Daily Helmsman The
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Japanese Still Reeling from Quake Thousands living in makeshift shelters; food and water at a premium
Vol. 78 No. 104
see page 5
Independent Student Newspaper of The University of Memphis
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Haslam budget would bolster state wages BY ERICA HORTON News Reporter University of Memphis employees could receive their first raise in four years through Governor Bill Haslam’s 2012 budget, which proposes giving state employees a 1.6 percent pay increase. In October 2010, members of The U of M’s United Campus Workers, Progressive Student Alliance and Workers Interfaith Network held a public forum in the University Center to raise awareness about University employee pay and changes to insurance policies. The groups are working to help U of M employees not only get a raise but also, for some, have their pay increased to living wage — $11.62 in Memphis. Tom Smith, coordinator of The U of M’s United Campus Workers, said he thinks it’s great news that there is finally a pay raise proposal in Haslam’s budget but added that a 1.6 percent raise for someone making less than $20,000 a year is very little money.
In Haslam’s State of the State Address, presented in early March, the governor said that due to the tough economy, the state government has “held the line on increased wages” in recent years. “While (a 1.6 percent increase) is less than I would like to do — and doesn’t begin to make up for three years without a raise — it is a first step,” Haslam said. Dave Smith, Haslam’s press secretary, said the governor believes there are a lot of dedicated workers for the state who really believe in what they’re doing and deserve a raise. “During the campaign, it was what he really wanted to do,” he said. “If you’re going to attract the best workers, then you need to compensate them accordingly.” Tom Smith, of UCW, said for U of M employees and even faculty members, a 1.6 percent raise wouldn’t cover the increased costs of University health insurance, but an equal-dollar pay raise would mean all workers received the same raise for the year, no matter their position. “We’ve encouraged (the legislature)
to do an equal-dollar raise as a first step,” he said. “We’ve introduced a bill with (State) Senator Beverly Marrero and (State) Representative Mike Turner to give a $2,000 pay raise to all higher education employees.” Ralph Faudree, U of M provost, said he thinks the potential pay raise Haslam proposed would be “positive for everyone.” “Clearly, for some individuals, the lack of salary increases has been difficult for them,” he said. “We just have to wait at this stage and see the nature of the salary increases. We don’t know for sure if it’s going to be confirmed by the legislature.” Faudree said in previous years, when the time has come for pay increases, The University has handed out a variety of raises to its employees, including acrossthe-board and merit raises for more than 2,500 workers. “If there (have not) been salary increases for some time, we usually do acrossthe-board raises so everyone receives something, but at this stage, we just don’t know,” he said. “Until we receive
Haslam guidelines from the legislature, The University won’t be able to outline any-
see
Raise, page 7
Joe Jackson will carry on Finch legacy Professor
to present theories on financial literacy
BY JOHN MARTIN Sports Editor
so, he blurred the line between black and white during a time in which racial tension in Memphis was at its highest. Joe Jackson’s grandfather, Peter, told him When Finch chose to play for the Tigers the Orange Mound legend of Larry Finch in 1969, the city was still reeling from the when he was a child. sanitation workers’ strike and subsequent Peter, who played against Finch at the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. now-defunct Caperville High, recounted “He wanted to go to The University how savvy Finch was during his years at of Memphis because it was Memphis,” The University of Memphis. He could never said former U of M guard John Wilfong, forget Finch’s unique jump shot — the way who knew Finch well. “He basically went he’d gracefully leap toward the basket rath- against his community, against his city. He er than squaring up. It was tough to block. had charisma.” Jackson Today, the was young, Tigers practice e walked the same in the Larry O. though, and his attention streets, played on the same Finch Center was fixated on campus. courts. When Larry Finch Inside, the mostly on his own potential. are was young, he had to think walls He didn’t care adorned with about some like me. He wanted to be several picformer coltures of Finch the best. I take pride in lege player’s in a Memphis u n o r t h o d o x playing with his spirit inside State uniform. jumper. But that’s me.” Little did about as physiJackson know cally close as — Joe Jackson how important Jackson gets Freshman guard Finch, who to Finch. He died last weeknever actually end at age 60 after years of health issues, met the late legendary player and coach. was to his livelihood as a U of M basketball “That’s one thing I wish I would’ve player. done,” Jackson said. “I wish I could’ve got “When I was smaller and younger, I a chance to meet him, you know, because didn’t really even think about it like that that’s really the Memphis legend. I mean, because I was just trying to worry about we got a lot of big names, but he’s the one myself,” said the freshman guard, who, like because if Penny Hardaway was the one, Finch, hails from Orange Mound. “Now, he’d have the gym (named after him). I love it’s really bigger than what it seems. We’re Penny Hardaway, but Larry Finch he creplaying in his facility. We’re actually repre- ated the monster.” senting him.” Jackson, like Finch, grew up in the rough As the story goes, Finch was the first streets of Orange Mound, an urban comAfrican-American player from Memphis to munity in Memphis that’s suffered from stay home to play at The U of M. In doing violence and other crime in recent years.
