NOTES

Higher Ed

Michigan State student found dead in vehicle

Michigan State University chemistry graduate student Wasantha Lalkumarasiri Nawuththuduweliyanage was found dead Saturday.

Police responded to a call on Interstate 96 east of Okemos Road from a motorist who noticed the car on the side of the road with its hazard lights flashing.

Officers found Nawuththudu-weliyanage slumped over the steering wheel.

Authorities took his body, which was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics, to Sparrow Hospital in Lansing for an autopsy.

There were no obvious injuries and no foul play is suspected in his death.

Dartmouth officials resolve to disband Greek system

Upset with the Greek system, faculty members of Dartmouth College's College of Arts and Sciences unanimously approved a resolution to urge the administration to withdraw college recognition of the Greek system.

In an 81-0 vote Monday night, with two faculty members abstaining, faculty members expressed their disapproval of all co-ed fraternity and sorority organizations. They feel that the system promotes excessive alcohol use which interferes with the academic work of students.

The resolution calls for the building of additional residence halls to accommodate disbanded Greek members. They hope for the de-recognition to occur by June 30, 2005 at the latest.

Houses, although independently owned by the fraternities and sororities, are currently financially supported by the college.

Commission looks at violence among same sex couples

The American Bar Association Commission on Domestic Violence at the University of California at Los Angeles has said that there is a 25 percent to 33 percent occurrence of domestic violence among gay and lesbian couples.

According to the Family Violence Services, the heterosexual domestic violence awareness movement has been going on for about 30 years, while the homosexual domestic awareness movement has existed for only five years.

The Family Violence Services also said that 95 percent of heterosexual battering is men harming women, while homosexual battering is about 49 percent of women hurting women and 51 percent of men harming men.

Many cases of same-sex domestic violence are not reported because of the embarrassing nature and fear of being re-victimized by the courts and police.

The Commission on Domestic Violence estimates that 50,000 to 100,000 lesbians and about 500,000 gay men are battered each year.

U. Missouri hopes to curb drinking

The campus has already started implementing the Dry 2000 initiative, a 12-step program designed by Prof. Henry Wechsler of Harvard University's School of Public Health.

The plan requires all fraternity houses to become dry and notify parents when students are caught with alcohol on campus.

- Compiled by Daily Staff Reporter Lindsey Alpert from U-WIRE reports.