with a sound that Aaliyah achieved before Drake was even in the music game? Drake’s position as executive producer has been receiving more negative than positive responses among Aaliyah’s fans, not to mention the possible clash between Drake’s YMCMB camp and Aaliyah’s label, Blackground. We’ll see if Drake has bitten off more than he can chew with this one.

Timbaland and Missy Elliott: If you know anything about Aaliyah’s career, then you know that Timbaland and Missy Elliott are solely responsible for the singer’s ‘street meets sexy’ sound we all grew to love. Aside from their music relationship, it was also made very clear how close Aaliyah was to Missy and Timbaland and how they were both devastated by Aaliyah’s death.

When the rumors of a new album began to surface, many first reactions from fans were questioning whether Missy Elliot and Timbaland were working on the record, however, both Missy and Timbaland denied that they would be involved if a new Aaliyah record were to be released.

Aaliyah’s family and Blackground Records: When rumors started earlier this year about a new Aaliyah album, Aaliyah’s brother Rashad Haughton went to his Twitter page in March and voiced his family’s disapproval of a new album.

His tweet read: “There is no official album being released and supported by the Haughton family.” The weird

thing about that statement is that Aaliyah’s label Blackground Records is run by her uncle and cousin Barry and Jomo Hakerson, who have given the green light to a new album.

Then, on Aug. 1, it seemed as if the Haughton family had a change of heart when Rashad tweeted, “Will be back on twitter soon with exciting update when well. Thanks for support.” There have even been rumors that Aaliyah’s mother is on board for a new record.

Aaliyah: With all of the drama and confusion surrounding this new album, it makes you wonder whether Aaliyah would have gone about things this way. Would she want Drake to produce her music? Would she have wanted her uncle to give permission to release new music, even if some of the tracks are unfinished? Would she give her fans unfinished music? Of course we will never know the answers to these questions and those alike, but it always seemed as if Aaliyah was a peaceful person who separated herself from drama. With everyone on board from Drake to her family a lot of people feel that everyone just wants a new album for the money, and not to give Aaliyah’s fans new music. Despite the motivation of producers and everything in between, the final question is, “Will you support the new Aaliyah album?”

As a huge fan, I would love to hear an up to par Aaliyah album, not one full of Drake beats and half-finished vocals. Aaliyah was known for being a perfectionist and I’m sure she wouldn’t want to give fans anything less than her best. I guess we really won’t be able to judge until the album is released.

COLUMN

A&E

6 •

A&E

DONNA MUSOLLIThe South End

The Learning Channel premiered its newest television show, “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo,” Aug. 8, where Alana Thompson, 6, beauty pageant contestant on “Toddlers and Tiaras,” has taken center stage.

“Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” follows Thompson (better known as “Honey Boo Boo”) and her southern family as they do what they do best: ride dirt bikes, mud-pit-belly flop and, of course, prepare for pageants. During the opening of the show, viewers are introduced to Honey Boo Boo’s redneck-licious – and proud of it – family: stay-at-home mom June, dad “Sugar Bear,” sisters “Pumpkin” Lauryn, “Chubbs” Jessica and “Chickadee” Anna.

There is no doubt that Honey Boo Boo has proved successful at creating a plethora of hilarious catch phrases, like “you better redneckognize” and ”a dollar makes

me holler honey boo-boo child.” In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if these catch phrases soon begin to appear on T-shirts. And many have gone as far as to say that Honey Boo Boo is the best thing that’s ever graced reality TV.

However, as I watched the opening episode of the spin-off show, I couldn’t help but question if TLC should be referred to as “The We’ve-Run-Out-of-Ideas Channel” rather than “The Learning Channel.”

Sure, it was highly entertaining to watch a 6-year-old run around flaunting her belly flab for five minutes, which was also Honey Boo Boo’s signature move during “Toddlers and Tiaras.” And yes, if you want to become a gold medalist in The Redneck Games – which really do exist and the Thompsons have participated in them – then this show is for you. But if you want to learn something substantial, then steer away from this as you’re flipping through channels on Wednesday evenings.

