The Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights at Wayne State University Law School has rescheduled the Keith Biennial Lecture featuring actor, singer and humanitarian Harry Belafonte. Belafonte\'s lecture, \"Where We Are Headed,\" is set for 7 p.m. Sept. 8 in Wayne State University\'s Community Arts Auditorium. The lecture is free to the public.

When it comes to taxes, religious individuals appear more likely to meet their obligations. An analysis of data on 46,000 individuals in 36 nations from the World Values Surveys found that the more religious a person was, the lower her or his tolerance was for tax fraud. Steven Stack of Wayne State University and Augustine Kposowa of the University of California, Riverside, reported the results in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.

Wayne State University professor Christopher Leland discussed his book Love/Imperfect, a collection of romantic short stories published by the Wayne State University Press. Leland said the short story genre could make a comeback with the popularity of electronic communication devices.

Wayne State University President Allan Gilmour sent an email to university employees shortly before 5 p.m. July 28 informing them that the university has begun a "reduction in force" to cut costs. According to the email, the layoffs were caused by the $32 million cut in the fiscal year 2012 funding from the state, a result of Gov. Rick Snyder's plan to cut universities' funding by 15 percent, a number that would increase if universities implemented tuition increases greater than 7.1 percent. The cut is the largest in WSU's history, Gilmour wrote. "In response to this reduction, we analyzed every school, college and division over the past several months to identify potential cost cuts and efficiencies," he wrote. WSU's Board of Governors approved a 6.9 percent increase for undergraduate tuition June 22, as well as a 7.1 percent increase for graduate tuition. "Even with these efforts," Gilmour wrote, "a reduction in force is necessary to balance the budget and maintain the quality of our teaching and research." No further layoffs are planned at this time, according to the email.

A column examines an essay written by Rosa Parks detailing an attempted rape by a white neighbor who employed her as a housekeeper in 1931. The six-page document, is among thousands of her personal items currently residing in the Manhattan warehouse and offices of Guernsey\'s Auctioneers, which has been selected by a Michigan court to find an institution to buy and preserve the complete archive. Wayne State University professor and civil rights historian Danielle McGuire said she had never before heard of the attempted rape of Parks and called the find astounding. It helps explain what triggered Parks\' lifelong campaign against the ritualistic rape of black women by white men, said McGuire, author of \"At the Dark End of the Street\" which examines how economic intimidation and sexual violence were used to derail the freedom movement and how it went unpunished during the Jim Crow era.

Michigan State University and Wayne State University did not go over a cap in the state budget on how much tuition could be raised without losing some state aid, state Budget Director John Nixon ruled Thursday. In separate one-paragraph letters, Nixon told the universities he found they were in "technical" compliance with the cap. That means MSU won't lose $18.3 million in state aid. WSU had $12.8 million riding on the decision. Wayne State spokesman Matt Lockwood said WSU also was happy with the decision. \"We understand the challenging economic times our students and their families face,\" he said in a statement. \"This is why Wayne State has nearly doubled its financial aid in the past five years, including an additional 8.7% for the coming year.\" WSU had been set to defend itself before lawmakers next week, Rep. Bob Genetski, R-Saugatuck said that hearing will be held.

Budget Director John Nixon told Michigan State University that it wouldn\'t lose state money over its tuition increase, but Rep. Bob Genetski (R-Saugatuck) said he hasn\'t \"ruled out\" docking the university this year. \"I can tell you we\'re not done with the issue,\" the chair of the House Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee told MIRS. \". . . I am very, very frustrated to say the least. Thirteen other schools did the right thing to tighten their belts and protect kids from tuition increases. But MSU hired lawyers to find a way around it.\" MSU and Wayne State University both were found to be in \"technical compliance\" with the state\'s fiscal 2012 budget, which requires tuition increases at Michigan\'s 15 public universities to be 7.1 percent or lower. If tuition hikes exceeded that, universities could lose up to 22 percent of their state funding. Genetski\'s reaction is similar to that of Rep. Dave Agema (R-Grandville), who had pushed to cut universities another 5 percent if they offered domestic partner benefits. That was removed from the fiscal \'12 budget due to legal concerns over his vociferous objections, but he\'s since introduced standalone legislation prohibiting universities from offering gay benefits.

John Skelton pleaded no contest to charges of unlawful imprisonment, punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Under a plea deal, charges of kidnapping -- punishable by up to life in prison -- were dismissed. Some legal experts say prosecutors\' decision to strike a deal is a prudent one, especially if murder charges could be on the horizon. Wayne State University law professor Peter Henning said it\'s difficult to say how an acquittal or conviction, particularly on the kidnapping charges, would have impacted any future charges against Skelton. Now, he said, the prosecutor won\'t have to worry about that as the homicide investigation continues. \"You live to fight another day,\" Henning said. \"That\'s not a bad approach here.\"

Long before Rosa Parks was hailed as the "mother of the civil rights movement," she wrote a detailed and harrowing account of nearly being raped by a white neighbor who employed her as a housekeeper in 1931. The six-page essay, written in her own hand many years after the incident, is among thousands of her personal items currently residing in the offices of Guernsey's Auctioneers, which has been selected by a Michigan court to find an institution to buy and preserve the complete archive. Civil rights historian Danielle McGuire, assistant professor of history at Wayne State University, said she had never before heard of the attempted rape of Parks and called the find among Parks' papers astounding.

