Daily Helmsman The
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Disaster Strikes Japan Nation still on shaky ground after devastating earthquake, tsunami and nuclear concerns
Vol. 78 No. 091
see page 6
Independent Student Newspaper of The University of Memphis
www.dailyhelmsman.com
LET’S DANCE
Faculty
UM loses instructor and coach
Pastner pitted against alma mater, Arizona, in first NCAA tournament as Tigers’ coach
AP
BY Joshua Bolden News Reporter
Freshman guard Will Barton celebrates after The University of Memphis earns an automatic NCAA tournament bid by defeating UTEP, 67-66, in the Conference USA championship game. They will open tournament play against Arizona in Tulsa, Okla., on Friday at 1:45 p.m.
BY John Martin Sports Editor Last week, University of Memphis coach Josh Pastner preached to his team about approaching the Conference USA tournament in El Paso, Texas, as a business trip. The Tigers earned an automatic NCAA bid by knocking off UTEP in the C-USA championship, but Pastner’s first NCAA tournament game as a head coach may be as much of a giddy reunion with old friends as it is a business matter. The Tigers were seeded 12th in the West region and will face Pastner’s alma mater, Arizona, on Friday in Tulsa, Okla., at the BOK Center. Before coming to Memphis in 2008 as an assis-
tant under former coach John Calipari, Pastner played and coached at Arizona for almost 14 years. “I think it’s cool. That’s neat,” Pastner said at his home Sunday. “Arizona is my alma mater, but I bleed blue and gray, so that’s the bottom line.” Freshman guard Will Barton said he had a premonition about a first-round game against the Wildcats. “I kind of felt it would happen,” Barton said. “As soon as I saw Arizona pop up at the 5-spot, I said, ‘Here comes Memphis right after it.’ And that’s what happened.” Freshman guard Joe Jackson, who essentially single-handedly turned the Tigers’ destiny around in the C-USA tournament last week, said he too felt
that the Tigers (25-9) would be matched up against Pastner’s alma mater. “I was like, it’d be the perfect situation for Coach to play against Arizona, the former team he went to and coached for,” Jackson said. “It’s a good feeling to know we’re in the tournament, but it’s back to business now.” For the Tigers, the road to the NCAA tournament was far from smooth. There was considerable doubt that The U of M could sneak into the Big Dance without winning the C-USA tournament against UTEP. The Tigers, however, rallied from a 12-point deficit with just over six minutes to play in the C-USA title game and shocked UTEP, 67-66, when
see
NCAA, page 12
Campus Development
Walking in (a better) Memphis BY Amber Crawford News Reporter With the help of local businesses, neighborhoods and The University of Memphis, one organization plans to transform the areas surrounding The U of M campus into a safe, exciting center for commerce. The University Neighborhood Development Corporation, an 11-member group of businessmen and alumni, has worked to create a new, more attractive atmosphere in The University area since 2004. Brent Alvord, president of UNDC and a U of M graduate, said the organization was founded to make The University area a great destination zone for people to live, work and play. “The UNDC wanted to help promote development in the entire U of M area and to really increase the cool factor in that area,” Alvord said.
The group’s plans include the construction and development of Highland Row, a space of over 113,000 square feet of retail stores, with more than 230 residences located on the three upper levels and a parking garage, which will be shielded from the neighborhood by 30 townhouses. The University Bookstore will also be relocated to the shopping center at Highland and Midland, the former site of Highland Street Church of Christ. “I’m not at liberty to say (what retail stores will be in Highland Row), but you’re gonna be happy,” said David Cox, executive assistant to the president at The U of M and UNDC secretary. The Highland Row project is being developed by Poag and McEwen Lifestyle Centers, the same corporation that developed the Shops at Saddle Creek in
see
UNDC, page 4
As a teacher and mock trial coach, University of Memphis political science instructor Ray Michael Collins cared for his colleagues and students, always putting people before his work. Collins died Sunday night after battling a long illness, two days after his 57th birthday. Collins, a 1976 alumnus of what was then Memphis State, began teaching at The U of M in 1999 and served as the undergraduate political science adviser for the past two years. Collins gave his all when it came to the education of his students, said political science instructor coordinator David Madlock. “Dr. Collins was a true professional,” he said. “Students always came first to him, and The University came second.” Collins was still a practicing attorney until his last days. He often fought for fair housing and other social causes during his career. In an e-mail sent by political science department chair Matthias Kaelberer to all political science majors, Kaelberer credited Collins, called “Mike” by his friends, with inspiring a community of lawyers. One of those lawyers Collins influenced is Michelle Bliss, a former student of Collins Collins who is now a part-time instructor of political science at The U of M. “I can honestly say if that Mike Collins had never been in my life, my life would be completely different,” she said. “I would have not gone to law school. I would have not gotten involved in mock trial. I would not be teaching here today.” Collins also affected the lives of many students as coach of the mock trial team. “Mock trial was his baby,” said Bliss, who oversaw the team when he became ill. Students who were involved in mock trial said they remember Collins as a teacher and coach who cared about them. “He always put others first, and he worked tirelessly to help his students and his colleagues,” said political science graduate student and former mock trial member Courtney Myers. Both students and colleagues in the department also noted that Collins had a unique, endearing brand of humor. “He (had) this kind of dry wit,” said mock trial member and political science major Steve Ross. “You could always tell there was something else, a subtext, going on in the back of his head. Maybe it didn’t necessarily come out all the time, but when it did, it was priceless.” Funeral services for Collins will be held in his hometown in Middle Tennessee, but details on the service are not yet finalized. The U of M mock trial team is also planning an on-campus memorial service for his students, colleagues and friends and will announce details as soon as those plans are confirmed.
2 • Tuesday, March 15, 2011
The
www.dailyhelmsman.com
TIGER BABBLE
Daily
Helmsman
thoughts that give you paws
Volume 78 Number 091
Editor-in-Chief
Scott Carroll
“Good thing the Tigers decided to give up losing for Lent.” — @Tlasley20
Managing Editor Mike Mueller Copy and Design Chief Amy Barnette News Editors Cole Epley Amy Barnette
“#thingsthatdontgotogether The University of Memphis Tigers and the NIT. Hello Big Dance!” — @reileyheart
Sports Editor John Martin Copy Editors Amy Barnette Christina Hessling General Manager Candy Justice
You rEALLY LikE uS!
