WWJ did a live interview this morning with two students who were on their way to the Lansing rally. One of the students, who represented the student council, described how the student council organized the rally and why it was being held.

A story in the Free Press online edition notes that Gov. Granholm and Republican legislative leaders have tentatively agreed on a $40 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The proposed budget does not raise taxes or fees, will give more money to each of the 15 public universities and spares low-income people from being kicked off Medicaid and welfare programs. Northern Michigan University and Wayne State University are not expected to see the significant cuts approved by Republican lawmakers.

A study by researchers at Wayne State University , St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Pontiac and Oakland University has verified that obesity is a risk factor in heart disease. The study, which appears in the American Journal of Medicine, found that being overweight can lead to pulmonary embolism, and the greatest risk was for patients under 40 years of age. Researchers examined more than 20 years of patient records compiled by the National Hospital Discharge Survey. The study results are being widely reported in Internet newsletters around the world and in the print media.

Shopping mall magnate A. Alfred Taubman sold half of his shares in Sotheby\'s Holdings Inc. Thursday in a move that ends the Taubman family\'s control of the high-profile auction house after more than two decades. The transaction, which was initiated by Sotheby\'s, was structured as an exchange of the family\'s 14 million Class B shares, for $168 million and 7.1 million shares of common stock. One motivation for the transaction was to simplify corporate governance, said Harvey Kahalas, dean of Wayne State University \'s business school.

As the anniversary of one disaster approaches, Americans are riveted by another. Once again, thousands likely have died. Once again, Americans are asking why. Comparisons between September 11 and Hurricane Katrina are as inevitable as they are unfair. Yet the two share more than an infamous page in the nation\'s history. Together, the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil and the worst natural disaster in U.S. history are bookends to an era of anxiety. From 19 men with box cutters to families trapped in a dying town without drinkable water, the tragedies have shaken the sense of safety to which Americans are accustomed. Some of the problems can ironically be traced to changes made in response to September 11, said Allen Batteau, a Wayne State University professor of anthropology who heads a federally funded research project on disaster response. Batteau is coordinator of a group going to New Orleans next week to analyze what went wrong. \"Given the bureaucratic nightmare (of the massive Department of Homeland Security), maybe we were expecting too much,\" Batteau said. If September 11 taught Americans how vulnerable we were to our enemies, Katrina taught Americans that we can at times be our worst enemy.

Ron Finch\'s exhibit of custom motorcycles at the Detroit Institute of Arts 35 years ago proved art motorcycles are a valid art form. Since then, the Pontiac resident has been acknowledged as the world\'s leading creator of art motorcycles, winning more than 200 trophies and traveling across the country to show his work. Considering his laurels, Finch was a natural for the Detroit Artists Market exhibit devoted to metal art opening today. In all, there are 16 artists in \"Metalize,\" which set off a chain reaction in the Detroit Cultural Center . Two Market exhibitors -- Evan Larson, who heads Wayne State University \'s metals department, and Thomas Madden, College for Creative Studies\' crafts chair -- have curated metal exhibits for their school galleries. The Creative Studies\' sculpture show is set to open this evening at the Center Galleries, while WSU\'s jewelry collection will be ready for viewing Sept. 23 at the Elaine L. Jacob Gallery on campus.

Wayne State University seniors Brendan Cornelissen and Marion Burrel are featured in a photo with a WSU Public Safety Officer during move-in day at the university's new 11-story residence hall. Rooms and amenities in the new housing facility are designed for greater convenience than traditional college dormitories. Wayne State has opened new residence halls at the start of three of the past four school years.

The Center for the Study of Citizenship at Wayne State will host a lecture and panel discussion on "Gender and the Constitution," on Wednesday, Sept. 14, to honor both Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. The event, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 4:30 p.m. in the Bernath Auditorium. Sandra Van Burkleo, associate professor of History and adjunct professor in the Wayne State Law School, will serve as the keynote speaker. A listing of panelists and contact information is provided.

