Wage IOA- ,m;ivio. ngan uaily --Thursday, September 44, 19 U' lobbyists politick for money By PHILIP LEVY iLast year, an animal rights group decided to push legislation barring the use of pound animals in research in Michigan. If passed, the University Wiuld have had to specially breed animals at an estimated cost of $300 to $400 per animal. Even before the issue was presen- ted to the legislature, University lob- byists were involved. 'First, said Richard Kennedy, the University's Vice President for Gavernment Relations and its chief lobbyist in Lansing, "We worked with the animal rights people to come to an understanding. We tried to help them uaderstand the impact on University reearch." Animal rights groups, however, were not deterred. The University then shifted its at-, terition to the legislature. Officials: from Kennedy's office testified in: Senate hearings, and conducted a. "general education campaign about animals in University research," Kennedy said. This included giving legislators tours of the University's animal facilities. The bill in now stalled. Dependent on government The University is greatly affected by government regulations and heavily dependent on state and federal funding. The state, for exam- ple, contributes roughly half the University's general operating budget through its yearly appropriations. Kennedy's office helps draft the University's budget request to the state in the fall, and spends most of its time lobbying state legislators until the state's budget is passed late in the summer. A couple of months later, the process begins again. Kathy Wilbur, an aide to Sen. William Sederburg (R-East Lansing), chair of the Senate's higher education committee, says she talks to Univer- sity lobbyists practically every day. In addition to the budget bill, Ken- nedy estimates that there were two to three hundred state bills that could have an impact on the University last year. For example, Rep. Perry Bullard (D-Ann Arbor) introduced legislation last year that would bar the University from implementing a code of nonacademic student conduct. The bill, however, was put on the backburner. Federal lobbying Kennedy's office also deals with federal government. Although the University does not have an office in Washington D.C., the University's federal lob6yist, Thomas Butts, often commutes back and forth from the nation's capitol. Much of Butts' work deals with lob- bying against financial aid cutbacks proposed by the Reagan ad- ministration. He also deals with such issues as the tax reform bill which could hurt private contributions to the University. "They're sort of an intelligence network for us," said Tom Wolanin, an aide for Congressman William Ford (D-Michigan), chair of the House of Representatives' subcom- mittee on higher education. Researchers and University Hospital officials also deal regularly with government. Linda Wilson, the University's vice president for research, and her staff work to procure research funds for the University. And like any other hospital, the University Hospital receives money from Medicare and Medicaid funding. They've worked in the last year to fight cuts in the programs. University President Harold Shapiro, is a valuable assest for the University's lobbying, said Wolanin of Congressman Ford's office. Shapiro, a notes economist, is often called on to make economic forecasts. Students have also participated in lobbying. Then-Michigan Student Assembly President Paul Josephson testified last year in budget hearings at both the state and federal level. Kennedy sums up the role of University lobbyists, saying "What you're really trying to do is maximize the resources made available at the University in the financial sense and minimize negative contact in regulatory matters." ;rr a C 0 .1 'U'faces budget woes; tuition carries burden By PHILIP LEVY and KERY MURAKAMI One thing is sure every fall. Tuition goes up. But just how much it goes up, and how much more out-of-state students pay than in-state students is one of the issues the University's leaders dwell over every year in making up their budget. ,,Fart of the problem, University officials say, is that the state never gives them enough to meet the University's needs. Since the state contributes hdf the University's budget, and tuition accounts for much of the other half, students often end up making up much of the .shortfall. But politics plays a role. Michigan voters who pay in-state tuition elect Michigan legislators and Michigan Governor James Blanchard. As a result, the Governor has threatened two of the last three yars to veto the legislature's higher education budget unless the state's public universities freeze ir-state tuition. This year, Blanchard is only asking that Michigan tuition not be raised higher than 4.3 percent. "It's their job (the University's executives) to make sure sufficient resources are made available to ensure a quality education. Our position is that the resources are already made available (through state funds). The taxpayers dan't need to pay twice (through taxes and through tuition)." University officials, however, disagree. They say the state falls far short of meeting its needs. This year, the legislature gave $15 million more than last year, but $12 million less than the University said it needed to break even." To satisfy the Governor, while meeting its need- s, the University raised tuition for out-of-staters by eight percent. Non-Michigan residents already pay more than twice as much as Michigan residents. Raise limits However, University officials realize they can raise out-of-state tuition only so much. At $9,000 per year, out-of-state tuition is rapidly nearing that of private universities. Two years ago, for