“University of Memphis: the originators of #tigerblood. #winning” — @CanesDrew
1. UM to face Arizona in NCAA first round
“I wanna buy a Volkswagen Beetle just so I can be the reason people are getting punched!” — @CrCox10
Advertising Manager Bob Willis Admin. Sales Sharon Whitaker
Yesterday’s Top-Read Stories on the Web
Adv. Production Rachelle Pavelko Rachel Rufenacht Adv. Sales Robyn Nickell Michael Parker
Contact Information
Ads: (901) 678-2191 Fax: (901) 678-4792
News: (901) 678-2193 Sports: (901) 678-2192
dailyhelmsman@gmail.com The University of Memphis The Daily Helmsman 113 Meeman Journalism Building Memphis, TN 38152
The Daily Helmsman is a “designated public forum.” Student editors have authority to make all content decisions without censorship or advance approval. The Daily Helmsman is pleased to make a maximum of 10 copies from each issue available to a reader for free, after which $1 will be charged per copy.
by John Martin
2. Tigers punch ticket to NCAA tourney
by John Martin
3. Tigers trying to drown out negativity
by John Martin
4. Raines suggests increase in student fee
by Chelsea Boozer
5. Alternative spring break aids the elderly
by Kyle LaCroix
HIRING JOB FAIR FOR DOMINOS PIZZA - THIS WEDNESDAY
Now Hiring 65 Drivers
DOMINO’S PIZZA Across 1 Cote bleats 5 Further 9 Big name in restaurant guides 14 Flattop opposite 15 Steady fellow 16 Author Zola 17 Plane or sander 18 Elongated fish 19 Turning point 20 Last leg of a race 23 Nice season? 24 Snail mail need 25 Color in the four-color process 27 Chocolate bar with crisped rice 34 Plug-and-play PC port 37 Borat creator Sacha Baron __ 38 Trapper’s gear 39 Sheltered Greek walkway 41 Number-guessing fund-raiser 43 IRS agent 44 False __ 46 Paris’s __ la Paix 48 Ambulance initials 49 Overseas news-gatherers 52 Run or ruin 53 Times spent in prison or in office 57 Dusting aid 59 Very little, in slang 64 Remove from the videotape 66 Cleveland’s lake 67 DDE’s alma mater 68 Argentine grassland 69 Ole Miss rival 70 Modern Roman, e.g.: Abbr. 71 Take badly? 72 Disappearing slope apparatus 73 Big Board letters Down 1 They’re drawn in tubs 2 In progress 3 Bakery quality 4 Serious 5 Aid’s partner 6 Look that may be accompanied by a smirk
• Earn up to $20/hour • Cash paid daily • Flexbile schedules • Paid training • Hiring day & evening positions
550 S. HIGHLAND
OPEN EARLY. OPEN LATE.
“Gave up soda and tea for Lent. Had the worst caffeine withdrawal headache yesterday. Too late to change?” — @CanesDrew
Tell us what gives you paws.
10 a.m. - 2 p.m. • Apply in person at 550 S. Highland
• Minimum age 18 years old • Must have valid drivers license & insurance • Good driving record with 2-year history • All team members drug tested • Background check done on all team members
“The old people who work at Subway are mean as hell.” — @RedChick_Staci
323-3030
Send us your thoughts on Twitter @dailyhelmsman or #tigerbabble. Or post on our Facebook wall at facebook.com/dailyhelmsman.
Have opinions? Care to share?
Send us a letter
dailyhelmsman@gmail.com
7 Shopping news 8 Bounce, as from a bar 9 Gentle winds 10 Porthos, to Athos 11 Abraham, to Lincoln 12 Oodles 13 Place for a beret 21 Risky business, briefly 22 Brutus’ 300 26 Bee or Em 28 Fa follower 29 Rose feature 30 Rain more gently 31 Rectangular computer key 32 Stuff (into) 33 Lady birds 34 DoD fliers 35 D-Day target city
36 Monopoly, for one 40 House painter’s calculation 42 Dedicated verse 45 Card player’s goof 47 Ballpark figs. 50 Letters under a 4 51 Fashion sparkler 54 Out of practice 55 Cass and Michelle, famously 56 Old hat 57 PR specialists, and a word associated with the ends of 20-, 27-, 49- and 59-Across 58 “I smell __!” 60 Unpaid loan, e.g. 61 Not bright at all 62 Bean town? 63 Wine taster’s guesstimate 65 Healthful resort
S u d o k u
Complete the grid so that each row, column and 3—by—3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9.
Solutions on page 11
The University of Memphis
Tuesday, March 15, 2011 • 3
U of M ROTC
By Michelle Corbet News Reporter The Commander’s Cup, an annual competition for bragging rights among The University of Memphis’ ROTC branches, has historically pitted members of each branch against one another in contests of dexterity and brawn. On Monday, however, members from each branch came together for a battle of intellect. For the first time, the Commander’s Cup featured a knowledge bowl event in which teams were quizzed on facts about all military branches. “We wanted to do a knowledge bowl to create more camaraderie between the branches and learn more about each other,” said Jonathan Simpson, senior psychology major and member of the Air Force ROTC and the Commander’s Cup Committee. Usually the Commander’s Cup takes place in one afternoon, but not this year’s competition willt ake place over the course of several months. This year’s Commander’s Cup
is also based on a points system. The first event, flag football, occurred in December. Navy/ Marines ROTC came in first place, earning 30 points. Air Force ROTC came in second, earning 15 points. Army ROTC finished third, earning zero points. At Monday’s knowledge bowl, the second event of the competition, three teams of three, one for each ROTC branch, attempted to outwit their military colleagues. Each team submitted 60 questions based on military terminology, history and armed forces theme songs, which were compiled into a 180-question study guide. Team members, chosen on a volunteer basis, were given two weeks to study. Alyson Blain, sophomore hospitality major, volunteered to compete for Air Force ROTC. “I had to learn about not only Air Force, but both Army and Navy history and background, as well,” Blain said. “I enjoyed learning about how we are fighting for the same cause of America’s rights — we just do it in different ways.”