Child beauty pageant star gets

reality TV show

TV REVIEW

TLC to feature life of Alana Thompson, better known as “Honey Boo Boo”

Aesop Rock returns

New album“Skelethon” is first solo release in five years

REVIEW

NICK PIZANAThe South End

For those familiar with the world of underground hip-hop, Aesop Rock is a well-known figure, often regarded as patron MC of lyrical content so thick it requires line by line deciphering. During the late 1990s and early 2000s he was an innovator who pushed the genre to new heights, but after relocating to San Francisco from New

York, it has been five years since his last solo release. The rap game has changed a lot since then, and with his latest album “Skelethon,” it’s apparent that Aesop has too.

Since the dissolving of his former label Definitive Jux, Aesop has been working with Ryhmesayers, another label with several heavy hitters of 2000s hip-hop, such as Atmosphere and MF Doom. In the leading single on the album “Zero Dark Thirty,” Aesop laments the shifting of eras and the death of the scene, repeating the phrase “down from a hunt-able surplus to one,” in the chorus, suggesting that the genre once saturated with talent has dwindled down to one, him.

Aesop’s lyrics are as esoteric as they ever were, though the exact meanings of songs may be hard to ascertain, the album is chalk full of quotable one-liners, but in addition to dropping mad knowledge on

suckers, “Skelethon” has quirkier tracks, like “Fryerstarter” and “Racing Stripes” which are about donuts and haircuts respectively, breaking up the seriousness in some of the tracks.

The album has no features, a save for Kimbrya Dawson, whose flat singing on “Crows 1” contributes nothing worth hearing to the track, and if anything only whet’s the listener’s palette for the much better “Crows 2,” where Aesop’s wordplay blends well with thudding beats and aggressive samples.

Aesop pushed himself in this album, handling beat production in addition to lyrics, something he hasn’t done since his days waiting tables trying to make it into the scene. Many of the beats, employ ambient hums and machine-like sounds that give some songs a cinematic feel, reminiscent of former label mate El-P. The end result is a fully realized and complete album, where his tailor-made beats sync well with his ironically, deep and gritty voice. One of the best examples of this is “1,000 O’Clock,” where the fluctuating rhythm,

serves as a particularly good background to his banter, and you can see how working on his own provides cohesiveness to the album.

For the cover art, once more Aesop shows an appreciation of contemporary artists, this time done using Spanish street artist “Aryz,” keeping in step with “None Shall Pass,” where he employed the talent of illustrator Jeremy Fish.

All in all “Skelethon” is a solid album, not worth waiting half a decade for, but I’m glad to hear from one of my favorite MCs, even if I can’t always tell what he’s saying.

AUGUST 15 - 21, 2012 THE SOUTH END

SKELETHONAESOP ROCK

RHYMESAYERS ENTERTAINMENTS

ITUNES & OFFICIAL STORE:$11.99

• 7

These are the drones you’re looking for

COLUMN

From sneaking into combat zones to completing menial chores, unmanned aircraft are the next best thing to using the Force

K E R R I J A N S E NThe South End

Last week, the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International kicked off its annual North American trade show, the nat ion’s larges t robot ic sys tems

exhibit ion. Companies showed of f their latest hardware – unmanned machines for use in water, in the air and everything in between.

Popular Science’s Clay Dillow was

at the event, exploring the potential of drones, unmanned aircraft that gained recognition for their use in military applications. The Predator, for example, carries cameras and missiles into combat zones without putting a human pilot in danger.

Dillow pointed out an interesting trend: Although defense is sti l l the primary focus of many companies, there’s a growing movement of people looking to use drones for commercial applications.

Drones are going mainstream.Unmanned aircraft are already

be ing used for non-mi l i ta ry applications l ike monitoring oil and gas l ines, spraying pest icides and f iref ighting. When an earthquake in Japan damaged a nuclear plant in March, creating conditions too

dangerous for human responders, drones were dispatched to help deal with the disaster.