BY ROBERT MOORE News Reporter
by David C. Minkin
“W
Freshman guard Joe Jackson hails from Orange Mound, the same neighborhood as Memphis legend Larry Finch.
“Back in the day, Orange Mound was more family-oriented. Now it’s kind of crazy,” Jackson said. Jackson attended Sheffield Middle School and went on to graduate from White Station High School, albeit not before passing Finch in most categories in the Tennessee high school basketball record books. With his commitment to The U of M in 2009, Jackson became the first Orange Mound native since Finch to stay home and it might stay that way for a while.
see Jackson, page 8
Economics professor Julia Heath will lead a discussion on “Financial Literacy for the 21st Century” today in room 225 of the Ned R. McWherter Library. Heath will discuss the evolution of the term “financial literacy” and will cover her ideas on how the public’s approach to financial literacy needs to change. Heath co-founded “Smart Tennessee,” a statewide financial literacy educational program for students in elementary through high school and also currently serves as the director of the Center for Economics at The U of M. Her speech is part of Faculty Scholarship Week. All week long, University Libraries and the Friends of University Libraries will host an exhibit in McWherter Library featuring different works — such as books, CDs and artwork — created by several U of M professors.
2 • Wednesday, April 6, 2011
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1. Finch’s legacy overlooked by students by Scott Hall
2. UM basketball legend Finch dies at 60
by John Martin
3. Jobless rate reaches 2-year low
from our wire service
4. The votes are in
by Chelsea Boozer
5. DeWitt defeats Lang for SGA presidency
by Chelsea Boozer
DOMINO’S PIZZA Across 1 *”Bohemian Rhapsody” group 6 *Poet Whitman 10 Exotic food fish 14 Año Nuevo month 15 Irish Spring variety 16 Wife of Zeus 17 Sudoku fill-in 18 Fronded plant 19 Irving hero 20 Starbucks pickup 22 Man with morals 23 *Painfully shy 26 *Tormented by pollen, say 27 Torino time period 28 Good thinking 31 *Cross 34 Overhauls 39 Aladdin’s helper 40 *Medico’s address 41 Red simile words 42 Parent who minds how her kid acts? 44 *Like a quiet town 45 Dojo discipline 47 WNBA position 48 *He won 26 Oscars, including an Academy Honorary Award (consisting of one full-sized and seven miniature statuettes) for the film depicted in this puzzle’s starred answers 52 *Cry of surprise 55 Quarterfinals complement, e.g. 56 Danube capital 58 Like a noted piper 59 Watch 60 Roads scholar? 64 Feminine suffix 65 Corleone family head 66 “We’re out of choices” 67 “Son of Frankenstein” role 68 *Frosted flakes 69 *Chess side
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2 Cycle prefix 3 Hosp. test 4 “Love Story” novelist Segal 5 __ this world: bizarre 6 Hem and haw 7 On the safer side 8 Passed-down stories 9 Downing Street number 10 “My goodness” 11 “__ porridge hot ...” 12 Paella ingrediente 13 *All smiles 21 Faulkner’s “The Sound and the __” 22 Like some reports 23 His 3,000th hit was a homer 24 Stop in Québec? 25 Healthful hot spot 26 Cry noisily 29 Starbucks pickup 30 NYSE overseer 32 “Top Gun” foe
33 Didn’t wait for Christmas 35 “May __ of service?” 36 Hanger-on 37 Pool statistic 38 Start to foam? 40 Palme __: Cannes film award 43 Has the okay 44 Spotted 46 Market index, familiarly 48 *Not very bright 49 Best part of the cake, to some 50 Shorthand pro 51 “Unsafe at Any Speed” author 53 Attached to a trailer hitch 54 Brooks of C&W 56 Vital thin blue line 57 Passionate about 59 RCA products 61 Sushi bar tuna 62 Congregated 63 Not post-
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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 8
The University of Memphis
Wednesday, April 6, 2011 • 3
Politics
Budget talks stall, raising fears of federal shutdown BY DAVID LIGHTMAN & WILLIAM DOUGLAS McClatchy Newspapers
So far, the Obama administration isn’t saying which workers will be told to stay home and what federal functions won’t be performed. White House press secretary Jay Carney said the federal budget office would start sending agencies memos in coming days about which operations to close, if necessary. He said that the uniformed military would continue to get paid, but he referred questions about details to the White