by Aaron Turner
Camaraderie and competition at Commander’s Cup
Army ROTC members Danielle Fields, sophomore biology major, Cory Bendall, freshman nursing major, and Adam Casey, junior psychology major, face off against rival military branches in Monday afternoon’s Commander’s Cup knowledge bowl. This year is the first that the knowledge bowl has been included in the competition. A computer program, written by Air Force ROTC Cadet Commander Joseph Svejkosky, randomly selected 120 questions
Tomorrow
Wednesday Night Live: Music of Timbre 8 p.m. • UC River Room
during the competition. Teams had 45 seconds to discuss and answer each question. Army ROTC was the first
branch to answer a question — and the first to get one wrong. The question was about the Air Force. The competition continued with several “yeahs,” a “get some” and many “oorahs” from the audience. Air Force ROTC finished in first place with 45 points, Navy/ Marines ROTC came in second with 30 points and Army ROTC came in third with 15 points. The Commander’s Cup continues with a basketball event on March 30 and ends after a day of track and field events and dodgeball in the first week of April. Although the cup focuses on solidarity, there is still a distinct element of rivalry between branches. “The Navy/Marine Corps and the Army probably have the biggest rivalry because they are usually competing for the top at the Commander’s Cup,” said Svejkosky. “Air Force hasn’t won in quite some time.” Combining scores from flag football and Commander’s Cup Knowledge Bowl, Air Force ROTC and Navy/Marine ROTC are tied for first with 60 points and Army ROTC trails with only 15 points. Army ROTC currently holds the Commander’s Cup after winning the competition last school year.
Coming Up
Friday, 3/18 Friday Film Series 7 p.m. UC Theatre
4 • Tuesday, March 15, 2011
www.dailyhelmsman.com
UNDC
from page 1 Germantown. According to Josh Poag, president and CEO of Poag and McEwen Lifestyle Centers, construction of Highland Row is scheduled to begin in “late spring or early summer.” “We hope to bring a lot of vibrancy and a good commercial development so it will give a place for students, alumni and parents of students a place to congregate,” Poag said. “And ultimately we hope to tie The University to the community and vice versa.” The original plan was to begin the project in 2008, but the economy made it extremely difficult to get financing,
Poag said. Alvord said the organization is currently working on redeveloping Walker Avenue, then migrating to Highland. “We are looking to redo parking, plant trees and build sidewalks to get The University to connect a little better to commerce,” Alvord said. “We are also putting (recycle bins) on Highland Avenue and working on transportation projects.” Alvord said the UNDC also focuses on providing residential housing to the area. One of these residential projects includes the Laurels condominiums located at Central and Highland, which were constructed last year. Alvord said the project went through the UNDC board, and they were instrumental in getting
the overlay and master plan approved by the Memphis City Council. Cox said the UNDC partnered with neighborhoods near campus and a number of other organizations to create a master plan for the development of the Highland area. The plan consists of how buildings and land will be used during planned projects. As far as the safety factor, Cox said people are safer when living in an area with a lot of activity, which he thinks Highland Row will help generate. “We just want to continue to make this University area a place where people want to come, where they want to spend their time and where they can learn and be safe,” he said.
A Weekly Devotional For You Christians, Earn the Right!
This time I am going to require a great deal of the true Christians out there. You must realize that, even though it is unfair, the general populace holds you to a higher standard than any other group. This is really an unintended compliment. Everyone senses that Christianity is a unique religion, in a class by itself. This infuriates some. Recently, the host of a HBO show made the statement that all Christians are crazy and have a neurological disorder. This statement is ludicrous on its face and tells a great deal about the one who made it. If this statement had been made concerning someone’s race, gender, “sexual orientation,” or had been made about any other religion than Christianity, there would have been a media firestorm and the person would have been fired. However, because of the blatant hypocrisy of most of the media, nothing will be done. How should Christians react? Should they whine about a lack of fairness and complain about discrimination? They can legitimately raise these issues, but they must not use them as excuses. Christian students should be dependable, trustworthy, and respectful. They should always do the best they can. They should hand in their assignments on time. Even though the secular world and much of the religious world exercises a double standard in regard to Christianity, we Christians should not mind earning the right to be heard by reasonable people.
Come Ride The Greenline With Us! U of M Cycling Club
Sharing good times in cycling, commuting, mountain biking, road biking and cyclocross
Group Bike Ride Wednesday, March 16 3 p.m. Meet at the Student Plaza Fountain by the Administration Bldg.
Don’t forget your helmet! Questions? Contact Doug Campbell at: dacampbe@memphis.edu
Did injustice ruin their lives?
Grace Chapel Primitive Baptist Church – Zack Guess, Pastor 828 Berclair Rd. • Memphis, TN, 38122 • 683-8014 • e-mail: zguess@juno.com
“The Media’s Role in the West Memphis 3 Case.” A panel discussion featuring Mara Leveritt, author of Devil’s Knot, a book about the case, and Lorrie Davis, wife of incarcerated Damien Echols
Thursday, March 24 7 p.m. • UC Theatre Sponsored by U of M Chapter, Society of Professional Journalists, and Student Event Allocation
Plunder: The Crime of Our Time A hard-hitting, investigative film that explores how the current financial crisis, the nation’s worst since the Great Depression, was built on a foundation of criminal activity.
TODAY in the University Center Memphis Room A (UC 340A)
Monday, March 21 @ 3:30 p.m. Fogelman Classroom Bldg. Rm 119 Discussion Following Free & Open to all Students, Faculty & Staff Sponsored by
The University of Memphis
Tuesday, March 15, 2011 • 5
Wednesday Night Live featuring the music of Timbre
March 16 @ 8 p.m. UC River Room A distinctively unique musical experience, combining the uncommon sound of the harp with an almost classical or Celtic voice, for a performance often described as breath-taking, peaceful and enchanting.
