In the news

She holds the health of many in her hands

Versandra Kennebrew, a massage therapist, opened a community-based holistic health center that helps people suffering from obesity, hypertension, diabetes and other disorders by using acupuncture treatments, massage therapy and herbs to relieve pain. Dr. Herbert Smitherman Jr., associate chairman of the department of community medicine for WSU and Detroit Medical Center, said, \"I believe that noninvasive procedures have been very helpful to patients that I see,\" he says.

Culture shock, poverty plague Hmong in Michigan

The Hmong, are one of the fastest-growing immigrant groups in Michigan; their numbers more than doubled during the 1990s, from 2,300 to 5,400. Concentrated in Detroit, Pontiac and Warren, many live in poverty and have turned to schools and social service agencies for help, forcing the financially strained institutions to expand services. With no transportation, and few job skills, they do menial work at nearby factories. Nearly half the Hmong in Michigan have less than a ninth grade education, according to Kurt Metzger, director of the Center for Urban Studies at Wayne State University.

People on the move

The following WSU Law School alumni were honored by the school and its alumni association at the annual Treasure of Detroit Ball at The Parade Co. headquarters: Nancy Diehl, Cynthia Faulhaber, Janet Findlater, Aretha Glover and Marilyn Kelly. Being recognized as \"honorary alumni\" were: Sherrie Farrell, an attorney with Dykema Gossett where she serves in the litigation practice group and specializes in commercial litigation, products liability and other business disputes; and Eleanor \"Coco\" Siewert, who has served as assistant to the dean at the WSU Law School for several years and as special assistant to former WSU President David Adamany.

Wayne State virtual vehicle tests abilities of the elderly

Located within the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (EACPHS) at Wayne State, the AMOS II (Advanced Mobile Operations Simulator) can safely evaluate a driver's ability to handle a broad range of everyday driving situations. The operator can even simulate fog, darkness and ice. EACPHS is the only health science school in the nation to have an AMOS, according to Joseph Pellerito Jr., academic program director and associate professor, EACPHS Therapy Program. In addition to the AMOS II program, Pellerito says EACPHS has a number of research projects currently under way which are federally funded. A photo of Pellerito testing the AMOS simulator is included with the front page story.

"Colleges hospitals try to train more nurses"

"Most colleges that offer nursing programs report the lack of adequate staff and equipment is forcing them to turn away or at least postpone enrolling prospective nursing students. This is despite the fact enrollment in undergraduate and graduate nursing programs is increasing, both locally and nationally." The story notes that the Wayne State University College of Nursing has 1,200 applicants for an expected 120 slots in the fall 2005 undergraduate nursing program(s).

City on the rocks gets fertile advice

Detroit always has a hand-and-glove relationship with trouble, and right now deficits, service cutbacks, scandalsand petty politics are driving people away by the thousands. General Motors Corp. has slashed profit forecasts and is taking the cleaver to its workforce. Detroit has lost half its population in the last 50 years; it's now around 900,000. Ninety-thousand people moved out of Detroit between 1995 and 2000, and 10,000-to-15,000 people have left annually since then, said Kurt Metzger, research director of Wayne State University\'s Center for Urban Studies. "Detroit used to be explained as just white flight. Now it\'s African-Americans--middle-class and upper-middle-class people with kids--leaving,\" Metzger said. \"If you\'re the mayor of Detroit, where the hell do you turn?\"

The week ahead

Tuesday: Wayne State University hosts a Criminal Justice Job Fair at 10 a.m. in the ballroom of the Student Center. Learn about careers with the FBI, Department of Justice and Secret Service. Open to all individuals. Saturday: The Youth Sports and Recreation Commission hosts Let\'s Play Ball, a citywide sports and activities registration fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Wayne State University\'s Matthaei Athletic Complex. Contact information is provided for both events.

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WTVS (56), 4/10 Steve Strome, Chairman and CEO - Handleman Company, was the guest on \"Leaders on Leadership\", co-produced by WSU School of Business Administration and Detroit Public Television. Handleman Company is one of the largest pre-recorded music distributors and market managers in the United States. Host Larry Fobes, of the SBA, and the WSU student audience asked Strome about leadership issues in the highly visible, and extremely dynamic, business of retail music sales. The program will be re-broadcast on Wed., April 13 at 5:00 pm.

International students lift U.S.

President Irvin D. Reid writes in an op-ed that strict visa laws that turn away potential college applicants don't solve terrorism's ills. Today, one hears of American jobs being lost to overseas workforces, and we tend to think of the exchange of human capital as a one-way street. The global intellectual exchange, however, has been favoring the U.S. for decades. That exchange has been disrupted post 9/11, and we should view the drop in foreign students with alarm, as schools in other countries capitalize on our loss. The loss goes beyond the impact on colleges and universities as international students pour $13 billion into the economy annually - including $400 million dollars per year to Michigan. In addition, highly skilled international students often choose to stay here after graduation, raising America's intellectual capital with a highly motivated group of new citizens.