Police forces are looking to use drones for survei l lance and other public safety applications. A small airborne drone could track a runaway car, for example, tai l ing i t more closely than a ground-based cruiser could.

Today, civil ian use of drones is l imited by government regulations. The Federal Aviation Administration – the agency respons ible for regulating airspace – prohibits most commercial uses of drones. But not for long; Congress told the FAA they must start relaxing its restrictions on civil ian use of drones. By 2015, it will be much easier for a company to rely on drones for basic tasks, which

could be a major cost-saver.And relaxing those rules opens

the door for individuals to create their own drones for whatever purpose strikes their fancy. Multiple online communities are populated by people sharing tips for building and programming drones for their personal use. Someday, we could see drones being used to water the lawn or walk the dog. Or play Rock-‘em Sock-‘em Robots, as Steven Colbert did when a drone designer brought samples on his show, The Colbert Report, last year.

Drones could be used to f i lm movies, or even to deliver The South End. Just don’t use one to spy on your sexy neighbor; airspace regulations may be down, but the rules against creepery are sti l l in full ef fect.

FEATURES

AUGUST 15 - 21, 2012THE SOUTH END

Jon Adams/The South End

SPORTS

8 • AUGUST 15 - 21, 2012 THE SOUTH END

FEATURES

WSU Honors College students visit Liberia, examine daily village life

Post-war country looks to rebuild economy, tap natural resources

TOYCIA COLLINSContributing Writer

The author visited Liberia in July as part of a program with the Irvin D. Reid Honors College. While there, she documented the daily lives of Liberians through pictures and engaged in research on the role of the election institution in Liberia, where elections have a history of being replete with mistrust.

Imagine graduating from Wayne State with a four-year degree, then taking a job with a starting salary of only about $75 per month. Members of the Irvin D. Reid Honors College who visited Liberia on the west coast of Africa this summer were able to see firsthand what life is like under those circumstances, and how many Liberians make that $75 work for them.

Kevin Rashid, who spearheads the Undergraduate Research and Creative Projects grant process for WSU, said the Honors College “prides itself on facilitating students in acquiring these experiences because it allows them to developing an appreciation for the real world that moves beyond rote memorization.”

“It is experiences like these that best help to augment students’ learning even as they are paired with faculty members who are innovators in their field,” he said.

The grant program, which was taken over by the Honors College in 2004, has allowed students to travel to various parts of the world including Mexico, Paris, China and even many countries on the African continent in order to conduct research during the summer.

Students are usually allotted time to observe and do active field study on topics ranging from “Water Quality in Dubai,” to “Russian Ballet” to a look at “the role of election institutions in infant democracies.” It is through this field study that the students who went to Liberia this year came across a salary scale for residents that drew a lot of “oohs” and “ahhs” and then a closer look.

A $75-per-month salary is “the official average for civil servants,” according to a document dubbed the “Civil Service Reform Strategy 2008-2011” that was released from the Ministry of State for

Presidential Affairs in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia. Though this amount may seem small, many Liberians welcomed it as an improvement.

The same document revealed that “until 2006, many government workers earned, on the average, the equivalent of US$15 per month, while the price of rice was above US$18 per 100 kilogram bag.”

The country had endured more than 100 years of one-party rule under the True Whig Party. Following that, a military coup took hold and more than 15 years of civil war saw more than 200,000 Liberian casualties.

“During the regime of former Liberian dictator Charles Taylor, who is now serving a 50-year sentence for war crimes against humanity in the Sierra Leone Civil Conflict, civil servants who should have been receiving U.S. $15 per month were only fortunate enough to receive that amount twice per year: July 26 for Liberian Independence Day celebrations, and later for Christmas,” said Andrew Kallon, a sociology graduate of the University of Liberia.

But even as civil servants boast of the improvements to their lives, for other Liberians the lines are not so clear. Delphine Wandah, who works odd jobs in order to support herself and her family, said her starting salary one year ago was equivalent to about $20 per month.