6 • Tuesday, March 15, 2011
www.dailyhelmsman.com
World
BY Mark Magnier, Barbara Demick and Laura King Los Angeles Times With a death toll expected to climb into the tens of thousands, more than a half-million people displaced and a nuclear crisis continuing to unfold, rescuers converged Monday on Japan’s devastated earthquake zone while workers in relatively unaffected areas struggled to return to offices and factories. The government reported Monday that radiation levels again rose above legal limits outside the crippled nuclear complex at quake-battered Fukushima, about 150 miles north of Tokyo, where authorities have been pumping seawater into overheated reactors to try to cool them down. Several other nuclear installations were under close watch for potential problems. Across a wide swath of earthquake-hit territory, hundreds of thousands of hungry survivors roused themselves from a third cold night spent huddled in darkened emergency centers, cut off from rescuers, aid and electricity. At least 1.4 million households had gone without water since the quake struck and some 1.9 million households were without power. Rolling blackouts to conserve energy were scheduled across much of the country on Monday. In Tokyo and other large cities outside the quake zone, the first full workday since Friday’s temblor began with delays and disruptions. Many of the train lines that normally run between Tokyo and outlying suburbs and surrounding cities were either running far less frequently than normal or not running at all. With fears about how the world’s third-largest economy would weather the ongoing fallout from the massive quake, Japan’s main stock exchange, the Nikkei, opened down Monday morning by just over 2 percent. The central bank said it was prepared to flood money markets with cash to keep the financial system running. A full reckoning of deaths and damage could take weeks, but the picture grew grimmer with each passing hour. “We have no choice but to deal with the situation on the premise that it (the death toll) will undoubtedly be numbered in the ten thousands,” Naoto Takeuchi, head of the Miyagi prefectural police, told a Kyodo reporter during a local disaster task force meeting. An international rescue effort gathered force, with teams arriving from China, New Zealand, Germany and the United States, among other nations. “We are glad to accept all the help we can get to assist the people of Japan,” said Air Force Col. Michael Rothstein, 35th Fighter Wing commander at Misawa. “We will do whatever is in our means to support their efforts in this time of need.”
There were some dramatic rescues of tsunami survivors Sunday, including that of a 60-year-old man who had been waiting for help since he was swept out to sea Friday. Hiromitsu Shinkawa was spotted by rescuers at 12:40 p.m. nine miles off shore by the crew of a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer, Jiji Press reported. Shinkawa, from the devastated city of Minamisoma, was conscious and in “good condition” after the rescue, Japanese officials said. “I ran away after learning that the tsunami was coming,” Shinkawa told rescuers, according to Jiji Press. “But I turned back to
MCT
Japan quake toll could number in tens of thousands
Natori city firefighters patrol the streets of the town once populated with hundreds of homes, now reduced to several dozens in Natori, Japan. pick up something at home, when I was washed away. I was rescued while I was hanging to the roof
from my house.” In Rikuzentakata, a port city of about 20,000 leveled by the tsu-
nami, Etsuko Koyama escaped the
see
Quake, page 7
Nominations Are Now Being Accepted for the
President’s Leadership Recognition Awards Dr. William E. Porter Advisor of The Year Award
Recognizes RSO advisors for their service to & support of U of M students & organizations.
Distinguished Service Award
Recognizes a project or ongoing effort of a student group that has demonstrated commitment to community and/or social or political cause.
Excellence in Service Award
Recognizes an individual student who has demonstrated commitment to community and/or social or political cause.
Organization of The Year
Recognizes a Registered Student Organization for its contributions to the campus and its membership.
Phoenix Award
Recognizes a Registered Student Organization that has gone from a state of non-existence and flourished into a thriving organization.
Program of The Year Award
Recognizes a program or event, sponsored by a student group, that has provided high-quality, out-of-the-classroom experiences for the campus community.
Nomination applications are available in Office of Student Leadership & Involvement (UC 211) or online at www.memphis.edu/student_leadership/organizations.htm
Nominations are due by Monday, March 21 @ 4:30 p.m.
Email online applications to: tnwiley@memphis.edu, or turn in to UC 211
The President’s Leadership Award Ceremony will be held Sunday, April 17 @ 1 p.m. in the UC River Room
The University of Memphis
Tuesday, March 15, 2011 • 7
Attention Juniors & Seniors with 3.10 GPA or higher Apply for
Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society
Recognizing individuals for excellence in Leadership, Scholarship, Character & Service
Applications available online at www. memphis.edu/odk/ Completed applications due by 4:30 p.m., Friday, March 18 Questions? Contact Jessie Wilks at: ajwilks@memphis.edu or Meta Laabs at: mlaabs@memphis.edu
QUAke from page 6 water rushing through the third floor of her home but was unable to hold on to her daughter’s hand, she told Japanese broadcaster NHK. The girl was swept away by floodwaters and had still not been found Sunday, Koyama said. “I haven’t given up hope yet,” Koyama told NHK, wiping tears from her eyes. “I saved myself, but I couldn’t save my daughter.” About 5,000 houses in Rikuzentakata were submerged by the tsunami, and most of the 7,200 houses in Yamada were also under water, Kyodo reported. In Otsuchi, it swept away the town office. Eighty-eight governments and six international institutions have offered assistance with recovery efforts, the Japanese Foreign Ministry announced. Adding to the misery were more than 40 punishing aftershocks, three of magnitude 6 or higher Sunday. The Japan Meteorological Agency said there was a 70 percent probability of a magnitude 7 quake in the next three days. Officials from Tokyo Electric Power Co. began rationing power Monday to the 45 million people they serve to prevent Tokyo and nearby prefectures from experiencing massive blackouts, Kyodo reported. Government officials said that the region-specific outages would affect a broad range of things used in everyday life such as traffic signals, medical institutions and train operations, and possibly result in water supply disruptions. The power rationing should last until the end of April, officials said. Banri Kaieda, Japan’s trade minister, warned that the country’s quake-damaged eastern and northeastern areas may suffer electrical shortages and urged large companies to limit electricity use, Kyodo reported. Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan told reporters Sunday that his country was facing its most difficult challenge since World War II and called on his people to unite in the face of a devastating earthquake, tsunami and potential nuclear crisis. “This is the toughest crisis in Japan’s 65 years of postwar history,” Kan said during a televised news conference. “I’m convinced that we can overcome the crisis.” In his remarks to the media, Kan said 12,000 people had been rescued, including about 5,800 people from Kesennuma, a city in Miyagi prefecture hit especially hard by the tsunami. Kan said 100,000 soldiers would be deployed to help quake victims. While search-and-rescue teams struggled to reach battered parts of the northeast obstructed by mud and debris, new fears emerged over a meltdown at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima nuclear complex and trouble at two other nuclear plants. Kyodo News Agency was reporting early Monday that a cooling system pump had stopped at the Tokai No. 2 nuclear power plant in Ibaraki prefecture operated by Japan Atomic Power Company. The same issue sparked the problems that have befallen the Fukushima reactors. U.N. nuclear watchdog officials said Japanese authorities had notified them of an emergency at another plant farther north, at Onagawa. But Japan’s nuclear