but privately, signals suggested that a deal was in reach. Reid’s public tone was the angriest. After the White House President Barack Obama and meeting, he accused Republicans congressional leaders on Tuesday of kowtowing to the tea party, the failed to agree on a plan to keep conservative grass-roots movethe government funded past ment that helped elect dozens of Friday, heightening fears that GOP congressmen last year. many federal activities could shut “We thought for several days down this weekend. we were very close to an agreeObama met for an hour and 20 ment,” Reid said, but the White minutes at the White House with House meeting and other negoHouse Speaker tiations “really John Boehner, indicated to me R-Ohio, and e’re now closer than we’ve ... that the leaderSenate Majority in the House ever been to getting an agree- ship Leader Harry is being guided Reid, D-Nev., ment. The only question is wheth- by the tea party.” who’ve been Boehner fired er politics or ideology are going back. trying for weeks to iron out a to get in the way of preventing a “If the govcompromise. ernment shuts government shutdown.” “We’re now down, the closer than we’ve American people — Barack Obama ever been to getwill know it was President ting an agreebecause Senate ment,” Obama Democrats failed said after the meeting. “The only House Office of Management and to do their job,” he said. “We question is whether politics or Budget, which didn’t respond to can still avoid a shutdown, but ideology are going to get in the questions, as it hasn’t for days. Democrats are going to need to way of preventing a government Boehner offered a tentative get serious about cutting spendshutdown.” solution Tuesday: extending the ing, and soon.” At the Capitol, that appeared funding deadline another week Meanwhile, some conservato be happening, as the public while cutting $12 billion from cur- tives indicated that they were rhetoric grew harsh. If Reid and rent spending and funding the eager to end this scrap and move Boehner, who later reconvened Pentagon for the rest of the fiscal ahead with negotiations on the for private talks, don’t reach a year. budget for fiscal 2012, which deal Tuesday night, Obama wants Forget it, Obama said. begins Oct. 1. House Budget them back at the White House for “We’ve already done that Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, more talks Wednesday. twice,” he said, referring to previ- R-Wis., unveiled a 73-page plan “And if that doesn’t work, we’ll ous short-term budget extensions. that contained sweeping budget invite them again the day after “That is not a way to run the gov- changes — and restructuring of the that,” the president said, “and I ernment. I can’t have our agencies government — that many conserwill have my entire team available making plans based on two-week vatives have long sought. That’s to work through the details of get- budgets.” where many Republicans want ting a deal done.” Democrats are willing to cut to take their stand, not behind Government spending author- $33 billion from spending for the the relatively minor spending cuts ity runs out Friday. If no agree- final six months of this fiscal year. over the next six months that are ment is reached on providing new The House of Representatives, hanging up Reid and Boehner. funding for the rest of the fis- on a party-line vote, approved “We’re trying to get to where cal year, through Sept. 30, many $61 billion in cuts on Feb. 19 and a long-term solution is at hand,” federal activities are expected to added dozens of social-policy said House Majority Leader Eric begin shutting down Saturday, changes, such as cutting funds Cantor, R-Va. such as museums, monuments that would implement the 2010 Ryan’s plan would reduce and national parks. health care overhaul law. spending below Obama’s proObama and his aides refused Privately, people close to jected levels by $6.2 trillion over again to give specifics of their con- the budget talks say that most the next 10 years. His Republicantingency plans for a shutdown. In of those social changes are like- majority committee plans to write the past, hundreds of thousands ly to be dropped. But in return, legislation incorporating his proof “non-essential workers” across Republicans want to cut more posals Wednesday. The full House the country have been told not than $33 billion. is expected to consider it next to report to federal work during The budget drama unfolded week. budget shutdowns, while others Tuesday on two levels: Publicly, The plan could provide condeemed essential did go to work. leaders hardened their rhetoric, servatives with a convenient way
“W
TONIGHT
Why Do You Hate Me? Week
