Health disparities conference: Wayne State University presents its President\'s Conference on Health Disparities, today and Tuesday at the McGregor Memorial Conference Center . Registration required. $25; Wayne State students free. Visit www.research.wayne.edu under announcements. Fieldwork in government: The Institute for Information Technology and Culture completes its series of seminars on anthropological fieldwork in business, community and government organizations \"Inside Insights,\" 1-2:30 p.m. room 289 of the Student Center Building on the Wayne State University campus. No cost.

"What Detroit Can Do to Become Economically Competitive - and What that Means for Community Development," will be held Tuesday, 9:30 a.m., at Wayne State 's McGregor Conference Center . Contact information is provided.

Wayne State 's Law School announced that the 13th Annual Bernard Gottfried Memorial Labor Law Symposium will be held Thursday, Oct. 20 at the law school. The event includes sessions on major law developments of the last decade, "publicity other than picketing," a panel discussion on the decline in union membership, and an address by John E. Higgins, Jr., deputy general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board.

A recent study by Tom Watkins, former Michigan superintendent of schools, concludes that the state's K-12 public schools must adapt to a changing world by moving away from the traditional building/classroom learning environment. Paula Wood, dean of the WSU College of Education, points out that the college has been in the forefront of technological advancements on behalf of both faculty and students. "Our faculty has been developing and implementing ways to integrate the use of technology into the college's curriculum and offering Web-based courses," she says.

Fifteen years after the publication of Charles Johnson's slavery novel, Middle Passage, some African scholars are questioning its credibility after finding out that the author has never visited Africa . Howard Starks, professor of Africana Studies at Wayne State , says he cannot understand Johnson's reasons for not visiting Africa . "I can understand one not having means to make such a visit, alas, a person of his influence and education only gives way to two explanations; he doesn't feel the importance of such a visit, or he doesn't view himself as one of African ethnicity; perhaps both," Starks said. "Upon hearing such information [Johnson never visiting Africa ] it took some wind out of the sails of excitement of our meeting."

Robert Sedler, professor of constitutional law, commented about plans by a group of local entrepreneurs to open a shopping mall, dining locale and catering company in Detroit called Asian Village . Sedler said there were no legal impediments to designing a particular area of the city as a business district, making him the first legal scholar to support African Town when debate questioned its legality. "The city has the constitutional power to establish an inner city-business district and, above all, to secure city funds and resources and to assist Detroit residents to acquire, own and operate businesses located in African Town ," Sedler said.

Cynthia Pasky (Founder, President, and CEO of Strategic Staffing Solutions) was the guest on the WSU School of Business Administration\'s weekly television series, \"Leaders on Leadership\" co-produced with Detroit Public Television. During the host\'s interview, Pasky told about learning business from her father, and then overcoming difficult personal circumstances to launch the company that now does well over $100 million/year in several states and countries. WSU students in the studio audience asked about the pros and cons of being a woman executive in today\'s business world. The program will be re-broadcast on Wednesday, October 12 at 5:00 pm.

Michigan High Schools are failing students according to this detailed editorial. Parents are paying attention, children aren't challenged. The culture of the state needs to change if Michigan is to emerge from the industrial age to a new economy.

Children of pushy parents are more likely to succeed in high school, graduate from college and prosper. This is according to the survey mentioned in the editorial noted above, and dovetails with an earlier survey that of Michiganders that showed that only 28 percent of our state's parents consider education essential to their children's success, further explaining why only 23 percent of Michigan 's adults hold college degrees.

Chris Middlebrooks rushed for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, helping Wayne State shock Michigan Tech, ranked ninth in Division II, 25-14, Saturday at Adams Field to end an 11-game losing streak. The Warriors had not won since a 24-21 overtime victory against Indianapolis on Sept. 25, 2004. Michigan Tech had won five straight and 15 of its last 16 regular-season games. Middlebrooks finished with 121 yards on 35 carries.

Peter Henning , Wayne State Law School professor, commented about white-collar crimes and the typically light sentences handed out to convicted offenders. "When the judges are sentencing these people, in a lot of ways they see their neighbors," Henning said. "These are not violent people. They tend to be well-educated, well-spoken. Most have no prior criminal record. When you add that all up, that is the type of situation that tends to generate sympathy with the judge."

Wayne State University 's research in alternative energy technologies at its TechTown is noted as an example of Michigan 's Big Three universities' commitment and obligation to reviving the state's economy.

Wayne State's Department of Interdisciplinary Studies and the Walter P. Reuther Library will host International Literacy Day on Thursday Sept. 8. Daphne Ntiri, associate professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, will serve as moderator of the panel on the theme, "Literacy and the U.S. Workforce." Since 1990, Ntiri has led southeastern Michigan in recognizing the impact functional illiteracy has had on the daily lives of families.

Wayne State 's College of Nursing faculty member Deborah S. Walker has been awarded over $725,000 for a grant titled, "Graduate Nurse-Midwifery Education in the Urban Environment. The three-year grant aims to straighten the newly pre-accredited graduate nurse-midwifery concentration at Wayne State .

The Wayne State University Alumni Association this fall will offer three new CareerBoost! workshops aimed at recent grads. Hosted by the Recent Alumni Committee, the workshops cover topics such as time management, business planning and self-employment.

Wayne State University 's Warriors football team handed Michigan Tech its first loss of the season 25-14. Middlebrooks rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns as the Warriors got their first win.

Wayne State 's Hilberry Theatre is noted in a roundup story of plays, ballets and activities scheduled during October and November across southeast Michigan . The Hilberry Theatre will be presenting a series of plays in repertory and one of Shakespeare's classics "Julius Caesar." Mixed in will be Tennessee Williams' "Sweet Bird of Youth" starting Nov. 18. The season lightens up a bit with the comedic "Sylvia," by A.R. Gurney, focusing on the changes that a dog brings into a family in middle-age. A sidebar highlights Wayne State 's Hilberry Theatre offerings.

An editorial calls for the creation of a full, four-year degree university in Macomb County . The latest Census shows Macomb 's population has exceeded 800,000 with anticipated growth to more than a million within a decade, which should validate the need for a higher education institution, according to the editorial. Detroit is noted as home to Wayne State University , a city which is "steadily losing population."

Wayne State's Hilberry Theatre presents its series of plays in repertory, and one of Shakespeare's classics about love and betrayal, "Julius Caesar," is staged Oct. 12- Dec.17. Mixed in will be the Tennessee Williams' "Sweet Bird of Youth," starting Nov. 18th. The season lightens a bit with the comedy "Sylvia" by A.R. Gurney, focusing on the changes a dog brings into a family in middle-age.

Financially struggling companies are under pressure to file for bankruptcy within the next 10 days, before significant changes in the nation\'s bankruptcy laws take effect - sweeping revisions that will limit the amount of money a company can pay top managers, make it harder to wipe out debts for pennies on the dollar and provide outsiders a better chance to propose their own plan for restructuring a bankrupt firm. Companies already considering bankruptcy don\'t want to deal with the changes, said Laura Bartell, a bankruptcy law professor at Wayne State University . \"Everybody is much more comfortable with the devil they know than with the devil they don\'t know,\" Bartell said. But, even if the new rules create a short-term increase in filings to beat the deadline, experts agree the law won\'t encourage or discourage bankruptcies in the long run. The law doesn\'t cause people to file for bankruptcy, Bartell said. \"It depends on what the economy does. What creates bankruptcies is economic problems either for the individual company or the economy as a whole.\"