see
QUAke, page 9
8 • Tuesday, March 15, 2011
www.dailyhelmsman.com
Environment
Crisis at Japanese nuclear complex prompts calls for U.S. policy review BY roB hoTAkAiNEN, rENEE SChoof AND mArgArET TALEv McClatchy Newspapers As Japan copes with one crisis after another at its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex, a review of federal records indicates that nearly a quarter of America’s nuclear reactors in 13 states share the same design of the ill-fated Japanese reactors. The plants, called Mark I Boiling Water Reactors, were designed by General Electric. GE, which is donating $5 million to Japan for its relief effort, said Monday it was too early to assess what produced the problems at the complex. On Monday, the Japanese blasts prompted calls for an immediate review of the 104 nuclear plants now operating in the United States, including many aging facilities, to see if they could withstand a gut-punch by nature that would kill the electricity, cripple the cooling system and threaten a nuclear meltdown. The Japanese crisis, and the potential scrutiny of America’s reactors, comes as the nuclear industry seemingly had won a new lease on life. After decades as an orphan technology shuttered by the meltdown at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania, rising concerns about global warming, the need to curb carbon pollution and a quest for more electric production to fuel economic expansion buoyed nuclear fortunes. GOP lawmakers in the House of Representatives even proposed tripling U.S. nuclear production by building 200 new plants in the next 19 years. Now, that all seems at risk. With the Fukushima complex still making headlines, White House officials sought to assure the public that there’s nothing to worry about. “The U.S. power plants are designed to very high standards for earthquake effects,” said Gregory Jaczko, chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. “All our plants are designed to withstand significant natural phenomena, like earthquakes, tornadoes, and tsunamis.” Five of the six reactors at the Japanese plant, which suffered a second explosion Monday, use the same General Electric reactor that are at 23 nuclear plants in North Carolina, Georgia, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Alabama, Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Massachusetts and Vermont, according to a database maintained by the NRC. All but two of them began operating in the 1970s. “These need to be examined,” said Michael Mariotte, executive director of the Nuclear Information and Resource Service, an antinuclear organization. “When the reactor designs are the same, and
the reactor’s ages are the same, comparisons seem more than appropriate.” On Capitol Hill, some are calling for a halt to further nuclear development in the U.S. Rep. Ed. Markey of Massachusetts, the top-ranked Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, called for a moratorium on new reactors in seismically active areas until a new safety review is completed. In addition, Markey joined three other Democrats in asking the House GOP to conduct a hearing on the safety of U.S. nuclear plants. Independent Sen. Joe Liebermann of Connecticut, the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, said it was time to “quickly put the brakes on” the U.S. industry. But in a speech on the Senate floor, Tennessee Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander came to the nuclear industry’s defense: “Without nuclear power, it is hard to imagine how the United States could produce enough cheap, reliable clean electricity to keep our economy moving and to keep our jobs from going overseas.” Any reactor design today faced with the combination of an earthquake and a tsunami would likely be in a similar situation as the plant in Japan, said David Lochbaum, a nuclear engineer who directs the Union of Concerned Scientists’ nuclear safety program. Reactors are built to withstand an earthquake or a tsunami, but not both on the same day, he said: “We’ll have to go back and revisit that and see if we can do better.” On a different front, Lochbaum said U.S. reactors generally have less backup battery power than Japan’s. Most have four hours of battery power, though some have eight hours: “We’re light compared to what Japan had and Japan came up short, which would suggest we’re even more vulnerable than they are.” Richard Caperton, an energy policy analyst with the Center for American Progress, which is closely aligned with the Obama administration, said it’s too early to draw lessons from Japan because it’s not fully known what happened. “The Japanese situation reminds us there’s always a danger with a nuclear reactor and when we build new nuclear reactors we need to realize bad things can happen to them,” he said. Despite Three Mile Island, he said the U.S. nuclear industry has “justifiably earned a reputation for safety.” For example, since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, new nuclear plants have to be built to withstand a plane flying into them. Other risks also have to be taken into account, such as climate change that could bring more frequent flooding, he said.
see
NUCLeAR, page 9
The University of Memphis
Tuesday, March 15, 2011 • 9
NUCLeAR from page 8
The Nuclear Energy Institute, an advocacy group for the U.S. nuclear industry, said that U.S. and international experts would study the Japan accidents and incorporate the lessons learned in the design of U.S. reactors. Beyond the safety issues, the growth of the nuclear industry already has been hampered by economics given their high price tag. States such as South Carolina and Georgia have passed laws to encourage new plants by allowing ratepayers to be assessed for the cost of construction before the plants are built. Banks, however, have been unwilling to give utilities loans for new reactors unless the federal government guarantees it will repay the borrowings if the utility can’t. President Barack Obama, who describes nuclear power as “clean energy,” last month proposed $36 billion in loan guarantees for power companies to build more plants. White House press secretary Jay Carney said nuclear power
“remains a part of the president’s overall energy plan.” “When he talks about reaching a clean energy standard, it’s a vital part of that,” Carney said. The NRC on Monday said it was monitoring events in Japan from its headquarters operations center in
QUAke from page 7
BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE 2-piece Dark Chicken Dinner FREE With Purchase of 1 Chicken Dinner & 2 Drinks
Get a Sack Full for $10 - Pick One 10 Chicken n’Biscuits & Cup of Gravy 10 Steak n’Biscuits & Cup of Gravy 5 Chicken n’Biscuits & 5 Steak n’Biscuits & Gravy
We have Steak Sandwiches, Old Fashioned Hamburgers, Hot Dogs & Much More! Large Orders & Catering Always Welcome!