Wandah explained that in order to earn that $20 per month, her job description included “getting out of bed at 5 a.m. (and) getting the children of the house ready for school.” Once the children were off to school, Wandah would then have to start cooking a meal of rice, peas and chicken stew for sale in town. It is interesting to note that this meal is prepared outside on

a coal pot that usually requires double the amount of time and effort it would take on a stove.

Once the meal is prepared, Wandah packs the close to 100 lunches in a container along with all the plates and utensils needed and takes them on her head to various business offices in town for sale, she said. She takes with her not only disposable plates, but also porcelain plates.

Wandah said she takes the taxi to town, but “must get off at a point and walk for hours from one office to the next, dishing out food for sale.”

Once that is done, she must then retrace her steps in order to collect all the plates and cash that were left in these various offices.

With pots, pans, utensils and plates in tow, she then returns home to meet her children, cook their dinner and prepare them for bed, after which she washes all the dishes from the day’s work and begins preparing for the next day. It’s a lot of work for $20.

“The government can do much better,” said Jefferson Korjwe, president of the youth arm of the main opposing party, Congress for Democratic Change.

Liberia has too many natural resources, including rubber, over which the internationally—run Firestone possesses a

monopoly, for the citizens to live so poorly, Korjwe said.

“Not to mention the oil that was recently discovered off the coast,” Korjwe said, arguing that Liberia’s biggest problem is “mismanagement.”

But others are not so quick to point to mismanagement.

“Liberians must understand that the country is in its rebuilding stages and so things will naturally be tough,” Kallon said. “Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who is the current president, inherited a country that had just emerged from war that had left the majority of the infrastructure nonexistent.”

“Liberia’s troubles were so many that any meaningful attempt at reconstruction is going to take dark days like the present US$75—and US$20—per—month days,” Kallon said.

But Kallon is not ready to abandon hope entirely.

“It is obvious that the current president is committed to making the country better and so Liberians just need to be patient,” he said.

But whatever the arguments are for or against Liberia’s current situation,“despite the challenges I am glad to be alive because I have seen a lot during our civil war and by God’s grace we are still alive, so who am I to complain,” Wandah said.

WORLD

Toycia Collins / Contributing WriterWomen ply their wares and carry water for household use on this street in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia.

SPORTS

• 9AUGUST 15 - 21, 2012THE SOUTH END

Former WSU Warrior leaves lasting legacy of Olympic achievement

Lorenzo Wright cements place in history with gold medalDANIEL LONG

Contributing Writer

As the world basks in the glow of the recently-ended 2012 Olympic Games, we reflect on the number of Olympic athletes who represented their nations; whose glory and embarrassment are sometimes felt as much back home as they are in the Olympic arena. For the past fortnight, the world has been captivated by the Olympic spirit of commitment and sportsmanship, the dramatic beauty of human motion and emotion, and how impressively Bob Costas is pulling off a real-life Benjamin Button routine.

But which Olympians can Wayne State students look up to? Is there a Warrior who moves with the lightning ease of Usain Bolt? Was there once a Tartar who had an Allyson Felix-like tale of eventual triumph after continual near-defeat? As it turns out, WSU has been well-represented in multiple Olympics, especially in various fencing events.

WSU also has a special connection to the summer games in particular; an Olympic gold medal won by a WSU student was picked up at the 1948 Summer Olympics, held like this year’s games, in London. That year’s games also held the distinction of being the first Olympic Games after World War II, the previous being the somewhat polemic Berlin games in 1936.

Lorenzo Wright, WSU’s gold-medal winner, needed a little fate on his side to take home the coveted prize. He was not the projected starter of the race, and the outcome turned out to involve the most controversial decision in modern Olympic history up to that point.

