Wayne State University\'s Office of Undergraduate Research will host the third annual Undergraduate Research Conference Nov. 10 from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the McGregor Memorial Conference Center. The event is free and open to the public. This conference showcases the university\'s best undergraduate research projects and allows student researchers to share their work through panel and poster presentations. Many students are recipients of Undergraduate Research Grants, and all work closely with faculty mentors. The conference will provide this year\'s 85-90 participants with an excellent opportunity to gain presentation experience.

Two letters to the editor focused on the Oct. 19 Detroit Jewish News story "Isolation Incitement," which referred to the anti-Israel rally held at Wayne State. Rhonda Miller Solomon wrote that she was disturbed by the anti-Israel propaganda. "The entire Jewish community must accelerate its vigilance of the increasing anti-Semitism appearing on college campuses in Michigan and elsewhere so that history does not repeat itself." Ed Kohl writes: "My admiration and congratulations go to Ari Drissman, president of the WSU Students for Israel, and to StandWithUs-Michigan's Linda Stulberg for organizing our counter-rally. Those WSU students who work through the daily onslaughts from the anti-Semitic and anti-Israel groups at WSU deserve our thanks and appreciation as well."

Even after states bounce back from economic recessions, access to higher education continues to suffer because appropriations for colleges and financial aid do not recover as quickly as the states\' economies as a whole, a report released on Monday says. The report, \"Recession, Retrenchment, and Recovery: State Higher Education Funding & Student Financial Aid,\" is based on a study of data from a 25-year period, from 1979 to 2004, by the Illinois State University Center for the Study of Education Policy. It shows how downturns in the national economy cause states to cut higher-education appropriations, which contributes to increases in tuition. In turn, family income and student aid tend not to keep up with the rate of growth of tuition. Ross A. Hodel, a co-director of the center, said that of the four recessions that occurred during the study period, the 2001 slowdown hit higher education the hardest and had the most long-lasting effect. He also said a mind-set has emerged in state governments that higher education is a personal benefit rather than a public good, and that students should be willing to shoulder the financial burden in order to realize that benefit.

The newspaper endorses Eugene Driker and Debbie Dingell for the two open positions on the WSU Board of Governors. The article mentions that Driker says he realized the American dream thanks in part to Wayne State, where he earned a bachelor's degree and graduated first in his class from the law school. A connection to the city of Jackson is mentioned, in that he once represented the former Consumers Power Co, headquartered there, in a case involving Dow Chemical Co. and an unfinished nuclear power plant in Midland. Regarding Dingell, the editorial says she is "well-positioned to help Wayne State play a role in the crucial linkage between higher education and high-tech economic development." The newspaper also mentions that Casandra Ulbrich, a development director at WSU, is a candidate for the State Board of Education.

A chemistry professor at the University of Hawaii is leading an international team of scientists studying the atmosphere of Titan, Saturn's moon. Wayne State is among universities participating in the $2.5 million, five-year project funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation. Titan's atmosphere is considered ideal for gaining a better understanding of the early days of Earth's atmosphere. As part of the project, the team will develop teaching materials, organize annual scientific workshops and attempt to broaden the participation of minorities in research at the participating schools.

DaimlerChrysler recently donated its Mercedes-Benz A-Class F-Cell vehicle to Wayne State University to be used as a police vehicle to patrol the Detroit campus. It will also be used as a learning tool by WSU's College of Engineering students to research alternative energy.

Wayne State University and Wayne County Community College District (WCCCD) recently signed an agreement to form a partnership providing for an early admissions program between the two institutions. Called WayneDirect, the program offers WCCCD students access to special services and opportunities that will ease their eventual transition to WSU while increasing their likelihood for success. "We are committed at Wayne State University to working closely with our community college partners to ensure that those students receive the best education with the greatest amount of flexibility, convenience, and access to resources, not only at the community college they are currently attending, but also at Wayne State where they will complete their bachelor's degree," said Wayne State University President Irvin D. Reid. "I am looking forward to working with Chancellor Ivery and the Wayne County Community College District students who will become part of our institution." A photo of President Reid and WCCCD Chancellor Curtis L. Ivery is included.

This extensive article chronicles the current relationship between Wayne State University's School of Medicine and The Detroit Medical Center. The more than 50-year-old relationship is at risk, according to the story, because both institutions have taken different paths to compete. Continuing the financial recovery at the DMC relies on enticing paying patients from the suburbs to its specialty hospitals downtown with a unique set of services, said system President and CEO Mike Duggan - a plan that he said is compromised by Wayne State physicians' "suburban plan." But $50 million in new federal funding and meeting its educational mission hinges on Wayne State's ability to forge affiliations with suburban systems, medical school Dean Robert Mentzer said. Mentzer said the school must form stronger affiliations with other systems to remain competitive for new funding from the National Institutes of Health. That agency is prioritizing its funding around 50 institutions that can prove they are focusing on broad-based interdisciplinary research aimed at getting new treatments more quickly to patients' bedsides. Shoring up support for residency programs the DMC no longer wants is also a top priority, Mentzer said. "The DMC has said unequivocally that they don't want" departments such as family medicine, he said, a program that's vital to the medical school's educational mission. Both sides say they have little choice but to hold their ground, but the Wayne State Board of Governors and the DMC board are to meet Wednesday to discuss their differences. A synopsis of the current contract is also provided in the piece.