Tunnel of Oppression
4 - 8 p.m. • UC Ballroom
to accept a deal this week for fiscal 2011, followed by a vote next week for Ryan’s plan, which tackles long-term issues and would make dramatic changes to Medicare, Medicaid and the tax system. Ryan’s plan resists cuts in defense spending other than those that Defense Secretary Robert Gates already proposed. It retains the Bush-era tax reductions for top earners, which Obama wants to end eventually. And it would make big changes in how beneficiaries get Medicare and Medicaid assistance. Medicaid would become a “block grant” program with Washington sending money to state capitals, which would decide how much to spend on recipients. Currently Medicaid is a federal-state shared program that
provides health coverage to the poor according to rules set by Washington. For Medicare, which pays for medical services for those 65 and older, House Republicans would have recipients choose private insurance plans and the government would subsidize those plans. People now 55 and older would retain the existing Medicare plan. Democrats and liberal groups bitterly criticized Ryan’s plan. “Representative Ryan’s proposal is partisan and ideological,” Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D., said. “He provides dramatic tax cuts for the wealthiest, financed by draconian reductions in Medicare and Medicaid. His proposals are unreasonable and unsustainable.”
Coming Up Why Do You Hate Me? Week
Tomorrow, 4/7 Tunnel of Oppression 4 - 8 p.m. UC Ballroom
4 • Wednesday, April 6, 2011
www.dailyhelmsman.com
by Brian Wilson
Break Stuff
University of Memphis alumnus Shane Perkins (center), Dara Chan and junior history major Peter Cipriano (right) practiced on the third floor of the UC for their “Tigerstyles” breakdance group. They will be performing at Senses night club Thursday from 7 to 10 p.m. with another upcoming performance April 13, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Michael D. Rose Theatre.
Campus Activities
Sticks and stones may break my bones... BY TIMBERLY MOORE News Reporter
In an effort to teach tolerance and understanding, The University of Memphis’ Student Activities Council has created an environment of hatred and prejudice in the University Center. Today at 4 p.m., the UC Ballroom will become the Tunnel of Oppression, a live version of the “Wall of Hate,” currently on display on the Student Plaza. Rachel Goodwin, sophomore political science major and ideas and issues committee chair for SAC, said the tunnel, part of “Why Do You Hate Me? Week,”
features scenes of terrorism, religious oppression and harsh criticism of people’s appearances. “It is an interactive play where scenes of oppression are acted out either in front of or against you,” she said. At the beginning of the tunnel, visitors will likely hear some offensive words directed at them in a very personal way, Goodwin said. Amber Lockett, senior criminal justice major, will be calling the tunnel’s visitors a slew of derogatory words and racial slurs. She said she is happy to be involved and hopes that it helps U of M.
Lockett said that she has been called a “mutt,” a “zebra” and an “Oreo” in her past. She said she hopes the tunnel deters people from allowing insults like those to fly carelessly from their mouths. “A lot of people overlook this stuff and don’t realize that it happens every day and has an effect on us,” she said. “The tunnel helps you realize that (those words) are not jokes ... (they are) offensive to that person.” Lockett added that she likes to see the reactions on the faces of people walking through the tunnel and hopes the experience is “eye-opening” for them.
Erica Peoples, freshman physical science and mathematical science major, will portray a person suffering from an eating disorder in the tunnel. She said that she chose to take on the role because she has had issues with her weight in the past. Peoples said she has been called “whore, bitch, porch monkey and nigger” and thinks hurtful words are used too freely. “These are things that really hurt — not just today, but it dates back in time, and (the cam-
pus) should be exposed to how it affects others,” she said. Peoples said the tunnel is very powerful and causes people to think about what’s happening on campus, in the city and around the world. The Tunnel of Oppression is open today and tomorrow from 4 to 8 p.m. “I hope that people can realize that we have a problem on this campus, Goodwin said, “and will be more aware (of the pain that words can cause).”