Ferris State and Grand Valley State university leaders say they will not consider a winter tuition increase after lawmakers said two other state schools used "a legal loophole" to set rates above cap on tuition increases. State budget director John Nixon ruled that Michigan State University and Wayne State University are in "technical compliance" with a policy aimed at keeping tuition increases for the 2011-12 academic year below 7.1 percent.

More than 500 Journalists, editors and publishers from national publications such as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and People magazine along with TV anchors from CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS and local channels, as well as noted authors will visit the Arab American community in Dearborn on Aug. 10 for an exclusive event organized by the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) in cooperation with The Arab American News and sponsored by community organizations. The Immigration and Michigan's Economic Future conference held at Wayne State University is noted in the story as receiving positive feedback nationally.

Wayne State University has eliminated 200 positions, spokesman Matt Lockwood confirmed. Of those positions, 80 were currently filled. The exact number of layoffs will be known once union bumping processes are complete. Wayne State University President Alan Gilmour sent an e-mail to all university employees late Thursday afternoon, notifying them of the moves.

Several media outlets noted state budget director John Nixon's ruling that Wayne State University and Michigan State University were in "technical compliance" with a policy directed to maintain tuition increases below 7.1 percent for the 2011-12 academic year.

A Wayne State University medical researcher has been awarded a $1.7 million grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health. Kezhong Zhang is assistant professor of molecular medicine and genetics and of immunology and microbiology in the School of Medicine at Wayne State. He will use the grant to explore how molecular elements in the body regulate the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

The Wayne State University Department of Athletics held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 27 in conjunction with the opening of the Athletic Multipurpose Indoor Facility, which is located just north of the Matthaei Tennis Courts and immediately south of the WSU Baseball Field. A photo from the ceremony featuring WSU President Allan Gilmour and members of the Board of Governors is included.

Mayor Dave Bing unveiled a broad overhaul Wednesday of how the cash-strapped city will serve residents, saying City Hall cannot treat all neighborhoods equally and will now target areas for certain city services. Bing called the first measure to come from his signature Detroit Works Project a \"short-term intervention strategy\" to save neighborhoods. It will affect everything from where the most houses are demolished, trees are trimmed and streetlights are repaired. Although Bing said this initial plan won\'t include an effort to relocate people in viable neighborhoods, John Mogk, a Wayne State University law professor, said it may nudge residents out anyway. \"Providing reduced services to distressed areas sends a message that these areas will eventually be cleared and reused for other purposes,\" Mogk said. \"This kind of says to people you have some options and may want to move.\"

Wayne State University, the Detroit Medical Center, Mike Illitch and others are mentioned in a story about the proposed $528 million Woodward Avenue Light Rail project as buying naming rights to stations for $3 million each. Detroit\'s Downtown Development Authority is kicking in $9 million. The private investor group, M-1 Rail, has committed $100 million. The Kresge Foundation has promised $35 million. The Detroit City Council has approved $75 million in bonds. The current plan provides for a line that would run from Campus Martius in downtown Detroit to 8 Mile Road at the city\'s border. The streetcar style trains would cover 9.3 miles and, if dollars and planners come together, eventually connect to the inner ring suburbs.

Kezhong Zhang, assistant professor of molecular medicine and genetics and of immunology and microbiology in Wayne State University's School of Medicine, was awarded $1.7 million by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health to explore how molecular elements in the body regulate the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Zhang is collaborating with School of Medicine colleagues Leonard Lipovich, assistant professor of molecular medicine and genetics and neurology; Todd Leff, associate professor of pathology; Bruce Berkowitz, professor of anatomy and director of WSU\'s Small Animal MRI Facility.

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette called the U.S. appeals court decision that overturned the state\'s 2006 law banning the use of race and gender preferences "nutty" and said he will file an appeal Friday morning. In a 2-1 decision, the court ruled July 1 against the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, which prohibited using race and gender in college admissions and government hiring and contracting. The 2006 law, also known as Proposal 2, forced the University of Michigan and other state schools to revise their admission policies. Proposal 2 bans preferences in university admissions and government hiring and contracting on the basis of race, gender or ethnicity. Before the policy change, U-M\'s law school, medical school, dental school and Wayne State University\'s law and medical school had considered the race and ethnicity of applicants.

Doctors\' Hospital of Michigan said today it has joined forces with the Wayne State University Physician Group to provide cancer treatment to patients at the Pontiac hospital. A group of six Wayne State University Physician Group doctors earlier this month began practicing out of the hospital\'s radiation oncology department, according to a news release. The affiliation will give patients access to specialists who deal with breast, prostate, head and neck cancer, among other types, Doctors\' Hospital said.