Wright was often called a “one-man track team.” Described in “The Hero Within Us” by Keith McClellan as a “humble, calm, good-hearted, and self-assured man,” Wright would go on to graduate from WSU in 1950 with a Bachelor of Science in education. Before that, he was part of a facility-strapped, but well-coached and competitive WSU track and field team that saw its status elevated by its Olympian and one man show.

Standing 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing 155 pounds, Wright was a good, all-around athlete. In addition to finding success in track

and field, he was a solid swimmer and gymnast. During the 1948 track season, Wright narrowed his focus down to the broad jump. It was his strongest event and as the season progressed, Wright wanted to prevent any situation that might hinder his Olympic chances.

Following a win at the 1948 Penn

Relays — the largest and oldest track and field competition in the country, held each April — and a third place finish at the NCAA championship, Wright was primed to earn a spot on USA’s Olympic broad jumping team.

At the Olympic track tryouts in early July 1948 at Dyche Stadium (now Ryan Field) on the campus of Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., Wright placed third in the broad jump, sixth in the second heat of the 100 meters and fifth in the 200 meters. Wright’s broad jump distance of 25 feet and one-half inch earned him a spot on the U.S. Olympic team in London.

Entering the Games, the only event Wright was scheduled to participate in was the broad jump; he was a reserve for relays, but was not the projected runner in any of the events. The broad jump at the 1948 games turned out to be a hotly-contested event that saw Wright’s jump come up just short of a medal position with a distance of 25 feet, 5.25 inches. The event was won by American Willie Steele, who jumped a distance of 25 feet, 8 inches; third place

was taken by American Herb Douglas, whose distance of 24 feet, 9 inches was less than 6 inches different from Wright’s fourth place finish.

This was thought to be the end of Wright’s Olympic run, but he shortly found himself

at the center of an Olympic scandal. Fellow American runner Ed Conwell, the projected second runner of the men’s 4x100 meter relay, suffered an asthma attack and was replaced on the team by Wright. On Aug. 6, 1948, Wright was substituted for Conwell in the semi-finals of the event, and was later chosen to participate in the finals.

On Aug. 7, at Wembley Stadium, the U.S. posted a first place time of 40.6 seconds at the finals for the men’s 4x100 meter relay, with England coming in with a time more than 41 seconds. It was not until well after the race and the jubilation of victory had set in that the American team was informed of an illegal baton hand-off between the opening runner, Barney Ewell, and the second runner, Lorenzo Wright.

An official during the race ruled that the hand-off had not occurred within the designated area. This was a decision that Wright vehemently denied, stating he had checked with officials multiple times prior to the race about vague track markings and the venue’s dimness.

Following several days of discussion, evidence presentation and a jury deliberation, it was finally ruled that the Americans had won following the release of a video showing the hand-off in question. The consensus was widespread that the evidence had clearly showed the Americans were in no violation, and according to The New York Times’ coverage of the event, the British accepted the defeat with sportsmanship and a little bit of dry, English perspective. The medal would have been Great Britain’s fourth gold of the 1948 games, the others coming in rowing and sailing.

Upon returning to WSU, Wright had an injury-plagued 1949 track season, but went on to shine at the Penn Relays in April of the same year. Wright, along with fellow WSU track star Elmer “Buddy” Coleman, won two relay events, finished second and third respectively in the 100-yard dash, and Wright won the broad jump competition. These results earned WSU the national headline, as this small school from Detroit dominated the 1949 Penn Relays against national track powerhouses.

Lorenzo Wright went on to coach throughout Detroit in the 1960s, producing some of the best track athletes in the U.S. He died in 1972. A field located adjacent to Martin Luther King High School on Lafayette Street was named in his honor, and remains to this day for those looking to relive a moment of WSU’s Olympic glory.

ATHLETICS

Jon Adams / The South EndThe athletic field named in Wright’s honor still remains today, across from Martin Luther King Jr. High School on Lafayette Street.

