As the semester’s end nears and exam week looms, some stu-dents are beginning to prepare for finals. Others, however, will pull all-nighters the day before exams, spending the final hours of the semester frantically review-ing lecture notes and flashcards.

With only 23 days of school left, Dylan Hanks, sophomore history major, said for some stu-dents, “procrastinating is the key to studying.”

Dylan and several other University of Memphis students said cramming many weeks’ worth of studying into just a handful of hours the night before a test is as easy as a trip to a favorite fast food restaurant or watching a movie.

“Imagine you have to study for a biology test,” he said. “You use something as a reward for studying, like pausing a show

for a period of time and then fast-forwarding through all the com-

Vol. 78 No. 101

Independent Student Newspaper of The University of Memphis www.dailyhelmsman.com

Thursday, March 31, 2011Daily

HelmsmanThe UM ensemble

Sound Fuzion, in 15th year, creates pop harmony across the state

see page 5

Musicians Fuzed Together

FACE the charges

Presidential candidate Tyler DeWitt filed the first infraction of this year’s Student Government Association election early Wednesday morning, citing the improper posting of flyers by the Finding Answers Concerning Everyone party.

FACE party campaign materi-als were posted on doors, win-dows and trash cans and covered at least two yard signs, promoting the Writing on the Wall Project, which belonged to the Student Activities Council — all place-ments that violate University policy.

SGA Election Commissioner Anthony LaRocca noticed the improperly placed signs Monday night around 10:30 p.m. He then called the FACE party’s presi-dential candidate and current SGA president, Hunter Lang, and ordered him to have the signs removed by 1 a.m.

Strolling the campus around 1:30 a.m., LaRocca said he noticed a significant number of the signs still posted in the illegal locations, proceeded to take photos as evi-dence and removed posters that covered SAC’s signs.

DeWitt filed the infraction against the FACE party around 3 a.m. Wednesday.

LaRocca said he scheduled court hearings for this week more than a month ago, in case a griev-ance were filed.

The court hearing was sched-uled for 4 p.m. Wednesday, but LaRocca said SGA Chief Justice Joshua Jackson told him that Dwayne Scott, associate dean of Student Judicial Affairs, “can-celed the meeting because asso-ciate justice selection is more important (and is taking place Wednesday) afternoon.”

“This is something I set up a month ago, and I asked for him to have the court meet Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday,” LaRocca said. “He said the court was going to meet, and four hours beforehand he told me the meeting was canceled. (The elec-tion commission is) waiting for the hearing to get rescheduled. They had a prior commitment. Hopefully we will get a hearing so the facts will come out.”

LaRocca said last year’s elec-tion’s grievances could not be heard before the election ended and were ultimately dropped, since they would have no effect on the election, and he did not

want that to happen this year. Infractions were also filed against the FACE party last year for plac-ing flyers on doors, windows and the hoods of vehicles, all against University policy.

According to SGA’s election laws, the student court is respon-sible for scheduling a hearing within three days of receiving the charges.

However, LaRocca said Jackson told him that the stu-dent court “thought it was best to wait until all grievances are filed after the election and hear them together.”

When the hearing takes place, the election commission will present a statement, show the evidence and make a recommen-dation for punishment. Potential punishments are a reprimand, a monetary fine of $25 or $75, or disqualification from taking office.

LaRocca said there likely will be no disqualification, since he has no proof who posted the signs.

“I was happy that Hunter (Lang) took down most of the posters — or his party did — but by 1:30 a.m., there were still

BY CHELSEA BOOZERNews Reporter

BY ERICA HORTONNews Reporter

Nocturnal admissions

Student Government Association presidential candidate Hunter Lang campaigns in the UC on Wednesday in an attempt to secure potential votes from still-undecided — or uninterested — students.

by B

rian

Wils

on

UM professor, student to receive awards at upcoming ceremony

University of Memphis faculty member Vivian Gunn Morris will receive the Dr. Martin Luther King Human Rights Award on April 2 at a 2 p.m. ceremony in the University Center Theatre.

Tishira Smith, senior African and African-American Studies major, will also receive a

Dr. Martin Luther King Scholarship at the cere-mony, which is free and open to the public.

Morris, assistant dean for faculty and staff development at the College of Education and a professor in the col-lege, has received many awards for research in the educational advances for children of color and has published books and articles on the topic.

Smith, a graduate of Ridgeway High School, is a member of Black Scholars, Positive Assertive United Sisters of Excellence and Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. She is also a volunteer at the Lester Community Center and a tutor for the Memphis Literary Corps.