Open: M-Th 9 a.m. - 10 p.m. F-Sat. 9 a.m. - 11 p.m. Sunday 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. jackpirtleschicken.com Facebook: jack pirtle’s chicken
Dine-In / Drive-In Locations 3571 Lamar • 2520 Mt. Moriah
Drive-In Locations 1217 S. Bellevue 4349 Elvis Presley
Rockville, Md., on a 24-hour basis. The NRC’s Jaczko said there is a “very low probability that there’s any possibility of harmful radiation levels in the United States or in Hawaii or any other U.S. territories” as a result of the situation in Japan.
811 S. Highland 2484 Jackson 1370 Poplar
890 Thomas 1798 Winchester
15% Discount To U of M Students, Faculty & Staff With this ad and current U of M I.D. Discount not valid with other offers
safety agency denied problems at the Onagawa plant, run by Tohoku Electric Power Co., noting that radioactive releases from the Fukushima Daiichi complex had been detected at Onagawa, but that they were within safe levels. Workers at Fukushima used seawater Sunday in a desperate attempt to cool down three damaged nuclear reactors. One of the reactors lost its outer shell in a hydrogen blast Saturday and another was under threat of doing the same, said the country’s chief Cabinet secretary, Yukio Edano. “Everybody in my neighborhood is being evacuated,” said Teruko Tsuchiya, 53, who lives four miles from the nuclear plant and was lining up outside a 7-11 convenience store waiting for food. “The buses are going back and forth. People are scared, of course, but they are trying to stay calm.” Japan’s nuclear and industrial safety agency said more than 70 people were believed to have been exposed to elevated levels of radiation, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported. Most were waiting to be airlifted from a field at the high school in Futaba, near Fukushima. The International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna said it was told by Japanese officials that they would distribute iodine tablets to residents near the plant. Iodine is known to protect against thyroid cancer that can develop from radiation poisoning. The Ronald Reagan, a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, was anchored off the coast of Sendai on Sunday, said Stephen Valley, a spokesman for U.S. Forces Japan. The nuclear-powered ship is being used as a floating refueling station for Japanese military and coast guard helicopters flying rescue missions in the area. In Sendai, a city close to the epicenter, residents were charging cell phones on a generator set up by the municipality for traffic lights. “We’re stealing just a little electricity,” said Sutomo Goto, 38. “Just enough for the cell phones. People were going crazy without phones. There is no information since we don’t have TV. But we’re OK here. Everything within 5 kilometers of the coast has been washed away.”
10 • Tuesday, March 15, 2011
www.dailyhelmsman.com
Football
LOCKED OUT De-certified NFL players group says it’s not to blame for breakdown of talks BY SAm fArmEr Los Angeles Times NFL owners have locked out the players, but both sides in pro football’s labor fight are locked and loaded, firing salvos about who’s to blame for the breakdown of talks. The sniping continued Monday — after a weekend of statements from team owners blaming the players for pushing away from the negotiating table — when the just-decertified NFL Players Assn. conducted a media conference call to tell its side of the story, and to re-emphasize it saw a lockout coming all along. “We’re not going to allow the league to let 36 hours of a media PR blitz erase what has been planned and prepared for almost three years now,” said George Atallah, spokesman for the NFLPA, which dissolved as a union Friday and is now a trade association. The NFL, in turn, argues the union has intended for two years to decertify (barring an unlikely agreement in the interim) and always intended to drag this fight into the federal courts. A union is not allowed to decertify simply to gain leverage in bargaining. Meanwhile, there were developments Monday on several fronts: The NFLPA is attempting to discourage top prospects from attending next month’s draft, according to an ESPN report citing “multiple league sources.” That would alter the time-honored tradition of the early picks walking on stage, shaking the hand of Commissioner Roger Goodell, and sporting the hat and jersey of the player’s new team. Even though a lockout is in effect, there still will be a 2011 draft. The NFLPA declined to comment on the report, whereas NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said: “We plan to invite the 15 to 20 top prospects and their families to New York as we normally do for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. And, as always, it is the decision of the players and their families as to whether they attend.” An April 6 hearing date has been set for the antitrust lawsuit a group of players has filed against the league. The suit is intended to obtain an injunction that would force the league to continue football operations so it would not be able to lock out the players. It remains to be seen whether the sides will make another attempt to negotiate in the next three weeks. That case is scheduled to be in front of U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson in Minnesota, and not Judge David Doty, who has overseen NFL labor matters since the early 1990s and — at
least in the eyes of the owners — is partial to the players. New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees, among the litigants in the antitrust suit, said on the NFLPA conference call that he is not concerned that Doty was not assigned the case. “To us, that’s not an issue,” Brees said. “That was something that the owners seem to be very concerned about and focused on. For us, it’s about the facts and it’s about the law, and we believe those are on our side.”
Kevin Mawae, the NFLPA president, called the assertion that the players walked away from negotiations “a complete fabrication and a lie.” The NFL and the players’ union participated in 17 days of talks at the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, twice extending the collective-bargaining agreement deadline. Mawae said during Tuesday and Wednesday last week, over
see
NFL, page 11
RiVER CiTY WRiTERS SERiES presents
Albert Goldbarth Award-winning Poet and Essayist
Mr. Goldbarth is the 2008 Mark Twain Award winner for Humorous Poetry, two-time winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, author of more than 25 published collections of poetry and several collections of essays, including Many Circles, winner of the PEN West Creative Nonfiction Award.