10 • AUGUST 15 - 21, 2012 THE SOUTH END

SPORTS

WSU coach pushes athletes to achieve their finest, fittest

Bryce Karasiak emphasizes education for better diet; says players

success is worthwhile

LUKE TOWLERSenior Writer

When trying to diet and exercise the right way while at Wayne State – especially if you’re an athlete – Bryce Karasiak, the assistant strength and conditioning coach, is one of the best people to talk to.

Karasiak, who has been at WSU for two years, primarily trains men’s and women’s basketball and women’s volleyball. He said each individual athlete is different. He trains the athletes based on what the coaches want from them. Since there are 18 different sports at WSU, each team trains differently, with different work out regimes, as well.

“Athletes are athletes, and there are similar movements within each sport,” Karasiak said. “But we try to categorize them and build things in their program that are going to make them more efficient on the court or the field.”

According to Karasiak, the men’s basketball players are in great shape, physically; the football team has reached an “elite level” because they keep “pushing each other more and more to be successful.”

At the end of the 2011-2012 men’s basketball season, only six players remained uninjured.

“Those six guys were able to make it through, so I think conditioning-wise they were being physical enough to handle it,” he said. “They’ve done a great job.”

With all of the unhealthy food choices at WSU, Karasiak said the best way to get athletes to eat right is to educate them. They have to make sure the athletes eat properly, making sure they get enough protein. They offer breakfast, lunch and dinner recommendations for

the athletes, he said. “We want to eliminate the fast foods

and all of the junk foods, but you’re dealing with college kids, so it’s going to be a bit more difficult. We have more guidelines (rather) than specific nutritional programs,” Karasiak said.

In the past, he said, he went shopping with his basketball players and made a list of healthy food they should be eating. Sometimes, it may be as simple as eliminating juice from an athlete’s diet.

“I eliminated the juice from their diet – one of them has already lost 10 pounds in the last three weeks,” he said. “Throw some flavoring in there, like a Crystal Light type of deal, just to kind of get that taste, instead of drinking water.”

The most rewarding part of his job is watching the student athletes experience different things, mature in life and succeed in the sports they love to play, Karasiak said.

“A lot of kids don’t get to experience riding on an airplane – some of them, it was their first time,” he said. “To see the success those kids had over the year was unbelievable.”

One thing that Karasiak likes about WSU is the administration. He said WSU is probably the only Division II training and conditioning program that has three full-time staff and a graduate assistant.

“That allows us more freedom to do things that we want to do with our specific teams,” he said.

Karasiak’s favorite part of working for WSU is the variety of student athletes coming in from different backgrounds.

“You’re getting such a variety of kids that you have to manipulate and change your personality to meet their needs,” Karasiak said. “Any type of success they have makes the job worthwhile.”

HEALTH

ASTROLOGY

• 11AUGUST 15 - 21, 2012THE SOUTH END

MADAME LAZONGA

ARIESYou will get a letter or email that will be filled with bad news about your financial status. Keep calm, and carry on. No, just kidding, make sure to contact your financial adviser and get your finances in order. Although you’ll be tempted to neglect this situation, don’t. Attend to it quickly and things will eventually be resolved. Make sure to keep receipts and always double check your online-checking accounts. This week, embrace your inner hipster and shop at thrift stores or second-hand stores to save money. You’ll pull off the starving-artist look with ease, so don’t worry too much.

March 21 - April 19TAURUS

This week, jealousy will get the best of you. Someone who is close to you will receive very promising news, and this will upset you very much. Think of good memories that you’ve had with this individual to avoid becoming over consumed with hateful feelings. Congratulate your pal, and good things will come your way, as well. Remember, karma is powerful and what goes around truly does come around. The color red will be a good color for you this week. It will accentuate your features and bring you more attention. People will be alert when you step in the room, so put on some hues of red.

April 20 - May 20

GEMINIYou will be very tempted to be unproductive this week, Gemini. Don’t let this get the best of you because there is much that needs to be done. Stock up on coffee and 5-Hour Energy drinks because you need to power through this week. Your superiors will be expecting a lot from you, and showing them that you care will make the process much smoother. Also, a few compliments never hurt anyone. Your busy week will leave you very little time for your love life, but don’t neglect your significant other.