The University of Memphis
Wednesday, April 6, 2011 • 5
World
In a Japanese shelter, refugees endure with no end in sight
Tsutomu Suzuki’s world is 6 feet long by 12 feet wide, a crude refuge he and his family of five have staked out in an upstairs lobby of the Tagajo cultural center. They sleep side by side on the tile floor, with only blankets to cushion them. It’s like camping indoors, although sometimes it’s almost as cold as the outdoors.
But there is one luxury that sets them apart from others at the crowded shelter: the couch. It’s not much to look at — a cheap stick of furniture salvaged from a motel. But for Suzuki, a 52-year-old carpenter in black cap and green T-shirt, it’s a reminder of a better life. His wife, Kuniko, 50, and her mother, 78-year-old Kimiko Takahashi, often lounge on it and pretend they’re back in the living room of their modest home.
MCT
In wake of quake, displaced families struggle to find comfort, solace
BY JOHN M. GLIONNA Los Angeles Times
Kuniko Suzuki and her husband, Tsutomu, get ready for bed at a refugee center in Tagajo, Japan. They sleep on the floor with the other five members of their family, but that’s not the hardest part: It’s not knowing when they can resume their lives following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
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But even this simple pleasure has its drawbacks. “The couch is so narrow my wife often rolls off in the middle of the night and comes crashing down on top of me,” Tsutomu said. Within an hour of the March 11 earthquake, Kuniko and her mother had found refuge at the modern two-story center in this provincial city 220 miles north of Tokyo. The following day, Tsutomu brought the couple’s daughter, Ikue, 18, and his wife’s sister, Chikako. Life on the floor is not the hardest part, they say; it’s not knowing how long their purgatory will last. The center houses 550 of the 160,000 people still in shelters as a result of the earthquake and tsunami. On a recent night, Tsutomu surveyed his surroundings, teeming with fellow refugees. Blankets were spread everywhere: in hallways, meeting rooms and exhibit spaces. Enterprising neighbors had draped blankets over chairs to create a roof or had fashioned cardboard walls for a sense of separation. With people packed so closely, privacy is at a premium. Kuniko holds up a blanket so Ikue can dress in the morning without being seen by young men. The grandmother insists conditions are better than those she faced after World War II. Still, life is hard. The elderly woman sometimes soils herself before she can reach one of the few toilets. None of the Suzukis has showered in weeks. Baths consist of a bucket of cold water. “You don’t know how much you miss a hot shower until you can’t have one,” Tsutomu said. The night brings little respite. The overhead lights never dim. With only two electric space heaters, many refugees wear jackets under the covers and still shiver amid indoor temperatures that plunge to the mid-30s. Residents twitch and fidget. Many call out in their sleep; others snore and cough incessantly. Restless, up by 5 a.m., some scan the many notes on a message board, like one that reads: “Yuriko, I came to get you but couldn’t find you. Don’t worry, I’ll be back. I hope you’re safe.” Time drags. The monotony is prison-like. Meals are spartan. “There’s no way to get these people the calories they need,” said Satou Tadamichi, vice chief of the center, a compact man with black hair and a graying beard. On a recent day, the menu consisted of two slices of bread for breakfast and half an apple and one slice of bread for lunch. Dinner was rice, bread, a small salad and a boiled egg. Jealousies over food often surface. Residents complain of being shortchanged and accuse others of receiving more than their share. “Many people are holding
see Japan, page 7
6 • Wednesday, April 6, 2011
www.dailyhelmsman.com
Colleges that profit, students who don’t BY WILL BUNCH Philadelphia Daily News To paraphrase Steely Dan, the five years at the college didn’t turn out like she planned. In 2002, Marianne Hicks — bored with her accounts-receivable job and part-time work as a cook, and eager to reinvent herself as an industrial designer — was wooed by a recruiter for the Art Institute of Philadelphia with assurances of job help once she got a degree. Today, Hicks says, her diploma is about the only thing that she can cling to. Often unemployed since graduating from the for-profit career college in 2007, she’s under the gun from collection agencies for more than $90,000 in student loans that she can’t repay. She’s staying with a brother because she can’t afford her own place, and a sister is mad at her because she co-signed one of the delinquent loans. “I was just excited I was going back to school — of course they painted a pretty picture,” said the now 44-year-old Hicks, who admits she didn’t know that her loan balance would grow so high and didn’t grasp the problem that her Art Institute credits mostly can’t be transferred to other schools. But she faults the Philadelphia college for teaching outdated skills, and she said that job-placement help amounted largely to forwarding some ads from Craigslist. And she’s not alone: Her classmate Taryn Zychal, with similar complaints, says she owes close to $150,000 and is working in a convenience store when not selling her artwork. Advocates say that the remarkable thing is that horror stories like those aren’t that unusual. Thousands of middleincome students who’ve rushed to