Wednesday, March 16 Interview @ 10:30 a.m. • Patterson Hall, Room 403 Reading @ 8 p.m. • University Center Bluff Room
Free & Open to the Public
His books may be purchased with cash or check only at the events for signing by the author The River City Writers Series is sponsored by the U of M Writing Program, the Creating Writing Club, the Department of English, the Hohenberg Foundation, Student Event Allocation, the Fellowship of Southern Writers, P.A.U.S.E. (Professional Assertive United Sisters of Excellence) and Stonewall Tigers
The University of Memphis
Tuesday, March 15, 2011 • 11
News Media
If you’re reading this article in ink on paper ...
You’re now officially in the minority, according to a study on news readership BY Nathan Olivarez-Giles Los Angeles Times More people said they got their news from the Web than a physical newspaper last year — the first time in history this has happened, according to an annual report on the news media. The Internet now trails only television among American adults as a destination for news, and the trend line shows the gap closing, the study released Monday by the Pew Research Center said. The report predicted that 2010 might also be the year when online ad revenue surpassed print newspaper ad revenue for the first time. The final tally is expected this spring. One of the challenges facing newspapers is that the largest share of online ad revenue is going to non-news sources,
particularly to aggregators, the Washington think tank said. Overall, nearly every sector of the U.S. news industry saw revenue growth in 2010, except for newspapers. After two dreadful years, most sectors of the industry saw revenue begin to recover, the study said. With some notable exceptions, cutbacks in newsrooms eased. And some experiments with new revenue models began to show signs of blossoming. Among the major news industry sectors, only newspapers suffered continued revenue declines last year — an unmistakable sign that the structural economic problems facing newspapers are more severe than those of other media, Pew said. “When the final tallies are in, we estimate 1,000 to 1,500 more
Are You a Psychology Major? Join Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology!
newsroom jobs will have been lost — meaning newspaper newsrooms are 30 percent smaller than in 2000,” the study said. The reason newspapers missed out on making as much money on their own content as aggregators did last year has to do with a lack of embracing new media, the study found. In the past, much of the experimentation in new journalism occurred locally, often financed by charitable grants, usually at small scale. Larger national online-only news organizations focused more on aggregation than original reporting. In 2010, however, some of the biggest new media institutions began to develop original newsgathering in a significant way. Yahoo Inc. added several dozen reporters across news, sports and
finance. AOL Inc. had 900 journalists, 500 of them at its local Patch news operation. By the end of 2011, Bloomberg expects to have 150 journalists and analysts for its new Washington operation, Bloomberg Government. News Corp. has hired from 100 to 150 people, depending on the press reports, for its new tablet newspaper, the Daily, although not all may be journalists. “Together these hires come close to matching the jobs that we estimate were lost in newspapers in 2010, the first time we have seen this kind of substitution,” the study said. Traditional newsrooms, meanwhile, are different places from they were before the recession. They are smaller, their aspirations have narrowed and their jour-
PHI SIGMA PI National Honor Fraternity Recruitment Week March 14-20 Monday, March 14
Membership Applications Available Online at: www.psichi.org/pdf/memappl.pdf
Completed applications should be returned to the Psych Bldg., Room 202 by March 21 @ 4 p.m. Questions? Please contact Elizabeth Crunk, Chapter vice president, at: aecrunk@memphis.edu
Scholarship Opportunity The Donald K. Carson Leadership Scholarship
Applicants must demonstrate a strong capacity for leadership and be able to show how their leadership helps create opportunities for the growth and development of other people.
Requirements: • Current, full-time U of M undergraduate student • Completion of at least 12 credit hours • Minimum cumulative 2.8 GPA • One or more years remaining before graduation
One or more scholarships totaling $5,500 will be awarded for the 2011-2012 school year Students may be nominated or apply themselves Freshman students are especially encouraged to apply
Informational 3-4 p.m. UC Poplar Room
Wednesday, March 15
Informational 3-4 p.m. • UC Memphis Room A
Friday, March 18
Meet & Greet 5:30-7 p.m. Rose Theatre Lobby
Saturday, March 19 Big/Little Ceremony 6-7 p.m. Poplar Room (UC 308)
Sunday, March 20 Induction Ceremony 6-7 p.m. UC Iris Room
Pick up applications in Office of Dean of Students in 359 University Center
Completed applications must be returned by Friday, March 18 by 4 p.m.
SCHOLARSHIP • LEADERSHIP • FELLOWSHIP
nalists are stretched thinner, the study found. But they are also more adaptive, younger and more engaged in multimedia presentation, aggregation, blogging and user content. In some ways new media and old, slowly and sometimes grudgingly, are coming to resemble each other, the study said. Less progress has been made in charging for news than many in the journalism industry had predicted, according to the report. The leading study on the subject finds that so far only about three dozen newspapers have moved to some kind of paid content on their websites. Of those, only 1 percent of users opted to pay. And some papers that moved large portions of content to subscription gave up the effort.
NFL
from page 10 the course of 16 hours spent in mediation, the sides met face to face at the negotiating table for a total of 30 minutes. “When you say you’ve done everything you can, and then you ask for a caucus that lasts 3{ hours and then you take off for dinner at the end of the day? That’s not negotiating, and that’s not the NFL players walking away from the deal.” Brees said the players have slammed the door on the concept of an 18-game regular season. “I’m going to tell you right now that 18 games is not going to happen through the NFL Players Association,” he said. “We cannot justify it for the safety and health of our players. Eighteen games was taken off the table the first time they proposed it, and it was not part of the proposal the last time we gave it to them. And it never will be.” Then again, the NFLPA in its current form cannot negotiate on behalf of the players anyway. That’s just another aspect of pro football’s strange new reality.
Solutions
(For the puzzles, not those angry rich dudes.)