“I feel humbled and fortunate to be in a posi-tion as a college-educat-ed, African-American woman to give back and to be an example to those who see me,” Smith said. “Serving the community also reminds me why it is critical to continue pursing my education so that I can be an even more active advocate in the community.”

Hope Smith, assistant director of interdisci-plinary studies, said she hopes the ceremony “will inspire others to follow in Dr. King’s footsteps.”

BY MELISSA WRAYNews Reporter

SGA political party accused of improper campaigning for second year in a row

see SGA, page 7

Morris

Smith

Achievement

MC

T

see Sleep, page 7

All-night studying crucial for many students

www.dailyhelmsman.com2 • Thursday, March 31, 2011

Across1 *One way to reach a superhero9 Blind slat15 Concurred about16 Lower, for now17 Ogled18 Skinned19 One of two O.T. books20 When Donne is done for the day?21 Genesis outcast22 Go by23 *2008 Republican hopeful27 Focus of some trips28 Justice Sotomayor29 Unsatisfactory marks?30 Explain32 Fiona, after Shrek’s kiss34 *Roll-fed toy36 Fertilizer component39 “I can’t explain it”43 Imitated44 Old 51-Across devices45 “The Simpsons” shopkeeper46 *Musical about rock’s 4 Seasons49 Benjamin et al.: Abbr.50 Give pieces to51 Trial site, perhaps52 Jai __53 “The Executioner’s Song” Pulitzer winner55 Burlesque act59 Show up60 Some feelers61 Viewed to be62 Its season starts today; its equipment starts the starred answers

Down1 __ masqué: dance with costumes2 A good while back3 Crime of betrayal4 Stylish waves5 Cad

6 “How peculiar”7 Tishby of “The Island”8 Head M.D.?9 Horse warming up, say10 Bridge opener, briefly11 Take for a chump12 Chemical bonding number13 Winning numbers14 Flights that often span two days20 LAX posting22 Chest ripple23 Transform eerily, in sci-fi24 __ to one’s neck25 Link with26 Donald’s second ex28 Coming and going spots: Abbr.31 Carloads32 Others, in Oaxaca

33 Proceeds35 Sharp competitor36 Hefner garb37 Work38 Unhappy home inspection find40 African plain41 Like some film effects42 Sorority letters44 Flow back47 “The Vampire Diaries” hero-ine Gilbert48 Play places49 Secondary strategy52 Chick chaser?54 Quarterback Dawson55 “Super!”56 Actress Gasteyer57 Some Windows systems58 Epitome of slipperiness

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Volume 78 Number 101

Solutions on page 8

Complete the grid so that each row, column and 3—by—3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9.

Sudoku

TIGER BABBLEthoughts that give you paws

“Magic tricks in the UC!”— @hopeapotomus

“Hungry — but not enough dining dollars to eat on campus. Easy mac it is.”

— @joshuaparker1

“I became mayor of the College of Communication and Fine Arts on foursquare, and still no degree. Be-ing a civil servant is tough.”

— @raquelhinson

“Thanks, Career Fair — I had an excuse to skip class!”

— @tardis_lizard

Tell us what gives you paws. Send us your thoughts on Twitter

@dailyhelmsman or #tigerbabble. Or post on our Facebook wall at

facebook.com/dailyhelmsman.

YOU REALLY LIKE US!Yesterday’s Top-Read Stories

on the Web1. Pastner begins search for new assistant

by John Martin

2. GOP looks to slash Pell Grant fundingby Erica Horton

3. Study: sexual orientation a 2-way streetby Erica Horton

4. SGA candidates bicker, sidestep issuesby Chelsea Boozer

5. Lang campaign violates UM policyby Erica Horton

Send us a letter

Have opinions? Care to share?

dailyhelmsman@gmail.com

In the March 29 article “Candidates bicker, sidestep issues at SGA forum,” we should have stated that Ben Giannini, senatorial candidate for the College of Arts and Sciences, said he sought improved communication between the CAS dean and the student body and alumni.

CORRECTION

The University of Memphis Thursday, March 31, 2011 • 3

TONIGHTMiss India America

6 p.m. UC Theatre

Coming UpTomorrow, 4/1

Friday Film Series“Waiting for Superman”

7 p.m.UC Theatre

Student Profile

A former editor at a small Kentucky newspaper, Melanie George said she’s always had a heart for telling the stories of people in dire circumstances.

But the story she’s telling lately is her own. George, a publishing graduate student at The University of Memphis, is a survivor of colon cancer.

