Conference hopes to boost girls' self-esteem

A two-day conference designed to boost self-esteem in girls ages 9-14 will kick off from 7-9 p.m. today at Bloomfield Hills Andover High School, 4200 Andover. Hosted by the nonprofit Girls Matter, the conference will feature keynote speaker Susan L. Taylor, editor of Essence Magazine, who will focus on how girls can build self-esteem and self-respect. The conference will continue with workshops, celebrities and other activities from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Wayne State University in the General Lectures Building, 5045 Anthony Wayne Drive.

March 18, 2005

Incontinence problems? Hormone pills a factor

This article about the use of hormone pills by women quotes a Wayne State University professor. \"We were hoping to find a gleam of hope for estrogen\" after all the earlier negative findings, but the results with incontinence were disappointing, too, said lead author Dr. Susan Hendrix, a gynecologist at Wayne State University.

March 18, 2005

U-M approves Arthur Miller Theatre plan

The University of Michigan Board of Regents approved the design Thursday of the Arthur Miller Theatre, as a tribute to one of its most famous graduates.The 250-seat theater will be part of the Walgreen Drama Center, the new home of the departments of theater, drama and musical theater on U-M\'s north campus. It was proposed in 1997 and will open in 2007. Miller, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright who died last month at the age of 89, had resisted other attempts to name a theater in his honor. But when former U-M President Lee Bollinger approached him in 1997, Miller responded with a simple postcard. \"The theater is a lovely idea,\" Miller wrote. \"I\'ve resisted similar proposals from others but it seems right for Ann Arbor.\" It is believed to be the only theater in the world named for Miller, according to U-M officials.

March 18, 2005

Detroit's Corktown undergoing rebirth

Kurt Metzger of the Center for Urban Studies is quoted in this AP article about the revival of Detroit's Corktown neighborhood. "It's certainly one of those points of light within the city that needs to be focused on because they are doing wonderful things," he said. But he cautioned that there is much work to be done to ensure a successful turnaround.

March 18, 2005

Area sports in brief

Baseball: North Dakota defeated Wayne State, 8-7, in the first game of a doubleheader sweep in the Gene Cusic Classic at Ft. Myers, Fla. Frank Jeney and Chris Baroli had RBI singles for the Warriors (1-4). The Fighting Sioux won the second game, 6-2. Softball: Junior Meghan Misiak threw Wayne State\'s first no-hitter since 2001, and the Warriors defeated Caldwell (N.J.), 6-0, in Kissimmee, Fla. Wayne State (5-6) scored five runs in the second inning.

March 17, 2005

People on the move

Martha Hnatiuk, adjunct instructor at Wayne State University, has been appointed to the Hospice of Michigan board of trustees.

March 17, 2005

WSU Spring Dance Gala

A brief front-page item notes that the Wayne State University Dance Companies will perform their annual spring gala, "Dancing the Legacy," on March 25-26, 8 p.m., at the Bonstelle Theatre. An after-dinner party at Ruby's Kitchen will follow the Saturday show.

March 17, 2005

Misiak tosses no-hitter in 6-0 win over No. 11 Caldwell

The Wayne State Warriors softball team scored five times in the second inning and pitcher Meghan Misiak recorded a no-hitter against 11th-ranked Caldwell Wednesday in Kissimmee, Fla. during the Rebel Spring Games tournament. WSU improved its record to 5-6 overall.

March 17, 2005

Helen Thomas truly has seen it all

In a column Jack Lessenberry wrote about journalist Helen Thomas, he mentioned she came to speak at Wayne State for a scholarship dinner in her honor. Thomas is a Wayne State alum.

March 17, 2005

Two-for-one package deal

A feature article ran on two Howell High School swimmers Alina Corrion and Kim Gammon, who were both awarded partial scholarships to Wayne State swim team. The article, which includes of photo of both swimmers, also quotes Wayne State swimming coach Sean Peters. Corrion plans to study languages and Gammon will major in either psychology or criminal justice.