for-profit career colleges in recent years have been overwhelmed by aggressive recruitment, loose admission policies, overhyped academic programs, a crippled U.S. economy with few jobs — and, finally, their massive taxpayer-funded student debt, with little hope of repayment. At the same time that enrollment at for-profit colleges — many now owned by large, publicly traded firms backed by big banks and investment houses — has soared to 11 percent of U.S. higher education, statistics show that these schools now account for a mind-boggling 48 percent of all defaults on federal student loans. “Like any sector, what Wall Street rewards is quarterly numbers,” said Pauline Abernathy, a former aide in Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter’s administration who’s now vice president of the Institute for College Access and Success, a nonprofit seeking a clamp-down on abuses by forprofit colleges. “There’s pressure on these schools to increase their ‘new starts’ — newly enrolled students — regardless of whether the students are qualified, or can
repay their loans.” The front line in the skirmish over for-profit colleges has shifted to Washington, where the Obama administration’s Education Department — backed by a coalition of civil rights groups such as the NAACP and the National Council of La Raza — is seeking tough new regulations. The proposed rules would restrict or even block federal student aid to for-profit colleges that aren’t training enough students for “gainful employment” — that is, jobs in which they’ll earn enough to repay their loans. Such a rule could not only help future students avoid unmanageable debts but it also has the potential to save U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars, since federal student aid, such as Pell grants and military benefits, is as much as 90 percent or more of the dollars that some for-profit colleges take in, amounting to $26.5 billion annually. So, you would think that GOP lawmakers, who swept the 2010 election with promises of massive cost-cutting, would be down with that. Think again. Instead, legislation aimed at blocking the Obama administration from imposing the rules passed the House with overwhelming Republican support back in February, and although the measure’s prospects seem dim in the Democratic-controlled Senate, the final outcome remains very much in doubt. The industry has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on big-name lobbyists, like former Philadelphia congressman Bill Gray, in a bid to sway the debate. The leading industry group for the career colleges, the Coalition for Educational Success, argues that the high default rates don’t reflect bad faith on the part of the schools
see
colleges, page 7
Politics
Obama taps Florida lawmaker to head DNC BY LESLEY CLARK McClatchy Newspapers Tuesday, President Barack Obama turned to a young, rising Democratic star from one of the nation’s biggest swing states to chair the Democratic National Committee as he kicked off his re-election campaign. Obama’s choice of U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz — a prolific fundraiser and passionate campaigner in Florida — is a recognition of her political skills, and her state’s clout in the presidential election. The state will have 29 Electoral College votes by 2012, the biggest up-for-grabs state in the nation. Wasserman Schultz had been one of the top contenders — along with former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland — to head the DNC after current chair and Obama ally Tim Kaine announced that he was stepping down to run for an open Senate seat from Virginia. Wasserman Schultz takes the DNC’s helm as Obama readies for a bruising re-election campaign. She’s a frequent TV commentator for Democratic causes, and she quietly battled breast cancer in 2008 while keeping her job as a congresswoman and national Democratic Party fundraiser. She didn’t tell anyone outside a small circle of family and friends until she’d recovered. Vice President Joe Biden, in an email to supporters, said Obama took note of Wasserman Schultz’s “tenac-
MCT
Education
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) is expected to be named chair of the Democratic National Committee sources say. The pick — by President Barack Obama — is a recognition of Wasserman Schultz’s political skills — and Florida’s clout in the presidential election. The state by 2012 will have 29 electoral college votes — the biggest swing state in the nation.
ity, her strength, her fighting spirit and her ability to overcome adversity” in selecting her for the top party post. “No one should have any doubt that Debbie will work hard to strengthen our party and our country,” Biden said. Wasserman Schultz, 44, was first elected to Congress in 2004. She earlier had served in the state House of Representatives and Senate in Florida. Although she backed Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Democratic primaries in 2008, she was an enthusiastic campaigner for Obama and was already a vice chair of the
DNC. A close friend of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, the Arizona Democrat who was shot in the head in Tucson in January, Wasserman Schultz traveled to the state with Obama later that month to visit Giffords. Wasserman Schultz has helped raise money for the congresswoman’s 2012 re-election efforts and, along with Democratic Rep. Adam Smith of Washington state and Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, has helped keep Giffords’ office operation running.