“(U of M organization) Up ‘til Dawn has this ‘it’s for the kids’ motto, but when it’s for you, it is real,” George said. “I tell my story for advoca-cy because colon cancer is 90 per-cent preventable.”

March is national colorec-tal cancer awareness month. According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal can-cer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States and is expected to cause 49,830 deaths in 2011. Screening for early detection has helped save more than a million colorectal cancer survivors.

In March 2008, a doctor diagnosed George with a rare form of colon and appendix cancer.

“He sounded as if I was going to be dumped or fired,” George said of learning about her cancer. “After he told me, I felt like I had been hit by an 18-wheeler.”

George said she never

would have known she had cancer if she hadn’t gotten a second opinion about excru-ciating pains in her side. The first doctor she saw told her nothing was wrong.

George’s pains were caused by a ruptured appendix and several malignant tumors.

“I hadn’t ever heard of (peo-ple in their 20s) getting can-cer,” she said. “It wasn’t as if I had a baby, and my lifestyle changed. Cancer affects me, not just a lifestyle.”

In her undergraduate years as a journalism major at The U of M, George participated in SGA for four years, assist-ed with the organization of the first homecoming and was even a member of the home-coming court.

Just before her diagnosis, she recently had an article published internationally and received a promotion to fea-ture editor at Kentucky New Era, a newspaper located near Fort Campbell, Ky.

Today, she deals with the harsh reality of her illness.

Over the last three years, George has accumulated half a million dollars in medical bills that are tidily tucked away in a stack of hefty binders.

Thirty percent of George’s colon and her entire appendix were surgically removed in an attempt to stop the cancer’s spread.

To supplement the missing organs, she takes prescriptions to curtail nausea and aid food digestion on a daily basis.

“I have taken so many nar-cotics, opiates and (other med-ications) that my eyes are dark and darting,” she said.

When someone mentions chemotherapy, it sends chills

on her arms and brings tears to her eyes. She has photographs of the bruises that decorate her arms like painted polka dots from having blood withdrawn. Medication and

the effects of cancer have also caused her to gain weight.

George said she has an excellent relationship with her team of doctors, considering the extensive amount of time she spends with them in test-ing, checkups and treatments.

Journalism professor Rick Fischer has taught George in both undergraduate and grad-uate studies and said the dif-ferences in her situation then and now are quite apparent.

Fischer, whose brother died from lymphoma, said George is just like any other student, but now she must deal with her cancer and still anticipate possible problems it might cause.

Just last week, George was hospitalized for a week after blacking out in the Edward J. Meeman Journalism Building.

George said she relies on the support of her family and her best friend to help her through the realities of the disease.

“When you find out your child has cancer, it takes your breath away,” George’s moth-er Diane said. “Fighting with everything to win over the cancer keeps you going.”

Melanie George has dedicat-

ed much of her time to spread-ing awareness about colon cancer.

She is currently a substi-tute teacher for special edu-cation students at Southwind Elementary and the publicity chair for the American Cancer Society of Collierville’s Relay for Life.

“Last year, I guess I was Collierville’s most loveable cancer patient,” George said in the midst of a knee-slapping laugh.

In 2010, Collierville named George honorary chairman of the race.

After receiving her master’s degree, she plans to work at a publishing house in New York but must continue her course of treatment until 2018.

“I am Melanie first, who

just happens to be a cancer patient,” George said.

For information about scheduling a screening, con-sult your physician.

To learn more about colorec-tal cancer, visit the American Cancer Society’s website at cancer.org.

Graduate student formerly accustomed to telling stories of struggle now lives her ownBY HANNAH C. OWENGANews Reporter

“I tell my story for advocacy because colon cancer is 90

percent preventable.” — Melanie George

Publishing graduate student

Early detection is the word, but so is bird. Follow us!

@DailyHelmsman@HelmsmanSports

www.dailyhelmsman.com4 • Thursday, March 31, 2011

The Bush administra-tion was so intent on keeping Guantanamo detainees off U.S. soil and away from U.S. courts that it secretly tried to negoti-ate deals with Latin American countries to provide “life-sav-ing” medical procedures rather than fly ill terrorist suspects to the U.S. for treatment, a recently released State Department cable shows.

The U.S. offered to trans-port, guard and pay for medi-cal procedures for any captive the Pentagon couldn’t treat at the U.S. Navy base in southeast Cuba, according to the cable, which was made public by the WikiLeaks website. One by one, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Panama and Mexico declined.

The secret effort is spelled out in a Sept. 17, 2007, cable from Thomas Shannon, who was then assistant secretary of state to the U.S. embassies in those four countries. Shannon is now the U.S. ambassador in Brazil.