March 17, 2005

Ruling goes against same-sex benefits

Wayne State is mentioned in article about state Attorney General Mike Cox's opinion regarding the offering of benefits to same-sex employees. Since Michigan voters, last November, defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman, Cox opined that government entities cannot offer same-sex benefits. A showdown may come in a challenge to the policies of major public universities. Several, including Wayne State, U-M and MSU, offer same-sex benefits. Booth newspapers throughout the state also covered the story, mentioning that WSU is among the university that filed friend of the court briefs in support of Ann Arbor Public Schools, which has a court case pending regarding its policy of offering same-sex benefits.

March 17, 2005

Catholic School closings

Eighteen Catholic schools in Detroit and neighboring suburbs will close in June, according to the Archdiocese of Detroit. The announced closings are due to low enrollments and growing budget deficits, Cardinal Adam Maida said. Kurt Metzger, research director in the Center for Urban Studies at Wayne State University, pointed out that many students who formerly attended the schools have moved out of the city or are attending charter schools.

March 17, 2005

Why affirmative action is necessary

In a bylined article, Dean Frank Wu of the WSU Law School, takes issue with a UCLA law professor who has argued that racially-conscious law school admissions policies hurt African Americans in the long run by admitting them to schools where they cannot compete. Wu contends that if consideration were not given to race "There is little doubt that these institutions would quickly become resegregated." He points out that there are many measures other than LSAT scores and GPA that influence an applicant's ability to successfully complete law school. These include background and life experiences, commitment, civic engagement "and other traits vital to the success of lawyers and law schools."

March 17, 2005

Detroit's 171-year-old Corktown undergoes revival

A story about St. Patrick's Day and Detroit's Corktown neighborhood, where many Irish immigrants settled, includes a comment from demographer Kurt Metzger of WSU's Center for Urban Studies. "It's certainly one of those points of light within the city that needs to be focused on because they are doing wonderful things," he said. But he noted that much work needs to be done to ensure an economic turnaround for the neighborhood.

March 17, 2005

Same-sex benefits must go, Cox says

Professor Robert Sedler of the WSU Law School is quoted in an article regarding the Michigan attorney general's decision that municipalities may not continue to offer benefits to same-sex partners when employee contracts are next renewed. Sedler points out that the issue will be decided ultimately in Michigan courts and there is a question whether universities would be affected because they have a different constitutional status.

March 17, 2005

Eagles robotics team to compete

A story about a robotics competition team made up of members from local high schools mentions that the FIRST Robotics regional competition will be held at Wayne State on Saturday, March 19.

March 17, 2005

Wayne state convenes US-Canada security workshop

The Institute for Information Technology and Culture at Wayne State University launched its Crossings Workshop on cross-border security issues in an effort to improve coordination between the U.S. and Canada, and beyond.

March 17, 2005

The music man

This article is a feature about Douglas Bianchi, a Wayne State instructor of music theory and conducting. Bianchi also is director of bands at Wayne State. The article features a photo of Bianchi.

March 16, 2005

First Robotics coming to Wayne State this weekend

The FIRST Robotics regional championships return to Wayne State University's Matthei Athletic Complex for the second straight year beginning Friday, with opening ceremonies at 9:30 a.m. Wayne State's President Irvin D. Reid and Michele Grimm, College of Engineering associate dean of academic affairs, are among the speakers.

March 16, 2005

Dying behind closed doors

Helen Thomas, currently a political columnist and former White House chief for UPI, is profiled in a piece by Jack Lessenberry, lecturer in Wayne State's journalism department. Thomas covered the White House since the Kennedy administration, mostly as a straight reporter. Earlier this month she came back to her native Detroit to speak to journalism students at her alma mater, Wayne State University. She said, "Democracy dies behind closed doors," and it is important to fight against the tendency governments at every level have toward secrecy.

March 16, 2005