The University of Memphis
Wednesday, April 6, 2011 • 7
Colleges
Washington Post Corp. (whose flagship newspaper editorializes enthusiastically against stricter federal rules). The Art Institute of Philadelphia is owned by the Pittsburgh-based Education Management Corp., or EDMC, which has increasingly been embroiled in the controversy over the industry’s practices since the Wall Street behemoth Goldman Sachs helped take the company public and took a 38 percent
demic and job-placement programs, a problem made worse when they graduated into the from page 6 teeth of the economic meltdown but rather their efforts to take a of 2008. chance on training more poor and Officials from the Art Institute working-class students. Officials of Philadelphia declined requests with the coalition cite studies for a traditional interview and showing high loan default rates to talk with students of their at traditional nonprofit colleges choosing. Instead, they emailed — who would not be affected by material that’s given to students the proposed rules — when stusaying that it’s “unlikely” that dents from similar economic backtheir credits can be transferred, as grounds are sinwell as a claim gled out. that 87.6 percent “Who are the its 2009 grads was just excited I was going of students that worked in a field are going to our back to school — of course, they related to their schools?” asked degree, at an painted a pretty picture.” average salary the coalition president, Penny of $26,704. The — Marianne Hicks Lee, a former school also sent Art Institute of Philadelphia graduate communications handout profiles chief for former of two graduPennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell. ownership stake in the late 2000s. ates, one employed as a 3-D artist “Most are the nontraditional, mili- Goldman recently paid a $550 mil- and one working on visual effects tary or minority students that com- lion civil penalty over its role in for the HBO series “Boardwalk munity colleges or other institu- the subprime mortgage crisis but Empire.” tions aren’t serving.” smelled money in the career-colThe stats and the handouts are Perhaps because of its large blue- lege business. cold comfort to an unemployed collar population, Philadelphia is An expose of EDMC in August grad like Hicks, who said that something of a hotbed of career- by Bloomberg News, which she finds herself in a bitter Catchcollege education, which tends to reported on a debt-ridden 2007 22: her student debt — which, offer degrees in job-oriented skills Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale unlike a bad mortgage, can’t be such as photography, computer grad who could find work only used to file for bankruptcy — has programming and auto mechanics. as a stripper, quoted whistle- trashed her credit rating, which Among the major companies in blowers who charged that aca- is checked by most prospective career-college education: demic standards fell and recruit- employers, making it even less The University of Phoenix, ment grew more aggressive when likely that she can find work to the nation’s largest for-profit Goldman came in. pay the money back. higher education firm and a But even some students who Said Hicks, wistfully: “I publicly traded company; and enrolled before that allege that expected to be doing better by Kaplan University, owned by the the Art Institute oversold its aca- now.”
Japan
from page 5 so much grief, I fear one day they’re just going to explode over something as simple as a bowl of rice,” Tadamichi said. There’s the man who paces for hours at a time; the woman who insists she now hates the sea; the child who wets her bed as she dreams of being chased by a mammoth wave. Masuko Iwai, 72, suffers a recurring nightmare. The moment she closes her eyes, a voice calls to her, pleading for help she cannot give. They’re the cries of a neighbor swept away by the tsunami.