At the time, the Defense Department was holding about 330 captives at Guantanamo, not quite twice the number that are there today. They included alleged Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two other men whom the CIA waterboarded at its secret pris-

on sites.The cable, which was post-

ed on the WikiLeaks website March 14, draws back the cur-tain on contingency planning at Guantanamo, but also con-tradicts something the prison camp’s hospital staff has been telling visitors for years — that the U.S. can dispatch any spe-cialist necessary to make sure the captives in Cuba get first-class treatment.

“Detainees receive state-of-the-art medical care at Guantanamo for routine, and many non-routine, medical problems. There are, however, limits to the care that DOD can provide at Guantanamo,” Shannon said in the cable, referring to the Department of Defense.

The cable didn’t give exam-ples of those limits. But it sought partner countries to commit to a “standby arrangement” to pro-vide “life-saving procedures” on a “humanitarian basis.”

It’s unclear what prompted the effort. The cable said then-Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte had approved mak-ing the request at the behest of then-Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England, who at the time oversaw Guantanamo operations.

Negroponte said Wednesday that he had “no recollection” of the request but that it would have been unrealistic to expect

the Latin American nations to agree to it “because anything to do with Guantanamo was always so politically controver-sial for any of these countries.” England didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Earlier that year, a captive had managed to commit suicide, according to the military, inside a maximum-security lockup. Two medical emergencies also tested Guantanamo’s services in 2006: Two captives overdosed on other prisoners’ drugs they’d secretly hoarded, and then three men were found hanged in their common cellblock before dawn one Saturday.

In 2007, lawyers for Guantanamo’s eldest detainee, former U.S. resident Saifullah Paracha, who Pentagon officials said was a key al-Qaida insider, also challenged the military’s plans to conduct a heart cathe-terization procedure at the base.

Paracha, now 63 and still suf-fering from a chronic heart con-dition, wanted to be taken to the U.S. or his native Pakistan for the catheterization. He refused to undergo the procedure at the base, even after the Pentagon airlifted a surgical suite and special equipment to the base to undertake the procedure.

The U.S. Supreme Court refused to consider Paracha’s request that he be brought to a U.S. hospital rather than have the experts brought to him.

UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHISOPEN AND SCHOLASTICCHESS CHAMPIONSHIP

SUNDAY, APRIL 3THE UNIVERSITY CENTER

O T4/SS – G/60

2 Sections: Open & Reserve (U1600)On-site Registration 9 – 9:30 a.m.

Round 1 @ 9:30 a.m.Round 2 @ Noon

Rounds 3 & 4 as soon as possible

Championship Plaques & Titlesto winners in each section

Cash Prizes to Top 2 in each divisionTop U1800 in Open & U1400 in Reserve

Half of all entry fees returned as prizes

Entry Fee: $20 in advance • $25 on site

S T4/SS – G/30

Rated Scholastic Sections:K-3, K-6 & K-12

Unrated Scholastic Section: K-12On-site Registration 12:15 – 12:45 p.m.

Round 1 @ 1 p.m.Rounds 2 – 4 as soon as possible

Title to Winner in each sectionTrophies to Top 3 in each sectionMedals awarded to 4th – 10th

Ribbons to all participants

Entry Fee: $10 in advance • $15 on site

For Advance Registrationgo to: cajunchess.com

Questions?Call 276-4663

NationalSaifullah Paracha, shown posing for an International Committee of the Red Cross delegate at Guantanamo, has balked at having a medical pro-cedure done on his heart at the U.S. Navy base in Guantanamo. Paracha, a for-mer New York resident, was a wealthy Pakistan-based business-man at the time of his 2003 cap-ture in Bangkok, Thailand, and is held on allega-tions he was a key al Qaeda insider.

MCT

Bush administration sought foreign medical treatment for Guantanamo detaineesBY CAROL ROSENBERGMcClatchy Newspapers

Hot Dog!Gabriela Oti, junior chemistry major, relishes the opportunity to patrol campus in a hot dog out-fit Wednesday afternoon to promote the Catholic Student Organization’s hot dog sale. Lent isn’t the wurst way to break a bad habit, so she tried to ketchup to students around The U of M to encourage them to mustard up the courage to exer-cise their faith. Though some may not have found her style kosher, all agreed those were some hot buns.

by Brian Wilson

The University of Memphis Thursday, March 31, 2011 • 5

Join the Nonprofit Leaders Student Associationin

Bringing a Change For Teenage Parents

Benefitting The Exchange Club Family Center’sFirst STEPS Program

(Skills To Ensure Parenting Success)

Bring baby diapers or wipes to one of these drop-off locations

NOW thru April 1

• Ned McWherter Library Rotunda• McCord Hall, Room 123

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 RideTuesday, April 5

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

Entertainment

When high school seniors think about earning class credit in college, they prob-ably don’t imagine them-selves traveling across Ten-nessee performing pop hits by the likes of Lady Gaga.