example, University of- ficials planned to raise in-state tuition by six per- cent and out-of-state tuition by eight percent. Af- ter the University bowed to state pressure and froze in-state tuition, the administrators decided to run a $1.9 million deficit and delay $300,000 in building renovations they planned to make . The renovations are part of a backlog in renovations, University officials say, built up during the state's financial crisis of the late-1970 and early-1980s. During that time, the state's con- tribution to the University fell from 50 percent of the budget in 1979 to 47.5 percent in 1983. Tuition received double-digit increases as a result. In addition to such things as leaky roofs, University officials say, teaching labs in areas like the natural science are using outdated equipment. Pay increases Money is also needed to make up for faculty pay increasses that were deferred when the Univer- sity could not afford them. According to Univer- sity President Harold Shapiro, University faculty made as much as faculty at private univer- sities-like Harvard, and M.I.T.,-ten years ago, but now make eight percent less. Also ten years ago, University faculty made seven percent more than faculty at "peer" public universities such as Ohio State University, but now make only two percent more. In addition to falling $12 million short of paying for the University's rising costs, the state also refused $9 million more to help meet the backlog. University officials have said they can't expect the state to meet this backlog, in. addition to meeting rising costs. Such measure as internal reallocations, they say, are necessary. However, it is not clear whether reallocatons will be as extensive as the "five year plan," which redirected $200 million from "lower priority" areas as the schools of education, art, and natural resources to such "higher priority areas" as in- creasing pay for engineering faculty. The School of Education, for example, was cut by 40 percent, and all the schools were forced to cut back frastically in the programs it offers. Daily Photo by ANDI SCHREIBER Almost free We're not sure what this graduating senior is doing at his commencement last May. Is he reflecting on his educational experiences at the Univer- sity? Or is he reliving thrilling lectures in Angell Hall? Or is he merely asleep? k Compuater'sinvade 1. campus community AY' t~ By MARY CHRIS JAKLEVIC If you hate computers, you're at the wrong University. Computers have been standard in the University's business and engineering schools for several years, but now nearly every department in the University uses them. Even instuctors in such unlikely departments as English, political science, dance, and . Hebrew have found uses for computers. For exam- ple, political science students have played world political simulation games with computers, and dance students have used them to choreograph routines. More and more students are also using computers to write papers. Increasing accessibility As a result, the University has em- barked on a three-year plan to make computers accessible to everyone on campus. Over the last year, the num- ber of work stations clustered in com- puting centers around campus has in- creased three-fold. The computers are open to students and faculty for everything from analyzing data to writing love letters. Since the plan began last fall, the number of computing centers - which had been mainly limited to the ~J~-I a sa siyies. ege oiiege c r Ned G a Ne srt g°0 Gc°CCa i ar Psi e'Peseoc A\i etQaaNea aid edgy ° gCeat ie y001 90. C"o a o o s ,o Ned PC a aie se\e it ,led\ Eves ' Phone 764-0558 Michigan Union and the Un- dergraduate Library on central cam- pus - has increased from eight to fif# teen. Several more will be installed this summer, including in the dorms. By the time the plan is completed in 1988, there will be 1,700 workstations. available. Computers where students live w Behind this enormous project , Vice Provost for Informatiop Technology Douglas Van Houweling. He was hired two years ago to keep the University technologically on par with top private universities, which often require students to buy personal computers. Part of making com- puters accessible is putting theca where students live, he said. Vgp Houweling envisions enough clusters of, computers in the dorms so that students can "go to them in their pajamas. "My goal is to get one workstatign for every 15 students, and I think we're going to achieve that," he said. In addition, Van Houweling's office is negotiating with sororities, frate nities, and co-ops to install computers in their houses off-campus. City of the future "We talk about making this the university of the future, but we need to make Ann Arbor the city of the future because so many of the student ts and faculty don't live on campus" Van Houweling said. Students and faculty can also buy computers and software at significant discounts through the University. Most of the equipment at the Univer- sity's computing centers can be bought through special deals at several local computer stores or at the University's Microcomputer Education Center (MEC), which is located in the School of Education building. See 'U', Page 15 4 4 I CAMPAIGN WORK Help the Michigan Citizens Lobby win the bal- lot proposal to roll back utility rate hikes to pay for the cost overruns at the Fermi and Midland nuclear power plants. Full or Part-time positions available. Paid training and intern credit possible. CALL: 663-6824 TODAY!!! A ": . j~ik t < f _ AT I A I ;'it},fj wp J or I ARTIRVED CLASS RINGS Cuts! Perns color! I , :w S g a, w. Sr U< U' ae -pe-m- * e .00 . 1,$24Noi ---1 5. Mdut Reg. 1200 '$8 guts Kids Cuts' Reg.~ '60 Nirl sM9STI rm W-RW