In the news

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.

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."

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.

Prof: 'I'm-an-idiot' defense for CEO losing strategy

Peter Henning, law professor at Wayne State University, comments in a story about the conviction of WorldCom founder Bernie Ebbers. Henning says federal interest in corporate crimes \"goes in cycles.\" In the 1980s, the federal government prosecuted those who enriched themselves through the sales of \"junk bonds\"; in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it pursued fraud at the nation\'s savings and loans. Over the last few years, federal prosecutors have targeted fraudulent accounting practices like those at WorldCom," Henning says.

Bankrupt Airline Sues Ernst & Young for Accounting Fraud

Ernst & Young defrauded creditors of bankrupt airline Tower Air by helping the airline inflate profits and understate losses, a lawsuit claims. The creditors are seeking more than $380 million in damages. Professor Peter Henning says it is common for investors to sue a company\'s auditors if they believe they were defrauded by too-optimistic financial projections - especially when the company has no money to pay claims. But it is very rare for such cases to go to trial. "Most such cases settle," Henning says.