But for the members of University of Memphis mu-sic ensemble Sound Fuzion, that scenario is their reality.

“It’s a feel-good, have-a-great-time kind of show,” said Larry Edwards, direc-tor of both The University of Memphis Choral Program and Sound Fuzion.

Formed in 1989, Sound Fuzion consists of 15 stu-dents — eight singers, five instrumentalists and two sound engineers.

During the academic year, the group piles into vans to

travel the state and perform at high schools, corporate functions and University-s p o n s o r e d events, as well as being part of the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music’s an-nual concert se-ries.

“We prob-ably do at least a dozen (per-formances) each semester, mostly high schools,” Ed-wards said.

Sound Fuzion is a posi-tive representative for The University of Memphis and the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music, said Carol Morse, marketing and communica-tions manager for the school. She said the group has grown to achieve regional recogni-tion for a professional and

dynamic style all its own.Last fall, Sound Fuzion

performed at The U of M’s

Campus Day, when high school seniors from around the region visited The Uni-versity to receive infor-mation about admissions, residence life, student or-ganizations, academic pro-grams, scholarships and fi-nancial aid.

“(Sound Fuzion) is a fresh face and a young face that relates well to high school students when we recruit new students to the univer-sity,” Morse said.

She said high school stu-dents who have seen Sound Fuzion perform at their schools or in their commu-nities often contact the ad-missions office in the music school.

Typically 50 to 60 incom-ing freshmen audition for Sound Fuzion each spring, Edwards said. Auditions, which will be held April 12, are open to any full-time un-dergraduate student at The U of M.

Edwards said the audi-tions are similar to those on “American Idol.”

All members of Sound Fuzion receive full-tuition scholarships and earn one

undergraduate credit per se-mester.

Sound Fuzi-on membership is a yearlong c o m m i t m e n t , and the group practices eight hours a week, plus travel and

performances. Sound Fuzion will per-

form at Harris Concert Hall in the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music at 7:30 tonight. The performance will feature classic and contemporary

hits. “This year’s show consists

of mostly new age stuff and some classics,” said Landon Rodgers, sophomore crimi-nology major and one of eight vocalists in Sound Fuzion. “There’s some Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Carrie Underwood, Usher and Allman Brothers, just to name a few.”

Tickets are $8 for general admission, $5 for non-U of M students and seniors, and free to U of M students, faculty and staff with ID. Tickets go on sale one hour before the show at the Har-ris Concert Hall box office, located in the lobby of the music building.

Members of Sound Fuzion rehearse Wednesday afternoon for their upcoming performance. They will be performing tonight at Harris Concert Hall in the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music at 7:30 p.m.

by B

rian

Wils

on

the great State of ConfuzionBY MICHELLE CORBETNews Reporter

“Sound Fuzion is a fresh face and a young face that relates well to high school

students when we recruit new students to the university.”

— Carol MorseMarketing/communications

manager for Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music

by B

rian

Wils

on

Make sure that little bird in our ear is you.

Send us your thoughts @dailyhelmsman.

University of Memphis traveling musical act performs pop hits from past and present tonight

www.dailyhelmsman.com6 • Thursday, March 31, 2011

Entertainment

There may be some cut-backs coming to the advertis-ing agency of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.

The companies behind the critically acclaimed drama “Mad Men” — cable network AMC and producer Lionsgate — are battling with Matt Weiner, the show’s Emmy Award-winning creator over a new contract and budget cuts, which would include trim-ming the large ensemble cast.

If Weiner does not agree to a new deal, AMC and Lionsgate have signaled they are pre-pared to continue to produce “Mad Men” without him. Lionsgate has an agreement in place with AMC for a fifth season with or without Weiner, whose contract expired after the fourth season ended last fall.

Dropping Weiner would be tantamount to blasphemy to the show’s incredibly devoted, but relatively small, audience. Like his mentor David Chase of “The Sopranos,” Weiner closely supervises the writing of every episode and is known for obsessing over the details of “Mad Men,” which uses the Lucky Strike-smoking, sec-retary-leering, four-martini-lunch lifestyles of Manhattan ad men as a lens into the cul-ture of the 1960s at large.

