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Several gay and lesbian professors at Michigan colleges have initiated a lawsuit against the state contending that the recently passed marriage amendment to the state Constitution should not be used to deny health benefits to the partners of gay employees at state institutions. Peter J. Hammer, professor of law at Wayne State University and a plaintiff in the case, said defining marriage as between a man and a woman is not inconsistent with offering domestic-partner benefits to gay and lesbian employees who have never claimed to be married. \"The state wants to use what was offered as a shield to protect marriage and turn it into a sword to deny other people benefits,\" Hammer said.

Justices eye appeal costs for the poor

Since 2001, Antonio Dwayne Halbert has tried to get the state of Michigan to assign him an attorney to appeal the length of his 30-year sentence. Michigan is the only state with a law barring the state from paying for appeals for indigent defendants who plead guilty. David Moran, a Wayne State University law professor representing Halbert, said the law has created separate systems of justice - one for the rich, another for the poor. "It has no impact whatsoever on the wealthy and it is aimed at the indigent," Moran said.

A bitter accounting lingers for Arthur Andersen

Accounting firm Arthur Andersen is expected to appeal its 2002 obstruction-of-justice conviction to the U.S. Supreme Court this week. Randy Paschke, a 32-year veteran of Andersen\'s Detroit office, who now heads the accounting department of Wayne State\'s School of Business Administration, said, \"When I first heard they were appealing it, I thought they were crazy and it was a waste of time and money,\" Paschke said. \"It\'s not going to bring the firm back.\"

College prep funds face cuts

The Bush administration has proposed eliminating funding for Upward Bound, a federal program that helps prepare teens for college. It is one of 48 programs in the U.S. Department of Education that the President wants to terminate. \"What you will end up having is a bunch of kids who don\'t have options, don\'t have hope,\" said William Tandy, director of the Upward Bound program at Wayne State. The U.S. Department of Education maintains that the program has not demonstrated that former Upward Bound students are achieving at higher levels than other students.

What's coming up

Fourth annual Sarah Applebaum Nederlander Award for Excellence in Theatre gala celebration, honoring actress Phylicia Rashad, is today at the Masonic Temple. The celebration, sponsored by Wayne State University and the Nederlander Co., will feature a cocktail reception, seated dinner, strolling dessert, Detroit premiere performance of the musical \"Hairspray\" and the Apple Award presentation. Tickets are $250 and proceeds will benefit WSU\'s Department of Theatre.

Fund drive should help Oakland U. expand service

A News editorial congratulates Oakland University on raising $63.5 million to kick off its capital campaign. But the newspaper cautions that the "extras" that the university hopes will give it a competitive edge should not include becoming a research complex, since the state already has three research universities in Wayne State, Michigan State and the University of Michigan. The News lauds efforts by Oakland and other state universities to become more independent financially by finding more private funding sources. "State tuition is becoming too high for families to absorb," the editorial says.

Will WSU shut out minorities?

Critics say a proposal to move academic and research programs from Wayne State University\'s College of Urban, Labor and Metropolitan Affairs to various schools and colleges would impact minority students. Daphne Ntiri, associate professor in the Interdisciplinary Studies (IS) Department, says such a move will severely affect the mostly adult non-traditional students who take classes there. Professor Stuart Henry, IS chair, in a letter to Wayne State Provost Nancy Barrett, says IS students, under the proposed changes, \"would pay the same tuition as other University students, yet be denied the standing and advantages of graduating from a specific college within the university.\" Barrett says the proposed changes to CULMA will strengthen the existing academic programs, while at the same time allowing for the continuation and strengthening of CULMA\'s successful outreach programs.\"

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\"Leaders on Leadership,\" co-produced by the WSU SBA and Detroit Public Television, featured Kurt Darrow, President and CEO of La-Z-Boy Incorporated. Larry Fobes, program host and Director of the SBA\'s Institute for Organizational & Industrial Competitiveness, conducted an interview that highlighted leadership challenges at La-Z-Boy, famous for its eponymous American icon furniture, during an expansion of its customer demographic while also retaining its traditional customers. WSU students in the audience asked about marketing the traditional La-Z-Boy chair through product placement on popular youth oriented television programs, e.g. \"Friends\".

Student journalist have limited rights

A story about a former journalism instructor at Mercy High School student who claims the school violated her students' free speech rights by demanding that editorials be approved by an administrator, includes a comment from Ben Burns, who heads the journalism program here. "It's one of the basic rules of journalism, you never surprise your publisher," he said. He pointed out that a bill is being debated in the state Legislature that would allow student editors greater latitude.

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