“She shouts, ‘Masuko, help me, help me!’” she said. “I answer, ‘I’ll go! Please tell me where to go!’ But the others tell me I must be quiet, that I need my rest. But how can I ignore that voice?” Physician Jyunya Minohata sees patients in a makeshift clinic under a staircase. He treats the rampant cold and flu, but there’s little he can do for emotional distress. “Stress levels here are high,” said Minohata, 35. “People have lost so much. And the emotional damage has started to surface.” Nearby, a wafer-thin man in his early 40s doubled over and clutched his stomach. A nurse led him to a chair and rubbed
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his shoulders as the doctor crouched low, whispering in his ear. For weeks, the scene has been repeated: The patient insists someone changed his medication. “We can’t convince him otherwise,” Minohata said. “He calms down. Then he returns the next day.” Kiko Iwamoto, a social worker who specializes in grief and bereavement, worries that disaster victims are not getting psychological counseling they desperately need, a concern in a culture where such therapy is frowned upon. “These centers need a place where victims can talk about their losses and be reassured
The daily helmsman
MCT
“I
Art Institute of Philadelphia student Taryn Zychal poses for portrait March 22 with her dog Jack in a pet coat she made out of a broken umbrella. She sells the items on Etsy. Zychal owes close to $150,000 in student loans and works in a convenience store when not selling her artwork. they’re not the only ones,” she said. Iwai has developed her own coping mechanism. For the first week, with no electricity, the nights were pitch-black and cold. “Then the aftershocks came,” she said. “People screamed and ran for the door. We were on a ship riding a
“Stress levels here are high.
People have lost so much. And the emotional damage has started to surface.” — Jyunya Minohata Physician
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thing as far as salary increases.” WIN, UCW and PSA will host a rally outside the UC at 11:30 a.m. Friday. During the rally, a delegation of five or six people will deliver more than 1,000 postcards to U of M President Shirley Raines’ office asking her to address pay issues with employees. Smith said the rally is free and open to the public and should last less than an hour. “What’s better for the state of Tennessee: a pay raise that’s targeted at those (who) make the most and are doing fine or (one for) people making the least?” he said. “If someone making the least gets a larger pay raise, that’s one more family not on food stamps (or) out of government housing and (could lead to) a parent quitting their third job so they can be home with kids to help with homework.”
8 • Wednesday, April 6, 2011
from page 1 While U of M signee Adonis Thomas will be the latest to jump from Melrose to The U of M, Thomas is not from Orange Mound. Thomas went to middle school at Mt. Pisgah, a Shelby County school in suburban Cordova. But Jackson said he is proud to follow in Finch’s footsteps and humbled to represent Orange Mound. “We walked the same streets, played on the same courts,” Jackson said. “When he was young, he had to think like me. He wanted to be the best. I take pride in playing with his spirit inside me because, I mean, that’s Larry Finch.” Jackson wasn’t blindsided when he heard about Finch’s death last Saturday. Hours earlier, he got the news that Finch was in critical condition from his teammate, walk-on Trey Draper. “Everybody’s got to pass
Baseball
Tigers rout Rebels 9-2
Shortstop Chad Zurcher raises batting average to .521, leads nation BY JOHN MARTIN Sports Editor The University of Memphis baseball team took a 9-2 victory over regional rival Ole Miss on Tuesday at Autozone Park. Freshman Sam Moll, in his third career start, pitched seven innings and was credited with the win, while shortstop Chad Zurcher raised his nation-leading batting average to .521. Before surrendering two runs in the eighth inning, the Tigers led 9-0. Eli Hynes hit a home run for the fourth straight game. Tuesday’s meeting with the Rebels was the second this season. The Tigers (17-11) now shift their focus to a three-game Conference USA series with Southern Miss that starts Friday at FedExPark.
Solutions
away,” Jackson said. “I always think about death every day anyway. He’s in a better place. Everybody knows he was a good man. If not, he wouldn’t have been able to do half the things he did for the city. He’s in a better place, and most importantly, he left his stamp on the city. He left his impression.” In many ways, Finch left a mark on Jackson. He provided the 5-foot-10 guard with a road map, a blueprint on how to escape the grasps of urban decay. A way out. “He paved the way,” Jackson said. “The neighborhood, it just brings you down. He went to Melrose. He played in the worst environments. He probably saw drug deals, anything you can think of somebody getting shot or whatever but at the end of the day, he made a name for himself.” Now that Finch, the man who carried the Orange Mound and U of M torch for so long, has passed, Jackson would presumably be next in line.
But the freshman said he feels no pressure because while he‘s following Finch’s career trajectory, the situations and the individuals simply aren’t the same. “Larry was his own person,” Jackson said. “He created his own way. He did it the way he did it. I’m a new person. I’ve got to make it how I make it. It’s two different people, two different lives.”
A public wake service will be held for former Tiger great Larry Finch on Friday at Larry O. Finch Center on Spottswood. Visitation is from 4 to 8 p.m. His funeral will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday at Hope Presbyterian Church, with internment to follow at Memphis Memory Gardens.
file photo
Jackson
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