The stalled talks mean that the show, which usually starts its 13-episode run in the sum-mer, now won’t air its fifth season until early 2012. People close to the show think March is the earliest it could be back on the air.

Although “Mad Men” has modest ratings — last season it averaged 3.2 million view-ers — and is not even AMC’s most-watched show (“The Walking Dead” has that dis-tinction), it put the network on the map and fired it into the cultural zeitgeist.

When critics talk about the new golden age of television, “Mad Men” is often the first show they cite as an example. Since it debuted in 2007, the show has won 13 Emmys and four Golden Globes and was the first basic cable series to win the Emmy for outstand-ing drama series, an honor it received in 2008, 2009, and 2010. Set in the early 1960s, chroni-cling the upheaval between McCarthy-era conformism and the countercultural revolu-tion to come, “Mad Men” has been praised for bringing new depth to the secret lives of sec-retaries, boardroom flacks and housewives.

For the show to remain under Weiner, he will have to agree to a three-year pact worth about $30 million, according to people close to all the parties involved in the negotiations who declined to be identified due to the sensi-tive nature of the talks. At that figure, Weiner would become one of the highest-paid pro-ducers in television.

Weiner, through his spokes-man, declined to comment.

One of the major sticking points concerns the number of commercials in each episode. Currently, AMC pays about $3 million to Lionsgate for each episode of the show. To cover the rising costs of airing “Mad Men,” the network has indi-cated it wants to add more commercials, which would obviously cut into the show’s length.

Another obstacle in the negotiations are the use of so-

called product placement and product integration in the pro-gram. The network would like to see more of them as a means of generating additional rev-enue. And certain to prompt outrage among fans, up to six members of the cast may be axed from the show in a cost-cutting move over the next three seasons, a person close to the show said.

For his part, Weiner has been extremely protective of the show and in the past has fought efforts to bump up com-

mercial time on his show. Two years ago, AMC compromised with Weiner and added more commercials without trimming the program length.

Relations between Weiner, AMC and Lionsgate have over the years frequently been less than harmonious. In the current tumult, it’s unclear though when Weiner was first approached to discuss a new deal for a fifth season. People close to him say he was only recently asked about renew-ing his deal, while those in the

Lionsgate and AMC camps say they’ve been trying to com-plete this for almost a year.

As for the cast, Weiner has cut characters before. For instance, a very popular closet-ed gay character, Sal Romano, who was portrayed by Bryan Batt, was dropped from the show after Season 3. But that decision was Weiner ’s, and — according to people close to Weiner — the show run-ner would regard being forced to shed actors as interference with the creative process.

Talks stall between ‘Mad Men’ creator and AMC, LionsgateBY JOE FLINT AND MELISSA MAERZLos Angeles Times

MC

T

The University of Memphis Thursday, March 31, 2011 • 7

It would appear to be one heck of a public relations challenge: Persuade the Australian public to care about a seldom-seen ani-mal the size of a cocker spaniel, beady-eyed, standoffish and fond of displaying a mouthful of pointy teeth. Picture a skunk, with the jaws of an alligator and the charm of a weasel.

From a marketing standpoint, the Tasmanian devil is no koala.

But the pugnacious carni-vore needs help. Scientists across Australia are working to untangle the genetic puzzle behind a fatal disease decimating the world’s largest carnivorous marsupial. The affliction is straight out of a sci-fi movie: Tumors sprout around the devil’s mouth, quickly morphing into bulbous red pustules that take over the animal’s entire face, leav-ing it unable to eat or drink.

Alarmed by the threat to a spe-cies already in danger of extinc-tion, wildlife biologists here began tracking the disease 15 years ago. Early on, the scientists identified how it spread: through facial bites when devils fight or mate. The disease had all the characteristics of a virus. But last year geneticists made a sobering discovery: Devil facial tumor disease was no virus, but a highly infectious cancer — one of only three communicable cancers known to medicine.

That breakthrough piqued the interest of scientists. Though researchers say it is unlikely

that humans could become infected with DFTD, the knowl-edge gleaned in research across Australia could prove invalu-able should an infectious cancer appear among people.

The name Tasmanian devil conjures up images of the Looney Tunes character, a slightly daft and clumsy creature that does little more than whirl and slobber.

Yet, in ways that surprise even themselves, Australians are ral-lying around this nasty, screech-ing beast that once was the most reviled animal in the country.

Even if relatively few Australians have taken the time to see a Tasmanian devil at a zoo, and even fewer have spied one in the bush, they are getting the message: It may be a devil, but it’s our devil.

