Darcie Amsdill of Dexter concluded her Wayne State University volleyball career in a losing effort by the Warriors to Hillsdale on Nov. 5. The 5'11" senior outside hitter ended her WSU career with 240 kills, 76 digs, 19 assists and four blocks.

In a column about the Holocaust Memorial Center in West Bloomfield, senior editor Luther Keith, notes that Guy Stern, longtime professor of German and Slavic languages at Wayne State, is co-founder of the Institute for Righteousness, which focuses on how humanitarian acts can be a powerful force for good in society. Sometimes however, Stern points out, "the righteous act may bring socially disastrous consequences" as it did for some Germans and others who helped save Jews from Nazi death camps in World War II.

Several newspapers and online versions in China ran a story originating in the Shanghai Daily about a U.S. study on oral contraceptives that was led by Dr. Rahi Victory of the WSU School of Medicine. The study found that oral contraceptive users are 8 percent less likely to suffer heart attacks and high cholesterol and have a 20 percent lower risk of contracting ovarian cancer. While about 20 percent of Western women take the pill, only 2.2 percent of women in Shanghai use oral contraceptives, the newspaper reported.

Michigan's Commission on Higher Education and Economic Growth is close to completing its recommendations on how the state's colleges and universities can double the number of graduates over 10 years. The goal is to ensure that the state has a large pool of educated workers. Chaired by Lt. Gov. John Cherry, the group expects to finalize its recommendations by mid-December and submit them to Gov. Granholm by the end of the year. One measure under consideration will be to increase credit transfers between academic institutions in order to encourage students to complete degrees.

Blair Anderson, chair of the Theatre Department, is quoted in an article about the Bertolt Brecht play "Mother Courage and Her Children" at the Hilberry Theatre. "So often Brecht is stigmatized," he said. "He's often seen as having a political agenda." Anderson directs the Hilberry production, which runs in rotating repertory through Jan. 29. He points out that the play "addresses issues of war, and in that sense, given world politics, it's timely."

Three students who planned the WSU Law School's first Student Gala at the Detroit Yacht Club are pictured in a photo. More than 85 students, faculty and administrators were on hand for an evening of dining and dancing sponsored by the school's Student Board of Governors.

Canadian Studies programs are a small and aging discipline on American campuses, but some professors are working with the Canadian government to create more programs. Connect is a program that identifies, recruits and tracks potential students at American colleges and universities for these programs, which are meant to be more comparative, so Connect recruits artists, economists and other social and cultural experts.

In recent years, young people who applied to an organization called the "National Academy of American Scholars," which misrepresents itself as a non-profit offering academic scholarships on the internet, have been harassed, defamed and some have had their identity stolen.

A story about a $500,000 donation by Houghton Lake philanthropists Marie and Gerald Pinch Jr. to a Grayling hospital notes that the family, a few years ago, donated $5 million to the Wayne State University School of Medicine, The Detroit Medical Center, Harper Hospital and the Karmanos Cancer Institute.

Paula Wood, dean of Wayne State University's College of Education, commented about the Detroit schools' budget crisis and planned closures and job cuts. Small schools are the least economical, but have an academic advantage, Wood said. \"The smaller the school, the less anonymous the child ever has a chance to be, and that\'s a benefit,\" Wood added. The risk in closing schools is that it can drive more parents out of the district if their child is assigned to a school that\'s farther away or the parents deem is not as acceptable as other nearby alternatives, Wood said.

Jim Croce, president and CEO of NextEnergy, Michigan\'s alternative energy organization, will be among eight alumni inducted into Wayne State's College of Engineering Hall of Fame. The six men and two women will be honored at the college\'s annual Night of the Stars, Nov. 30. Croce, a 1986 electrical and computer engineering graduate, has held his position at NextEnergy since November 2003. The other 2004 inductees are: Robert Fenech, senior vice president of nuclear, fossil and hydro operations at Consumers Power Co. in Jackson; Robert Thomas, professor of electrical engineering at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.; Susan Iwasiuk, director of truck product procurement and supply at DaimlerChrysler Corp.; Orest Iwasiuk, retired president of Teleflex Automotive Group in Troy; Barbara Samardzich, executive director for small front and rear drive vehicle platforms at Ford Motor Co.; Brian Geraghty, director of design analysis engineering at Ford Motor Co.; and Joseph Boelter, president and owner of Management Recruiters of Plymouth. Joseph Mantese, group manager of materials for Delphi Research Laboratories, will be receiving the college\'s Socius Collegii award, given to friends of the college for their dedication and support. Mantese is also an adjunct professor of electrical and computer engineering and research collaborator with the smart sensor and integrated microsystem lab at the college.

Dr. Robert R. Frank, associate professor of medicine and associate dean for academic and student programs at Wayne State's School of Medicine has been named interim dean. A photo of Frank accompanies the piece. Professor Ellen J. Dannin of Wayne State's Law School is noted as receiving the Donald H. Gordon Award for Excellence in Teaching. A photo of Dannin is included.

Daniel E. Manville and Erica Eisinger received awards at the Federal Bar Association, Eastern District of Michigan Annual State of the Court luncheon for their Pro Bono work for the Court. Manville is a staff attorney to the Wayne State University Law School\'s Civil Rights Litigation Clinic and adjunct professor at the Law School. Eisinger is the Law School\'s director of Clinical Education.

Alan Amen, director of the Wayne County Community Development and Outreach division, is a recipient of the 2004 Community Peacemaker award. Each year CULMA's Center for Peace and Conflict Studies hosts the award in celebration of those who have made a difference for peace and social understanding in southeast Michigan.

Women who drink while pregnant run the risk of having a child with alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder. Lead researcher Sandra Jacobson, professor of psychology at Wayne State's School of Medicine, conducted a new study showing that children with alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder have IQs lower than 70. \"In the past, we thought IQ effects were seen only in children with full-blown fetal alcohol syndrome, but now children with alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder also have intellectual impairment," Jacobson said.

The Detroit chapter of The Indus Entrepreneurs has scheduled its November event on \"Strategic Alliances\" for Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at Schoolcraft College\'s VisTaTech Center. Panelists include Howard Bell, director of Wayne State University\'s TechTown, Greg Guidice, CEO of Computer Methods Corp. and Deepak Sharma of Delphi Corp.\'s Strategic Alliances Group. The moderator is Rajesh Kothari, managing director of Seneca Partners. They\'ll discuss when and how to use strategic alliances, mutual responsibilities, legal aspects and pitfalls to avoid.

Frank Wu, dean of the Wayne State University Law School, was named one of the "Best Lawyers Under 40" for 2004 by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. He's the ninth dean of the Law School and its first minority dean. Photo is featured.

Wayne State Constitutional Law Professor Robert Sedler said it is constitutional for the city of Detroit to designate an African Town business district as long as the city does not discriminate based on race.

Attorneys representing Macomb County Prosecutor Carl Marlinga believe federal prosecutors overstepped their bounds charging Marlinga with swapping legal favors for campaign contributions. Peter Henning, a Wayne State University law professor and former assistant U.S. Attorney, said he doubts Marlinga's motion to dismiss the fraud charges will be successful.

NPR featured a report on the decline in the number of foreign student studying at U.S. universities. There is more of a decline in graduate student enrollment than undergraduate enrollment. Some of the decline is due to tightening restrictions in the wake of 9/11, but more of the decline is due to rumor and misconception about the visa rules and anti-American sentiment. There is a pronounced dip in the number of foreign students in the sciences, which was said to be a particular problem because not enough American students pursue the sciences.