May 21 - June 21

VIRGOMake sure to communicate with those around you because some of your closest friends could begin to feel neglected. It’s time to pull out your cell phone and dial up your pals. Make sure to discuss your feelings and emotions. Talking about personal things will bring you closer to your friends and will improve you physical and physiological health a great deal. Avoid the spotlight this week, and relish in simple pleasures. Take a walk down the Detroit riverfront with your love interest and take the time to enjoy the connections you have made in your life so far.

August 23 - September 22

LIBRAThe line between friendship and romance is very thin; tread with care. Sexual tension between you and a close friend will finally bubble to the breaking point, but beware of putting your friendship in jeopardy. Actions can never be undone, and bringing a new level of complication into the bond you share with a friend will change it, even if you fully intend to just “stay friends.” Don’t worry; be happy. You will have to keep up a balancing act of several different issues that need your attention.

September 23 - October 22

AQUARIUS

Venus will be in its least positive stage this week, so beware of being more clumsy or messy than usual. You may find you’ll trip while going up stairs more often than normal, and watch out for cracks in the sidewalk. While eating, stay away from sloppy foods, and avoid squirting ketchup while wearing a white shirt at all costs. Your safest bet this week, Aquarius, is to wear dark colors and hope for the best. This too shall pass.

January 20 - February 18PISCES

Pisces, you made a mistake in the past week, and you’ll spend this one trying to fix it. Regrets never do anyone any good, but you’ll find yourself having trouble moving on from a rash decision you made in the heat of the moment. Apologies may or may not be in order, but consider this a learning experience. At least now you know not to make the same mistake twice. On the positive side, your hair will look fantastic this week.

February 19 -March 20

SAGITTARIUS

As the weather starts to turn cooler in anticipation of fall , you will f ind that the relationships in your life will follow a similar pattern. Family members will follow their own plans to do what they want, and your lover will express the need to spend a litt le more time independently. Don’t take it personally; use the t ime to take some much-needed “me time.”

November 22 - December 21

LEO

There will be a lot of changes happening in your life, and this can be unsettling for some of your close family members. However, everything will smooth over by the end of the week and you will be turning a new leaf in your life. This week, you’ll be one step closer to getting rid of a bad behavior or habit, and optimism will be at an all-time high. Enjoy this influx of positive energy and spread it to your loved ones. This is a great week to influence others to change their bad habits, as well.

July 23 - August 22

SCORPIOThe stars will finally align so that you get recognition for your efforts at work or at school. Someone you think has never given you a second glance will indicate to you that they appreciate your work, so don’t despair that your sweat, blood and tears were in vain. You will also get added attention from your love interest, this week. Enjoy the extra attention and take some time to relax — since you’ve been working so hard! Have fun and keep up the good work, Scorpio!

October 23 - November 21

CAPRICORN

Don’t be afraid if a black cat crosses your path or if you walk under a ladder. In the words of Frank Sinatra, luck will indeed be a lady for you this week. Things will seem to fall into place, and your lucky number will reap you an unexpected gain. You’ll get a little extra financial help from an unexpected source, and an important contact you need for business purposes will cross paths with you at just the right time.

December 22 - January 19

CANCERThere will be tension in your inner circle. You will not be the center of this tension, but you will be caught in the middle. Avoid taking sides and remember to stay neutral. Those who are quarreling now will soon be friends again. Spend time with your special guy or gal this week to get away from the drama you’re experiencing with your friends. Try to go see the newest movie or art exhibit and explore new sites. This separation from your friends will bring you closer in the end.

June 22 - July 22

“LET ME PROVID E YOU WITH MUCH-NEED ED ADVICE FOR THE DAU NTING U NCERTAINTY OF

YOUR FUTURE.”

MADAME LAZONGA’SFUN FACT SAM WORTHINGTON WAS BORN AUG. 2, 1976, WHICH MAKES HIM A LEO,TOO.