They’re “a little Aussie fighter,” suggested Kathy Belov, a molecu-lar geneticist at the University of Sydney working to save the mar-supial. “There’s something really adorable about little devils.”

Wildlife stewards in Australia’s island state of Tasmania have at least one biological crime to atone for: Conservationists worldwide haven’t forgiven officials here for allowing the world’s last remain-ing thylacine — the Tasmanian tiger — to die in a concrete cell in Hobart Zoo in 1936.

Wildlife officials have created a “Devil Ark,” dispatching small groups of uninfected devils to zoos and sanctuaries around the state and mainland to establish an insurance population and stave off extinction. Researchers believe

without this massive intervention, wild devils could be gone in five years. 90 percent of the known Tasmanian devil population is lost.

“No one, politicians to sci-entists, wants to lose the devil on their watch,” Belov said. “Everyone is really desperate to make sure it doesn’t happen.”

Greg Irons strode briskly past the low-walled enclosures at the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, trailing a ragtag parade: Grandpa, the elderly kangaroo he picked up on the way out of the front office; Mavis, the plump wombat, who insisted on being carried; and young Sam, here with his father to look at a real Tasmanian devil.

“Wicked! That’s awesome,” the boy yelled as four devils amble around. “Dad! Get a picture!”

Irons, director of the wildlife sanctuary carved into a hillside north of Hobart, is raising 16 dev-ils in quarantine free from cancer. The goal is to prepare them to become part of Australia’s insur-ance population, living in wildlife sanctuaries. Bonorong is one of the few facilities in the country where devils can be observed up close.

It was the screaming in the dark bush land that doomed the marsu-pial, which has been on the most-wanted list for almost as long as it has been known. European settlers in the 19th century heard the dev-il’s signature shrieks and saddled the animal with its unsympathetic name. Bounty hunters captured and poisoned the devils, natural scavengers, into near-extinction in the erroneous belief that they were

attacking livestock.Devils are hardly finicky eat-

ers — anything dead or rotting will do. Irons dangled an unrec-ognizable road kill animal into a pen, setting off a free-for-all. With a chorus of coughs, snorts and hissing, four hungry devils each chomped onto a body part and set off in different directions, making off with a hunk of fur, bone and meat. Their pink ears turned a vivid red, signaling, in this instance, excitement.

Tasmanian devils possess the most powerful jaws of any mam-mal in the world, capable of apply-ing a ton of pressure per cubic foot. Their jaws crank open beyond 90 degrees. Their sharp front teeth are designed for ripping and their broad back teeth snap through

bones with ease. Those oversized jaw muscles come with a tradeoff — inside their large heads reside tiny brains.

Generally, when animal research commands significant governmen-tal funding, it’s a good bet there’s something in it for humans. In this case, the devil’s contribution to mankind is a rare opportunity to track the feints and machinations of a clever, transmissible cancer.

Researchers are amazed at the facial tumor’s ability to propagate. It is evolving, with more than a dozen mutations identified so far. Since the disease is parasitic and requires a live animal for trans-mission, geneticists speculate the mutations are a sign the cancer is evolving to coexist with its host, not kill it.

World

some (improperly displayed),” LaRocca said. “There is at least grounds for the hearing. It is not my job to place judgment. I just make recommendations and give evidence.”

DeWitt said he filed the griev-ance because he and Lang had previously met with SGA’s advi-sor, Dean of Students Stephen Petersen, and LaRocca to discuss the election laws. He said they were told several times how to place campaign materials prop-erly. They were also informed of University policy on the matter, DeWitt said.

When he came to campus Tuesday morning and saw more flyers illegally posted outside two of the engineering buildings, he decided to move forward with filing the infraction, he said.

Lang said he received permis-sion from the dean of the Herff College of Engineering to post the flyers in the building and said he did not post some of the mate-rials deemed improperly placed.

SGAfrom page 1

mercials when you want a break.”Leslie Turner, sophomore psy-

chology major, said the keys to her late-night cram sessions are “Disney movies and juice.”

“Juice keeps me awake. Any kind — grape for instance,” she said. “With Disney movies, I already know what happened, so

it’s just noise that’s there to keep me conscious.”

Nathan Hanks, undecided sophomore and Dylan’s brother, said he and his friends used to pull all-nighters studying together. He said they made a pact, “no sleep ‘til Conley” — the name of their former English professor — to help each other stay awake until after Conley’s 9 a.m. class.

Nathan said other times when he’s stayed up studying with

friends, they have trekked to a Steak ‘n Shake for some late-night grub.