A companion piece about the DMC-WSU relationship includes a timeline of highlights between the institutions from 1955 to the present. The Detroit Medical Center and Wayne State's School of Medicine formed the medial center citizens' committee in 1955 to coordinate academic-based clinical care among the DMC's five loosely connected hospitals.

The boards of Wayne State University and The Detroit Medical Center will meet this week to discuss their current contract situation. Crain's publisher Mary Kramer wrote, "If Detroit loses its strong core base that links researchers and medical faculty to the DMC hospitals, plenty of other regions will step up to bat." Kramer adds that hopefully the meeting this week will push a resolution to the contract dispute between Wayne State's School of Medicine and the DMC.

Children's Hospital of Michigan trustee Jane Iacobelli responds to Mary Kramer's Crain's Detroit Business editorial titled "Board intervention needed at WSU-DMC," saying it is "absolutely correct." Iacobelli wrote, "I have been worried and offered any help I could give Mike Duggan when this problem with The Detroit Medical Center/Wayne State University medical school started over a year ago with the orthopedics department. It is now too big a problem to be solved by the dean of the medical school and Duggan.

Legal experts say the "blame-the-underling/ignorant CEO" strategy is risky when CEOs try to pin crimes on their financial officers because CEOs are responsible for who works for them. If Tom Noe, who is accused of embezzling more than $2 million from the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation, uses the "ignorant CEO" defense, there is a way to undermine it, according to Peter Henning, a Wayne State University law professor. Henning said the prosecutors can have other witnesses tell anecdotes reflecting the defendant's intelligence. The defendant might need to take the witness stand to combat those anecdotes. However, they have the option of not testifying, which is their right. "Part of what you do is show how smart they are, and show that this wasn't someone who was easily bamboozled," said Henning. "These cases are built on circumstantial evidence. Almost no one sends an email that says, 'Here's how I plan to steal.'"

A calendar item notes that Wayne State's Undergraduate Research Conference will be held on Friday, Nov. 10, 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the McGregor Memorial Conference Center.

Minority-student enrollment at colleges and universities increased by 51 percent in the decade ending in 2003, an improvement driven by growth in the number of Hispanic and minority-female students, according to a report scheduled for release today by the American Council on Education. Over all, the number of minority students on American campuses grew by 50.7 percent during the decade, totaling 4.7 million undergraduate and graduate students by 2003. During the same period, the number of white students increased by 3.4 percent, reaching a total of 10.5 million white students in higher education. Although the report notes rising enrollment and degree-attainment numbers for minority students, it says the proportion of African-American and Hispanic students enrolled in college was still not as high as that of white students. Hispanic students accounted for the largest increase in undergraduate enrollment among minority groups, rising nearly 70 percent from 1993 to 2003. By contrast, African-American enrollment increased by 42.7 percent, Asian-American enrollment went up by 43.5 percent, and the number of American Indian students rose by 38.7 percent.

The Arab American News is endorsing Casandra Ulbrich (Democrat), senior development director at Wayne State University, for the State Board of Education because "(her) deep understanding of education issues and her passion to address them make her the best candidate for the job." Ulbrich believes if we're serious about diversifying Michigan's economy, it has to start with providing a strong K-12 foundation, encouraging students to enter post-secondary education.

Douglas A. Fraser, president emeritus of the United Auto Workers, and Congressman John D. Dingell received the Reuther Humanitarian Award from Wayne State University Oct. 26. The award is named for the late 13-term UAW President Walter P. Reuther.

The Merrill-Palmer Institute at Wayne State University hosts its 23rd Metropolitan Teen Conference Nov. 2, 8:30 a.m.-1:45 p.m. in the Student Center Ballroom. The conference will host 300 ninth and 10th graders from more than 50 schools and organizations.

In a web-cam video, Russ Gibb - a retired teacher and former TV journalist/talk-show host best known for originating the "Paul McCartney is dead" hoax in 1969 - is endorsing Debbie Dingell (Democrat) in her run for a seat on the Wayne State University Board of Governors. "She's probably good for (WSU)," said Gibb.

A feature article examines the remarkable life of Wayne State University Board of Governors member and attorney Richard Bernstein, 32, son of prominent attorney Sam Bernstein. Bernstein, who was born blind, will be participating in the New York Marathon on Nov. 5. He was also recently chosen for the Athletes With Disabilities Hall of Fame. The award comes not only for Bernstein's barrier-free marathoning, but also for his taking on, at no charge, several major disability-rights cases, said Tony Filippis, founder of the Athletes With Disabilities Hall of Fame. A photo of Bernstein is included.

As the election nears and voters will be considering Proposal 2 - banning affirmative action programs - Wayne State alumni offer testimonies about the importance of affirmative action to their lives and careers. Luis D. Garcia, an alumnus of Wayne State University's Center for Chicano-Boricua Studies (CBS), credits the center for helping him achieve a college education. "I had very high test scores but very poor grades, and I would not have gotten into college without the center," Garcia says. "It wasn't a matter that they were lowering the bar to let us in. It was they were taking the extra step to reach out to us and let us know college was an option for us." Darnell Kaigler, a Southfield dentist and WSU alumnus, said he would not be where he is today if it wasn't for a scholarship program in the 1960s allowing black students to enroll at WSU. "Any attempt to rob the next generation of the opportunity to be whatever it is they want to be should be stopped," says Kaigler. A recent poll showed that Michigan voters are almost evenly divided on Proposal 2, with a large undecided block - nearly 15 percent - capable of swinging the issue. A photo of Kaigler is included in the front-page story.