A panel of industrial leaders, corporate executives and union representatives will discuss literacy and the U.S. workforce at 2 p.m. today as part of International Literacy Day activities. The event will be held at the Walter P. Reuther Library, which is also the site for the opening of an exhibit celebrating the UAW's 70th anniversary. Contact information is provided.

A story picked up from Express Features Service about the beneficial antioxidants in coffee includes a comment by Catherine Jen of the Nutrition and Food Science Department at Wayne State . She points out that while coffee is a main source of antioxidants because of its popularity, fruits and vegetables are better sources because they also contain other helpful nutrients not present in coffee.

Richard Bernstein of the Wayne State Board of Governors is quoted in an article about how area college students are coping with the high cost of gasoline. According to a survey conducted last spring by the university's Center for Urban Studies, about 80 percent of over 5,000 students surveyed drive alone from homes in suburban Detroit . Only 7 percent ride with others and 4 percent ride buses. "Our students just got hit with an 18.5 percent increase in tuition and now gas prices are causing a crisis," Bernstein said. "We are going to lose students on the edge. They cannot deal with all these increases all at once." He plans to propose the creation of a college Intranet message board to help students and staff form carpools. Eventually, he'd like to see a fleet of commuter buses dedicated to picking up WSU students and staff at specific locations. Jeremy Waechter, a junior majoring in political science here, estimates his commute from Westland will cost him $280 a month. He also spends $80 a month on campus parking fees and $90 a month on insurance for his old pickup truck. "If it breaks down, I won't be going to school," he said, "because there's no way I'm getting a bus from out here." The article is accompanied by a photo of Bernstein.

This article about the various ways organizations and communities are assisting Hurricane Katrina victims mentions that Wayne State is offering full tuition and a housing waiver to students who have paid their tuition and housing in full at New Orleans Universities that have closed due to storm damage. Two of the students who are taking advantage of the offer are mentioned. Lawrence Tech also is waiving tuition for hurricane-displaced students.

An article about universities that are reaching out to college students affected by Hurricane Katrina, mentions that Wayne State is offering full tuition and housing to students whose universities have been closed down and who already have paid their tuition and housing at those universities. Students also may be eligible for assistance with other fees and costs on a case-by-case basis.

Exposing fertilized eggs in women to nitric oxide could help women in their 30s and 40s to remain fertile longer, according to a study at the Wayne State University School of Medicine. "Eggs from older women may be particularly sensitive to aging after they are released from the ovaries," said Husam Abu-Soud, researcher and co-author of a report in the science portal Eurek Alert and the American Chemical Society journal Biochemistry. But exposing the eggs to appropriate levels of nitric oxide "could extend this fertilizable time window in both old and young women," he speculates. Scientist Anuradha Goud and other colleagues at WSU also were part of the research team, the article points out. The report was carried by several Web newsletters originating in India .

A feature story about new elementary school teacher Jaimie Seitz notes that she is working on a master's degree in education at Wayne State .

The College of Nursing at Wayne State will hold its annual LifeLine Awards event at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 22 at the Detroit Athletic Club. Ticket information is given.

Jim McFarlin has joined the WSU College of Nursing as information officer. The item describes him as "a Detroit journalist, columnist and critic."

Under legislation passed by the U.S. House Wednesday, students displaced by Hurricane Katrina would be allowed to keep the Pell Grants they received from their home institutions. The bill would allow the secretary of education to waive a requirement that students who withdraw from college must return their Pell Grants to the federal government. Meanwhile, Rep. George Miller of California has introduced a bill that would allow borrowers to defer payments on student loans for up to six months without being charged interest or incurring penalties. The Senate has yet to vote on the measure.

Wayne State is noted as a site where a free statewide training seminar for all attorneys interested in offering pro bono representation to domestic violence victims will be offered. Presented via a live video telecast, the seminar is offered by the State Bar of Michigan and the Michigan Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.

The ZigiDee Boom Hip Hop Fest will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 14, noon-8 p.m. on the campus of Wayne State University in Detroit , hosted by the WSU Chapter of Project A.R.T. and Detroit2LA Entertainment.