“A Steak ‘n Shake run can help you between the 2:30-5:30 a.m. hours,” he said.

Nathan said the latest he has stayed up was 11 a.m. — but not to study for an exam.

“I was playing World of Warcraft,” he said.

Jake Cole, sophomore anthro-pology major, said his usual bed-time is around 4 a.m. Nathan

Hanks said he averages 3 a.m., while his brother said he doesn’t have a set time.

“I just have a reservoir of (sleep) time to be filled,” Dylan said.

He said, for instance, if he tells himself he wants 30 total hours of sleep in a week, he doesn’t have to get an even number of hours of rest each night, as long as he gets the full 30 hours by the end of the week.

“So, say I sleep two hours one day, two hours another, and then

cram 19 hours in another one,” he said. “As long as the reservoir is filled, I’m fine by the end of the week.”

Cole said that studying around friends can actually be a problem for him.

“The key to staying up and studying is to go to the library or the University Center, where there’s nothing fun to do,” he said. “Or somewhere you would be ashamed to fall asleep.”

Sleepfrom page 1

Tasmanian devils are being raised in quarantine at the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary in Hobart, Tasmania.

MC

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Australia tackles a devil of a problemBY JULIE CARTLos Angeles Times

www.dailyhelmsman.com8 • Thursday, March 31, 2011

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Sports in Brief

Solutions

University of Memphis senior forward Will Coleman will don a Tiger jersey one last time.

Coleman, the Tigers’ only senior, will compete in the Denny’s Slam Dunk Championship, held exclusive-ly for upperclassmen.

The dunk contest is part of the 23rd annual State Farm Slam Dunk and Three-Point Championships, which are held prior to the NCAA men’s Final Four each year. This year ’s competition will be held at Hofheinz Pavilion on the University of Houston campus.

Coleman will compete for the title with seven other seniors: Pittsburgh’s Gilbert Brown, St. John’s Justin Burrell, East Tennessee State’s Justin Tubbs, Illinois College’s Jacob Tucker, San Diego State’s Billy

White, Cincinnati’s Darnell Wilks and UNC-Asheville’s John Williams.

The contest will be judged by NBA Hall of Famers Karl Malone and Calvin Murphy, Courtney Lee and Chuck Hayes of the Houston Rockets, and DeMeco Ryans of the Houston Texans.

Coleman, who will graduate in May with a degree in inter-disciplinary studies, averaged 7.2 points and 5.3 rebounds in two years at The U of M. The 6-foot-9 forward had five career double-doubles and set the Memphis career field goal per-centage record at 63.5 percent.

Coleman was part of two Tiger teams that went a com-bined 49-20 and made two postseason appearances in the 2010 National Invitational Tournament and the 2011 NCAA Tournament.

The contest begins tonight at 8 p.m. and will be nationally televised on ESPN2.

Coleman to compete in Denny’s dunk contestBY SCOTT HALLSports Reporter

The University of Memphis men’s tennis team picked up its 10th win of the season in a 5-2 victory over Conference USA foe Southern Miss on Saturday.

The Tigers began the match-up 2-0, as Southern Miss did not submit a complete lineup. The Golden Eagles played only five players and lost the No. 3 doubles and No. 6 sin-gles positions by forfeit.

Freshman Cedric de Zutter

dominated USM freshman Michael Sims 6-0, 6-0, to improve to 7-1 in singles play this season. Freshman Johnny Grimal took down Paulo Alvarado, 7-5, 6-2, and red-shirt junior Leon Nasemann clinched the match with a 6-0, 6-2 defeat of Jovan Zeljkovic. Nasemann leads the team with 11 singles victories this season.

Memphis swept both dou-bles matches to clinch the doubles point, as duos Joe Salisbury and David O’Hare, along with Leon Nasemann and John Taylor, both won 8-3.

Southern Miss recorded its two singles victories at the top two seeds. Julien Roussel defeated O’Hare 7-5, 6-4 at the No. 1 slot, and Jan Burmeister took down Salisbury at the No. 2 spot, 6-3, 6-4.

The U of M (10-7, 3-3 C-USA) will travel to Murfreesboro, Tenn., to play in the Sunbelt Shootout, host-ed by Middle Tennessee State University. The Tigers will play two matches Saturday and one Sunday. Match times and opponents have not yet been released.

Tennis captures 10th victory of seasonBY SCOTT HALLSports Reporter

Will Coleman, shown here preparing for the dunk contest at Memphis Madness last October, will participate in the Denny’s Slam Dunk Championship tonight. The event is exclusive to NCAA seniors.

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