12 • Tuesday, March 15, 2011
www.dailyhelmsman.com
Opinion
keys to the Tigers’ bout with Arizona on friday BY ADAm DougLAS Sports Reporter The University of Memphis men’s basketball team still has an opportunity to keep Will Barton’s bold preseason prediction alive — to win the National Championship. The Tigers earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament by defeating the UTEP Miners, 67-66, in the Conference USA tournament championship. To get to a championship, however, they still need to work on some key areas that have been plaguing them during the entire season. Their first test off the bat, the Arizona Wildcats, is a familiar foe. Not only do both teams have a history, but they also
have lots of things in common. They had a budding rivalry that wasn’t renewed after the 2007-‘08 season. The Tigers won their last meeting at FedExForum, 76-63. The Wildcats’ best player, sophomore Derrick Williams, averages 19.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game and was recruited by head coach Josh Pastner. He even had his screen saver on his cell phone set to The U of M logo before transferring to Arizona from USC. Pastner was an assistant on the Arizona staff from 2001-‘08 after four years as a walk-on for Arizona. He and the Wildcats won a national championship in 1997. To top that, the Tigers are seeded 12th in this year ’s tournament. Pastner ’s jersey number while at Arizona? 12.
There are many story lines that we can turn to for this particular matchup, but I’m just going to stick to what it will take for the Tigers to pull an upset over the 5-seeded Wildcats on Friday afternoon. First, the Tigers have to play unselfish basketball. We all saw in the C-USA tournament what it can do for this team. If they share the ball and pass it to one another in transition then they have a chance to beat anyone in the country. Next, they need to utilize the full-court press. Doing this will speed up the tempo and cause the opponent to be uncomfortable on offense. The youthfulness of the team — which critics harped on all season — will be a blessing in disguise because of the Tigers’
young legs. Then we have defense. The mantra “defense wins championships” still applies to every sport. If the Tigers can play tough half-court defense like they showed during the C-USA tournament, then Arizona or anyone else should not be competition. The Tigers just have to make shots. As long as the guards are on target from long range, then they can make a deep run in the tourney. Lastly, they need to listen to the head coach. This may be the biggest one because all of the things I’ve said before will not be possible if they tune out the 33-year-old Pastner. Too many times this season they have been criticized for not listening and being very
The U of M Clay Club presents
Ceramic Artist Matthew Hyleck
Resident Artist & Teacher, Baltimore Clayworks
Workshop
TODAY @ 1 p.m.
Art Building, Room 120
C
The daily helmsman
s
lassified
Prices and Policies
To place your ad or for more information, please contact: The Daily Helmsman, 113 Meeman Journalism Bldg. Memphis, TN 38152-3290
901-678-2191
Classified Line Ads: (per issue) $10 for the first 50 words and 10¢ for each additional word. Prepayment is required at time of insertion. Payment can be made by cash or check or money order made payable to The Daily Helmsman. Hyphenated words and telephone numbers count as one word. No abbreviations are necessary. Display Classified Ads: (per issue) $10 per column inch. Ads are limited to one column width of 1 and 1/2 inches. Minimum ad size accepted is 1 column x 2 inches. Maximum ad size accepted is 1 column x 6 inches. Deadline to place an ad is noon two business days prior to publication.
HELP WANTED HELP WANTED BARTENDERS WANTED. Up to $250 a day. No experience necessary. Training available. Call 1-800-965-6520, ext 302. SALES CONSULTANT. New Home Sales Consultant opportunity with the top builder in Memphis. Tennessee real estate license required. Applicants should be enthusiastic, highly motivated self-starter with a strong interest in cus-
tomer satisfaction and the ability to manage change. Good follow-up skills are imperative. 100% commissioned + Monthly Draw. Weekends required. Send resume to info@vintagehomes. com. Sales by Vintage Realty 901.791.0288.
Good luck, Tigers!
HELP WANTED HELP WANTED BLUES CITY CAFE management is opening a new restaurant on Beale Street. Applications available at 156 Beale, Monday - Friday, 1-3 p.m. Restaurant experience required.
Stay connected on... www.facebook.com/uofmemphis
TATE COMPUTER SYSTEMS has a part-time position for afternoons and Saturdays. Seeking professional, highly motivated sales and consumer service representative with at least one year of experience. Will be required to interact with customers, demonstrate computers, and process transactions. Computer experience & Microsoft Office Suite skills required. Apple experience a plus. Apply
HELP WANTED in person: 3800 Hacks Cross Rd. #103 Memphis, TN 38125, or email resume to state@tatecomputersystems.com.
Stay connected...
Check out our new look online! www.dailyhelmsman.com
immature. If they can pay attention to the coaching staff, and the staff in turn doesn’t put them in bad situations, then we could be looking forward to a magical season that didn’t look very promising a month ago.
Bird is the word. Follow us!
@DailyHelmsman @HelmsmanSports
NCAA
from page 1 Jackson sunk a pair of free throws with seven seconds left and hushed any supposition. “What we did in that environment, being down like we were down and then Joe Jackson having to make two free throws, I mean, that’s big-time,” Pastner said. “That’s something that will never be taken away.” Perhaps only a pairing with Kentucky could provide more sub-plots than the Tigers’ firstround NCAA draw this season. U of M assistant coach Jack Murphy, who also graduated from Arizona, is married to former Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood’s daughter. Arizona superstar forward Derrick Williams chose Arizona over Memphis in 2009 after transferring from USC. Had USC prevented Williams from transferring to another Pac-10 school, he would’ve likely ended up at Memphis. While Pastner ultimately lost Williams to Arizona coach Sean Miller, Pastner had only praise for Miller. In fact, Pastner even subtly recommended him for the Arizona head coach opening in 2009. “I remember when (Livengood) was calling me, asking about the job — not about me personally, we were just talking about stuff,” Pastner said. “Then Sean Miller called me, and I said, ‘Sean, you’re going to do unbelievable there. And he’s done unbelievable.” His Arizona ties aside, Pastner realizes that after all the homecoming handshakes and hugs, there’s still an NCAA tournament game to be played. Despite the upset-prone 12-5 seeding matchup, the Tigers are a heavy underdog against the Pac-10 regular season champion Wildcats. Because of everything the Tigers endured to make the tournament, Pastner said he isn’t taking the Tigers’ NCAA trip for granted. “Just the opportunity to be in the NCAA tournament is something that’s special,” he said. “We’re peaking at the right time. I’m pumped. This is going to be great.”